20 : Samsung BD-P1590 - Blu-Ray disc player - upscaling - Netflix, Pandora

Samsung BD-P1590 - Blu-Ray disc player - upscaling - Netflix, Pandora

The BD-P1590 Blu-ray player delivers brilliant images with 1080p high definition resolution and audio that's of the highest quality. Special interactive features with BD-Live 2.0 keeps it all exciting while Netflix and Pandora streaming add even more entertainment possibilities. Can't let go of your DVDs and CDs? You can take advantage of the technology and still enjoy all your existing media content with CD/DVD playback.


Product Features

* WiFi Ready (Samsung wireless adapter not included)
* BD Profile 2.0 (BD-Live Ready); BD Wise
* 2 USB 2.0 (front and back)
* 1 Ethernet

Technical Details

* Brand Name: Samsung
* Model: BD-P1590
* DVD Type: Blu-Ray disc player
* Parental Lock: Y
* Audio Output Mode: Stereo
* Form Factor: Tabletop
* DVD Media Loading: Tray
* Width: 17 inches
* Depth: 7.8 inches
* Height: 2.1 inches
* Weight: 4.9 pounds

Review :

This one is worth the work! , By James D. Smith (Milwaukee, WI United States)

If not for a minor glitch during setup, the lack of internal memory and the fact that I believe the packaging is misleading, this would be a 5-star review. For details, read on!

First: the purchase. Found this unit (Samsung BD-P1590) while out Black Friday shopping (sorry Amazon!) while visiting friends. It sat in the trunk of my car for 36 hours until I finally got home and brought it in. The choice of this unit was predicated on two things: 1) that it is blu-ray, and 2) that it streams Netflix.

Second: Set Up. I put the unot up in my bedroom. It was replacing an HD-DVD player I had bought early on in the format war (bet on the wrong pony there!). When I went to set up the wireless that was advertised ont he box, I found that it was only wireless capable if you bought an additional wireless USB dongle from Samsung for an additional $80. Major bummer. Thankfully, I have IPTV from the phone company, so I have a wired network line in my bedroom where it resides. Currently, I just swap the cable to use Netflix, I will soon be adding a switch in my bedroom to eliminate the cable swapping. After connecting the unit to the network, it immediately did a firmware update. the unit froze at the end of the firmware update. I ended up having to unplug and re-plug it. Once I did that, it started up fine.

Third: Netflix. Netflix setup was a breeze. Since the unit has no internal memory, it direct streams. I added a 4 Gig memory stick to allow local caching while playing. Streaming from Netflix doesn't show any of the muxing problems others have reported. Picture quality of recent releases is excellent. Old Standard Def stuff (like 4:3 TV shows) looks good, but you can tell the source is lower quality.

Fourth: Blu-ray. The picture quality is amazing! It makes my old HD-DVD player look like a chump. The sound quality is great playing through the TV speakers in faux surround-sound mode.

Fifth: SD DVD. The video was upscaled to 1080 with no artifacting or muxing problems. Once again, the picture and sound quality far exceeded my expectations.

Finally: some random observations. The touch-sensitive front panel controls are reminiscent of the pre-slim PS-3s. The front panel display is good and the remote is par for consumer electronics. The unit is smaller than I had expected, which is nice. The smaller profile than my old HD-DVD player gives me some welcome space on the dresser where I keep it. I don't use the Blockbuster or Pandora services, but from other reviews here, I deduce that Pandora will be worth checking out. Just for the sake of checking out the YouTube connection I looked up the famous "Evolution of Dance" clip. The YouTube connection is speedy and plays without a hitch. However, like Netflix, the source quality determines the picture quality, but it IS upscaled. Sadly, grainy, fuzzy videos don't benefit from upscaling.

I will update this once I install the network switch.

UPDATES: I added a 4 port ethernet switch and the unit performs just as awell as it did before. Having had some time to think about it, I went back and looked at the box. On the front and top of the box, there is a logo that says "Wireless LAN Ready", but on the side of the box, where it lists the features as text, right under the line where it says "Wireless LAN Ready" it clearly states, in the same size and font "Wireless LAN Adapter Not Included". I have to give Samsung some love for creating a great Blu Ray player with a great set of features.