You have the state of the art flat screen TV, Xbox, HD Cable, but you still feel like your missing something. Chances are, the one thing missing is the surround sound. LG, makers of darn near all things electronic, Has the Smart Blu-ray Disc surround sound that just might be the last component you need to make your home theater what it should be. Keep reading to see if it’s worth the purchase.
If you’re in the market for a home theater surround sound, LG should be one of the first places you look. The LG BH9420PW is the model we will be testing here. This model comes with Blu-ray, 3D, 2 HDMI inputs, Wireless rear speakers, Built in Wi-Fi, Smart TV Access, 3D Sound, Dolby Digital and DTS Surround, USB Media Host, and LG Simple Link. These multiple features make this an excellent choice for a surround sound system.
SETUP:
Setup was a snap for this surround. It’s really plug and play. All the wires for the speakers are color coated and only fit one directions. You don’t have to worry about crossing wires or mixing up left and right speakers. Also there is no worries about finding a place to run wires for your rear speakers as the LG SMART Theater has wireless surround speakers. This gives you a box that you hook up anywhere within range of the receiver and can wire your speakers from there. This comes in handy if you don’t have easy access to hide your wiring. There are also connections for USB, FM Radio, iPod/iPhone/iPad, or other device capable of being connected with an audio jack. You can also hook this Surround Sound up to your home network so you can stream you media from your computer or other DLNA devices. Depending on the model you choose you can either have a wired or wireless setup. This is a 5.1 Surround system and comes with a center channel and a powered sub-woofer. Now all you have to do is run your HDMI cables or an optical cable, and you are all set. If you aren’t sure how to properly place your speakers for optimal sound, there is a diagram that shows you how to go about setting them up.
The front speakers give you the option to either wall mount them, or use the provided stand. The stand keeps the speakers about 4 feet off the gound. The base is weighted and keeps the tower from falling over. there is a channel in the back to run the speaker wires to keep them hidden.
After everything is plugged in, you can turn on your new surround sound and do the initial setup. This will go through and make sure everything is working and that our speakers are hooked up properly. Here is where you set up your wireless network info also. Once you have that all set up out you then get the options to adjust all of the other settings such as the aspect ratio, resolution, color setting,refresh rates, Language, audio settings, and many other settings. The number of options is almost endless.
MENU’S
The menu’s are straight forward and easy to use. Every option is clearly labeled on the screen and is self-explanatory. Every icon is labeled and tells you exactly what it is for, whether it be for the smart apps, changing the volume, input, or adjusting the speaker levels. You never have to worry about what you are doing.
SPEAKERS:
The speakers are powered by a 1100W amplifier. The front speakers are powered at 140W x2, rear speakers are 180W x2, Sub is 180W, and the center channel is 140W. The 3D effects speakers that are at the top of the right and left front channels are powered at 70W. Speaker are made with Silk Dome speaker technology for a cleaner sound.
The front channels containing 3 speakers each plus the 3D Sound speaker at the top of the tower , the center has 3 and the rear has 2 speakers plus the 3D Sound speaker at the top.
FEATURES:
Want to convert your Audio CD to a USB storage device? Just insert you Audio CD, then a USB Drive, select the files you want to me, select the bit rate the convert.
You can hook your iPod up with an optional dock and use the remote control to operate all the iPod music functions.
If you are like most of the Smart Phone users, you like to either store your MP3, or use a music service such as Slacker Radio, Amazon MP3, Google Music, Pandora, or so on, you can stream your music to the LG SMART Home Theater System Via built-in bluetooth.
You can also control your TV with the supplied remote control, saving you from having to keep multiple remotes lying around.
If your device ever needs a software update you will be alerted by a pop-up. Then all you need to do is accept the update, sit back, and wait for the update to complete.
With this surround sound you get a CD that includes both the Owners manual and a copy of Nero MediaHome 4 Essentials. This program is used on your computer to stream you media from your computer to the LG SMART Home Theater. Nero MediaHome is both Windows and MAC compliant.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
The LG SMART Blu-ray Disc Home Theater System is a great addition to your home theater system. The 1100W power is more than ample for most home living rooms and smaller Home Theaters. The Surround sound is crisp, clear and fills the room with sound. You become very immersed in the movie you are watching with the 3D surround sound. All speakers accurately reproduce all the effects in your movies with movie theater quality. Set up is easy and you don’t have to worry about crossing wires thanks to color coded plugs. The onscreen setup verify’s that all your speakers are working and painlessly guides you through the rest of the options.
The LG SMART App’s expand upon what you can do with the surround sound system. The Blu-ray player gives you a picture perfect moving watching experience on your HD TV.
The biggest downside to this for me was there is only 2 HDMI inputs. At any one time I have at least 3 devices that I attach to my TV with HDMI. Unfortunately the Cable Box and XBox won out over the ROKU. Also while the price is steep, the LG SMART Blu-ray player performs with the best of them.
Overall I would rate this a 4.5 out of 5 due to the price and only having 2 HDMI ports.
Suggested Retail: $749.99
Check out this and all their other fine products at the LG WEBSITE
