Other Source Component Reviews

Although it’s slightly slower than the BD390, the BD590 is very fast. Load times with Java-intensive Blu-ray titles were right in line with my OPPO BDP-83, which is fast. Unfortunately, I ran into some playback issues. When I tested the layer change on the DVD of Star Wars: Episode II—Attack of the Clones, the player refused to advance to chapter 28. Whenever I tried, the disc drive made laboring sounds and placed me in chapter 29. I tried to access each preceding chapter with similar results and ultimately made it into chapter 24. But at the 0:57:52 mark—about 3 minutes before the layer change—the disc froze. I tested additional DVDs and couldn’t re-create the problem, but the Episode II disc layer change does work in my other players.

I also started to have some perplexing issues with Blu-ray Discs, particularly Pixar titles. When the player was set to 24p output, discs like Up, Toy Story, and Toy Story 2 jumped forward at various times that were repeatable. As a workaround, I set the video output to 60p. This wasn’t ideal, but not the end of the world. Fortunately, an LG firmware update (BD 8.31.211.C) fixed this playback problem. Still, the player was on the market for well over a month before LG issued the fix, and the Internet forums were abuzz with complaints. While I commend LG for fixing the issues, too much time elapsed, and it’s left a stain on the company’s customer service. The last thing consumers want is to be unpaid beta testers for manufacturers.

Another minor quibble is that the disc mechanism is quite loud, especially when the player boots up and when it first loads a disc. Initially, I thought this was the hard drive spinning up. However, after a few on/off cycles, I realized it was the optical drive that was making such a ruckus. The latest firmware didn’t affect this issue.

After the firmware update, I watched a wide variety of discs, and the Star Wars DVD was the only disc that continued to malfunction. The picture and sound were great—as they should be. Whether it was Perseus struggling to save Princess Andromeda from the clutches of the Kraken in the 1981 Clash of the Titans or whistle-blower Mark Whitacre playing 0014—because he’s twice as smart at 007—in The Informant!, the audio/video quality nearly matched that of my reference OPPO BDP-83 player. Only the OPPO’s slightly superior DVD upconversion set it apart.

Streaming services are a compelling addon to any consumer electronics device, and I’ve grown used to Netflix being as common as a power cord. The Netflix stream’s video quality from the LG is on par with my TiVo Series 3 DVR, although it does take about 5 seconds longer to start a title.

One new feature the LG offers (as does the PlayStation 3) is the ability to add films to your Netflix queue without having to venture onto your computer. The tabbed interface has several options, including New Arrivals, Comedies, TV, etc., that you can either add to your Instant Queue or immediately stream. While there’s no search function, each tab offers more than 100 titles. With all of those choices, there’s bound to be something worth watching.

I’ve heard nothing but good things about VUDU, so it was one of the features I couldn’t wait to try. First up was an HDX stream of The Fellowship of the Ring with 1080p video—although the audio for this movie was limited to Dolby Digital Plus 2.0. Surprisingly, the video feed was quite good—not as good as a Blu-ray, mind you, but it was pretty darn impressive. With static images on a normal-sized display, most viewers would be hard-pressed to distinguish between the two. However, this wasn’t the case in scenes with plenty of action, which showed some instances of macroblocking. The stereo audio pales in comparison to the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track on the recently released Blu-ray, but I got to watch Fellowship in HD nearly eight weeks before the Blu-ray was available.

I got similar results with Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. The Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 track didn’t live up to the disc’s lossless mix, and the climactic battle at Hogwarts left me wanting. It was the same with Best Picture winner The Hurt Locker. When the team of Sergeant James, Sergeant Sanborn, and Specialist Eldridge detonate roadside bombs in the desert, the explosions weren’t as full-bodied and realistic as they sound with lossless audio. Granted, this was an on-the-fly A/B, and if I hadn’t performed this direct comparison, I may not have been as disappointed.

Quibbles aside, I can see why people would choose to use the VUDU service. It’s convenient, it offers a plethora of choices, and for a lot of genres—specifically comedies and dramas—the vanilla audio doesn’t matter. I know a lot of people who don’t use Netflix because they only watch one or two movies a month and can’t justify paying a subscription. VUDU may be a compelling choice for the casual viewer who wants near Blu-ray video quality.

Conclusion
Initially, I was very disappointed by the various playback issues I experienced with the LG BD590. I was set to not recommend the player, but thankfully LG came through with a firmware update that fixed the bugs. I get to use a lot of different Blu-ray players. While I preferred the speedy menu navigation in last year’s BD390, the VUDU HDX streaming is mighty impressive. It makes the glacial menu system almost tolerable. My only reservation is that the BD590 isn’t 3D compatible, which may or may not be a big deal in the near future. If you’re perfectly happy with 2D, then the BD590 is worth a close look for its solid Blu-ray performance and array of streaming services.