There are lots of ways to access online video services like Netflix and Hulu Plus. You can get a set-top box like a Roku or Apple TV. You can get a connected HDTV. You can get a game console. Or, if you want to put some punch in the audio of anything you stream (and anything else you might watch), you can get the LG NB3730A soundbar. It combines 2.1-channel sound backed by a wireless subwoofer with a suite of online services and apps comparable to any LG connected HDTV or Blu-ray player. It even sounds good, if not quite enough to justify the $399.99 (list) price tag if you already have a way to access online services. If you just want quality sound with Bluetooth, the Editors' Choice Sony HT-CT260 has a more palatable price tag.

Design

The glossy black LG NB3730A is smooth and shiny, with both an alphanumeric blue LED display and touch-sensitive controls built seamlessly into the middle of the plastic panel. Two midrange drivers and a tweeter sit on either side, uncovered by any grille. The back of the soundbar holds a minimum of ports: an optical audio input, an HDMI output, and an Ethernet port if you don't want to use the built-in Wi-Fi. The lack of 3.5mm or RCA stereo audio inputs seems strange, since most other soundbars have them.

The remote is huge for a soundbar, looking more like a midrange HDTV's remote than any speaker controller. It measures 9.2 inches long and has a number pad, a navigation pad, playback controls, four color buttons, Power, Input, Volume Up/Down, and Channel Up/Down buttons for your HDTV, and, of course, a large volume rocker surrounded by audio buttons. This complicated remote is necessary because of the NB3730A's HDTV integration and connected features, explained below. It's a good remote with large, comfortable buttons, but it absolutely dwarfs every other soundbar remote we've seen yet.