LG 370 Blu ray: The Lowest Prices LG BD 370 Network Blu-ray Disc Player.
Since that player launched, several other manufacturers have announced similarly-featured players. LG has followed up on the BD300 with the BD370, the subject of this review. The BD370 continues the Netflix support, but has added YouTube access to the mix (which the BD300 added as a firmware update several months after launch), allowing you to not only chose between Blu-ray movies and streamed movies, but let you watch bored kids dance in front of their Web cams for hours on end.
If you had an LG BD370 Blu-ray disc player , you would be watching the movie of your choice. The LG BD370 performs beyond expectations but falls a little short of quantity quality. The interface of the LG BD370 is pretty straight forward there isn’t anything confusing about it. As long as you know what options you are looking for you will find it.
The LG BD370 Blu-ray player has an HDMI 1.3 port that can output 7.1-channel sound and 1080i/p visuals. Component and composite video out connections are provided, as is a digital optical audio port. The LG BD370 is a thoroughly capable machine, and wrapped with a design that won’t look out of place under even the swankiest HD TV. Unless you’re desperate to play games on a PlayStation 3, this is one of the best Blu-ray machines in the world. Flipping down the panel in the front of the LG BD370 gives the consumer access to several more functions on the device including the accessible port where a drive can be inserted. If preferred, the consumer can operate the disc player with a remote that offers a number of control options.
Netflix’s Watch Instantly support in CE devices has been a recurring theme this week. Roku has announced two new Netflix-capable boxes. Sony will soon be adding it to the PS3. Nintendo will likely be following suit on the Wii or upcoming Wii HD. And Best Buy’s Insignia brand is even in on the action with its $99 Blu-ray player.
But LG was the very first to bring Netflix support to a Blu-ray player, and one of the first to free Watch Instantly from the confines of your PC. Right now 6ave.com has the LG BD370 (little brother to the well-reviewed BD390) for a low $150.10 after coupon code AFL5, including free shipping.
Of course, the PlayStation 3 still looms like the Close Encounters mother ship over the whole preceding, but fabulous little players like the LG BD370 are making the step to Blu-ray that much more enticing. But best of all its $250 price tag makes it excellent value for money, putting it right up there with the LG BD370 and Panasonic DMP-BD60 in the holy trinity of budget Blu-ray decks. The LG BD370 is the entry-level successor to the BD300, and it's very similar with the main upgrades being onboard decoding for DTS-HD Master Audio Essential and faster load times.Most Blu-ray movies use the 1080p24 video format, which the BD370 can output (via HDMI) to compatible displays. But unlike the Panasonic DMP-BD60, the BD370 can't upconvert DVD videos to this format; instead, it outputs video in the 1080p60 format, which results in a picture with judder. The BD370 also lacks independent picture controls like those found on the Sony BDP-S360 and the Panasonic DMP-BD60.
Moreover, this LG BD370 disc player will permit users to browse the entire CinemaNow premium content catalog, instantly stream content, and access and view movies bought from other CinemaNow-powered stores. It’s a well-known fact that CinemaNow is the first broadband distributor of high definition content. Right out of the box, it didn't take long at all for the LG BD370 Blu-ray player to upload discs. For this review, I viewed a copy of Slumdog Millionaire, and it only took 14.17 seconds for the disc to load. Amazon has the LG BD370 network Blu-ray disc player for $217 plus freeshipping if you order today.Instant streaming content from Netflix to an HDTV via the LG BD370 requires a broadband connection and a Netflix membership (free trial available). You can use the Netflix Web site to add movies and TV episodes to your individual instant Queue, and those choices will automatically be displayed on and available to watch instantly through the HDTV. I made a mistake with my first LG BD370 by updating the firmware first, not knowing the newer firmware actually block any attempt of hacking the region code.
Let's find out.
Pros-Stylish, clean design. Fast start-up and disc-loading speeds. Streams Netflix and YouTube video.
Cons-Below-average DVD upconversion. Poor image quality with 1080i video sources. Optional memory required for BD-Live support.
Bottom Line-The LG BD370 Network Blu-ray Disc Player's fast disc-handling speed and slick styling are tempered by subpar DVD upconversion performance.Although the BD370 consumes slightly more power than did the BD300 (22 watts rather than 21W), a half-watt reduction in standby consumption slightly reduced the player's estimated operating cost to $0.40 per month (based on 5 hours of daily use at $0.1135 per kWh, the 2008 national average). The most efficient BD player I've tested so far is the Sony BDP-S360, which costs only $0.27 per month (14W average) to operate when its quick-start feature is disabled.
While the BD370 lacks is its bigger sibling’s wireless connectivity, NTFS file-system support, and Vudu streaming (though this could change in the future), it does pack in excellent BD playback performance (both speed and image quality), Netflix, Amazon VOD, USB video playback, and internal decoding of all the latest surround-sound codecs.
The LG BD370 is a nice successor to the original BD300. It's clear that manufacturers need to add more compelling features to their products than just disc playback. Bare-bones DVD players from 3rd-tier makers brought that market down quickly so that the big names couldn't make a profit on even a quality DVD player. The top manufacturers don't want to let that happen to Blu-ray and so they're coming up with as many tricks as they can to keep the attention away from the bargain brands. Also, a network-capable product is never really finished. The manufacturer can keep rolling out new features or improvements, and keep that customer happy.
LG 370 Blu Ray: Best Lowest Prices Network Blu-ray Disc Player
