LG BD550 Blu-Ray/DVD Player Full HD 1080p - DivX - USB

I think reviews should consist of what the description doesn't tell you as well as your opinion. This device plays MKV (H264), MP4, DivX, DivX HD, WMV HD, in fact I haven't came across any media it doesn't play no matter the size and audio encoding. It plays media from USB pen drives as well as my 1TB USB powered external drive (formatted to FAT32). Subtitles are supported by first selecting the sub flle then playing the movie or it will play embedded (hard coded) subs. Multiple audio tracks are no problem on downloaded files, just use the pop up menu to select the track. Updates are done through your network or downloaded to a CDR. There are a few options on screen modes like user, movie, vivid etc. You can select to stretch the screen to elimiate black bars. Outputs are HDMI Composite audio and Optical. I use the audio out for my cinema system even though I'm using HDMI for viewing, I just turn the TV sound down. I need to upgrade to a cinema system with optical or HDMI input. I've had no problems with any DVDR discs so far and for multiple content its easy. If you select 'Movie' it will only display movies on the disc and the same for pictures and audio. Network setup is automatic but there's a manual option for nerds :) Playback is amazing, the quality of Blu Ray is pin sharp whether its original or a digital download. Even 720p files look great as well as upscaled DVD movies. The remote will control LG TV's input, volume, mute, power and channel selection. The Simplink function will switch LG TV's to the Blu Ray channel when a disc is inserted. The player is quiet in operation and boots up relatively quickly, about 7 sec. If left alone with nothing playing it goes into screensaver mode. If you stop a movie but don't turn the machine off it will remember where you were. Sometimes it doesnt read my external drive if its already plugged in when powering up but pulling out the cable and re-inserting it fixes this. There's been no issues with movies freezing or crashing from any external device but I'd reccommend a good brand just to be on the safe side. Mines is Verbatim and my USB stick is Sandisk.

I'm very happy with my purchase and it's well worth more than the current price considering the features and compatability of various medis types. You can't go wrong buying this.

For the price this is an excellent Blu Ray player that has plenty of features. The 1080p picture quality is just as good as any I have seen. The ability to connect it to the internet to access bonus content and download updates for the player itself is great. But the feature I found the most useful is the ability to play video files straight from a USB memory stick eliminating the need to burn DVD's. If you dont already have a Blu Ray player and are looking to buy one then you could do far worse than this.

I had this machine had no problem with it till it was 8months old and wouldn't recognize any discs. This is a known issue with LG ( as the customer service operative told me). Overall an good machine for the money.Very slim design excellent picture and sound reproduction.The machine its self is quiet on playback no annoying hums or disc spin.I was sorry to see it go back to seller.