The LG BH200 Review Thread

[unreal1080p]

http://www.electronichouse.com/artic...ng_next_month/

New LG Dual High-Def DVD Player Coming Next Month
Delivering 1080p any way you want it, the BH200 Super Blu Player is the company's second dual high-def DVD device.

LG‘s new high-def DVD player may sound like a format you’re familiar with, but the BH200 Super Blu Player is not choosing sides. This device, which also goes by the model name B200, will play nice with both Blu-ray and HD DVD.

“It can play 60 percent more high-def movie titles than single-format players,” says Aaron Dew, LG’s product development manager for consumer electronics brand marketing. We certainly like those odds.

Expect some funky interactivity from selected HD DVDs, as well as “BD-Live.” You can also use options such as “Blu-View” or “Picture-in-Picture” available from many Blu-ray discs. That means more director’s commentary, storyboards and other tidbits.

The company first released a dual-format device seven months ago. New features for the BH200 include HDi support, 1080p output at 60Hz and 1080p upscaling of standard DVDs. Dew also says to expect wider support for audio CDs, as well as HD DVD network connectivity.

The player will support various A/V formats including MPEG-2, VC-1, H.264 video, MPEG1/2 audio, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS and DTS-HD audio. Also expect plenty of inputs/outputs including HDMI 1.3 out and a LAN Ethernet port for network interactivity.

You won’t have to wait too long for this one. The unit will hit shelves in mid-October for $999.

[ESUNintel]

That sounds great. I have the Sony S300, I'm really tempted to move it to the basement and purchase a better Blu-ray player for the theater room. I think I'll wait a bit though, cause HD-DVD is still aggravating consumers. The LG's are great though, cause they do both formats.

[Whytewash]

yeah that is so true! a $G for a player that has a format I dont want... sounds perfect!

[Blackraven]

I do hope that the PS3 would also get the Blu-ray profile updates pretty soon.

For version 1.1, it should be out before Christmas.........but I still hope that they update it to profile 2.0 by next year.

[supersix4]

lol geeze how many .0's and .1 players do we need! lol ... hopefully they stop at 2.0 lol

[dobyblue]

How can it play 60% more titles than standalones?
One way or the other, that doesn't make sense.

[supersix4]

Originally Posted by dobyblue

How can it play 60% more titles than standalones?
One way or the other, that doesn't make sense.

lol your damn right about that ... all these 1.1's and 2.0's and then maybe 3.0s and 3.1s lol damn confusing !

[Deane Johnson]

I can't quite picture a steady stream of people coming out of Best Buy with a $1000 player tucked under their arms.

[reiella]

Originally Posted by supersix14

lol geeze how many .0's and .1 players do we need! lol ... hopefully they stop at 2.0 lol

It should actually.

The 1.0/1.1/2.0 nomenclature isn't the offical nomenclature, it's just the easy to use common nomenclature.

From the Insiders thread, the proper nomenclature is stuff like Grace Period Player [1.0], Full Profile [1.1], and BD-Live [2.0], with BD-Live being a super-set.

[ninjanki]

I'd say it is nice to have at least 2 announced Profile 2.0 players, specially if one of them will be available this fall. I don't mind the HD-DVD compatibility. THe real important news to me is that BD-live is feasible and not necessarily 5-6 months away...

Allan

[whsbuss]

I'd wait for the Samsung 5000 player before I would decide which is better. I see no mention of 1080p/24 or bitstream HD audio on the LG player.

[supersix4]

Originally Posted by reiella

It should actually.

The 1.0/1.1/2.0 nomenclature isn't the offical nomenclature, it's just the easy to use common nomenclature.

From the Insiders thread, the proper nomenclature is stuff like Grace Period Player [1.0], Full Profile [1.1], and BD-Live [2.0], with BD-Live being a super-set.

ahh ok lol well hopefully they will stop at super set

[HDTV1080P]

Finally LG is discontinuing their first generation dual format player that did not support interactive menus for HD-DVD discs. The first generation LG also only supported 1080P/24 and 1080I.1080P/60 was not supported
The new LG BH200 supports both 1080P/24 and 1080P/60 with a list price of $999. IT also is a true combo player that supports fully BLU-RAY and HD-DVD discs.
http://www.tvpredictions.com/lg090507.htm

[Chris Gerhard]

Originally Posted by dobyblue

How can it play 60% more titles than standalones?
One way or the other, that doesn't make sense.

I don't know the number of titles available on HD DVD that aren't available on Blu-ray, but that number sounds about right to me. None of the Universal and none of the Weinstein and none from a couple of other small studios that are available on HD DVD are available on Blu-ray. Add all of that to the couple of dozen from Warner and Paramount combined available on HD DVD that aren't available on Blu-ray and you could end up with 300 titles available on Blu-ray and 180 available on HD DVD that aren't available on Blu-ray. Of course, that only has it make sense if the single format player being compared to is Blu-ray, which of course makes sense since hardly anybody owns an HD DVD player. It also means stand alone is a single format Blu-ray player, not dual format and includes game consoles which aren't really stand alone players.

LG just made a statement to help its cause, it is not clear what the statement really means, but that is advertising hype for you. Maybe somebody will actually buy this player, but I doubt it. I thought it would be scrapped before making it to market based on the first generation sales.

Chris

[JTK]

Originally Posted by Chris Gerhard

I don't know the number of titles available on HD DVD that aren't available on Blu-ray, but that number sounds about right to me. None of the Universal and none of the Weinstein and none from a couple of other small studios that are available on HD DVD are available on Blu-ray. Add all of that to the couple of dozen from Warner and Paramount combined available on HD DVD that aren't available on Blu-ray and you could end up with 300 titles available on Blu-ray and 180 available on HD DVD that aren't available on Blu-ray. Of course, that only has it make sense if the single format player being compared to is Blu-ray, which of course makes sense since hardly anybody owns an HD DVD player. It also means stand alone is a single format Blu-ray player, not dual format and includes game consoles which aren't really stand alone players.

LG just made a statement to help its cause, it is not clear what the statement really means, but that is advertising hype for you. Maybe somebody will actually buy this player, but I doubt it. I thought it would be scrapped before making it to market based on the first generation sales.

Chris

I would have thought the same myself.

I'm somewhat mystified and disappointed that LG would be taking a crack at yet another combo.

Oh well...

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by JTK

I would have thought the same myself.

I'm somewhat mystified and disappointed that LG would be taking a crack at yet another combo.

It's like Warner and their TotalHD....They had pride, and a good idea going in, but things moved too quickly--

At least now, we know one company CAN make 2.0, so it's just a question of when we get that LG all-Blu 2.0 player for half the price.

[HDTV1080P]

Here are more details on the LG BH200 dual format player. According to Twice which is a reliable source the new LG BH200 will play audio CD’s that the original LG BH100 lacked. Also the LG BH200 dual format player hardware is fully PIP (profile 1.1) and BD-LIVE (profile 2.0) compatible. In order to use BD-LIVE a future firmware update is required next year when BD-LIVE discs should start to appear on the market during the first or second quarter. The LG will play PIP BLU-RAY discs this fall at the time of launch. Also the player has deep color support with HDMI 1.3.

Quote
“However, the player will access rich menus and extra features available from many Blu-ray discs and HD DVDs through the supported BD-Java / Final Standard Profile (“Picture in Picture”), and HDi interactivity/network connection.”

Quote
“Similar capability for Blu-ray Disc, called BD Live, is not yet supported.”
http://www.twice.com/article/CA6474894.html

[Blu-Light]

Not sure why anyone would want it.

[HDTV1080P]

Here are more details on the LG BH200 dual format player. According to Twice which is a reliable source the new LG BH200 will play audio CD’s that the original LG BH100 lacked. Also the LG BH200 dual format player hardware is fully PIP (profile 1.1) and BD-LIVE (profile 2.0) compatible. In order to use BD-LIVE a future firmware update is required next year when BD-LIVE discs should start to appear on the market during the first or second quarter. The LG will play PIP BLU-RAY discs this fall at the time of launch. Also the player has deep color support with HDMI 1.3.

Quote
“However, the player will access rich menus and extra features available from many Blu-ray discs and HD DVDs through the supported BD-Java / Final Standard Profile (“Picture in Picture”), and HDi interactivity/network connection.”

Quote
“Similar capability for Blu-ray Disc, called BD Live, is not yet supported.”
http://www.twice.com/article/CA6474894.html

[joeorc]

Originally Posted by Blu-Light

Not sure why anyone would want it.

its because the CE companies are force Absorbing the HD DVD format. with or without the HD DVD promotional groups help. the Absorbtion process has already started.blu-ray is ABSORBING HD DVD