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More…LG Electronics made a splash earlier this year with the first set-top high-def video player that could play both Blu-ray and HD DVD movies; however, critical missing features kept that model from being a home run. The new $999 Super Blu BH200 rights its predecessor's wrongs by fully implementing the HD DVD spec, so you can properly view the fancy menus and extra content to be found on an HD DVD disc. It also adds support for audio CD playback and for upscaling standard-definition DVDs to 1080p.
LG Electronics LG BH200 Blu-ray/HD-DVD Player
Pros
Can play back both Blu-ray and HD DVD discs
Cons
More expensive than buying two players
Bottom Line
The BH200 offers two formats in one player, but its price is too high.
LG Super Blu BH200 Dual-Format HD Player
LG BH200 Blu-ray/HD-DVD Player Review, by Melissa J. Perenson January 28, 2008
The more I used the BH200, the more I liked its design. It's sleek and stylish, with a black finish and soft-touch buttons on the front (moved from their former, confounding placement on top). A clean, easy-to-follow on-screen interface makes using the player a breeze.
The player's specs are solid. It fully supports the Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD specifications, and the recently implemented Blu-ray Bonus View picture-in-picture functionality. This allows you to watch the talking head of a director superimposed over the movie, for example. It can also handle decoding Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio in-unit, or pass those audio signals to an audio receiver in bit-stream format. We have not yet formally lab-tested the player's image quality; check our Web site for the results and a full PCW Rating when that information becomes available.
My one noteworthy complaint: The player is pokey with some discs--at startup, when identifying whether you've inserted a Blu-ray or an HD DVD disc, when changing chapters, or when navigating disc menus. Some discs have more pauses during navigation than others--and some have no issues at all. Load times for Blu-ray and HD DVD versions of the same movie appeared comparable on the handful of titles I timed: for example, 2001: A Space Odyssey required 44 seconds to be identified as a Blu-ray Disc, and another 19 seconds to get to the FBI warning; the HD DVD version required the same amount of time to be identified as an HD DVD, and another 21 seconds to reach the FBI warning.
Blu-ray Discs that were heavy with BD-Java (such as Cars and Ratatouille) seemed to suffer slight pauses more often than less complicated Blu-ray titles. And all HD DVDs I loaded had a sluggish response when accessing their advanced menus. This problem might be due to the player's HD DVD implementation: Although the BH200 does qualify for the HD DVD logo by fully supporting that spec, it does so by using its own, LG-written software for handling the advanced menus. By contrast, the Toshiba HD DVD players are using HDi, Microsoft's implementation of HD DVD's advanced menus.
Although the BH200 certainly breaks down the barriers between Blu-ray and HD DVD, LG is charging a high premium for the convenience of having both formats in one box. Personally, I think the premium is just too high, especially considering that you can buy a Blu-ray Disc player and an HD DVD player together for significantly less.
--Melissa J. Perenson
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User Reviews
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User Reviews From Around the Web
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Reviewed by: artman1
Strengths: Plays HD-DVDs and Blu-rays, outputs Dolby True HD and DTS(with firmware update), looks great, has come way down in price.
Weaknesses: Will no longer be available by the end of the year.
Overall: What to do, what to do. Get rid of my HD-DVDs, knowing that my HD-DVD player will go south some day, or buy myself a backup that will also allow me to watch Blu-rays(the format on which many of my favorite movies have been released)? If the BH200 was still 800.00, I would have bailed on HD-DVD for sure. But for less than 500.00 at Circuit City(with an 8% off coupon from AAA), I decided to stay in the game. When you can get HD-DVD's for less than $10, why not?Anyway, the BH200 is a very nice-looking piece of equipment. The buttons on the front panel are circular and are surrounded by blue lights that light up in sequence when you power it on or off. When you press the buttons, a pleasant chime is heard. Asthetically, this one of the nicer pieces of equipment I've ever owned.Functionally, I haven't tested it extensively, but it's had no problem recognizing any of the HD-DVD's or Blu-ray's I've fed it so far. With a firmware update(that can be downloaded from LG, and which you can install via a USB thumb drive, or CD), it can output Dolby True HD and DTS to a receiver that can decode it(I bought the Onkyo TX-SR606). The setup allows for a nice variety of configuration options, including a few types of video noise reduction.Unfortunately, LG will no longer be producing any hybrid HD players after this year, so, while this has resulted in the price of this player coming way down, it has also resulted in these units disappearing from a lot of stores. So if you're inclined to get one, and can get a good deal, you might want to grab one while you can. In any event, I would definitely recommend the LG BH200.
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Reviewed by: rbeby
Strengths: Plays both versions in one box.
Weaknesses: Slow to load, they all are. Probably normal.
Overall: Makes it easy to connect with HDMI. Could update the firmware by the Ethernet connection & USB plug. I couldn't find a remote code to set up with other systems. I still think this is one of the best combo players.
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Reviewed by: NikonJava
Strengths: Bonus View (BD Profile 1.1) DTS-HD 7.1Ch output via pass throughDolby Digital Plus 7.1Ch output via pass throughDolby TrueHD 7.1Ch decode & PCM output via HDMIFirmware update via Network
Weaknesses: None so far
Overall: With the latest firmware and driver update, this is the best dual player you can own. I have Toshiba HD-DVD player and own a lot of HD-DVDs. After Toshiba's pull-out from HD-DVD, I started looking for a good Blu-Ray player that will be relatively easy on my pocket. I compared BH200, Samsung's BD-UP5000 and PS3, and ended up selecting LG's BH200 for it's strengths mentioned earlier. Also this player can be hacked to be region free and to support PAL. You can find more information on this site : http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1009104
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Reviewed by: bballcards
Strengths: Plays HD-DVDs and Blu-Rays. Built-in ethernet port. Quick load time.
Weaknesses: High price. You are paying a premium for an all-in-one unit, but for some it may be worth it. A lousy 90 day parts and labor warranty (1 year parts warranty).
Overall: For those who own HD-DVDs and Blu-Rays and want to have an all-in-one unit, this is the best option that will likely ever be available. This has pretty fast load times, loading the Superbad Blu-Ray in less than a minute (the Sony BDP-S300 takes about 3 minutes, by comparison). This unit had known bugs upon initial release (green line on standard DVDs, audio and video dropouts, inability to pass-through High Definition audio). All of these issues have been addressed with the March and April firmwares, although some still experience random audio and video dropouts. This unit also upconverts standard DVDs. Recent unlocks have also been circulating that will allow this unit to play PAL DVDs as well as any region standard DVD. It is rumored that a future firmware will allow this player to have Blu-Ray 2.0 compliance, but that remains to be seen. The upsides are substantial.The downsides are the price and the lousy warranty. The short warranty period makes you wonder how well this player is made...
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Reviewed by: sniteman
Strengths: Ease of operation, menu not complicated to use and it can be used with your PC.
Weaknesses: None as of yet that I have noticed.
Overall: LG with the BH200 has created a versatile DVD player. This player plays BLU RAY Disc & HD DVD Disc's.It has DVD 1080p Up-conversion which means it plays regular DVD's with higher definition. UNbelievable! The ease of use is great. So far I am glad I bought it. The price thanks to Price Grabber's comparing of prices was super! Almost half of the list price.
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