BD Players that can output a 1080p/24 signal

[HDTV1080P]

Home Theater’s review of the Samsung BD-UP5000

For those who are considering purchasing a dual format player here is a excellent review of the positives and negatives of the player that well be going out of production in May. The BD-UP5500 might replace the BD-UP5000.

Profile 1.1 support quote
“While the manual (likely printed some time ago) states that the Duo HD does not support the BD-Java features that require Profile 1.1 (such as picture-in-picture video commentaries) hardware, Samsung claims that the player now does play those features. “

Does not have the min hardware requirements for Profile 2.0 (BD-LIVE Quote
“The Duo HD has a (LAN) Ethernet port but is not spec'd as a Profile 2.0 (BD Live) player.s”

Multichannel analog outputs muted when 1080P/24 output mode is selected quote
“The Duo HD can output 1080p/24 or 1080p/60 over HDMI, and 1080i over component. Unfortunately, selecting 24fps mutes the multichannel analog outputs.”

Advanced audio codec’s like DTS HD Master Audio coming in a firmware update in May according to what Samsung says (quote)
“Samsung has told us that a firmware update to pass soundtracks in both of these lossless formats to a suitable A/V receiver, in bitstream form, is in the works. But it isn't due until May. The fact that it's still four months off suggests that a considerable amount of engineering is involved, and you can't always engineer to a deadline. Our experience with most manufacturers suggests that it's a dicey move, at best, to base a purchase decision on a promised delivery date for future vaporware.”

Firmware updates quotes
“With the constant flood of important firmware updates coming out for this and other players, a user should not be required to have an intimate grasp of computers—or any computer knowledge at all—to get his or her player up to speed. One obvious solution would be for manufacturers to keep buyers' info from warrantee cards on file and overnight an update disc to each customer. I'm sorry, manufacturers, if this sounds like too much trouble. But if you can't get the product working right out of the gate, or if a format is in constant flux, the consumer shouldn't be required to be a computer-geek and beta-tester to fix it. And if you expect high definition on disc to go mass market, this situation needs to be addressed—and fast.”


Some positive quotes

“It also properly de-interlaced 1080i material to 1080p, including recognition of 3/2 pulldown. 1080i isn't common on high definition discs, but you will find it on concert releases.”

” Disc loading times were comparable to the newest dedicated HD DVD and Blu-ray players I've tested. Short of Sony's PlayStation3 for Blu-ray (still the speed champ) you won't do much better. In one respect, however, the Samsung was very fast: its time from power-up to drawer-open was a swift 15 seconds.
But where the Samsung really excelled was in pure picture quality. The Samsung produced high definition images from both BD and HD DVD that were as good—and sometimes better—than those I've seen from high definition players dedicated to either format. The improvement was not dramatic, but in its color saturation, sharpness (without artificiality), depth, and overall image "pop" the Duo HD marginally beat out the Panasonic DMP-BD30 on Blu-ray and at least equaled the Toshiba HD-A35 on HD DVD”

“Conclusions
The Samsung BD-UP5000 is in many ways a superb high definition disc player—with arguably the best picture quality I've yet seen from high definition discs.
But it's a work in progress, with shortcomings that need to be fixed. Hopefully they will be, with future firmware. Internet reports also suggest that the problems we encountered were widespread, both before and after the update, and not simply indicative of a defective sample.
While I haven't yet found a completely bug-free Blu-ray or HD DVD player, I can't quite recommend the Samsung Duo HD as it currently stands, even apart from its inability to play back advanced audio. That conclusion may well change in the future, and I hope it does. Certainly we look forward to a follow-up to this report when Samsung has ironed out all the kinks. But with the market looking increasingly Blu, by the time we have the answers will we still be asking the questions? “
http://hometheatermag.com/discplayers/108sam5000/