The Samsung BD-P1400 Review Thread

[S1L3NT]

Originally Posted by BLU2U2

Silent,
Sorry for the late reply. I would think that firmware updates will not improve picture quality from any player. Picture quality is a function of the hardware (ie, chip selection, circuit design, etc.). Firmware updates will enable better playability of certain movies (ie, faster load times, improved smoothness - data interpretation lets call it, operating system upgrades, etc.). This is my take on this subject. Maybe some of the more seasoned Blu Gurus can elaborate on this some more - it is a very good question!

thanks for the reply, i figured the picture quality wouldn't improve, but i was wishful thinking. just not happy with some scenes on some blu-ray and dvd. oh well. thanks again blu2u2!

[BLU2U2]

Spiderman II load time was 48 seconds. Movie played completely through with two stutters (about 1/2 second - if you blink, you will miss them) about halfway through the movie. The stutters occurred about seven minutes apart.
I am still very happy with my 1400.

[MacDaddyOJack]

My player has only frozen two times, both of those times were with movies that have DTS-MA (which I was using). This new firmware update is supposed to fix the DTS-MA issues so I hope that it will fix these random freeze issues. All in all, the freeze was not a big deal on either movie as I just used it for a bathroom break as it started back up!

[itsfatboy]

I can buy the Samsung Blu Ray BDP1400 for about $450CAD
It has Dolby True HD and DTS HD but lacks the HQV chip for upscaling.


Or I can buy the Samsung BDP1200 for $300CAD
It has the HQV chip but lacks the Dolby True HD and DTS HD

I know I can get a Sony with both for about $800 +tax but I can't seem to justify it.

I have lots of SD DVD's I'll be watching, and mostly cable / satellite HD channels. Very little sports, mostly movies and regular tv.
I know I'll be buying the odd Dolby True HD and DTS HD enabled Blu ray movies, and renting the rest.

Which would better suit my needs?

I have ordered the BDP1400 with plans to match up to an Onkyo 805.

Should I cancel my order and get the BDP1200?

[rik1010]

I have another weird issue with my 1400.

The front speaker output on 5.1 analog are set to small so the lower freq. should be sent to the subwoofer. However, I realized that this is not happening. It can be hard to tell because the lows from all the other channels are sent to the sub also. If in doing A/B comparisons of the analog vs. digital outputs you discover that the analog bass seems weaker this is one reason why.

Here's how to tell if your player is outputting the low freq. properly. Drop in a regular CD. Since it is in stereo if you turn off the front speakers then you should hear only sounds from the subwoofer. If you hear silence then you have this issue too.

To enable my 1400 to output the front speaker lows to the sub I need to go to the Setup menu, select Audio, select Speaker Setup, hit the red button on the remote to run the test tone cycle. THEN it will output properly.

OR you can select front speakers as large, hit save, then reselect front speakers as small, hit save. THEN it will output properly.

Great! However, once I power off the unit then I need to go through the whole procedure again.

I don't know if it did this out of the box, but it certainly does after firmware 1.1 update.

Does anyone else have this stupid issue? I will be returning/repurchasing this unit in a couple of weeks to give me another month of trials until the Panasonic BD30 comes out and I can compare the two. I like this unit for a number of reasons so I would like to see if firmware will get it working better.
I too have the issues with stuttering on Spiderman 2.1

[Vlad44]

why not just to buy best rated sd dvd player? for the moment there is no best matching couples bluray+receiver. some lacks one, another lacks other. wait for panny bd30, change your 805 for nr905 and be happy!..

[swdvader]

Originally Posted by rik1010

I have another weird issue with my 1400.

The front speaker output on 5.1 analog are set to small so the lower freq. should be sent to the subwoofer. However, I realized that this is not happening. It can be hard to tell because the lows from all the other channels are sent to the sub also. If in doing A/B comparisons of the analog vs. digital outputs you discover that the analog bass seems weaker this is one reason why.

Here's how to tell if your player is outputting the low freq. properly. Drop in a regular CD. Since it is in stereo if you turn off the front speakers then you should hear only sounds from the subwoofer. If you hear silence then you have this issue too.

To enable my 1400 to output the front speaker lows to the sub I need to go to the Setup menu, select Audio, select Speaker Setup, hit the red button on the remote to run the test tone cycle. THEN it will output properly.

OR you can select front speakers as large, hit save, then reselect front speakers as small, hit save. THEN it will output properly.

Great! However, once I power off the unit then I need to go through the whole procedure again.

I don't know if it did this out of the box, but it certainly does after firmware 1.1 update.

Does anyone else have this stupid issue? I will be returning/repurchasing this unit in a couple of weeks to give me another month of trials until the Panasonic BD30 comes out and I can compare the two. I like this unit for a number of reasons so I would like to see if firmware will get it working better.
I too have the issues with stuttering on Spiderman 2.1

I had the 1400 at this time it wont play spiderman 2. I can tell you sony has no problems with any of the movies and on friday Iam geting the new bd30 and will test it before I return my sony.

[rik1010]

As a courtesy to Samsung I called their 1-800 number to talk to tech support to explain the analog output issue where the player doesn't output the low freq. from the front speakers to the subwoofer when the Speaker Setup selection is set to "small".
The girl at the other end listended to the problem and could only say "I'm sorry for the problem you're having but thank you for calling the Samsung Customer Assistance line."
I said I was calling as a courtesy to Samsung so that they would know this is an issue that could possibly be fixed with a firmware update. The girl said that the only way she could pass this information on was to take my name/phone number, etc. and setup a customer account, blah, blah, blah...
I said I was going to be returning the unit but just wanted to pass this info on to their techs. She said she couldn't do it without creating the customer account.
I didn't bother, what a waste of my time to try to make them aware of a problem. I had read in other forums about people who called Samsung tech support and never really got any useful help or information out of them.

Anyway, I don't think this player is junk, just a couple of issues that need to be cleared up but so far, firmware updates seem to address some issues but create others. I still have a couple of weeks left to see what firmware updates may address the couple of issues I am having. It does make me rule out the upcoming 5000 as I don't think Samsung can handle addressing issues in 2 formats at the same time.

[squire23]

Originally Posted by rik1010

As a courtesy to Samsung I called their 1-800 number to talk to tech support to explain the analog output issue where the player doesn't output the low freq. from the front speakers to the subwoofer when the Speaker Setup selection is set to "small".
The girl at the other end listended to the problem and could only say "I'm sorry for the problem you're having but thank you for calling the Samsung Customer Assistance line."
I said I was calling as a courtesy to Samsung so that they would know this is an issue that could possibly be fixed with a firmware update. The girl said that the only way she could pass this information on was to take my name/phone number, etc. and setup a customer account, blah, blah, blah...
I said I was going to be returning the unit but just wanted to pass this info on to their techs. She said she couldn't do it without creating the customer account.
I didn't bother, what a waste of my time to try to make them aware of a problem. I had read in other forums about people who called Samsung tech support and never really got any useful help or information out of them.

Anyway, I don't think this player is junk, just a couple of issues that need to be cleared up but so far, firmware updates seem to address some issues but create others. I still have a couple of weeks left to see what firmware updates may address the couple of issues I am having. It does make me rule out the upcoming 5000 as I don't think Samsung can handle addressing issues in 2 formats at the same time.

I just received my player and have played a couple movies so far without issue. I am also using the analog outs (have not yet updated the firmware) and can say that I did not experience any LFE issues with my speakers set to small. The LFE was booming during Spidey 3. I recall reading about this issue on AVS but it was related to CD listening only so perhaps it's only an issue with CD play? Did you have to go through the test tones again for BD play?

[MacDaddyOJack]

Originally Posted by itsfatboy

I can buy the Samsung Blu Ray BDP1400 for about $450CAD
It has Dolby True HD and DTS HD but lacks the HQV chip for upscaling.


Or I can buy the Samsung BDP1200 for $300CAD
It has the HQV chip but lacks the Dolby True HD and DTS HD

I know I can get a Sony with both for about $800 +tax but I can't seem to justify it.

I have lots of SD DVD's I'll be watching, and mostly cable / satellite HD channels. Very little sports, mostly movies and regular tv.
I know I'll be buying the odd Dolby True HD and DTS HD enabled Blu ray movies, and renting the rest.

Which would better suit my needs?

I have ordered the BDP1400 with plans to match up to an Onkyo 805.

Should I cancel my order and get the BDP1200?

The 1400 does a pretty good job upconverting DVD's as it is. I would not limit yourself just because of the HQV chip, especially since you have an 805!! The pair are dynamite, just wait and see! Plus, Bluray is getting more prevalent by the day so pretty soon you will only be watching on Bluray and the HQV chip won't matter!! I think you would be crazy not to get the 1400.

[rik1010]

Originally Posted by squire23

I just received my player and have played a couple movies so far without issue. I am also using the analog outs (have not yet updated the firmware) and can say that I did not experience any LFE issues with my speakers set to small. The LFE was booming during Spidey 3. I recall reading about this issue on AVS but it was related to CD listening only so perhaps it's only an issue with CD play? Did you have to go through the test tones again for BD play?

OK, you gave me an idea.

I unplugged the center and rear spkr outputs from the 1400. This way ONLY the front speaker and LFE outputs went to the amp via analog. Then I stuck in a music DVD that was in dolby 2.0. The sub did NOT activate. I then tried the blu-ray Spiderman 3 bonus disc which is in 2.0. The sub did NOT activate.

This means that (if this is an issue on all 1400s) that everyone using the analog outputs and have the Speaker Setup set to "small" the low freq from the front speakers ARE NOT being sent to the sub. All the bass is from the dedicated LFE channel and the low freq from the center and surround channels but NOT from the front channels.

It's on CD's that the issue becomes obvious. When playing movies it is obscured by the fact that there is bass in the LFE channel as well as the bass from the rear and center channel speakers being sent to the sub.

Try a CD in your player. Then you'll know if low freq from the front speakers is being sent to the sub. Otherwise not quite all of the low freq. are being reproduced when you are watching movies.

Once getting the the 1400 to output analog properly then the bass will really be booming... until it boots up from being powered off for the next viewing session that is and you have to go through the whole procedure again.

[squire23]

Originally Posted by rik1010

OK, you gave me an idea.

I unplugged the center and rear spkr outputs from the 1400. This way ONLY the front speaker and LFE outputs went to the amp via analog. Then I stuck in a music DVD that was in dolby 2.0. The sub did NOT activate. I then tried the blu-ray Spiderman 3 bonus disc which is in 2.0. The sub did NOT activate.

This means that (if this is an issue on all 1400s) that everyone using the analog outputs and have the Speaker Setup set to "small" the low freq from the front speakers ARE NOT being sent to the sub. All the bass is from the dedicated LFE channel and the low freq from the center and surround channels but NOT from the front channels.

It's on CD's that the issue becomes obvious. When playing movies it is obscured by the fact that there is bass in the LFE channel as well as the bass from the rear and center channel speakers being sent to the sub.

Try a CD in your player. Then you'll know if low freq from the front speakers is being sent to the sub. Otherwise not quite all of the low freq. are being reproduced when you are watching movies.

Once getting the the 1400 to output analog properly then the bass will really be booming... until it boots up from being powered off for the next viewing session that is and you have to go through the whole procedure again.

rik1010,

I'll test this over the weekend. May not be able to post results until Monday.

[swdvader]

Originally Posted by itsfatboy

I can buy the Samsung Blu Ray BDP1400 for about $450CAD
It has Dolby True HD and DTS HD but lacks the HQV chip for upscaling.


Or I can buy the Samsung BDP1200 for $300CAD
It has the HQV chip but lacks the Dolby True HD and DTS HD

I know I can get a Sony with both for about $800 +tax but I can't seem to justify it.

I have lots of SD DVD's I'll be watching, and mostly cable / satellite HD channels. Very little sports, mostly movies and regular tv.
I know I'll be buying the odd Dolby True HD and DTS HD enabled Blu ray movies, and renting the rest.

Which would better suit my needs?

I have ordered the BDP1400 with plans to match up to an Onkyo 805.

Should I cancel my order and get the BDP1200?

I have the 805 and have used it with the sonybdp-s300, Samsung 1400 and Sony bdp-s500. The picture on all 3 are great. Problem is Samsung player still has issues playing some movies witch hopefully will be fixed. You should look into the Panasonic bd30. Mine arrives today, a few members already got theres and have said nothing but great things about it. As for the sound its up to you. Every player I mentioned except the 300 does hd sound. You would have to think that all new movies will have hd sound. And if you like me you want to have the most up to date. Also if your not interested in hd sound you could buy a cheeper receiver, the benifet of the 805 is HD sound.
Good luck.

[squire23]

Originally Posted by rik1010

As a courtesy to Samsung I called their 1-800 number to talk to tech support to explain the analog output issue where the player doesn't output the low freq. from the front speakers to the subwoofer when the Speaker Setup selection is set to "small".
The girl at the other end listended to the problem and could only say "I'm sorry for the problem you're having but thank you for calling the Samsung Customer Assistance line."
I said I was calling as a courtesy to Samsung so that they would know this is an issue that could possibly be fixed with a firmware update. The girl said that the only way she could pass this information on was to take my name/phone number, etc. and setup a customer account, blah, blah, blah...
I said I was going to be returning the unit but just wanted to pass this info on to their techs. She said she couldn't do it without creating the customer account.
I didn't bother, what a waste of my time to try to make them aware of a problem. I had read in other forums about people who called Samsung tech support and never really got any useful help or information out of them.

Anyway, I don't think this player is junk, just a couple of issues that need to be cleared up but so far, firmware updates seem to address some issues but create others. I still have a couple of weeks left to see what firmware updates may address the couple of issues I am having. It does make me rule out the upcoming 5000 as I don't think Samsung can handle addressing issues in 2 formats at the same time.

rik1010,

You are correct. It's definetely an inconvenience to have to resave the "small" settings each time. Hopefully this can be fixed.

[BLU2U2]

Originally Posted by rik1010

I have another weird issue with my 1400.

The front speaker output on 5.1 analog are set to small so the lower freq. should be sent to the subwoofer. However, I realized that this is not happening. It can be hard to tell because the lows from all the other channels are sent to the sub also. If in doing A/B comparisons of the analog vs. digital outputs you discover that the analog bass seems weaker this is one reason why.

Here's how to tell if your player is outputting the low freq. properly. Drop in a regular CD. Since it is in stereo if you turn off the front speakers then you should hear only sounds from the subwoofer. If you hear silence then you have this issue too.

To enable my 1400 to output the front speaker lows to the sub I need to go to the Setup menu, select Audio, select Speaker Setup, hit the red button on the remote to run the test tone cycle. THEN it will output properly.

OR you can select front speakers as large, hit save, then reselect front speakers as small, hit save. THEN it will output properly.

Great! However, once I power off the unit then I need to go through the whole procedure again.

I don't know if it did this out of the box, but it certainly does after firmware 1.1 update.

Does anyone else have this stupid issue? I will be returning/repurchasing this unit in a couple of weeks to give me another month of trials until the Panasonic BD30 comes out and I can compare the two. I like this unit for a number of reasons so I would like to see if firmware will get it working better.
I too have the issues with stuttering on Spiderman 2.1

rik1010,
Wish I could help with your audio concerns but I have not fiddeled with the 1400's speaker-out connections. I just run HDMI to the Onkyo 605 and the audio is excellent with just a 5.1 speaker setup. I also use a regular CD player for my music CD's and honestly have not tried the 1400 with a music CD. Sounds like you plan on switching to different equipment in the near future so maybe that will solve your problems.

[BLU2U2]

Originally Posted by MacDaddyOJack

My player has only frozen two times, both of those times were with movies that have DTS-MA (which I was using). This new firmware update is supposed to fix the DTS-MA issues so I hope that it will fix these random freeze issues. All in all, the freeze was not a big deal on either movie as I just used it for a bathroom break as it started back up!

MDOJ,
Was wondering if you have done the Version 1.1 firmware update yet and had time to test it. I still have not tried to watch Spiderman III yet. I'm thinking there must be many more 1400 owners out there by now, so maybe we will get some more feedback soon.

[MacDaddyOJack]

Originally Posted by BLU2U2

MDOJ,
Was wondering if you have done the Version 1.1 firmware update yet and had time to test it. I still have not tried to watch Spiderman III yet. I'm thinking there must be many more 1400 owners out there by now, so maybe we will get some more feedback soon.

I have done the firmware 1.1 update and I have watched Spiderman 3. That movie sucked BTW, but that's for another thread! I had absolutely no problems, glitches, or dropouts whatsoever. I played the movie all the way through in TrueHD and then parts again in PCM. I think I like PCM better, but neither of the sound formats caused a problem with playback. I'll have to check some fox titles soon with DTS-MA tracks as the firmware was supposed to improve compatibility with DTS-MA.

[DragonSarc]

does the 1400 still take 2 - 3 sec for the sound to come on when you switch tracks on the new firmware? kinda annoyed by it

[mgonzo2u]

Samsung BD-P1400 - Blu-Ray DVD Player w/ 1080p Resolution » for $329.99 at Buy.com

http://www.deals2buy.com/home/alldeals.htm

[FruityOatyBar]

Originally Posted by DragonSarc

does the 1400 still take 2 - 3 sec for the sound to come on when you switch tracks on the new firmware? kinda annoyed by it

I have never noticed this problem.

My complaint is that it takes forever for the machine to turn on and open the tray so I can put in a disc. After I finally get it in there, it can be a two minute wait for the disc to start playing.

Oh, one more thing. It really aggravates me that the player doesn't remember where you left off. I accidentally hit the 'stop' button on the remote last night and not only did it take two minutes or more for the disc to start up again but is started from the beginning of the disc. I had to skip the warnings, navigate the menu and fast forward to where I had left off. My DVD player would have just remembered where I stopped and started playing in just two or three seconds after pushing 'play'.

Annoyances ike this make me wish I had gotten the PS3.

BTW: Excellent price at buy.com!