 Excellent value, works great so far |
| Review Date: June 8, 2010 |
| Reviewer: P. Parker, Connecticut, U.S. |
Yes, if you research, you'll find conflicting reviews, but this Refurbished Blu-ray player I purchased via TigerDirect from Amazon.com is absolutely amazing; in fact, the "upconverting" of regular wide screen DVDs brings new life to the films; the colors (on my plasma display) are superior to many *theater* experiences I've endured (of course the best quality is Blu-ray].
In this economic environment, I can recommend a refurbished product from Samsung via TigerDirect; you can download the manual and software from Samsung's website. The product was shipped with a manual on CD, but I had already downloaded it before I received it.
One final note: I read elsewhere that a purchaser returned his Blu-ray player because "bands" were still visible on wide screen movies. Yes, this player doesn't have a zoom function. However, the television should have (as my plasma does) functions to adjust "H Size", "H Position", and "V Position", where H and V mean Horizontal and Vertical. With the resolution of Blu-ray, blowing up the image doesn't really "degrade" the picture quality. So, check your television manual.
I note no heat or other issues.
Incidentally, TigerDirect dropped the price after I purchased but it was a few days after their price guarantee. I tried to get a $5.00 coupon good towards a future purchase; it was like dealing with a government agency, forget it! Amazon.com is more flexible; so if TigerDirect has the lowest price at the time you wish to buy, go for it but I was surprised they wouldn't give me, after a $20.00 price drop a $5.00 coupon. Cheap, cheap, cheap! Not a good idea when it's The Return of the Great Depression!!!
2010 Update: Please make sure to go to Samsung site (or Google "BD P1500 firmware") for Firmware upgrade, software you download to a blank flash drive. On my Panasonic VIERA S1 Series TC-P54S1 54-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV, Black picture quality is fantastic with new films. Better than most theater experiences I've had, although the Panasonic's zoom function is not as flexible as the old Vizio plasma previously used. Also, connect with HDMI cables, such as Mediabridge Ultra Series - 6ft High Speed HDMI Cable - Category 2 Certified - Supports 3D - Audio Return Channel - 4Kx2K - 1440p - 1080p - Blu-Ray - PS3 - XBox 360. Lastly, it is sensitive to fingerprints on discs; make sure your Blu-ray discs are clean, handle by the edges, etc. From the main menu, I selected 24fps (24 frames per second], which Blu-ray is designed for and "keep same resolution", i.e., 1080p, which you select from the menu. I see no flicker, only blurring as in a movie theater from rapid motion. Note that there is an April 2010 firmware upgrade. Both Red Cliff International Version - Part I & Part II [Blu-ray] and Avatar (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo) [Blu-ray] are breathtaking. Even the wides screen The Taming of the Shrew looks fantastic. So, at of June 2010, it's working great, no issues, picture is beautiful. Yes, with the latest firmware upgrade it plays James Bond Blu-ray Collection Three-Pack, Vol. 3 (Moonraker/ The World is Not Enough / Goldfinger) just fine.
I wouldn't be surprised that Wal-Mart sells new Samsung Blu-ray players for less money but I find the refurbished products have been "pre-disastered", so to speak. |
Fantastic Amazon Blu-Ray steal
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| Review Date: December 27, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Jeffrey Osborn, Yonkers, NY |
$130 for a Samsung Blu-Ray unit, WOW! Thanks Amazon!
Musta been a sale of the day but I saw this $200 unit for $130 on Amazon. Bought it for my son for Christmas, along with 5 Blu-Ray movies (from Amazon, of course).
He was floored when he got it. He had 3 large bags of gifts to go home with but he wanted to take the Blu-Ray that night. (He has to walk up a long driveway which was covered with a foot of snow, he didn't care, the unit was going home on Christmas day.)
He bought me a Blu-Ray last year which you can upgrade over the internet or from a CD. Since he had just moved into his new place, there was no cable/internet service yet. I helped him upgrade the firmware on this unit by downloading the file to a flash drive, he just plugged it into the unit when he got home and ran the update.
Sweet, clean small unit.
I should have purchased 2 - we still have DVD only in the bedroom. |
Problem with normal DVD's
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| Review Date: March 17, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Charles W. Brown, Chicago, IL USA |
| This is the second Blu-Ray player from Samsung that has problems. It was great right up to the one year mark after I bought it. But then it had a problem playing regular DVD's. It had to problem playing Blu-Ray DVD's but it stoped playing Regular DVD's. I thinks Samsung jumped into the market to fast. Now I'm a fan of Samsung but the Blu-Rays made by them seems to have a problem. I did call customer service on this item and since the warrenty is up I don't want to send it in for repair. I will relpace it with a Sony or another upscale brand. |
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