LG BD300 user reviews

Pros I was impressed on how easy the product was to set up, particularly for netflix streaming. The controls seem intuitive, and the image quality is good. Seems like a very solid product.

Cons It would be nice if video, music, and pictures on a network attached storage drive were available from the main menu just as they are from the USB drive.

Pros The player itself is awesome, as it is really easy to setup and it has a great picture.

Cons The disc load time is a little long as with all Blu-ray players. And there is very minimal internal memory!

Summary In general the player is nice and the quality is awesome, but a major flaw is that the player itself has very minimal internal memory, according to LG?s customer service it is barely enough to stream Netflix and from my experience this is only when your internet connection is fast and flawless. As I noticed when you have a connection glitch the quality of the movie you are streaming is affected as the picture is diminished and the audio can even get off; thou otherwise I was very impressed with the picture as it was equal to or better than my HD cable channels.
This brings me to my warning ? that without any memory, to speak of, you are not able to use the BD Live functions which the player is supposedly equipped for. I could not figure out why I was unable to use it on any of my Blu-ray discs (that offered it) so I called LG's tech support. After about 30 minutes the tech told me that you had to have your own USB Drive with a minimum of 1 GB storage in order to use this function as the player itself is not fully equipped for it. This would not really be an issue, EXCEPT the only usb drive is located on the front of the player so there goes the sleek design that you pay all the money for as you would have the drive sticking out and completely visible at all times (or you would have to go through the hassle of plugging it in every time you wanted to use it).

Pros The player has pretty good Blu-Ray support, though not the best as the more expensive models. The interface is extremely easy to use. Netflix has the same interface as the Roku Player. Can disk pictures and play music from USB key.

Cons DVD is good, but not excellent, though the difference can only be seen closely in action sequences. There is no WiFI, but not really a problem. Need a USB key to use the BD-Live content on Discs.

Summary An excellent purchase for money, but only if Netflix is also going to be used. The menuing system within the player is easy and setup of the player is very easy. When there is a firmware update available an option will display on the main menu with an option to download and install the firmware.

The Blu-Ray quality is very good, but there is some pixelation during fast action, though it is only noticeable at close range. To use BD-Live functions, a USB key must be introduced before the player is booted. The key can be any size as the content usually only takes up a few megabytes, but it depends on the title.

DVD upscaling is not as good as some regular upscaling DVD players nor was it as good as my HD DVD player. However, the quality is better than regular DVD quality.

The Netflix experience is exactly the same as the Roku player. There is no HD content on Netflix yet, so the quality is standard quality. The player saves only a few minutes of a movie in memory, so going back or forward past the memory requires more downloading. This is not a problem with player.

The player also allows pictures to be shown and music to be played. I have never used these features so I cannot comment.

Overall, I am very happy with this purchase. I love the Netflix integration and just adds to the overall experience of the player.

Pros * Netflix streaming - producing good SD quality
* Profile 2.0 compatible, though the 1.1 PIP is more important
* Very good Blu-Ray Image
* Very good upscaled DVD image
* Great deal at 349 or less
* Easy user interface
* NO wifi

Cons * Lots of patches initially
* No upscaling of Netflix
* Not free

Summary The netflix streaming was a huge plus for me, and it works really well. I was actually glad they didn't build in a wifi connector. Everything with built in wifi is 802.11g and will all be outdated soon. If you have this setup in any type of home theater room buy a wireless bridge, I have a DAP-1522 (also a 4 port switch) which allows around 200 mps real world throughput. Blu-rays load fast and look great. I really don't care what it can or can't decode because I'm using it as a second player, so if that is important to you this may not be for you. Better and cheaper than buying a decent 300 dollar player and paying another 100 on a roku.