Order LG BD 390 Network Blu-ray Disc Player

I just bought the LG BD390 Network Blu-Ray from Amazon and I am highly satisfied.

IN A NUTSHELL
Yes - Recommended. The LG BD390 is a superb player and brings a nice WiFi upgrade compared to the preceding BD370. Amazingly good value given the features, options and playback quality. LG have done themselves proud.

SETUP
The box comes with a "Quick Setup" 4-fold to get you started plus a good Owner's Manual that you can expand on once you have the basics under your belt.

The BD390 has a raft of features and the playing quality is outstanding. Setup was very straightforward. I used an optional HDMI version 1.3b cable (more about 1.3b in a moment) and the wireless (b/g/n) networking setup was much easier than I expected. I have a Linksys (b/g) wireless router.

My only hesitation was, when keying in the wireless WPA code, I could not instantly spot the CAPS option for the on-screen keyboard. It's there, but not instantly visible. You have to click on the symbols key (lower right) and cycle through symbols, caps then back to lower-case. Not difficult if you know where to look and it was in the Manual if I'd looked. After that the BD390 pretty much took care of the remaining configuration and we were done. You can also link via a wired (Ethernet) option but secure WiFi was my choice.

Once the network was operational the unit suggested a (blue-dot) software update which took 3 or 4 minutes to download and complete.

Because I was linking by HDMI cable I manually reset the resolution option, on the Display menu, from 1080i to 1080p to match the capabilities of my 42" LCD Vizio TV. I also reset the BD-Live setting on the Network menu from [Partially Permitted] to [Permitted].

The modest BD390 Remote was easy to use and, without the need to re-program, it also operated basic functions on my TV. Some TV's might require the Remote to be reprogrammed but there are only a few (1-8) numeric choices these days so it won't be complicated. The Owner's Manual lists TV makes and matching numbers.

PLAYING DISKS (Blu-Ray, DVD's in NTSC & PAL)
Well, time to see the results. I tried three different types of disk. First a Blu-Ray. My goodness, it's breathtaking. Sharp and crystal clear. I didn't know my TV was that good. And disk loading time was just three or four seconds. Way faster than I expected.

Next I tried two standard DVD's. One was a recently bought NTSC Region 1 feature film. The playback was far better than the up-converting player I was replacing. I was impressed. Clean, clear, crisp resolution. It will make watching my existing collection a whole new experience.

But now the big test. Would the BD390 play one of my many British [PAL format] DVD's given the BD390's output is NTSC? Yes it did it, and did it better than I had seen before. Good news for the PAL invested crowd.

REGION CODING
The PAL format DVD (The Shadows Live) was not European Region Code 2 (I don't have any Region 2's) so I cannot add much except I understand it is possible to search online and learn how to unofficially (it's not illegal) make the player DVD region-free (Code 0). I did not change the Region 1 DVD coding - I didn't have to.

Why is Blu-Ray so called? Because it uses a blue-violet laser with a much shorter wavelength than the longer wavelength red laser used in DVD players. But I digress.

Blu-Ray (BD) region coding is either Code-Free, A, B or C. The BD390, as sold in the USA & Canada, is set to BD Region A & DVD Region 1. It plays Blu-Rays which are either Code-Free or Region A (North & South America, Japan, Korea, & parts of Asia). That covers the vast majority of Blu-Ray disks available.

I don't think the BD390's Blu-Ray coding can be easily unlocked at this point. But why bother? A large percentage of Blu-Ray disks are being globally released BD code-free and online lists exist to say which. PAL and NTSC are irrelevant disk formats with Blu-Ray.

BD390 ON SCREEN FEATURES
Linking to YouTube using the on-screen menu was easy. It is well thought out and the images look better than on my PC. Another selection from the menu was My Media. This brought up the `C' drive on my network-linked computer. From that I could display folders such as My Pictures that could then be opened to see individual photos loaded from my camera, etc. or run a slideshow. It did not see RAW files but png and jpg's were fine.

I have yet to try the Netflix, NetCast or CinemaNow streaming options.

HDMI CABLE
Now a word about that HDMI 1.3b cable. If you are connecting by HDMI I strongly recommend you spend around US$10 and get an HDMI type 1.3 (Category 2). At $10 these are sensibly priced. I'm not that technical but basically the newer 1.3 type delivers more and gives you full BD-Live capabilities. There is a very good article on Wikipedia entitled "HDMI" showing a Yes/No chart on what the older HDMI's don't do compared to the new 1.3's.

Yes, you can connect via the included (red-green-blue) component cables (but those limit resolution) or buy a cheap (or monstrously expensive) type 1 HDMI. However, if you want to get the best out of your LG BD390 spend the ten bucks on a certified 1.3 cable.

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