Your biggest issue(s) with the Samsung Blu-ray player? (1 Viewer)

[Rachael B]

The Samsung has no exterior ethernet port. I have not looked inside.

The word on the Paramount titles is that they originally intended to do their HD-DVD's using mpeg2 but have pulled back to prepare VC1 masters at the suggestion of certain folks at Mircosoft.

 

[Ron-P]

Did not know that, thanks Rachael.

 

[Michael TLV]

Greetings

I just got my "BR" player yesterday. Still have some initial set up issues to work through, but first gripe is the built in screen saver feature. Can it be turned off? I want the ability to freeze frame the image and have it displayed indefinitely. The auto shutdown is annoying.

Second ... no backward slow motion frame by frame ability.

That's it so far ...

(Need to get the HDMI output working with my Lumagen processor ... as it won't interface right now. IT will interface with the TV via HDMI without issue.)

Regards

 

[Ron-P]

Congrats Michael. I look forward to your findings on the player and how it stacks up against HD-DVD.

 

[Rachael B]

I don't think you can compare the formats yet because the Blu software isn't up to it, first and foremost. For my own curiosity, after watching the Crash BD, I thought what on my other HD formats might offer up a good benchmark, hmnnn.....Lost In Translation D-Theate tape. LIT is an even lower budjet film but D-VHS'es higher mpeg2 bit-rate made it generally look better than Crash. Atleast it was close. I bet Crash in VC1 on HD-DVD or BD would sizzle...? It's rather mediocre in it's current form, IMO. ....and I'd consider it one of the better titles out in BD so far, sadly.....

The Samsung player has some processing problems for sure. It goes beyond the problem with DTS tracks on Lionsgate titles. I've had so many non-repeatable little audio glitches, sometimes with a bit of pixelization, it's as if the player's processing isn't quite up to snuff. I'm heaviy leaning towards returning mine. BTW, this is the second one and they've both performed about the same. I'll have one more talk with Samsung first. If I don't like what I hear, I'll likely return it. Decisions.......

 

[Larry Sutliff]

I've decided this evening to return the Samsung player. I tried watching HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS from start to finish, and the quality just isn't there for this format yet. Except for UNDERWORLD:EVOLUTION, every movie I've watched has had some major flaws. I tried to talk myself into thinking that it's good enough, but it isn't. Sony needs to fix the software end of this format fast. I'll see what the reviews are on the other players when they come out, but I'm just not confident enough in BD at this point to justify a thousand dollar purchase.

 

[Michael TLV]

Greetings

Ron-p, for now, I am less interested in how it stacks up to the HD DVD player, and more interested in how it works all by itself in a vacuum.

Regards

 

[Robert Crawford]

I'm really looking forward to reading your comments about this player because I feel like I'm alone in saying that I think this player is getting the shaft by many people and I have very little to complain about regarding this first generation player.





Crawdaddy

 

[Larry Sutliff]

Robert, I don't think it's the player so much as it's the software. But Stacey Spears and Kris Deering both seem to think the player isn't quite up to par, and combine that with substandard software,and I just don't think it's worth a grand yet. That may very well change with the introduction of new players and better software, but I'll wait until then before I get back into Blu-Ray. I certainly haven't given up on it yet.

 

[Rachael B]

I fairly much aggree with Larry on his assertion. I wanna like the player. I ike the way it operates but it has problems. I tried the Samsung because I could get 12% off at Busted Buy. That made it the cheapest way I'd get into Blu anytime soon, proably, I thought. The 12% coupon had a 30 day lifespan. I'm weighing wheather to keep the player despite the flaws to sample Blu this fall....??? If I return it, I may not get into Blu again anytime soon. I just don't think their mpeg2 software is competative with HD-DVD right now. Atleast as rendered by the Samsung.......

 

[Larry Sutliff]

My Blu-Ray player got a reprieve. I had the thing all packed up and ready to take back to CC. Then, I decided to hook it back up one last time and check out parts of UNDERWORLD:EVOLUTION again(the best BD I've seen so far). The potential is really there for this to be a good format, but it definitely needs better codecs and dual layer. I'll keep the machine for now, and if the Sony has much better results, I'll sell the Sammy on eBay. But I really see this as a software issue, so I've decided to keep the thing for the time being.

I know, I'm a pinwheel...

 

[Robert Crawford]

Larry,
That's good to hear, I think the Samsung is really being put upon mainly because of some software issues that need to be addressed as soon as possible.




Crawdaddy

 

[Ron-P]

The Sammy is not getting any more heat then the Toshiba did when it first streeted. Seems the Sammy has its fair share of issues, just like Toshiba did, but Toshiba jumped on those issues with firmware updates. Hopefully we see the same from Samsung.

Most of the comments I've been reading are aimed at the software being the problem due to the fluctuations in PQ between the disks.

 

[Roger Mathus]

With Warner Blu-ray titles now announced for August 1, it will be very interesting to see how the two compare. I have both the Toshiba and the Samsung in my system. For my first comparison I will use TRAINING DAY....which looks very goog on HD DVD. Like Robert Crawford reports, my gut feel is that the PQ complaints attributed to the Samsung are more likely software related.

For more on the Warner titles, see the posting at The.Digital.Bits.com

 

[Rachael B]

I've decided to keep my Samsung. It has some defeicncies but I won't be able to buy a BD player cheaper anytime soon. I'm on moratorium on actually buying any sofware though. I will never buy another mpeg2 movie disc for sure. I have 13 and they're weak, a few, down to pathetic, the majority. I'll sample BD's again when there is competent software. I'll proably boycott Sony's 'cause they P'ed me off and they haven't made many great movies in recent years anyway....

 

[Larry Sutliff]

Same here, Rachael. The player is ok, it's the software. Hopefully, Fox and WB will issue better transfers than Sony and Lionsgate have so far.

 

[Michael Osadciw]

I've just finished hooking up the Samsung Blu-Ray machine in my system. I have nothing to complain about so far about the player itself. Much more user friendly than the Toshiba deck. The only thing I wish was better was the speed of the first rewind option...it's slow...........

I'll let you know the rest later...

Mike

 

[RickER]

Bingo on both accounts, i bet. I wonder if a number of the execs were not even born, or were VERY young during the VHS/Beta war.

 

[Larry Sutliff]

Bill Hunt says this in his "My Two Cents" column today:


If this is true, then this is the biggest issue for every poor SOB(including myself) who were hoodwinked into buying into this crummy new format. Blu-Ray is, as far as I'm concerned, an unqualified disaster.

 

[Rachael B]

Well, that makes me wish I'd of returned my Samsung POS. As of late, it's having trouble recognizing Blu discs....what few times I've used it.