LG BD370 Blu-Ray Player

For years, my husband Bill and I used a basic DVD player we picked up at AAFES (military discount store) for about $35. That DVD player worked okay most of the time, though it was really beginning to show its age with a few problems by the time I replaced it with the LG BD370 Blu-Ray Player last Christmas. My decision to purchase the LG BD370 was based on a couple of factors. First off, I felt it was time for us to try out the Blu-Ray and see what all the fuss was about. Second of all, I wanted a player that could stream content from my Internet connection and Netflix. The LG BD370 fit the bill nicely.

To be honest, I really wanted to buy the LG BD390, because it appeared to have a lot more features for the money. But the 390 was significantly more expensive than the LG BD370 and, when I was ready to purchase it from my favorite online retailer, the 390 was backordered for weeks. So I downgraded my shopper's lust and picked up the LG BD370 for less than $200.

What's in the box?

Inside the box is the DVD player and a remote control with batteries.

What does it do?

The LG BD370 is a Blu-Ray player with NetCast for YouTube, which means that besides being able to watch Netflix directly from my computer, I can also watch YouTube videos. It's also compatible with CinemaNow and standard DVDs. If I were so inclined, I could view photos on our new DVD player.

This player has Cinema Mode, which allows viewers to watch movies the way they're supposed to be seen in the theater by displaying 24p source frames on our television screen. It also has good audio capability, supporting Surround Sound from up to 7.1 channels Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD and dts-HD Advanced Digital Out technologies.

Getting off to a rough start

Bill was very excited to get this DVD player. He loves watching movies and I had already supplied him with a Blu-Ray copy of the latest Star Trek. So Christmas morning 2009, he promptly got to work connecting our new machine to the TV. It wasn't long before I heard him start cussing. He had followed the directions implicitly, but every time he turned on the player, the digital screen on the front flashed "Please Wait" interminably.

After fussing with the LG BD370 for a couple of hours, Bill finally called the toll-free number listed on the directions for people who need help setting up the machine. Surprisingly enough, it was manned on Christmas Day with a competent technician who advised us that we'd gotten a defective unit. The technician told Bill that our player was still under warranty, so we could send it to a local repair center and get it fixed.

To LG's credit, we FedExed our Blu-Ray player to a facility in Alabama. It was fixed and returned to us within 48 hours. When Bill went to hook it up, it worked perfectly and we've had no trouble with it since.

Our experiences

I really like using this Blu-Ray player. When I watch regular DVDs, I note that the picture is excellent-- clean, crisp, and definitely better than the crappy old player we had been using. But we really enjoy watching Blu-Ray discs on this player, which allow us to watch DVDs in crystal clear color. Last night, we watched Up In The Air on Blu-Ray and it looked awesome on the screen. The only thing I noticed was that I needed to turn up the volume on the TV.

I think my favorite part of owning this player is being able to take advantage of Netflix's instant view feature. I place movies and television shows I want to see in my instant viewing queue and I can watch them on my TV. I have been sick for the past week, so this feature has really come in handy as I've been stuck in bed. Using a router that connects to the DVD player, the LG BD370 connects to our wireless Internet. Sometimes I do have to try two or three times before the connection is made, but I think that might have more to do with our crappy Internet service than the DVD player. And when we do get a connection, it's always flawless. We haven't had any trouble with the streaming getting stuck or dropping.

I've also enjoyed using YouTube on this machine. We have Apple TV and can use YouTube on that as well, but I find searching for videos with the Blu-Ray easier and less frustrating. The picture quality is pretty good, though it does seem to get a little distorted if I watch YouTube in full screen.

I don't use the CinemaNow feature because, frankly, I have no need to subscribe to another video rental service. But it's nice to know that if I ever get tired of Netflix, I have a choice of another service if I want it.

It may seem odd, but I also like the fact that when I turn off this player, all the lights go out. But when I turn it on, the display is easy to read. If I'm watching Blu-Ray, the circular button on the front of the unit glows blue. If I'm watching a regular DVD, it glows red. If I'm watching Netflix or YouTube, it's purple. Load times for all viewing formats are quick, though I will admit that this is not something I pay a lot of attention to, especially since it takes my computer forever to boot up and I'm used to having to wait.

As nice as this machine is, it's not perfect

Naturally, I was disappointed that I had to send this machine to be fixed right out of the box. I find I have to use the remote to open and close the unit, which isn't a huge deal, but can be a pain if I happen to misplace the remote.

This machine doesn't have wireless access built in, which is another reason why the LG BD390 might be preferable for some people. It wasn't a big deal for us to use a router in our bedroom, but bear in mind that if you don't have one on hand, you'll have to spend the money for one. That will offset any savings you'll get by buying the BD370.

Also, though streaming Netflix from this unit is very easy, I still have to search and add content from my computer. This isn't a huge deal either, but I think it would have been nice if I could search and add stuff from the remote. The upside to this situation is that there doesn't seem to be a limit on how much content you can have in the Netflix queue, so I can put a whole bunch of stuff on there and be good to go for awhile. It would also be nice if I could stream Pandora from this player, though I'm sure that's a feature that's coming at some point.

I must also warn that according to the LG Web site, the LG BD370 is a discontinued product. However, it is still widely available from other retailers besides LG.

Overall

I like the LG BD370 so far. It's easy to hook up, easy to use, and offers plenty of entertainment on demand. The price was also pretty easy on the ol' wallet.  I would recommend it as an entry level player for those who don't want to spend a lot of money on Blu-Ray, yet want to see what the fuss is about and want to be able to stream Netflix from their computers.

Other information

This machine comes with a one year warranty for parts and a 90 day warranty for labor. It weighs about 6 pounds and measures 17 x 2.2 x 9.7 inches. It's also Energy Star compliant.

Technical information (taken from Amazon.com)

Video output: 1080p
Internal memory: None
HD disc format: Blu-ray Disc
BD-ROM/R/RE compatibility: Yes/Yes/Yes
DVD Video compatibility: Yes
DVD-R/RW compatibility: Yes
DVD+R/RW compatibility: Yes
CD-R/RW compatibility: Yes
Broadband connection: Ethernet (wired)
MPEG2, HP@ML video: Yes
MPEG4 AVC, HP@L4.1 video: Yes
SMPTE VC1, AP@L3 video: Yes
AVCHD video: Yes
Digital analog video conversion: 108MHz/10bit
NTSC Hz: 60Hz
Deep Color and x.v.Color (HDMI): Yes
Composite output: Up to 480i
Component output: Up to 1080i
HDMI output: Up to 1080p (24 and 60 Hz)
Digital analog audio conversion: 192MHz/24bit
Dolby Digital: Yes
Dolby Digital 2-channel Down Mix: Yes
DTS: Yes
Linear PCM: Yes
Dolby Digital Plus: Yes
Dolby TrueHD: Yes
DTS-HD Advance Digital Output: Yes
HDMI: 1x
Component video: 1x
Composite video: 1x
Analog audio (L/R): 1 set
Digital optical audio: 1x
Digital coaxial audio: 1x
Discrete 7.1 channel audio: None
Ethernet (RJ-45): 1x
USB 2.0: 1x