To purchase a "display" LG BH200 or not?

That's a nutty price for a display unit. I wouldn't take it for more than $100.

Depends on the manager...some are hard asses.

i picked one up for 150 and thought that was a good deal. After the $75 rebate you get a pretty darn good player for 75 bucks. Then again I got a remote two. Mine was just displayed in a AV box and not hooked up.

Yeah, I picked up one that I assume was a display model for $159. It was open box, but not connected to anything at the time, and I talked them down from $179. The sticker said it had been at $238 within the last 30 days or something.

I just got my second "demo" BH200 from Best Buy in NJ. The price on the sticker was $269.00. I asked to talk to the mgr. of the dept. He said he'd go down to 199.00, but couldn't sell it due to it being Black Friday (they apparently don't sell open box stuff then). I went back the next day and offered $100.00 and he accepted. It didn't have the remote, had a few scratches . . . but works great. I have a remote from a prior $100.00 BH200 demo purchase so I didn't really need it.

If you can get the unit for $100.00, you'll get a killer deal on the extended warranty due to the low purchase price.

I'd recommend going only as high as $125.00, but paying more isn't worth the risk of getting a potentially well worn machine.

Good luck with your negotiations!

Ian

I'm glad some people have had good experiences but I wouldn't buy a demo unit from BB at any price. You don't know how many hours it's been on and what kind of abuse it's received. Even the people who work there are not exactly trained experts in using the equipment.

Hi-def players are finicky enough when they're purchased new. How can you trust something that's been sitting on a BB shelf?

There is a universal remote from BB that sells for about $20 that will handle all functions of the BH200 (Universal Corp UR6, I think) and it has learning. I bought an opened BH200 from BB last summer and talked them into throwing it in. I later got an original remote from E* last summer but I still like the universal and programmed it to handle my Tivo, TV and the BH200.

You might try that.

I highly recommend the Logitech Harmony remotes, most specifically the 550. I've had one for a couple months now, and love it. It took the place of five remotes in my media room--it controls a Panasonic TV, a Denon AVR, a Samsung UP5K, an xbox 360 AND the lights in that room. It is more 'activity' driven than component driven, meaning you select a button next to 'play xbox' and it gets everything turned on and set to the right line/channel/whatever. And the best part? You press one off button and they all go off.

Definitely gotta second you on that one. I love those remotes. Program them with your computer essentially using nothing but the model numbers of the systems. Plus the "activity" driven menu means those who perhaps are not as into home theater as you can easily use them (kids, wife/gf/bf, parents, etc). Definitely the best remote I've ever had.

BTW I have a display BH200. Like Most display items, assuming it wasn't abused they are probably fine at a good discount. They often come with factory new warranties as well. I'm guessin gthe BH200 wasn't the display item of choice. Chances are most of these players were taken out of the box, placed on the shelf and rarely, if ever used.

Found a display unit at cc today. When I asked about it the sales guy harassed me for even asking about it and the manager wanted $300 for it and when I tried to negotiate he turned around and started doing something else. It's no wonder why cc isn't doing well... I hope they all go under!

Sometimes it is better to have some money than NO money. You could always try again there with a different manager. I've had better luck lately negotiating at BB for the BH200's I've been picking up.

I tried to pick up another one from BB ,but they're not going below $175.00 without remote. I have a remote ,so that's not a big deal. At the end of the day I'll pay $100.00 after rebate.

yeah, I won't. When I first asked about the unit the sales guy came at me with an attitude and asked why I wanted 'such a crappy player' and when I explained that I have HD DVD's immediately went into me about how stupid I was for buying HD... When HD is clearly the better format, damn closed door deals and money being exchanged...

So I went down the street to the small mid-fi HT shop that gives me good deals and they gave me the new Sharp unit for $200 without the required TV purchase for the deal.

I think $219.99 is a bit much for a demo unit with out a remote. If it had a remote, I'd consider it for $150 tops but without, I'd only pay around $100. Coupled with a potential $75 rebate, that's a good deal for a player that handles both formats. Personally, I've never been scared about demo units especially since you get the same warranty as a new unit. Funny thing is when I bought my 2 BD-UP5Ks, one of them was brand new and the other was a demo. Ended up that the brand new one crapped out on me within 1.5 months from playing 7 discs. My "demo" unit has been strong now for over 125 movies. I've noticed some demo units are on the standby screensaver a lot so although the player is on, it's not always playing a movie which may reduce the wear on it.

No way I'd pay that without a remote. Try taking a copy of the remote quote from remotecentral.com with you and tell them that is what you'd have to spend to get a remote and see what they say. I heard someone got them to give them a harmony and the BH200 for $200 so I am sure they can find a way to do it.

The unit is useless without a remote for setting it up.

I picked up a universal remote for the bh200 but the numerical pad doesn't work with the player so I cannot punch in the codes to make the player Region B for the blu-rays. I ordered an original remote and I am hoping that I can do the codes with the original remote. If not, I may have to return the unit. The whole point of getting one was to be able to play any region blu-ray. Has anyone experienced this with a "universal remote" not able to use the numerical pad?
Merc

You might want to get a harmony 880 , I have one and it works great with all of the commands.

Hmm...maybe I will. Where are they sold? Do I have to get one on-line?
Merc

Even a Harmony 550 (which I have and love) will probably do for you. It isn't as flashy as the 880, but I think most of the functionality is the same. (Plus it is quite a bit cheaper.) You can buy one online, or at your local Best Buy. Last time I was there, they had them for around 60 bucks.

I was going to say the 550 would do but was not sure. You can pick them up on ebay for a song.

Just bought an open box at a local Circuit City that is shutting now, $95 + tax with no remote. Registered it with LG and will call in later to get my $75. Receipt stipulates it carries the same warranty as a new item. This is my third unit and I really didn't need it but now I feel more comfortable in selling off my last sealed box unit and keeping two.

Same here. Just picked up the last one at a particular store; a pristine-looking display model. Wish I paid $95....will be sure to get that LG rebate. Anyway, it came with remote, (wrong)power cord, manual and warranty stuff. Initially, I got a scare when I couldn't get a picture from the player, or a response from its remote.

Turns out the batteries were dead, and once I connected it with a composite cable, I was able to change the video output to component instead, as I don't yet have a TV with HDMI. Next, I will try some blu movies and hook it up to a friend's HDMI-enabled TV, in order to ensure it's fully functioning.

Liking it so far.

You were very fortunate. One of the CCs in my area that's closing has had the 200 for $347.xx pretty much since the liquidation began and they will not budge. This, is in spite of the fact that this store will be closing Tuesday, 12/23 and the sign says 60-70% off everything......with limited exceptions. I wonder how much these units will be on Mon or Tues when it's supposed to be 80-90% off???

In addition, the 3 units they have left have a sticker saying they were either display or returned units and from what I can see, none have anything other than the player itself.

I think the problem here, is that the 200 is a discontinued item and the lame liquidators are basing the discount on a very old MSRP. I will try back again on the last day and if any 200s are still around, I'll see if I can score one on the cheap.

Mike T

Yeah, aside from some little "quirks" here and there, the 200 is a very nice player with some great features. I also like the sharp look of the 200 as well. If/when we get a new fw update from LG, (hopefully addressing some of those "quirks") this player will be even more of a value.

I have 3 players, the Sony 350, Panasonic 35, and the LG200. I like them all but the 200 was my first BD player and I've got a "soft spot" for it.

Mike T

Way too many cheap red titles to pass this baby up, but I wanted blu capability also. I know everyone swears by the PS3, but I swore-off Sony long ago. However, things might've been different if I were a 'gamer'.

Just picked up my second BH200 on display at BB. It's no a brainer considering they are about $100 after the rebate.