Samsung BD-P1000 Blu-ray player

By David Katzmaier
Sep 14, 2006

As the sole settop representative of the Blu-ray camp, the Samsung BD-P1000 currently stands as the only unit that can play back Blu-ray movies. If that matters to you, then you might be in the tiny portion of the HDTV-owning population to whom this US$1,000 first-generation player could possibly appeal. For everyone else, this review is less buying advice than a referendum on an emerging format war. Which is better, Blu-ray or HD-DVD? Well, after comparing the image quality of both the Samsung BD-P1000 and the Toshiba HD-A1 using the highest-performance 1080p display we had available (see Performance), we can say the nod goes to HD-DVD for consistency of picture quality. Most Blu-ray titles still look spectacular compared to DVD, and others less so, and since both formats are in their infancies, we expect the video quality of both HD-DVD and Blu-ray discs to keep getting better. In other words, the battle is just beginning, and the Samsung BD-P1000's performance in this review has almost nothing to do with which one, if any, disc format will eventually succeed DVD.

With all that said, the Samsung BD-P1000 is in many ways less satisfying than a regular DVD player. Discs still take a long time to load, we encountered more than our share of operational hiccups, and to really enjoy its considerable capabilities, you'll need a large-screen, high-resolution display. If you have such a screen and a good deal of disposable income, then you might as well add the BD-P1000 to your rack next to your Toshiba HD-DVD player. If not, do yourself a favor and wait until generation two.

Editors' note: This review has been updated and re-rated to reflect testing of Toshiba's HD-DVD player as well as Samsung's admission that the BD-P1000 suffers from a manufacturing flaw that adversely affects its video quality. Existing owners of the BD-P1000 will be able to address the flaw when Samsung releases a firmware update, tentatively scheduled for September. We'll update this review as soon as the firmware fix becomes available. Additional testing was also conducted by CNET Asia on a variety of equipment including a Sony VPL-VW100 1080P projector, 100-inch Stewart projection screen and Blu-ray software, courtesy of an www.xtremeplace.com forum member. On the whole, the Samsung exhibited softer images compared with a Toshiba HD-XA1 in our critique using commercially available Hollywood titles, though this was less apparent on smaller displays such as the Hitach 42PD8900TA and Samsung LA32R71. That said, we were treated to sharp visuals from a supplied Samsung demo disc loaded with excerpts and trailers of upcoming Blu-ray titles and native HD clips.

Design
The Samsung BD-P1000 is one slick-looking component. Its midsize case is glossy black on all sides, and its face is split in half with black on top and an angled silver strip below, similar to the one found on the company's televisions. The LED display remained completely hidden in the black area until we turned on the unit. When we hit the power key--one of two buttons on the face in addition to a four-way play/pause-stop-skip toggle--it and the toggle became illuminated in blue, as did a Blu-ray logo on the disc drawer. While the light show certainly enforces the color associated with the Blu-ray format, we found it annoying after a while, and although the LED display can be dimmed, there's no option to ease or turn off the blue lights.

	A simple and functional remote controller with multifunctional capability. (Click for larger image)

A front-panel button cycles between HDMI, component-video, and standard-definition outputs, but to change resolutions, you'll have to go into the onscreen menu. This isn't a big deal--we expect most people will set the resolution once, according to the capabilities of their displays, and forget it. There's also a memory card reader on the front panel, hidden behind a hatch in the silver section at the bottom.

Samsung's remote doesn't have much style, but it's easier to operate by feel than the cooler-looking silver wand bundled with the Toshiba HD-A1. Sure, we would have appreciated more than five glow-in-the-dark keys on a player that costs US$1,000, but by the same token, we expect most of the player's well-heeled audience to quickly replace the included clicker with a universal model. One other annoyance: The prominent menu key at the upper left of the cursor control should conjure the pop-up Blu-ray disc menu, but it actually accesses the player's setup menu.

• Most Popular

• Upcoming

Latest Downloads

 

What's Hot