LG BD570

Pros: similar to the excellent BD390
easy set up
extensive internet content
extensive list of playable video and audio file formats (e.g., .avi, .mpeg, mp3 and 4, etc.)
value (i.e., features to price ratio)

Cons: problematic play of some blu-ray titles
less than practical front cover (must be down for disc and USB to be inserted)

Summary: Many users will find this to be an excellent Blu-ray player and at this price point, there's a lot that LG has packed into this player. Most notable will be the extensive internet content of which I've yet to explore (e.g., Netflix, Pandora, Hulu, etc.). In addition, the BD570 can be easily connected to the internet either via hard wire or wirelessly. If you're even considering connecting a player to the internet or to a network wirelessly, you should probably consider this player. Set up is a breeze and the documentation is easily understandable. For example, I connected my BD570 via hard wire to my home network and it immediately recognized my Directv DVR, listing the programs I'd recorded although I haven't tried to view them yet. My BD570 is connected to an Onkyo SR876 receiver via HDMI and the two seem to play quite nicely together. This was really important to me because last year I purchased a Panasonic 60 (last year's version of the 65), which did not work with my receiver well at all. Not only did that player freeze frequently, but also the FF button changed the audio settings of my receiver. That player was quickly returned so this is only my second attempt at adding a Blu-ray player to my home theater set up. Blu-ray video playback is incredible. However, as impressive as the video playback is, I think the sound is even better. Moreover, the BD570 offers a number of options for outputting audio to receivers. Not to mention, the BD570 can handle decoding itself so a receiver is not a must.

But (and this is a big one), the player has one major shortcoming that has yet to be addressed. Anyone considering purchasing this player should be aware of it. There are several Blu-ray discs that it has problems with. Disney-Pixar's Up, for example, skips. Actually, I intentionally tried Up knowing that I would probably experience a problem with it just to see if I could replicate the problem others have noted (see AVS forums for more on this issue). I first experienced the problem with Terminator Salvation (TS), which was the first disc I tried in the player. With this disc, the player skips from the end of the opening credits to what I believe is chapter 2 (John Conner climbing out of a cave). There are other places throughout the disc where chapters are skipped as well. I really hope that this issue can be addressed via a firmware update and I hope it can be addressed soon because if not, I might be returning this player and getting my money back.

I should note that following the suggestions of others (again, see AVS forums), I was able to work around this problem, although one could argue (actually I could argue) that I shouldn't have had to. Again, anyone considering purchasing this player should consider this BEFORE they make their purchase. I can't explain why, but when sending the video signal out of the player via component cables (the red, green, and blue ones), the problems seem to disappear, although I did notice a slight stutter on TS at the very same point in which the skipping occurred via HDMI. I further tested this with Up (again a well-documented problem disc with the BD570) by outputting the video via component cables instead of HDMI (also with the video output on the BD570 set to 480i) and the aforementioned problem was gone. For the time being, I'm willing to have HDMI and component cables connected to the BD570, but I can't say that I'm willing to sacrifice less than hi-def video forever. To be clear, I could not watch TS and Up all the way through at 1080p. When I used component cables and changed the output to 480i, my receiver upconverted the video but it wasn't the same. Trust me on this because when the BD570 works perfectly (i.e., sending out 1080p to my receiver), there is a significant difference in the quality of the video--it is awesome!

All this is to say that despite the glowing reviews this player is getting and may continue to get, potential buyers should be aware that this player does have some problems. If you're buying this player to play Blu-ray discs, you'll have to consider whether or not you want to shell out money for a player has so many well-documented problems playing Blu-rays. If you're like me, you might be willing to hold out hope that these issues can, and will, be addressed via firmware updates. And, if so, like me, you'd better keep your receipt handy and keep track of when you need to return the player for a full refund if they aren't.

If you're looking for a player with no bugs, that you can drop any disc into and enjoy the way the player is advertised, you should probably look into other options.

However, if you're interested in just streaming internet content and being able to network your Blu-ray player to computers on your home network and view them via your Blu-ray player, the BD570 might be right for you, right now. Either way, you just need to know what your getting for your money. I hope this helps.