LG's Wi-Fi enabled BD390 Network Blu-ray Disc Player

At CES earlier this year LG signaled its intention to release some Blu-ray stablemates to join its first entry into the Blu-ray player market, the BD300. Having already delivered the BD370 earlier this year, LG continues to expand its Blu-ray offerings with the BD390 Network Blu-ray Disc Player. The new player includes all the bells and whistles of the BD370 and adds wireless connectivity and 1GB of built-in storage to the mix.

Like the BD370, the BD390 features expanded online content in the form of LG’s ”NetCast Entertainment Access”, which not only provides access the NetFlix HD streaming capability first found in the BD300, but adds access to YouTube and Pay-Per-View HD movies through an alliance with CinemaNow. LG says this provides users with access to more than 14,000 titles from the major movie studios, broadcast and cable television shows, more than 250 independent film titles and music videos from all major labels – not to mention the millions of videos available from YouTube. The inclusion of a USB 2.0 port also ensures that viewing content stored on a USB drive won’t be a problem.

Access to all that content makes you wonder whether you’ll ever need to put an actual Blu-ray disc in the machine. But if you do, you’ll find all the models are BD Live capable and include BonusView technology for picture-in-picture access to special features. This allows users to simultaneously watch movie scenes and added bonus features on compatible discs. Standard DVDs can be upscaled to 1080p via HDMI, while Blu-ray discs can be enjoyed at 24 or 60 fps using Cinema mode. Audio credentials include Dolby True HD/Digital Plus and DTS-HD decoding capabilities with surround sound support for up to 7.1 channels.

The major difference between the BD370 and BD390 is the addition of integrated Wi-Fi for wireless connection to your home network to take advantage of all that online content, and the inclusion of 1GB of built-in memory so BD-Live content can be accessed without the need for a flash drive.

LG’s BD390 is available now at the recommended price of USD$450. It joins the BD370, which is available for USD$350.

Darren Quick