For 2012, LG has outed the BP620 Blu-ray player, a top-value device that doesn't scrimp on functionality. In fact, it boasts 3D Blu-ray support, web-connected services and built-in Wi-Fi. With so many features and an ultra-low price tag, is the BP620 too good to be true? Let's take a look.
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Although the materials used don't do much to flatter the BP620, the physical controls are all nicely responsive. We've got no complaints about power use either, as the BP620 uses 8 W in playback mode (our current champions are the Sony S185 and S186 at 6 W).
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BP620
PS3
Hardware & Design
Design clearly hasn't been a priority in this Blu-ray player. While some manufacturers, such as Samsung, have been trimming down dimensions and playing around with designs, LG has clearly prioritised its price-to-function ratio above anything else in the BP620. It's therefore a classic-looking Blu-ray player of a fairly standard size and typical design, similar to the Samsung BD-D5500 from 2011.
| Ethernet, optical audio out, HDMI out, composite, analogue 2.0 out |
Although the materials used don't do much to flatter the BP620, the physical controls are all nicely responsive. We've got no complaints about power use either, as the BP620 uses 8 W in playback mode (our current champions are the Sony S185 and S186 at 6 W).
Software
The BP620 starts up and loads discs quickly. Once running, the interface is simple and easy to use. A USB port on the front can be used to connect external hard drives (NTFS) or flash drives for access to content like HD videos as DivX and MKV (H.264) files. LG has also included a very handy USB Recording function, which rips audio CDs to MP3 files and saves them on your USB flash drive. Bonus!
Smart Share (DLNA) technology means you can access multimedia content over a network. And if you don't want to use a local network, there's also Wi-Fi Direct, which allows the BP620 to receive and play content from a compatible tablet or smartphone.
Thanks to Internet connectivity, the LG BP620 offers access to LG's Smart TV platform. However, this is unfortunately of relatively limited interest. It's slow, there aren't many interesting apps installed and there aren't many extra ones to choose from. Google Maps, for example, is very slow. The only really interesting service is Acetrax VOD for renting SD and HD movies or buying SD movies.
Smart Share (DLNA) technology means you can access multimedia content over a network. And if you don't want to use a local network, there's also Wi-Fi Direct, which allows the BP620 to receive and play content from a compatible tablet or smartphone.
Thanks to Internet connectivity, the LG BP620 offers access to LG's Smart TV platform. However, this is unfortunately of relatively limited interest. It's slow, there aren't many interesting apps installed and there aren't many extra ones to choose from. Google Maps, for example, is very slow. The only really interesting service is Acetrax VOD for renting SD and HD movies or buying SD movies.
Image Quality
There's ultimately very little difference in the way different Blu-ray players render disc images. However, we still check image quality as a matter of course using the Sony KDL-32CX520 as our reference TV.
The LG BP620 is no exception to the rule, as the Blu-ray image isn't denatured in any way. There is, however, one area in which there's still room for improvement: upscaling standard definition content (like DVDs) for viewing on Full HD TVs. Although SD upscaling is acceptable quality, there's still a slight touch of aliasing. In fact, Sony's PS3 is the only Blu-ray player we've seen that manages to get rid of it (see below).
The LG BP620 is no exception to the rule, as the Blu-ray image isn't denatured in any way. There is, however, one area in which there's still room for improvement: upscaling standard definition content (like DVDs) for viewing on Full HD TVs. Although SD upscaling is acceptable quality, there's still a slight touch of aliasing. In fact, Sony's PS3 is the only Blu-ray player we've seen that manages to get rid of it (see below).
BP620
PS3Pros
- Great value for money (performance, hardware)
- Power use under 10 W
- Rips audio CDs to MP3 files
- Reproduces Blu-ray images accurately
Cons
- LG's Smart TV portal is disappointing
Conclusion
There's no doubt that the LG BP620 is a top-value Blu-ray player. But is it worth the extra money compared with genuinely entry-level models? Not if you're looking for great-quality web-based services. However, images are reproduced accurately and DLNA compatibility is always handy.
OUR SCORE
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