Samsung BD-P1500 - Pleasantly Surprised! - Page 2

Re: Samsung BD-P1500 - Pleasantly Surprised!

Go to AVS forum and look for the P1500 threads under BD players. They have photos posted there.

Re: Samsung BD-P1500 - Pleasantly Surprised!

I can only find pictures of the front of it.

I was looking for visual proof it did not have 5.1 analog output which has been reported both ways.

Re: Samsung BD-P1500 - Pleasantly Surprised!

You can download the manual. It shows only 2 channel analog outputs on the back.

Re: Samsung BD-P1500 - Pleasantly Surprised!

Only if you are referring to analog output. If one is using HDMI output, TrueHD decoding is 5.1 multichannel PCM.

Re: Samsung BD-P1500 - Pleasantly Surprised!

Here's my comments on the new 1500 I put together...

This is my fourth personally owned standalone Blu-ray player, not including the PS3, which I have owned since it was first released. Additionally, I have had all but two of all Blu-ray players in my system for evaluation. Only the Samsung BD-P1200 and Panasonic BD10 have escaped my steely gaze . Of all the players I have owned and tested, only the Panasonic BD30 was good enough to last in my system more than a month. I recently sold the BD30 after some five months because I felt the newly updated PS3 was going to satisfy my needs and wants. After only a couple of weeks without a standalone player, I was already looking for another one. The PS3 certainly has its well documented strengths, but it is still not the same thing as a standalone player, and for someone that is not in any way into the gaming culture, the PS3 simply doesn't "feel" like a home theater component. With this as the basis for my comments, here is my take on the new Samsung BD-P1500.

For audio, I use the Denon AVR-4308ci receiver with a full 7.1 speaker configuration. The Denon is HDMI 1.3 with decoding of all advanced audio codecs. The 1500, like the Panasonic BD30 before it, is a simple single HDMI cable from player to receiver for a digital connection of all audio and video. All audio decoding is done in the Denon receiver, and the 1500 outputs all advanced codecs correctly. Although the newly updated PS3 now decodes DTS-HD MA audio, as well as TrueHD, I found that losing the ability to send the native audio bitstream to the receiver was one feature I missed most after getting rid of the BD30. You can spare me the "it's all PCM and all sounds the same" spiel. Most of the people that say this haven't listened extensively to both (PS3) player decoding and bitstreaming to a quality AVR. Not saying they're wrong, only saying they don't really know. Suffice to say, my stated preference is to send the native bitsteam audio to a receiver for the audio heavy lifting, at least with the gear I've used in my own system.

Video is primarily a Sony VPL-VW60 shooting on a 106" Dalite Cinemavision 1.3 gain white screen in a light controlled room. Also available is a 65" Mitsubishi WD-65831 DLP TV. Both accept 24p input, but only the Sony PJ refreshes at an even multiple of 24 (96 Hz). All critical viewing is on the Sony projection rig. No EDID issues with any of the components in this system. All 24p capable players I have used, including the new Samsung, have output 24p. In the case of the new Sammy 1500, I will point out that 24p output appears correct out of the box, unlike the previous 1400.

So, how does it look and perform? In a word, pretty damn good (okay, three words). Basic video performance on Blu-ray disc is easily top tier. The new Sammy is in the same class as the best Sonys, Pioneers, and the Panasonic BD30. Video quality among the best performing BD players is very, very close. While I would not necessarily say the 1500 is better than any other player I have seen, it is certainly no worse than the best I have seen. I would rate the overall HD video performance of the 1500 a half step above the PS3.

Strengths of the video section are excellent black level, sharpness and detail, color reproduction, and smoothness of the image. Shadow detail is as good as I have seen on my system, and perhaps the most visible improvement over the PS3, which seems a bit more prone to crushing detail in black by comparison. The 1500 does not lighten the image at all, there is simply a bit more dynamic range in the dark areas of an image. The exceptional range of black level also seems to add a bit more depth and dimensionality to the best transfers.

The 1500 is not lacking at all in sharpness and reproduction of fine detail, yet there is less "shimmering" in grainy images than I see with the PS3. This is very noticeable in the opening black and white sequence of Casino Royale. With the PS3, some parts of the image are "alive" with shimmering grain. This is still visible on the 1500, though noticeably less shimmering without loss of detail. More film-like, if you will.

On the "nuts & bolts" side, the 1500 is much improved over previous Samsung models in terms of disc loading and Java performance. Disc load times are between 45 and 65 seconds for Java discs and as quick as ~25 seconds for discs without the "benefit" of Java programming. Overall disc load times are slightly slower than the PS3 and about equal to the Panasonic BD30, which makes the 1500 one of the best standalone players in this regard.

One other note, Samsung has designed the player to spit out the disc drawer extremely quickly. With the player off, pressing the eject button results in tray eject in about 5 seconds (yeah, 5 seconds). I will add that the player continues to boot after the tray opens. The player isn't really ready to play for about 30 seconds after turn on. Menu navigation is very quick with no noticeable lag, even on Java heavy menus like Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.

This being Blu-ray, BD Profile features are important now. The 1500 is final standard Profile 1.1 out of the box. The player does have an Ethernet port, ostensibly for firmware updates, but also allows Samsung to make the 1500 BD Live ready, as noted on the box, but not in the manual. A future firmware update will add full BD Live (BD 2.0) capability. Samsung has also included a dedicated "Bonusview" button on the remote to make accessing Profile 1.1 features on those discs that have them easier.

A couple of disc compatibility notes. Samsung does not claim compatibility with DVD+R media. However, I played a DVD+R and a DVD+R DL with not problems. The manual states the player will not play divx, avi, mpg, mov, wma, mp3, or jpeg content. I have verified the US model of the 1500 will not play PAL video as well.

Cosmetics are obviously a subjective topic, but for the record, I happen to very much like the approach Samsung has taken with the 1500. The front panel is completely flat and smooth and, except for the "Samsung" logo and a few button icons, totally black. This also makes it difficult to find the IR sensor for those (like me) that use stick-on emitters for a RF/IR remote control system. It's on the upper right side of the player face a couple of inches to the left of the button group.

Some will say the build quality is flimsy, and it is. The player is very light, about 6 lbs. This is what one should expect of a $399 Blu-ray player. Obviously, physical weight does not directly correlate to technical performance for a product like this. Just be happy you won't need help getting it out of the box .

(Availability note - this player is just now (mid-May) beginning to show up at some Best Buys and Walmarts around the US. It is not yet widely available. List price is $399, which is what Best Buy is currently selling it for. Walmart, those that have it, sells it for $348)

Re: Samsung BD-P1500 - Pleasantly Surprised!

Thank you, Robert, for such a thorough discussion of the merits and qualities of this player.

How about its DVD upconversion capability?

Re: Samsung BD-P1500 - Pleasantly Surprised!

Only limited evaluation of SD DVD performance, and no "torture test" material. First impression of DVD performance is pretty good. I'll do some more comparison between the 1500 and the other players in my system (PS3, HD-A35, Pioneer Elite DV-59AVi) in the coming days.

Re: Samsung BD-P1500 - Pleasantly Surprised!

Thanks for the excellent review.

One thing that I've noticed so far is that all the retailers, even Walmart and Sams, have been holding close to the MSRP of Blu-Ray players. Now, all of a sudden, Walmart has it significantly lower than everyone else, at least for now. Does Walmart have a special arrangement with Samsung? Will this be the opening round of some price drops?

Re: Samsung BD-P1500 - Pleasantly Surprised!

Thanks, Robert. I'd appreciate it (I'm sure others will, too), and will look forward to your comments.

Re: Samsung BD-P1500 - Pleasantly Surprised!

Great to hear. I'm not looking for a standalone right now -- quite happy w/ the PS3 though I already needed to replace what seems to be a bad HDD -- but it's great to hear nonetheless that Samsung has finally put out what looks to be an excellent value BD player. Certainly would make it easier to recommend a player to family and friends sooner rather than later, if this Samsung pans out great.

Thanks for the review, Robert.

_Man_

Re: Samsung BD-P1500 - Pleasantly Surprised!

I have been reading comments over at AVS and several users there have been plagued with audio dropouts with this player.

Has anyone here using it had this problem? I am anxious to get this unit, but I'm not interested if it's got audio issues.

Thanks.

Re: Samsung BD-P1500 - Pleasantly Surprised!

Thanks, Jay. I think I'm pretty much sold. I have a PS3 which I like a lot, but as a reviewer, I'd feel more comfortable with another Blu-ray player here in case something happens to the PS3.

Re: Samsung BD-P1500 - Pleasantly Surprised!

This is my first blu-ray player and I have played 7 discs: "20 Million Miles to Earth", "Total Recall", "Mission Impossible", "The Untouchables", "Casino Royale", "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" and "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" so far without any audio dropouts. I can only connect to my receiver via optical, but run hdmi from the player to the plasma flatscreen video-wise. I'm enjoying it along with my hdA3. My collection is small, 42 hd-dvds and 12 blu-rays.

Re: Samsung BD-P1500 - Pleasantly Surprised!

Mr. George,
First off, I hope I'm sending this to the right place as I am new to this stuff. I really appreciated your review of the Samsung BD-P1500 and was hoping you could lend your obvious expertise to a decision I need to make. I am looking to purchase my first Blu-ray player to replace a Toshiba HD-A2 in my home theater. I have a Panasonic PT-AE900U projector (720p) and a Denon AVR-1907 (no HDMI) with Def Tech speakers. So, here we go. Do you have any experience with the Sony BDP-S301 (Sony's big box store version of their S300) and how it might compare to the Samsung 1500? The Samsung can be bought for $380 plus $60 for a 4 year protection plan ($440 plus tax) whereas the Sony can be purchased for $378 plus tax, comes with an HDMI cable and Costco will take it back for any reason from now until the end of time. So I guess my questions are:
1. Is the Sony any good? Crap is still crap even if it's cheaper.
2. Is there another player, considering the limits of my receiver, that I should be looking at as spending a few extra bucks wouldn't kill me? I really don't fully understand the higher end sound stuff and don't even know if I would be able to really appreciate it with the system I'm running.
Thank you in advance for your time.
Best wishes,
David

Re: Samsung BD-P1500 - Pleasantly Surprised!

David,

I do have some experience with the Sony S300. While I do consider the S300 a good performer on BD image quality, I pretty much hate it for everything else, most particularly the incredibly slow disc loading. This is also "only" a profile 1.0 player and the Samsung is 1.1 out of the box, and will be 2.0 at some point.

If your choice is between the Samsung 1500 and the Sony S301, that's a no-brainer as far as I'm concerned. Samsung wins easily.

That said, I did get a look at Sony's upcoming BDP-S350 yesterday, and I think the perception of BD player performance may be in for a change soon. This player won't be available for several weeks yet (middle to end of July), but what I saw of it yesterday might warrant waiting until you can get a real world comparison between the Samsung and the new Sony. Assuming you can wait that long.

Re: Samsung BD-P1500 - Pleasantly Surprised!

Thanks. I believe I can hold out until these newer players are released.

Re: Samsung BD-P1500 - Pleasantly Surprised!

I got my hands on one of these and hooked it up today. I only watched a few minutes of ENCHANTED just to make sure video was working at 1080p/24 and audio with Dolby TrueHD. Both were terrific.

Tonight, I'll watch the entire movie to see it in operation for an entire film. I'll also put in a James Bond sDVD - likely GOLDFINGER - to see its upconversion capabilities.

Re: Samsung BD-P1500 - Pleasantly Surprised!

There is currently an online deal for this player (bundled with the Matrix Collection) ... can anybody make any recommendations on this player versus waiting a few months for more christmas deals? Knowing my own personality, I'm more concerned with Disc Startup times, versus BD Live capabilities (2.0).

Re: Samsung BD-P1500 - Pleasantly Surprised!

The most recent reviews I've read on line and in trade magazines have all been very positive as have been my experiences with the player.

As for start and load times, it's not as fast as a PS3 (which I also own), but it isn't as long as the Toshiba HD-DVD machine I have either.

If you have a receiver that decodes the new lossless codecs, this is a fantastic machine for Blu-ray output, and I also very much like its upconverting capabilities even more than the PS3. If you need 5.1 analog outputs to get the new lossless codecs via PCM, this is not the machine for you. It also doesn't internally decode DTS-MA though it does internally decode Dolby TrueHD if you'd rather the player to decode the audio rather than passing the bitstream to a receiver.

Re: Samsung BD-P1500 - Pleasantly Surprised!

I have an Onkyo TX-DS898, so its an older receiver, which can take coaxial and optical inputs. Although I understand I won't be able to get the newer lossless audio formats, I should be able to get something equivalent to the DD5.1 that DVD offers, right?

Re: Samsung BD-P1500 - Pleasantly Surprised!

Absolutely. You'll get a higher bitrate lossy audio that will sound very good in comparison to the mixes on regular DVDs.

Re: Samsung BD-P1500 - Pleasantly Surprised!

I got in on the Amazon deal (with the free Matrix set) last week. Initial boot time is comparable to my Toshiba HD-A2 (approximately 40 seconds). The initial loading of a disc is also on par with the A2 (roughly 10 seconds after the tray is closed before the disc begins to play).

Given all of the horror stories I have heard about unacceptable loading times from stand-alone Blu-ray players, I was pleasantly surprised to see that discs load almost as quickly as my PlayStation 3. All-in-all loading times for the BD-P1500 are on par with my HD-A2, which aren't bad at all.

Re: Samsung BD-P1500 - Pleasantly Surprised!

Just doing a bit of research so bare with me please!

Im wondering if someone can tell me what some of these terms mean.

What would the advantage of 5.1 Analog outputs?

What is the differance if any of bitstream Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD MA and being able to decode internally?

And what is MCH analogue outputs for audio?

Understanding the concept of DVD Players for instance I have a Toshiba that outputs DD and DTS via optical or coaxle to my HK AVR120 which decodes both so Id like a player simular, something that outputs all the neccesary codecs via HDMI or optical, to a reciever I will replace in the future. Will this player do that?

Re: Samsung BD-P1500 - Pleasantly Surprised!

The big issue if you want to use the advanced audio codecs with an old receiver with analog audio input and no HDMI input, you need to have the player decode and output over the analog 5.1 or 7.1 output. Many players can bitstream the advanced audio codecs over HDMI for decoding by an attached HDMI 1.3a audio decoder. DTS-HD MA, Dolby TrueHD and Multichannel Uncompressed Lossless PCM can not be trasmitted over the optical or coaxial digital output. Some receivers have HDMI 1.1 or HDMI 1.2 audio processing that can receive PCM over HDMI so players that can decode and output PCM over HDMI work with those.

A few examples of products that do some of the things and there are many more that do each:

The PS3 decodes all audio and outputs PCM over HDMI.

The Sony BDP-S550 and Panasonic DMP-BD55 decodes and outputs over HDMI and analog 7.1 or bitstreams to an HDMI 1.3a audio decoder.

Ths Samsung BD-P1500 bitstreams all and so far decodes everything but DTS-HD MA for output over HDMI.

The Yamaha RX-V661 is HDMI 1.2a and accepts PCM over HDMI. The Yamaha RX-V663 is HDMI 1.3a and accepts PCM and bitstream and decodes all audio codecs.

I can't tell the difference personally between having the player decode and output PCM over HDMI compared to bitstream for decoding by my receiver. I don't have a player connected by analog connection to compare but I am relatively certain I couldn't tell any difference compared to the other two possibilities.

Chris

Re: Samsung BD-P1500 - Pleasantly Surprised!

Thanks Chris I appreciate it but am still confused.

As far as the reciever goes that will be later so for right now all Im concerned with is it will pass DD or DTS via optical or coaxle output so this is not an issue "The big issue if you want to use the advanced audio codecs with an old receiver with analog audio input and no HDMI input, you need to have the player decode and output over the analog 5.1 or 7.1 output. " But I see what you are saying, same concept as DVD with built in decoders before they made them in recievers.
So what does bitstream mean?
So your saying mainly I want to be able to decode DTS-HD MA, Dolby TrueHD and Multichannel Uncompressed Lossless PCM via HDMI?What is Multichannel Uncompressed Lossless PCM?

Also what does it mean to decode and output "The Sony BDP-S550 and Panasonic DMP-BD55 decodes and outputs over HDMI"?Dont I only need to output these as long as my reciever I buy will decode them?
And last I guess will these codecs be upgradable via firmware in the future So I should deffinately get a player that is equiped with Ethernet?

Thanks again Mike

Chris it seems I may have found my answer via Cnet.com
"High-resolution soundtrack support on the BDP-S350 is good, although not perfect. There's onboard decoding for Dolby TrueHD--which means you can hear Dolby TrueHD on any HDMI-compatible receiver--but DTS-HD Master Audio cannot be decoded by the player. On the other hand, the BDP-S350 can output both Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio in bit stream format, which means that people with newer receivers with onboard decoding can still take advantage of DTS-HD Master Audio. Of course, the similarly priced Sony PlayStation 3 can decode both formats, which means you only need a receiver with HDMI support to take advantage of both formats. However, keep in mind that the differences between these high-resolution soundtracks and standard Dolby Digital and DTS may be hard to hear unless you have a high-end listening environment. "


but does this the BDP-S350 can output both Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio in bit stream format happen via HDMI or something else? I want the best quality that will support future upgrades.

Re: Samsung BD-P1500 - Pleasantly Surprised!

With the apparent arrival of the holiday shopping season (and the likely deals to come), anyone know if/when Samsung will finally provide the firmware update needed to enable Profile 2.0 on this player (and will it actually even work well)?

Thanks for any info on that...

_Man_

Re: Samsung BD-P1500 - Pleasantly Surprised!

I thought it was alrready available: version 2.0. I had read that some people were having issues with their players once their firmware was upgraded, but my 1500 plays just fine with version 2.0 loaded. Of course, I don't have it hooked up to the internet. (My PS3 has that connection.)

Re: Samsung BD-P1500 - Pleasantly Surprised!

Unfortunately, the BD-P1500 died after 2 weeks (stopped outputting audio & video). Amazon sent a replacement which immediately froze after updating the firmware. I've never had much luck with Samsung products, and this latest experience has convinced me to avoid Samsung in the future.

Re: Samsung BD-P1500 - Pleasantly Surprised!

Thanks for the correction.

I tried to search for the info (both here and on the web in general), but couldn't find any definitive info on whether Samsung actually came through w/ that update.


Aye. That's always one concern I've had w/ Samsung products though they are not alone, IMHO. I'm actually also generally reluctant to buy players w/ Sony drives in them (since the early days of DVD) though I did take the plunge on the PS3 -- knock on wood I guess. But even w/ the PS3, so far, ironically, I already had trouble w/ the built-in Seagate(!) HDD -- used to think they were among the most reliable for HDDs.

I guess they just don't make these things like they used to. My first "real" CD player was a Sony ES model (from circa 1990) that lasted a very long time and would've probably lasted longer, if I didn't drop it during a move. Even after that drop, it still played fine for a long time before starting to flake out -- and I actually ditched it before it completely died.

_Man_