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The Haier HLT71 portable LCD TV gives you the ability to enjoy your favorite television programs anywhere, any time--in your home or away. Watch the morning news without having to get out of bed, or while sun bathing in the back yard. Does someone else have dibs on the TV room? Pull out your HLT71, and you've got your own TV room. This handy little portable TV has a 7-inch LCD screen that switches between a 16:9 and 4:3 aspect ratio. It has a built-in ATSC/NTSC tuner with detachable antenna enabling you to receive crisp reception of your favorite channels - even after the digital-to-analog switch in June 2009. The HLT71 connects to other devices with an audio/video jack and coaxial output. Watch with others using the built-in twin speaker system, or plug your headphones into the included jack to enjoy your favorite programs without disturbing those around you. The rechargeable Li-polymer battery offers up to 2.5-hours of life between charges -- enough time to watch an entire movie or several episodes of your favorite show without a recharge. The HLT71 includes an AC power adapter, a car adapter and a Remote Control. ... Read more

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Reviews

Audio Deficiency, August 23, 2010
I have always been a fan of Panasonic and as a matter of fact have a 50" Panasonic in the family room. But they apparently are trying to cut costs on this model. The audio is so bad that the only way to hear anything from a few feet away is to maximize the treble setting, minimize the bass setting, and turn the volume up to its maximum setting. Unfortunately this creates a very "tinny" sound that is not something that a tv in this price range should have.

Very Good HDTV, October 16, 2010
This is a very good HDTV. A little difficult to hook-up the DVD/VHS player, but that may be the fault of the Player itself. Sound Volume is a bit soft, but OK.

Great 22 inch LCD, November 30, 2010
This little LCD hasn't got the credit it deserves, (3.5 stars ??). We got this LCD to replace a 15 year old 26 inch RCA tube TV in our bedroom. We were contemplating a 26 inch LCD, but decided to go with the 22 inch. We are very big fans of all TVs Panasonic; 1 plasma, 1 TAU and now 1 LCD. It has beautiful imagery and great sound. The menu is very intuitive with many options to fine tune the picture and audio. Speakers are just fine for a bedroom. The docking system is great. Our room is 12x12 and I can't believe these reviewers that put a 42 inch TV in their 12x12 bedrooms. Way too big. With the lights on the TV appears small but the picture is so clear and crisp it makes up for it. All text is very easy to read from 10 feet away. With the lights off you would be hard pressed to guess it's only a 22 inch. If you need to upgrade a TV for your bedroom, this TV is an excellent choice.

Does so much yet so little., December 7, 2010
The problem with a device that tries to do everything, is that often it doesn't do enough of it right.

This device has three main functions:
1) Its a TV.
2) Its a computer monitor.
3) Its an iPhone accessory - charger/screen/speakers.

The reason I bought this TV is because it works with the iPhone. Yes, thats what won me over. Its a fair price for a TV, and then the iPod/iPhone connect was really a bonus. So I bought it.

Ipod/Iphone usage:
You can play movies, songs, and pictures you already have on your iPod. That is, movies you have bought or rented. However. You can not use this product to view Hulu Plus OR Netflix video streaming on a bigger screen, which is a way that I increasingly watch video using my iPod. Now, you could buy a composite cable adapter and get the video out of your iPod that way, but you could do that with ANY TV. Apple Composite AV Cable I haven't tried it, but I found that as I was looking for a way around this problem with this product. Interestingly, you can get the streaming audio from netflix or Hulu, but the screen blanks out with a message that the iphone is plugged in so you can't see the video. This reduced the usefulness of this TV significantly, at least for me.

In addition, for wall mounting purposes, I ran into other problems. I was going to mount it on the wall, and then have some equipment underneath the TV. ALL the plugs go straight into the back, that is, they are perpendicular to the TV. Just like most old-school stereo equipment. Most LCD TVs have the plugs go "down" so you can mount the TV to the wall easier. But all the plugs - ipod, VGA, Composite, they ALL stick straight out the back, including the ipod base plug which was the whole reason I bought it. I was going to wall mount this unit in the kitchen but thats more or less "out", there would be a lot of strain on any cables connected. The VGA cable in particular sticks pretty far out. Every cable will have a right angle bend as it touches the wall, which will eventually create a short. This is why most other TVs have downward angled plugs. So its not very good for wall mounting in my opinion.

So I decided that I still liked the iPod/iPhone perk enough to keep it as a computer monitor, and it could charge my iphone and play music as I worked (cool, huh). But as a computer monitor I've had some issues. Some deficiencies I've run across:
1) The computer monitor setup is mostly manual. You will have to go into the TV settings and "tell" the TV what resolution your computer is running at. The three resolutions available are 1024x768, 1366x768, and 1280x768. Thats fine for geeky me but for someone who expects it to plug and play ... they will be disappointed. It will be especially confusing if your computer is not set to one of those three resolutions, because your screen will look awful and you'll wonder why the monitor doesn't auto-correct (as so many good quality monitors do these days). Setting the horizontal and vertial is also up to you. Then there is a manual setting for the dot clock and the clock phase. I don't know what these are, but I'm hoping that one of them will fix a problem i have where pixels in the middle of the screen are sharp and pixels near the corner are fuzzy. Wish me luck.

2) The included "stand" makes the TV very "low" on the table. Its MUCH lower than other TVs and LCD monitors I've used. I had to put it on a old monitor stand I was going to throw out (similar to this one: Fellowes Monitor Riser 91712. Otherwise its not ergonomic enough. And the base does not tilt. In short, the included stand is very disappointing. So now I feel its not good for table mounting OR wall mounting.

3) You have to hit the power button to turn the monitor back on each time your computer sleeps. I'll keep looking for a solution to this but its not a good out-of-the-box default.

4) You cannot listen to your ipod through the TV while its charging, while working on your PC. When you start the ipod you can control your ipod using the remote control (cool) but once you get some music playing you can't use the TV screen to do stuff for your laptop. The screen remains permanently in use as a large ipod controller. Now, I know that I could just run itunes or pandora on my laptop and hear music through the TV, but my point is that the ways you can use your ipod with this tv are really, really limited.

Here is another little annoyance: When I am using this screen as a TV or a computer monitor, and I plug in my iPhone the screen goes black and it goes to iPhone control. I had to pick up the remote and hit "exit" to get back to typing this review. So, whether you are watching TV, or using your PC, and you want to just plug in your iphone and charge it you will cut your TV program or your laptop out. I understand WHY this happens. Its because the TV can't know when you just want to charge and when you want to listen to music. It would have been "handy" to have a button on the included charge base that said "exit" just like on the remote. You could then plug in your phone and hit the exit button and only have a momentary black flash.

Overall I think the TV is "fine". By adding an iPod dock they have made it much more complicated. I'm sure a future version of this product will be 5 star excellence. But for now the little complications have created too much trouble for the designers of this product, which results in a lot of inconsistencies for the end user.

My top three complaints for this item:
1) iphone/ipod usage is limited to a few basic functions that can only be performed in a few very basic ways.
2) screen sharpness seems to vary, sharp in the middle and fuzzy in the corners. This is not noticable when you are watching TV but when you've got a screen full of text (like when I'm writing this review with it as my monitor) then its really obvious. I'm trying to fix this by twiddling with settings.
3) I think the base is insufficient and the sockets on the back are not set up correctly for wall mounting.

I don't think its a complete waste, I just expected it to work better.

A great TV but the audio got shortcutted, November 26, 2010
I bought this model for our guest bedroom, and it works great, picture rivals Sony for sure but the audio is waaaay diminished. I'[ve read all the instructions and as per the other reviews, I agree -- it's weak audio!

I should return it because of the sound, December 10, 2010
Somehow I hate to return this (Panasonic TC-L22X2), because the current price (emailed to me as a special sometime around Black Friday, but the same a couple of weeks later) was such a reduction. The picture is great, and it's just the right size for our kitchen. I did not heed some of the reviews about the soft sound -- it's very nice, surround-type sound, but the highest volume is what, on any other set, would be medium-low. I contacted Panasonic, which had no suggestions other than maximizing the bass & treble, which I'd already done. This would still be tolerable if one could easily connect audio output to a little amplifier -- but the only audio output is a digital, "toslink" type, so it requires either a quite expensive new receiver (looks like they cost more than the TV -- and for the kitchen?) or the right kind of digital-to-analog converter + 2 cables, into an amplifier -- I've spent hours searching for one (no, Panasonic doesn't even have a specific suggestion, never mind providing one to compensate for this acoustically handicapped TV) and the only one in which I have confidence based on reading about it (and not being a total tech geek) is the "Digital Audio to Analog Audio Converter" by Gefen, which, as of last night, was marked down from $80 to $58 -- but still adds significantly to what you're spending for this TV. You should only buy this if you will be watching in a small, very quiet room, in which no one else is talking, there are no humming motors (as in a fridge), or of course if you already have a digital stereo or surround sound system that takes a toslink input (but in that kind of room you'd probably want more than a 22 inch screen). Yeah, I really should return it.

An Outstanding Performer, July 4, 2010
Mention LCD TVs and most consumers are not very likely to think of the Panasonic brand. You'll here the usual casual mention of household brands like Sony, Samsung and occasionally Sharp. This is a shame. Maybe even a sin. Although I'll be the first to admit that these household brands are capable of producing good products, the bulk of their current products are actually very average performers yet they sell like hotcakes due to effective marketing and consumers buying out of brand loyalty.

A year-and-a-half ago I purchased a Samsung LN22A650 22-inch HDTV for my wife and gave that unit a good review. Like virtually all LCDs even now, including the widely touted Sony and Samsung sets that claim 178 degree viewing angle capability, that set suffered from color, tint and contrast shifts every time you view the picture away from the dead center seating position. And I haven't even covered the details of screen uniformity problems or even black level. Make no mistake, no LCD or even LED-backlit LCD will ever rival any plasma in these respects.

So I was shocked to find the new Panasonic TC-L22X2 22-inch perform so well. Like some Sony and Samsung models, this one claims a useful viewing angle of 178 degrees. And like those models, this one does suffer from shifts in contrast. Unlike the other brands, though, contrast doesn't drop anywhere near as drastically. Also, black levels stay quite dark across a 15 degree horizontal viewing angle. Beyond that, reflections off the screen take over despite the fact that the screen consists of a matte finish. Vertical viewing angles like the other brands are only good when viewed from dead center.

But I find the basic black level very impressive for an LCD set. It easily rivals the black levels of any of the LED-backlit LCDs I've seen and even approaches the black levels of Panasonic's own plasma models, including the G10 I have. This is no small achievement for any LCD TV. The Samsung LN22A650 I bought a year-and-a-half ago has inferior black level (much brighter).

The other edge the TC-L22X2 has over the same size LN22A650 is that the internal backlighting is far less visible and I think this definitely contributes to the deeper blacks.

On top of all this the overall picture is a lot crisper and detailed even with the sharpness control turned almost all the way down. If you want to see blades of grass in a landscape picture, this is an LCD to marvel at. Of course, it's a 22-inch set so you'd naturally sit quite close to it. I use it as a computer monitor.

In a nutshell, if the picture of this Panasonic 22-inch LCD model is similar to the brand's larger screen LCD models, then Panasonic not only makes class-leading plasmas but cutting-edge LCDs as well.

TV Fit for a Bedroom, December 9, 2010
I purchased this TV for our bedroom to clear away an old TV we have. I read prior reviews that the sound quality would not be good. Already owning several Panasonic TVs over the past 17 years, I trusted that this should be a good TV. It has not let me down. The sound quality is good for a 22 inch TV. The picture quality is great and the colors are rich and vibrant. I am very pleased with the TV so far and would recommend it to my friends. I purchased this on sale on Amazon and really feel I got a great deal and a great TV for the price I paid. The TV fit a standard tilting wall mount without any extra hardware. This has been a great purchase for my bedroom.

Great Picture, Terrible Sound, December 5, 2010
Very crisp and clear video. I have this in my (small) living room and it is the perfect size. I bought it along with a Panasonic Blu-Ray/DVD player and the hookup was very simple. Only complaint is the sound - it really is as bad as others have said. I have mine running through a 16-year-old Panasonic sound system with the old-fashioned red and white audio cables. Definitely not state of the art, but sound is vastly improved over the awful built-in speakers. For the price and features, there is nothing better that I could find, so just be sure you use an external device for sound and you won't be disappointed.

great product, December 3, 2010
this was very easy to use. its sleek and a great size for a bedroom tv. the ipod dock is simple but does everything i need it to. ... Read more

Editorial Review

The D-link DSM380 Boxee Box HD Media Player! watch, organize, share – you are now in full control of your TV for the first time. The freedom to watch what you want. It’s thousands of TV shows ready to watch, instantly. It’s tons of free movies, Hollywood blockbusters, and critically acclaimed films. It’s your videos, your Pandora and Facebook feeds somewhere they’ve never been before – your HDTV: organized, simplified and enjoyed from the comfort of your couch in 1080p. No keyboard or mouse required. Do what more than a million users have already done - download the D-link DSM380 Boxee Box HD Media Player's software and try it for free on your computer first, we’ll automatically import your account when you’re ready to bring the Boxee Box experience to your HDTV. The D-link DSM380 Boxee Box HD Media Player delivers freedom of the Internet to your HDTV in stunning 1080p, Dolby Surround Sound, and a slick interface with a remote to simplify everyth ... Read more

Reviews

Firmware Upgrade Brings Massive User Interface Changes, November 12, 2010
Boxee has addressed some of the concerns I highlighted in my review with firmware updates. Please see the bottom of the review for updates.

-----

Out of the box, the Boxee Box runs the familiar beta version of the software, which is familiar to me as a prior Boxee user. Everything works fine, from what I tested, though the edges of the screen were cut off a tiny bit (not enough to cause a problem). While exploring all the options, I found that a firmware upgrade to version 1.0 of the Boxee software was available. I installed it, the unit rebooted, and it automatically started a quick-and-simple screen calibration utility. That calibration was useful, because the stock firmware had some overscan problems (that is, the edges of the screen were cut off) on my TV.

Version 1.0 brings with it a new, simplified user interface. I immediately had trouble finding my way around, and was a little disappointed that the experience was different than what I was expecting. My main problem with the new interface is that it now takes several more clicks to access local files (that is, anything on your attached drives or home network). That's my stuff, and that's what I primarily want a video player to be able to play. The old interface allowed you to toggle between your videos, and all available videos, very easily, once you understand where the option is. With the default firmware, after a minute of configuration, I was able to select "Shows" from the home screen and see just my shows. Now, I have to use other, more complex and time-consuming methods to do the same thing, such as "Files > Shows" or "Shows > Files".

The new interface does make it easier to start searches (just start typing), and is very attractive. I just would rather that it allow me to put my videos front-and-center. Networked content is fine, but my own content should have primacy over it. I think that new users will not have a problem with the interface, but experienced users should know that changes are in store for you.


Networked Content

I had no problems streaming SD and 720p HD H.264 and DivX files from my NAS to the Boxee Box via my wireless-N network. Internet videos play well, but some Internet video sources are kludgy. Playing a video on Fancast, for instance, will open a web browser, showing the web page and the video in a small box. You have to use the remote to move the mouse cursor to the tiny "full screen" button and click it to get the video to play full screen. Good luck doing that on the couch, 10-20 feet from the TV! This is a big deal because the new Boxee software puts networked content front-and-center, in the "Most Popular" movies and shows pages. It's wonderful to be able to watch (ad-supported) shows that you haven't paid for, but it's a pain that you have to hunt for the full screen button, which looks different on every website, to do so.

Apps, on the other hand, are fantastic. TED and YouTube work exactly as you would expect, and there are dozens more available. Netflix and Hulu Plus apps have been promised; Boxee is working out the arrangements and hope to have these available by the end of the year (early next year for Hulu Plus). I hope for their sake that they do. Competing devices all support Netflix, and Netflix is, in my opinion, one of the most compelling sources for staming content.

Linking your online Boxee account to Twitter and Facebook seems like overkill at first, but it actually is pretty compelling to be able to watch videos that your friends are sharing. The RSS app is great, too. Through the Boxee website, you can subscribe to a whole bunch of video and audio streams (podcasts). Then, you can launch the RSS app and browse through the stream. It's very nice. I don't bother sharing what I watch on TV with my Facebook friends and Twitter followers, though, but I could if I wanted to. I think that if a large number of people I know used Boxee, this would be a lot more useful.

Another quibble I have with the UI is that "Watch Later" queue shows your most recent additions on top, and you can't sort it. To find the next episode of a series you've been watching from the queue, you have to scroll down. If I'm going to the trouble of queuing videos, doesn't that imply that I want to watch them in order, not in reverse order?


Hardware

The unique shape of the box is controversial, but it is very small and you should be able to tuck it away somewhere. The remote uses RF, instead of IR, to communicate with the box. Therefore, unlike most (if not all) of your other components, you don't need a line of sight. I actually decided to put the BoxeeBox behind my TV; I can't even see it, but the controller works perfectly fine! The only thing better would be to have Boxee software integrated directly into my TV.

The box is very capable. Until new video formats arrive on scene, I don't see an immediate need for Boxee or D-Link to refresh the hardware. I just hope they continue to improve the software and make the updates available to the Boxee Box.


Overall Impressions

The hardware is great. The box is small and silent (from across the room at least), the RF remote is fantastic, and the hardware overall is a good value over buying an ATOM/ION nettop and IR remote, and installing Boxee (beta) yourself.

Honestly, Boxee got off on the wrong foot with me for introducing so many changes to its UI at the same time it launched this product. Boxee 1.0 looks great--better than ever, really--but it is so simplified that it now takes extra button presses to get to my own content, and I think that was a bad move. I like the product, though, and will get used to the new interface soon enough.

I still think this is a geeky product that is trying to be usable for non-geeks, and just hasn't gotten all the way there yet. I'm a little disappointed in that, and hope that the software will be updated eventually to make it easier and faster to access both local and online content.

It is difficult for me to rate this product 3 stars, but I think that it just isn't quite up to snuff yet to earn 4 or 5. Some software updates and agreements with content providers could improve the user experience greatly (fix that full screen problem or provide a shortcut, please!). I am eagerly anticipating the Netflix app, and plan to award an additional star once it arrives.

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Firmware updates.

11/25/2010 update:

Boxee updated the firmware on Thanksgiving to improve playback issues and stability. This resolved an issue I ran into infrequently (after I wrote my review), in which some local MP4/H.264 files would start playback with sound but no video.

12/13/2010 update:

This is an important update to the user interface!

Boxee updated the firmware to allow users to put local content up front in the "Shows" and "Movies" sections (the top-level, giant icons on the home screen), or to allow online content to take precedence. This is accomplished in the least geeky way possible: After updating the firmware, you are simply sked whether you use the box mostly for local or online content. If you pick "local," the main "Shows" and "Movies" sections default to local content, and online content is buried one level deeper in the menus. You can toggle this preference, and refine it independently for Shows, Movies, and Apps, in Settings > General > Menu. Bravo to Boxee for listening to their users and pushing out this change.

The update also added an hourly scan option for your local content folders, and an icon in the "Local Shows" and "Local Movies" screens that allows you to kick off a rescan immediately. Hourly scanning is a huge upgrade from the daily scanning option, and the new location of the rescan command is a lot easier to get to than it used to be (in Settings > File Sources > [Share Name]).

Boxee also added sorting (A-Z, and Newest First) for Shows and Movies, though, sadly, not in the Watch Later queue. There are also new A-Z lists in the Local Shows and Local Movies sections, to help you browse faster.

There still aren't Netflix or Hulu Plus apps, unfortunately. I think the Boxee Box's UI and playback are shaping up incredibly nicely, though. Now they just need to match their competitors' online content choices.

Only going to get better, November 14, 2010
Some perspective on me: I have never written a review but felt it was necessary in this case. I have been streaming video accross my network since the Buffalo Link Theater (7 yrs ago). I consider myself somewhat of a computer\electronic geek. I, like many others, have been excited about the release of the Boxee Box. I have tried several other similar alternatives (X-Box, LG Blu-ray player, WD...etc) and NOTHING even comes close to the experience I've had so far with the Boxee.

Pros
-Quality hardware
-compact
-qwerty keyboard on back of remote (brilliant!)
-User interface (needs to improvement though)
-Zippy fast getting around (except for downloading cover art for thumbnails)
-Lots of content providers (more to come for sure, Netflix, etc)
-Streams every file I have thrown at it (my movie collection is over 500 strong with different formats).
-there are many more

Cons
-As others have commented (the qwerty remote is unreadable for me without extreem light (come on, grey on black letters!)
-no options to customize the user interface more (advanced settings?)
-many apps load a webpage with the video in a small window with the "full screen" option small and difficult to brows to with the remote (needs much improvement).

If you want to look at your digital piture collection, play your digital videos\movies, listen to your music collection and play content from the web all through a great interface on your DH TV and through your Home Theater system, this box is a must for you. I promise, you will not be disappointed.

I am confident this box will only get better.

A Huge let down, November 12, 2010
I have been using the Boxee software for almost 2 years and have mostly loved it. Boxee was the first XMBC spin off to truly attempt a mainstream hardware launch. I pre-ordered the Boxee Box the day it was up back in September. For months, I have been giddy with anticipation of it's arrival. Then I got it today. Upon opening the box and setting up the device, It looked just like the software I was used to. I always admired Boxee for saying "Try it" and actually having good software to try, knowing that one day the sweet sweet hardware would arrive. Then, about 15 minutes into my wonderful experience and before I had the chance to test everything out, it forced me to update. I was then left with an overpriced popcorn hour that glows green.

I'm too tired to write all of the issues here, but here are a few pros and cons:


PROS:
Very small device, Takes up little space.
Nice remote design (save for a few issues) as long as you have light.
Plays most of my locally stored media very well.
It has an OFF button

CONS:
No Netflix support.
No Hulu support.
No VUDU support (Even though it features the app icon on the screen!)
Many of the apps don't play ANY video at all (like the open university app), stating that the video files are not the correct format or are corrupted (Then why have the app on the screen?)
Several apps simply open up a web page in the built in webkit browser with the video showing on only a tiny fraction of the screen. You must painfully navigate to an extremely tiny 'full screen' button to watch full screen video.
Many other apps also just link to youtube videos and show the progress bar at the bottom of the screen with no way to minimize it (unless you are lucky enough to get the 'glowing green bar')
Navigation and layout of locally stored media is abismal. There is no easy way to organise your local media. This wouldn't be a big deal if there was any decent online media to watch.
Typing numbers on the remote is difficult. You must hold down a 'num' button the entire time.
The remote is impossible to see in a dimly lit or dark room. It has no back lighting.
The remote does not function the same across all apps. In Youtube Leanback (which is really neat), the pause/play and back/menu buttons are completely useless. You have to use just the center button and the directional keys. This issue is compounded by the remote being difficult to see unless in direct light.
For the thousands of videos and movies this device has, it is almost all independent and ad supported. I don't mind video ads but the pop up ads that display (since you are basically watching youtube on a browser) are impossible to minimise and block the video.

Boxee may be salvaged in the future but for now, this is basically an heavily overpriced popcorn hour with a worsened layout.

I strongly urge you to wait until these issues are resolved. When these issues are resolved, I will re-do my review and adjust accordingly.

Horrifically, embarrassingly bad product, November 23, 2010
Massive unannounced UI change on launch. Apps that stream like absolute garbage on a 6mps connection (Also tried on my friend's FIOS connection, equally atrocious). No Netflix, no Hulu. The Pandora app is terribly buggy. Accessing and playing local media files is downright painful. The box freaks out and freezes if you hit buttons on the remote too quickly. A product this bad isn't even ready for beta testing.

I am a habitual early adopter and I've never seen something this bad before. This thing will be going back to Amazon assuming I don't first throw it in the garbage where it belongs.

EDIT: I wrote this review in an absolute rage, and didn't take the time to fully articulate just how god awful this product is. The "Movies" section boasts over 2000 streamable movies, but I have yet to see a single movie anyone I know has heard of with the exception of "Reefer Madness". The Tv Show section is equally pitiful. It seems pretty cool that Boxee displays a show like Entourage until you select it and realize only one episode is streamable. An unacceptably high percentage of shows in the Tv Show section contain only one episode. Most of the rest contain 2 or 3, usually totally random episodes dispersed throughout a show's run.

When you select a show like The Daily Show, you're taken to the Comedy Central website with the video taking up about 2/3s of the screen. You have to manually move the cursor over to the fullscreen button before it plays like a normal video on the full Tv screen. Moving the cursor itself is awful, because the remote isn't a touchpad. Imagine trying to move the mouse cursor on your PC using the arrow keys on your keyboard...

I really don't understand, why bloat your Movies section with crap from the 80's that NO ONE will ever care about and flood the Tv category with shows that feature only one or two disjointed episodes that don't even play in full screen by default?

Don't bother buying this thing to play local files, either. The process of scraping your local media is a complete crapshoot, and only about 40% of my movies have been "found" by the Boxee software. Of that 40%, about 10% are labeled incorrectly, even though XBMC gets them 100% correct every single time I install it on a PC. I have also gone through the screen calibration process over a dozen times and the only movies that actually play with the correct aspect ratio are ones encoded at 1920 by 1080 pixels. Everything else is a smashed, distorted mess no matter how I calibrate the screen. If a 1920x1080 video plays perfectly on a 1920x1080 Tv screen with the correct aspect ratio and no cropping, shouldn't all videos from the same device play with the correct aspect ratio? 1280x720 videos have massive black bars on the top and bottom despite playing with the same video settings. The mind boggles...

Just to say one positive thing about the Boxee Box: the remote is pretty damn cool. If it is ever sold seperately with a USB dongle to connect to a normal computer, I'll be buying one and turning one of my Mac Minis into a HTPC running XBMC with the Boxee remote.

One final thing before I go. There are probably people out there who would read this review and complain that maybe I'm a dullard when it comes to tech, or that I should go online to the Boxee forums to solve my problems. The straight truth is that I am extremely tech savvy, and I've been using HTPCs in one form or another for almost a decade, back when it was nothing more than me running an AV out from my video card to play crappy downloads of music videos on a tube tv in my bedroom after school. I've built dozens of HTPCs for friends and family, running flawlessy without further intervention. What happens when average joe six pack middle America buys a Boxee Box, as apparently that's the eventual goal of this device? Is he going to go scouring the internet for answers on how to fix his video's aspect ratio? Not a chance in hell.

Avner Ronan should be ashamed of how downright terrible the Boxee Box is at the moment. D-Link should be preparing a lawsuit against Boxee for tarnishing their good name. I'm holding on to mine just to see if XBMC is ported over to it before the grace period for return is over.

disappointing, December 4, 2010

Too SLOW and crashes often....not ready for prime time---try again next year, December 2, 2010
I've been looking to replace my WD HD Media Player and have been testing out the various options-the New WDHD Media Plus, Bright-view cinema, and, of course, the Boxee Box. Out of the three mentioned, the Boxee Box has the best picture quality for photos and videos, however, that's where it stops. There are so many problems when with this unit that I sent mine back within two days. First problem, it's slooowww. The other devices will load all thumbnail photos in a folder within seconds. The Boxee struggles to load even one page. After it finally loads a page of thumbnails and you click on the next page, you again have to wait. What's worse, if you go back to the previous page, the previously loaded thumbnails have to re-load---there's no such thing as an instant buffer or que...horrible. Note, that this test was done with the Boxee connected directly to an external hard drive with USB 2.0 cables---It's even worse when the boxee connects via a wired or wireless network...

Another problem that Boxee has is with the videos. When playing avchd videos, it loads and looks fine but, again it's slow. If you try to FF or RW the videos, the video image disappears, and, in turn you're presented with pixilated lines of color--so you have no idea where to stop the video until you actually click stop on the remote.

The remote. This is another huge problem. Great concept...keyboard on one side, buttons on the other. But where are the buttons? You have a back button and a play/stop button and a selector button...but when watching pictures or videos, the only thing that works is the play/stop. You can't rewind or FF without going through a bunch of menus. So frustrating and again leads to slowww performance.

Another issue is with the apps, there is no netflix, and the limited apps that do load on this machine actually crashed the machine after loading.

Overall, I wanted to like it. I really did...but there are too many bugs and too much frustration to fork over $200 or anything close to $200. The HD WD Live is more reliable, streams faster and is much cheaper. I'd go with that and give the Boxee a year or so to get the kinks out. Than it may be worth it. I hope so.

DLink, I am disappoint, November 12, 2010
I had high hopes for this as a streaming video player, but it is horribly plagued with bugs and major issues, nevermind that originally planned services are missing for the time being (netflix, hulu, vudu - "coming soon").

Menu navigating is frustrating as the remote lacks any other buttons other than play/pause, direction, and a menu/cancel button. A 'home screen' button, power button & dedicated 'full screen view' would be a nice addition. The full keyboard on the flip of the remote is a MUCH appreciated feature as typing on an on-screen keyboard is clunky and slow.

For some unknown reason (and quite a few reviews mention this) videos will not play when set to 1080i (audio only) but setting the device to output 720p resolves the issue for the time being. Unfortunately just changing the setting will not resolve the issue and also requires the device to be rebooted.

Overall I am giving D-Link/Boxee 2 weeks to resolve the video resolution / audio problem or else this is going back. Overall, I am disappointed.

Bait and Switch, December 14, 2010
I received the Boxee Box day one and was very excited. I have been running Boxee for about 6 months now, ever since I cut the cord for TV. My primary use was local content and Netflix. When I heard about the Boxee Box I thought it was going to be great. All in one Boxee solution, better, faster and streamlined. However what was delivered was so far from what was in the beta that it doesn't even seem like the same product.

1.) Local content takes a back seat. There were so many last minute changes that made this just another online content hub, and put the one thing they excelled at (local content) on the back burner. This has made the Boxee Box nothing more then a GoogleTV or AppleTV clone with less support and less sway with the networks. The only reason to get the Boxee Box (for me) was the fact that it handled local content, now that they don't care much about local content this makes it a non-starter for me.

2.) Hardware issues. I have had tons of problems with the device itself. My old setup (recently put back into use using Boxee Beta which is way better then the pay for version) was an Aspire Revo 3610. Rarely had lockups (even on long pauses), content was aggregated fairly well (although not as well as XBMC) and it was fairly fast at detecting new content. However the Boxee Box locks up on long pauses (which they blame network hard drive power downs, but why does it still not happen in Boxee Beta?), if my son gets a hold of the remote he can lock it up in 60 seconds flat just by pushing buttons, and the final nail in the coffin was the fact that the latest update locks up the system when loading. Wireless driver issues were quite a problem, which seem to finally be resolved mostly; but HD content is still far from ideal (which once again works fine in Boxee Beta.)

3.) The box itself is pretty horrific from a design standpoint, very tough to put into a normal A/V center, can't mount it behind the TV like my Revo and with the location of the power button hard reboots (3-4 times a day) were a serious pain in the butt.

4.) One of the biggest shocks came with the announcement (love how they did it after pre-orders shipped) that Netflix would not be shipping on it. Since this is one of the few web content locations that work well it was a huge disappointment and made this even more shady.

4.) The one saving grace was the remote, it was very nice and easy to use, loved the layout and the buttons were raised just enough with enough texture to make it one of the best I have seen. (which is what the two stars are for, the Boxee itself would get no stars)


The bait and switch used with this is just horrible, the last minute changes and lack of communication were so shady that it makes me question using their product at all (even free.) I would not recommend this in the least. They have already shown that they can and will change direction and focus at any time with little regard to their users. I recommend sticking with a standard nettop like the Revo or Zino and using the free software. If they continue in the direction they are heading, you have the option to use something else like XBMC or Media Center or a newcomer, without being forced to stick with one vendor.

Half-Baked Release, November 23, 2010
The Boxee Box looks nice on the outside, and the remote with it's two sides are unique, but the software has a long way to go before it's ready for prime time. Consider this the product of the year for 2011 or even 2012, but for now when you want to watch stuff, you're at the mercy of the content providers (which is outside of Boxee's control for the most part), the hardware manufacturer D-link, and Boxee themselves who are learning the hard way the pitfalls of paid product support versus free beta software.

Definitely wait until Boxee irons out their staffing, workflow and most of all software issues and when they have a little more experience in customer service and updates. The stuff coming down the pipeline looks good and I know this will be a great product in a year or two. But $200 right now for something that will take a while to return on your investment (in terms of watching your own media files without issue, netflix, hulu, fixing the browser to play the content that they have right, etc.) when something better will come out, or better yet, I can build an HTPC and just run Boxee, just seems like a waste.

Not ready for production..., November 19, 2010
I am a long time user of the Boxee software and used it on a hacked AppleTV. I have a number of media extenders in my home (hacked AppleTV, SlingCatcher, three WDTV's), so I feel my analysis may be helpful. I'm also secretly hoping Avner and others will read these reviews and help improve this product.

I was very excited for the release, and pre-ordered shortly after it was available on Amazon. When it arrived, I set it up immediately and updated the firmware.

Likes:
-Some of the apps are great. YouTube Leanback is awesome. LiveStation is pretty cool. The TED app is very nice.

-The keyboard on the remote is great. Huge improvement over hunt-and-pecking. BUT, whoever thought dark grey font on black keys was a good idea, should be fired immediately. You can't see the letters unless you have a brightly lit room...and I keep my room dim...you know, to keep the romance alive. ;)

- The wifi connection seems to have a better connection than my WDTV Live had (located in the same spot).

- I love the look and feel of the UI. It really makes you feel less like you're browsing a drive, and more like you're watching TV.

Dislikes:
- I have a number of shows and movies that the Boxee Box can't figure out what to do with. Some kids shows, movies, etc. Nothing obscure. Mainstream stuff. Boxee can't figure it out. Fair enough. BUT, I should have the opportunity to create locations for them in the Boxee listings and populate the list so I can always open in the slick, informative UI. I think Saphire, running on the Apple TV allowed this. It's nothing new. Instead, I have 160+ shows and movies that can't be viewed in the standard Show and Movie view. So, I'm still stuck browsing the drive, like always.

- When I'm viewing a listing of shows or movies, and looking for...say...Sesame Street....I would love it if I hit "S" on the keyboard and it jumped to the "S" section of the list. Nope...when I do that now, I get the search box at the top of the screen. This is counter-intuitive and I just don't like the way this works.

- It crashes WAY more than anything else I've ever used. Even early versions of the AppleTV hacks didn't crash as often. I am sitting right now, in front of my Boxee Box. Screen frozen, no response to any remote control commands. Just stuck. In the last three days, the Box has crashed 8 - 10 times...just when I've been watching standard Divx AVI's. Something as simple as pausing and coming back to it 3 minutes later, or scanning and then pressing play, can cause it to become unresponsive. This sort of behavior indicates that either I have a bad unit, or this firmware is buggy as all heck (I suspect the latter).

- While the front of the remote is simplistic and cool looking, I don't like the cheap plastic feel. The glossy finish leaves it looking dirty after a few minutes of use with all the finger prints. But I also think they should have included a few other buttons...like FF, REW and STOP, maybe a search button and a home button. Instead, it seems like I can perform basic functions, but when I want to get into more advanced things, I have to tool around in the on-screen menu...which can get confusing. I like to be in control, and the remote doesn't provide some basic functions that I like to have.

- The box is ugly. Sure, maybe a box sinking into the ground looks cool...but it's not a functional design. I'm sure having a standard rectangular form factor would have made it a heck of a lot easier to fit a mainboard and other components inside. May have also made it easier to cool (sans the fan).

- I'm not a Netflix or Hulu user, but releasing the Box without those two included...when they were expected in this release and publicized as such, is just not cool. I've already seen plenty of people commenting about this, and if I had purchased the Box thinking they'd be there...and find them not to be...I'd be quite pissed.

In conclusion, yes...the Boxee Box is pretty decent...but at this point, the slick UI does not make up for the shortcomings and way-too-frequent crashes. I love what Boxee is about and really hoped for an awesome product to wipe out the competition. But I think I'm going to pack the Boxee Box back up, put my WDTV Live back on the shelf...because it just works, and hope that the Boxee bugs get worked out. Sorry Avner. This was not ready for production.
... Read more

Editorial Review

Experience HD picture quality, incredible contrast and a sharp, vibrant, life-like picture with the TCL F11 Series HDTV. This LCD TV offers ample HD connections. ... Read more

Reviews

Great product, with 2 HD caveats, October 21, 2008

Failed after 100 days; More $ to get support, October 12, 2009
I wanted to review this product's feature set and its ease of setup or its compatibility or some other attributes. However, I could not: mine failed after only 100 days of ownership. And I couldn't initially get it fixed by Sling because they told me they only support it for 90 days. I guess I'm old-fashioned in that I expect products to last more than three months before they fail. I also expect companies of those failed products to stand behind them.

UPDATE ONE MONTH LATER: Sling was now willing to honor the warranty on my Slingbox....but only if I paid them $50 more for an extended warranty. Yes, even though my product was well within the one year warranty. Only if I paid them more money would they answer my calls or e-mails asking them to replace my unit.

Anyone considering this product should add $50 to the purchase price when evaluating its worth to you. The product essentially comes with a mere 90 day warranty--you must pay extra after that. Sling should be upfront, adding that $50 to the list price and providing good support. But I guess that's not how they do business.

UPDATE ONE YEAR LATER: After stewing over the extra $50 for months, I opted to pay it so I could move forward and actually have a working SlingBox. I will give Sling credit: Once you pay them their extra $50, they do support you. They stayed on the phone with me at length, connected in remotely, and didn't hesitate to send a replacement unit for my failed one.

I did require support after receiving the new unit because no installation instructions were included and their software is not all that smart. It should have recognized there was a new SlingBox on my LAN and proffered "Do you want to configure the unconfigured SlingBox?" instead of making me hunt through the menus to force it to do so. There are still bugs in the latest configuration utility too, leaving me stuck in the procedure at one point with no "Continue" button and necessitating another chat with Sling support.

OVERALL: I cannot recommend a SlingBox for a non-technical user. With work, an average Joe can connect the cables to one but the software setup is for those who understand video hardware and computer software rather well. This is in no way whatsoever a "plug & play" product. Better software engineering (and hardware quality) could vastly widen the potential user audience. Maybe we will see this in future revisions, but until then it remains a hobbyist extravagance. Make sure you know what you're getting into before buying.

Horrible customer/technical support. Only 90 days warranty!, June 19, 2009
Overall, I have been pretty happy with the functionality of this product over the last 9 months. Other reviews have covered the features well, so I'd like to focus on the customer support/warranty side of things, which is an important consideration.

In order to use access the video from your Slingbox remotely (when away from your home), Sling has created the concept of an online "sling account" which stores your Slingbox access information on the internet.

As far as I can tell, once you leave your home network, there is no way to access your slingbox signal, without logging into your sling account. This is basically a website, that you log into with email/password, and designate which slingbox you want to watch.

I recently ran into a problem where my email address changed (they require you to login into your slingaccount with your email address rather than a userid), and I needed to update it on my slingaccount. After MUCH searching, all I could find was a way to change my password, but no way to change my email address.

So, I found the "contact us" email link, and fired off a quick request to "please let me know how to change the email address on my sling account".

What I received back was really shocking. Honestly, I have been buying electronics, web services, etc for a long time, and have never received as outrageous of a reply as this.

The response was basically:
- We checked your account, and you purchased your slingbox over 90 days ago, which makes it outside our warranty.
- Therefore, in order for us to resolve you issue, you will need to pay us $29.99 per incident.
- OR you can pay us $49.99 for 2 more years of support.

Are you kidding me! It took them LONGER to write that reply than it would have to copy/paste in the answer for how to change my email.

So just beware, that you will very likely need to pay an extra $50 (or $30 per incident) in order to have access to ongoing functionality of your SlingAccount.

Also, at least in the email I received, they indicated that the $49.99 2 year support coverage was only available PRIOR TO MONTH 12 of your ownership of Slingbox. So if you want to avoid the $30/pop charge, you need to pay the $50 before the 1 year mark.

How does it look?, January 11, 2010
So, I purchased the Slingbox PRO HD before going to Japan for the military. I wanted to watch my local sports teams and was willing to pay for it.

My setup- I have a 54" plasma TV I'm watching it on. Other ancillary devices: Tivo HD, SlingCatcher. The upload speed at the Slingbox is 20MB/s (thank you FiOS!) and download speed at the SlingCatcher is 10MB.

I'd love to say I was getting transfer rates above 3MBPS, but I am not. I've had a huge range of transfer speeds and I wanted to give an idea of how it looks at different ranges. This will help those deciding if they should upgrade their internet service, or switch services altogether.

3+ MBPS-- Looks great! Low quality HD (not blue ray by any means, but very very good). The only time it is out of synch is on fast moving scenes in football games. Fantastic and I'd be thrilled if I were always able to keep it this fast!

2.5MBPS-- Still looks great. Football gets choppy and but is still great.

1.8MBPS-- Normal TV is still HD quality. The choppiness of football is annoying enough that I don't try HD. I do 480P. Not bad. Still happy when it's here

1.5MBPS-- Normal TV starts getting choppy. I usually set it to 480P

1.2 MBPS. Always in 480P. HD is way too choppy

1.0 MBPS- 480P gets choppy. I use 480i instead. Football is very choppy.

0.8 MBPS- 480i still looks good.

0.6 MPPS- Go to lowest quality and looks decent on my huge TV. I'm annoyed when my internet sucks this bad

0.4 MBPS-- Even lowest quality is grainy and choppy. Sucky!

The quality depends totally, or almost totally on your internet speed. I get my speed clamped down by my ISP and so I get ranges all the time. Overall it's fantatic and I can't wait to watch the Super Bowl, but there are times its very frusterating.

As I was looking to buy I never saw this kind of review so I hope it's helpful...

HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SUPPORT, June 25, 2009
Buyer Beware!!!! Sling Media has by far the worst customer support I've ever encountered from a technology company. I've had an open case for a faulty IR port on my Sling Media product for the ENTIRE 18 months that I've owned it and they refuse to replace my product. They gave me the run around from an incompetent foreign based support staff, over and over again, and never follow up with a resolve. All I wanted was a replacement.

If you buy a Sling product and have a problem you have been warned.

Very disappointed......, February 8, 2010
My first impression of the Slingbox was "hey, this thing is great." It was relatively easy to set up and worked reasonably well, though it did not really support HD on the Macintosh platform. After several months of relatively carefree use, I did a software/firmware update recommended by Sling. Since then, my Slingbox has been essentially useless. The streaming speeds are now so slow, that the video and sound quality are not watchable.

The biggest disappointment, however, comes in the form of lack of support. Despite the "firmware upgrade issue" being all over the internet billboards, Sling will not acknowledge the issue. Additionally, after the initial setup support from Sling, they charge you just to talk to a human in support. Those who have tried this have found that since Sling doesn't acknowledge the problem, they can not help the caller and suggest that the hardware is defective......and the suggestion from them is to BUY a new Slingbox. Unbelievable really.

Unfortunately for us, there is no equivalent hardware out there.

Buyer beware......do not expect any support from this company if you choose to buy their equipment.

Slingbox Pro HD are Junk, December 10, 2009
This my second Slingbox Pro HD that I've gotten from Amazon in the last week. Neither box can pull an IP address from my network router (which is listed on the Slingbox compatible list). Without an IP address from your home network you cannot set the box up or watch TV. I have 2 iphones, 2 computers, 1 laptop, 2 DirectTV DVRs all can pull IP addresses from my router, but the Slingbox cannot. Call technical support and you get a novice who has you press reset buttons a couple times and tells you to get a firmware update for the router (I'm at most recent version). After Googling this problem I see that hundreds of people have had the same problem. Their complaints are even posted on the Slingbox forum. I am a network engineer who manages and builds servers, switched networks across multiple subnets, program Cisco routers, etc. I think I know a thing or two about networking and network equipment. These Slingbox devices obviously have their own firmware or hardware engineering problems and are junk. It is no wonder the Slingbox has never really caught on like VCRs and other consumer electronics. Save your time and money until they get the bugs worked out. Great service from Amazon returning the devices.

Horrible, Horrible experience, November 6, 2009
I've owned the Slingbox Classic and the Slingbox ProHD. Since buying the PRO-HD, I've never been able to get it online. However, with other pressing things going on, I didn't think about it much. Tonight, I tried to finally get it up and running, only to find out that the network part of it is shot. The box won't respond to a reset, or anything. So, I call SlingMedia and try to find out what I can do. Product has never worked as advertised, now doesn't work at all..... My options are two. Buy a refurb for $99 or take a 20% discount on a new one.

My choice?? Nothing at all. They are thieves and their product is horrible and has been getting worse. To add insult to injury, I've helped them beta test software since they first started. I cannot recommend this piece of garbage to anyone.

AVOID - SlingMedia doesn't support warranty, March 31, 2010
I was a happy users for about 11 months. Oh - it was a pain to setup some times. They tricked me into buying the HD version when they still don't support HD on the Mac OS/X. (They had an upgrade program and claimed my older Slingbox wouldn't be supported anymore which turned out not to be true.)

But today, about a week before the 1 year hardware warranty is set to expire the box just quit. No power light, no network lights - the box doesn't do anything. Clearly a hardware issue or a bad power supply.

However when I follow the directions on the SlingMedia website to get an RMA to return the defective hardware, I was told I need to pay $29.99. I said it is still under warranty - you cannot charge me. The person said it was $29.99 to talk to them. I asked if it turns out to be a hardware issue - which it clearly is, would I get refunded? No was the reply. There is no escalation path.

Consumers should not have to pay to have warranties honored. SlingMedia is no longer a company I respect or can recommend. I highly recommend everyone avoid this company.

Almost perfect, December 1, 2008
PROS:
+ Handles HD-content well, especially 1080i
+ Setup is simple and intuitive. I have two routers with a DMZ, and after a little tweaking, was able to get it configured quite easily
+ Continual software/firmware updates from SlingMedia mean that it's clearly a product that's going to be updated in the coming months/years
+ For the price, excellent
+ On-screen controls are easy to use, and Guide works

CONS
- No HDMI support
- Multiple devices of the same type hooked to different inputs cannot be separated with IR (meaning the IR signal is sent to all IR endpoints, which can cause some problems)
- Watching on Mobile phone isn't optimum, but it is great. Wish they would full screen and do better QoS
- Control mode is choppy

OVERALL
- Would buy it again in a heartbeat. While it definitely has room for improvement, I'm hoping those issues are remedied from a software standpoint and offered as free upgrades. ... Read more

Editorial Review

250GB HD, BD-P, Netflix, YouTube, CinemaNow, BD Live, Advanced Audio, Quick Booting, 1GB Memory, Wireless 802.11n, DLNA, 7.1ch Analog Output, Instant Tray Open, 1080p up-scaling for DVD, USB Media Host ... Read more

Reviews

Best BD player on the market to play Blu-rays and other stuff?, February 28, 2010
Little background on me: I owned or have owned a BH100, BH200, BD300, BD370 and BD390. So pretty much every LG Blu-ray player except the 270.

Pros:
Fast - I noticed DVD and Blu-ray loaded just a wee bit faster than my LG BD390. The difference wasn't amazing, but maybe a few seconds.

VuDu, Netflix, Pandora etc - They work just as they should. VuDu is identical to that on the BD390, but Netflix is the new version that allows you to view new movies/TV to Instant, has Genres, collections etc. No, it's not EVERYTHING that [...] offers, but you probably have a rotating selection of 300 different programs to check out if you don't feel like breaking out the laptop.

GracieNotes - Wow. Freakin' awesome. I managed to pull song information from a DVD, BD and a 'movie' file. As an added bonus; Hit the Display button while watching something (I assume DVD/BD only) and at the very bottom is 'Movie Information'. Click it and it will tell you what you are watching (small picture), synopsis, actor names etc. Woah!

250GB HD - Big selling point and works well. You are able to copy directly from an external HD/USB to the intern HD or via WiFi. Your choice. Obviously a wired copy will be faster than WiFi, so I set mine to copy 100GB from my external HD and went to bed. Woke up, and watched some stuff. Works very well and was fast. Maybe it can be upgraded? Out of the box it had 246GB out of 250GB available. So everything else is stored on internal memory. I bet this can be upped...

WiFi - Faster. Before, VuDu was a bit choppy, but now it was perfect.

DNLA - Works fine on my MacBook (some had issues?)

Cons:
Pandora - Ok, it's great to finally get this, but why can't I assume the colored buttons to be an easy Thumb Up, zzzz, Thumbs Down, Bookmark? Seems like it would be much easier, but the colored buttons do other things in Pandora. Feels like a wasted opportunity.

Music on HD - Well, it won't play iTunes DMR files or ones in m4a format (iTunes automatically converts them this way when you rip from CD unless you tell it not to). I spent 2 hours converting everything in my library to .mp3 so I could import them. Funny thing is, it actually imports the folder name, but none of the tracks. Took me a while to figure out why it skipped several CDs (I did 10 right away).


Size - Why is this bigger? I get it has a 250GB HD inside, but those are the size of an iPhone and the back of the units reeks of being a Gen2 unit and not a Gen5 version.

Menu - Sigh. All of the online stuff is in the Netcast icon, which means you have to click it, wait for it to load, and then you get presented with Netflix, VuDu etc. An extra step, but c'mon, there is a ton of room on that menu screen. Which is now redesigned to look like animated Ice Cubes in a pool. Odd choice...

Picture Settings - Remember how the BD390 could allow you to add/remove Edge Enhancement, DNR etc. That's gone. I even tried using my BD390 remote and the player didn't do anything. WTF? This is the top of the line player (out of 3 now!) and this was removed? Update: FIXED! The Picture Setting Menu is now found when you hit 'Display' during a movie. There are as many options as the BD390, but its better than none.

USB - Really, under a trap door? I get that some people may not want to pull their gear out to plug in a USB dogle, but get a $2 extension. Thankfully, with the Internal HD, I'll never use it.

Meh:
Remote - I don't hate it...but I like the BD590. I'll never use the numbers, so I would prefer them to be hidden in a trap door so I would have less to look at. The Center and arrow keys do feel better, and the Power button is HUGE compared to the identical sized Power/Eject of the previous. The Play/Pause/Skip are clear white...not sure why. They don't glow. So confused.

DVD Upconversion - Looks about the same.

Excellent Blu-Ray Player with a wide array of internet entertainment options, February 27, 2010
I purchased the BD590 from Best Buy a couple of days after it first appeared in stock. I have had some experience with LG Bluray before since I own the also excellent BD390 so when I needed another one for a different room in the house the newer model LG was at the top of my list.

Having owned it for a few weeks I have the following to note.

Pros

1. Fast Blu-Ray loading times. Very crisp clear image and fortunately since I own a receiver capable of decoding Lossless HD formats I really like the sound as well. Does the Blu ray format justice
2, My favorite aspect of this and the BD 390 by far is the VUDU functionality. I think Vudu is a tremendous service (perhaps will get even better now that's its been purchased by Wal-Mart). To have a large library of 1080p HD available at your fingertips is fantastic and the LG does a nice job displaying very pleasing audio and video off Vudu. I would buy this for this feature alone.
3, Although no shortage of Netflix ready devices in my HT lineup having this and other internet sources such as Pandora are nice options.
4. I read some complaints about the new interface compared to the older LGs but to my eyes its nicer looking and just as easy to navigate
5. I used Ethernet to connect this player but did test out the 802.11n and was able to connect to my Airport Extreme powered network with no problems
6. CD ripping is a great feature and I was able to archive a library of 200 CDs or so with little trouble. Gracenote does a nice job tagging the tracks.


Cons
I really didn't find much not to like about this player. Mostly just nice to haves. I would have liked if it supported Amazon VOD since that's my other source for video and I did think that the footprint was still a little large although sleeker and lighter that my older model.

I first lucked into the BD390 when it was highly recommended by a HT installer. I am pleased to note that the 590 is a nice upgrade with newer functionality on an old favorite. Highly recommended.

Fantastic but a bit pricey should be price at $300, March 13, 2010
LG has made a great product and it has slow mo for blu-ray disc. To many that may not see like anything special but my other 2 (Sony BDP-BX1 and Samsung BDP-1590) blu-ray players do not have this feature for any type of disc being played. Overall the unit does everything very well to excellent. The speed loading of blu-ray is not more impressive than that of my almsot 2 year old sony blu-ray but still fast enough for me.

Internet connections were a breeze via wired or wireless though I wished it would retain the wireless setting (SSID and passwords)when you switch to a wired setting. The online offerings are very impressive and all work: Google's Picasa; YouTube; AccuWeather; Netflix with a free trial offer; CinemaNow; VUDU with one free rental; and PANDORA. I hope they add more apps with software/firmware updates.

The remote is large, easy to hold and has all the buttons needed to use all the features of the unit and also will in my case control the most basic of functions of my TV: power and volume.

Having the large 250GB HD is a luxury but not a necessity as the front USB port can be used to access an external HD at a excellent speed. So you could really save about a $100 by buying the identical BD570 less the HD. I like the luxury, lol.

I do not like the front panel having a flip down panel that always drops down to insert/eject a disc but not too much of an issue. The flip door becomes an issue when you need to insert a USB stick or cable then the door has to remain down. In addition when they designed these new LG units they should have added an additional USB port in the rear.

But that is all I can find fault with the unit. They are not too small but small enough and very light even with the HD and the remote and internet access are all great. Picture quality is fantastic with blu-ray and same for non-blu ray disc. The fact that you can actually insert a CD and rip it to your HD is nothing short of omg what a nice feature.

I have placed my entire music and picture collection onto the HD and it is sweet to be able to get such easy access to these files. The link to my Laptop PC files works even without having to use the LG software for sharing files bewteen PC/Laptop and the player and that too is a nice feature to have available.

The unit works and works great! I would recommend it highly to any or to save money the BD570 and then hook up an external HD. Love the unit. My biggest knock is the price given that 3D Blu-ray players are just around the corner it seems this unit would be better priced at or below $300.

Bad Support, May 28, 2010
I would rate this product 4 starts if all the features worked or if their customer support department would respond to me. The Netflix streaming is a big feature for me. It does not work. It works on my PC and my old Samsung. All the other streaming features work. LG customer says it's Netflix fault - which I might believe if it didn't work on the other platforms. Then they told me I could take my machine of 3 hours to a repair shop. Netflix customer service spent a lot of time investigating this issue. They finally contacted their streaming department and were informed that it is a known bug that LG must fix. I have written to LG customer supprt to get a confirmation or denial but they just ignore me.

If you want to get this machine ask to see that feature work first. If you care.

Update 5/29/2110

I finally got a response to my email. It was a stock response which did not adress a single question I asked and in fact told me a fix to try in case the product was a TV. I called their customer service department for the 5th time today and they finally admitted it was a known bug.

Update 6/2/2010

This issue is now a thing of the past. LG released a new version of the FW yesterday. I installed it but it did not seem to fix the problem. LG Customer Service told me, "Yes. There was a new release but it did not address the Netflix streaming bug." Today I received email from Netflix Customer support and they told me that this release did, in fact, fix the problem but after you install it you must deactivate and reactivate the treaming service to the player. I did this and finally I have a working device.

Great BlueRay, July 7, 2010
This is my first Blue-Ray player.
I bought this player mainly because it plays DivX and HD DivX.
So my plan was to copy HD DivX movies onto a USB memory device and then play them using this player or use the internal hard drive. I had a Samsung DVD player (not Blue-Ray) and it worked great but couldn't handle anything HD.

I've had the player for a couple of weeks now and this is what I've found.
1) Took about 10 seconds to get the player on the network.
2) The software that came with it installed in Windows 7 easily.
3) Plays movies really great. Picture quality is amazing.
4) The menus are fine. I don't know why people complain about them.
5) I played with the added services. I didn't try NetFlix but I did press on the link. Connected up really fast. I don't have an account so I didn't try any movies. YouTube worked really well as well as the other free services. I have FIOS with 35 up and 35 down.

So about the USB port (my original plan). I still have yet to use it because the player can grab movies right off my computer's hard drive. I doesn't need to copy the movies onto the internal hard drive. It can play them right there. That is very cool.

The only negative so far that I've found is the internal hard drive.
So my plan was to copy all my music, videos and pictures onto the 250 gig drive. Use it like a backup and also have it readily available.
The problem is the hard drive is not accessible from the network. So you can't copy files TO the player's hard drive.
The player does not make it easy to copy large directory structures using the player either. The player does not support copying folders using the network.
The only way to do this is to copy your directories onto a large external hard drive and then use that to copy the files onto the player.
Also, I spoke to LG Tech and the guy says the player only supports directories three levels deep (I haven't confirmed this).

So I like the player.
There is the initial major inconvenience when filling up the hard drive.

Since the USB supports external hard drives I would suggest getting the lower model (the BD570) which is exactly the same except for the hard drive. Then use the $100 saved to buy a 500 gig external hard drive and just use it the same way. You can even just keep the external hard drive plugged into a computer and access it from the player.


Update:
I made another discovery about the internal hard drive vs using a remote network hard drive: The remote network hard drive allows you much faster fast forward than the internal hard drive. There are six speeds on play back. The internal hard drive allows regular play and a slightly faster fast forward. If you use a network drive you get all the way to the sixth level (six arrows).

Great unit!, March 8, 2010
This is a fabulous player and I honestly couldn't have asked for more. I had initially considered purchasing the Oppo 83 but I'm glad I went with the LG. I essentially wanted a media player that was capable of playing Netflix, Youtube, blu-ray, DVD-ROM, Pandora, and ripped movies stored on my PC. The LG is that perfect device. I had read one review that stated you can't play movies via a USB external hard drive but that simply is not true. With the latest firmware update, I plugged in my WD500 Mybook and bam... all my movies were accessible to the LG unit. I've had this player for approximately 3 weeks and am simply in amazement of what a great system it is. It really is a do it all player with excellent quality and great speed. Streaming movies over wi-fi via Netflix or my PC has been simply flawless. Spend the time to set it up correctly and you will simply have no regrets purchasing this unit. I fully recommend it to anyone looking for such a unit.

Best internet augmented player that features actually work grand., May 18, 2010
I choose not to chase a 3D Blu-Ray player since I lack a 3D TV and do not foresee one in my near future.

Instead, I sought the best internet augmented player that features actually work. I received my choice LG BD590 several days ago. I had Netflix, Youtube and the previously unknown to me, Pandora, all working by 4 pm without technical support and with only hasty glances at the manual.

I found NetFlix's registration initially confusing. LG BD590's setup provides a "code" . . . but not the code that will you need to register your LG BD590 from your PC. The code that you need to register your LG BD590 online with NetFlix . . . from your PC . . . is provided only when you try to play your first streaming NetFlix movie from the LG BD590's. Setup provides you a code that I suggest you record but don't use it for registering your BD590 with NetFlix from your PC.

Pandora works when you sign on Pandora from your LG BD590 after creating a free account at Pandora from your PC. Just use the same email address and password that you created while registering with Pandora from your PC. Keep your password reasonable since you will be using your LG BD590's remote to enter it. I plugged my keyboard into the BD590's USB port but it was not recognized as a keyboard.

I was also pleased to find that the menu system is simple and intuitive for me on LG's BD590 thus it should be usable for both my wife and daughter.

I did not load the included Nero MediaHome Bundle Disc since I am not clear about its value for me.

DLNA took me two days to successfully use. So far I am only seeing its MAC address from Windows 7 Home Group under "ALL Networks" and not under "Local network" and not with its name or IP address listed though I'm allowed to provide it access. My PC's pictures and the videos streamed without an errors though the allowed Video formats may be limited.

I watched the Blu-Ray version of Gold Finger several days ago and the details and overall picture were impressive. LG's BD590 made this old movie look quite new to me. Lastnight I watched Sherlock Holmes with Robert Downey Jr. The level of picture details and color quality makes visiting a theater a second rate experience. I am totally perplexed why the commercial theater experience has fallen to or below that of a good home theatre !!!

I had been leaning towards Panasonic and Sony based on my research last year. However, in their new products rush to 3D they forgot to make their new players' basic internet functions work as well as those of the LG BD590's IMHO.

I wanted improved Blu-Ray and internet performance and found it with my LG BD590.

Good player with internal HDD, June 18, 2010
Pros:
Very Good picture quality - no mosquito noise, jaggies, etc.
User interface easy to navigate.
Remote is simple and well done.
Internal Hard Drive can store compressed backup videos.

Cons:
Wireless streaming - internal antenna very poor. Even a strong signal is hardly found, with dropouts. I have ATT U-Verse and could not get it to work simply because the signal would drop out before a handshake could be made.
LG claims mkv extension support, but it is limited. You will need to rip a DVD, then compress into one of the codecs below before you can package it into an avi or mkv file.

Details not in the specs:
The BD590 will play the following file extensions: ".jpg", ".jpeg", ".png", ".avi", ".divx", ".mpg", ".mpeg", ".mkv", ".mp4", ".mp3", ".wma", ".wav", as long as they are encoded with one of the following codec: "DIVX3.xx", "DIVX4.xx", "DIVX5.xx", "XVID", "DIVX6.xx" (Standard playback only), H.264/MPEG-4 AVC, MPEG1 SS, MPEG2 PS, MPEG2 TS

The Lesser of 2 Evils, November 1, 2010
October 18, 2010 - I placed my order for the LG BD590.
November 1, 2010 - I printed out the UPS Labels to return the LG BD590.

Before ordering this, I read many reviews from several sites and ended up with a choice between the BD590 and the
Sony BDP-S770. I did not choose wisely.
As soon as I hooked up the BD590, I updated the firmware/software. It would not play the BDs from the Blu-ray Combo Packs of Prince of Persia, Iron Man 2 and How to Train Your Dragon. I contacted LG Support and they said an update to correct this would "eventually" come out. ( the LG BD390 would play these but would skip, freeze, etc. LG Support said I needed to send the unit in for repair ) The BD590 will not play several region-free BDs that I had ordered from Amazon.co.uk that played fine on the BD390. I'm not even going to list the regular DVDs it won't play. By "not playing", I get "Check disc!" errors when I try to load the disc.
The BD590 with Gracenote for your Audio CDs did great. The Title/Artist and song list came up almost instantly and the Audio quality was superb. One positive note for the unit.
I had read about the front cover but until I had the unit in front of me, it didn't sink in. Yup, the front cover, which goes across the entire width of the unit, comes down when you open the tray. You also have to lower the cover to access the USB port.
I don't really know what I'm disappointed in more, LG's BD players or the lack of support for them.
I could list more cons, but it mainly comes down to the fact that it's a blu-ray disc player that won't play blu-ray discs.

Nice and Easy, April 25, 2010
SETUP is so simple and easy even an adult or a young whippersnapper like Johnny McCain can do it. If you adhere to the adage that "real men don't read instructions" and choose to ignore the illustrated step by step "Quick Start" card, the instructional CD and the profusely illustrated manual you can call the LG Service center (in would you believe? Alabama!) and a very patient tech will guide you through the few simple required steps. Within a few minutes of opening the box I had activated Netflix and was able to watch Dimitri sing "Il balen del suo suriso" on Youtube.
ROUTER: Although the manual recommends an ethernet cable (even going so far as to remind you that you can purchase one up to 40 feet long) or failing that an "n" router, fear not. I used my trusty, basic AT&T 2701 HG-B Modem/router and it worked perfectly. The router is in another room, (with the door open) 30 feet from the LG 590 (I measured the distance), on the other side of a 6 inch wall and the clarity of the audio and video was excellent.
The LG 590 automatically upgrades DVDs and streaming to 1080p (if your TV is set up for 1080p). If black bars appear at the top and bottom of the screen you can fill the screen by clicking on "Display" - "Resolution" - "1080p full" as opposed to "1080p original".
The remote has several intriguing colored buttons including one labeled "Zoom" that apparently enlarges or diminishes the picture in varying percentages. I have not used that yet.
Pro: Everything works perfectly!
Con: The "Dancing Ice Cubes" on the netscape may tend to induce mal de mer in sensitive people. Couldn't they just lie there? Actually this is not really a flaw but it was the only thing I could find to criticize. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Play your movies and music in car! The Philips PD7012 featuring two 7" TFT LCD display screens let you indulge in enjoying your DVD movies, music and photos on the road. Install and mount easily for in-car enjoyment. ... Read more

Reviews

Perfect For The Kids On Long Trips, June 20, 2010
Just tested the DVD players on a two hour ride. Works perfectly and easy to set up. I like the fact that that the player remembers where it left off so you don't have to restart the movie from the beginning. The units can be powered either by cigarette lighter (both players) or wall outlet (for one player). And the straps for the vehicle head rests work just fine. Overall, I am pleased with this product.

Great product for the price!, July 18, 2010
I recently purchased this item after much researching and reading reviews of other similiar products. I was desperate for portable Dvd players for my sons (ages 3 1/2 and 7) for our long ride on vacation.
These are great! They were VERY easy to hook up. The actual screens fit very well around the headrests and were perfect for viewing by my sons. My oldest son (age 7) was able to work the entire thing independently including changing dvds. Volume and picture are great. Each screen has individual volume and brightness controls. I love the fact that after turning off/on the car, the dvd starts where you left off. That is a nice feature that alot of other players do not have. Great product and exactly what we were looking for!

Very pleased!, July 29, 2010
I bought these to entertain my 2 year old twins on longer trips. I have had them for a couple of months now and I really can't complain. They have a good picture quality and can be connected to a TV (which was great when we were on vacation). It is true they only work when plugged in. There is no stored battery, but that has not been an issue for me. My only wish is that it came with a remote. It is impossible to restart a movie while I am driving. They were worth the $119 I spent. (Best Buy on sale)

Great for middle and back van seats, August 24, 2010
These worked great for our 38 hour drive each way. With two screens, we didn't have to find just one place to put a single screen and have all the kids be able to see it. The cords were long enough, though some vans may be too spread out (we have a car plug in the back of our van between the two seats). Sound from the unit is loud enough, and of decent quality. The only complaint is that there is no internal battery, so the player must be plugged in to work. It does come with a car plug as well as a/c, though.

2nd screen unreliable, November 12, 2010
I bought this before taking 14 hour drive with my 4 children and without my husband. We plugged it in and it worked great the first time. The kids were thrilled. Unfortunately every time we used it after this either the second screen didn't work or there was a loud buzzing or the screen was fuzzy. I tried rearranging the cords, changing positions but nothing seemed to help. I ended up returning it and am disappointed that it wasn't more reliable.

Great item, easy set-up, nice features!, July 26, 2010
Installing this DVD player was a breeze, works exactly as advertised. As other reviewers have mentioned, the best feature is that it starts where you left off. Other than that, the features overall are great, screen resolution is good, no issues really. Very nice item, would highly recommend!

Great DVD player, July 22, 2010
This has worked great so far. I like how it starts right back up where it left off when you turn off the car.

Works for us., August 30, 2010
I bought the dual screen player a week before a trip for my 6 year old and 2 year old. They worked very well and I would recommend that you get headphones if your children will wear them. The dual volume controls are nice and the straps work pretty well. If your headrests are tapered on the sides it can be a little challenging when attaching but we made it work. I would recommend this system.

Great Product, August 31, 2010
We purchased this product just before our summer road trip and it worked great. The product is very easy to install and user-friendly. Our 2 year old daughter loved it. It kept her entertained throughout the trip.

Great Product!, October 15, 2010
Bought this for a 3 hour road trip, and it worked out great. The sound it excellent and the picture quality is perfect. A great alternative for those of us who don't have built in TVs. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Enjoy movies, music and photos on the go with the Sony DVP-FX750 Portable DVD Player. This compact, stylish player includes great features like a seven-inch (diag.) widescreen display, three hours of battery life for extended viewing, and two headphone jacks so you can share the entertainment, all at an incredible value. ... Read more

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There's only one Blu-Ray Disc Player that delivers the total viewing experience. It's the Samsung BD-C6900. With its explosive 3D capabilities, you've never watched movies like this before. Internet@TV (Featuring Samsung Apps) brings your favorite web content to your TV screen. And with the Ultra Fast Play feature, movies start playing the moment you insert them. So whether you're watching your favorite film or web content, the BD-C6900 was engineered to broaden your perspective. ... Read more

Reviews

Blu-ray 3D... Almost ready for prime time, April 26, 2010
Samsung's BD-C6900 is one of the first Blu-ray 3D players on the market (the other being Panasonic's DMP-BDT300 and upcoming DMP-BDT350). As a first generation Blu-ray 3D player, you have to expect a few glitches (and you'll get them), but if you're itching to watch 3D TV at home in full HD 1080p, this player will get the job done, with a few nice perks and one potentially major caveat.

There is a lot to like about the BD-C6900 including super-fast boot-up and load times : 8 seconds to boot, 11 seconds to load a DVD and an almost unbelievable 18 seconds to load a BD-Java Blu-ray title ("Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl"). This is about twice as fast to load a BD-Java disc compared to the otherwise super-speedy OPPO BDP-83 player, and is less than 1/3 the load time of the Pioneer BDP-320 on the same title. It also offers a wealth of IPTV options and web widgets, including Netflix and VUDU streaming, YouTube and Pandora (among others). And with DLNA networking, you can connect it to your networked computers to access (and stream), audio, video and photo content like nobody's business.

As a 3D player, it seems to perform exactly as designed - we say "seems" because the only real 3D content we have on Blu-ray 3D Disc to test with is the Monsters vs. Aliens promo disc that Samsung includes in the 3D Starter Kit. When connected to a Samsung UN55C8000 3D LED/LCD TV, the MvA disc looked fantastic using the Samsung active shutter 3D glasses. Yes we did see some "crosstalk" (interference between left and right channels), but this was caused by the TV, not the player.

But as a 3D player, there is one little known caveat - yes the player is compatible with 2D TVs (in 2D mode) and with current HDMI 1.3 receivers, however, if you want to take full advantage of the audio and video capabilities of this player used with a 3D TV, then you will need to have one of the brand new HDMI 1.4-equipped audio video receivers. Current HDMI 1.3 receivers *cannot* pass through the HDMI 1.4 3D video signal to a compatible 3D TV. This means that if you want to take advantage of lossless audio codecs (Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio), your only option is to upgrade to an HDMI 1.4-equipped receiver or use the player's multi-channel analog outputs and let the player do the decoding. And this is neither the easiest to set-up nor the highest quality option as it relies on the bass management and speaker configuration capabilities of the player, which are weaker than the bass management capabilities of most receivers.

Panasonic's Blu-ray 3D players get around this limitation by providing two HDMI outputs: an HDMI 1.4 3D-enabled output (to connect directly to the display or to an HDMI 1.4 receiver) and a legacy HDMI 1.3 output for connecting to an HDMI 1.3 receiver. Is this a show-stopper? It might be if you don't want to upgrade your receiver (again). But if you only use the speakers built into your TV (blech!), or you're happy with the legacy lossy surround formats (Dolby Digital and regular DTS) which you can get from the optical output, OR if you have an HDMI 1.4-compliant A/V receiver then this will not be a problem for you.

As a standard 2D Blu-ray player, we found that the BD-C6900 was a mixed bag - some upconversion tasks like odd cadence detection and correction as well as standard 2:3 film cadence detection, were performed well, as was the player's treatment of diagonal lines: no jaggies visible here, even on the spinning white line torture tests on the HQV benchmark discs. But we were surprised to see some noticeable digital artifacts on standard Blu-ray Discs such as "Blade Runner" - the intro title sequence looked less than ideal with ghosting in the title sequence and beyond that, some noise and blockiness in the black backgrounds that we have not seen on other players.

Overall, the BD-C6900 is a pretty solid Blu-ray and DVD player, but for the 2D Blu-ray playback artifacts and HDMI 1.3-receiver incompatibility. If these factors are not important to you, then you are likely to be happy with it. If not, then wait for Samsung's higher end Blu-ray 3D player, coming later this year (not yet announced) or take a look at the Panasonic or Sony Blu-ray 3D players when they become more widely available.

Our comprehensive BD-C6900 review is available on Big Picture Big Sound (dot com).

The low down on new 3d Blu ray tech, March 18, 2010
First off i would like to set the world strait on compatibility. This blu ray player is not compatable with most HD TV's. Even if your TV says 3d HD ready it might not be. the reason i explain below in "how it works". if you do not have a samsung hd tv this will not work for you as of now. Misubishi is making an addapter its not out yet but on mistubishi DLP tv's that say 3d ready this will work for them eventually with the addapter. to find out if your tv is compatable you need to contact Samsung. go to their website and call them. i have been doing this for a month and finally they have people that know about the product now. you need to varify your hd tv will work.

how it works: and why your tv will or will not work. new 3d uses whats called active shutter technology. the appearance of 3d is made possible by showing your eyes two different pictures at the same time but separated. red and blue lens glasses work because on the screen it will show two different picture one to work with the red and one for the blue the screen would block out the other color giving your eyes viewing different pictures at the same time causing a 3d effect. polarized glasses work by skewing the image in one eye to create a similar effect.

active shutter takes it too the next step. the active shutter glasses connect to your 3d source wirelessly and work with the bluray player to make you see 3d. they do this but blocking and unblocking your view in your eyes so fast that you can not see it. the bluray player will also send the images preskewed to your tv so when your right eye is blocked it will show you one image and when the left eye is blocked it will show the next image skewed from the first one. it does this so fast that with the glasses on you can not tell. now you ask well if its the glasses working with the bluray player why will this not work on any tv. the reason is your refresh rate. the BD-C6900 requires a 120hz refresh rate. not all tv;'s have that, infact most dont. playing the 3d on a regular tv the frams the bluray is giving out will not be able to all be show properlly and the 3d effect will not work.

pros and cons: pros. this new tech gives you a full HD 3d picture. you are talking clear then in a movie theater. with out the different colored lenses you will not have crisp clear picture. this new tech should be the standard for tvs in the next three years. it also is right now only a little bit more exspensive then other bluray products. its a lo tech solution for a hightech product there fore soon it should be around the same price as regular blurays.

cons. the glasses. amazon only sells the third party ones right now but i exspect them to be coming out with the samsung ones soon. on this bestbuy has them right now for $149 a pair. thats right one set of glasses $149 you are talking 300 dollars to see the movie with your significat other. but dont worry because samsung has said that they are going to be coming out with 3d starter kits that should have two pairs and a movie and only cost an arm and a leg. as of right now your movie choices are none. march 21st is when they are going to launch monsters vs aliens with the starter kit. it will probably be 2011 before the movies really start to come out for it.

in reading this you might think well its just not worth it but i will tell you why it is. right now this player is designed that it still can play 2d blurays. thats right 2d. it is also the fastest loading one of the market right now for 2d. if you need a new blueray player go with this one now and to be ready for the new tech coming. if you tv does not work now think about it. by 2011 could you be on your next tv? chances are unless you just bought one in the past year there is that chance. investing now in this now tech will help keep you above the curve in the future.

key points:

- it will not work with all tvs contact samsung to make sure yours will work even if it says 3d ready

- it will play 2d blurays in 2d, and has fast load times

- this uses active shutter technology and will require active shutter glasses for everyone viewing. people with out glasses will not be able to view it.

- limited selection of 3d blurays as of now should be main stream by 2011

- bluray player does not come with a set of glasses.

- it will play 2d blurays and dvds on a regular non 3d tv. it will work on old tvs just not be able to play it in 3d.

overall: i bought this item. i own a DLP samsung that is compatable with this player. i have done alot of reasearch on this tech and hopefully will be able to enjoy this very soon. avatar should be out end of this year in 3d and alice in wonderland should not be far behined.

***Update 24 March 2010***
Player works great, the picture is as clear as my last player. load times are normally under 15 seconds way faster then my old one. the guys on here that talk about bugs dont understand electronics. flat out there is an upgrade for the player already. it looks like samsung messed something up but sent out an update to fix it. all they would have to do is go to thier setting and check for an update, download it then everything will be fine. this is why new players have these updates. plain and simple this player is great. once you install it get the upgrade, its free and takes about 10mins to download over DSL. I will get back when i personnally get Monsters Vs Aliens in the mail, i will also write a review on the bundles page after I get it. you want to read a good review look at the amazon verified purchase tag. that means we bought it. I'll update again soon.

*** Update 7 April 2010***
the player still works great. i use it almost everyday and have yet to have a problem. the reason that some people are having a problem is because they have not updated the firmware with the player. anymore companies are changing bluray movies so offten to prevent piracy that the players have to be updated often. if you have issues with it make sure you update it first. i have tried most of the movies people have had issues with and have yet to have a problem. one little pet peve of mine though. there is no way to keep finger prints off the top of this player. every time i clean it as soon as its used it looks like a 3 year old finger painted it. ok its not that bad but a finger print proof finish would make this nicer.

***Update 1 September 2010***
i have now had some time to try all the other features this has to offer. first off, if you dont own netfilx and you like watching movies you need to look at netflix and see if it is for you. this bluray player works great with netflix picture is clear and movies download faster then on my Xbox 360. the youtube facebook myspace and twiter apps are all worthless. the youtube app dones have every video and whe search is worthless. poor app poor execution. facebook and myspace are like trying to get on the internet on one of those old clamshell phones from three years ago. maybe a thrid of the features the site has to offer and all its good for is viewing or updating a status. twiter i perosnnal fell is pointless to begin with but you should probably update it with your phone over this because the on screen keyboard is slow and difficult to use. haveing said all this netflix is amazing and the picture is as clear as a bluray. i have only had one movie skip a little but it fixed itself.


READ IF YOU OWN ANY OTHER TV THEN THE TWO NEW 3D COMPATIBLE ONES
As i suspected the samsung tech's that i talked too didnt know anything about the products. first off unless you own the two new 3D TV's the 3d Feature will not work. specificlly the DLP TV's for samsung. i will explain. the new 3d uses active shutter technology through HDMI 1.4 the DLP's used a computer interface through a specially designed conection. yes the DLP can run the 3d but the new players do not have a compatable conncetion for the products yet. the reason it will not sync up is because the TV does not have a way to link with the glasses as of now. i was told by bestbuy there will be an idependent addapter that will provide a sensor that can be pulged into the tv for the glasses to sync. it will then also alow the player to project it through a HDMI 1.3. as of now though it does nto work and samsug plans on making one but not yet. if you do not own the two new tv's this will not work for you right now. i would recommend to either buy theSamsung BD-C6500 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player or buy this one and wait for the adapter. if you but this and it does not work, even if you ask samsung if it will and they tell you it will they are not legally liable for anything they say. i had a rep on the phone for an hour trying to tell me that yes it should work and its probably a problem with my tv before thier second tier tech support told me it would not with out the adapter no one makes. fortunatlly amazon is amazing and helped me out with returning my glasses. i will wait till the adapter comes out before i try this again.

Great player, astounding video/audio, internet; very impressed., March 20, 2010
(A tip to other reviewers: Don't rate an item if you don't own it. Some of these reviews are from people who haven't even seen this player!)

This item arrived quickly, on a Saturday to our surprise, via Fedex. It's a gorgeous (if you like simple/shiny black) piece of AV equipment. At first, we were dismayed by what we thought were little scratches on the top - it was just a piece of protective plastic on it that is removable; it does have a flawless finish.

I don't usually leave reviews even though I buy on Amazon frequently, and I feel a bit guilty giving this rave reviews as I work for a competitor, but they haven't come out with a similar product yet. We mostly wanted to upgrade the family room/media room for our teens to give them more reason to hang out home with their friends - I must say, that works. They can't wait to show off another blu-ray to friends (who are self-impressed audiophiles for the most part) who are very impressed. The only problem, is, we want to watch it as much as they do... we never used to watch TV this much. I know this sounds like an ad but really, it's that amazing.

The tech stuff:
The ease of setup, connection to the TV and the internet is simple and straightforward. One HDMI cable to TV (included w/TV), done. Plug in Ethernet if you don't want to use wireless. It's pure digital output - sound and video. It has a separate Digital audio out for those who were worried about the extra HDMI output. The sound is astonishing. Digital sound, can't beat it. (We're using it with a Philips Soundbar now, but the TV itself has great sound). If you don't have a hi-def TV it might not work as well, but then why buy it anyway? The instruction booklet is good clear English, not written by someone with English as a second-language. The only thing that looks daunting to me is the remote control, but the kids don't seem to have a problem with it.

It performs beautifully in video and sound. It uses 1.4 cables (don't do what we did and buy 1.3 cables, besides the TV comes with cables). It runs on wifi to access the internet, and can download Netflix, Pandora, Youtube, etc., etc., content, and came with coupons for that. The kids like the internet part; we use it much less than they do.

It works flawlessly with our TV. We own the Samsung UN46C7000 46-Inch 3D HDTV and love it; together it's a marriage made in Home Theater Heaven. It's SUPER fast compared to other blu-Rays we have used. This is the first *3D* blu-ray we have used, and comparing it to regular 2-D blu-rays, it blows them all away. It up-converts beautifully and our 2-D blu-ray videos look like a dream on this.

We have only had it for days so we will write more when we have had more movies under our belts, but: older 3d movies look amazing, regular 2-D (most blu-rays are still) and downloads. All we can say so far is WOW. If you are interested in upgrading to a new 3D TV in the near future, this is a no-brainer to buy,

Movies we suggest to knock your socks off:
National Geographic 3D movies, Polar Express, Bugs!,the IMAX movies, and the new Micheal Jackson movie. Older teens liked the Bloody Valentine movie. The kids - even my son - reverted to movies like Snow White (the new blu-ray) to my surprise, just because it was so "flipping awesome" to watch on this player.

WARNING: If you have a hard time pulling yourself away from the TV set (we never used to like we do now) - don't buy this. You won't want to leave the room.

If you're looking for a top-notch, latest technology Blu-ray player with extras that's going to work quickly, this is a good buy. I've blathered on enough; check it out.

Be careful with buying this for Netflix HD playback!, September 11, 2010
I'm not going to review the Blu-ray player part, as I think it's been very well reviewed by many other people, and I would totally agree the Blu-ray playback is very good. My 2 stars are for Blu-ray playback only!

However, I am going to write about the built-in Apps, and more importantly Netflix. I bought this player primarily because it played Netflix, and Hulu Plus (in fact it's the only Blu-ray device currently certified to play Hulu Plus content). I wanted a simple interface for the bedroom that my wife could easily use, and this seemed to fit the bill perfectly.

Unfortunately, after spending an hour on the phone with Samsung Level 2 support they told me that it's a known issue that streaming HD content from Netflix on this player will cause it to buffer every few minutes (SD content does seem to play OK, but I admit to not using it for hours on end to confirm that). I haven't yet tried Hulu Plus, but can only imagine it suffers from the same buffering problems. The funny thing is that she also told me to delete everything from my instant queue, as that was known to cause problems too - are you kidding me?!

Now, I'm very tech savvy, and have 20 years IT experience, so I think that gives me license to say that it's not "User Error"!

So, for the record, I have this connected via a Netgear WNR3500L Wireless N router connected via TWC (clocked at about 14Mbit), and the player and router are about 30-40ft apart (with 2 non-brick walls in between) with a wireless signal of "Excellent" according to the player. I've tried setting the player as the highest priority in QoS, added it as a system in the DMZ (to allow all ports), and basically had it running as the only device connected to the router. I have a Wii, PS3, 2 laptops and a desktop, and they ALL stream Netflix perfectly, so I know it's not my setup.

So, a word of advice to anyone looking to buy this player for streaming. As of firmware 1014 (August 2010) it just doesn't work correctly. Will they fix it? They tell me "yes", but gave no ETA, so I'm returning it for a refund and will find something else for the bedroom. After looking at a number of other reviews, it would appear I am not the only one seeing this issue. Buyer beware!

UPDATED (9/17/2010) - I posted a similar review directly on Samsung's website, but they refused to publish it! They said it "...didn't meet one or more of the product review guidelines." Talk about trying to brush it under the carpet. Great work Samsung. I have now lost total respect for them, and will go back to Sony/Toshiba.

Avoid unless need 3D BluRay player - Anynet+ useless, June 8, 2010
Don't get this unless you really will be playing 3D videos!! We got this to be compatible with our 3D LED TV and to get the free glasses; but should have gotten just a good Blu-Ray play instead and saved $200.
This player duplicates many of the standard features of the LED TV (wireless, apps, Netflex, Pandora, etc) so we wasted money by getting a full featured player.
Need both Blu-Ray and TV Samsung remotes to fully controlled both TV and Blu-Ray. Nice if Samsung had a universal remote.
Blu-Ray front panel "touch" is useless, remote for player is confusing, unit is slow to respond, the Samsung inter-operatability network (AnyNet+) caused setup and operation problems. Have to turn off Anynet to make Samsung TV and TV remote to function as expected.

samsung blu ray, July 6, 2010
The first player that was shipped to us did not work. Yes we tried updating the firmware but it would not play any discs. Fortunately Amazon made it easy and fast to exchange it for another player. The second player has played all the discs we have tried. We are having trouble streaming video with Netflix. I can watch Netflix on my desktop, on my laptop and on my Samsung unc7000 TV but not on the Blu Ray player. I can only guess that there is some problem with the firmware as initially I had the same stopping and starting problem with the Tv until Samsung issued an update to it(the TV).
To the reviewer who complained of scratches - there is a plastic protective sheet on top of the player. It looks like it is scratched but you can just remove the plastic. The 3D is fantastic.

Buy only if you are NOT using NETFLIX, June 24, 2010
My main interest in gettting this was the wireless connectivity and Netflix. The DVD/Bluray discs play well. I am surprised that Samsung has not fixed the universally know bug with this product about the NETLIX movie streaming. The video lags the audio about 2-4secs. The Netflix movie pauses for buffering repeatedly. Therefore, if one is not going to use Netflix app, this product is perhaps the ideal buy and in case you use Netflix then this is not the right product for you. I am not sure why others have not pointed out this fact!

Excellent 3D Blu-ray player, April 24, 2010
I purchased this player along with the Samsung UN55C7000 TV and they work very well together. Setup, including the wireless internet access, was a snap. The included apps and the apps available for download are useful, especially Netflix since we were already a customer. Samsung promises a lot more apps by the end of the year. I did have a problem with it accepting a YouTube account. It did initially, and immediately brought up the favorites previously saved on YouTube. However, after a reboot it would no longer accept the account info, though it does still access YouTube ok, and I can save favorites using the player. It did accept our Netflix and Pandora account info without a problem. The player has a nice design, with blue accent lighting that you can turn off if desired. It is also small and light and is very unobtrusive among my other components; when the accent lighting is off you hardly even notice it is there. When it is powered on or a DVD is inserted it automatically changes the TV input to the HDMI port the player is hooked up to. I have an HDMI switching AVR, but it does not pass HDMI 1.4 so I connect the DVD player directly to the TV while the rest of my sources go through the AVR. I send the players optical sound output to the AVR so I can use the 7.1 surround sound setup. The player also has discrete analog audio outputs for all 7.1 channels as an option, and my AVR accepts 7.1 analog inputs. I may try that since my AVR is several years old and the new Samsung player may have better decoding. I already had a Blu-ray player in my PS3, but its firmware has not been updated for 3D yet so decided to go ahead and get the Samsung as part of a package deal that also got me the glasses and Monsters vs Aliens BD essentially for free. I am glad I did, because this Samsung is considerably faster than the PS3 in playing BDs.

The TV and this player are my first Samsung products (I have been a die-hard Sony fan for years) and I am very impressed with both products. Registering the player extended the warranty to 18 months which was a nice bonus. I have had this player for about a month, and am extremely pleased with its performance. It may seem a bit pricey, but having HDMI 1.4, 3D capability, and wireless internet access with lots of apps makes it reasonable. Naturally the wireless capability is also crucial for firmware updates and use of the BD Live features.

Warning- Important to know before buying, June 8, 2010
This Blu-ray player has a power save function that automatically turns the system off after 25 minutes of inactivity. A feature that cannot be turned off. Why is this a problem you might ask? For instance if you are watching a movie and decide you don't have the time to watch it in one setting this feature will affect you.

The player does not remember where you left off during the movie after it turns itself off. The problem with this is that when you come back to watch your movie you will be forced to fast forward until you get back to the place where you left off. Something to be aware of before you purchase this player.

A great multipurpose player, September 4, 2010
With a week of usage, these are my impressions (subject to change)

- Super light
- Sleek
- Very fast uploads
- Good 3D performance (not great, but decent)
- Works well with 3d glasses
- Widgets are decent
- hooking up the wireless connection was relatively painless
- Anynet function with samsung tv is a very good feature
- For best picture give the HDMI 1.4 connection to the TV...otherwise pixelation issues may happen (ie when sending it through receiver)
- fitting the picture to avoid the black bars is a great feature: also it moves the subtitles in a way that it does not cut it off, a subtelty, but another great feature.

Be sure to enable Bitstream downstream audio to get Dolby Digital sound

Netflix movies tend to stick and are not smooth, even with a clear LAN connection with 20/5 Fios connection, which is dissappointing...unclear why many more have not seen this problem.

Also gets very hot, so ensure its properly ventilated.
Internet@TV options and variety is quite good
WiFi performance very good, but requires a Wireless -N connection, as G will drop videos
Absence of a QWERTY key board or blue-tooth stinks

Overall, if you can get it for $150-170 range, its a very good deal. ... Read more

Editorial Review

VIZIO's E320VL 32" LCD HDTV delivers superior picture and audio quality at an amazing value. Includes SRS TruVolume and SRS TruSurround HD audio for advanced virtual surround sound and two HDMI ports to connect up to two HDMI devices to your TV. Exceeds Energy StarTM 4.0 guidelines to reduce energy consumption. ... Read more

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Toshiba BDX1100 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player

1080p Full HD playback, HDMI-CEC connectivity, and BD-Live support make the BDX1100 a great home theater choice wherespace is limited.

Features

Editorial Review

Make the move to the smoothest LCD action ever. Samsung's LN40C630 LCD HDTV offers incredible color and rich clarity, all on a 40-inch screen. Add the power of Samsung's Wide Color Enhancer, for a picture that optimizes a given color's hue, resulting in more natural rendering of colors and lifelike action. Samsung HDTVs are also ENERGY STAR compliant, helping the environment by using less energy while saving you money. ... Read more

Reviews

Time for an upgrade!, March 24, 2010
I have literally been following the prices of HDTV's for about a year now, and there is no better time for an upgrade! Samsung just released their new "C" series, and somehow they are remarkably less expensive than their pre-existing models! The majority of the websites are selling this HDTV for $800+, Amazon's lower-than-low price is less than the rest of the market. I purchased it here on Amazon, and received my HDTV in 5 days (could have been 4 days, but I had school all day). CEVA did the shipping for my HDTV, which I was wary at first because I have only dealt with UPS and Fedex. However, CEVA provided excellent customer service as they did contact me and I verbally specified a delivery time. Packaging was very efficient, and surprisingly light too!

For those who prefer using TV stands, you do have to assemble it on your own. Extremely easy to assemble though! All it took was 9 screws (already in the box) and I recommend using a power-screwdriver. Directions said it required two people, I did it solo! I was just eager to hook up my PS3 via HDMI cable and experience the wonderful world of 1080P.

Okay, now for the specifics and why this HDTV deserves a spot in your living room - As I mentioned before, right up to my purchase I extensively followed the quality and price of several HDTVs. The Samsungs 530, 550, 630, 650. The Samsung 630 is the best deal for your money, here's why: The 5 series is less expensive, but only offers refresh times of 60Hz as compared to the 630 which is 120Hz. This is a big difference, and means that your HDTV with 120Hz displays at least twice as many frames-per-second which makes movies, not only sports, very fluid and more realistic. Another difference is the response time, where as the 5 series has a 6ms response time, the 6 series has a 4ms response time. And if you are a gamer, a difference of 2ms can make a big difference. So why the Samsung 630 and not the 650? The only difference now is the contrast ratio. The 630 comes with a 80,000:1 contrast ratio which in my opinion, still creates an extraordinary depth to the display. TV contrast ratio's are starting to become stable around the 70,000 - 100,000 range (or much higher for LEDs). Whereas, 3 years ago the highest was around 10,000 but kept constantly rising. So this HDTV is very much future proof. Yes, the 650 has a higher contrast ratio, but is it worth the extra $200 something dollars?

All in all, if you're not worried about price, go all out and purchase a LED HDTV. But if you want to shop smart, this HDTV is the way to go.

Awesome, April 23, 2010
I did a lot of research for TV's in this price range. I've bought a few plasmas and LCD's previously, and this TV blows them all away. This is a great price point, size and brand name TV. You can't go wrong really, you will most certainly be satisfied. The 120hz setting on Clear works best, otherwise gives your TV content a weird soap opera look, so either set it to Clear or turn it off. This LCD works great with a PS3 also, and supports 1080p/24hz resolution, so when you watch blurays, the picture is crystal clear. If you experience any input lag when playing games (delay from button press to action on screen), try setting the source name of your PS3 to PC, it seems to fix that issue pretty well.
The sound on this TV is very robust and clear, although when watching blurays I have to turn it up to hear dialogs, which then makes action sequences really loud, but it's not a big deal.
The design of this TV is just awesome. It has the glass bezel and gloss table top, definitely one of the best looking TV's that I've ever seen. The stand also swivels, which is something every TV should have, but usually don't.
The remote works well, and is very sturdy. The onscreen menus are very clear and even provide descriptions to most of the settings so you don't need to try and figure out what certain settings do.
Its a pretty thin and light panel too, so if your mounting it, it should stay pretty flat on the wall.
I've got nothing but positives to say about this set, its worth every penny, and I'm usually very critical about electronics, but I'd recommend this LCD to anyone. It doesn't look that great out of the box, but after a week of playing with the color settings, I think the picture has been perfected.

UPDATE
Here are my picture settings for anyone that needs a little help getting started
Mode: Standard
Backlight: 14
Contrast: 80
Brightness: 40
Sharpness: 20
Color: 51
Tint: G48/R52
Eco Solution: all off
Edge Enhancement: off
Digital Noise Filter: Low (though I'm sure auto is about the same)
MPEG Noise: Low
Color Tone: Normal (some people seem to like the Warm settings)
Auto Motion Plus 120HZ: Clear (though some people might like this more OFF)

If you have any adjustments to these, let me know

Pray that it doesn't break......, July 26, 2010
Up until two weeks ago, I loved this TV. I upgraded from a 32 inch non-HD/non-flat screen TV. The picture quality is wonderful, the sound was really good, but I hooked it up to a Yamaha receiver anyway.

Here's what happened. A little over two weeks ago we had been watching the TV, and then left to go outside to do some yard work. After dinner we decided to watch a movie so I turned on the TV. Nothing. Usually when a Samsung TV is off, there is a small red light. When you turn it on, the picture emerges and the little red light goes off. No red light. I unplugged the TV from the power supply and plugged it directly into an outlet (the DVD was on the same power strip and was working). Then I took the power cord off and went into the kitchen and plugged it into the little Samsung TV in there. Worked great. Dang. I pulled out the TV information and the TV was still under warranty. I called Samsung.

After just a few seconds on hold a real person answered and I explained the dead power supply problem. She told me somebody would call me in three to five working days to arrange for the repair. WHAT? Three to five days just to talk to somebody to schedule a repair???? NINE days later somebody finally called and said that my 'ticket' would be sent to troubleshooting. WHAT? After nine days, still no appointment for repair???? On day twelve I got a call from a repair guy from a local business contracted to do the repair, and he asked me if the part, the power supply, had come yet. WHAT? What part? I called Samsung again and they gave me the number of GURU, the company they contract to do their repairs, and the company that subcontracts to other local repair services. I now realize that I'm twice-removed from Samsung and NOBODY is coordinating this repair but ME.

I call GURU again after two weeks, and the part has not yet been ordered!!!!! Two weeks after my initial call and the part isn't ordered yet???? WHY NOT? Nobody knew why it wasn't ordered by GURU so they immediately blamed Samsung. Now I'm thinking Samsung is stalling until the warranty runs out, which will happen in about two weeks. Why in the world would there have to be so many layers of uncoordinated mayhem to do a simple swap of a power supply? I'm guessing sometime within the next month or two somebody will fix this TV, and I'm guessing it will be about a 15 minute job.

When the TV worked we loved it. The picture quality was great and the sound was pretty good as well. It has nice features that were pretty easy to figure out and setup. However, would I buy another one? Probably not.

The Samsung LN40C630, Definitely worth it!, March 19, 2010
For being my first HDTV, I am more than happy with my purchase. I was debating for months to get the LN40B630, but the price didn't come back down to below $800. Searching Amazon, I saw this year's model for less than last year's model, so I decided it was time to get one. I'm more than impressed by what this TV can do: already I have hooked my PS3 and DVD player up to it. The visuals are absoulutley outstanding -- I feel like I'm actually there. Reading reviews from last year's model, I saw negative comments about sound quality; this year's model, in my opinion, exceeds expectations.

Amazon had this delivered to me in under a week with super saver shipping -- I couldn't ask for better. Out of the box the stand was easy to install: just slip the TV over the guide stand, screw in, and you're good to go. Setup up was easy; the only thing I have an issue with so far is that you can't go directly to a different source/input unless the TV is picking up a signal from the device. Starting up other equipment and then having to select the input again is a bit annoying because you miss the start up unless you leave it on that input. Not sure if I've calibrated it right though, at this point, it seems fine and looks fantastic with some of the default settings. The manual isn't very informative in setting most of the options; still being new to HDTV's, I have to look up guides on how to optimize it for different viewing situations.

I can't say for sure if this TV is better than all the rest or how it matches up, but side to side at electronic stores it had the best picture in mine and my spouse's opinions. The Allshare feature is also a nice addition: I am able to stream files from my network devices on to the TV with only having to run an ethernet cord to the router. In conclusion, I beleive this TV will be more then enough for at least the next 3 years until I consider an upgrade, and I mean a BIGGER upgrade ^.^ Thanks Samsung!

Outstanding TV for its price range, May 5, 2010
Picture Quality -

Pros - The picture on the samsung c630 looks very good right out of the box. Watching Avatar on Blu-Ray is simply amazing. Playing PS3 on this TV looks equally amazing and with no noticeable input lag. I haven't had chance to switch to HD cable programming yet so can't comment on that but standard cable still looks pretty good on this 40 inch tv, a solid 8/10. Watching standard DVDs through an upconverting 1080p DVD player also look very good. You can see some graininess if you're within 3 feet or so of the TV but any further than that and the picture looks crisp and clear 9/10. Blu-Rays just look phenomenal, no other words to describe it really. 10/10. This TV has plenty of video adjustments to tinker with make the picture suit your taste. I actually turned the contrast and backlighting down a hair on my set because it was a bit too good. The TV will also save your picture settings for each input device.
Cons - One of the main reasons I went with the c630 model was for the 120hz capability. I wasn't really sure how much better the picture quality was with the 120hz over the older 60hz models so I decided I'd be better off safe than sorry. I can say now that the 120hz feature on the newer model LCDs seems more of a gimmick than anything. Within the first few hours of watching my new tv I turned off the 120hz and set it back to 60. This can be done by changing the Auto Motion Plus setting in video options(settings are standard, smooth, clear, custom and off). The 120hz feature does indeed give the picture a clearer almost 3D like appearance, however the soap opera effect caused by it unfortunately makes watching movies very distracting. You feel more like you're watching a live stage show than a film. It's good for watching sports and some other live broadcasts and events but bad for pretty much everything else. Another comment i have about this tv is with the viewing angles. While the picture remains clear even at the widest angles, the colors get a little washed out when viewing from the sides...although not to a huge degree. Overall the picture looks great from all angles but you will probably notice a slight difference in color saturation depending where you're viewing from. Color Reproduction overall on this tv is very good. Colors are accurate, whites look white, blacks look black. If I had to pick a weakpoint however it would be with the grayscale. Some grays may appear fuzzy or grainy if you look very closely. This should be unnoticeable however from normal viewing distance.

Features -

Pros - The Media Play and AllShare features are quite nice. you can plug a flash drive right into your tv and play a variety of video files, mp3s, jpgs with easy to navigate menu's. Playing files from your PC works in the same way. You do have to download a file sharing server app from Samsung (it's called PC Share Manager) for it to work but it's fairly straight forward to set up. You just install the app and choose which files/folders you want the samsung TV to be able to browse on your computer.
Cons - I was unaware of this before purchasing the tv since the product description says you can connect wirelessly to your PC but I have since found out wireless network connection is not built in to this tv. To connect this tv wirelessly to the internet or to your pc, you need a seperate wireless LAN adapter from Samsung which costs about $60 on Amazon. So now I either have to purchase another 25 ft of ethernet cable or cough up 60 bucks for the adapter.
Another problem i have with the Media play feature is it can only handle a limited number of files. I have a 16Gb flash drive with over two thousand mp3s on it but the tv will only read the first 999 of them and the rest cannot be played. Also for playing music or video files there is no shuffle feature. You can sort files a number of ways but Samsung left out a random playback ability.

Sound -

Pros - Sound on the Samsung c630 is decent although not spectacular. It's about what I would expect from built in speakers which there is little room for in many of these newer and thinner LCDs. I haven't seen an LCD tv yet that had amazing sound quality right out of the box. There are plenty of Surround Sound presets and an equalizer to fine tune the audio to your liking.
Cons - To get the true movie theater experience with this tv, unfortunately you'll have to hook it up to an external home theater system. Built in speakers are adequate but certainly don't raise the bar for LCDs. I purchased the Phillips DVD home theater HTS3371D.F7 along with the TV and it sounds spectacular for only $160 extra.

Overall -

For the $800 range the Samsung C630 seems to offer the best picture along with the most features and 120hz capabilities compared to other sets in the same price range. The internet capabilities and media player of the C630 are very handy and this set has easy to navigate menus with plenty of audio/visual settings to tweak. The casing of the TV also looks very sleek and stylish. The 120hz in my opinion seems like a limited use feature and may not be worth the cost over a 60hz set if you're not also looking to get the additional features many of the newer LCDs have as well. Although that and most of the other negative comments I had aren't even knocks on this TV set in particular but issues with LCDs in general. The only true complaint I have with the Samsung C630 is that it requires a seperate adapter to connect wirelessly to the internet which is not what the product description would have you believe. Some of the features I might be nitpicking about aren't even offered on other tvs in this price range. Overall, unless you're willing to invest a couple hundred more to make the jump to the new LED backlit LCDs, this is one of the highest quality TVs you'll find for the price.

Other notes -

The C630's Energy Saving features allow it to automatically adjust screen brightness to fit room lighting. Although it's not as energy efficient as the newer LED tv's, the C630 doesn't seem to be generating too much heat.

The box that the Samsung LN40C630 came in was about half the size as the box the for an LG 37" LCD I had bought my parents the year before. Not much packing in the box besides styrofoam holders on the top and bottom end of the tv.

Recieved the TV one day prior to estimated delivery with the free super saver shipping. Was shipped via Pilot Freight and then transferred to another regional freight service which did not show up in tracking information. I only found out by calling Pilot to try and schedule a delivery time.

Great TV, great price!, June 2, 2010
"I'm an everyday user, i.e. NOT a technophile. I did some research before buying, but at the end of the day, I wanted something I could enjoy without spending a fortune, and I'm happy with what we got. Some tips on buying your TV, whether this one or another:
1) 120 Hz refresh rate -- great for future-proofing, but realize that your cable box may not yet transmit in anything faster than 60 Hz. I don't know if this is different for satellite or antenna transmissions. Also, make sure you buy an appropriate HDMI cable that supports 120 Hz...this should be listed on the package. (Although it may not be needed now, it will be when the cable boxes update again.)
2) 1080p -- crystal-clear picture when watching 720p or 1080i programming (nothing on cable is shot in 1080p yet) or 1080p Blu-Ray video. The picture is almost kind of eerie at first, sort of like a soap opera-type appearance, which can be unusual if you're not used to it. I adjusted to it quickly, but it took my wife some time. In the store, ask them to show you something on the airwaves in full HD, or have them run a standard DVD if you think you'll be watching that some via your Blu-Ray player. It is definitely an adjustment.
3) Sound -- always a knock on TVs, though for my purposes, it's fine (it's in our living room, not our media room). I really like the "night" option for the sound; it keeps the sounds from ebbing-and-flowing as dramatically, i.e. from conversation to a car chase, which is nice when you have kids in bed.
4) Computer connectivity -- I have a laptop with HDMI output, so we have connected that the TV and watched something streaming from websites. You can pay extra for "internet connectivity" applications like Netflix, Blockbuster, etc., though since we already had that with our Blu-Ray, we didn't duplicate with the TV. The easy computer connectivity is a nice feature."

Jaw dropping picture!!!!, April 18, 2010
I went to Brandsmart, and I was expecting to buy a Sony BRAVIA EX 400 Series 40-Inch LCD TV, Black. The associate told me though it was a 1080p LCD, it was 60hz LCD. Therefore, it would not show as good as an LCD with 120hz. Then, I was looking at the LG 37LH30 37-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV, Gloss Black. It was very reasonable. However, it was a little out-dated. I was then looking at the Samsung. The associate told me it was the top of the line. Of course, I know Samsung is a great brand, though I bought the LG 37LG30 37-Inch 720p LCD HDTV last year because it was cheaper. When I bought that LCD, I knew it would not show as good, but it has been good enough.

While making a decision, I found that pixels AND the hertz DOES have an affect on how good an LCD resolution can be. The associate told me the difference between a 60hz and a 120hz LCD is an 120hz shows more of a live picture. This means, there is no blurriness on moving objects, and everything moves increasingly fast, as if in real time. I decided to purchase the Samsung. When I hooked this LCD up, I noticed how sharp the moving objects were. It was unbelievable. All I could say was, "wow"! The subjects, and the movements are almost 3-D like. That is the best description, which I can give. While watching some movies, it actually felt as if I was on a live set. I no longer felt as if I was watching actual TV. This is thanks to the 120hz. The picture is one of the most amazing features I have ever seen on a TV, albeit the HD features. Right out of the box, it showed great. I had to make no adjustments. I also noticed how the LCD is user-friendly. Though I am pretty good with gadgets, I don't know what every feature means. At least, every feature has an explanation of what it is at the bottom of the screen. The sound it pretty good, as well. I could not say the same for the LG.

For those, who have a PS3 or Xbox 360, the featured Game Mode takes HD gameplay to a whole new level. The graphics, sharpness, sound and movements are enhanced by the 120hz LCD. I highly recommend playing a 1st person shooter, such as Modern Warfare 2. I was playing a Team Deathmatch, and the sound was superb. While playing, I could clearly hear every footstep, which my team, nearby enemies, and I were making. The gunshots sounded increasingly crisp and authentic. The gameplay experience has a lot more to offer on this LCD than playing on my LG. Also, be sure to switch the Game Mode off, prior to watching regular TV!!! If not, the screen will shake lightly per user manual.

Also, if you buy the LCD, it will seem as if it does not swivel. However, the LCD actually does. Prior to placing the LCD to the base, look at the base bottom. You will see some screws underneath. Take all, but one of the screws out. This keeps the swivel stand in place. You should now be able to spin the swivel stand. Then, put the same screws back into the base. The LCD will then be able to swivel. Overall, the Samsung is great. It is worth the price. I did not feel bad about spending a little over seven "big ones". This is coming from someone, who is frugal, and tight with money. If you are looking for a top-notch LCD TV, look no further than the Samsung LN40C630 40-Inch 1080p 120 Hz LCD HDTV (Black).

Samsung LN40C630 -- Worth the wait!, March 26, 2010
I researched my first purchase of an HDTV extensively over the last 4-6 weeks. After a couple of disappointing experiences related to models and brands other than this one (one TV I ordered never arrived, one came defective and had to be returned), I discovered the Samsung LN40C630, which was recently released by Samsung. It is an amazing TV and it almost made the problems with the other TVs I previously ordered worth the pain. This TV was easy to set up, has nice sound, beautiful picture, and user-friendly menu options. It also looks really nice in my home. I was not a big fan of the red trim (Touch of Color) on some of the other Samsungs, so was pleased to see a model that had nice, less gimmicky esthetic details. I LOVE THIS TV.

Sensational tv, May 19, 2010

Pro
Totally easy set up, just plug it in, attach an HDMI to it and then to your cable box and it's on. Immediately a stunning picture, great clarity and beautiful deep colors. It has a matte screen to cut down on reflection. Very nice remote too with big buttons.

We purchased this tv for the bedroom after buying the Samsung LN52B750 for our living room and loving it. This one does not have all the bells and whistles (widgets and DNLA) that the B750 has but has 2 USB movie inputs which I wanted because I download a lot of movies and tv broadcasts from Europe. I have not yet found a codec that these tvs will not play. We paid $809 with free shipping and no tax thru Amazon. I consider it a great buy.

HOWEVER.......
We had it installed on the wall at a horrendous price - articulating wall mount $92, installing the wall mount to the wall which had to be reinforced because no studs could be found $346, parts to finish off the reinforcement of the wall with moldings, wiremold to cover the wires and a shelf to hold the bd player and cable box, $99, + $100 labor = $637!!!!!!!!! OMG unless you can do it yourself, think twice about wall mounting your tv!!!

If you are installing this tv on the wall, think too about how you will get to the inputs which are mostly located in the back of the tv, ie home theater, audio and components, as well as extra HDMIs. You will need to access these inputs from time to time so make sure you have the room to move the tv out and turn it to reach these inputs. That is why we bought an articulating mount. Still we have to move some furniture out of the way to get at the back of the tv. Hopefully we will not need to do this often.

Con
The shortest power cord in the market I am sure, at most 3 ft. You will need an extension cord.

Alana NYC

Well Worth It, April 4, 2010
First of all, this TV is beautiful, even before turning it on, you can see this is a great design with a clean, contemporary style that compares to what the ipod did for the mp3 player. The stand is also great, with a nice swivel and sleek look. While some may say the aesthetics of a tv don't matter much, it

The picture is impressive with 1080i television and 1080p movies/xbox. I'm sure it can be better, but you will never notice unless you have a (...) tv in the next room. The sound quality isn't bad at all in my opinion, although it isn't very impressive either.

A cool feature is the easy use of an external HDD. All you have to do is connect an external drive into the usb port and you are able to play your favorite movies/media, which surprisingly works with all of my video file-types including avi and mkv(in 1080p). There's no need to connect to a network/pc as long as you have a usb device that can hold enough of your media.


At (...), this was an absolutely great buy! Samsung is a brand you can trust when it comes to TV's, at least as much as you can trust any large corporation.

I would give it the 5 stars, but the few cons that it has make it a "great" tv, not perfect.


Cons:

-no "internet apps" for this model, (as far as I can tell). I was assuming that the apps would be standard, considering how new this model is, but samsung makes no attempt to let the consumer know about it's internet limitations, maybe that's why it's so cheap.

-you need to buy a wireless adapter to get a wireless connection, which is just another way for samsung to get an extra (...) from you. Also, right now I don't really see the point of connecting to the internet, seeing as how there arn't any apps like netflix, pandora, or whatever else.

-remote isn't great, although most people can just use their cable remote anyways
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