SPECIFICATIONS:
Channels: 5.1
Power: 1 ,000 Watts
Formats: BD-ROM, DVD r, RW, rw+, Audio, DTS-CD, CD-r/RW
Video formats: Mpeg-2, Mpeg-4, AVC, Dicx, DivX HD, MKV, AVCHD, M4V, WMV, FLV, 3GP, MPEG-1, MP4, MPV,VOB
Connections: 1 xHDMI, 1 Audio input,
Digital Optical in, USB, LAN, 2 mic in
Aramid Fiber speaker cones
WHAT’S HOT:
• Great range
• File compatibility all the way to next
week
·Nice form factor
WHAT’S NOT:
·Bass-heavy at higher volumes
BOTTOMLINE:
If you don’t have a whole system yet, consider this set.
People are always fixated over the television. We can’t blame them. We’re pretty visual creatures, and bright, moving images are always going to get our attention. That’s just how we are wired. Having a top-tier screen, however, just wouldn’t be complete without the rest of the home theater system hooked up to it. It’s like having a burger without cheese. The LG BH6330H brings a much richer experience on top of your TV viewing and really lets you make the most of the expensive screen you just cashed out for. It gives your TV a few more connectivity options and lets you experience movies and shows the way they were meant to be enjoyed.
Being a home theater system, the BH6330H has quite a few cables to deal with. Most of these will be leading from the main unit to the six speakers that come with the device. There really isn’t a lot that can be done with that, as with other home theater systems, but cable clutter behind the TV is kept manageable, since the system connects to your TV via the industry-standard HDMI cable. As long as your TV has an HDMI in, you’re all set. If you want to output audio to the home theater, you will also have to plug in with an Optical Audio cable or the old RCA ones, as HDMI on the device is for output only. Optical will probably be a pretty good idea, since with that one cable, you’ll be able to use the device for all the audio coming rom the TV. RCA will bring the speakers to life, though not in full 5.1, since there are only two inputs (Land R).
The whole system is composed of a horizontal center speaker, the subwoofer, which is about the size of a large CPU, and four, roughly twofoot speaker towers each for the leftright- front-back channels. There is also the main console, which supplies the signal for each of the speakers, and that’s just about the size of a large laptop. Overall, the system is a very manageable size, and shouldn’t be much trouble to plunk down in their respective places. The drivers on the speakers are made of tough aramid fiber (Kevlar is a patented name for a kind aramid fiber, in case you’re wondering) that is both wearresistant and light, which allows the speakers to pump out sound without much resistance.
The heart of the system, has a USB port, Blu-Ray drive and two microphone-in jacks, as well as a 3.5mm Aux-in jack. The front panel has soft keys to control playback, though most of the control will be done through the included remote. The remote gives you access to everything on the device and, as such, can be a little overwhelming, though a little less so than many others we have tested. Within a few keypresses, we were able to navigate to more or less everything we were looking for. The menu doesn’t require very many taps to navigate through, and once you have done it a few times, you probably won’t even be thinking about how. The on-screen displays were a little large though, and in particular, the volume indicator as it flashes on-screen, takes up quite a bit of space. It might be a problem for those who watch a lot of shows that are subtitled.
Video playback is, of course, heavily dependent on the TV you are using, and while we did have an LG TV on which to test the system, your mileage may vary wildly. that being said, images were rendered sharply, quickly and without stutter or lag, no matter what medium we used. The device accepted USB storage on top of Blu-Ray discs, in a variety of formats, including the popular AVI, MP4, MKV and a long list of others. It also upscales content to full HD where applicable, so you can enjoy lower-def content in HD quality. It is also 3D-capable, though that will likewise depend on what TV you are running.
Audio quality from the speakers was superb. The aramid speaker cones on the towers and center speakers were powerful and clear, while the suboofer has enough punch to be felt without overpowering the rest of the notes, even at lower volumes, which is a great thing, if you really want the whole range of tones, while keeping the neighbors from reporting you to the local authorities. Video playback was smooth, and the player was able to handle all the files we threw at it, soft-coded subtitles included. At higher volumes, it seemed like the bass was increasing a little faster than the other frequencies, so a few quick taps, bump the bass down a little bit, and everything was fine. Sound staging was quite good with this set, and if you do your part by providing a good space for the sound to open up, and enough space for sound separation, you’re going to be treated to a very immersive soundscape. The speakers look quite a bit larger than they actually are, and do a great job pushing sound out at you.
We here at the Gadgets HQ are quite in love with the BH6330H.It does a great job with all the basics, and does a few things extra aside. The file compatibility, audio output and performance make it a great addition to an existing setup, or a way to get more from that massive new flat screen in your den. Though it might not have the most inputs, it does have the essentials, so unless you’re looking for a professional-grade setup, this should more than suffice.
First published in Gadgets Magazine, July 2013
Words by Ren Alcantara