I really wasn't even looking for a Blu-ray player, but I needed a DVD player and didn't see the logic in paying money for outmoded technology when for more, quite a bit more though, I could get Blu-ray and Netflix streaming. I'm very glad I made the decision to spend the extra money.
It came down to two players for me, the Samsung BD-P1600 or the LG. I decided to go with the LG BD 390 because, unlike the Samsung, it has built in wireless b/g/n and 1GB of memory. On the Samsung you have to buy a wireless dongle and a flash USB drive for memory.
The LG is very nicely styled with only 6 buttons on the front of the unit, the playback controls that light up in blue and power and tray open/close buttons on the top edge. The display on the front of the player is very bright and fairly large. It's very easy to see. I also like the fact that when you press a button on the remote a little indicator lights up in the display to let you know. This way you don't wonder whether the player didn't get the command or if it's something you cannot do in the current mode. The remote is a decent size and has a logical button layout (see photo).
Picture quality on my 32" 720p LCD TV is great. Blu-ray discs and regular DVDs look flawless. Additionally, when you take out a disc you haven't finished watching and put it back in later, even if you've turned the player off, it will start up where you left off, nice. Netflix streams in very high quality (up to 720p HD) over my cable high-speed network. The Netflix activation process is very simple as well. My wireless router is an Apple AirPort Extreme with WPA security and the LG wirelessly linked up with it easily. You can also access YouTube, CinemaNow, and a local media server with the LG. Of these, I've only tried the YouTube player and found it worked well. Finally, updates for the player's software can be easily downloaded over the wireless network through the set-up menu.
The connections on the rear are very comprehensive and included HDMI, Component and Composite video, Digital and Optical audio, and 7.1 surround sound outputs. There is also an Ethernet port if you prefer to use the player on a wired network.
The only negative I have about the LG is that the remote is quite cheesy in construction and does not feel up to the caliber of a player of this cost. Also the player itself sounds a little strained when the drawer opens and closes. I'm hoping that this is not a sign of bad things to come.
All in all...Blu-ray, plus a seamless Netflix experience, all wrapped up in a stylish box.
Note to Apple AirPort Extreme users: Someone read my review and contacted me saying that they were not able to get the LG to wirlessly connected to their AirPort, what was I doing differently? Well after some playing around with the AirPort Extreme's settings I came to the conclusion that the LG will only connect to the AirPort when the wireless mode is either 802.11n only (2.4GHz), 802.11n (802.11b/g compatible), or 802.11n (a compatible). The 802.11n only (5GHz) setting WILL NOT WORK with the LG. I've included a photo of said setting.
08/28/2009 Update: If you have the LG hooked up to your network it will automatically tell you when a software update is available. Nice touch.Get more detail about LG BD 390 Network Blu-ray Disc Player.
It is a great awesome player,though the prices of the Blu-ray discs are higher than that of DVDs. But, they are growing popular among the buyers due to the picture and sound quality.But the blu-ray player r with nice video quality and the interface is clean.I'd definitely recommend this player. The picture is gorgeous, especially when paired with a new 1080p, 120Hz LCD HDTV.
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