LG BD370 Blu-ray player

Features

The features list on the BD370 is simply phenomenal--even if it is missing the US version's coup de grace, Netflix downloads. However, you still get one of the best value adds we've seen in a Blu-ray player so far: YouTube. Unlike the Apple TV that launched with a vetted list of YouTube videos, the full library of content is available via the remote which also includes an easy search function.

The second reason to buy this player is its comprehensive support for movie formats. Not only can you play DVDs and Blu-rays, it is also compatible with most of the popular formats including MPEG-2, MPEG-4 AVC (H.264), raw VC1 files, DivX, and for you HD fans, MKV. It will even playback videos encoded in the AVCHD camcorder format.

For a budget player, we were also impressed by its assortment of audio-decoding options. You can either let the BD370 decode both DTS-HD and Dolby TrueHD or let them through to the keeper (read: A/V receiver). This capability should please users who've bought a modern receiver and want the flexibility and potential improvements of letting it decode high-definition audio streams.

There is a high degree of control in the menu options within the BD370, but sometimes you need to know what the options mean. For example, you can set the 1080p display mode to 24Hz or 50Hz, and while this is helpful for people who want to enable Blu-ray compatibility quickly, it doesn't explain what 24Hz is. The audio options also let you fiddle with the sampling frequency, offering you a choice of 48, 96 or 192kHz--again with no explanation of what this means. Presumably, it will up- or downscale audio to the frequency you choose, with 192kHz being the highest-quality option. As a comparison, DVD is usually sampled in 48kHz. Moving on from audio, a small degree of interface customization is also offered. While you can't change the appearance of the menu options, you can change the wallpaper. Woot!

Outputs are limited to HDMI, component and composite for video. As for audio, you'll have a digital optical and coaxial, plus analog stereo-out. 5.1- or 7.1-channel discreet audio outputs are not included, unfortunately.

Tags: TV, disc, computer disc, LG Electronics Inc., computer

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