Samsung BD-P1500 - Pleasantly Surprised! (1 Viewer)

[Doug Otte]

If the player properly output the DVD at the correct AR, you wouldn't need to change the settings. Most players do it properly, including DVD players I've owned over the past few years.

Back to my question: does the 1500 do it right?

Thanks,
Doug

 

[Doug Otte]

No; the PS3 outputs 4:3 correctly. Other Samsung models don't (including 1400 and 5000).

Doug

 

[Captain Spaulding]

I've tried a couple of 4:3 SD DVDs in the Samsung 1500, specifically, Criterion's "The Third Man" and Universal's "Cocoanuts". They both display in the correct 4:3 aspect ratio on my Sony SXRD. They are not stretched. I have the 1500 set to output 1080p via HDMI.

 

[Doug Otte]

Another Marx Bros. fan! Thanks for the response, Jay.

Doug

 

[Chris Gerhard]

My comment was in response to your statement that the BD-UP5000 results in a stretched 4:3 DVD. I believe that issue is display dependent anyway as many (maybe most) HD displays expect a 16:9 format when receiving a 720p or 1080i signal. With a display that does this, it may be the only way to overcome it is to send a 480 signal from the player. I don't know if the BD-P1500 has the ability to overcome the issue or not but I know I can send an upscaled 4:3 signal from my BD-P1200 and my Philips 30" CRT displays it at the correct aspect ratio and my Panasonic PT-AE900U does not so I output 480 with the AE900U to avoid stretching.

I doubt that most upscaling DVD players pillar box 4:3 DVD's upscaled for displays that stretch the signal otherwise, I would bet most do not.

Chris

 

[Doug Otte]

I don't know if most players pillarbox 4:3 or not, but three of them that I've owned do it properly: Pioneer 59AVi, PS3, and Oppo 980H. We shouldn't have to change the AR of the player or display for different types of SW.

The major issue that I have w/ the flaw in the 5000 is that neither changing the player settings nor changing the display's AR works for me. Changing the output of the 5000 to 4:3 or to 480 doesn't have any effect; changing the TV to 4:3 squashes the image to a 4:3 window, but not properly. The edges are cut off and the image is still slightly stretched.

Chris, I know you're trying to help, but this is a valid issue and can't be dismissed as a workaround for everyone. It should be addressed by the player manufacturers. Samsung has told us that it's not an issue and they won't fix it w/ the 5000, but they apparently thought it was enough of an issue to change their design for the 1500.

Regards,
Doug

 

[Camper]

Well the Best Buy site clearly states that the 1500 decodes TrueHD in TWO CHANNEL.
So, probably, that settles that.

Funai/Magnavox no analog out and quality a gamble to spend $298.
Samsung 1500 $400 no TrueHD/DTS MA decoding.
Panasonic BD50 $700
Pioneer 'budget' models $600 & $800 & require firmware update for DTS MA decoding.

I guess my last chance for 2008 is Sony 350 or 550 if they can keep the price $500 & under.

Who'd bet they will?

 

[Chris Gerhard]

I am not disagreeing that the issue is something that is important to you or others, I am sure it is. I only responded to your comment that you can't get the BD-UP5000 to display 4:3 DVD's without stretching. I am certain I could with my displays and just offered the way I do it with the BD-P1200. I also own about a dozen other upscaling DVD players including several from Samsung including some that utilize the feature they call EZ View so I have a lot of experience with this annoying issue which is the reason I disagreed with your comment that most players overcome the issue without changing a setting. If Samsung has improved the BD-P1500 design so your display can accept a 4:3 input and automatically not stretch, then that is important of course and I never stated otherwise.

Chris

 

[Doug Otte]

We agree, then. I love you! Isn't this getting a little sentimental?

Seriously, thanks for clarifying, and I apologize if I misunderstood.

Doug

 

[Camper]

To anybody who owns this model...............

Any chance you could post an image of the rear hookups ????

really would be helpful..........thanks.

 

[Rich Allen]

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

 

[Camper]

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.

 

[Rich Allen]

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

 

[Robert George]

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

 

[Robert George]

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)

 

[Matt Hough]

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

How about its DVD upconversion capability?

 

[Robert George]

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.

 

[Rich Allen]

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?

 

[Matt Hough]

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

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

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_