LG BH200 Owner Review - Page 8

I am going to bring one of these home tomorrow to test out. What should I look for?

I will be trying the 24fps with my Sony Black Pearl and I have the Integra 9.8 so I will be trying all the latest HD/BR audio formats.

HyPyke,

Does the player have a Toslink output? How about an RCA Coax output?

What type of audio output can the player send through either the Toslink or Coax output? Standard DD 5.1?

I am not that concerned about the newer audio formats, as I don't plan on upgrading my surround processor.

What would be the visual difference between 1080p24 (which the player does not output) and 1080p60 on a Pioneer Kuro?

Thanks!

I'm going to be returning my bh200 tomorrow.

Watching Spider-Man 3, had drop out 2 minutes in.

Down the road I'm sure these issues will get fixed, but for now the unit feels to premature.

Its a shame, the video quality is really quite nice. Its so sharp that I can tell the difference quite easily between MPEG-2, MPEG-4, and VC1 encoded Blu-Ray discs.

Hi Everyone,

I just noticed that LG has removed the firmware update that was posted on the service site for the BH200. I hope maybe they are going to release a new update with the fixes that are neccessary to make this unit a "Home Run"! Fingers are crossed, toes too!

Not likely. I sent an e-mail about the 24fps, HD audio and Clerks 2 issues to LG Canada, who said they do not support the BH200 and forwarded my e-mail to their US counterpart. I got the following response (emphasis added):

"We are delighted to hear from you as our Valued Customer.

According to the information we have, regarding this unit and its interactions, the model BH200 does, in fact, display at 24 frames per second, if the display is capable of 24 / 30 fps. We do not force 24 fps, nor are there currently any designs to do so anytime soon. As for the Linear PCM, as long as the disc is formatted for the full 7.1 audio, then the settings for Linear PCM will output 7.1 audio through either the HDMI 1.2 or HDMI 1.3 versions. The Dolby TrueHD audio is designed for 2 channels of sound on this unit.

As for the movie Clerks, this video has been tested and found to have a new copy protection that is not allowing our units to play back. We are currently working with our factories to develop a firmware upgrade to resolve this matter. ..."

I have an Sony 52XBR4 and the 24 fps detection works perfectly for both my PS3 and Samsung 1400, so I'm pretty sure my TV is "capable of 24/30 fps". From the above, it looks like there are no plans to enable 24 fps in the near future. The full multichannel Dolby TrueHD appear to be limited to 2 channels and the person didn't even address DTS-HD MA. The good news is that LG is working on a fix for Clerks 2, so they might have took the firmware offline for that. I thought the HD DVD standard was finalized though, so I'm not sure what "new copy protection" the rep was talking about.

Looks like I'll be returning my player tomorrow...

Whoever designed it this way should be fired if true. This also means the Samsung is similarly designed since they both use the same SOC. This is the height of ridiculous audio restrictions.

I again refer to a message I put up on the last page regarding audio output. If True HD is ALWAYS going to output as 2 channel, then this is a clear case of false advertising. As you can see in my last post catalogues such as Crutchfield CLEARLY tout this machine as one that can decode ALL the new codecs including True HD. The manual shouldn't be allowed to display these codecs the same way it was prohibited from showing the Hd DVD logo on the BH 100 machine. I plan on calling LG and telling them to have all the electronics outlets and websites state the truth about the audio of this machine. That said I don't have HDMI on my tv and the bh 200 has been performing very well when it comes to the video picture for both formats and for the audio of regular dolby digital, DTS and even the few dvds that are being decoded as dolby digital plus.

Ok, I have both the BH100 and BH200 in my system so I can switch back and forth between the two. The BH100 has no prblem sending 1080/24P through my Integra DTC9.8 to my Black Pearl. The BH200 only sends 1080/60P through. So it looks like no current 24Hz refresh rate support.

Also the LPCM out through the HDMI to my DTC9.8 goes to 2 channel if you switch to some other input and I have to cycle through the audio selections on the disc to get back to LPCM and then it thinks it is getting 7.1 instead of 5.1

So this new BH200 has some major issues it would seem.

Guys,

Thanks for all of the info! It looks like I will be returning my BH200 as well. I was hoping that since this was a 2nd gen player they would have got it right. Looks like its back to 2 players and hope someone at CES shows a combo player that functions as it should. Everyone have a Safe and Happy New Year!!!

What are you going to use in the mean time? Sony BDP-S300 and Toshiba HD-A30 or something?

My older Denon (2807) a/v receiver doesn't to the trueHD/DTA-MA formats, but I was thinking of upgrading in the spring, so maybe I'll follow a similar path.

--Daniel

No problem. I hope things work out for everyone here--I took the BH200 back to the retailer and got a full refund today. I was really tempted to just keep it as a crippled player in my bedroom since I got it on sale, but for that amount, I could get 2 separate BD/HD DVD players that does what I want... And the response from LG was just ridiculous! The more I thought about it, the more I felt like I was defrauded.

What are you going to use in the mean time? Sony BDP-S300 and Toshiba HD-A30 or something?

My older Denon (2807) a/v receiver doesn't to the trueHD/DTA-MA formats, but I was thinking of upgrading in the spring, so maybe I'll follow a similar path.

--Daniel

Daniel,

I will be getting the Toshiba HD-A35. I should have bought it last week when Amazon had it for $299 with 10 free discs! Right now its at $350 with 10 discs which still is not bad. As far as Blu-ray goes, I'm looking at either the Samsung 1400 or a Panasonic. Its a shame that we have such a fantastic technology (HD DVD, Blu-Ray) and the manufacturers are doing their best to F-it-up. Dual formats, crappy players, expensive, etc.

I take it 1119F is still the latest firmware version?

Thanks.

I am going to be turning over a list of problems with the BH200 to my LG rep. and this is the list I have thus far.

Feel free to add to it.

***************************************

BH200 issues:

No 1080/24P output

Dolby TrueHD Only outputs as 2-channel PCM

No DTS-HD-MA

Camera ICON appears on Ratatouille BR disc (same on the BH100).

****************************************

I have no HD-DVD's so I can not test those.

Well I worked with an LG product specialist the last 4 weeks and concentrated on the 24fps issue. He was very hard to get responses from. I sent a complete set of facts of which displays would not work, links to reviews the said 24fps did not work. I kept being told it was supported and was working on one of the reps units. His last comment Dec 18 was QUOTE\\"Well, try it on a display that is 24fps only and see if it works. The unit will output whatever it needs to. It just can’t be forced to do 24 at this time." I responded with more facts and asked LG to consider it an issue that 24fps does not work at all with 1119f.

Nothing heard from LG since 18th, 24fps is not in the spec sheet (only once in manual), I've given up. Got a 5000, compared the two for about a week and returned the LG. Now with the Samsung I have 24fps, PQ is close, a few more sound glitches but at least upgraded sound (with firmware update "twice") and 24fps are supported in the spec sheet.

I feel LG will probably come around and fix the issues, but I wanted 24fps sooner then later. The rep I dealt with was going to send me the latest software but never did and he did not know 1119f was even coming. It just showed up on their site. LG is probably working on the issues but not informing anyone IMO.

For those that hang in there, I hope all goes well.

[quote=echudoba;12630767] I kept being told it was supported and was working on one of the reps units. His last comment Dec 18 was QUOTE\\"Well, try it on a display that is 24fps only and see if it works. The unit will output whatever it needs to. It just can't be forced to do 24 at this time." I responded with more facts and asked LG to consider it an issue that 24fps does not work at all with 1119f.[quote]

Well I hooked the BH200 direct to my Sony Black Pearl and I tried all settings in the BH200 and still could not get 24fps to work so I would like to meet this "rep" and borrow his BH200 to test on my Black Pearl. Also the BH100 is still working just fine with BP @ 24fps.

Is there one person on the forum that has gotten 24fps to work with the BH200?

I see the Samsung 5000 is working with 24fps from what I read on that thread.

I will pass my list on the LG tomorrow and will go from there.

At the moment, I'll probably be keeping mine. It's been working well, maybe firmware updates will open up some of the missing options in the future, or not.

So I just got my new Onkyo TX-SR705 receiver, as well as, my LG BH200. I was playing the Bourne Ultimatum in HD DVD and was wondering why I wasn't getting any Dolby TrueHD sound and why the icon wasn't lighting up. After reading this thread and learning about the 24fps issue, I am really tempted to take it back to BestBuy and go with 2 separate players. I paid $1,000 for this player and this is really a bummer.

Why would they release this new model to follow the BH100 if it doesn't make it any better?

Lastly, if I go with 2 separate players, what do you guys think are 2 ideal choices? Since I spent $1,000 on the LG, I'm willing to spend that much combined, for 2 separate players. Any suggestions?

Thanks!

well i picked my unit up yesterday and made a stop at blockbuster and rented 300 which i have not seen before. i disconnected my integra dps10.5 since i have only two hdmi inputs on my elite pro1130. did a quick install on the lg and popped in the blue ray of 300. like i said i never viewed this before so i don't know the quality of the movie but i was disappointed with the results. the picture was very contrasty and was a little grainy. i should have rented a stock version and tried it in my integra first at its upconverted 720p setting.
i then played my standard copy of king kong which i have watched numerous times on my integra upconverted to 720p. i can honestly report the integra put out a better picture, more depth and color, than the lg. i will have to invest in a hdmi switcher and keep the integra connected for watching standard dvd's upconverted to 720.
i will rent a copy of rush hour 3 todat in blue ray or hd today and see how that plays and report back.

one note though, i'am have the output set on the lg to 720 to match my pro 1130hd. i may not see the full potential of the machine until i move up to a 1080p set which i plan to do in the near future (pdp6010 kuro)