Engadget Samsung BD-P1500 review

[gadgtfreek]

Samsung BD-P1500 review - Engadget HD

The Good

• Dolby Digital Plus and TrueHD decoding.
• Dolby Digital Plus and TrueHD encoding to DTS via S/PDIF works great for those without HDMI audio.
• Player bitstreams all codecs.
• Passed both the video resolution and film resolution loss test on the HQV test disc. (Player set to 1080p60)
• Same great menus and scrub bar as the BD-UP5000.
• Resume works on some discs.
• At 6 seconds, it has the fastest eject from off of any player we've tested.
• Component and HDMI will both output at the same time, unless resolution is set to to 1080p24. If it is set to 1080p60, then component runs at 1080i60.
• Bonus View works as advertised.
• Best looking Samsung Blu-ray player yet.
• Perfect picture and audio quality -- including 24p.

The Bad

• We wish it had a native resolution setting like Pioneer & Sony's Source Direct feature.
• Only way to change the resolution is to stop the disc.
• Only way to make the scrub bar show up is to hit pause.
• Still don't like the non-backlit remote.
• Load times aren't stellar; 34 seconds to load a disc, 47 seconds if the player is off.
• No coax digital output.
• No discrete analog out -- first Samsung BD player without them.
• No DTS-HD MA support until firmware update.
• No BD Live until firmware update.
• Resume doesn't work on some discs (BD-J limitation).

 

[SatinKzo]

Some bad data on that review or just confusing data.

I have this player as I took back my Magnavox.

Load times do not take that long. About 20-25 seconds to open the tray and start playback on any movie I have put in it. It's definately faster than the magnavox and on par or better than my BD30 on load times.

Need to say no internal decoding DTS-HD MA support. I know they say on top that it supports all codecs for bitstream, but they sort of contradict themselves on that line in the Cons.

Scrub bar is wrong, but I can't remeber right now how to make it show up during playback, but I have done it (not that I do it oftern)

Resume is goofy on every BD-J disc I have tried on every player I have tried. I'm sorry, but I guess I never watch a movie half-way then go to bed and want to watch the rest the next night.

I have to disagree that it is the best looking Samsung yet. I think it's actually one of the ugliest, but I'm not looking at my player all the time, so it's not a big deal.

Oh yes, let me also add, no audio dropouts on any disc that had dropouts on the BD30.

 

[gadgtfreek]

So did you get both or the Sammy only??

Im more curious in the Samsungs SD DVD PQ than anything.

 

[SatinKzo]

Did I get both? I have my BD30 and the Sammy 1500 and the PS3. I am gonna PM the walmart deal on any BD player next week for the sammy and $100 GC.

SD DVD I have not really tried it other than 1 disc, it was ok, but not as good as my Oppo. Probably on par with an A3.

 

[gadgtfreek]

Gotcha. I guess there is no real push to improve upconversion on any of these, they do well and most new releases are on blu-ray now anyways.

I wonder what chip the Samsung uses. (nevermind, broadcom)

Any comment on HD PQ vs the BD30?

 

[SatinKzo]

uhm, let me see if I can find it, someone over at AVS opened theirs up. From what I remember, there was something on the board that stated it was a U5000 board and chipset, but not for upconversion


Edit:

here is the post with the pics and chip info
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=13982440#post13982440

HD PQ is no discernable difference with the BD30 IMO, but I'm sure others will have an opinion.

 

[nonrev]

Was the TrueHD decoding 2 Ch?

 

[teachsac]

Was the TrueHD decoding 2 Ch?

From what owners are saying it does fully decode truehd and doesn't need the update like Samsung initially said in their initial releases.

S~

 

[SatinKzo]

I don't use my player for decoding, my 1500 is running into my 606 and all audio is full-surround.

 

[gadgtfreek]

Looks like the consensus of owner opinions is that the 1500 is a great buy. Faster than the BD30, at least equal PQ and doesnt have audio issues with TrueHD. If the 1500 would have offered a greatly improved picture (dont know if itll get much better than what I have now) I may have swapped, but Ill just wait and see what comes next. Most dont seem to think the BD50 is going to be a change in SD/HD PQ from the BD30.

Regardless, sounds like the 1500 is a great buy for a newbie.

 

[nonrev]

From the Engadget staff:

"it's hard to believe that after 2 years and 5 players, Samsung still doesn't have a "full featured player" Who wants to pay $400 for a 1.0 or 1.1 player that'll be obsolete soon?

 

[teachsac]

From the Engadget staff:

"it's hard to believe that after 2 years and 5 players, Samsung still doesn't have a "full featured player" Who wants to pay $400 for a 1.0 or 1.1 player that'll be obsolete soon?

What does this have to do with the BD-1500 since it only needs a firmware update to be 2.0 capable? And it will be coming.

S~

 

[nonrev]

How long did it take for the the PS3 to get the 2.0 update? Year and a half??? What is Sammy's track record with timely updates. So I guess we are back to new profile BD-Live Ready. We'll call BD-Live Ready=1.2

 

[vurbano]

From the Engadget staff:

"it's hard to believe that after 2 years and 5 players, Samsung still doesn't have a "full featured player" Who wants to pay $400 for a 1.0 or 1.1 player that'll be obsolete soon?

Yup.

 

[vurbano]

What does this have to do with the BD-1500 since it only needs a firmware update to be 2.0 capable? And it will be coming.

S~

Why not take your complaint to Engadget? They wrote it.

 

[teamerickson]

What is Sammy's track record with timely updates.

Pretty good. They've had one for the 1400 about every 2 months. They just firmwared the 5000 to 1.1 so I but they'll have profile 2.0 buy the end of summer for the 1500.

 

[teachsac]

The timeframe for the update is late September/ early October. It will be ready by the time "Sleeping Beauty" is released.

S~

 

[SatinKzo]

Well, I took my 1500 back today.

It was working flawlessly then all of sudden last night TrueHD drops on many disc and not just drops but 8-10 seconds of no sound. Pausing and pressing play fixed it and the drops were not repeatable with rewinding. This started happening on discs that never had an issue before.

Then this morning, the unit would not even begin to play regular DVD's that it played earlier.

Samsung offerred to do a warranty repair on it for $50 pre-paid shipping. Screw that! I have not even had the player 90 days so it went back to wal-mart.

2nd and last samsung product I buy. I guess I'll find a deal again on the BD30 (I sold my other one) or maybe the S350.

 

[teachsac]

Well, I took my 1500 back today.

It was working flawlessly then all of sudden last night TrueHD drops on many disc and not just drops but 8-10 seconds of no sound. Pausing and pressing play fixed it and the drops were not repeatable with rewinding. This started happening on discs that never had an issue before.

Then this morning, the unit would not even begin to play regular DVD's that it played earlier.

Samsung offerred to do a warranty repair on it for $50 pre-paid shipping. Screw that! I have not even had the player 90 days so it went back to wal-mart.

2nd and last samsung product I buy. I guess I'll find a deal again on the BD30 (I sold my other one) or maybe the S350.

Sorry to hear that. One reason I still don't deal with Samsung. BD30 is down to 399.

S~

 

[SatinKzo]

yeah, that's why I'm up in the air now on the BD30 and the S350. Gotta do some reading on the S350 and see what they are saying. I was pretty set on no more samsung but when the customer service wouldn't even do a warranty repair without a $50 deposit (they called it a deposit, but I knew I would not get it back in any timely manner) that sealed the deal for me on anything samsung related.

Still got the PS3 in the other room so I can enjoy the BD's.