
I have been searching for a device (blue ray player or digital media receiver) that offered a wide range of movie watching options. My wish list has been Netflix, Vudu, Amazon Streaming, Cinemanow, along with other features like Hulu, DLNA support, 1080P and apps to support future services. It is very hard to find a device that will do all of this. However, I thought my prayers were answered in the form of the LG ST600. Well, now that I got it, I'm happy but a little disappointed.
Pros:
Streams Netflix, Vudu, Cinemanow, Youtube and a bunch of minor music and other video services
Supports both 2.4 and 5 Ghz wireless LANs. Not a common feature. Also has an Ethernet connection if you don't have wireless
Easy to setup
Does have an app store (see cons)
Netflix interface is a lot better than what I have seen on other LG devices, though still not as sweet as the XBOX's
The Vudu app for pay per view is great
1080P
Cons
Despite what was stated in the early press releases, it does NOT have support for Amazon VOD and Hulu.
The app store has like a dozen apps listed for download and they are all crap.
The remote is basic and a little clunky
There is no iPHONE or Android app for allowing your phone to work as a remote. Manual says there is one but you are out of luck.
I think LG will eventually get Amazon VOD and Hulu, as well as some better apps. I'm also sure the iPHONE app will get released in the future as well. Right now it looks like they released this product a little too soon. I'll still recommend it because it is still offers more (my opinion) than the Apple TV or other devices it is competing against.
I'll upgrade my rating once LG provides an update that provides everything promised in the original press releases.
5/1/2011 UPDATE
I am sad to have to do this, but I'm changing my rating from 3 stars to 1. I only had the ST600 for a day and a half when a software update showed up. I allowed the unit to download and install, which was a serious mistake. It looked fine when it booted back up but it was severely crippled. If you try to go to Netflix it would shutdown the ST600. The web browser just went to a black screen of death. Trying to go to the Premium apps (Vudu, Cinema Now) would just go right back to the main menu.
Called LG tech support. There is no way to downgrade the ST600 back to the previous software version. Basically they could not help solve the problem. They asked me to send it back to them for a week or two while they troubleshot the problem. Yes, they wanted to troubleshoot the issue with my unit. I felt like I was participating in a beta program. I waited a week for them to email me the shipping information (shipping labels to print) but it never came. I called three times over that period and they keep saying the shipping information would be emailed soon. It never did.
I really was excited about the ST600 but I had to eventually give up on it and return the unit. The LG ST600 is too buggy and does not have all of the features it promised in the press releases.

*****YES YES YES, the LG ST600 includes Hulu Plus AND Amazon Videos. You need to setup the unit and immediately do the firmware update. After the update and a rather long install process (several minutes), you will need to turn the unit on again. There are three vertical menu boxes. Go to the one labeled "Premium", go to the "+" and click it. A new menu (more familiar to us LG TV and BD owners) will load. You've got Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon, Vudu, Cinema Now, MLB, MOG (wow!), Napster, Pandora, NHL, Youtube, and about six others. Everything works...
*****YES YES YES, the LG ST600 does DLNA streaming. It picks up ALL the servers in my house, including the all important Twonky server (which the Sony streaming box refused to detect). Full 1080P streaming is supported. Some caveats include its inability to read some audio codecs. If you stick to AC3, you should be good...
And finally, the web browser is slow and the lack of a keyboard makes it...... a challenge to use. Although, I do think the mouse button in the center of the remote was somewhat innovative, if a bit clunky. But to add insult to injury, the Flash plugin for the browser is outdated and content like Crackle.com will simply fail. This is the only negative I have found.
Overall, the box has a similar app interface (NOT UI) to Roku. Hulu Plus, Netflix and Amazon all pretty much look the same as on Roku. Pandora has a multi-user login, which is cool. The box is also a bit more responsive than Roku. If you're comparing streaming boxes and you want apps as well as DLNA, LG comes in right at the top. Boxee doesn't have Hulu or Amazon, Roku doesn't stream (without hacking), Sony won't stream in HD, Popcorn Hour doesn't do Netflix Hulu or Amazon, and I haven't tried Google TV or WDTV.
That's my story and I'm stickin to it!
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I have been reading the negative reviews on this unit, and I really want to comment myself. I have owned the ST600 for about three weeks and have been extremely satisfied with its performance and features. Contrary to some of the reviews, the only important video service not available yet is Hulu Plus, which is coming soon according to LG. I have been using services from Amazon, Netflix, and Youtube with no glitches or problems. I also enjoy Napster and MOG as well for music. One feature I really like is the ability to stream audio and video from other devices on my network. I can play mp3, mv4, avi, mkv files, and photos from my computer. It won't play protected files. Another very cool feature uses the USB port. I can play files from a portable hard drive or a thumb drive.
My unit has had two updates since I purchased it and both increased features and functions. True, it does have some useless "apps", but they were free so I don't let them bother me. I don't really use the web function that often. It's too time consuming to type with the remote and no flash for video. I guess I could purchase the "Magic Motion Remote" to make it easier but that feature is not important to me. LG has an app for iPhone control, it's called the "LG Remote." I believe they have one for Android as well.
With 1080p and Dolby Digital output, the overall video and sound quality are pretty good too.
Read Best Reviews of LG ST600 Smart TV Upgrader with Digital Streaming and Internet Services Here
As others have stated, I too feel this device was released a little too soon. I bought it mainly for MLB.TV and Hulu Plus. So needless to say I was disappointed when Hulu Plus was not in fact available for the ST600. After speaking with a couple of customer service agents at LG, I was given a date of "June '11" for a rollout of Hulu Plus. There is also no support for Amazon VOD yet (unsure of a rollout date for that). The Mlb.tv app seemed to work fine, but I couldn't figure out if there was a way to select Home or Away video feeds, which is one of the main reasons I spent more and upgraded to the Mlb.tv premium subscription.
I ended up returning it for a Roku XD, which was $50 less, and I'm very pleased as it has much more content and does everything I was looking for in a media streaming device.
When Hulu Plus, Amazon, and Plex are added (and maybe the price is reduced some) I think this could be a very good device, but for now Roku is the way to go.
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I bought this mainly for Hulu-Plus, Netflix and the web browser. The only use I was able to get out of it was the Netflix, it does a fine job at it, other than that it is a waste of money.
Much to my surprise Hulu is not available, though most of the places I researched stated that Hulu was available. As for the browser, it is a very basic browser, it does not support Flash 10 or Java, I contacted tech support to inquire about an update and they had no idea if or when they will include these browser features in in the future, therefore if you are thinking of using it to stream videos from sites not included in the ST600, it won't happen.
Also, there are not that many apps./channels on the app. store, they have a handfull of games and a few less than desirable channels.
I realize this is a new product but for the money they should have waited a bit longer until more channels and features where refined before releasing it to the public. I returned mine and ended up buying the Roku XD, it costs 40% less and have tons of channels plus you can add private channels, it is missing the browser but anyways the ST600 browser is practically useless.
In conclusion, they rushed it out the door too soon....
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