Samsung announces 4th generation Blu-ray Player

[Winterklaar]

Not being a real HD aficionado, I wonder what 4th generation means?

The player is able to connect to other HD devices trough a HDMI 1.3 port (1 out, 2 in) HDMI CEC or Component Video, S-Video outputs. It also has BD Profile 1.1 Bonus View and is BD Live Ready. Users are able to upgrade the device trough a built-in Ethernet connection but also an USB connector is available which can be used to upgrade the firmware.

http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/Samsung...ay-player.html

[Mr. Cinema]

In the latest announcement post on this site, it mentioned that the BD-P1500would be able to decode TrueHD. When I checked the specs in the player section, it shows bitstream only. Is this player definitely confirmed to decode TrueHD?

[Blu Titan]

The MSRP of $549 appears to be very expensive considering that Sony is supposed to release a 1.1/Bonus view player in the Summer (the BDP-S350 that will retail for $400), or maybe they(Sony) will change its pricing strategy.

[Mr. Cinema]

Gizmodo said the list price is $399.

[bferr1]

^ So does Bestbuy.com. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1201913483931

[Blu Titan]

Originally Posted by Mr. Cinema

Gizmodo said the list price is $399.

That MSRP is more in line with everyone else.

[Sonny]

Yeah everywhere has been saying 399$ Hopefully they do this player right & restore the good faith in there BD players to alot of people. Me being one of them...

[tmok2000]

If this player is BD Live ready, doesn't it make it a Profile 2.0 player? Why is it only 1.1? What's missing?

[krisjan]

Originally Posted by tmok2000

If this player is BD Live ready, doesn't it make it a Profile 2.0 player? Why is it only 1.1? What's missing?

"BD Live ready" implies that it has the internal hardware needed to be a profile 2.0 unit but that it will need to be enabled by a FW update sometime in the future. That means you're at the mercy of Samsung to provde the 2.0 FW update. Who knows when that would be available...

[DarkClown]

This according to Engadget:

Hard to believe that CES 2007 was the venue at which Samsung launched its second-generation Blu-ray player, as just 12 months later we're staring the fourth-gen unit right in the face. Coming this May, the BD-P1500 will support 1080p playback (not to mention 720p / 1080i / 1080p DVD upconversion), 7.1 PCM, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD HR and MA, Bitstream audio output via HDMI, HDMI 1.3 with CEC and the obligatory Profile 1.1. Meanwhile, the firm is also announcing its forthcoming combo player, and for those out there who have yet to successfully hunt one down or are just too frightened by the reports of lackluster audio performance, you may want to hit the pause button 'til May. The BD-UP5500 (pictured after the break) handles Blu-ray / HD DVD discs and supports 1080p24, but otherwise remains functionality identical to the P1500. The pain? $399 for the BD-P1500, $599 for the BD-UP5500.

So as you can read, the pricing of the BD-P1500 is said to be $399. The $599 pricing is for the combo player, which I have to wonder if that product will ever actually make it to market given the current state of HD-DUD.

On the other hand, I'm not sure I see anything here in the specs that would cause me to run out an replace my BD-P1400 with the new 1500.

[Blu-ray Fanatic]

Are there any BD standalone players that are equal to the PS3?

[Edh63]

Originally Posted by Blu-ray Fanatic

Are there any BD standalone players that are equal to the PS3?

I think that's an oxymoronic statement. The PS3 is not a standalone BDP. It's a gaming unit that plays BDs. Stuff a 80 gig hard drive into a Samsung BD-P1500 and then you have grounds to make a comment that has the word "equal" in it.

Who cares about load times being faster on PS3? Has Joe Public gone completely stupid thinking time is racing by if you have to wait seconds longer for one machine to load faster than another? The BD-P1400 has turned out to be one of the best players out there, so why would I waste my money on a PS3 when I'll never use the gaming part of it... EVER! I use my BDP for watching movies only and I never play games on my TV. Console games are for the weak and children anyway. Go build a monster PC and play some real games on that.

PQ is fantastic on the BD-P1400. Does the PS3 have some magic pill that will enhance my viewing experience? I think not. Those that by a PS3 play games on it too. There are many people that could care less about playing games and would much rather prefer a stand alone player. Big hard drives and faster load times? Give me a break! Go play your games on your PS3 that plays BDs, and the rest of us will watch movies on our fantastic BDPs that aren't trying to be gaming units.

I hope this stirs it up with you PS3 punks!

[bootman]

Originally Posted by Edh63

I hope this stirs it up with you PS3 punks!

[Edh63]

Originally Posted by bootman

I know, I can't wait!

[elwaylite]

Originally Posted by Blu-ray Fanatic

Are there any BD standalone players that are equal to the PS3?

For video upconversion, the BD30 is better than "equal". Yes, I owned both.