Amazon.com Product Description Samsung's BD-P2500 is BD-Live 2.0 Ready with an ethernet port so you can enjoy special interactive features, download extra content from the internet, and more. It has 1Gb of onboard memory and a USB port for memory expansion. You’ll enjoy bold color and crisp details with full 1080p resolution. The BD-P2500 also offers breakthrough enhancements such as Hollywood Quality Video (HQV) processing and 7.1-Channel analog audio outputs creating a powerful HD audio-visual experience. Plays Blu-ray discs, upscales standard DVDs, and is compatible with BD-ROM, DVD-ROM, DVD-R (V mode only), DVD-RW (V/VR mode), Audio CD, CD-R, CD-RW, and AVCHD discs. Movie night just got even more exciting - with the highest-quality audio and an incredible picture.
Key Features  Total BD Profile Compatibility right out of the box, lets you instantly enjoy the latest interactive features available, including BD Live (Profile 2.0) and Bonus View (Profile 1.1)- Lots of Memory and Easy Upgradeability: The BD-P2500 comes with a built-in, wired Ethernet connection, 1GB of internal flash memory, and a USB port for memory expansion
- Full HD 1080p
- HQV processing chip for the highest quality viewing of Blu-ray discs, upconversion of standard DVDs, and viewing of JPEG images
- HDMI 1.3 output with xvYCC Deep Color support, and a 24fps film mode, exhibiting smoother, more natural playback of film-based material.
- 7.1-Channel Dolby TrueHD Sound and dts-HD Master Audio capable of decoding the latest high-resolution digital multichannel audio soundtracks
HQV Video Processor
In a perfect world, every disc’s image that passed through your Blu-ray disc player into your HDTV would offer immaculate 1080p video with flawless color, impeccable detail, and nary a bit of pesky video noise. In the real world, though, pristine source material isn’t available for every Blu-ray disc—due to age or neglect of the original elements—and there are plenty of movies and TV shows on DVD that you’ll still want to watch on your Blu-ray player. HQV video processing is a great way of elevating those less-than-perfect video sources to a new level, and ensuring that you’re getting the most out of your beautiful high-definition video display. To do this, the HQV video processors built into better Blu-ray players employ sophisticated algorithms to alleviate the problems that often plague less-than-perfect video sources. HQV processors analyze multiple video fields at once to determine where frames match up and where they don’t, and even which objects are in motion within those frames. In analyzing the video signal over time, the processor also determines the proper frame rate or refresh rate of the original video signal—whether it’s a 24 fps film source or a 30 fps video source, for example—and makes sure that it is dealt with properly. HQV video processors are also great at minimizing video noise without scrubbing the image of all its fine detail, as well as restoring some of the detail that’s lost as a result of aggressive video filtering during the Blu-ray or DVD mastering process. And unlike some competing video processors, HQV processors boast enough processing power to keep up with the multiple video streams (picture-in-picture and split screen) found on many new Blu-ray discs.
Stream Netflix Movies Right Over Your Player
| Netflix, the world’s largest online movie rental service, has a library of more than 12,000 movies and television episodes available for streaming. You must be a Netflix subscriber in order to receive streaming video service. For Netflix customers you simply need to activate your new BluRay player to your existing Netflix account. Non-Netflix customers must first sign up for Netflix in order to utilize this feature-there is a monthly cost. |
BD-Live  BD-Live is a Blu-ray feature that enables you to access special content via an internet-connected Blu-ray player. Because it's not coded into the disc, BD-Live content is always updated, always fresh. With BD-Live, your Blu-ray disc is different every time you view it.
Check out the latest previews, download special scenes, exclusive features and ringtones, and participate in online communities or games.
As BD-Live continues to grow and expand, even more features will become available, customizing features and content to your location or preferences. Now, your disc k
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Bonus View
| Blu-ray Disc has 5x more storage capacity than DVD, which allows more content to fit on the disc. The extra storage capacity also means more room for special features like inline navigation, Bonus View, interactive games, deleted scenes, director commentary and more | Navigate to special features, other scenes, or settings without leaving the content you are watching.
| Bonus View lets you watch special features and commentary inline without leaving the movie.
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High Definition Soundtrack Support and Output
Providing a truly immersive HD home theater experience, Samsung's BD-P2500 is capable of decoding the latest high-resolution digital multichannel audio soundtracks available. Out of the box, the player can output Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD and dts as an uncompressed PCM signal, as a bitstream, or via the 7.1 analog outputs for cinematic sound that is comparable with the latest movie theaters. Additionally, dts-HD HR (High Resolution) decoding will become available with a firmware upgrade in the fall. The BD-P2500 will also pass these and dts-HD MA (Master Audio) as a bitstream output to a separate, external surround sound decoder.
HDMI Features x.v Color 
RGB Color Range
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xvYCC Color Range
| Thanks to the adoption of a newly approved international color standard called xvYCC (an option in the HDMI v1.3 spec, the color space has been greatly expanded.
All Sony XBR HDTVs support the xvYCC color profile (Extended YCC Colorimetry for Video Applications), or "x.v. color" for short. Standard RGB color space allows the display of a portion of the colors that are viewable to the human eye. The next generation "xvYCC" color space actually offers an available range of colors that exceeds what human eyes can recognize. - Next-generation "xvYCC" color space supports 1.8 times as many colors as existing HDTV signals
- Lets HDTVs display colors more accurately
- Enables displays with more natural and vivid colors
| Deep Color  | So, where x.v. color expands the available range of colors your HDTV can display, Deep Color increases the number of colors your HDTV can display within that range, for smoother transitions from color to color.
- Lets HDTVs and other displays go from millions of colors to billions of colors
- Eliminates on-screen color banding, for smooth tonal transitions and subtle gradations between colors
- Enables increased contrast ratio
- Can represent many times more shades of gray between black and white
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Specifications
Design - Piano black with chrome accents and touch pad controls
A/V Features - Compatible with BD Profile 2.0 (BD Live), Profile 1.1 (Bonus View), and Profile 1.0 interactivity features
- 1GB internal flash memory for BD Live
- Award-winning Hollywood Quality Video (HQV) processing
- 24fps film mode
- xvYCC Deep Color
- Selectable DVD upconversion (720p / 1080i / 1080p)
- Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD decoding
- dts-HD HR decoding via firmware update in the fall
- Dolby Digital Plus™, Dolby TrueHD, dts-HD HR / MA bitstream output
A/V Connections - 1 HDMI version 1.3 output with CEC (Anynet+)
- 1 component output
- 1 composite output
- 7.1-Channel analog audio outputs
- 1 optical digital audio output
- 1 Ethernet connection (for interactivity features and firmware upgrades only)
- 1 USB connection (for memory expansion and firmware upgrades only)
Playable Media - BD-ROM, DVD-ROM, DVD-R (V mode only), DVD-RW (V/VR mode), Audio CD, CD-R, CD-RW, AVCHD disc
Answers to Basic Questions About Blu-ray
What is Blu-ray?
Blu-ray is a new optical disc format with over five and a half times the storage capacity of a standard DVD (25 GB versus 4.5 GB). A dual-layer Blu-ray disc can hold up to 50 GB of information. With that increased storage, movie studios can finally provide movies on disc in high definition, offering 6x the resolution or image detail of DVD and up to 8 channels of lossless (better than CD quality) digital sound. The new format can also provide interactive features that go well above anything ever offered before.
Is Blu-ray different than HDTV?
HDTV, or high definition television, is a new broadcasting format that offers widescreen, high resolution images offering 6x the resolution or image detail of DVD, with up to 5.1 channels of digital audio. Until now, the signals were only available through over the air transmissions (via an antenna), or through digital cable and satellite signals. You can not get HD signals from a standard video tape or DVD. An HDTV is a high resolution video display that is capable of receiving and displaying these HDTV broadcasts or images. Blu-ray is a complement to your HDTV. It's a disc media format that has enough storage to include an entire movie, plus soundtracks and bonus materials, recorded in the high definition format. You can play Blu-ray discs back on your HDTV and see the same, if not better image and sound quality as you do from HDTV broadcasts.
What kind of TV do I need to enjoy Blu-ray?
You can play back Blu-ray movies on any TV with composite video or better inputs (not RF), but to get a worthwhile benefit from the format over DVD you'll want to have a high-definition television, or HDTV, with a vertical resolution higher than 480p, and preferably higher than 720p. Most Blu-ray titles can deliver an image with a vertical resolution of 1080i or 1080p. The more horizontal resolution the TV can reproduce, up to 1920 lines or pixels, the better.
How are Blu-ray discs different than regular DVDs?
Blu-ray discs are the same size as DVD or CD, but use a blue* laser to store and read data as opposed to the red laser used in DVDs and CDs. The blue laser's shorter wavelength, combined with a smaller aperture lens and a thinner cover layer on the disc makes it possible to create a smaller beam spot size capable of storing and reading much more, smaller information on the disc. A single-layer Blu-ray disc can hold 25 GB worth of data, compared to 4.5 on a standard DVD. A dual layer BD disc holds up to 50 GB. This translates into the ability to store a full 1080p HD image. This has a resolution consisting of 1920 by 1080 progressively scanned pixels, compared to standard DVD's 720 by 480 pixels. In addition, Blu-ray has much wider bandwidth than DVD, delivering signals at speeds up to 48 Mbps, six times faster than DVD's 8 Mbps, and nearly 2.5 times the data of an HDTV broadcast's 19.2 Mbps. *technically, it's violet, but who's keeping track?
Will Blu-ray discs play in my current DVD player?
No. You will need a Blu-ray player to be able to read the smaller, denser information found on a Blu-ray disc.
Will I be able to play standar DVDs on my Samsung Blu-ray player?
Yes. Blu-ray players are backwards compatible with your standard DVDs. They can also play CDs.
Is Blu-ray the same as HD DVD?
No. HD DVD was a competing format with less storage capacity than Blu-ray. With Toshiba, its primary champion announcing on February 19, 2008 that they would end production of HD DVD products, the few companies that were supporting the format announced that they would instead create products for the Blu-ray format.
What does up-conversion mean?
Consumers have over 50 years worth of material in standard definition formats. Up-conversion is the process of taking that existing, standard definition material and converting it (lines and pixels are copied to some degree) to the higher resolution needed to display those signals on an HDTV. When done well, the process can often improve picture quality, though it can't increase actual resolution. The quality of the up-converter, included in everything from up-converting standard DVD players to Blu-ray players and HDTVs, can often determine the quality of the picture.
What kind of cables, connections do I need to have to make Blu-ray work?
You will need either a 3-wire analog component (typically labeled Y, Pr and Pb) or an HDMI digital video connection between the BD player and the TV. The HDMI connection is preferable. Not only will it provide better image quality, but it will pass along higher resolution audio and control information, as well. You may get limited up-conversion options with standard DVDs when using the component connection.
What is firmware and do I need it?
Firmware is like computer software, or the instruction set in the player that tells the hardware what to do under various conditions. Insert a disc, and the firmware tells the player to read the disc. Press the Play button and the firmware tells the player to play the movie. Generally speaking, the firmware is invisible to the end user. But Blu-ray keeps evolving, and new features keep being created. With each new feature that a movie studio comes up with, hardware manufacturers have to release new instruction sets, or firmware, to deal with it. Samsung's ability to easily update the firmware in their BD players makes them one of the best in the business.
Who supports Blu-ray?
At this point, nearly everyone supports Blu-ray. All the major movie studios have announced that they would support Blu-ray with both new and catalog titles. Thousands of movies and music videos are already available. Most major electronics manufacturers have been supporting Blu-ray since the format's beginning.
Can I rent movies on Blu-ray?
Yes. Blockbuster, Hollywood Video and Netflix, among other places, offer Blu-ray titles for rent.
Are my regular DVDs obsolete?
Not by the definition Merriam Webster would use. You can still play your regular DVDs on your Blu-ray disc player, so they're still useful, but you'll want to replace them with Blu-ray versions as they become available in the new format so that you can enjoy the improved image and sound quality.
Is the only benefit to Blu-ray the video quality? Why should I upgrade to Blu-ray?
You will probably upgrade because of the video quality, but you may also appreciate the improved sound quality available on some players as well as the advanced interactive features. Blu-ray offers the latest generation audio codecs that can play back up to 8 channels of surround sound with improved audio quality over that of standard 5.1 digital soundtracks. This includes Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS High Resolution and DTS Master Audio. Blu-ray also offers advanced bonus features that can include interactive game features or picture-in-picture commentary tracks, not to mention additional features that could be downloaded after the disc has been produced.
Do I need to buy a new home theater system?
You don't need a new audio system, but you should at least have a surround system (five speakers and ideally a subwoofer) with Dolby Digital or DTS audio decoding to hear the theater-like audio experience that is available on Blu-ray. Some BD players offer more advanced audio codecs that provide even better quality sound through up to 8 channels of surround.
What do all these audio formats mean?
You can hear better-than theater-like audio at home. As George Lucas has said, sound is 50% of the movie experience. With the right audio equipment, you can hear up to 7.1 channels of sound that is no different than what the recording engineers heard in the mixing room.
What's the benefit of 24p?
Movies are recorded on film at 24 frames per second (fps). Video is recorded and played back at 60 frames per second. Movies must be converted to 60 frames before being played back on your TV. Blu-ray discs record movie content in the original 24 frame format, and convert the signal within the player to output at 60 fps for standard HDTVs. Some current HDTVs, like Samsung's Auto Motion Plus 120Hz models, and undoubtedly more future ones, can accept and play back the 24 frame signal without the intermediary conversion to 60 fps, which can offer a smoother, more natural-looking image.
What does Profile 1.0, 1.1, 2.0 mean?
Blu-ray's specifications for video are broken into three profiles, each with its own set of hardware and software requirements. Profile 1.0 gave hardware manufacturers a grace period to create players that were capable of Blu-ray video playback, but didn't need to meet the final standard profile requirements. This grace period ended October 31, 2007. These players, while not able to take advantage of all of Blu-ray's promised extra content, will provide full 1080p video playback.
Profile 1.1, also known as BonusView, makes certain requirements mandatory: picture-in-picture, secondary audio mixing, a minimum of 256MB of memory (built-in or removable), and the incorporation of a virtual file system. Players created and sold after October 31, 2007 are required to meet the Profile 1.1 specification, and therefore will take advantage of 1.1-enabled bonus materials on certain BD discs.
BD-Live (Profile 2.0) makes mandatory all parts of Profile 1.1, but increases the memory requirement to 1GB and adds the hardware requirement of a network connection. This specification enables the even-more interactive web-based bonus material found on discs that provide such content. |
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 Best feature-set for the money, vastly improved quality control from Samsung |
| Review Date: November 14, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Tom and Marie Brandt, |
I went to the big-box stores ready to buy a new Blu-Ray(BD)player and figured I would make my final decision of either the Panasonic BD-50 or the Sony BDP-S550 once I got there, as these are the two most popular BD players that offer what I want. Analog outputs were a must for me, since my Onkyo receiver only has HDMI passthrough. But surprisngly the one that caught my eye was the Samsung BDP-2500 for $75 less than either of the other models. It seemingly offered every feature that I needed/wanted including 7.1 analog outputs, USB and ethernet ports and now had a firmware update available with the Netflix streaming "Watch-now" Service to boot, which was a feature that greatly interested me on the pricier LG BD-300, the only other player to offer this feature so far. So with a 15% coupon that the big-box store mailed me to thank me for my purchase of my Samsung LN52A650, I picked it up for under $300, not bad since retail was $500 on this machine under 2 months ago. My only other BD player that I have owned to date is my PS3, so I don't have a ton of experience evaluating BD player quality. But here are my early impressions; The Samsung BD picture is equal to if not slightly better than the PS3. Not only my own impression but 3 adult family members who have watched numerous movies on each player, on my TV, so that says something. But while BD quality is fairly close wit h a slight edge to the BDP-2500, where the BDP-2500 shines is Standard-Def(SD) movies. The upscaling is simply amazing. It is not even close, it simply blows away the PS3 in this category. For the technical types out there, this is due to the Samsung's use of the Reon HQV video-processing chip. The chip is critically-acclaimed in tech circles and is used in Denon and some Toshiba BD players. So if you feel you will continue watching your collection of standard-def DVD's, this machine scores big points here.
To address one of the other reviews that the buyer had issues with firmware updates. I have had no problem whatsoever with either the process of upgrading the firmware nor any issues with the player's performance after upgrading. I personally recommend using the USB upgrade method over the network and CD methods. After the upgrade, Netflix Streaming video worked very good, although it should be noted that the Netflix streaming system does not stream in HD quality at this point. It is similiar in quality to a standard DVD.At some point, I'm sure it will go to HD, but don't know when. It's just nice to have fairly future-proof player for when it does. I know that Samsung has had some issues with previous BD players such as the BDP-1200 and even the current BDP-1500, but from what I've read and experienced, this machine is a marked improvement and hopefully approaches the awesome quality of their LCD TV line.
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Best bluray player for the money
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| Review Date: November 21, 2008 |
| Reviewer: T. Seymour, |
I decided not to skimp and not buy one of the "cheapo" entry level bluray players after hearing how slow most were and also how most were stripped of inputs and other functions.After doing alot of research, talking with a friend who bought this bluray player, and after trying out several units in the stores themselves, i decided that the Samsung BD-P2500 was the best Bluray player features/quality vs. cost and i've been extremely happy with the player since the day i picked it up.Not only is the color,picture, dvd upscaling better than most other bluray players, it blows away the new Sony BD350 AND BD550.
One piece of advice.The BD-P2500 IS NOT for the novice or someone that doesn't want to spend the extra money(over a bargain/starter bluray player)for a Home Theater quality,profile 2.0 Bluray player.It has ALOT of features that require some learning to get to know how to use(
like the ability to upgrade the firmware with a usb 2.0 memory stick and pc. |
Works great with wireless LAN
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| Review Date: January 20, 2009 |
| Reviewer: T&T, Colorado Springs, CO |
First, I love this blu-ray player. Not just for the requisite amazing HD picture and sound, but for the best-in-class upscaling for plain DVDs. I thought I wouldn't really use the additional Netflix and Pandora streaming features (a rare treat on this specific Samsung model, BD-P2500), but I have to admit, I'm hooked on those as well! Netflix movies are delivered straight to the unit (some even in HD), and Pandora Internet Radio is a dream. It creates smart playlists that I swear are from my own personal iPod collection, but sound a heck of a lot better through my stereo. Best of all, Pandora services are FREE, plus they work well over my wireless LAN. Both Netflix and Pandora are extremely easy to use. You simply queue instant movies on your home computer (via the Netflix site), and your blu-ray player is smart enough to retrieve accordingly. Pandora asks you for a few "radio stations" upfront (i.e., the names of a few of your favorite bands), and then tailors personalized music accordingly.
I LOVE THE INTERNET-ENABLED FEATURES, BUT WANT TO RUN THINGS WIRELESSLY, LIKE EVERY OTHER SMART SYSTEM IN THE HOME...
If you're like me, you won't want to run an Ethernet cable into your living room to the blu-ray player to enable BD-live, Netflix streaming, and Pandora services. So, you may ask, "The player has a hard-wired Ethernet port. Can I use it wirelessly?"
Answer: Yes, but you'll need an aftermarket adapter. I purchased the Linksys Dual-Band Wireless-N Gaming Adapter and connected it to the player. It was mind-numbingly easy to install on the BD player. I first hooked the wireless adapter to my laptop, installed the included Linksys software, configured the adapter to find my wireless network, entered the WEP key, unplugged it, and plugged it into the BD player's Ethernet port. The Samsung did the rest, automatically created an Internet connection to my wireless router, and no additional configuration was required. Internet quality/reception is great, even through my old Linksys WRT54G wireless router.
Glitches: The only glitch I found was first trying to get Netflix to work. It would keep hanging and posting error messages that directed me to the Netflix help pages--which weren't much of a help at all. The solution was downloading firmware updates until I reached the most recent one. Note that firmware updates for this unit appear to be sequential; You have to download and install a couple until you get the latest update. Bottom line, once you have the system connected to your home Internet network, keep trying updating the firmware until the player tells you that you have the latest update. (Firmware updates are easy; simply access the "options" page in the built-in menu.)
Enjoy! |
LG BD300 vs. Samsung BD-P2500 / 2550 -- a clear winner!!
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| Review Date: December 11, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Kaio, Santa Monica, CA |
I was sold on the LG BD300 since I first heard about it a year ago and have been waiting for it ever since. I was planning on getting it until I heard about the Samsung BD-P2500 and figured I should at least research it a little before buying the LG, and boy am I glad I did!! That's when I found out Samsung made a sister model to the 2500, the BD-P2550. The 2500 and 2550 are identical except except for one feature, the 2550 adds Pandora Internet Radio. A small difference, you might think, but Pandora takes the purchase to a whole other level of enjoyment! As you can deduce, I ended up buying the Samsung 2550 and absolutely LOVE it! But since the 2500 and 2550 are so similar, and I've encountered a lot of people trying to decide between Samsung 2500/2550 and LGBD300, I figured I'd add my 2cents.
The main things that turned me off LG and onto Samsung were:
1- Samsung BD-P2550 has Pandora. I wasn't sure if I'd use this service or not so went to the website to check it out. I have to say, I really like the service and have been making good use of it via the Samsung. Sure, you can listen to Pandora on your computer, and maybe even hook up your computer to your home stereo system. But having it there and ready to go on the Samsung has been great! I really love it and love that I can listen on my home theater setup. I also have TVersity streaming to my home theater setup via my DirecTV receiver, and its possible TVersity can pick up Pandora too, but it would be lacking the same interface available on the Samsung BD-P2550, and the menus look great on my plasma TV. The Pandora feature alone beats the LG BD300 in my opinion, and the little extra money for the Samsung is more than worth it to me.
2- LG has NO internal flash memory while the Samsung has 1gb flash. This is useful for BD Live features and makes the experience easier and more enjoyable.
3-Samsung's video upscaling of regular DVDs is SUPERB! I'm very picky about video quality and I thought the picture looked spectacular. This is due to the superior chipset inside the Samsung, which LG is lacking. And naturally, Blu Ray disks look awesome too.
I admit, I never tried the LG so I'm not making a true test-drive comparison here. All I can say is I was totally sold on the LG and waiting a year for its release, but in the end, I'm glad I picked Samsung BD-P2550 at the last minute.
A word about Firmware updates:
Updates are easiest if you hook up your player to the internet via the network port on the back. This is also the only way to get BD Live content, so you may want to hook it up that way if you can. The player automatically configures the network settings and connects to the internet automatically. My player did need a firmware update, but the process was very simple. Just select the upgrade from the player's setup menu and it takes care of the installation by itself. The upgrade only took about 20min, then the player rebooted and I was good to go. No issues. No hassle. No sweat.
I have to give the Samsung BD-P2550 Blu-Ray player top marks. It's truly awesome and I'm glad I got it. I bought a Toshiba HD player last year before the bottom fell out on HD-DVD and then returned to Amazon for a full refund. I didn't mind returning it since most the disks I tried playing locked up and wouldn't play. But I was disappointed HD-DVD died. But in the end, everything worked out for the best and I'm very happy with this Samsung. And no disk lockups as with the HD-DVD I tried last year.
Incidentally, Netflix streaming actually looks pretty good considering it's not HD. And soon they'll be streaming HD quality, so that'll be cool to try. Maybe I won't even need to rent disks anymore and will just stream everything. Also, the player's menus and interface are clean and easy to use and it was a breeze to setup the player with my Harmony 1000 remote.
So between Netflix, Pandora, superior DVD upscaling and superb Blu-Ray picture, it's hard to beat the Samsung BD-P2550. It's a giant leap into future technology and will remain cutting edge for years to come. It's awesome!! Go for it!!!! |
Everything I expected and more
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| Review Date: February 15, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Bryan Byrd, Earth |
I first began looking at blu-ray in oct/nov of last year, and I haunted these reviews and online AV forums for the next three months looking for the best player. Since I received a lot of information through Amazon (from whom I evenutally purchased this player), I felt it was the least I could do to return the favor.
If you have been searching for a player for any length of time, you know that no single model or brand is without its detractors. At various times I considered Sony and Panasonic, and came very close to buying the Panasonic DMP-BD30K 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player. In the end, I went with the Samsung for two reasons - the other items in my home entertainment system were Samsung also, and the streaming Netflix feature. I can't compare the Samsung BD-P2500 with other blu-ray players, but I can describe my experiences after three weeks.
I ordered this player on a weekend, and it arrived on the following Wednesday, using the cheapest shipping offered. The item was well packed, nestled in some formed styrofoam inside the manufacturer's box and then the entire thing placed in another box and padded with air packets. There is no assembly required, and installation takes less than five minutes.
Right or wrong, I felt that if all the components of my AV system were the same brand, I'd have fewer compatability problems. And according to my research online and in stores, Samsung had the best customer satisfaction. After nearly a month with television, home theater audio and blu-ray player, I'm extremely happy with every piece. I don't know if my original reasoning bears out, but I do know I haven't had any problems with interoperability between components.
Samsung also features a communication option called Anynet+, which will allow different components to talk with one another, and allows me to control multiple pieces with one remote. It works, but I'd give this feature a C grade. It has taken me three weeks of experimenting to get comfortable with it, and I suspect I still haven't gotten it down completely. At some point, I'll probably look into buying an all in one remote anyway, because even though the components all work together, when you add cable or satellite, you still have another remote to juggle. If you were leaning toward this player over another based on the Anynet+ feature alone, I'd look for some other criteria by which to judge them. In my experience, it doesn't add that much value.
The value comes out in the picture, which is literally eye-popping. At the time of purchase, I also bought 6 blu-ray discs (Iron Man, Transformers, King Kong, Sleeping Beauty, Meet the Robinsons, and Encounters at the End of the Word), and they have played without a single hitch. No sound drop, no loading problems, no stuck discs - just a beautiful picture. I've read reviews that complained about the load time for blu-ray players, so maybe my expectations were lowered, but I don't think this player takes any more time to load than a conventional DVD player does. (If you use the Anynet+ feature to power up and load, it will take a few extra minutes). I've also read about this player not being able to read certain discs. So far, I haven't had that problem either, and aside from the discs I own, I've also rented others.
The upconversion capabilities of this player are unreal. I popped in a regular edition of 'Master and Commander' not long after getting everything set up, and while I could tell that, yes, it wasn't a blu-ray disc, I couldn't see enough difference in picture quality to justify replacing my old disc. Not all DVDs are as impressive as that one was, but I doubt there will be any need to double dip as older titles I already own are released on blu-ray. Especially films from the seventies and earlier. The only exceptions I can think of are films that are noted for the cinematography as well as the storyline (Apocalypse Now, Lord of the Rings, Etc.)
I have only used this player while hooked up with HDMI 1.3 cables, so I can't compare to other methods, but I know that 6-Foot Gold-Plated HDMI v1.3b CAT 2 Cable Male to Male for HD HDTV High Definition Digital Multimedia Audio / Video (Retail, RoHS, UL Compliant) are a ridiculously cheap and easy way to connect this player to other devices. These are the cables I use, and though I haven't tried any others, I can't see how the more expensive cables could make a difference. The picture I get right now is better than some store displays I've seen.
If I were to knock anything about this player, it would be its tendency to forget the resolution setting once you turn the unit off. Sometimes when you turn it back on, the resolution is set to 1080i instead of 1080p. I've not timed it, but to reset the resolution takes approximately 1 minute, so for me, it isn't a big deal. I also can't be sure it's not my fault for this instead of the machine's.
The other reason I went with this player initially was its ablility to stream Netflix movies, and I've found that this feature has become more important to me than I would have thought. I'd not had a Netflix account beforehand, and I set one up specifically to see how well it would work with the player. To do this, I ran an ethernet line from my modem to the player (about 60 feet, strung down and across the basement ceiling and back up again - a real pain), though I'm still not sure if I couldn't have found a way to do this wirelessly. Since I already have the line ran, it doesn't matter to me anymore, but if your set-up and house are configured in such a way as to make hard wiring difficult, it may be worth checking into.
Back to the service itself, though. I doubt I'll ever buy another DVD again, (which is something Amazon probably doesn't want to hear). Not all of their titles are available for instant streaming, but I think they'll end up offering more and more as time goes on. Even what they offer now is impressive, and easily keeps me in movies while I'm waiting for others to arrive in the mail. The way we racked up late fees from our local video store, I know in the short time we've had the service we've already come out ahead. I would suggest though that you ask around first and found out how well the area you live in is for streaming movies. I know that some areas have bandwidth hogs and even though you might be hooked up to a broadband service, you won't always be able to stream high quality.
In addition to streaming Netflix, as soon as I hooked up the ethernet line, the player prompted me with a firmware update. I was nervous at first - everything had been working fine up to that point, and I'm a big believer in 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'. But after the update, everything is still working just as advertised. All in all, I'd highly recommend this player. I do think there are a few glitches, as I've mentioned above, but not nearly enough to downgrade its rating. If anything, the 'glitches' only apply to some of the bells and whistles. As far as doing what it's supposed to do, which is play blu-ray discs and upconvert regular discs, then it's everything I expected and more. |
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