Samsung BD-P1000 Blu-ray

After loading the BD of XXX into the Samsung BD-P1000, attached to a Samsung 58"1080p DLP display via HDMI, I wait as the loading process goes from an initial screen to a Windows-like hourglass, and then on to the disc’s opening video. 

What Am I Seeing?

Image quality is definitely thumbs-up, especially when watching Vin Diesel blowing stuff up—the extreme detail in pyrotechnics distinctly showing bits of flaming ash, and the sheen on the barbed wire doesn’t look flabby like spaghetti. Even 50 First Dates has an HD-worthy panoramic scene of the ocean and mountains, though it had me chuckling because in high-def Drew Barrymore’s face looking out of a porthole is so obviously composited into the scene. 

As to load times, it takes around 15 seconds to get to that first hourglass, and then about another 10 seconds or so to get to the opening menu. Selecting a scene for the first time also brings up the hourglass, but subsequent selections move rapidly. So unless you want to go back to standard-def (which loads more quickly), you’re going to have to command patience. 

Setup

Two weeks later has me eagerly adding the Samsung to my home theater by connecting it to an Infocus SP777 3-chip 720p front projector (I’ll also put it to use with the HP 1080p dis-play). I’m using HDMI (other choices beingComponent or S-Video), as well as audio out selections, including stereo RCA, anoptical/coaxial for Dolby Digital and DTS, and analog 5.1 outs for uncompressed PCM. (Since the Samsung doesn’t play DVD-Audio or SACD, I’ll have to pull the plugs from my other DVD player.) At least the Samsung DOES play CDs, which isn’t the case with some other Blu-ray players.

Driving Around the Menus From a main menu, you can access photos and audio (MP3) directly: For slideshows, you can rotate, zoom, and view photos in high resolution, as well as create play lists for audio. You can also access files through the card reader or a burned CD (though it would have been nice to do this through a computer/home network).And as per my usual procedure, the settings are dialed to normal at first.  

With the player set to 4:3 full-screen for-mat, I pull out a Japanese animation disc called Samurai Champloo (sort of East meets hip-hop), which is particularly well mastered and has lots of characters running around in colorful costumes. The player’s upconversion looks pretty good, and the colors are very in-tense. Quality is also more than acceptable when viewing an episode of The Jeffersons, or when I switched the setting back to 16:9 for A Fish Called Wanda. This player could possibly offer better upconversion, but most users won’t see anything untoward when viewing standard-def DVDs, as long as the system is properly calibrated to their personal taste. 

Of the 10 or so discs I tried, only one got stuck in playback (Runaway Jury)—and I’m not sure what caused this, but to continue watching, I only had to stop and then restart the player. 

Blu-ray Time

Making sure the resolution is set for 1080p be-fore putting in a Blu-ray disc, here goes: First up is Terminator 2: Judgment Day. It may be more than 12 years old, but it grabs at your throat as it did back in the movie theater, and it’s about time that the gleam in the T2’s eye glowed in HD! On the opposite side of the spectrum, the overall look of the so-called “medieval” society found in A Knight’s Tale really benefits from the added detail now presented.Besides making this MTV-like reworking of history more amusing, it really draws you into the set designs and stylings of the armor and jousting stadium. And now you can easily make out some of the little Monty Python-like bits hid-den amidst the crowds. To clear my head, I pop in Stealth, whose flight scenes now really takeoff, thanks to high-definition. 

A very enjoyable viewing comes from goodnight, and good luck.—which is in black-and-white. Here you get sharp detail and contrast that highlight little things like ash on a cigarette,a frown line, or a crisp lapel on a fifties-era tuxedo. Warner seems to have the magic touch when it comes to bxw, and the addition of high-definition only amplifies the imaging.

As regards sound, Dolby Digital is found in many of these discs (streamed at a higher bit-rate, which really juices it up). Some discs also add the choice of uncompressed PCM (examples being Ultraviolet; Underworld: Evolution;and Hitch). Either way, the sound is powerful,and the player’s speaker management function helps manage bass and improve the overall sound. The whirr the fan puts out is minor and disappears once some audio plays. The front panel’s illumination can be dimmed, too. 

The remote is small and activates all functions without any aggravating delays. You can also stop and then resume watching where you left off—similar to when playing a DVD (fast-forwarding is not smooth, however). The Pop-up button brings up menus while the film is running, and it helps to burn its position into memory since there’s no backlighting in the remote (but at least the four direction buttons glow in the dark, providing a reference point). 

My wife keeps saying that anything is worth watching now that Blu-ray’s here—and she’s right. 

So is this Player a Bright Blu?The BD-P1000 is a solid performer that doesn’t have to be babied, and I didn’t encounter any problems while using it. It certainly is not overpriced in comparison to the other first-gen-eration BD players, and it also adds features that others don’t have, such as playing CD audio, viewing digital photos, and listening to MP3music through its memory card reader. For those wanting to join the Blu-ray revolution right now, the Samsung is a welcome high-def addition to any home theater.

Specifications

BD-P1000 Blu-ray Disc Player 192MHz/12-bit Video D/A Converter HDMI-selectable 720p/1080i/1080p Output Component-selectable 720p/1080i for BDs Component-selectable 480p/480i for DVDs Coaxial and Optical Digital Audio Outputs Stereo and 5.1-channel Audio Outputs 10-in-2 Multi-Memory Card Slot Dimensions: 16.94" (W) x 3.11" (H) x 12.8" (D) Weight: 9.26 lbs. Power Consumption: 51 watts Power Consumption/Standby: n/av MSRP: $999 Samsung www.samsung.com