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Blu-Ray Player Review: LG BD630

LG announced more than the usual three Blu ray players for their 2011 models. With 3D technology slowly catching on with the consumers, it was expected most manufacturers to offer up different 3D capable Blu ray players. LG announced three different Blu ray players capable of playing 3D discs as well as two standard non 3D Blu ray players. In total, LG offered up five different Blu ray player to cover low end to high end. LG BD630 is the cheapest of the five offerings from 2011 models.

Features

The BD630 is non 3D capable player. While it can’t play 3D discs, it is fully functional Profile 2.0 player with BD-LIVE content capability. Like the more expensive models, BD630 can decode Dolby Digital, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital+, DTS, DTS-HD Master Audio, and DTS-HD. You can also enjoy MP3, AC3, and AAC audio formats from your media files. Also, the video decoding options are very similar to the more expensive models. It can decode DivX, MPEG2 TS/PS, AVCHD, Xvid, and MKV just like the BD670 model. This is one of few lower end models that can natively decode these video formats. One key difference between this model and more expensive model is the lack of SmartTV platform on the BD630. While the BD630 does come with some limited internet streaming contents, it is nowhere near the complete experience of SmartTv. Only the 3D capable players from LG have the SmartTV platform. Never the less, it does come with Netflix, Vudu, CinemaNow, and Youtube. You will need to hook up the player via ethernet port as it does not come with WiFi capability.

Design

The overall design is pretty straight forward. It doesn’t have any significant design change from the earlier version of the player. The overall dimension is in line with other Blu ray players. The LCD is located on the right side of the player with few playback function buttons. The disc tray is located in the middle of the player. HDMI, Ethernet, Digital and analog audio out, component and composite video are all located on the back of the player. The single USB port is located on the front the player. For some BD-LIVE contents, you will need to get an external storage device.

Performance and Video

As with the other 2011 LG models, the only drawback of BD630 is the lack of speedy loading times. The boot up and loading time is less than stellar on LG models. While it is still very fast, the other Blu ray players have surpassed LG in terms of overall loading speed. The difference is less than 10 seconds on most Blu ray discs and even less on DVD discs.

While the loading and booting speed isn’t as fast as other players, the overall video processing is definitely flawless. The overall video performance was very good on both Blu ray and DVD discs. Spot tested with three different Blu ray movies, the BD630 showed no video processing defects on all three movies. None showed moiré, jaggieness, or motion blur in any scenes including some action heavy movie. While the DVD upscaling wasn’t as good as some of the more expensive players, it was very comparable to the higher end models in most cases. The upscaling of DVDs showed very little video degradation on the high definition television. Even so, you should not expect full Blu ray like experience with the DVD upscaling. The BD630 should be perfectly fine playing any disc formats.

Audio

Except for the absence of 5.1 or 7.1 channel analog outputs, the BD630 does not present any problem in audio department. All the audio formats decoded properly including the high definition audio formats. The MP3 and AAC audio formats played from the USB and from the disc without any problems. Overall, you shouldn’t have any problems with audio formats unless you have some exotic formats.

Overall

From price and performance perspective, the BD630 is a definitely a competent player. While it is not laced with some great features found on more expensive players, it does offer up solid performance with some decent internet streaming contents. While it lacks more comprehensive internet streaming contents found on SmartTV, most users should be satisfied with the internet streaming contents found on BD630. If you can forgo 3D contents as well as WiFi, this is one of the best performing players at any price range. Also, the ability to play variety of media type is truly a big plus for the sub $100 player.

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Review: LG BD690

The LG BD690 represents the high end Blu ray player from LG’s 2011 Blu ray player line up. As expected, the BD690 comes packed with features and very good overall performance. True to LG’s past Blu ray players, the BD690 comes packed with great internet streaming contents. Being one of the first to introduce internet streaming contents on the Blu ray players, LG has always been one of the top manufacturers to include internet streaming platform on their Blu ray players. The internet streaming contents added to the overall value of LG’s already great performing players.

Features

As befitting the top of the line model, BD690 is packed with features. The Profile 2.0 player comes with 250GB internal storage. You will not need the external storage device to fully enjoy the BD-LIVE contents that require storage spaces. 250GB should be plenty for BD-LIVE contents as well as other media you want to store on the Blu ray player. Aside from the design and the internal storage, the BD690 is nearly identical to the BD670 in terms of features and performance. The BD690 is Profile 2.0 player with onboard decoding of most audio formats. It can natively decode Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS, and DTS-HD Master Audio. It can also decode MP3, AC3, and AAC for your downloaded or converted music files. If you do home video editing or convert various video files, you will enjoy having the ability to play them on your BD690 without having to convert them to other standard formats. The BD690 can decode MPEG TS/PS, AVCHD, DivX, and MKV file formats. You can enjoy internet streaming contents via LG’s Smart TV platform. You can easily download and customize streaming contents via the Smart TV. Netflix, Vudu, CinemaNow, YouTube, Pandora, Picasa, and AccuWeather are part of the overall platform. There are various other apps you can download as well. The BD690 comes with Built in WiFi or you can connect to internet via Ethernet port.

Design

As befitting the top end status, the BD690 does stand out from other players in its design. It has more polished and upscale design compared to the other models. Like some of the older Sony models, the BD690 has the flip down front face plate that covers the entire frontal face of the Blu ray player. The disc tray is located on the left side of the player with playback buttons and LCD on the right side. The USB port is also located beneath the playback buttons. While nothing radical, the flip down front face plate does add some class to the overall design. The included remote control is pretty standard affair. The button layout is logical and big enough for most people.

Performance and Video

In terms of performance and overall speed, the BD690 is nearly identical to the BD670. The overall video processing of Blu ray and DVD discs were flawless. The usual video defects like moiré, jaggieness, or motion blur were absent from the playback. The DVD upscaling was also very good. You will be hard pressed to differentiate between the BD670 and BD690 in video processing. The slower than expected loading and operational speed is present on the BD690 as it did on BD670. You can definitely see some slowness compared to other 2011 Blu ray models from Sony or Panasonic. Never the less, it is not as bad as first or second generation loading speeds. It is still very competent player even with little slowness.

Audio

There were no problems with audio processing. All the formats decoded without any problem. The high definition audio formats all decoded without any problems. MP3, AAC, and AC3 all played perfectly. I’ve yet to see any player that really had problem with audio decoding in 2010 or 2011 models. You shouldn’t have any problem with this player either.

Overall

The BD690 is an impressive player with built in storage. You can rip CDs directly to the hard drive on the player as well. You might have problem with copy right protected media to rip properly. Otherwise, it is a great feature to have. Also, the BD690 is a DLNA certified device if you are looking for a proper networking of the devices. The BD690 can be bought for around $280 at this time. However, if you don’t really need the internet streaming or the internal storage space, you can easily buy the lower end model and still end up with a stellar Blu ray player.

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First Look at LG BD670

From the start of Blu ray technology, LG has always been one of the first companies to adapt new technology and features into their Blu ray players. They were one of the first to offer hybrid HDDVD/Blu ray player along with full featured Blu ray players. LG was also one of the first to integrate internet streaming contents on their player. With most of the Blu ray players performing on similar level, it is the extra features that differentiate the players. With a head start in internet streaming contents, LG has firmly established itself as a big player in Blu ray player market.

Features

Electronics manufacturers have jammed more and more features into their Blu ray players. LG is no exception. They’ve always packed more features into their Blu ray players from early on. The BD670 is also a feature packed 2011 model. Like other manufacturers, LG has introduced multiple Blu ray player models in 2011. The BD670 is the second most expensive player introduced by LG in 2011. Like its predecessors, the BD670 is Profile 2.0 player with full complement of audio decoding capability. As expected, it is capable of displaying 3D contents as well as the traditional 2D contents. BD670 can natively decode Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS, and DTS-HD Master Audio. The standard MP3, AC3, and AAC are also decoded natively on the player. The video format decoding capability is impressive as well. It can decode DivX, MPEG2 TS/PS, AVCHD, Xvid, and MKV. LG’s Smart TV platform allows for customization and easy access to variety of internet streaming contents. With Smart TV, you can download different apps and customize them to your liking. Netflix, Vudu, CinemaNow, YouTube, Pandora, Picasa, and AccuWeather are few of the apps you can use to access internet streaming contents. You can access the internet via Ethernet port or the integrated WiFi capability.

Design

The overall design is fairly straight forward. At this stage, it’s hard to reinvent the wheel in terms of disc player design. The disc tray is located on the left with LCD and playback buttons and USB port on the right. Touch sensitive button would have been a nice design touch. Otherwise, the glossy finish neither spectacular nor dull. As with a lot of the newer Blu ray players, the BD670 lacks multi channel analog outputs. Instead, it comes with L/R audio out along with Digital and optical audio out. It does come with legacy video connection in the form of composite and component video out. Regrettably, the BD670 comes with one HDMI port instead of two. The included remote is pretty standard. The buttons are large enough and the placements are well thought out. However, it lacks few direct buttons for feature apps like Netflix. Like Sony, you can download remote control apps via Android or iOS device.

Video and Performance

The video processing of Blu ray and DVD discs were flawless. You will not notice any video defects like moiré, jaggieness, or motion blur. Spot tested with three different Blu ray discs, the BD670 showed no defects in any of the scenes. Also, the DVD upscaling and playback was very crisp on high definition television. While the overall video processing was spot on, the overall loading speed and operational speed was somewhat lacking on the BD670. While it’s not as horrendous as the first or second generation players, the BD670 definitely trails behind other Blu ray players in terms of overall speed. From power up to actually starting a Blu ray disc, it was noticeably slower than some of the other players.

Audio

Like video processing, the audio processing was spot on as well. The overall sound qualities should reflect your television’s speaker or the receiver and speaker combination. The BD670 decoded all the audio formats properly and without any hitch. Even the MP3 and other audio formats played without any problem. You should not have any problem with the BD670 in audio department except for the lack of multichannel analog output.

Final Thoughts

The BD670 is another great addition to the LG’s Blu ray player product line. LG has always produced some of the best Blu ray players on the market and BD670 is no exception. The inclusion of 3D and the abundant internet streaming contents make the BD670 one of the best Blu ray player on the market. However, the loading speed was somewhat bothersome. We expected faster loading time for the LG’s newest Blu ray players. Also, the lack of second HDMI might pose some problem for people with older receivers. All in all, the BD670 is an excellent Blu ray player from LG.

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Detail Look: Review of Samsung BD D5700

Samsung BD-D5700 is something of anomaly in its place in Samsung’s Blu ray player line up. Wedged between the BD-D5500 and BD-D6500, it is the middle tier Blu ray player according to Samsung. However, the BD-D5700 is the only new Samsung player in 2011 to exclude 3D playback despite being more expensive than the BD-D5500. This looks like a player for those that don’t really need 3D playback capability and still want a full featured 2011 model.

Features

From low end to high end models, the Samsung Blu ray players all have similar set of features. The only differentiation between BD-D5500 and BD-D5700 is the inclusion of WiFi and exclusion of 3D playback on BD-D5700. As with the other Samsung Blu ray players, the BD-D5700 is a Profile 2.0 player fully compatible with BD-LIVE content. It can natively decode Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby True HD, DTS HD, and DTS. You will not need to purchase separate receiver for audio decoding. Like other Samsung players, it comes with Samsung Smart Blu Ray Player. The internet streaming option is very extensive on the Smart Blu ray players from Samsung. You can connect to various internet streaming contents via Samsung apps. Netflix, Blockbuster, YouTube, and Pandora are some of the few internet streaming contents you can access via BD-D5700. Also, there are news feed services as well as social media updates like Facebook and Twitter. You also have access to some simple games like Monopoly and poker. The inclusion of WiFi is the primary upgrade from the BD-D5500 model.

Design

The overall design of BD-D5700 is fairly straight forward. It doesn’t emulate BD-D6700 or BD-D7500 in terms of stylish design. However, it is not a bad looking player. The overall glossy finish to the player makes it fairly nice. However, it does attract dust more than other finishes. The big LCD and playback buttons are located nicely in the middle with the USB port on the right side. There is a cover for the USB port as well. The BD-D5700 comes with the standard 2 channel audio output as well as optical digital audio output. Samsung has smartly opted not to include legacy output such as s-video or component outputs. Most buyers have no reason to use those outputs on their HDTV. As expected, a HDMI port is included as well. As the BD-D5700 cannot play 3D contents, you do not really need the second HDMI port as you would on 3D Blu ray players. The included remote is functional at best. You would be better off getting a nice universal remote if you have more than few home theater components.

Performance and Video

The overall speed of BD-D5700 is adequate. While it is not as fast as some of the other players, it is more than adequate for most users. It is about 5-10 seconds slower than Sony or Panasonic Blu ray players in terms of loading Blu ray discs from power up. The video processing was flawless on Blu ray and DVD playbacks. The usual moiré, motion blur, and jaggieness were all missing from the Blu ray and DVD playback. The spot checks revealed no defects on DVD playback as well as Blu ray discs. The Samsung player has always been great at decoding various video formats including MKV and Divx formats. The BD-D5700 was no exception. It played MKV file without any problems.

Audio

All the audio formats properly decoded. The high definition audio format and standard formats had no problems with onboard decoding. The lack of multi channel audio output was the only down side if you needed them in the first place. The lack of second HDMI was no problem was this player cannot play any 3D discs.

Final Thoughts

As stated earlier, the player sits between the low end and high end player. The exclusion of 3D capability might be aimed at consumers who have no desire to have a 3D television set. As the 3D technology is relatively new, Samsung has opted to give consumers option to purchase a player without a 3D capability. However, the price point should be lower than the entry level player with the 3D capability even with the inclusion of the WiFi. Other than that, the BD-D5700 is another solid effort from Samsung.

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Top 10 Best Selling Blu-Ray Players

• Playstation 3
• Oppo BD 93
• Panasonic DMP-BDT210
• LG BD630
• Sony BDP S580
• LG BD670
• Sony BDP S380
• LG BD640
• Panasonic DMP-BD75
• Panasonic DMP-BDT110
• Panasonic DMP-BDT310

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