LG HLB54S Blu-ray Soundbar
The basics
The LG HLB54S is a home cinema soundbar with an integrated Blu-ray player. It features an HDMI output delivering 1080p HD video, plus two HDMI inputs and a USB port, and comes supplied with a separate subwoofer for bass reproduction.
It also features Ethernet and Wi-Fi networking options, allowing it to access BD-Live content and stream media files from your PC via DLNA functionality.
The good
Firstly, the LG HLB54S is a nice-looking slab of black plastic, with touch sensitive buttons and a large, clear LED display that shines through the front grille. There’s an impressive list of connections to back up that stylishness too: alongside the aforementioned HDMI inputs, which let you hook up a couple of HD sources to take advantage of the bar’s surround sound abilities, there’s an iPod dock connector – and generously LG supply the dock too. The USB port and DLNA skills mean it can play back almost any media file too, including XviD and MKV movies.
Performance is also impressive on both the audio and picture quality fronts, with the bar and subwoofer combining to deliver a room-shaking sonic performance with a wide (if not totally surrounding) soundstage.
The bad
We’ve just mentioned that the LG HLB54S doesn’t replicate the true effect of having a room full of surround sound speakers, but we can’t be too critical, because this is an issue with every soundbar we’ve ever tested. If we turn our attention to the design front, this bar is bigger than many, and you won’t be able to mount it on your wall unless you put up a shelf to sit it on.
The BD-Live capabilities are also slightly hampered by the fact that LG has decided not to build in the memory required – so you’ll need to whack a USB storage stick into the front port to access online features.
The bottom line
The specifications, styling and all-round strong performance make the LG HLB54S one of the best soundbars out there. True, it’s fairly pricey by LG’s standards, and can’t please your lugholes like a proper multi-speaker surround setup, but you get a fair bit of functionality for your money.
User comments (3)
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Lawry118 February 2010
I like the sound of this system, have read several good reviews but can't find anywhere in Scotland to see and try in the flesh. Can anybody help?
Report as inappropriatert22 June 2010
when can we purchase in the US?
Report as inappropriateSharky09 November 2011
I own one of these and they're OUTSTANDING. The quality of the sound from the bar is exceptional. The wireless subwoofer makes set up easy (Ihave this by the side of my sofa and the base travels through it - it's great - especially for gaming). I have my ps3 linked through HDMI and the sound bar connected to my LG TV by HMDI with optical input coming to the bar from the TV so all my sound now goes through it. The features in the bar are great and when connected to an LG TV the Simple Link so one control can be used for both devices. I'm gutted that I didn't get the iPod dock with the unit - LG said it wasn't supplied with one and when I queried where to get one I was told "your local high street dealer should be able to help"... I've not found one YET and I've had it for 6 months so any help on that would be amazing. Overall this is the BEST addition to my home cinema. Excellent looks, brilliant sound quality and the wireless subwoofer is a genius idea. If you can afford one - buy one - it's excellent!!!!!
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