LG&39's Smart TV has the simplest user interface we&39've seen for streaming-media content portals on 2011 Blu-ray players.

They may be called Blu-ray players, but in 2011 they're as much about streaming-media services as they are about high-definition discs. With every manufacturer having a different collection of streaming-media services, we've been taking an in-depth look at each company's content portal for 2011.

Today, we're looking at LG's Smart TV, which takes a markedly different approach than Samsung's Smart Hub, which we reviewed earlier this month. LG Smart TV may have fewer streaming services and extra features, but that's a fair trade-off for what we found to be a much simpler user experience.

LG Smart TV is the same on most 2011 LG Blu-ray players--and home theater systems with built-in Blu-ray players--but slightly different on LG TVs. The entry-level BD630, BD640, and LHB326 don't offer the full LG Smart TV suite, instead only offering access to Netflix, CinemaNow, Vudu, and YouTube.

Editors' note: The chart doesn't list every streaming-media service available on each content portal' for the sake of simplicity, we chose those we considered most important.

LG's suite of streaming-media services isn't quite as comprehensive as some of its competitors, but it covers all the important standard services like Netflix, Vudu, and Pandora. The biggest standout for LG is MLB.TV, which only Samsung also offers. Napster is a nice extra if you're already a subscriber and vTuner allows you to stream thousands of Internet radio stations on your Blu-ray player for free.

Like with Samsung, the main missing ingredient of LG's streaming-media offerings is Amazon Instant Streaming. While competing services like Vudu are a compelling alternative for video-on-demand movies, Amazon Instant offers by far the largest selection of TV shows for pay-per-view watching, including both network and cable shows. Some Amazon Prime subscribers can also watch a portion of Amazon's video catalog for free, although much of the catalog overlaps with Netflix's offerings.

We also appreciate that it's tied into the viewer's Amazon.com account, which means we're able to watch our purchased content in a browser as well. If you're looking to "cut the cord" or just supplement your existing cable subscription, we've found Amazon Instant Streaming to be the best TV content provider. That being said, CinemaNow offers a solid collection of TV content, so it really comes down to which service you prefer.

Purely in terms of quality of streaming services offered, it's hard to favor the LG over its competitors. Yes, it has a couple standout streaming media services, but competitors have some other high-profile services, like Hulu Plus and Amazon Instant.

LG&39's main user interface on Blu-ray players.

LG's content portal last year was been named NetCast and although it looks pretty similar in 2011, the company has dropped the moniker (at least on its "Smart TV"-enabled players). Instead, you access the content portal by clicking on "Premium" from the home page. Premium isn't a very accurate name for the streaming content portal, especially when many of the services, like Pandora and Picasa, are free, and we're betting it might throw off some less tech-savvy users. Further confusing things on main screen is the icon says LG Apps, which doesn't take you the important, uh, apps you want to use.

The home screen may be a little misleading, but once you get into the streaming-content portal, the user interface is dead simple. Unlike Samsung's cluttered Smart Hub interface, LG's streaming-content home screen has big boxes with icons for the various streaming-content portals. It's the best interface we've seen for streaming content on a Blu-ray player in 2011, as is easy to quickly get to the streaming service of your choice. Our main quibble is that LG's remote doesn't have a dedicated "Smart TV" button (similar buttons are available on Samsung and Panasonic players), which would make it even easier to access your content.

LG Apps may sound like a good idea, but there are only five apps right now and none of them is that useful.

LG Apps is new for this year, but as of now, it's basically a worthless feature. There are currently only five apps available, with the most interesting being Boing Boing Video. Until we see more apps being developed for the platform, we wouldn't factor this into a buying decision at all. (At this time, we'd actually rather see it gone completely, since it doesn't add much and adds confusion with the "Premium" section of apps you actually want to use.)

LG's Netflix interface is excellent. It's very similar to the interface offered on the PS3 at the end of last year, so if you're looking for more information, take a look at our detailed hands-on. Unlike with older versions of Netflix, you can search for titles as well as browse categories like new arrivals and different genres.

While there was significant variation in Netflix interfaces last year on Blu-ray players, this year they're largely the same, so it's not a major differentiating factor.

Compared with other manufacturers, LG's Smart TV offers the most basic suite of streaming-media features, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It may offer a couple less standout services, but its interface is very straightforward and uncluttered. Sure, there's no search like on Samsung or Sony, but since those features don't work well, we didn't miss it at all.

If you're picking based purely on the number of apps, you'll go with Samsung or Sony, but to us, LG's real competition is Panasonic's Viera Cast, which offers a similarly simple interface and adds Amazon Instant streaming (although it lacks MLB.TV). Which one is better for you comes down to which services you want to use.

Got LG Smart TV questions Leave a comment below.