Cons: The exclusion of way too many audio options forces audiophiles to upgrade..
The Bottom Line: Unsurpassed Video, but this model doesn't seem finished-and from the looks of things, it's going to be at least a 4th generation model from Samsung before we're TruelyHD happy.
scapp70's Full Review: Samsung BD-P1200 Blu-Ray Player
Samsung released its second generation Blu-Ray player, the BD-P1200 in March 2007, and I'll admit I was one of the first on line to get mine. Once I finally made the leap and bought an HDTV monitor for my home, I realized pretty quick why the new media technologies (Blu-Ray or HD-DVD) came about. My old DVDs didn't look so good anymore now that I have experienced HDTV programming from my satellite subscription. Blu-Ray and HD-DVD technology goes beyond HDTV programming from you cable or satellite service, and utilizes your new HD monitor to the fullest extent.
At the beginning of 2007, I was shopping around for the right machine for me. I had to choose between the more expensive Sony model (BDP-S1), the even more expensive Pioneer Elite model (BDP-HD1) or the Sony PS3 in addition to my final choice with Samsung. The one thing that stood out for me with the Samsung model was the inclusion of the HQV technology.
HQV stands for Hollywood Quality Video, and what draws me to this technology is that it promises to upscale your current Standard Definition DVD collection to a wonderful High Definition 1080p picture. The question is, 'does it work'? Well, for most of the DVDs I own (that I have tried), it works indeed. The picture is comparable to even that of the Blu-Ray movies I own. The Blu-Ray movies have an overall warmer picture than the DVDs; the colors are more vibrant and a bit smoother. Yet having said that, HQV does a great job with your old DVD collection. There are a couple of old ones that looked horrible still, like Robin Hood starring Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman for example. The movie is so unwatchable outside your old CRT television that I actually sold it on eBay.
This model is equipped with an HDMI 1.3 connection, which is supposed to be the updated connection that enables a larger bandwith capacity for video and is the only avenue for DTS-HD Master Audio or Dolby TrueHD. Since this machine does not employ either of those two audio formats, the HDMI 1.3a connection is utilzied only for the Dolby Digital Plus audio format and a better overall quality in the video picture you will get.
Speaking of a better picture, this player is equipped with the 1080p/24fps (frames per second) option when watching Blu-Ray movies. Most films in America (which means most films) are filmed at a rate of 24 frames per second. With this feature, the video can be viewed at the exact same rate that the movie was filmed with. There is no 3:2 pulldown modification needed in order to smooth out the original film in order to view the movie. With 24fps, you can watch the pure native transfer for the first time on your HDTV (that is, if your monitor allows 1080p/24fps capability). If your monitor does not have this capability, the option in the Samsung menu will be grayed out.
The audio decoders available within the BD-P1200 are more of the same of what you would get with your old standard DVD players. You have the usual suspects Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS 5.1, and stereo, and now new to the HD formats, Dolby Digital Plus or DD+. This format is said to be a huge improvement in sound for discs equipped with this sound format. The data rate allowance has greatly increased with DD+ and can output discrete 6.1 or 7.1 audio. The downside of this new format is that it can only be heard through an HDMI connection. Don't try to experience DD+ through a fiber optic bitstream or analog cables, the signal will be downgraded to AC-3 (standard Dolby Digital).
Speaking of audio codecs, it seems that the BD-P1200 was released a bit too early in this rapidly evolving technology of home entertainment. The two newest audio codecs that have been highly anticipated since early 2007 is the DTS-HD and Dolby TrueHD are not included in this model of Samsung's Blu-Ray player. Not only that, but the biggest kick in the pants is that the BD-P1200 does not allow pass-through to a receiver which is capable of these audio formats either. So, if you were looking forward to experiencing these exciting new sound formats, you should look elsewhere, the Sony machine I mentioned above is equipped with these codecs, the PS3 also has Dolby TrueHD, but not DTS-HD.
Also, to wrap up the audio section - let's talk about the 5.1 analog outputs in the back of the player. These are pretty much here for decoration, you cannot adjust volumes of the speakers within the Blu-Ray's menu, and in my case, only the three front speakers (center, left and right) speakers have any sound coming out of them when using the analog outputs. If you are a fan of the SACD and DVD-Audio formats, you will be disappointed with the BD-P1200's limiting options. The BD-P1200 is incapable of SACD and DVD-Audio. One of the most important reasons why one would make the plunge to upgrade to a new a/v format is the inclusion of backward compatibility, Samsung may have overlooked too many formats when releasing the BD-P1200, but it is probably a calculated move since the BD-P2400 (due out in October 2007) has included a bit more of these that are lacking in this 2nd generation model.
The remote control must be the standard for Samsung products, since it is almost identical as the remote for my TV. It's slim and long and is easy to handle as it fits very comfortably in your hands. With the remote there are also a couple of things that puzzle me. The Zoom function for example doesn't work, perhaps Samsung will get to this area in an upcoming firmware update.
Speaking of updates, there is an Ethernet connection for just this reason. I was very impressed with the ease of making a connection and getting my firmware update from Samsung's website. Although there are far more impressive updates from Sony's PS3, such as the Dolby TrueHD, which came about in their last update, the Samsung's performance had greatly increased. One true annoyance was the eject time, when I first had the BD-P1200, the eject would take about 45 seconds, now it's down to 11 seconds. Also, there were Blu-Ray movies that would not play correctly. 50 First Dates for example wouldn't allow me to skip chapters, when I would try, it would go back to the beginning of the film - now, after the update, the problem is gone.
Samsung really focused on delivering a product that will give your eyes a real treat. HQV is top of the line right now, and the HDMI 1.3 and the 24fps feature is more than one can ask for. Unfortunately, this player has skimped on the audio side with its many limitations. Having said this, the audio is the best I've heard so far, as Blu-Ray movies go. You will still be hard pressed to find more than a handful of home theater receivers that are up to date with this Blu-Ray player from Samsung, but with the promise of things to come down the road, you can't help to think 'what in the world was Samsung thinking'?
Playable Disk Types:
DVD Video
DVD-RAM
DVD-R
DVD-RW
DVD+R
DVD+RW CD (Audio)
CD-R
CD-RW
BD-RE
DVD-VR
Blu-ray
Playable File Formats
MPEG2
MP3
WMA
JPEG
Audio S/N Ratio 110 dB
Connections
Outputs Composite x 1, S-Video x 1, Component x 1, HDMI x 1, Analog Audio x 1, Analog Surround x 1, Digital Audio Coaxial x 1, Digital Audio Optical x 1, RJ-45
Convenience
Parental Control Yes
Resume Function 10 Bookmarks
Dimensions
Depth 12.8 in.
Height 3.1 in.
Width 16.9 in.
Weight 9.3 lb.
Product ID 41338693
Update 01/29/2008:
It seems that Samsung is finally releasing a firmware update on February 2, 2008 that will enable the BD-P1200 to play movies:
Pirates of the Caribbean 3 Pixar Shorts Die Hard 4
and also to fix some glitches within -
Ratatouille Underdog
and hopefully
Purple Rain
Update II - 02/06/2008
Samsung has finally released the update yesterday. Here is the link-
http://www.samsung.com/us/support/download/supportDown.do?model_nm=BD-P1200&mType=FM&vType=L)
Unfortunately, there are new releases that this update does not help. Across the Universe for example. How long will it take Samsung to upgrade the firmware this time?
UPDATE III - 02/22/2008
Samsung has released an unprecedently quick follow-up to the 02/05/08 update with a newer one which remedies the Across the Universe playability as well as having the following discs work - 3:10 to Yuma, the bonus disc in Pirates of the Caribbean 3 and more.
Samsung is perhaps trying to make up for ignoring BD-P1200 consumers for so long, and maybe it has us thinking twice before shopping at another store this year for a new Blu-Ray player.
UPDATE IV - 03/16/08
Version 2.3 has just been released. You can download it here at the same site.
http://www.samsung.com/us/support/download/supportDown.do?model_nm=BD-P1200&mType=FM&vType=L)
UPDATE V - 06/11/08
Version 2.4 has just been released about two days ago. You can download it right here:
http://www.samsung.com/us/support/download/supportDown.do?model_nm=BD-P1200&mType=FM&vType=L&disp_nm=BD-P1200
I'm not sure what bug this fixes, hopefully it will be the sudden stops while playing DVDs.
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