- Easy access to thousands of movies, customizable apps and videos as well as browsing the web right at the click of a remote.
- Wirelessly send the audio from your TV to your smartphone so you can hear the TV without disturbing those around you.
- Perfect for playing all your 3D or 2D Blu-Ray and DVD movies.
- Integrated Wi-Fi connectivity allows you take advantage of Internet access from any available Wi-Fi connection in its range.
- Selecting features is as easy as the wave of your hand with the Magic Remote Control.
The 4K upscaling may be nice for video quality enthusiasts who have very large TVs, but most ordinary consumers won't see enough difference to warrant the added cost. The slot load design seems more like the opposite of a perk: even though there's a light to indicate where the disc goes in, lining it up is a pain, and the player takes longer to "grab" the disc than it should. It's sleek and all, but not practical.
I feel the same way about the "Magic Remote," which is magic in that it includes pointer functionality. Whether that really deserves the label "magic" in the year 2013 I don't know. The voice-control introduced on more recent models of the remote might be more deserving of the term, but despite a confusing product description, that feature is NOT included in the remote that accompanies this Blu-ray player; all you get is the pointer, which works adequately but may cause trouble for people whose fine motor control isn't great. Switching back and forth between the pointer and button-based controls can eat up time, and the arrow buttons on the remote feel a bit cheap and click-y; I imagine their function might become inconsistent over time. It's not a bad remote, but unless you prefer pointing and clicking through menus to having a full array of buttons, it's not going to wow you either. I gather it also works with LG TVs, so if you own one that's something to consider. Buyers who share my frustration with having only one button each for fast-forward and skip-to-next-chapter (and, by the same token, only one for rewind and skip-to-last-chapter) take heed: this is one of those remotes. You have to hold the buttons down to fast-forward or rewind.
Then there's the web browser. It loads reasonably quickly, but navigating the web through a pointer is inherently tricky, and even with the scroll bar included on the remote this just isn't a useful feature. Video and audio don't seem to work, which further hinders things. I suppose if you're watching a movie and want to check your email without turning on your laptop, opening your phone, or activating one of the other half-dozen Internet-friendly devices you have, the browser might come in handy, but like most of the other features it's hardly something that deserves to be treated as a worthy exclusive for a high-end model.
So this isn't a player that's likely to be worth the extra cost. But what if, for you, it is? Say you want 4K upscaling, which as of this writing is as cheap on this model as on any competitor's. How well does the machine work? Setup is easy enough, though irritatingly the quick start guide has no text, only images, which can be followed but aren't quite idiot-proof. There's no print manual, only an included CD-ROM that also features the software used to stream content from personal computers. (You can also get the PDF manual and software online.) I downloaded and installed the latest firmware with no trouble. As a player of BDs and DVDs the BP730 seems solid. Load times are ten seconds or less (sometimes almost immediate), as compared to twenty seconds or so on my older LG BD630. The time-elapsed display on the front of the machine has large white numerals and is very easy to read from a distance, a big improvement on the cramped yellow numerals from the 630. On my woefully-inadequate 26-inch TV the video and audio quality seem fine, with maybe a slight uptick from the 4K upscaling. The various internal menus are easy to navigate. It's with the online streaming video that you get problems.
As noted in other reviews, there's no Amazon Instant Video app yet, which is disappointing given the increasing prominence of Amazon's streaming service. The other biggies, Hulu Plus, Netflix, and YouTube, are present, but performance is a mixed bag. Netflix works fine, but YouTube needs to buffer an awful lot, and flashes up a very visible white "Loading" message every time it does; once the service cut out on me entirely. Hulu Plus is all over the place. Once it loaded almost immediately and played a range of videos with no trouble. Once it loaded, but playback was so jittery I had to shut it off after less than a minute. Every other time, it's hung up on the player's loading screen, and eventually the player popped up a message that the service wasn't working. At this point it's fair to say that unless my machine is somehow defective, Hulu Plus is broken on the BP730. I've used all these services on other devices in the same time-period, so there's no obvious connection problem on my end. Of the other video and social networking apps, the only one I've tried is Twitter, which works very well, but tweeting, like web browsing, just isn't much fun on a Blu-ray player. I did try streaming stuff from my computer's hard drive to the player, which didn't work well, but since my computer is old and erratic I can't be sure that's a problem with the player rather than the laptop. I should probably mention that during one of those attempts the player froze entirely, and had to forced off by holding down the remote's stop button for a few seconds.
Given the lack of impressive high-end features and the (at present) limited, poorly-functioning streaming service offerings, it's hard to recommend this player unless you're a fan of LG who wants 4K upscaling capability. As I continue to use the player, I'll update this review to note performance changes, new features, new issues, etc. If you have questions about any aspect of the player, feel free to ask, though without a 3D TV or a smartphone I can't comment on features that require those things.
Buy LG BP730 3D 4K Upscaling Smart Blu-ray Player with Built-in Wi-Fi Now
I was hoping this blu-ray player would be a good replacement for a Sony player I was using for the last year... However, after calling Amazon, this device is not supported yet... I was told that they don't know when it will be supported since it would involve support from LG. THis is a deal breaker for me because I do not use Netflix or other video streaming.The big thing with this device is the "smart remote" where you can point and click your way through the menus. I found it clunky and difficult to use... Not a huge improvement over using a keypad.
It does have browser capability... I was able to log into yahoo mail to retrieve my registration link that I needed to register with LG.
I didn't like the LG Registration process... Particularly their wanting my credit card info so they could charge a dollar and then credit it back before I even had tried to request any paid content...
In short, this is a big disappointment.... Without being able to access my amazon video content, it is virtually worthless to me. I suspect that in a few months LG and amazon will get it together... In the meantime, I guess I will be going back to the Sony that I really don't like eithe.
[NCJVR]
Read Best Reviews of LG BP730 3D 4K Upscaling Smart Blu-ray Player with Built-in Wi-Fi Here
I really hoped this would be the one for me. Seems like the only BD player with wireless remote and I wanted an LG model to match my 3D television. I need to utilize the Simplink system sharing remote control between devices. I found myself often restarting the player, my amplifier or worse yet popping the batteries out and in just to to operate the BD player. I didn't upgrade the software since the other reviewer mentioned it caused him difficulties. I found the menus and apps to be pretty basic. At least it has Amazon, Hulu, Netflix and 3D upscaling. Wireless and wired connections worked fine for me. I've had this player 3 weeks but its just not up to my expectations and I'm returning it. It seems worth half its price.Want LG BP730 3D 4K Upscaling Smart Blu-ray Player with Built-in Wi-Fi Discount?
Not sure why such bad reviews. I bought this unit at Best Buy for the same price as the Pioneer "Elite" BDP-62FD that normally retails for 400 bucks. The Pioneer was on sale at Magnolia for 1/2 price ($200) and now I know why. In a word, pathetic.The Pioneer was a great CD Audio player, that is if I could get it to turn on without having to unplug the main power source to reset it frequently.
I returned the Pioneer unit and bought this LG BP730 for the same price at Best Buy (Not Magnolia area), about $211 and some change.
After initially hooking it up to power, HDMI and Network (cable) and uploading the latest firmware, the thing has been working like a charm. I like the front loading mechanism and the touch sensitive buttons on the front that are hidden when the power is off (also a touch button). It comes with a "magic" remote, basically a mouse type controller. It works great with my 55" LG Smart TV and bonus, I haven't had to reset the power on it yet. Just make sure if you do the firmware update that you let the until site for a long while until it turns itself off. I've read that some folks turned the power off in the middle of an upgrade a bricked their unit. This is because they probably didn't RTFM. It is a 200 dollar LG that beats a 400 dollar Pioneer for reliability right out of the box. The interfact is light years ahead of the Pioneer old-school folder structure that didn't even display correctly and it was way slower than the LG when streaming. The LG is also thinner.
Anyway, if you have to choose between these two, this guy is honest and shows you first hand the lameness of what should be a premium item. http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&ved=0CDQQtwIwAQ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DTUO_lGAEmjw&ei=U0WlUbLIOZOE9gTM9YDgCw&usg=AFQjCNG3WL460bdHYIU5uNw32g_D9MVMqg&bvm=bv.47008514,d.eWU
I am happy with my LG BP730 so far, love the Android AV3 app that facilitates the "Private audio" mode. You can use your phone or tablet (better have a fast processor for no skipping/delays) to listen to the disc with the volume off. Great at night if you want to listen loud but don't want to wake the neighbors. It was much more impressive that the Pioneer unit I bought from "Magnolia" which is supposed to sell premium home theater gear. The Pioneer was giving all kinds of erros on my files and the error message were in broken English. I know that LG is foreign, but it looks like they pay better attention to their system's written words for language.
My only complaint is that it doesn't have the Media Link to work with my Plex NAS, but no biggie for me, as My LG TV has that. No I am not an LG rep., I just happened to have bought an LG TV and after my search for a 3D blu-ray player, also went with an LG, it works. I'd give 5 stars if they include Media Link so I don't have to switch back to my TV to play music. Also, for those folks that don't know, the Amazon app is in the latest firmware in the "Premium" section. Internet "Audeo" app is cool too. Enjoy!
One last tidbit, the LG has 4K upscaling and a great 3D picture and built in Wifi. The "Elite" Pioneer needs a wifi adapter and doesn't have 4K.
Without extending this too much further, know that I first purchased the latest Sony 3D blu-ray player they sell at Costco (BDP-BX510) before either of these two units, and it wouldn't even power on! Took it back the very next day. LG BP730 was the 3rd time charm for me.
No comments:
Post a Comment