LG BD640 Network Wireless Blu-ray Disc Player

• Internet access lets you stream instant content from Netflix, CinemaNow, Vudu and YouTube direct to your TV ? no computer required
• Wi-Fi Enabled with the LG dongle makes it easy to get your LG Blu-ray player connected to internet Entertainment Access
• Standard DVD Up-Scaling delivers exceptional image quality from standard DVDs with 1080p up scaling via HDMI output, Universal remote control - Infrared technology
• Dolby Digital Plus lets you experience all of the enveloping surround sound that Blu-ray Disc, high-definition (HD) broadcast, and streamed and downloaded media make possible

I was told by a friend that this unit was great but I could not find many reviews at amazon and actually it had only one review and was negative. I went to my local video store and they had the unit for a good price plus a 30 days money back guarantee so I gave it a try. Setup took me less than 10 minutes in total, from the moment I opened the box to the moment I was streaming a Netflix movie.

I have a wireless network created with an Apple Airport Express router. I connected the LG unit to the TV with an HDMI cable (not included). Connected the unit to the AC power and connected the included USB wireless adaptor. When I turned the unit ON, the HOME screen was easy to understand, went to SETUP and clicked on NETWORK. My home network was listed, entered my password and in 30 seconds it was connected. I went to HOME, clicked on the ONLINE icon and then clicked on Netflix icon. The unit connected, gave me a Netflix code that I entered in my account using my computer and in less than 1 minute I was connected and browsing titles.

Picture quality very good. Overall very satisfied. DVD quality as well as Blu-Ray quality is very good and similar to higher end units that retail for 2x more.

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My observations, opinions, and preferences make this a mediocre product at best. Others' observations, opinions, and preferences may make this perfectly suitable for them. That said...

This is my second BD-640. The first one arrived defective. The tray wouldn't open. A phone call to LG Customer Service at 2:00am Pacific got very quick, courteous support, but it was still dead, Jim. So back it went. Amazon cross shipped a new player, next day, no charge. Yippee!

It arrived and the tray door didn't open at first. Cycling the power a couple of times and hitting the remote button a few times got it working. Not an auspicious beginning.

The unit is very cheaply made and looks and feels like it. Its tiny buttons are almost impossible to discern in low light and also feel very cheap. It looks much better in ad copy than up close and personal. I bought it for One-Fourteen, but it's really only a Seventy dollar player. It looks like it it should be named OnkoPhonic, Sonny, or Kracko, rather than a major brand name. At a distance or behind a glass door, looks don't make much difference. Amazon had the cheapest price, though I paid more than Seventy.

It's low profile and shallow depth make it easy to place anywhere. I doesn't come with an HDMI cable, and I find that disappointing.

Set-up was fairly easy, once I got the tray working. It found my AirPort network instantly, and the walkthrough was simple and quick. The only slow part was navigating the onscreen "keyboard" with the up-down-left-right pad on the remote. That's to be expected in a budget player, but may be an issue elsewhere.

The wireless function comes from a USB dongle that plugs into the single USB port on the front. It's large and ungainly, but if any of that is antenna, then that may explain the good connectivity I have (along with my AEBS).

Navigate to the LG's Netflix screen you get to the Netflix site where you're given an activation code to enter in the LG to authorize it. Pretty straight forward. While accessing Netflix is slow, I have no problems with buffering and get good image quality when streaming, equal to a good SD DVD.

The player moves quite slowly. It takes awhile to load a BD. Most players seem to, so it may be average, but it advertises otherwise. The playback quality is very good. I haven't used or viewed any Super Gear, so it could be on par with far more expensive stuff. But the picture is amazing. (Watch the planet earth series on a big screen. My preference is the BBC version).

Back to the USB port, it's used for both the wireless dongle and playback of your music or video files on a USB jump/flash drive. I haven't used the latter feature yet, as I had to set up the wireless connection each time I unplugged the WiFi dongle. I'd have to unplug it every time I wanted to watch video files from a jump drive. This is really inconvenient, so I haven't bothered to try the file playback yet. To advertise these two features but provide only one port seems a little, whatmisleading? That may be a bit too strong. Anyway, it should have two ports or built-in WiFi. (That would raise the price no doubt.)

I've only had it a couple of months, so I can't speak to reliability.

This is a very bare bones player as someone else mentioned. I have both high-end and mid-range audio gear and am not snobbish about it. So overall while form, functionality, and execution of the LG BD-640 disappoint me, the BD and streaming performance do not.

My objective *and* subjective opinion is that model should be priced under One Hundred dollars. If it proves to be reliable, then I'd say even at it's current price of One O Eight, it's a decent value.

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This product works as well as the package directions and reviews indicated. Super easy set up for a novice like me. Nice slim design makes it unobtrusive and the small footprint is appreciated amidst all the other devices (satellite, DVD/VCR, sound bar.)

The wireless LG dongle works flawlessly with great speed connected to our wireless router. Must say, though, that the wireless router is in the same room. Incredibly clear and crisp video through Netflix for movies made in 1969 & the 1970's. Haven't tried a blu-ray DVD yet (need to bring them back from being on loan.)

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I bought this player since it was on sale and would connect wirelessly to stream movies from Netflix. I've been using my new player for about a month, and it works great with my HDMI-connected HD LCD TV. The setup was very easy...it found my wireless router and accepted the router password and connected right away. I've been using it for Netflix streamed movies, have watched a bunch of them, and have never had a glitch or pause in any of them. When you first power it on, it takes about a minute to connect to Netflix and bring up the menu with all of the movies in your queue. I've also played DVDs and Blu-rays without any issues. The remote is easy to use for Netflix or disks.

I only had 2 small issues:

1) I had one aesthetic issue ... it comes with a largish USB style stick that is it's wireless connection. It plugs in and sticks out of the front right of the machine. It's 1" wide and sticks out 3". I was surprised the wireless wasn't integrated in like a PlayStation 3. Since the player sits on a small table, I worried about hitting it as I walked by and made sure to push the player back. The player itself is only 8" deep, so +3" makes it 11", so it wasn't a problem pushing it back.

2) I'm not sure if some players have more memory, but on some of the blu-ray's I've rented or bought, the Internet interactive features (like BD live) give a message that there is not enough memory to download the software. Since I don't care about online interactive features, it doesn't matter to me, but you should research this if this is important to you.

EDITED TO ADD: After reading the manual, it appears that in order to use the BD Live function, you need to attach a USB memory stick to download the content. And in order to do this wirelessly, since the player has only 1 USB slot, you buy and insert a USB hub into the one slot, and then insert the memory card AND the wireless card into the hub. I have not tried this.

I have read a few reviews saying this player is only good for Blu-Ray movies; NOT TRUE. It connects to effortlessly to my network. Watched 7 movies straight streaming perfectly.

Updated 10/29/12: To Whom It May Concern, this player isn't great at all. It's a decent budget Blu-Ray but it will fail. I've owned this for almost 1 1/2 years and the Blu-Ray drive just failed. I tried unplugging it but it won't play Blu-Ray's or DVD's. Over the course of the year it has frozen up at least once a week while playing movies. It streams ok so that's why im keeping it. If You still plan on buying it BEWARE: when i contacted customer service they basically said it would cost $69 for shipping, plus parts and labor. AVOID THIS LG PRODUCT. NOTICE HOW I HAD TO UPDATE TO TRY AND WARN OTHERS.