CNET.com: Samsung BD-P1000 Review » Handy Gadgets: Information, news and highlights of handy gadgets for you, the home or travel.

Samsung BD-P1000.jpg

If you don't mind plucking down a thousand dollars for a Blu-ray disc player you may well be more than contented with the impressive image quality of the Samsung BD-P1000. 'As the sole set-top representative of the Blu-ray camp, the Samsung BD-P1000 currently stands as the only unit that can play back Blu-ray movies. If that matters to you, then you might be in the tiny portion of the HDTV-owning population to whom this $1,000, first-generation player could possibly appeal. For everyone else, this review is less buying advice than a referendum on an emerging format war. Which is better, Blu-ray or HD-DVD? Well, after comparing the image quality of both the Samsung BD-P1000 and the Toshiba HD-A1 using the highest-performance 1080p display we had available (see Performance), we can say the nod goes to HD-DVD for consistency of picture quality.

Most Blu-ray titles still look spectacular, and others slightly less so, and since both formats are in their infancies, we expect the video quality of both HD-DVD and Blu-ray discs to keep getting better. In other words, the battle is just beginning, and the Samsung BD-P1000's performance in this review has almost nothing to do with which one, if any, disc format will eventually succeed DVD.

Highlights:
• Blu-ray playback at content native HD resolution of 1080p/1080i/720p
• DVD upconversion to output resolution of 1080p/1080i/720p
• HDMI for a single cable, pure digitalAV connection between an HDTV with an HDMI input
• BD-RE, BD-R, BD-ROM, DVD ROM, DVD RAM, DVD-R-RW+R+RW, CD ROM, CDR-RW playback compatible
• MPEG2, VC-1, H.264, HD JPEG decoding
• Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS, MP3 audio decoding
• HDMI, Component Video, S-Video and Composite video outputs
• Stereo and 5.1-channel audio outputs
• Coaxial and optical digital audio outputs
• 12-bit/192MhZ video D/A converter; 24-bit/192KHz audio D/A converter
• 11-in-2 multi memory card slot with integrated slide show viewer
•Advanced graphical user interface
• Universal remote control
• MPEG2, VC-1, H.264, HDJPEG decoding
• Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS, MP3 audio decoding
• 12-bit/192MhZ video D/A converter; 24-bit/192KHz audio D/A converter
• Video: Composite output: 1; S-Video output: 1; Y,Pb,Pr output: 1 set (480i/480P/720P/1080i/1080p); HDMI: (480i/480P/720P/1080i/1080P)
• Audio: Audio output (L/R): 1 set; Analog audio output (2CH/5.1CH);
• Coaxial: 1; Optical: 1
• Supplied accessories: Universal remote control
• Dimensions (WxHxD): 16.94" x 3.11" x 12.8"
• Weight: 9.26 lbs.

Read: Samsung BD-P1000 Review - CNET