Review: LG BD300 Blu-ray/Netflix Player

An Odd Couple that Get Along Perfectly

October 2008 By Grant Clauser

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There are two significant changes occurring in the digital video realm right now. The first is the trend toward Blu-ray high definition discs as the replacement to DVD. The second is the rise of streaming Internet video. Both of these delivery methods are on the rise for very different reasons. It’s a little ironic then that these two methods converge in the LG BD300 device. The BD300 combines a Blu-ray disc player with instant Netflix streaming.

The BD300 is a fairly standard BD player. The glossy black finish gives it a high-end look. The front is mostly conventional aside from the oddly placed power and eject buttons, which are positioned on the front edge of the player. Also on the front is a USB port which can be used for a flash drive—required when downloading BD Live content from the Internet. It can output 1080p video at 24Hz or 60Hz, depending on what your TV will accept, via HDMI 1.3. For audio, the unit will decode Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital+, Dolby TrueHD and DTS. DTS-Master is available as a bit stream output over HDMI if you have a compatible audio receiver. Audio outputs include optical, coaxial and stereo analog, but no analog surround.

The other notable rear jack is for an Ethernet cable. The Ethernet port serves two purposes. The first is for the BD Live feature (also called Profile 2.0) that several BD discs now support. The second purpose is to connect to Netflix and allow subscribers to access their saved list of “watch instantly” movies. Wireless connectivity is not built into the player (the PS3 is the only BD player with built-in Wi-Fi). LG suggests a power line network if an Ethernet connection is not an option.

Operation of the BD300 is superior to many other models due to its excellent onscreen menu. The home screen allows you to navigate to disc playback, system settings and Netflix without ever needing to open up the manual. Setting up the player for network connectivity was fairly simple—and once connected it will automatically download upgrades when available. However, the device disconnects from the network whenever you turn the player off, and takes a few minutes to connect again when you turn it on, so if you switch it on and go to the Netflix menu you’ll be told the unit is not connected to the Internet and will direct you back to the setup menu.