Samsung BD-P1500 Blu-ray Review
Reviewed on Jan 19, 2009
(6 votes, average: 7.5 out of 10)
Loading ...Up for review: The Samsung BD-P1500 Blu-ray Player
The new BD-P1500 with its elegant high-gloss and piano-black finish definitely looks a stand-out as compared to other Blu-ray players in the market. This latest model is Samsung’s fourth generation Blu-ray player. This Blu-ray player has Multi-Format Playback capabilities which means you can run DVD-Video, CD/CD-R/CD-RW, DVD-R/RW, BD-ROM, AVCHD and BD-R/RE. It can even up-convert DVDs to 720p, 1080i, or 1080p resolutions.
Currently available on Profile 1.1, it facilitates accessing picture-in-picture commentary tracks available on some Blu-ray Discs. However, as the Blu-ray player is not upgraded to Profile 2.0 as of now, certain BD-Live features can’t be accessed on this new Samsung BD-P1500. But Ethernet Port has been provided for direct online firmware update access and future firmware updates to make it Profile 2.0 compatible. Since the BD-Live require 1GB of onboard memory, you need to insert a flash drive with at least 1GB into the USB port while updating the firmware.
Compared to some other Blu-ray Disc Players, the start-up, disc loading, and disc ejecting time of this new Samsung BD-P1500 is very fast. With HDMI 1.3 output, the new Samsung BD-P1500 supports advanced video features such as Deep Color and x.v.Color.
Another striking feature of the BD-P1500 is the ability to pass Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio as native bitstreams to pre/pro with built-in decoders or an A/V receiver (AVR) formats. This Blu-ray player can also decode Dolby TrueHD into multichannel PCM and send it to any older AVR which doesn’t decode the lossless audio formats. However, high resolution source soundtrack such as DTS-HD MA can’t be played on this Blu-ray player. Only when the bitstream from the player is decoded to an AVR capable mode, you can enjoy the DTS-HD MA soundtrack.
Even though the new Samsung BD-P1500 lacks in certain features and performance when compared to high-end models such as Sony’s PlayStation 3, its relative low price makes it a solid option for budget-conscious buyers.
Samsung BD-P1500 Key Features Review:
DVD Features
Media Type CD, DVD, BD-R, CD-R, BD-RE, CD-RW, DVD-R, BD-ROM, DVD-RW
Built-in Audio Decoders DTS decoder, Dolby TrueHD , Dolby Digital , Dolby Digital Plus
Media Load Type Tray
Supported Digital Video
Standards VC-1 , H.264 , MPEG-2
Supported Digital
Audio Standards PCM
Upscaling Yes
Output Resolution 480i, 480p, 576i, 576p , 720p , 1080i , 1080p
Parental Lock Yes
Additional Features BD-Live , JPEG photo playback , Progressive scanning
Audio System
Sound Output Mode Stereo
Response Bandwidth 4 - 44000 Hz
Dynamic Range 100 dB
Digital Audio Format DTS digital output, Dolby Digital output
Signal-To-Noise Ratio 110 dB
Additional Features Upgradeable firmware
Connections
Connector Type 1 x HDMI ( 19 pin HDMI Type A ) - Rear , 1 x Component video output ( RCA phono x 3 ) - Rear , 1 x Composite video/audio output ( RCA phono x 3 ) - Rear , 1 x Digital audio output (optical) ( TOSLINK ) - Rear , 1 x Network ( RJ-45 ) - Rear , 1 x USB - Rear
Manufacturer Warranty
Service & Support 1 year warranty