Picked up a Samsung BD-P2550

[laszlog]

Picked up a Samsung BD-P2550 tonight. Looks like the 1500. I'll set it up in the morning, and post my thoughts tomorrow.

First impressions:
BD-live comes via update
HQV - any thoughts??

[redlikefire02]

7.1 and HQV sounds like a party, but samsungs support is more like getting eaten alive while burning. let us know.

[milou6]

Very interested to hear what you think of it. As to HQV, that makes for nice DVD upscaling. BD-live comes later via firmware update, but what about DTS-MA decoding?

[audiophile20]

How do we know that BD live is going to be available via Firmware update? Can you please point me to the info? Thanks.

[bootman]

Originally Posted by audiophile20

How do we know that BD live is going to be available via Firmware update? Can you please point me to the info? Thanks.

I quickly found this.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10022071-1.html

[mdm1699]

Originally Posted by laszlog

Picked up a Samsung BD-P2550 tonight. Looks like the 1500. I'll set it up in the morning, and post my thoughts tomorrow.

First impressions:
BD-live comes via update
HQV - any thoughts??

Hurry up will ya!

[shrktank]

Yes, please hurry up with the review

I am working from home today and looking froward to purchasing one at lunch time.

Based upon specs alone, can any one tell me if this player should be worth the extra cash over the Sony BDP-S350.

I will be using it with a Pioneer VSX-1018 and a Samsung HL-67A750

My main concerns with a player are:
1. Sound
2. Upconvert video quality of standard DVD.
3. Quiteness (currently have a PS3 which I would like to migrate from) (any interest let me know 60gb model which plays the older games)

4. Reliability

Also, does the multichannel audio provide better audio than HDMI

[mdm1699]

^+1. These threads should not be started without an actual review. The torture!

[gbalbach]

FYI I just picked one up from best buy on lunch - will test it out tonight at home and post my findings. I already have a 1500 and will be moving that to another room in the house, it has performed great - no problems or drop outs.

[shrktank]

Come on, call the boss and tell him you are feeling BLU!!!

I will be heading out to get mine in a hour or so

[milou6]

I think I'm going to have to get one tonight -- can't resist... There's a little more info from owners on it here too btw: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1058878

[shrktank]

Well heading down to Best Buy right now. Return my Sony BDP-s350 and pickup the Sammy

I will let you all know what I think

[MrRoy]

I have the S350. If someone can give a detailed difference, that would be appreciated.

[mdm1699]

Originally Posted by shrktank

Well heading down to Best Buy right now. Return my Sony BDP-s350 and pickup the Sammy

I will let you all know what I think

Not so fast. Read the above AVS link. Seems like the new Sammy is much ado about nothing. No wonder it showed up quietly!

[shrktank]

So I have just watched parts of I Am Legend and also Ratatoule(SP?)

Compared to the Sony I would say the Sony is faster at loading. From a image standpoint I think it is pretty even, though I will know more this evening as I watch I am Legend with the same light conditions as I had when I watched on the Sony.

I feel the sound output is better from the Samsung then the Sony, but again that could be just my impression.

There are some things the Sony 350 has which the 2550 does not have. One is the ability to set an audio delay. I noticed when I watched a scene or two fro mStar Wars, I had some very noticeable audio delays. I noticed those also on the 350. However I could correct it on the 350, but with the 2550 I had to correct through the receiver. Also the 350 has a better "info" pop-up screen. On the 350 the info would be split, with some information on the top and some on the bottom. It never really stood in the way of the picture. On the Samsung the "info" popup comes up and covers the left part of the screen with a see through background. I liked the Sony interface for this better.

Any way I will watch some more movies tonight and let you know what I think.

I will test more of the SD DVD and see how the picture looks. I plan on watching Star Wars some and will focus on the scene where Darth Vader meets Princess Leah at the beginning. Lots of blacks which need some seperation.

[Kage]

I had the Sony BDP-S350 and I bought the Samsung BDP-P2550 today. Here are my early impressions on the BD-P2550:
Pros
1. Little better Blu-ray pq over the S350.
2. Better DVD upconversion and performace over the S350, because of its P2550 HQV processor), and sharper and more detail dvd picture.

Negatives
1. No bitrate meter like the S350.
2. No quick start option.

Same
1. Sound quality is the same, because I'm using my Yamaha RX-V1800 receiver.

Conclusion
I prefer the Samsung BD-P2550 over the Sony BDP-S350 in Blu-ray and dvd pictue quality. I'm considering that I should try out the Pioneer BDP-51FD and compare it to the Samsung.

[gbalbach]

Originally Posted by gbalbach

FYI I just picked one up from best buy on lunch - will test it out tonight at home and post my findings. I already have a 1500 and will be moving that to another room in the house, it has performed great - no problems or drop outs.

Ok I have had a chance to try out the 2550, it is great! I have a Samsung 61" DLP 1080p set. 2550 is hooked up via HDMI to a Denon 3808 receiver then out to the TV. Pass through video, no scaling or altering of the signal. Audio is set to bitstream audiophile mode so my Denon can decode the HDMI audio.

Remote is same as the one included with the 1500.

DVD playback is stellar, easily beating the best I could get out of the PS3. The sharpness setting works for DVD and blu-ray. There is also a DVD only noise reduction setting, I find low to be the best for my taste, certainly cleans up video noise well without affecting the detail. I also prefer the sharpness on low - med and high are a bit extreme/artificial looking. Even with sharpness and the DVD NR off, DVD's look fantastic, as expected. Load times were very fast with DVD's, seems a little faster then the 1500 - speed is on par with an older stand alone sony dvd player.

Blu-Ray playback is even better than the 1500 and PS3. The 2550 seems to have even better color and detail. Again the sharpness setting can be used to tweak the image to your liking, I prefer it on low, simply amazing looking. Tried National Treasure 2 and Spider Man 3 so far, WOW! Blu-Ray speed seems to be on par with the 1500, maybe a hair faster, haven't used a stop watch but almost as fast as the PS3.

I honestly thought I wouldn't see much difference in the blu-ray playback but both blu-ray and dvd playback are stellar.

Sure it doesn't decode DTS-MA internally but it doesn't matter to me as my amp takes care of the decoding. Audio quality bit streamed to the Denon sounds the same on the 2550 as the 1500, at least so far.

Cooling fan was not audible after 1 hour of operation, had to shine a flash light into the grill work on the back to see if it was running.

For DVD playback with what I have, here is my rating from best to worst:
2550 -> PS3 -> Toshiba A35 -> 1500

For Blu-Ray:
2550 -> 1500 -> PS3 - though the PS3 and 1500 are really close/hard to tell a difference.

I think this player is a real bargain. Sure Profile 2.0 support is supposedly coming later but I'll be honest with you - I buy blu-ray movies for the amazing video detail and sound quality, not all the extra web connection stuff, I have a PC to view that stuff (and the PS3 if I really need to check something out).

If you are going to use the analog outs, you won't get DTS-MA, which seems typical at this price point compared to other players, so if that is something you need look for another player - doesn't sound like it will be able to be a future firmware upgrade, only profile 2.0 is promised. Nothing has been announced from Samsung to suggest DTS-MA internal decoding will be added. I don't see anything else coming out anytime soon that will match the video quality of the 2550 at the sub $500 mark.

If anyone has any specific questions about the unit let me know and I'll try to test it out.

[HOME THEATRE ADDICT!]

Im pretty sure that theyre suppose to also update the 1500 to be 2.0, but no clue when. Personally I dont care about that, but will update anyway. Since Im bitstreaming the audio HDMI, the 7.1 analog wouldnt be a plus for me but the HQV probably would. Actually Im waiting for people to have problems playing certain discs as that always seems to be an issue for someone at some point!

[mdm1699]

Great feedbacks between this thread and the AVS thread. I was curious about the DVD upscaling feature. I think that I will keep my Sony. I only have so many DVDs to replace. Nice thread.

[shrktank]

Just finished watching The Mummy, I Am Legend on Blue Ray and also parts of Star Wars on SD DVD.

I am amazed at the up-conversion the 2550 is doing on SD DVD. The backs have good separation from each other and just don't show up as a big black blotch.

As far as the Blu Ray disc, The Mummy looked somewhat washed out, but that could be from the disc itsef. I Am egend I have watched before on my PS3 and my Sony 350. I would say at worst the 2550 is on par with the 350.

I am some what perplexed with one thing on the 2550. I opted to use the "U control" during The Mummy. For some reason in the upper left the player displayed a menu indicating I had the PIP option selected for that feature. Could not clear off nor figure out if there was a way to remove it.

Overall happy with the new 2550, but will have to keep playing with it to see if it is worth the few extra dollars.