LG Electronics BluRay player won't function after firmware update Huntsville Alabama

We purchased our LG BD300 for Christmas 2008. It worked perfectly in every way. We were able to play DVDs, BluRay discs, and stream video directly from Netflix.

In February 2009 LG automatically routed us to an on-line firmware update when we turned on the unit. After the update, the option to stream YouTube to our television had been added to the BD300 onscreen menu. If we'd been informed as to the type of upate and given an option to decline it, we would have. We weren't interested in watching grainy YouTube videos on our HD TV.

Immediately after the update, the BD300 stopped playing DVDs. When we load a DVD, the unit makes lots of clicking and whirring noises for a long time, over a minute, and then expels the disc. On the TV screen, it shows either a "Disc error" or "Check disc" message.

We have tried numerous DVDs, and the unit refuses to play any, even DVDs that we played successfully before the update.

When we contacted LG, we were told that the unit was out of warrantee and that we would have to mail it back to Alabama with a money order (no checks!) for $69. There was no mention of other people having the same problem or that this was anything other than a mechanical issue.

Many other people are having this problem. LG should create a new firmware update to fix it. In the future, they should provide some way for BD300 owners to know what type of updates are being presented and give an option to decline them if they want to.

Charlotte
Santa Rosa, California
U.S.A.