Samsung BD-P1000 Blu-ray player

Features
Blu-ray disc playback is the major feature of the Samsung BD-P1000. Blu-ray discs deliver higher audio and video quality than standard DVDs, and they should outperform broadcast HDTV sources, including over-the-air, cable, and satellite high-def. Another appeal of Blu-ray is the format's potential for more interactive features and advanced menu systems than traditional DVDs. The rival HD-DVD format offers pretty much all of the same enhancements as Blu-ray, and the Samsung BD-P1000 cannot play HD-DVD discs--just as the rival HD-DVD player, Toshiba's HD-A1, cannot play Blu-ray discs.

The pop-up menu is one of the cooler features of Blu-ray and the Samsung BD-P1000. It overlays the action without stopping playback, so you can browse scenes and special features while the movie continues playing. Other Blu-ray features include a scene search, which is designed to let you easily find actors, characters, and scenes in a film. None of the Blu-ray discs we had on hand had this feature activated, so we couldn't test it. There's a marker key that creates a bookmark, so you can quickly return to particular scenes; HD-DVD also has this feature.

	An onboard 10-in-1 card reader for MP3 and JPEG playback. (Click for larger image)

Unlike other (as yet unreleased) Blu-ray players, the Samsung BD-P1000 has two card readers on the front panel, which enable it to display digital photos and play MP3 files from 10 types of flash media (CompactFlash; Micro Drive; Memory Stick; Memory Stick Pro, Duo, and Duo Pro; SD; MMC; miniSD; and RS-MMC). We tried an SD card with photos from a 5-megapixel camera, and the Samsung displayed them at high resolution, although it took an agonizing 5 seconds or so to switch from one photo to the next.

Otherwise, the Samsung BD-P1000 has a feature set similar to that of any upconverting DVD player. Its output bay includes an HDMI output, a component-video output, and an S-video and composite-video output. Naturally, you'll need to use the component-video or HDMI output to get the high-def resolutions that make Blu-ray discs look best. Unlike current HD-DVD players, the Samsung BD-P1000 can output 1080p video via its HDMI output. While 1080p is technically a better format than 1080i, it's very difficult in practice to tell the difference between the two. As with the Toshiba player, the Samsung's component-video outputs are subject to image constraint, a copy-protection scheme that give studios the option to limit resolution on titles they choose. So far, no discs in either format exercise image constraint.

	A generous bundle comprising composite-video, component-video and HDMI cables. (Click for larger image)

In terms of audio, the Samsung BD-P1000 includes both optical and coaxial digital outputs and a set of 5.1-channel analog audio outputs. For some strange reason, the 5.1-channel audio outputs will only pass two-channel stereo from the Dolby Digital soundtracks of DVDs. The HDMI output can also pass digital audio.

Like HD-DVDs, Blu-ray discs can include improved versions of standard surround soundtracks. These Dolby True HD, Dolby Digital Plus, and DTS-HD soundtracks offer improved bit rates, lossless compression, and as many as 7.1 channels of discrete audio tracks, providing the potential for much more realistic and lifelike sound than DVD's Dolby Digital and DTS tracks. Of course, you'll need an audio system that can handle such soundtracks, and most current A/V receivers aren't quite ready yet.

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