Insignia NS-WBRDVD, Connected Blu-Ray Player, 1080p Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This product is made by BestBuy (Insignia is BestBuy's house brand - kind of like generic products from the grocery store). What BestBuy saves by not putting a fancy Sony or Samsung label on the product gets passed on to you. Still, the player is made well and performs exceptionally for this price.
Now, understand that there are players that do more stuff, maybe have cooler menus and might have better picture/sound. That said, your average Joe ain't never gonna notice any of that stuff. Only videophiles are even going to hint at the picture quality on this player being less than optimal. The fact is that Blu Ray looks darn good on every player that you can buy today, and on screens smaller than, say, 100" the picture is perfect.
This player lacks internal decoders for DTS-MA and DolbyHD (it can pass these to your receiver to decode, though). Cha-ching = savings for you.
Streaming NetFlix is pretty awesome. Make sure that your wireless router is set up as a WPA (not WEP) encrypted router. Set up couldn't be easier. Picture quality is outstanding. Some movies (like Muppets in Space) look just as good as DVD. TV shows (like Dora the Explorer) fare a little worse (VCR quality). But other shows, like Heroes, look high def. Newer movies look comparable to DVD when streamed as well.
This is a very cool product and functions just as promised. Definitely a good quality product. Even more so, given its price.

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Samsung BD-C5500 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player Review

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(More customer reviews)I have had the Samsung BD-C5500 Blu-ray player for about a week now and I absolutely love it. It was very easy to setup and worked perfectly right out of the box. It's smaller in size than the DVD player it is replacing but noticeably heavier. It starts up quickly and loads Blu-ray discs quickly too. The buttons on the front of the player are touch sensitive and don't give the user any tactile feedback so sometimes it's hard to tell if you have pushed them or not but at the same time they are cool and have a cutting-edge appeal. Some people have mentioned that they don't care for the remote but I find it to be very adequate and easy to use. I like the larger size of the buttons since I have big hands. The remote seems to work well at different angles and distances as well. When I first hooked up the player it did a firmware update and about a week later it notified me that there was a newer firmware and again did an update. It's comforting to see that Samsung is actively working to improve the device's firmware by releasing updates frequently if needed. I didn't know what issues/features the firmware updates were addressing because the UI on the player doesn't really tell you but Samsung does list what the firmware updates change/fix on their website. The device didn't have any problems connecting to my home network using a CAT-5 cable. It doesn't bother me a bit that this player doesn't support wi-fi out of the box. In my experience wi-fi is very susceptible to interference from other devices such as microwaves, cordless phones, and other wi-fi routers so using it to stream a high-definition movie could be problematic when you decide to pop some popcorn during the show or if someone calls you on your cordless phone. You'll always get better streaming performance from CAT-5. Plus, it's a lot cheaper than the players that do have wi-fi built in.
I have used this player to stream Netflix content from my Netflix instant queue. Before having this player we watched a lot of Netflix streaming content on our computer but watching it on the HDTV using this player has been a lot more convenient and sounds better on the home audio system than on the computer speakers. Streaming works very well and I haven't seen it skip frames or stop to re-buffer the stream. It takes a little longer to buffer the stream at the beginning of playback than my computer does but after a 15-20 second wait it's good to go so it's not a big deal. I have spoken with people who stream Netflix through the PS3 or XBOX and they have told me it takes about the same amount of time to buffer on those systems and I would imagine other Blu-ray players that stream Netflix would have similar performance. Some of the Netflix streaming content will stream in 720p resolution which looks and sounds great. One thing to note is that this player will only see titles you have added to your Instant Queue on the Netflix website. You cannot use the player to browse for different content and add it to your queue. This has not been very bothersome to me but it might bother some people. I actually like the fact that I can put titles in the Instant Queue for my children to watch and they can't browse around Netflix on the player and find adult content accidentally in the process.
Streaming music through Pandora has been great too. The Pandora app works well and has a good interface. You can give songs a thumbs up or thumbs down but only while the song is playing. It would be great if you could go back through the list of songs that have recently played and give them the thumbs up or thumbs down after they have played like you can on the Pandora website but that's not the way it works sadly. The quality of the audio seems very good and the time it takes to buffer the music is not even noticeable. We have really enjoyed having a device capable of using Pandora connected to the home audio/theater system.
I used the Blockbuster service to rent a movie for my kids. The video/audio quality was excellent and I had no streaming problems but the price was a little absurd. The movies cost about $4 to rent and you only have access to watch the movie for 24 hours from the time you first start playing it. At that price I would expect that you would get to watch the title as much as you want for 5 days just like you would do if you physically rented a movie from a Blockbuster location. I don't think I will be using the Blockbuster service very much unless there is a movie I really want to watch and I'm too tired/lazy to physically go to a Blockbuster and rent it.
Overall I feel like the device does a lot for how much I paid for it and is definitely worth the money. I have already recommended it to numerous friends and co-workers who have been looking to get a Blu-ray player. This is the first Blu-ray player I have owned and might possibly be the last since it's so feature-rich and works so well.
Update 4/14/2010:
I have had this player for over a month now and I have received 4 firmware updates I think. With the firmware updates the device has only gotten better. The updates didn't appear to add any new features but they have made the player more stable so it is less likely to freeze-up or stop working in other ways. Everything has been working flawlessly for me.
There is a new service called Vudu now that this player supports. I have not tried to use it yet but it appears to give you one free HD rental so that you can try the service. It looks similar to the Blockbuster streaming app. Most movies appear to have options to rent/buy the title in 3 different formats. HDX (1080p 5.1 Surround), HD (720p 5.1 Surround?), and SD (Standard Definition 480p and I'm not sure on the audio). I have watched a few trailers on Vudu and they stream fine but I haven't tried actually streaming a movie from Vudu yet.

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The BDC5500 can also wireless LAN ready (wireless LAN adaptor not included). Add to that AllShare™, which enables content to be seamlessly streamed between DLNA® devices, allowing you to play files stored on your PC through your Blu-ray player.

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Sony BDP-S370 Blu-ray Disc Player Review

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(More customer reviews)I already own a Sony BDPS-360 downstairs as our main Blu-Ray player, but wanted a streaming player for upstairs (an Xbox360 takes care of that downstairs). Since I won't have a 3D TV for quite some time, and have wired ethernet running to the appropriate room, the 470/570 offer me nothing over this player, so I bought the 370.
Blu-Rays are very quick to load. Checked out Pirates of the Carribean: Curse of the Black Pearl, and the biggest delay in getting to the movie was skipping the previews up front. Menu was up in just a few seconds, and the movie launched very quickly after that. Maybe 30 seconds from putting the disc in until I was watching the movie.
The remote does have an Open/Close button on it. That was not a big deal for me with the 360, but others complained about it so I thought I'd mention it.
Streaming takes a bit of setup, with the biggest item of note being that you need to register your Blu-Ray on internet.sony.tv before activating the streaming features. I had fits trying to create an account directly on that site, but creating a SonyStyle account first and then activating here worked much better. This works similar to Netflix activation in that you get a 4 symbol code from the player, enter it into your account, and now the Blu-Ray is activated. I then needed to go through the typical Netflix activation, getting another code from the player and entering it into my Netflix account. Amazon VOD linked directly to the Sony account and was then available on the player. Instructions for each of these are included in the screens on the Blu-Ray player, where it will provide the codes and the website address, and you then go the computer and finish linking from there.
Netflix works only off your Instant Queue, so you need to add movies to that queue on the website (or from the Xbox360 or other device with a full browser). Amazon VOD seems to have a fairly complete browser included. Netflix HD quality was reasonable, but most importantly about what I get on the computer or Xbox360; the player does not interfere in any way. This player was my first experience with Amazon VOD, and I must say the Sample HD clip (Superman Returns) was a lot higher than I expected, and actually better than most OnDemand offerings I get from my cable company (TWC NC).
So for Blu-Ray playback and Internet streaming, the box does a really good job. I wish the Netflix interface was more robust like the videogame consoles have, but actual playback and access to the Instant Queue works fine.
(Updates for this paragraph below) The big disappointment, and the one that keeps it from getting 5 stars, is that the SonyStyle page for the player lists DLNA as a feature. This is the standard for letting media devices connect to your computer and stream video / pictures / music over the network. Services like PlayOn also support this. DLNA, however, is not actually active on the player. From checking other sites, no one knows yet if this will be available in a future firmware update, or if the site is incorrect. If DLNA support is critical to your decision making, you may want to hold off until there is some answer on the DLNA picture.
Aside from that, I'm really happy with it as Blu-Ray player and Netflix/Amazon VOD streamer.
I have not yet tried a standard DVD, or any of the music streaming services. I'll update this review if anything changes as I use the player more.
UPDATE MARCH 1, 2010: Sony has updated the product page and changed the footnote for DLNA support. It is now due in a July 2010 firmware update. That's good news, and once the firmware ships I'll try to remember to report back on how well it works. If it works well the review will probably bump to 5 stars, as this is a pretty full-featured, fast, stable Blu-Ray player for under $200, especially if like me wireless and 3D are just not important to you.
One other bit of info for those who buy the player: if you have a Vizio TV, the remote code to use appears to be "04". It's not in the manual, but I tried this after a web search revealed others using the code for other Sony remotes, and this works for turning the TV on and off and changing the volume. The INPUT button does not work for me, though. The manual also seems to be missing the instructions for changing the TV code, but thanks to the manual for the S360 I have downstairs, the instructions are to hold the TV power button on the remote, enter the code, then release the TV power button on the remote.
UPDATE JUNE 9, 2010: The long-awaited DLNA firmware is now available for download. This is working great with my Windows Media Center (from Windows 7), with all my pictures, videos, and music available. One gotcha here is that the Sony has separate menus for all 3 categories, and you must play content from the correct category, even though all files show up under all options. So, for example, if you select your Windows Media Center server from the Video section, it will also have a folder for Pictures and Music, but every folder under those will show "no playable files". All the videos will play fine. It will be similar if you go to Music, except that only the music folder will have playable files.
However, at this time PlayOn is incompatible. The PlayOn server shows up, and you can browse and select videos, but all videos return a "This file is corrupt or unsupported". I've submitted a help request to PlayOn, and from the PlayOn forums it looks like others are as well, so we'll see if PlayOn can make a change, or if this needs to be reported to Sony. My Xbox360 streams the PlayOn stuff fine, so it's not a global issue with my setup.
On a different note, I've also since tried several standard DVDs and done some music streaming, and those features work fine. Others might be picky somewhere about DVD upscaling, but I've never really noticed an issue with this or any player, so I wouldn't worry about it. You do need to be aware that there are settings in the video setup to control the aspect ratio, so if you want a 16x9 picture (not letterboxed), you need to change the aspect ratio settings off "original". Aside from that, DVDs have played perfectly for me. And streaming music seems to work okay with the little I've done.
UPDATE August 9, 2010: PlayON has released updated software that fixes the streaming issues with this and potentially other players. Now that the DLNA support is working for all the stuff I want to stream, I've upped my review to 5 stars, as I have no complaints at all with it.

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Enjoy Blu-ray Disc movies in Full HD1080p and improve the quality of DVDs to near HD with the Sony BDP-S370 Blu-ray Disc Player. Play your favorite movies faster than ever and access a wide variety of movies, TV shows, and music streaming from the Internet plus turn your Apple iPhone or iPod touch into a remote control by downloading a free app.
Enjoy Blu-ray Disc movies and DVDs or connect to the internet and access movies, TV shows music and more.

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Samsung BD-P1590 Blu-ray Player Review

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(More customer reviews)Sleek, sexy, easy to use and highly affordable; the Samsung BD-P1590 is the perfect player for that newcomer to the Blu-Ray world, or even as a second player for a seasoned Blu-Ray vet. With just one caveat, this player is ideal for that film lover on a budget.
Let's start with what it can do. First of all it can output Blu-Ray discs in glorious 1080p HD (provided you have an HDMI cable and an HDTV); as far as BD output this player performs admirably. I found nary an issue with disc playback, and the picture is astounding. The player is able to handle nearly ever disc I tried to play, save for Watchmen, which comes with brand new features that the BD-P1590 was not equipped to handle; a simple firmware update should fix that. With the LAN connection you can receive firmware updates and access BD-Live (a sort of Xbox Live for Blu-Ray players that has all sorts of neat stuff).
The BD-P1590 is also setup for the Netflix 'Watch it now' queue, and provided you have a Netflix subscription you can stream any flick from their 'Instant Q' to your television. If you have a great internet connection the quality is superb at best, and wonky at worst, with the usual annoying pixelation and audio sync issues that plague streaming. One amazing feature of the Netflix streaming is the new HD streaming; being able to watch a good chunk of content in HD is always a plus. In addition to being Netflix-ready, the BD-P1590 is also Pandora ready. For those of you who do not know, Pandora is a free internet radio service. Just type in an artist and Pandora will find music exactly like that artist and other artists just like it. Its not going to sway most people, but its icing on the cake. You can also play music and photos through the player, which is nice but not necessary.
The Samsung outputs audio via DTS Master Audio HD, which is good enough for me, and provided you have a surround setup it will sound truly spectacular. However here is where the only caveat comes in; there is an audio sync issue with Blu-Ray disc playback, especially noticeable if you hook up a surround sound system directly to the player, resulting in a nasty echo effect between your player and your television. The latest firmware update did nothing to solve this problem; hopefully Samsung will figure out how to fix this annoying issue.
Another annoying thing is that the BD-P1590 has no hard drive, so if you want to do anything on BD-Live, or listen to music or view photos you need to have everything stored on a flash drive, which isn't really a big deal but in this day and age a built-in hard drive should be standard fare.
I am very pleased with this Blu-Ray player and I highly recommend it.

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LG LHB335 1100-Watt Network Blu-ray Disc Home Theater System, Black Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I recently purchased a LG LHB335 BluRay all in one surround sound home theater system from Best Buy. The center and right rear speakers emit a whistling noise that sounds like a teapot when boiling. Not quite that loud, but enough to be a very undesirable noise in a new unit. I took the first one back, BB gave me another. Same thing. Then another. Same thing. I have connected it to another location with speaker wiring and a Monster Power supply and yes, it does the same thing! I called LG and they said they have no reports on this problem, but when a search is conducted, many people are complaining. Until this issue is resolved, I would suggest not buying this unit!
EDIT---More details:
The LHB335 has a horrible "Tea Pot" whistling noise emitted from the center speaker. It also comes from the right rear speaker at times. It is so annoying that I took it back to Best Buy. Exchanged for another and same thing! I relocated the unit on a different electrical circuit and that did not help. Bought an expensive Monster power supply due to Best Buys recommendation which did NOT help at all. They asked me to try unit #3 and it also had the same noise! To make sure that it was not just a building electrical problem, I installed it in a friends home. SAME ISSUE! I called LG to discuss the problem and they said they had no reports of such a problem. That is NOT true. The internet has many comments regarding this speaker noise issue. After talking with some friends, they too have returned units with the same problem. I really liked the features of the LHB335, but will not buy another one unless LG can assure me that it will be one that does not whistle!
Edit--Even More Details:
2/24/2011--With all of the positive comments I've seen posted, especially with claims that the noise has been fixed in units manufactured after June 2010, I thought I'll try another one for the basement game room. The price has been coming down drastically, and no wonder with all the bad PR, so I picked one up for $249 from Amazon. I received the unit in a couple of days, set it up (I can do it very quickly since I've been through more than a few of these) made the tweaks for inputs and presto..... No whistle... however there was NO SOUND AT ALL!!! After turning it off and on a few times the sound began working. But the sound would quit and then restart after 3-5 seconds. After talking with LG's deplorable customer service group, they said, "We haven't had any reports of that problem, send it to us and we will look at it." Once again LG displays horrible concern for their customer satisfaction! So it is going BACK TO AMAZON and I will never ever even consider another LG product!!!! So be forewarned.... LG does NOT mean Life is Good.... it means Lots of Grief!!!


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LG has redefined what to expect from home theater. This isn't speakers and a receiver in a box. With the LHB355 Network Blu-ray Home Theater System, you get unrivaled Blu-ray technology, out-of-this world sound and instant entertainment...all in one. More than making the most of your Full HD with Blu-ray, NetCast™ Entertainment Access lets you directly tap into instant streaming movies, music and videos direct from the Internet to your TV.

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Samsung BD-P1600 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player Review

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(More customer reviews)I received this blu-ray machine at the and of April, 2009, along with a Samsung HDTV. The player has worked fine - playing discs, streaming NetFlix and Pandora - until last month. An automatic firmware update which I accepted via the internet introduced a bug which renders the machine inoperable. The machine is now locked with the display only showing "LOAD." There is no main menu and discs in the player when turned on have no effect of 'jump-starting' the machine.
I discussed the issue with Samsung Tech Support ('support' being used loosely here) and they informed me that this is a known issue and their engineers are working on a solution. In the meantime, I've seen bulletin board discussions with people having the same problem. Samsung representatives continuously suggest the same, ineffective 'solutions' : hold down the FF button; install the latest firmware update - which, a> is impossible since the player is locked and b> the original cause of the machine not working.
The final solution from Samsung representatives is to send the machine in for repair. During a support chat session with Samsung, I was informed that the price of this would be $160.00. I paid only $80 for it, as there was an Amazon discount of $200 on any player purchased with a qualifying TV.
The idea that Samsung is expecting customers to return the machine for repair and pay for those repairs is ridiculous. It is their own firmware, which they deliver to these machines, that is the cause of these problems.
As I mentioned earlier, the quality of the player - when it was functioning - is great. However, with it in its current state, and Samsung's fleecing of their customers, it has led me to "spread the word" and in no way, shape, or form can I possibly recommend this product - or any other Samsung product - until something is done.
Samsung should be offering a re-call of this product and replacing it at no cost to consumers. Until then, Samsung goes on my "Do Not Buy" list.
UPDATE (12/23/09): Finally got Samsung to resolve issue. See my comment below for details. Changed from 1-star to 3-stars. Can't go any higher than that based on original issues, though.


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Plays Blu-ray high-definition discs (selectable output resolution: 1080p signals available through HDMI output only; 720p/1080i signals available through HDMI or component video). There is selectable 720p/1080i/1080p video upconversion for DVD (upconverted video available through HDMI output only) and built-in audio decoding to PCM for Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD and DTS-HD Master Audio Essential * Netflix video and Pandora music streaming (subscriptions to these services required). There are 2 USB ports (1 front, 1 rear) for storing downloaded BD-Live material.

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Samsung BD-P3600 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)When choosing a blu ray player, the choice can be confusing at times. After months of searching I now believe the best ones are the ones that match your needs most, after price point. Here is my review after a night well spent learning the ins and outs.
Pros-
Wifi-- This year Wifi will be all the rage. Set up with my samsung after a slight learning curve took 20 mins tops and once connected it worked flawlessy. I didn't even need to read the manuel. Superb and blazing fast!
Pandora--what a terrific gem of a music program. And its free! The learning curve is super easy and fun. I was able to program it from my mobile phone, and there it is two seconds later. I am a happy camper!
Netflix-- Great. super simple! Netflix needs more choices, but that is not Samsung's fault.
wifi dongle!- They could have charged for this. They didn't. Great!
cons, if it is one--The player feels flimsy upon first contact so that you almost want to be super gentle with it. As opposed to the sturdier players out there. If that concerns you, i suggest you hold a floor model first and decide for yourself. Also, still no hdmi plugs offered with the majority of players, this one included. Makes no sense at this point. Luckily i have spares.
Overall- a solid player, with wonderful audio and visual clarity. My test for blu ray, The Dark Knight. Looked amazing, sound oustanding. Test for upscale, Wall-E. Looked incredible and rich.
Nice job samsung!!! UPDATE: Not sure what all the griping is about for a select few, but I watched Punisher Warzone on this player, a hard hitting film if there ever was one and this player did not hiccup. Audio and visual clarity were fantastic!! Also just watched quantum of solace. No issues. A little lag in the load time but I suspect that has to do with the dvd not the player. Sounded and looked great!! Be cautious of those few on here who get one bad lemon and decide the whole basket is rotten.
Three and a half month update: Still no problems to report with this player. I have not had one single issue with any movie I have thrown at it and I have now played over 200 films on it. it's a workhorse. It also plays copies of pretty much any DVD you have burned from a computer hard drive. I'll say it again, great product!
This blu ray player has gone done in price remarkably since it first dropped. It's orginal asking price, for those of you coming to it now, was nearly 400.00 dollars. It is now nearly 50 percent less. This is a real steal folks.

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Samsung BD-P3600 plays Blu-ray high-definition discs (selectable output resolution: 1080p signals available through HDMI output only; 720p/1080i signals available through HDMI or component video) with selectable 720p/1080i/1080p video upconversion for DVD (upconverted video available through HDMI output only). There is built-in audio decoding for Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD and DTS-HD Master Audio Essential--Netflix video and Pandora music streaming (subscriptions to these services required). Player has 2 USB ports (1 front, 1 rear) for storing downloaded BD-Live material.

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Samsung BD-P2550 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I was sold on the LG BD300 since I first heard about it a year ago and have been waiting for it ever since. I was planning on getting it until I heard about the Samsung BD-P2500 and figured I should at least research it a little before buying the LG, and boy am I glad I did!! That's when I found out Samsung made a sister model to the 2500, the BD-P2550. The 2500 and 2550 are identical except except for one feature, the 2550 adds Pandora Internet Radio. A small difference, you might think, but Pandora takes the purchase to a whole other level of enjoyment! As you can deduce, I ended up buying the Samsung 2550 and absolutely LOVE it! But since the 2500 and 2550 are so similar, and I've encountered a lot of people trying to decide between Samsung 2500/2550 and LGBD300, I figured I'd add my 2cents.
The main things that turned me off LG and onto Samsung were:
1- Samsung BD-P2550 has Pandora. I wasn't sure if I'd use this service or not so went to the website to check it out. I have to say, I really like the service and have been making good use of it via the Samsung. Sure, you can listen to Pandora on your computer, and maybe even hook up your computer to your home stereo system. But having it there and ready to go on the Samsung has been great! I really love it and love that I can listen on my home theater setup. I also have TVersity streaming to my home theater setup via my DirecTV receiver, and its possible TVersity can pick up Pandora too, but it would be lacking the same interface available on the Samsung BD-P2550, and the menus look great on my plasma TV. The Pandora feature alone beats the LG BD300 in my opinion, and the little extra money for the Samsung is more than worth it to me.
2- LG has NO internal flash memory while the Samsung has 1gb flash. This is useful for BD Live features and makes the experience easier and more enjoyable.
3-Samsung's video upscaling of regular DVDs is SUPERB! I'm very picky about video quality and I thought the picture looked spectacular. This is due to the superior chipset inside the Samsung, which LG is lacking. And naturally, Blu Ray disks look awesome too.
I admit, I never tried the LG so I'm not making a true test-drive comparison here. All I can say is I was totally sold on the LG and waiting a year for its release, but in the end, I'm glad I picked Samsung BD-P2550 at the last minute.
A word about Firmware updates:
Updates are easiest if you hook up your player to the internet via the network port on the back. This is also the only way to get BD Live content, so you may want to hook it up that way if you can. The player automatically configures the network settings and connects to the internet automatically. My player did need a firmware update, but the process was very simple. Just select the upgrade from the player's setup menu and it takes care of the installation by itself. The upgrade only took about 20min, then the player rebooted and I was good to go. No issues. No hassle. No sweat.
I have to give the Samsung BD-P2550 Blu-Ray player top marks. It's truly awesome and I'm glad I got it. I bought a Toshiba HD player last year before the bottom fell out on HD-DVD and then returned to Amazon for a full refund. I didn't mind returning it since most the disks I tried playing locked up and wouldn't play. But I was disappointed HD-DVD died. But in the end, everything worked out for the best and I'm very happy with this Samsung. And no disk lockups as with the HD-DVD I tried last year.
Incidentally, Netflix streaming actually looks pretty good considering it's not HD. And soon they'll be streaming HD quality, so that'll be cool to try. Maybe I won't even need to rent disks anymore and will just stream everything. Also, the player's menus and interface are clean and easy to use and it was a breeze to setup the player with my Harmony 1000 remote.
So between Netflix, Pandora, superior DVD upscaling and superb Blu-Ray picture, it's hard to beat the Samsung BD-P2550. It's a giant leap into future technology and will remain cutting edge for years to come. It's awesome!! Go for it!!!!


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Samsung BD-C7500 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This player worked well for about 1 week. Then, since I had auto firmware updates on, The firmware updated to the current version (1010.4). No problem. Then a day later auto updates ran again. This time updating to version 1015.2 (which is not listed for this product). I have been having problems ever since.
Every time I would turn on the player, I would get an error stating "Model Information in your upgrade file does not match with your player. Please check and retry". Everything I would try to do would pop up this error. So I had to disable auto firmware updates to be able to do anything. Now, when I insert a DVD, the player will eject it at least three times before it successfully reads it. When I try to connect to Netflix, it freezes. I have to power off and power on and try connecting again. This happens anywhere between 3 and 10 times in a row before it will work. When I do finally connect to Netflix, the player asks if I have a Netflix account and makes me "authorize" the player for the millionth time. Then sometimes, the player freezes when I am scrolling through my queue.
I have tried to use a usb flash drive to update the firmware to the current version of 1010.4 but the player does not let me. Probably because the version on my player (1015.2) is supposedly after 1010.4.
Now, onto Samsung's technical support....After about a month I got fed up and decided to try to get this problem figured out. I called 1-800-SAMSUNG. Jumped through their hoops to get to the right person. I explain the problems I am having with the firmware. They tell me that the error message I am receiving when trying to update firmware is "because their server is busy" and to try again later. I told them I did not believe that their server was busy for a month. So they tell me to fix the problem "disable auto updates". I told them I already had and that is by no means a fix. I had to repeatedly tell them that the firmware in my player did not match what was on their website to get them to believe that anything was wrong. So they escalated me to Level 2 support and tell me I will receive a call in 24-48 hours.
Three days later still no call from Level 2 support. I call back, jump through hoops, give my reference # and the person tries to help me. I told them I did not want to talk to them, that I was escalated to Level 2 support and would only talk to them. They connect me to Level 2. I tell them the problem. They tell me that the reason I am getting that error is because the server is busy. (I am thinking to myself "Do these people think I am an idiot?") They tell me to try a USB update. I already tried that. After more useless conversation, they escalate me to a "Product Specialist" and tell me I will receive a call back in 24-48 hours.
One week later, I find myself calling Samsung back because I have still not heard from their product specialist. They tell me that there is not one available for me to speak with and they will have one call me back in 24-48 hours. I'm not holding my breath.
Everyone I spoke with at technical support was arrogant and would talk right over me. Luckily I am pretty tech savvy so I know to call their B.S. when they try to give me a fix like "just turn auto updates off". So my advice is if you buy this product, turn auto updates off as soon as possible, but better yet don't buy it. I got suckered in because of the wall mountable feature. I have had bad luck with Samsung players in the past so luckily I purchased an extended warranty on this one. So if tech support fails me, I can fall back on that.UPDATE:
After several more calls to technical support, they agreed to ship the unit to them for them to repair. Have not received it back yet.
I tried to submit a review on Samsung's website several times. Every time, I get an e-mail a couple of days later saying that they could not post my review because it didn't meet their guidelines. I reviewed their guidelines in detail and nothing I said violated any of them. I think that what it boils down to is that they don't want a negative review on their product site. They want to scam everyone into thinking this is a great player. Well, they're not fooling me.

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The BDC7500 can also has a wireless LAN adaptor included. Add to that AllShare™, which enables content to be seamlessly streamed between DLNA® devices, allowing you to play files stored on your PC through your Blu-ray Player. The Samsung BDC7500 Blu-ray Player is also wall-mountable.

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Samsung BD-C6500 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This is my first Blue Ray player and I love it.
Took a chance on this Samsung and ordered it without a lot of information availabe because it is so new but glad I did.
Just got it out of the box today and everything works great. Easily set up the wireless to my home network (and it saved the IP address and encryption key info so I do not need to sign on each time).
There are few units (if any) with all the features this unit offers at this price.
This unit offers solid access to You Tube, various videos on demand services, Pandora (love Pandora!), and it sees all my videos and photos on my computer in multiple ways (with their Samsung PC Share Manager and direct acess) all through the network. The pics load a little slow, but the files are big. Pretty sure if I reduce them down access will speed up.
Decent You Tube search feature (for a TV remote as a typing device). Easily found my own You Tube videos.
In any case, all locked in solid with minimal hassle.
I would give it 5 stars except there is still a learning curve on managing my PC folders and I am still getting the hang of some Samsungs apps, but I am confident it will all work out. I initially entered the encyption key incorrectly and did not get a password error but instead it just said the IP address was wrong. A restart with the right key resolved all.
The first HD video I played was a home video made on my Canon HD Vixia HF200 consumer video camera and it looked absolutely great. For a first view, this player is excellent. Canon VIXIA HF200 HD Flash Memory Camcorder with 15x Optical Zoom
I already have a Samsung 40 inch LCD HD TV so I also figured they would compliment each other.
Oh, by the way, I had a customer service issue that was not the fault of Amazon and they resolved it in grand fashion. Absolutely superb customer serivce. Superb.
Yep, I am a happy camper with the whole deal
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March 17 - update
I continue to enjoy this player. I had one blue-ray disc that did not work right - a rental, subsequent discs worked fine. I also see services being added. A few free games (nothing great, but there), Blockbuster on Demand is now installed, weather, USA today, and more is coming. Still, my favorite feature by far is being able to view shared files on the TV from my laptop computer through a wireless connection via the home network.
Viewing seemed a bit slow at first, but once I began compressing the JPEG's to a more "uploadable" size, they snapped through slideshows with ease. Camcorder videos formatted to WMV are easily played from my laptop and watched on the TV - and they are smooth. It is just so cool to create it on my laptop and watch it on my TV. Just amazing stuff. Love it.
Had to re-enter my encyption key once right after a software update but other than that one time, have not had to enter a password again. One other software update had no effect.
I upped the rating to 5 star. It is excellent. I am already beginning to take it for granted like a good chair that always just works. Not sure what else I can possibly expect at this price.

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The Samsung BD-C6500 Blu-ray Player offers Internet@TV, which delivers the best of the web straight to your HDTV, with downloadable widgets and apps like BLOCKBUSTER, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Flickr, Pandora and more. You can shop online, share pictures, catch up with friends and connect to a wide range of streaming digital content at the touch of a button. It also has wireless LAN built-in. Add to that AllShare, which enables content to be seamlessly streamed between DLNA devices, allowing you to play files stored on your PC or even to use your telephone through your TV.

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Sony BDP-S380 Blu-ray Disc Player (Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I just purchased two of these - one for myself and one for an out-of-state friend. I'm using mine with a Sony Bravia 1080p flat screen; my friend is using hers with an older 30 inch CRT TV (4:3 aspect ratio) until she gets around to taking her flat screen out of its box.
I was thinking about getting a unit with built-in WiFi, but before making the purchase(s), I did some research online and heard (read) some horror stories about streaming via WiFi that were, let's say, somewhat less than complementary (glitches, disconnects, freezes requiring reboots, etc.), so I decided to purchase this unit BECAUSE it didn't have WiFi (why pay for a feature that I'm not going to use?). I already have a Sony BDP-S370 (using it with a Samsung flat screen) and like it a lot; I would have bought two more of them, but they weren't available directly from Amazon when I ordered, so I got these - I prefer buying from Amazon for their returns policy. Also, the BDP-S380 supports 'vudu' AND it has an on-screen digital throughput speed readout (in Mbps) which appears when streaming is starting up - both welcome additions!
My setup took about 15 minutes from the time I opened the box until I was watching discs, Amazon VOD, and Netflix (the only ones that I've set up so far). I connected the BDP-S380 to my TV via HDMI, and my LAN via Ethernet cable and everything just worked (of course, I had to set it up for my Amazon and Netflix accounts, but that took less than five minutes each). After going through the on-screen quick start menus, the unit told me that there was a firmware upgrade available, so I told it to do it, and a few minutes later, it finished and turned itself off (normal when upgrading firmware).
My friend's setup took a bit longer, since she had never set one up before and I couldn't see what was happening while I tried to talk her through everything (from memory). She connected to her TV using the (supplied-in-the-box) AV cable. Because her TV was 4:3 aspect ratio, some of the menus didn't display legibly, which is probably what made things take a bit longer. Anyway, we got everything working properly within about 20-25 minutes.
One thing of note I would like to mention is this: all BD players manufactured after 01/01/2011 have DRM firmware which prevents HD signals from using any output other than HDMI. For me, that was no problem since I was using HDMI; since my friend was using AV, everything was displayed on her TV in SD (not really a problem since that is all it's capable of displaying anyway, and she'll be using HDMI if she ever sets up her flat screen *:^).
I'm very pleased with this unit (and so is she). Its outputs are crisp and solid, its user interface is staight-forward and easy to understand, and its physical size, shape, and appearance should fit in anywhere.
Definitely a 5-star device.
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NETFLIX Note (04/15/11):
It seems that Netflix is no longer limiting selections to your Instant Queue! There is now a choice entitled "Top Picks For You" -- also, you can now press "Options" on the Remote and when you select "Categories >" you will be presented with a Category list from which you can search and select movies! Yay!!

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Samsung BD-P4600 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I know there have been a number of mixed reviews about this product, and it almost deterred me from selecting it when I was looking for a Blu-Ray player to go along with a Samsung 50" plasma HDTV I recently bought.
After having this player for a little over two weeks now, I can't be more happy with it. I wasn't sure how I was going to react to the unusual form factor, and I would not have originally thought about mounting a Blu-Ray player on my wall rather than keep it in a entertainment center, but it has worked out extremely well and I very much like having it wall-mounted for both access and use of the remote control.
The player has worked as smooth as silk and I have not had a single issue playing any DVD in my library, including titles burned on DVD-R and DVD+R disks.
I also really love the additional features of Netflix and Pandora and was amazed at the HD quality of the streamed Netflix titles.
I also like that with the wireless network access comes automatic firmware updates, which from I've been reading will prevent me from having to worry about newer Blu-Ray disk features from being usable.
I really have only two criticisms and one warning about this player.
I would really prefer it if the USB Wifi Dongle was positioned to be underneath the visible edges of the player. Having it stick out takes a bit away from the visual sex appeal of this player.
I will also say that they should issue one of these players to CSI graduate students for fingerprinting exercises. This thing is so sleek and shiny that you can spot fingerprints and smudges on it from a 10 feet away.
Lastly, if you are planning on putting this unit in a TV/Entertainment cabinet/housing, beware. Because it is a side-facing slot-loading player, you will not be easily able to load disks without turning the unit sideways each time. Fortunately for me, I enjoyed mounting it on my wall, but it would have been slightly annoying if I had had to stuff it in the new TV cabinet I bought at the same time.
Overall, I am thrilled with this unit and would easily recommend it to anyone looking for a leading-edge Blu-Ray player that will be a great home theater component for several years.


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Don't settle for anything less than the ultimate blu-ray experience. The BD-P4600 gives you everything you want and more, with breathtaking, high-definition picture and superior sound quality. You can download large files easily with its Wi-Fi connection and instantly watch movies streamed from Netflix and music from Pandora subscriptions. It's also wall-mountable and just 1.5" thin offering the most modern touch to any living room.BD profile 2.0 (BD Live) Get ready for the ultimate interactive film experience. The SAMSUNG BD-P4600 has lets you take full advantage of interactive features like downloadable video content, ringtones, games and more. Download additional content from the internet or even chat with friends when watching the same movie. * Requires additional memory and an internet connection. BD wise Get a perfect replay of Blu-ray discs with other Samsung BD Wise products when using the HDMI connection. Netflix/Pandora streaming Are you a Netflix unlimited member? Instantly watch from a selection of over 12,000 (and growing) movies and TV episodes. Plus you can rock out to your favorite tunes. The BD-P4600 lets you stream your favorite music with the Pandora service. Netflix unlimited members can watch as much as they want- anytime they want. HDMI Experience billions of colors, high definition audio and improved frame rates even at full 1080p resolution. HDMI 1.3 is a video cable format that delivers it all from your Samsung Blu-ray player without any loss of quality. Since you only need one HDMI cable, there's no ugly mess of tangled-up wires. So your set-up is as clean-looking as the picture.DivX SD/HD With DivX playback up to HD 1080p, you can insert DVDs and CDs that have standard and high definition DivX movies downloaded from your computer and watch them on your TV.

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LG BD670 3D Wireless Network Blu-ray Disc Player with Smart TV Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Chose this model because it had streaming, DLNA, and wireless built-in (you don't need a separate dongle). I have not been disappointed in any of its functions. Wireless connectivity was a breeze - setup was straightforward and this model accepts a 32-character WPA2 security key (unlike previous LG TVs and Blu-ray player models which were limited to 18-20 characters, as I discovered when I bought a wireless dongle for our TV!). The wireless connection seems to be much more stable than with the other wireless devices we have. I occasionally have to turn off and on again to get a connection on startup, but this is unsurprising given how flaky our router is ... :-)
Blu-ray playback is really good. Our first Blu-ray disc looked grainy and I was concerned until I read various forum discussions that criticized this movie transfer. Many Blu-ray movies are apparently intentionally grainy because this duplicates the "film" experience that the director intended. You can use the movie mode on your TV to reduce graininess as this lowers the sharpness setting. Our second Blu-ray disc was really smooth and detailed, as were most of the other discs. Playback resolution is excellent, you can see every pore on someone's face and the depth of field is amazing. There were no stutters, freezes or glitches with any of the discs we have played. DVD upscaling is also good - I decided it is not worth replacing any DVDs with Blu-ray discs as the upscaled playback in 1080p looks just as good as Blu-ray playback.

Wireless streaming from Netflix was absolutely painless, once I worked out that the "Netflix ESN" that the player provides in the network setup menu is NOT the code that you need to use for Netflix connection setup. You need to select the LG Premium menu icon which accesses premium streaming services, select Netflix and get the connection code from the setup menu there. Enter the code once on the Netflix website ("Activate a Netflix ready device" in your account settings) and Netflix streaming works automatically after that. Hopefully my experience will save other people hours of trying to connect with the wrong code! Netflix streaming is excellent quality, much better than broadcast TV for most shows. The player seems to stream seamlessly from Netflix with almost no stutters or degraded resolution issues, even for HD movies. The only issues I have seen are when my internet connection is congested (Comcast net access is pretty bad on Friday evenings and Saturdays in my area). I am impressed.
A recent firmware update (April 2011) added Amazon Video on Demand, which also works great! It is really cool to have these services. The device also offers Vudu, Pandora, Napster etc. but I haven't used those. Firmware updates are easy, although these do take around 5-10 minutes to load via wireless connection - you need to keep your nerve and not turn off the player, thinking nothing is happening. Eventually, you get a message saying that the download has loaded and the player turns off and on again. If the download fails (which did happen once), the device is not affected (good design).
I was really impressed by how painless it was to set up media streaming from a PC using DLNA. A copy of Nero Home Media Server essentials was supplied on CD - I installed this, the player automatically detected my PC and presented me with a list of files I could play from the media folder. This was *so* easy! DLNA file-streaming has worked brilliantly: I only experienced problems with one, huge (10 GB) home movie file that stuttered and stopped. Then I discovered the USB connection on the right-front panel of the player. I had been so taken with all of the streaming solutions that I overlooked the easiest way to play media files, which is from an external hard drive or flash drive! The BD670 played the huge file from an external hard drive with no problems. Since then, the player has played everything I have thrown at it: AVI and MKV, etc. using lots of different codecs. With 3 firmware updates in the month that I have owned it, I have a lot of confidence that it is being updated constantly to play all of the latest disc and file formats. So I am a very happy bunny indeed!

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(March 2011)
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