HD-DVD user looking at new Samsung? Opinions please.

[ADWyatt]

I own Toshiba's first-gen HD-DVD player, the A1, and I really like it. Despite the fact that it's a 1080i player, on my Sony 60" SXRD top-notch releases like 'Batman Begins' and 'King Kong' look stellar. Since I could only get a couple hundred bucks for it if I sold it and committed to BD, it only makes good sense to keep it and use it for the few exclusives that HD-DVD may someday have in the future.

However, it appears obvious to me that BD will be the dominant player in the near future. The great titles that are coming, combined with the latest players at more affordable prices (not to mention Sony's decision to experiment with MPEG 4) and the PS3 factor, weigh heavily in BD's favor. Fortunately, my TV has an additonal 1080p HDMI slot, and so I have room to add a BD player.

Of those that I've read about, Samsung's new player, due in March, looks very appealing. At a suggested price of $799, it looks like a winner. (Of course, I'd be stupid to even think about LG's hybrid player; since I already own an HD-DVD player, that would mean more money for less quality.) If I may ask readers here, how good do you think Samsung's quality is? For those who have read about this new player, do the specs look as good to you as they do to me? What are any potential downsides to this unit?

Assuming that it's a go, it's nice to know the player will be coming out at about the same time as 'Casino Royale.' Now, that's something to look forward to!

[Petra]

if you're looking for a bargain BD player, nothing beats a PS3. It's future-proof, multi-purpose and a better BD player than the old Samsung.

I have a PS3, and am very satisifed with it.

[blitz6speed]

PS3 is the obvious choice. It is going to be 95+% of the market as far as Blu-Ray players for a while to come, so if any features have to work 100%, they have to work on the PS3. It is the safest best and also most attractive pricing wise. Just grab the Bluetooth remote for it and you wont even know it isnt a standalone.

[Jawbone]

I agree with above posts. The PS3 is the best bargain and choice in my opinion. The ps3 remote cost me $25 at eb games. BB, Circuit city, and game stop carry them as well. Besides the ps3 being a great bd player it has many other great features. My dig pics never looked so great on my 61" Samsung and obviously the internet , and oh yeah its a great gaming unit too! Its at least for the cost worth a look. 20gb version $499, 60gb version $599

[Jim L]

Welcome to Blu-ray and thanks for the inquiry.

I've had my share of Blu-ray players in the last 2 months: the Samsung, Panasonic, Sony, and the PS3.

I had my heart set on the Sony since way back last summer, but it was delayed as you may know. When some really nice BD titles started coming out I started a collection even before getting a player.

I got anxious with my movie collection and no way to watch it, so I picked up a "horrible" Samsung at Best Buy in late September. (I did this knowing I planned to take it back and get the Sony when it came out.) I did the firmware upgrade on the Samsung, and used it for about 3 weeks. In that time periord I actually grew to like it so much that I felt guilty about taking it back.

In late October I ordered my Sony 60" SXRD with the Sony player, expecting to get both at the same time. When my delivery arrived, Tweeter had given me the Panasonic instead. They said I could have it at the same price as the Sony, or exchange it when the Sony came in. I was very impressed with the Panasonic too. It had better video and audio performance than the Samsung (which is not shabby) and is a much nicer looking unit. I almost kept it.

But, I still wanted the Sony. I exchanged it early December and have had it ever since.

Just this week, I saw a PS3 at EB Games and decided to get it. It is an incredible piece of equipment by itself and the Blu-ray playback is excellent.

Based on my personal experience with these 4 players, I would rate them this way:

SONY BDP-S1: Best looking as an A/V component, best build quality, best PQ, best remote, quietest mechanism of the bunch.

Panasonic: 2nd best looking, 2nd best PQ, best AQ (with promised upgrade to decode new audio formats). Noisy drive, inconvenient front flip-down panel, no eject button on the remote.

SONY PS3: Most feature-laden and upgradeable of all the players (hence future-proof). It has the quickest loading and response time of all players (~20 seconds from power on to picture output) and the best on-screen displays and fast scan (with sound) of any player I've ever seen. It is an attractive unit that doesn't look out of place in an A/V rack like the XBOX-360 does. 2nd nicest remote (bluetooth). PQ ties with the Panasonic.

Samsung (1G): Maybe the lowest street price of the bunch. Firmware has fixed it's prior softness issue, but some still say it is too soft. I think its PQ is the worst of these 4 units. Plays CDs as well. Poor remote. Front display is too bright in a HT enivonment and cannot be turned down/off.

That's my impression for what it's worth. Happy hunting and welcome to Blu-ray!

[dialog_gvf]

Originally Posted by Jim L

It is an attractive unit that doesn't look out of place in an A/V rack like the XBOX-360 does. 2nd nicest remote (bluetooth). PQ ties with the Panasonic.

That is the thing. Some must be looking at the PS/3 through hate-coloured glasses, because I think it is pretty cool looking as an A/V component.

Surely boxy isn't mandatory.

Great review!

Gary

[Maximus]

I think the G2 Samsung will be a good buy, it has the HQV video processor, so Sigma must be using their equivalent to the Silicon Optix Reon used in the XA2. It will output 1080p24 so if you have an XBR/SXRD TV that will be useful. It also has 7.1 analogue outputs which means they will be readying advanced audio codec support (DTS-HDMA/DD-TrueHD). It also has a Ethernet port, so BD-Live is a possibility, and it incorporates the new wireless format 802.11n, which is incredibly fast so will be able to transmit HD content over an 802.11n enabled wireless home-network. At $799 MSRP it is a very good deal.

Ed: it uses the same Silicon Optix Reon-VX chip as the XA2, so they are most definitely even in every sense other than price. Toshiba obviously thought that they could get away with $999 because they were using this chip to power it, but Samsung have shown that the so called more expensive tech of Blu-ray can use the same chip and still be cheaper. Cool.

[dialog_gvf]

Originally Posted by Maxpower1987

At $799 MSRP it is a very good deal.

It is perhaps equivalent to the XA2, at $200 less.

Samsung is making it clear where the VALUE proposition is heading for stand-alones.

What's Toshiba's next move? The $1500 XA20?

Gary

[Maximus]

Originally Posted by dialog_gvf

It is perhaps equivalent to the XA2, at $200 less.

Samsung is making it clear where the VALUE proposition is heading for stand-alones.

What's Toshiba's next move? The $1500 XA20?

Gary

Toshiba are still having trouble breaking even on the A2 because of the laptop aproach that they have to take for HDi, so a more expensive player is not out of the picture.

So from being cheaper to produce the player in the first generation, they have gone to more expensive in the next. The only reason we can find the A2 so cheap is that they sell at cost to retailers so they have an incentive sell it. Samsung will definitely be making a profit on this player.

[dialog_gvf]

Originally Posted by Maxpower1987

Samsung will definitely be making a profit on this player.

And, even more importantly, RETAILERS can make a healthy profit. Which gives them a massive incentive to stock, display and push BD.

The HD DVD fanboys seem to think BB, CC, etc. should be the consumer philanthropy business. Analyze the format war, and push the player that is "best" for the consumer and not be caught up with the business of being profitable.

Truelly hilarious. They are living in America, most of them, right?

HD DVD: The format endorsed by Ralph Nader.

Gary

[C6 Z06]

Originally Posted by Jim L

Welcome to Blu-ray and thanks for the inquiry.

I've had my share of Blu-ray players in the last 2 months: the Samsung, Panasonic, Sony, and the PS3.

I had my heart set on the Sony since way back last summer, but it was delayed as you may know. When some really nice BD titles started coming out I started a collection even before getting a player.

I got anxious with my movie collection and no way to watch it, so I picked up a "horrible" Samsung at Best Buy in late September. (I did this knowing I planned to take it back and get the Sony when it came out.) I did the firmware upgrade on the Samsung, and used it for about 3 weeks. In that time periord I actually grew to like it so much that I felt guilty about taking it back.

In late October I ordered my Sony 60" SXRD with the Sony player, expecting to get both at the same time. When my delivery arrived, Tweeter had given me the Panasonic instead. They said I could have it at the same price as the Sony, or exchange it when the Sony came in. I was very impressed with the Panasonic too. It had better video and audio performance than the Samsung (which is not shabby) and is a much nicer looking unit. I almost kept it.

But, I still wanted the Sony. I exchanged it early December and have had it ever since.

Just this week, I saw a PS3 at EB Games and decided to get it. It is an incredible piece of equipment by itself and the Blu-ray playback is excellent.

Based on my personal experience with these 4 players, I would rate them this way:

SONY BDP-S1: Best looking as an A/V component, best build quality, best PQ, best remote, quietest mechanism of the bunch.

Panasonic: 2nd best looking, 2nd best PQ, best AQ (with promised upgrade to decode new audio formats). Noisy drive, inconvenient front flip-down panel, no eject button on the remote.

SONY PS3: Most feature-laden and upgradeable of all the players (hence future-proof). It has the quickest loading and response time of all players (~20 seconds from power on to picture output) and the best on-screen displays and fast scan (with sound) of any player I've ever seen. It is an attractive unit that doesn't look out of place in an A/V rack like the XBOX-360 does. 2nd nicest remote (bluetooth). PQ ties with the Panasonic.

Samsung (1G): Maybe the lowest street price of the bunch. Firmware has fixed it's prior softness issue, but some still say it is too soft. I think its PQ is the worst of these 4 units. Plays CDs as well. Poor remote. Front display is too bright in a HT enivonment and cannot be turned down/off.

That's my impression for what it's worth. Happy hunting and welcome to Blu-ray!

I agree with what you say..........................................mostl y. The Panasonic I think still is the better bet over the Sony. The Sony does not play CD's and still locks up with certain BD movies. The Panny did not lock up with any movie I tried and it plays CD's. All the rest is dead on.

[Maximus]

Originally Posted by C6 Z06

I agree with what you say..........................................mostl y. The Panasonic I think still is the better bet over the Sony. The Sony does not play CD's and still locks up with certain BD movies. The Panny did not lock up with any movie I tried and it plays CD's. All the rest is dead on.

It should also be noted that Panasonic has promised advanced audio decoding support in a future upgrade, completely negating the need for HDMI 1.3. So the Panasonic is quite futureproof as well.

[ADWyatt]

Your opinions and facts were well thought out and appreciated. You've all helped a great deal. If I may as a follow-up, I would like to make some responses to your posts.

A number of you have recommended the PS3 as an attractive and inexpensive option to enter the BD format. You've brought up some good points, and on paper I would agree with your reasoning. However, with all respect, I am going to turn down the PS3 as a viable option, for several rasons. (Of which availability is not one. As of this post, there almost 20 PS3 units sitting on the floor at our local Best Buy.)

As a game machine, I have no doubts that the PS3 is a superb buy. However, as I have probably close to a dozen X-Box 360 games waiting to be opened and played (due to the fact that I'm now committing almost 12 hours per day to work), the game angle is not a factor. Moreover, I very much enjoy my 360 when I can play it, and it looks far from shabby on the glass shelf of my SXRD stand.

Since I would be considering the PS3 only as a stand-alone BD movie unit, it makes far better sense to me to spend a couple hundred dollars more for a stand-alone with the latest technology. Further, as the Samsung (or another brand) would be a stand-alone dedicated movie-player, I would feel more secure with the thought of long-term reliability. Using a plastic game machine as my main movie unit just isn't appealing to me.

And with reliability as a factor, I'm certainly not glued into buying the Samsung. I understand that Sony will be coming out with one or two new models sometime in early 2007, and those will be worth looking at. But with your responses, it appears at this time that Samsung would be a quality purchase.

[ADWyatt]

Let me say first off that I own an HD-DVD player, the Toshiba HD-A1. Although only a 1080i unit, played over my Sony 60A2000 SXRD, at its best, with movies such as 'Batman Begins' and 'King Kong', it displays a spectacular image. I cannot imagine anyone, even in this forum, saying otherwise. (But let's be honest. At its worst, with movies like 'Spartacus' and 'Excalibur', HD-DVD can look like a macabre experiment gone horribly wrong.)

Despite my general satisfaction with HD-DVD, I've decided nevertheless to invest in the Blu-ray format. This will not be in place of, but along with, HD-DVD. If the HD-DVD format fails in the next two years or so, I can still use the player to play standard DVD movies upscaled, as well as music CDs and my existing library of HD-DVD movies. Since I could only get $200 for the player in any event, it would make zero sense to sell it off.

There were four determing factors that caused me to place great emphasis on the BD format--1)at CES it became obvious that the advocates of both formats have monstrous egos; neither will allow theirs to die for several years yet; 2) both will pull out every stop possible to keep exclusive studios from wandering to the other camp; 3) there are just too many movies studios and hardware manufacturers committed to BD to allow it to stumble, at least for the foreseeable future; 4) as much as I love the format, HD-DVD and its supporters have fumbled their advantages so badly (Universal and its idiotic flippers) that they might not be able to beat BD even if BD didn't exist.

Since there are so many superb movies coming to BD in the next six months alone, movies that will probably never be available to HD-DVD, my second 1080p input will be waiting for a BD player. But now I need to be direct with all of you, whether it makes some of you mad or not. If every movie studio was open to both formats, I would commit to HD-DVD, hands down. Or at least I would with the amount of knowledge I have about both formats. And that brings me to the point of this post...

I haven't really seen BD with its best foot forward. All I've ever seen is the first-gen Samsung (without the upgrades) displayed on a Westinghouse TV, and Sony's BD player played on a tiny Sony LCD. I've seen nothing but the original demo material (Best Buy has told me that it cannot play any actual BD movies). This isn't fair to the BD format, and I have to believe that the forthcoming players, along with disc improvements that have already been made, will show the BD format to be better than I've been able to see. And so I'm going to ask all of you some direct questions, in the hope that you will give me unbiased answers regarding the BD format--

1. With today's BD players, how do the best BD movies compare in picture quality with the aforementioned HD-A1 on my Sony SXRD? Are they almost as good, or are they right in the same ballpark?

2. Probably the best BD player is the Pioneer Elite, but I'm not going to spend $1,500 for a BD unit. In March, the $800 second-gen Samsung player is coming out, along with 'Casino Royale.' Do you think Samsung and James Blond will produce a one-two punch as good--or better--than my current setup? What about the older movies, like 'Dances With Wolves'?

3. If your honest opinion is that BD video quality isn't 'quite' there yet, as compared to HD-DVD, when do you think both formats will be on an even keel? Should I wait for perhaps six months, when even better players and discs become available, or perhaps hold off until 2008?

Of course, right now there is no doubt that somebody reading this is rolling his eyes up to the ceiling and saying, "Jeez, this clown isn't even a half-sophisticated troll. If this is the best that the HD-DVD group can send over, no wonder they're falling flat on their faces." But again, I would ask you to consider the cost of investing in the BD format, along with the fact that our local stores (Best Buy, Wal-Mart and Target) will not play any BD movies, and you might see why I'm asking all of you for the best, most objective, advice. For those of you who respond, I will be very grateful.

[4K display]

Option 1 : Buy a 20G PS3, even if you have no interest in games, this is an outstanding BD player (performance AND looks) and about as future-proof as possible.

Option 2 : Hold off for more info/details on the G2 Samsung, if it fits the bill you should be able to snap one up well under SRP.

[Blue]

I have Merged the two threads as they are effectively the same question. Please in future keep the same question in the same thread. You will get a more consistent answer and remove the clutter of duplicate replies.

I personally can't make any comment if BD is as good as HD-DVD as I haven't yet seen HD-DVD, we are still waiting for it to be released here, or if it has - it was only released a few days ago and is the best kept secret.

You have answered your own question - you have stated you are happy with HD-DVD, but want access to the movies coming out on Blu-ray, so it's simple - how long can YOU hold out? If you think that Blu-ray is very poor quality and as inferred in point 3 "3. If your honest opinion is that BD video quality isn't 'quite' there yet, as compared to HD-DVD", get the DVD version.

If anyone needs to add any responses PLEASE KEEP IT CIVIL.

[goodstuff]

I have the Samsung and Panasonic and have no issues with either, especially after the Samsung FW upgrades. The Panny has a slightly sharper picture than the Sammy and has many more options, but I think the Sammy is quite a steal for the $550 you can get it for at Amazon. That is if you don't want to wait for the G2 Sammy.

[mainman]

Originally Posted by ADWyatt

Since I would be considering the PS3 only as a stand-alone BD movie unit, it makes far better sense to me to spend a couple hundred dollars more for a stand-alone with the latest technology. Further, as the Samsung (or another brand) would be a stand-alone dedicated movie-player, I would feel more secure with the thought of long-term reliability. Using a plastic game machine as my main movie unit just isn't appealing to me.

And with reliability as a factor, I'm certainly not glued into buying the Samsung. I understand that Sony will be coming out with one or two new models sometime in early 2007, and those will be worth looking at. But with your responses, it appears at this time that Samsung would be a quality purchase.

The Cell chip of the PS3 is the latest technology. HDMI 1.3 is the latest technology. The PS3 will have firmware updates for upconversion of DVD's.

Imo, the PS3 is more reliable than any other standalone, because it will have firmware updates untill its predecesor arrives.

I dont have a Blu-ray player yet, but if I look at it logically, I see no reason why I would prefer a standalone over a PS3. I live in Euro, I will get one when PS3 arrives.

I am not trying to influence you, you should do, what you want to. I am just giving my oppinion why I prefer a PS3 over a standalone.

[ADWyatt]

...without trying to be disrespectful to anyone, I'm afraid that no one answered my question. I suppose that I can't get mad at respondents over this, as the moderator of this forum chose to butcher my message. And so, please allow me to restate my question in the hope that at least one of you can give me an intelligent, informed answer...

Does Blu-ray at present display a picture that is as good as Toshiba's HD-A1 1080i HD-DVD player? I am asking because it appears to me that the great Disney, FOX and Sony movies that have been announced will not be available to HD-DVD for many years into the future, if they ever are at all. And assuming HD-DVD actually has a future.

I ask this question of all of you because the stores in my town are either unable or unwilling to give me a demonstration of the best BD titles on a top-quality HDTV. I suppose I could drive a hundred miles out of town in the hopes that a video/audio specialty store might give me a demonstration, but I'd like to gain your insight first. I respect your opinions.

Please DO NOT tell me that one BD player is better than another; that doesn't answer my question. Since BD did not get off to the best start in the marketplace (any more than HD-DVD, with all the glitches and patches it had to go through), I'd like to know when it will reach display parity with HD-DVD, if it hasn't already. Since I may have to invest up to $1,000 for a player (there's no way that I'm going to buy a cheap, plastic toy game machine as my main Home Theater unit), I want to know if my money is wisely spent. That's why I've come to you people.

Please forgive me for what many here may take to be a curt attitude. I apologize if my tone has been offensive. And I'd like to thank all of you in advance for whatever information you can give me.

[Maximus]

All BD players are as good as if not better than the A1/A2. The Sony is a great example, an I think that your TV accepts 1080p24, which no HD DVD player can currently do, it is less than $1000 and has no issues AFAIK and it has 5.1 analogue outs. It should get TrueHD soon, and maybe DTS-MA.

For the PQ, it depends on the title, and recently most review sites have been pretty sure that BD is at least equal to HD DVD if not better, if you think there is a difference, it is a psychological one, not a real one.