BD-P1000

Good Gear Guide

  • Review
  • Specs
  • Images
  • User Reviews
  • Buy Online

Samsung's BD-P1000 is the first home entertainment Blu-Ray player to hit the market. Offering video output at resolutions all the way up to 1080p, HDMI and a variety of basic functions, this device is an innovative product that is perfect for early adopters. Like most new technology however, don't expect it to come cheaply.

Pros

  • Great picture quality, HDMI support

Cons

  • Price, Slow menu

Bottom Line

For the early adopters this is a great product, offering excellent image quality and a variety of connection options. The price tag however, is considerably higher than that the projected cost of competing HD-DVD players.

Would you buy this?

  • Price

    $ 1,699.00 (AUD)

As Blu-Ray and HD-DVD players devices begin appearing in shops, they usher in the new age of High Definition video into the Australian market place. These technologies promise superior picture quality, higher storage capacity and improved features. The BD-P1000 succeeds in all these areas, although its menu system could use a little work.

While your average consumer will question exactly how evident the differences in image quality are, it only takes a split second of viewing to understand how truly impressive high definition video is. Samsung provided two Blu-Ray discs with the BD-P1000: S.W.A.T. and Legends of Jazz. The quality of these recordings was nothing short of exceptional (although the plot and dialogue on the former left a bit to be desired). When compared with DVDs, there are almost no visible background artefacts and edges are extremely sharp and smooth across the whole picture. Colours are well balanced and every element of the image is rendered with detail and precision. This player produced some of the best quality video we've ever seen, comparable to that produced by Toshiba's HD-DVD discs.

We watched the discs running at a resolution of 1366x768 (720p) but the player can also output to 1080i and 1080p if you're lucky enough to have a display that supports the latter. This can be configured from the internal menu, which is reasonably intuitive and easy to navigate, but a little slow for our liking.

The BD-P1000 offers the usual array of connectivity options, including component and HDMI, as well as stereo and optical audio outputs, which is more than enough to cater to any user's needs. Do note however that while component works for 720p and 1080i, if you want to run 1080p you need to use HDMI due to future HDCP copyright protection.

The unit itself is reasonably well designed, and has a similar aesthetic to many other Samsung home entertainment devices. With a gloss black and silver colour scheme and neon blue lights, it fits in very well with a modern home entertainment setup. We felt the construction was a little weak in some parts, but short of moving it from the box to your shelves, the device should pretty much remain stationary, so this isn't a huge concern.

All the functions are accessed via the remote, which is well laid out, although some of its buttons are a little small. In addition to basic Blu-Ray playback, the BD-P1000 offers JPEG and MP3 support from either a flash memory card or a data disc and can play both regular CDs and most common DVD formats. All the major types of cards are supported, including Compact Flash, Memory Stick and SD card. While both of these functions work, the menu slowdown we experienced earlier returned with a vengeance here. Skipping between photos took in excess of ten seconds, and even changing songs had a notable pause. We'd really like to see the interface sped up a little to improve the overall user experience.

Slow down aside, these features were quite easy to use. The menu is broken down into clearly marked directories which are easy to follow, and even novice users will have no issues. The BD-P1000 also allows you to create playlists up to 30 songs long using your music files, which is a nice touch.

Overall the BD-P1000 is a mixed bag. While there is no doubt it will appeal to early adopters and innovators, and offers some of the best video quality you can currently find, the price tag is high. HD-DVD players coming onto the market in the near future are projected to cost around half the BD-P1000's asking price. Furthermore, there are a lot more HD-DVD titles available than there are Blu-Ray titles, and this isn't going to change in the next few months. However if you are intending to go with Blu-Ray then the BD-P1000 is probably right up your alley.

Keep up with the latest tech news, reviews and previews by subscribing to the PC World newsletter.

Be the first to comment.

Post new comment

Users posting comments agree to the Good Gear Guide comments policy.

Login or register to link comments to your user profile, or you may also post a comment without being logged in.

Most Popular

Tethering tutorial: How to use your iPhone as a modem
Capacitive vs resistive touchscreens
How to pick the right size TV for your living room
LCD vs plasma vs LED TVs buying guide
The most disturbing YouTube videos of all time

Best Deals on PCWorld

Home EntertainmentView all »
TVsView all »
ProjectorsView all »
MonitorsView all »
Digital VideoView all »