Page 1 of LG 3350E Review - Come get some!

Thought it was time to speak my brain so here goes. . .

I am now the proud owner of a Techtronics multi-region modified LG 3350E, and after a few days of playing, boy am I impressed! This is what I dreamt DVD would be like, faultless picture quality and rock steady playback. I am amazed at how much better the picture is than my first player, the Yelo 800 (not difficult some may say), but also than my second player the much lauded Wharfedale 750s. The improvement is immediately notable, with the LG showing no signs of any grain, background shimmer, or aliasing on diagonals. The 3350 also performs an excellent conversion of NTSC to PAL 50, which is very important to those of us with slightly older TVs and is function often missing from many players. The multi-region modification can be set to operate automatically, which is fine for the majority of titles, or manually for more tricky RCE titles.

Build quality is excellent with an all metal case and brushed metal facia. The disc loader is so quiet that you have to put your ear up against the player before you can hear anything at all. The remote is a bit chunky, partly due to the useful addition of an onboard jog/shuttle dial. But at least it has been purpose designed for the player, which is a great improvement over the generic remotes used by many other players. The four main buttons on the remote also glow in the dark for those lights-off sessions.

The operating system is also a welcome change from the buggy and rather amateurish offerings from the more budget end of the market. The player quite happily and quickly navigates complex menus, whilst the various fast and slow trick plays operate with out a hitch. The GUI itself looks very stylish, making use of ‘Next’ style graphics and icons which are semi-transparent when overlaid during playback. The zoom feature uses a ‘Bladerunner’ style selection box which can be moved around still or moving images to perform a X4 or X16 magnification. Another impressive function is the ability to set bookmark points throughout a film for instant access to your favourite scenes. When recalling your bookmarks you are presented with a menu of miniature stills from which you can select the desired scene.

The LG 3350E comes with an onboard Dolby Digital decoder for those of you with a 6 channel receiver, alternatively you can make use of the coaxial or optical digital outs (which are DTS compatible). Whilst we are at it, the rear of the LG also sports two SCART sockets, an S-Video connector, stereo audio phonos, and of course dreaded composite video.

The player also provides high quality playback of MP3 files from CD-R and CD-RW through an explorer type directory tree navigator. Only short filenames are displayed but all the usual bit rates are supported. An added function that I have not seen on other MP3 compatible players is the ability to program a play list from the files on the CD.

So I have rattled on about the positives, how about the negatives. Firstly, there is no VideoCD playback at all, if you try loading one it is just spat back out at you. But then again, I didn’t buy a DVD player to watch VHS quality discs. Secondly, even with the Techtronics modification, Macrovision is still active on this player. So if this matters to you then you may have to look elsewhere or invest in a separate remover.

In summary if like me you want a DVD player that delivers A1 AV at a sensible price then the LG3350E is the one to go for. Also, with an RRP of £280 the Techtronics multi-region model has got to be a bargain at £230. You even get a free copy of “Walking With Dinosaurs”.

The LG3350E – does exactly what it says on the tin.

Hi dude,

It sounds too good to be true! I would have bought it myself if I could have found it on any of the lg web sites. As it seemed to be sold exclusively thru Techtronics - I avoided it like the plague.
Techtronics & me are old enemies!
All of the prior LG models offer VCD compatibility as an option.
Check this out! It`ll probably just need a firmware update (for a price).

My Mico has some sign of grain but I`m happy(ish).

Does it have a standby button on the remote?
Of course it does. Whimper. Bye

Carrot

Mico, Grain??

Are you still watching with the Mico fed through your VCR and out through your aerial lead?

Get a new TV!!

Hi Briley: Grain only really visible on still frame, so I guess its not a major concern.

Mico does it all!!!/& More

Carrot

Thanks for your info Troll. I was tempted after reading the review in DVD Shopper (rated 90% overall) and your posting has just tipped me over the edge.

The best price I have found is £189 inclusive at www.dabs.com. R2 only though.

£189 is a fantastic price, Currys are selling it at £250! For me however the multi-region mod is definitely worth the extra 40 quid.

For those of you interested, LG`s UK service website allows you to download specifications, user manuals, and even firmware updates (although what these are for is rather vague). You can also keep an online register of all your LG products.

http://www.lgelectronics.co.uk/

This item was edited on Sunday, 5th November 2000, 20:20

I`ve gotta agree with everything you say - I`ve had a wharfedale, lecson and a yelo and this player is by far the best - the picture quality is outstanding, and the unit is good looking and super quiet (the wharfedale and lecson used to make a right old racket)
As you say - I don`t know why techtronics didn`t remove macrovision - it was advertised with VCR mode in their adverts in a couple of mags - never mind though.

The onscreen graphics are excellent as well - just the remote that lets it down a tiny bit - the cursor keys and enter button seem to be arranged in a bit of a haphazard fashion.
I would definately recommend this player to anyone - a class bit of kit well worth the extra couple of quid over the like of the wharfedale etc.

The LG 3350 is now £196 from techtronics and still comes with Walking with Dinosaurs.

How does the picture compare to entry level players from Toshiba, Sony and the like?

> The LG 3350 is now £196 from techtronics

+ VAT I am affraid. They list their players without purchase tax because they ship internationally.

Can`t comment on the entry level Tosh or Sony as I have not seen them in action. I have demoed a mid-range Sony in a store and I believe the LG compares admirably with that. However it is always difficlut to judge with a shop demo and no driect comparison.

Bugger. Thanks for pointing the VAT thing out - I thought their prices seems a bit TOO good. I`ll look more carefully next time.