The LG BD670 is the latest deck to join the 3D Blu-ray player arena, and packs a bevvy of features into its chassis, while still managing to offer an affordable price tag.  Building on the brand's rather basic debut 3D Blu-ray player - the LG BX580 - the new deck is set to go up against rival products such as the Sony BDP-S470.

LG BD670: Design

There are some great looking Blu-ray players on the market, but sadly the BD670 isn’t one of them. The black casing is slim but dull as dishwater, with no touch sensitive buttons or shiny silver bits to lift the gloom. The display panel is tiny too, which will make it illegible from the sofa, and the fascia is plasticky.

You can plug a flash drive into the front-mounted USB port and play DivX, MKV, MP3, WAV, JPEG and XviD. This is the only USB port, which means if you want to regularly access BD Live content you could end up having a USB stick permanently poking out of the front.

On the back is an HDMI v1.4 output, which zaps 2D and 3D pictures to your tellybox, which is joined by component, composite and analogue stereo outputs.

LG BD670: Features

Here’s where the LG BD670 earns its corn. Not only is it a full-fat Blu-ray player, capable of spinning 2D and 3D discs, but it’s also an accomplished network streamer – all courtesy of the built-in Wi-Fi connection. It’s great to find these features at such an affordable price.

The DLNA-certified player can access music, movies and photos from PCs and NAS drives on your home network, and does so with a slick and funky-looking set of onscreen menus. It also supports Wi-Fi Direct, which lets you stream without a router.

Another highlight is LG’s latest internet portal, Smart TV, which is a vast improvement over the previous Net Cast feature. Now you get a wider range of apps, including BBC iPlayer, You Tube, vTuner internet radio, Picasa, Acetrax, Dailymotion and more, alongside a range of fun puzzles, games and ‘lifestyle’ applications – great for families.

LG BD670: Performance

Disc loading is a little slower than its rivals, but otherwise the BD670 is easy to use. DLNA streaming posed no problems and web videos play smoothly.

Blu-ray playback is solid. Pictures are crisp and punchy like good hi-def pictures should be, plus colours look natural (evidenced by believable skin tones) and there’s no judder or noise to contend with.

Even the smallest details and textures are clearly resolved and remain stable even when objects are flying all over the screen. It’s backed up by absorbing 3D playback, provided your TV is up to the task.

Audio quality doesn’t shine like the Denon or Cambridge Audio but it’s perfectly enjoyable, lending a nicely balanced and open tone to music recordings.

LG BD670: Verdict

The LG BD670 might be dull to look at, but lurking beneath that ugly duckling exterior is a feature-packed swan just bursting to get out (not literally).

You’ll find all the features du jour, such as DLNA media streaming and access to internet apps, including BBC iPlayer. Smart TV is almost worth the money on its own, but when you pop a Blu-ray in the tray, the BD670’s worth soars even higher, with gorgeous hi-def pictures that dazzle in two or three dimensions.

LG BD670 Availability: Out now

LG BD670 price: £170