Home > Consumer Reviews > LG LHB977 1000-Watt Blu-ray Disc Home Theater In a Box

I was looking to buy a surround sound system for my HDTV I purchased last year. First I was looking for an audio/video receiver (Yamaha, Onkyo, etc), but when I looked at adding speakers I kept choking on the price. I wasn't excited about buying a home theatre in a box, but I decided to check them out. I ran across this system and it had everything I was looking for, plus more.

First, the system worked right out of the box and setup was straightforward.

5.1 Surround- I'm not an audiophile, but far as I'm concerned the sound is great. It definitely enhances the viewing experience.

Blu-Ray Player-I wasn't planning on getting a Blu-ray player (I figured I would wait for the prices to drop), but the price was right for this system. The picture looks great on my 1080P Samsung TV. I have a minor complaint that it doesn't remember where you stopped while watching a movie. For example, if you switch to the main menu to access the player settings it will start at the beginning of the disc when you go back.

Netflix-This is the feature that convinced me to purchase the system. Setup was flawless and picture quality is good. The available movies for streaming are somewhat limited (generally older and less popular movies), but we've watched many more movies on Netflix than Blu-Ray. You select what movies to add to your "instant" queue on a computer and then they are available for selection in the Netflix menu.

Pandora Internet Radio-I didn't know anything about Pandora until I bought the system, but now I love it. You setup an account on a computer and then select the type of music you like. On the LHB 977 you can then play the "radio stations" you've setup on your computer.

Youtube-When I purchased the system it did not have Youtube, however I recently received a firmware upgrade with Youtube and CinemaNow. As you would expect from Youtube the picture quality is not great and videos can be choppy.

CinemaNow- Firmware upgrade brought this feature in. I haven't used it since I have Netflix.

USB Input-You can put MP3s on a USB drive and play them on the LHB977. The LHB 977 music player is very basic. Since it doesn't read MP3 file tags it cannot organize the music by artist, album, genre, etc. I'm hoping LG will upgrade this feature with a firmware download because I would use this feature more often. You can also look at photos via the USB drive, but I haven't tried this feature.

IPOD docking station- I don't own an IPOD so I can't comment.

Inputs-There is more than enough inputs for me. I have my HD cable box connected via HDMI (leaving one still available) and my VCR with RCA plugs. My only complaint is selecting the inputs. You have to cycle through each input one at a time. It would be nice to select the inputs by using the TV menu.

FM/AM Radio-I hooked the antennas up since they were in the box, but I didn't buy the system for standard radio. Honestly the reception is pretty poor right behind my TV stand and I'm not willing to put the antennas somewhere to get good reception.

REMOTE- I don't really use it. I realized quickly that I needed a Universal remote to control all my components.

I searched at brick and motor stores and on-line and bought this LG unit for several reasons.
1. I have several LG products and like the quality and features
2. My new HDMI 1080 TV is LG- I was hoping that the remotes would be cross compatible (they are to an extent)
3. I want as few devices to deal with so having Blu-ray and an HDMI amp and switcher all in one is great.

The setup is easy and comes with almost everything you need. I replaced a sony DVD amp combo and the rear speaker cables with the LG are a little short. However unlike some systems with proprietary speaker connections this is just bare wire so replacing it with speaker wire is no problem. The quality of the picture and sound are great. The internet features are easy to use and setup and are allot of fun-We have been catching up on all the TV shows we don't get that are series offered on netflix.

Some minor drawbacks
1. It does not default to the last input used. (If you have a disc in it always assumes you want to watch the disc. Maybe there will be a software update for that.
2. The remote does not allow for programing of devices. It allows you to turn the TV on and off but not mute the sound on the TV ?
3. Some people don't like the blue glow around the volume knob-the night mode allows you to turn this off however.
4. ipod works great with audio and shows your playlists and songs but no video. This may be an Apple thing. You need to plug an AV cable into the TV and select a different input. Kinda clunky.

These are minor in my opinion and do not decrease my enjoyment of this product. I highly recommend this unit. Oh and it was delivered a day earlier than promised.

So I'll get right to it. Amazon has always done right be me in the past, and this review isn't so much about Amazon.com as it is about LG. Nevertheless, I'm still a little thrown off by the experience I'm presently having. The setup was easy. It didn't take me any more than 30 minutes to set everything up and get things going, seeming I've had a LG system in the past. The inputs in the back are exactly what I need, so nothing wrong there. The only problem I'm currently having with the system is the subwoofer has little to no power to it. I'm very experienced with Audio systems, so I disconnected and reconnected the subwoofer's wires and rechecked the system's volume and the volume of each speaker connection. At 6db for my surround sound speakers, you can hear everything in that register. On my previous LG system, the subwoofer at 6db was able to vibrate all the wall fixtures...and the volume was set no greater than 12. However, with this system, I could barely hear anything coming from the subwoofer during the speaker setup test. To make sure I wasn't crazy, I played 'Lord of the Rings' and 'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen' at some of the loudest points of each film. Any audiophile will tell you those films boast some of the most dynamic sound designs and demands. I had to turn the volume up to level 15-20 just to feel something. Keep in mind, on my previous LG system, that volume level would have gotten me evicted. I played around with it for a quite some time, trying to make sure I didn't forget anything. Unfortunately, I had to return it today--just 48 hours after opening the box.
I'll save all of you some heartache, right now. If you EVER speak to LG, please keep in mind that their customer service ABSOLUTELY sucks! Their products are great, but the representatives are mindless idiots, reading scripts from a computer screen half a world away from here! There's no empathy or connection with the representatives because it's just a job for them. How is this different from most companies right now? IT ISN'T! But, when a customer is speaking about the technical aspects of a system and you don't understand what the hell that customer is saying, just say so without treating the customer like he/she is frakkin idiot!
But, I thank GOD for Amazon's return policy. I UPS-ed the system back to Amazon and I'm waiting on my replacement. I'm praying that the next system is fully operational without any defects. When it gets here, I WILL have a better review for the system. Stay tuned...

11/4/09; It's a few days after I returned the malfunctioning LG system to Amazon.com, and they've issued a replacement for it. Looking at the inconvenience this little problem has caused, a good guy at Amazon to whom I give great BIG UPS named Jeramy W. helped me out by overnighting the package. I can say even more about a Jennifer working for Amazon who said she'll be handling all followups after the system is delivered to make sure everything is continuously in working order. The system will be here tomorrow. Again, I have to compliment Amazon on their customer service. These guys have made sure that my situation is resolved in a very timely manner--a compliment I'm unable to extend to LG's customer service department.
When everything is connected tomorrow, I'll post an updated score. Cool?...

11/6/09; So everything turned out exactly as I thought it would. The system, for lack of a better word, is perfect. The subwoofer is wonderful, and I never thought I would ever hear a more perfectly balanced HTiB system than my last one, but I stand corrected.

To TecmoSuperBowl, get the system...trust me!

The LG LHB977 is a great product. The applications, specifically Netflix integration has been a huge boon--I never realized how much I'd use that feature. Same goes for Pandora. At first I was disappointed by it not supporting wireless rear speakers, but now that it's all set up I realize fishing speaker wires under the carpet is not much more difficult than finding power for the rear receiver! I'm very pleased with the system; the craftsmanship on the speakers is top notch too--they are heavy and do not look cheap.

A smaller compact system that was incredibly easy to set up and is pretty darn loud. I like the Pandora and Netflix features as well. It also looks like they are going to continue to add more options to this as time goes on. LG makes a good product. I am not sure what the customer service is like as I have not had any problems with any of their products so far. No optical cable or HDMI cables were included which was kind of a bummer so if you want one of these make sure you have an extra 100 or so for the cables.