LG BD370

LG Electronics BD370

The LG BD370 ($200, as of December 14, 2009) can stream Internet video from CinemaNow, Netflix On Demand, and YouTube to your HDTV. Even by the high standards of Blu-ray Disc players, the BD370 transfers Blu-ray disc images with terrific clarity. The BD370's performance was dead-even with that of its sibling, the LG BD390, on all but one component of our tests (brightness, where the BD370 was ever so slightly better). Images looked clear and detailed, with a dimensionality that popped out at us, making the visuals extraordinarily compelling. Matched against those of our reference Sony PlayStation 3, the BD370's images were obviously superior. Alas, we can't offer the same praise for the BD370's handling of the more difficult task of upconverting DVDs. Though the BD370 displayed better color than the PS3 on our Phantom of the Opera DVD, it showed less detail. It fared better, though not spectacularly so, in the darker Return of the King DVD test, where it moderately outperformed the PS3. You don't need discs to enjoy the BD370, however. If you plug it into your network via the player's ethernet port, you can view movies and TV shows via CinemaNow, Netflix On Demand, and YouTube.