LG BD390: Best standalone Blu-ray player tested

In 2009, it's not enough for a Blu-ray player to just play Blu-ray movies. With the ubiquity of online media streaming services, such as Netflix and Amazon Video On Demand, consumers already expect Blu-ray players to offer a wide variety of standard-definition, instant-gratification media options to complement their high-definition Blu-ray experience.

LG was the first company to realize this trend with the BD300--the first Blu-ray player with Netflix streaming--and the company's flagship Blu-ray player, the BD390 stays a step ahead of the competition with its outstanding feature set--Netflix, YouTube, CinemaNow, built-in 802.11n Wi-Fi (a first), 7.1 analog outputs, geek-friendly MKV-video file playback over USB, and 1GB of onboard memory.

Even better, the BD390 is an excellent Blu-ray player, with top-notch image quality, lightning fast load times, and onboard decoding for all the high-resolution audio soundtracks. The biggest knock against the BD390 is its $400 list price; that's the same as Sony's PS3, which is still a better value if you're into gaming. If you're not, the LG BD390 is our top pick for premium standalone Blu-ray players, narrowly besting the competing Samsung BD-P3600.

Read the full review of the LG BD390.

LG BD390 photos

[ESKChevy]

I've been impressed with BlueRay and Netflix performance since purchasing this unit, but I've not been successful viewing pictures from my computer. It's weird, because I'm able to find the picture files and the directory structure from my computer looks right. For some reason, it just won't let me view the pictures. I keep getting the message "There may be network congestion." My system is directly connected to my network (not wireless), and since I'm streaming NetFlix I don't believe the congestion is real.

Anybody else experiencing this? Tech support from LG is next to non-existent with regard to this type of issue.

[denvertom]

I admit I was wooed by the Netflix streaming and hardware updates via wireless on this unit. I also admit that hooking up to my wireless network was easy and quick and that startup and load times are noticeably faster than my Sony BDP-S550. So why am I returning the unit to Amazon?

Since hooking up the BD390, I have been plagued by a couple of annoyances that my beautiful Sony never exhibited. First, there were no clear instructions on which audio output setting to set the player to during initial setup. It took me 30 minutes of trial and error before I finally found the right setting for DTHD and DTSMHD output to my Onkyo 806. THEN, as a disc is spinning up and going thru its various stages of opening logos and menus, the audio output keeps changing, causing an annoying "click" on the receiver as it goes from Dolby Digital to 2-channel stereo and finally to the HD audio output. Annoying annoying! The Sony 550 never did that. Always quiet and efficient.

The remote control is usually never a deal-breaker for me, but the LG's is so cheap looking and feeling. There is no back lighting and the labeling of the buttons is in a tiny dim font that is very difficult to read in any kind of dim or dark room light. It feels light and plastic and I never realized how much I appreciate a well made and solid feeling remote control.

I feel a big suckered by the RAVE review given by CNET which was my main motivation for buying. The picture quality is very good, audio is fine, but the experience and routine operation of the unit as a conscious videophile has been disappointing. Besides, what does CNET have against Sony? Their reviews of Sony equipment are always underappreciative, I feel, from DVD players to TVs.

I'll miss the wireless connectivity somewhat, but I'm happy to be back with a unit I feel better owning and using.

[COCKY1968]

Is the best in blu-ray LG