Product Description

Marketing description is not available.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #37307 in Consumer Electronics
• Brand: LG
• Model: LHT874
• Dimensions: 80.00 pounds

Features

• Superior image quality and convenience with1080p up-conversion via HDMI output.
• One cable all-digital input for easy integration of cable/satellite boxes or game systems
• Eliminate speaker cables from the main unit to rear speakers.
• Connect, control and play directly from your iPod.
• Digital music, photos and video with USB Media Plus.

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Customer Reviews

Difficult setup, Great Sound, Low on options
I tried deciding between the Sony Bravia, Samsung and LG versions of this home theatre system. Since there were no reviews on here on the LG, I had trouble deciding. I ended up going with LG since it was on sale for only $250. The Sony and Samsung versions were on sale for $350.

The unit is much sleeker and nicer looking than shown in the one and only picture available for this item (could not find another photo anywhere on the internet). It is all black with chrome trimming, which you can't see in the photo.

Setup - Out of the box, the system did not seem too complicated, but took me over an hour to setup. The wires are only color coded on one end, so make sure to plug that end into the receiver. The unit was also larger than I expected, and did not fit on my shelf.

Wireless - The "wireless" was especially confusing, as it took me about an hour to figure out how to make it work. Apparently the rear speakers only give sound in certain sound formats. Make sure to choose one of the Dolby Pro Logic formats. Wireless here means there is a small transmitter unit plugged into the main unit, and a larger receiver that you place in the back of the room, that you have to plug into the wall, which the 2 rear speakers wire into. So you don't have to run wires from the main unit to the rear speakers, just from the rear receiver to the rear speakers. The use of an additional AC outlet for the rear receiver was somewhat annoying.

Sound - The sound quality is the best feature of this system. It is clear and crisp, even at high volume, and once the rear wireless is setup the surround quality is great as well, you really feel like you are in a theatre. The only problems I have with the sound are the lack of a "bass boost" type feature, as the bass is not deep or loud enough, but there is probably an option I have not seen to give it a boost. The difficulty in choosing the "sound format" which will actually make the rear speakers work was confusing as well. Every time I turn the receiver off, I have to flip through the sound modes to one of the Dolby Pro Logic options to get rear sound. For some reason the default option is "bypass" which turns off the rear and center speakers. I have not hooked it up with the HDMI cable yet (just regular RCAs), so maybe that will solve the problem.

DVD Player - The 5 Disc dvd player has a unique method of loading the DVDs where you can see all 5 DVDs at once, and don't have to eject them one at a time, which I usually hate about 5 disc changers. This was a great feature, and I had no issues with the DVD play quality of the system.

IPOD dock - this is not so much a "Dock" as an IPOD wire with a cheap plastic stand which isn't really meant to house the wire. I have not hooked up an IPOD yet to comment on the performance.

Recommendation - If you can get this unit on sale for less than $300, then it is a good deal. If you can find the Sony Bravia (which my parents have, it is a better system) for less than $400, and you can afford the extra $100, go with the Bravia. Otherwise, the LG is a good system for the price.

2009 UPDATE: I switched out the regular cables (component) with an optical cable for the tv sound, and an HDMI cable for the DVDs. It has made a WORLD of difference. The sound is now twice as good, I really am impressed with it, especially when watching action DVDs, and the options are automatically set for the best surround sound! Make sure to get HDMI and optical audio cables with this system, you will not be dissapointed! I tried moving my rating up to 4 stars, but it won't let me.

Quality is The Key
Quality is the key. This is a beautiful piece of equipment but I have told LG they need to improve their quality control. The first unit I received had two non-working speakers. I returned it to 6th Ave Electronics. They immediately sent me another one. That one was missing a power cord for the rear speakers. LG sent me a replacement. Now everything works and I'm satisfied with the unit with one exception. That is, LG designed the changer to not be automatic. In other words, when the CD in disc 1 finishes playing it does not automatically move to disc 2. You must manually intervene and press the remote or walk to the unit and press a button. A silly design error. They seem to agree.

I would like to say that 6th Ave Electronics was great in how it handled my problems. They were timely and courteous.

Not Great, Not Bad Either
Very nice high-end looking unit matches the LG tv perfectly with it's high-gloss piano black components, vivid blue lights, round speaker bases to match the round tv base and some matching chrome trim. The slide out drawer that lets you see and load all five discs at the same time is a really nice update from previous generation rotating changers(a removable cartridge would have been really nice). The sound is loud and clear, room rattling, but also sounds good with nice channel seperation at low levels. Another plus is that LG is the only model in this class that plays DIVX/XVID.avi's. (There's a half dozen other companies that are marketing basically the same set. Sony, Pana, LG and toshiba(or Samsung) all have a suspiciously similar looking theater at the same price range. I think they're all farmed out to one company).
OK, Now the cons. 1) DIVX/XVIDS.avi's default at the wrong screen ratio. DIVX Widescreen TV shows(16:9) should utilize the whole screen with no size stretching at the 16:9 setting on the tv, they don't, you have to use the zoom2 setting. This is a programming glitch plain and simple. I have alot of experience with AVI's and players. Trivial, but annoying. 2) The Simplink remotes are a useless feature. niether remote has even a fraction of the features on the other, including important buttons like Menu, input or even chapter +-, so you still have to keep both remotes next to you. Also no progamable Aux button for your cable or sat box(all reasonable quality dvd and vcrs used to come with pretty comprehensive universal remotes). 3) The one real FLAW is about every half hour the screen goes black for a second, whether it's AVI files or chaptered movies, same problem. The picture flickers and goes black for a second with no interuption in sound. I've read about this problem in a few reviews between here(Amazon) and C/net. LG customer service is about as useless as most. They said buy a disc cleaning kit(Gee thanks), They couldn't even tell me if the optic toslink on the tv was putting out 5.1, they said no, 2.0 stereo, false I found out it IS 5.1! 4) Wireless rear speakers are anything but. It's actually three times as many wires, you just don't have to run them to the back of the room. It equates to two transmitters, two more AC plugs, speaker wires to the transmitter, then speaker wires from the reciever also. Fortunately you can bypass and omit all that and connect directly. I would have liked a full function universal remote instead of the silly wireless crap.
All-in-all for what I paid it's a nice set, and it looks great under my TV. I bought it at 6th Ave. Electronics for $255US, about what it's worth. If I had bought it at BESTBUY for $425, or online for up to $700 I'd feel seriously disappointed.......Mediocrity rises to lowered expectations.