LG blu-ray and DVD players -- RIP

Clem_Dye

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I was talking to one of the guys in my local Crampton & Moore (C&M) store today about an intermittent problem that I'm seeing on my newish (4 month old) Panasonic UB820 BR player (with Christmas coming up it will have to wait until the New Year) and mentioned that as I was using an LG TV would an LG 4K BR player be an option -- closer integration, etc., etc. He told me that LG has stopped making BR & DVD players, and once any stock that C&M have has been sold, that's it, leaving them stocking just Sony & Panasonic. It seems that streaming is taking its toll on the market. Samsung stopped making players a while back. The number of models that Sony and Panasonic offer isn't that extensive either. If what the guy told me is correct, and I have no reason to disbelieve him, then it would seem that anyone who has an extensive or select collection of discs could well find themselves in a situation one day that they have nothing to play them on when it comes to buying a new machine.

I've been working my way through my library and last week dropped off over 200 DVDs to my local BHF charity shop -- those discs that you buy, watch once, then they sit on the shelves for years gathering dust. Once I've finished my culling exercise I think that I'l end-up with a core set of about 150 titles that I will definitely want to watch again. A lot of the titles that I have just don't appear on any streaming service, or if they do they can't (always) match the quality that a well-mastered BR disc can offer. It may be overkill, but I've ordered a second Panasonic UB820 player. These are in almost permanent short supply. Disc collectors amongst us live in troubling times, it seems ...

I think that I need to find out how I rip DVD and BRs. Any suggestions on that topic for a MAC user would be greatly appreciated.


Clem
 
Pioneer make two high end players in the LX500 (which I own) and the LX800. Unlike Panasonic players the Pioneers can play SACD which is quite important to many people. I've not heard any rumours in the press that LG are stopping production. There are seven models available on their website.
 
Don’t shoot the messenger! All I can report is what the C&M guy told me. Perhaps he got his wires crossed, and C&M aren’t going to stock the LG players any more because there’s no money in them. LG player prices do seem to have dropped a far bit lately. As for the LG website, well they’d still list them if they had stock. I found this earlier in the year. Although a TV that I was interested in was listed, no-one stocked it because it had been discontinued. Personally, I hope that I’m wrong, because I certainly don’t to have to rely on streaming services for my entertainment. Only being able to watch what the streaming services consider mainstream, or can get access to because of licensing issues, is not my idea of digital nirvana!

Clem
 
It could be that the dealer is getting squeezed by profit margins and it's just not viable for them to continue to stock LG players. Won't be the first time that a dealer has stopped stocking kit that simply isn't profitable. It's not a decision by a company to simply stop making certain products without making it public well in advance as this would hit their customer relations.

I'm not an LG fanboy but would hate to see the market further restricted by another manufacturer dropping player production though to be honest Samsung was no great loss as their players were pretty poor to start with.

On a popular UK site there are seven manufacturers listed, including LG, that are making blu ray or 4K players with prices from £199 (LG) to £2199 (Pioneer). As I've said I own a Pioneer LX500 which is a very good player and it's SACD abilities are very important to me even though I also own two other standalone stereo SACD players.
 
I agree. I’ve seen nothing that states that LG is pulling out of the player market, but perhaps it’s not common knowledge yet, or is a dealer thing. Time will tell, I suppose. I hope that LG doesn’t leave the market. Although I’m in the Panasonic camp for my BR kit, the loss of choice is bad news for Joe Consumer.

Clem
 

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