BD390
Latest
VUDU goes live on the LG BD390
We jumped the gun a little a few weeks ago when we told you that the LG BD390 firmware update that would enable access to VUDU was live, so we wanted to let you know it was finally available -- for real this time. So next time you have a chance, turn on your player while it is connected to the internet and you should be prompted to install the update. After that is just a matter of activating it on VUDU's website, so yeah, pretty painless. If you're still unsure, you should check out our full review, but we think you'll find it as useful as we did. %Gallery-74269%
Engadget HD reviews VUDU on the LG BD390 Blu-ray player
With the update that'll bring VUDU to owners of the LG BD390 Blu-ray player on schedule for next week, the crew over at Engadget HD managed to get an early look. As you might expect, those HD snobs at EHD are hard to please, so that combined with the comparison to Blu-ray and Netflix's Watch Now, makes for an interesting read that you'll just have to click on through for. The bottom line though is that new features on existing hardware is always appreciated and if you've been waiting to pull the trigger on a Blu-ray player, this might just be the feature that'll make your finger twitch. %Gallery-74269%
VUDU on the LG BD390 review
We have to admit that we've been intrigued by VUDU since its very beginning and although it is far from perfect, is the closest thing we've seen to our dream of being able to watch whatever we want, whenever we want, and at a quality level that is acceptable -- and our definition of acceptable is much, much higher than most's. So of course we were excited to learn that LG was adding VUDU to the BD390 Blu-ray player. The big news here is that this adds yet another great HD source to an already full featured Blu-ray player. Now from our geeky perspective -- it also added a perfect way for us to compare multiple HD sources; including Blu-ray, Netflix Watch Now and VUDU HDX on the same box. But of course you'll have to click through after the break to find out why these three HD sources don't really compare. %Gallery-74269%
Vudu on the LG BD390 will bitstream Dolby Digital Plus
We just heard back from Vudu and there's good news. Unlike any other implementation before it, Vudu on the LG BD390 will bitstream Dolby Digital Plus via the HDMI 1.3 port to your AVR. In addition, if you prefer LPCM the BD390 can decode the Dolby Digital Plus track in the Vudu stream as well. This is much better than the LG HDTVs or even the Vudu box itself, which were only capable of re-encoding the stream down to old school Dolby Digital before delivering it to the receiver. We were also directed to this FAQ on Vudu's site which includes all the bit rates for various quality video; interestingly it looks like you need between 4.5 and 9 Mbps of throughput to enjoy moves in HDX quality.
Video: Vudu on the LG BD390 Blu-ray player
As far as picture and audio quality, it is impossible to beat Vudu in HD streaming business. And for that reason we're happy to see some of our favorite products like the LG BD390 working with Vudu. We had a chance to catch up with Vudu at the LG's CEDIA booth and ask them a few questions. Apparently there were a few changes to the encoding techniques necessary to transition from a disk based device to all streaming, including more profiles to adapt to different broadband connections. We have ot say that our overall initial impression was that the changes went off without a hitch. One question we didn't get answered though was whether or not the Dolby Digital Plus used in downloaded stream could be bitstreamed to an AVR via HDMI -- the original Vudu hardware could only output vanilla Dolby Digital -- but we were promised an answer. In other words you'll know as soon as we do, so in the meantime click through and enjoy the short demo.
VUDU equips LG's BD390 Blu-ray player with movie streaming abilities
LG's WiFi-enabled, DivX-friendly BD390 Blu-ray player has been shipping here in the States since May, but not until now have you really had a reason to pick one up. Here at CEDIA, VUDU is taking one step further away from its standalone movie set-top-box by announcing that the aforementioned deck will become the first of its kind to tap into VUDU's growing library of on-demand film rentals. Of course, adding VUDU to this player was a natural move given the built-in Ethernet port, though users will have to wait until the end of this month to suck down the free update. In case you're wondering, the VUDU interface on LG's player will be the same as the one found on the company's own hardware (not to mention a few LG HDTVs), and the $399 price point will remain the same even after the new functionality is added.
LG's WiFi-enabled, DivX-friendly BD390 Blu-ray player now shipping
LG continues to up its game in the Blu-ray department, first shipping the planet's first Netflix-enabled BD deck and now shipping the planet's first DivX HD 1080p certified player. Yep, the BD390 -- which was originally unveiled back at CES this year -- is now making its way out to eager consumers, boasting an 802.11n WiFi module and support for DivX streaming from a DLNA server. The pain? $399.95, but at least that includes BD-Live support, 7.1-channel audio output, 1GB of inbuilt memory and a USB 2.0 socket.
LG's 2009 Blu-ray revamp and new Blu-ray HTIBs
Today at CES, LG shared the details of its two new Network Blu-ray players that will be the first to support the new NetCast with content partners like CinemaNow and YouTube -- no love for the older players. The BD370 and BD390 are essentially the same with both featuring BD Live etc, with the main difference between the two being the BD390 includes 1GB of internal storage for BD Live, and 7.1 discrete analog output. No word on the price of either, but the BD370 is due in Q2 while the 390 is due in Q3. There are also three new home theater systems that feature Blu-ray players, which of course are also BD Live and feature NetCast, but more interestingly also sport TrueHD and DTS-HD MA. Unlike the LHB954, the LHB977 and LHB979 both feature Tallboy speakers and two HDMI inputs which will really come in handy for anyone with a game console or a STB -- so yeah like everyone. The LHB979 (picture after the break) distinguishes itself from the rest with speakers that were designed by Mark Levinson and has more power.
