46 of 46 people found the following review helpful:
Great Value, Great Product
I was looking to buy a surround sound system for my HDTV I purchased last year. First I was looking for an audio/video receiver (Yamaha, Onkyo, etc), but when I looked at adding speakers I kept choking on the price. I wasn't excited about buying a home theatre in a box, but I decided to check them out. I ran across this system and it had everything I was looking for,...
17 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
Should be called the Annoying Toggle Button HT with a Little White Line
The sound quality is a little better than Panasonic SC-BT300 1250W 7.1 Channel Blu-ray Disc Home Theater Sound System and I prefer the look of this system. Unfortunately, whenever I play blue-ray disks, it puts a white line in the upper left hand corner from 6 to 7 inches in and 1 1/2 inches down. You don't get the white line with SD discs or Netflix downloads. So I...
This review is from: LG LHB977 1000-Watt Blu-ray Disc Home Theater In a Box (Electronics)
I was looking to buy a surround sound system for my HDTV I purchased last year. First I was looking for an audio/video receiver (Yamaha, Onkyo, etc), but when I looked at adding speakers I kept choking on the price. I wasn't excited about buying a home theatre in a box, but I decided to check them out. I ran across this system and it had everything I was looking for, plus more.
First, the system worked right out of the box and setup was straightforward.
5.1 Surround- I'm not an audiophile, but far as I'm concerned the sound is great. It definitely enhances the viewing experience.
Blu-Ray Player-I wasn't planning on getting a Blu-ray player (I figured I would wait for the prices to drop), but the price was right for this system. The picture looks great on my 1080P Samsung TV. I have a minor complaint that it doesn't remember where you stopped while watching a movie. For example, if you switch to the main menu to access the player settings it will start at the beginning of the disc when you go back.
Netflix-This is the feature that convinced me to purchase the system. Setup was flawless and picture quality is good. The available movies for streaming are somewhat limited (generally older and less popular movies), but we've watched many more movies on Netflix than Blu-Ray. You select what movies to add to your "instant" queue on a computer and then they are available for selection in the Netflix menu.
Pandora Internet Radio-I didn't know anything about Pandora until I bought the system, but now I love it. You setup an account on a computer and then select the type of music you like. On the LHB 977 you can then play the "radio stations" you've setup on your computer.
Youtube-When I purchased the system it did not have Youtube, however I recently received a firmware upgrade with Youtube and CinemaNow. As you would expect from Youtube the picture quality is not great and videos can be choppy.
CinemaNow- Firmware upgrade brought this feature in. I haven't used it since I have Netflix.
USB Input-You can put MP3s on a USB drive and play them on the LHB977. The LHB 977 music player is very basic. Since it doesn't read MP3 file tags it cannot organize the music by artist, album, genre, etc. I'm hoping LG will upgrade this feature with a firmware download because I would use this feature more often. You can also look at photos via the USB drive, but I haven't tried this feature.
IPOD docking station- I don't own an IPOD so I can't comment.
Inputs-There is more than enough inputs for me. I have my HD cable box connected via HDMI (leaving one still available) and my VCR with RCA plugs. My only complaint is selecting the inputs. You have to cycle through each input one at a time. It would be nice to select the inputs by using the TV menu.
FM/AM Radio-I hooked the antennas up since they were in the box, but I didn't buy the system for standard radio. Honestly the reception is pretty poor right behind my TV stand and I'm not willing to put the antennas somewhere to get good reception.
REMOTE- I don't really use it. I realized quickly that I needed a Universal remote to control all my components.
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This review is from: LG LHB977 1000-Watt Blu-ray Disc Home Theater In a Box (Electronics)
I searched at brick and motor stores and on-line and bought this LG unit for several reasons.
1. I have several LG products and like the quality and features
2. My new HDMI 1080 TV is LG- I was hoping that the remotes would be cross compatible (they are to an extent)
3. I want as few devices to deal with so having Blu-ray and an HDMI amp and switcher all in one is great.
The setup is easy and comes with almost everything you need. I replaced a sony DVD amp combo and the rear speaker cables with the LG are a little short. However unlike some systems with proprietary speaker connections this is just bare wire so replacing it with speaker wire is no problem. The quality of the picture and sound are great. The internet features are easy to use and setup and are allot of fun-We have been catching up on all the TV shows we don't get that are series offered on netflix.
Some minor drawbacks
1. It does not default to the last input used. (If you have a disc in it always assumes you want to watch the disc. Maybe there will be a software update for that.
2. The remote does not allow for programing of devices. It allows you to turn the TV on and off but not mute the sound on the TV ?
3. Some people don't like the blue glow around the volume knob-the night mode allows you to turn this off however.
4. ipod works great with audio and shows your playlists and songs but no video. This may be an Apple thing. You need to plug an AV cable into the TV and select a different input. Kinda clunky.
These are minor in my opinion and do not decrease my enjoyment of this product. I highly recommend this unit. Oh and it was delivered a day earlier than promised.
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This review is from: LG LHB977 1000-Watt Blu-ray Disc Home Theater In a Box (Electronics)
So I'll get right to it. Amazon has always done right be me in the past, and this review isn't so much about Amazon.com as it is about LG. Nevertheless, I'm still a little thrown off by the experience I'm presently having. The setup was easy. It didn't take me any more than 30 minutes to set everything up and get things going, seeming I've had a LG system in the past. The inputs in the back are exactly what I need, so nothing wrong there. The only problem I'm currently having with the system is the subwoofer has little to no power to it. I'm very experienced with Audio systems, so I disconnected and reconnected the subwoofer's wires and rechecked the system's volume and the volume of each speaker connection. At 6db for my surround sound speakers, you can hear everything in that register. On my previous LG system, the subwoofer at 6db was able to vibrate all the wall fixtures...and the volume was set no greater than 12. However, with this system, I could barely hear anything coming from the subwoofer during the speaker setup test. To make sure I wasn't crazy, I played 'Lord of the Rings' and 'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen' at some of the loudest points of each film. Any audiophile will tell you those films boast some of the most dynamic sound designs and demands. I had to turn the volume up to level 15-20 just to feel something. Keep in mind, on my previous LG system, that volume level would have gotten me evicted. I played around with it for a quite some time, trying to make sure I didn't forget anything. Unfortunately, I had to return it today--just 48 hours after opening the box.
I'll save all of you some heartache, right now. If you EVER speak to LG, please keep in mind that their customer service ABSOLUTELY sucks! Their products are great, but the representatives are mindless idiots, reading scripts from a computer screen half a world away from here! There's no empathy or connection with the representatives because it's just a job for them. How is this different from most companies right now? IT ISN'T! But, when a customer is speaking about the technical aspects of a system and you don't understand what the hell that customer is saying, just say so without treating the customer like he/she is frakkin idiot!
But, I thank GOD for Amazon's return policy. I UPS-ed the system back to Amazon and I'm waiting on my replacement. I'm praying that the next system is fully operational without any defects. When it gets here, I WILL have a better review for the system. Stay tuned...
11/4/09; It's a few days after I returned the malfunctioning LG system to Amazon.com, and they've issued a replacement for it. Looking at the inconvenience this little problem has caused, a good guy at Amazon to whom I give great BIG UPS named Jeramy W. helped me out by overnighting the package. I can say even more about a Jennifer working for Amazon who said she'll be handling all followups after the system is delivered to make sure everything is continuously in working order. The system will be here tomorrow. Again, I have to compliment Amazon on their customer service. These guys have made sure that my situation is resolved in a very timely manner--a compliment I'm unable to extend to LG's customer service department.
When everything is connected tomorrow, I'll post an updated score. Cool?...
11/6/09; So everything turned out exactly as I thought it would. The system, for lack of a better word, is perfect. The subwoofer is wonderful, and I never thought I would ever hear a more perfectly balanced HTiB system than my last one, but I stand corrected.
To TecmoSuperBowl, get the system...trust me!
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This review is from: LG LHB977 1000-Watt Blu-ray Disc Home Theater In a Box (Electronics)
A week before Thanksgiving I started researching inexpensive but highly rated surround sound systems. I remembered from past searches that high priced systems offered the advantage of many receiver inputs to allow the connection of multiple HDMI, component and other devices. I didn't have my hopes up to find an inexpensive system that allowed me to connect all devices (more detail below) without buying additional splitters or switches. Well, I guess LG can prove you somewhat wrong. It does not have that many inputs but will suffice for the most of us since the Blu-ray/DVD player is part of the receiver and does not need another input. I read reviews about various systems and found that this LG system was across the board rated highly. I was expecting to pay somewhat upwards of $500 but to my surprise Amazon was selling the unit for a little over $400 on Black Friday.
Shipping experience side note:
On Friday, I ordered it with the Saturday delivery option but to my surprise, Amazon.com botched the delivery. I received a 6 AM e-mail on Saturday stating the unit would not be delivered and I would receive a status update on the next business day. I went through the same issue last year around Christmas and remembered that past orders can get stuck in Christmas-shopping limbo land and I immediately placed a second order. To make a long story short, in the end both units arrived and I just send one of the back without a problem. I actually never expected the first unit to ever arrive (as the status never updated until Monday night).
After I received the unit, I had a few scary hours when starting to read about my TV having to be HDCP-compliant. I vaguely remembered reading about this years ago when looking at Blu-ray players the last time. My HDTV is from 2005 and does not mention HDCP (copy-protection standard) as a feature anywhere. Turned out it had the option anyway but for those of you still using older HDTVs, check if your HDMI TV input is HDCP compliant.
Unpacking and setting up the unit is simple. I can all be done in 30 to 60 minutes. Since we do not have carpet but hardwood floors, I ran the rear wire speakers together with my FIOS cable on top of the base board. The wires are not the right length but work for the time being (see below). I was fortunate enough to have had 2 HDMI cables for the previous set up which you will need if you have HDMI components and an HDMI input on your TV. What took me the longest was to setup a wireless device to connect to the LG system as my LAN inputs are too far removed from the home theater (more below). The sound is excellent keeping in mind that our living room is not that large. I was just a little surprised about the now worse sound quality we get when watching some TV show as they only take advantage of the center speaker. My built-in TV speakers gave a much better experience for that scenario. I am sure there is a way to configure it so that one can temporarily disable the theater speakers if necessary and use the TV-stereo sound.
Here is what I connected so far and what I still have to figure out.
- FIOS TV receiver via HDMI In
- Toshiba HD-DVD system via HDMI In (I did not want to throw away all my HD-DVDs)
- HDTV via HDMI Out
- FM Antenna via FM connector
- Wii directly to TV and TV sound via component connection (I just left it as I had it before but now do not have the surround sound. There must be something that can be done)
- Old VCR directly to TV and TV souns via analog connection
- iPhone via built in iPhone connection on LG receiver (works like a charm for audio but still have to figure out how to get Video to work. Instructions were unclear to me)
- Internet connectivity via a Wireless bridge that gave me 4 new LAN ports from my in-home wireless network by using the D-Link DAP1522 Xtreme 4-Port GigaBit Selectable Dual Band Draft 802.11n N Duo Wireless Bridge/Access Point
Here is what I had or wanted to buy to make this all work (assuming I had no pre-existing cables but all analog or component cables as they came with the other devices anyway). I did buy the wireless bridge from Amazon and the other items from Monoprice.
- 3 HDMI to HDMI cables (about $12/cable)
- Speakerwire and banana connectors (100 feet for $15 and $3 per connector)
- Wireless bridge ($80)
- 2 rear speaker stands ($14 for pair)
It took the longest to set up the wireless bridge as their product instructions are just not covering all set up situations. This has obviously no bearing on the LG product but I want to point out that if you are considering a wireless bridge be prepared to search online for additional blog-style write-ups before installing such products.
Overall, I do not regret the purchase and recommend the system highly. Would definitely recommend it to family and friends or buy again if needed.
Additional information:
I received the rear speaker stands and the banana connectors and will have to ship them both back. The rear speakers have a curved back which is not at all compatible with the stand. I would have to turn them upside down which looks really off. The banana connectors are also to big to fit into the various speakers. Maybe one only uses those on the back of the receiver. What do I know as a novice home theater users. This will reduce the cost for the add-ons by appriximately [...]
Still have not figured out how to hook up the Wii to the receiver properly.
Update 12/20/09:
I finally figured out how to get the Wii and old VCR properly connected. Both of these devices are plugged in directly into the TV either via component (Wii) or regular connection (VCR). I then run an optical sound cable from my TV to the LG unit and turn off the sound coming from the TV built-in speakers. The only thing to remember when using the Wii or VCR is that I have to chnage the TV signal input from LG to Wii or VCR while changing the LG input to optical. This works great and took just a little to get used to. I am unsure if all newer HDTVs have that many input options but mine did come with quite a few options. Still enjoying this LG system tremendously. Using the Pandora constantly to feed Christmas songs right into the living room. I even started to enjoy the Netflix feeds which I never got into when viewing Netflix streams on my PC.
Update 01/04/10:
Still enjoying the sound of it but at times have to tone it down. You can hear the sounds 2 levels up in our attic rooms. One night while watching a fighting scene in Watchmen (what a waste of 3 hours) my wife upstairs thought someone broke into our house and was fighting with me. Lord of the Rings was just awesome in 5.1 mode. The iPod on-screen menu has its glitches if you scroll through very long lists of songs (it keeps jumping to the one currently playing after scrolling down some pages). I have gotten used to remote and am not that bother by it. I am mostly using the LG remote except for Channel selection on the FIOS DVR. A little annoying to have to click through FM, AM, etc. until you finally get to HDMI 1 (FIOS) but this system was $400 which is nothing if you start looking into decent receivers with decent inputs. Still highly recommending the unit.
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This review is from: LG LHB977 1000-Watt Blu-ray Disc Home Theater In a Box (Electronics)
A smaller compact system that was incredibly easy to set up and is pretty darn loud. I like the Pandora and Netflix features as well. It also looks like they are going to continue to add more options to this as time goes on. LG makes a good product. I am not sure what the customer service is like as I have not had any problems with any of their products so far. No optical cable or HDMI cables were included which was kind of a bummer so if you want one of these make sure you have an extra 100 or so for the cables.
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This review is from: LG LHB977 1000-Watt Blu-ray Disc Home Theater In a Box (Electronics)
The LG LHB977 is a great product. The applications, specifically Netflix integration has been a huge boon--I never realized how much I'd use that feature. Same goes for Pandora. At first I was disappointed by it not supporting wireless rear speakers, but now that it's all set up I realize fishing speaker wires under the carpet is not much more difficult than finding power for the rear receiver! I'm very pleased with the system; the craftsmanship on the speakers is top notch too--they are heavy and do not look cheap.
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This review is from: LG LHB977 1000-Watt Blu-ray Disc Home Theater In a Box (Electronics)
I spent hours and hours researching this stuff before I ultimately decided to go with the LG LHB977. I read many very helpful reviews, here on Amazon and elsewhere, so I thought I should 'pay it forward' by sharing my impressions.
User reviews made it vastly easier to make an informed decision. Armed with a budget of $400-600, and several open browser tabs, I quickly narrowed my search down to just a few very well-regarded, top-selling systems. The Sony BRAVIA DAV-HDX589W, in particular, got my attention not only because of its brand name and high customer ratings, but its wireless rear speakers and competitive price made it a strong contender throughout my search. The more I read about Sony's S-Air wireless offering, however, the less compelling it sounded. For starters, it's not truly wireless. Add to that the fact that several owners reported difficulty getting it to work properly, and it no longer sounded like much of a benefit. But the fact that it was $175 less than the LG (likely due to its lack of a Blu-ray player) and its stellar reviews make it worthy of consideration. I already have a PS3, and hence my Blu-ray needs are met, so an extra $175 to spend on movies and popcorn sounded good.
When comparing its reviews against those of the LG, however, I couldn't help but notice that many Bravia owners reported that it had great sound "for the price." I didn't get the sense that many people were thrilled with the system, but that they were pleased given its low cost. Many LG owners, on the other hand, reported being thrilled with their system's performance irrespective of price. I'm a firm believer in the adage "buy nice or buy twice," so that carried a lot of weight. But what really proved to be a Bravia deal-breaker for me was its lack of multiple HDMI inputs. What were they thinking?? Like many, I have a digital cable box with HDMI output. And, like many, I would be connecting a Blu-ray player (PS3) via HDMI. Does Sony expect me to crawl behind my TV and swap cables every time I want to switch between them? I quickly decided that, whatever system I got, a MINIMUM of two HDMI inputs was an absolute must. Frankly, I'm surprised that all these systems don't have 3 -- standard. I mean, my 3 year old PC has six USB 2.0 ports. I don't have to unplug my keyboard to plug in my iPod...
But enough about why I didn't get the Bravia. Now that I have the LG, I am happy to report that the reviews I read here and elsewhere were spot on. Setup, while initially a bit daunting (as it is with any 5.1 setup), was very straightforward. The speaker wires and connections were color-coded and well-marked. The rear wires were long enough for my setup which pleasantly surprised me. I just dove right in and was finished in about a half hour, with no frustration, no cursing, no calls to tech support (which is good, because I've heard that LG's tech support is less than stellar). The one mistake I made was to change a setting in the setup page that I shouldn't have (I turned HDMI SOUND to ON. It sounded logical, but it somehow turned off the rear speakers). The sound and picture is indeed fantastic. Incredibly crisp, and the bass is superb. As I write this, a band is playing on cable TV, and the bass line is just shockingly...real. Last night, watching The Dark Knight, there were several moments where I was concerned that the neighbors might call the police. <G>
While some kind of auto-calibration feature might have been nice, the sound level of each component is easily adjustable. Want to crank up the rears while watching The Omen? (And who doesn't?) It takes two seconds. I'm sure that this will make audiophiles cringe, but who cares? I love the fact that the system let's me listen to movies/music however I want, even if it's not how Scorsese/Stravinsky intended.
The Internet connection worked flawlessly and immediately. I just ran a Cat5e cable from my router, went into settings and had it auto-detect my settings, and BAM. In 30 seconds I'm signed into my Pandora account and listening to a band that sounds like it's in my living room. I gotta say, that really made me giddy like a schoolgirl. I set up Netflix very easily as well. I started a free trial on my PC, entered a code that the LG told me to, and Netflix basically said, pick out a movie and go watch it right now on your LG. While I haven't explored the Netflix offering very extensively, I have to say that while I think the concept is great, I was pretty disappointed in the titles available for immediate viewing. The selection doesn't appear any better than what I already have on HBO-on-demand. Not only that, but the movie I tested (Cocaine Cowboys) looked horrible. Others have reported that it works well, however, so perhaps I just picked a bad example of what it can do. I also checked out YouTube, and though I'm not much of a YouTuber, I must say that I was very impressed with how well it worked.
My only minor complaint, which others have voiced as well, is that selecting inputs is clumsy. Your two HDMI inputs are inexplicably located last in the series (who's listening to A.M. radio on their networked 5.1 Blu-ray system??), and it doesn't help matters that I find the remote to be cheap and unresponsive. It would seem that a Logitech Harmony remote is more of a necessity than I thought. Ooh, I wonder if anyone out there will make an iPhone app for this setup. A WiFi universal remote that interfaces with your Pandora/Netflix/YouTube account? Now THAT would make me squeal like a schoolgirl. If any developers are reading this, I would quite happily pay $30 for something like that, and I really doubt I'm alone.
Another quirk (that might just be user-error), is that when I switch from a Blu-ray disc to the Home menu and back again, it starts the movie over(?). It states in the manual that it should remember your location in the movie even if you remove the disc, but that seems to be conditional upon not doing anything else, which is pretty stupid if that's the case.
Almost forgot. The iPod dock is a GREAT bonus to an otherwise excellent system. I plugged my 80GB video iPod in, pressed the iPod button on the remote, and the menu immediately popped up on my 50" screen. That was another giddy moment of several.
So that's my review. All in all...a very enthusiastic thumbs up on this easy-to-recommend system. Good night and good luck.
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This review is from: LG LHB977 1000-Watt Blu-ray Disc Home Theater In a Box (Electronics)
The LG 977 Home Theater in a Box is a fantastic combination of Blu-Ray player, 5.1 Surround Sound System, Netflix Streaming Media Player, Pandora, YouTube, AM-FM radio, as well other nice options like Roxio CinemaNow. First, the Blu-Ray player is fast loading and works perfectly. Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, the streaming Netflix player is fantastic. This is a great improvement, as I have struggled for the past year with a less than stellar Samsung player. Previously I had a Samsung BD-P2550, which had several issues with both dvd playback and Netflix streaming. The Samsung was prone to freeze and skip, and would often begin playing DVD audio while displaying the main system menu. I kept thinking Samsung would update the firmware and resolve these issue, but none fix ever came.
Happily there are no issues with this LG system. Setup is a breeze, the sound quality is stunning and the software is solid. In short this is a fantastic system and well worth the money. You will not be disappointed.
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This review is from: LG LHB977 1000-Watt Blu-ray Disc Home Theater In a Box (Electronics)
The sound quality is a little better than Panasonic SC-BT300 1250W 7.1 Channel Blu-ray Disc Home Theater Sound System and I prefer the look of this system. Unfortunately, whenever I play blue-ray disks, it puts a white line in the upper left hand corner from 6 to 7 inches in and 1 1/2 inches down. You don't get the white line with SD discs or Netflix downloads. So I called LG and they said it is a known problem and the unit needs to be sent for repair. I am within my 30-day period so I am going to return to Amazon but am trying to decide if I want a refund or replacement. I wish the white line wasn't there.
update dec 31:
after spending more than a month with this system, I am definitely returning it for refund!
it is really tiresome rotating through the input. I can't believe someone would want to hook up AM and FM antennas and want those as options! The way the LG remote is designed it is really close to impossible to replace it with the Harmony One remote as you have screen after screen of all the options to read through making it much more cumbersome than the LG remote so the fewest remotes you can possibly have with this HTIB is 2 - one universal remote such as Harmony one for all plus the LG and you will spend most of your time hitting tuner to get the input to the correct one. It gets really old fast. The other reviewers saying maybe it will be fixed by a firmware upgrade are dreaming. How would they fix that with firmware only? It would require totally remaking the remote and moving away from having so many toggle buttons! All the toggling makes it impossible to replace the remote with a universal remote so you will always have at least two remotes or have screen after screen of special buttons on your universal remote and be hitting toggle button up to 6 consecutive times every time you switch from dvd to tv to iPod to Netflix, etc! They are not going to recall all the remotes and replace them! When/if they fix this problem, it will be with a whole new model number and not replacing all the remotes already out there! duh!
another reviewer said on Sony BDVE500W 5.1-Channel High-Definition Blu-ray Disc Player/DVD Disc Home theater System (Black) the seller - Home Theater Store - sent me a request to rate it highly, and they would put me on their preferred customer list. Pinch me, am I dreaming? They even suggested positive catch-phrases to use.
So it makes me wonder about how objective and honest the reviews are on amazon. It has already been proven that when an author gets their books on amazon they ask their friends to write glowing reviews. It is usually helpful when checking out a review to see if the reviewer has reviewed ANYTHING except that one item.
NetFlix downstream is really hit and miss. Sometimes it is great and other times it is jerky. It is better to watch it on this HTIB and my Samsung LN52B630 than on my computer but the quality is never as good as SD disks or SD cable. I think people are excited about the idea of Netflix and having numerous options to watch movies which should make prices more competitive, but it isn't there yet. BTW, I am running it through AT&T Fiberoptics so the limitations are coming from elsewhere - NetFlix I think. I have started over two dozen NetFlix movies and most I didn't complete either because they were uninteresting or the picture quality made it unpleasant to watch. The best quality download I have gotten on NetFlix was Phoebe in Wonderland and it said it was HD and that it was streaming at HD, but looking at it on my HDTV, I didn't think the picture quality was as good as standard cable. I did enjoy the movie but think I would have enjoyed it more on disk. While I subscribe to NetFlix, downsteaming is no extra charge but I think I would rather subscribe to more videos mailed to me rather than download for free; I bought an expensive HDTV and seems silly to not enjoy it. I don't think I want to pay extra money for NetFlix, Pandora, YouTube, AM or FM to be a part of my HTIB especially when I pay for it with my time in having to toggle through all of these options all the time. I want a system I can enjoy and works for me rather than puts me to work.
Structurally, it is a very pretty system - almost a work of art. I haven't seen a set of speakers I think are prettier than this one.
I just spent the last couple of shows flipping back and forth between the sound coming out of my HDTV and my HTIB and I could tell no difference! However, with Blu-Ray, the 5.1 surround sound is fun! Whether this system adds to your listening experience depends alot upon the source and how high quality the sound engineering is on it. I would say on about 25% of the blu-ray disks I have watched, I have enjoyed the surround sound feature of this 5.1 system. On the other 75%, I would not say that this system improved the quality over my LN52B630 HDTV. With my fiber optic HD tv, I would say about 10% of the time you could tell the surround sound feature built into the tv show. As far as sound quality, each of the different choices on the LHB977 such as bypass, movie, news, etc where all as good as and not better than my HDTV. When I include my HDTV speakers only as a choice with the other toggle feature sound effects, each one is different but I don't see what I am getting for my money beyond the built-in sound system of my Samsung LN52B630 which isn't considered to be sufficient sound quality for most people. So 100% of the time I have to waste time toggling to receive benefit of better sound quality only a small minority of the time.
It isn't just hitting the input button six times when you know it has to be pushed 6 times. You have to push and pause, push and pause, push and pause, push and pause, and push and pause, and push! If you press the button quicker than it likes then it slows down longer than what the sum of the pauses of wait time would have been if you go at its speed.
I think at $500 ($400 on Black Friday), I am going to pass but there are some redeeming qualities that might make this the HTIB for you! I think several of the reviews were made the same day as they set up the system so the reviewer is more congratulating himself/herself on that they bought it during Black Friday and saved $100 as the price has returned to $500 off of $600 MSRP, but I don't want this system for $400. I don't want it for $300! I don't want it for $250! I think each person should decide how good of a deal it is for them by how well it meets their needs and not based on how much of a discount you get from what the manufacturer says price should be.
I agree with the other reviewers that set-up out of the box is 5 stars and most of my time was spent hiding wires and then tweaking. I think while most people considering purchasing this HTIB want easy installation, they are more interested in what it is like to use it day in and day out day after day for hopefully at least a year or two. My opinion is 3 stars overall!
UPDATE 1/11/10 - I have the system all boxed up ready for UPS to pick it up and return to Amazon for a refund. My livingroom looks a lot better without this system in it and we are enjoying the Samsung LN52B630 more without the LHB977!
I forgot to mention earlier that this dvd player has been crippled by LG from playing anything other than DVDs mass produced by the big boys. It will not play mom-and-pop dvds or ones I cut myself on my computer. Specifically, it would not play Chakra Mudras: Yoga for Your Hands and Merkabah: Voyage of a Starseed DVD. Also, upconversion standard now is full 1080p whereas this one is only NEAR 1080p. Also DivX is not supported on this player which is where the standard is going I think because customers will demand it over the proprietary competition.
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This review is from: LG LHB977 1000-Watt Blu-ray Disc Home Theater In a Box (Electronics)
All the customer reviews I read of this product were right on target. It was very easy to install with all speakers color coded. Having HDMI inputs is fantastic because we run our cable box through the player. The only downside is I wish it had more audio inputs. It does have optical audio in as well as in AV input (which we hooked the Wii through) so not bad but if you ever wanted to run something else through the speakers there aren't any other inputs. But I am very happy with the all in one product. The Netflix streaming is fantastic (Netflix is not partnered with all companies - so if this is an important feature to you make sure you check if they participate - I think Samsung and Insiginia also have Netflix streaming). For an all-in-box system this is definitely a great price for a solid product.
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