Samsung BD-P1500 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player
by Samsung
(Click here)
Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: SamsungBrand: Samsung
Edition: Electronics
Release Date: 2008-06-01
Model: BD-P1500
Color: Black
Publisher: Samsung
Studio: Samsung
Music Label: Samsung
Product features:
- Full HD 1080p Output for Blu-Ray Discs and selectable DVD Upconversion to 1080p
- 1080p with 24 Hz Video Output
- HDMI version 1.3, component video
- Dolby? Digital, Dolby? Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, dts-HD
- Ethernet connection lets you easily check for the latest firmware upgrades online
- Cables To Go 98036 Premium Component Video Cable (8 Feet, Black/Gray)
- AmazonBasics High Speed HDMI Cable (9.8 Feet / 3.0 Meters) [Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging]
- AmazonBasics High Speed HDMI Cable (6.5 Feet / 2.0 Meters) [Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging]
- Cables To Go 98038 Premium Toslink Optical Digital Audio Cable (8 Feet, Black/Grey)
- AmazonBasics Ultra High Speed HDMI Cable Braided (9.8 Feet / 3.0 Meters) [Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging]
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Samsung BD-P1500 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player
Customer Review: I like it better than the PS3 for Blu-ray Disc Movies
Summary: 5 Stars
Since there are so many reviews for this item, let's just get right down to it without a wordy intro, shall we?
Looks:
The BD-P1500 is slick-looking. It's elegant, minimalist, and goes great with Samsung HDTVs in an entertainment center. There's a disc eject button, a power/standby button, and a control "disc" which has the standard rewind, forward, play/pause, and stop buttons where you'd expect them. That's all there is to it. No extra panels, buttons, sliders, doors, or jacks can be found on the front.
On the back, you have the standard connections: HDMI, Component, Composite, Ethernet, USB (for persistant storage/BD Live and updates), and TOSlink optical audio output. Again, no extra panels, doors, sliders, etc. can be found. This is a basic, to-the-point player. (I do want to ask, however, who the hell gets a Blu-ray player and connects it to anything with composite cables? What's the point? That's like buying a Ferrari and putting wooden wagon wheels on it!)
Now, I can't comment on earlier firmware, as I immediately updated to the newest as of Dec, 2009. This firmware makes the BD-P1500 capable of playing Profile 2.0 discs, accessing BD-Live (I've not done it yet. I don't know anyone who has!), and improves stability with newer BDs. I have no complaints thus far. The BD-P1500 handles my Blu-ray Discs, DVDs, DVD-Rs, and DVD+Rs without a hitch.
DVD Up-conversion is better than my dedicated up-converting DVD player. Colors are crisp, details are sharp, and everything looks great. I don't see why so many people are complaining about DVD playback, because for me it's great. Perhaps they're on an older version of the firmware? Either way, it loads quickly and works fine for me.
Of course, Blu-ray Disc playback is gorgeous. 1080p, great colors, great details, and absolutely nothing to complain about. The load time was better than the PS3 (if you consider the time it takes for the PS3 to boot up from full standby) and everything worked as it should. Most commercial reviews called this the best player in its price range, and I'd have to agree (especially considering what it's going for online now, at the end of 2009).
I like the remote, and while it does lack a back-light it works well with the BD-P1500, and it worked out of the box with my Samsung TV. Yay! No more fumbling for another remote.
And that's one of the nice things about the Samsung BD-P1500 -- It supports Anynet+ which makes the player turn on my Samsung TV and switch source to HDMI when I insert a disc into the drive. How cool is that? I don't have to turn on the TV, switch source, turn on the disc player, and adjust volume with a separate remote; The Anynet+ feature makes sure that it all happens together, just as it should. Kudos to Samsung for making this work so well!
You may have seen the odd review here or there mentioning YouTube and Netflix on this device. Well, ignore them. The BD-P1500 does *not* support Netflix instant streaming (which is fine because I already have a Roku) and it does *not* have YouTube built-in, either. The people mentioning it were thinking of the later-model Blu-ray players from Samsung (like the BD-P1600, BD-P2500 and onward). This is *just* a disc player, so if you're looking for more features built-in, you'll need to look at one of Samsung's other models (or pick up a low-cost Roku device).
My final verdict is that the BD-P1500 is a good choice if you're looking to play Blu-ray movies without building in the extra cost of games, Netflix, or other non-BD features. It works well, and I'd highly recommend it to anyone who likes movies.
UPDATE: After reading some of the negative reviews, I see a common theme. A lot of people complain that the firmware upgrade "broke" their BD-P1500. I would like to suggest another possibility; I suspect this is a case of people messing with the player while it was doing the firmware upgrade, causing it to be bricked.
It's simple: When you start the upgrade, WALK AWAY. Don't touch it. Don't turn it off. Don't hit any buttons. Don't have any discs in the tray. It wasn't the firmware upgrade that damaged the player; It was very likely the end-user interfering with the firmware upgrade that caused the firmware flash to fail.
What I imagine happens is that these people start the update, and when they see no "activity" on the screen or LED panel, they panic and hit the power button, or pull the plug. In doing so, they stop the system in the middle of flashing the firmware, and that's it... It's bricked and they think it's the firmware upgrade's fault, when really, it's the fault of the end-user.
My sympathies to Samsung for all the complaints they're getting over this issue. Clearly, there are a lot of people who were not quite ready for a piece of living room technology that requires firmware updates, and can't follow the simple instructions provided by Samsung: Remove discs from tray, don't cut power, don't press buttons, and allow the device to finish the upgrade and shut down on its own. In short, don't interfere even if you think it's taking a long time. The player knows when it's finished upgrading; You do not.
My sympathies to the people who bricked their player, but you can't blame Samsung for user error, and I'm fairly certain a large percentage of these complaints ARE user error.
Description of Samsung BD-P1500 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player
Experience the Blu-ray difference with the SAMSUNG BD-P1500. You'll get incredibly detailed images with brilliant color in full high definition 1080p resolution. It's the only media capable of delivering true 1080p performance on an HDTV set. Its Anynet+ technology lets you control all your SAMSUNG AV devices from just one remote. The BD-P1500 lets you have it all. It's backward compatible with earlier formats. watch your current collection of DVDs or listen to audio CDs with the highest-quality sound available. 1080p resolution - Enjoy lifelike, vivid visuals and crystal-clear details with full high definition 1080p resolution when playing Blu-Ray discs HDMI keeps it simple by using a single cable wire to deliver the sharpest, richest images possible. Conveniently and easily transfer high-definition video and audio from your DVD player to your HDTV and other digital devices using a single cable. HDMI version 1.3 transfers deeper color and higher resolution, and handles new, compressed audio formats. Control it all with one remote - Anynet+ delivers streamlined, one-touch control over all your Anynet+ compatible devices such as the TV, AV receiver, and home theater Playback Media - BD-ROM / DVD-ROM / DVD-R / DVD-RW / AVCHD / audio CD Playback Formats - VC-1 / MPEG2 / H.264 DVD Upconversion DTS Decoder BD Profile - profile 1.1 USB 2.0 (for SW upgrade only) HDMI CEC Composite Video Outputs Component Video Outputs HDMI Outputs Optical Digital Audio Outputs Analog Audio Outputs - 2-Channel Built-in Ethernet connection - RJ45 USB Port Picture in Picture Dimensions - 16.9 in. x 3.3 in. x 10.8 in. Weight - 8.6 lbs.Digital Cameras & Photo Categories
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