Samsung DVD-1080P7 Up-Converting 1080p DVD Player by Samsung
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Digital camera reviews of Samsung DVD-1080P7 Up-Converting 1080p DVD Player
Digital camera Review: Beware!
Summary: 1 Stars
I've owned this player for just over 6 months. It worked pretty well (although a bit buggy) until yesterday when the display on the player started displaying gibberish. Now, it won't work at all. Of course, just after the warranty has expired.Digital camera Review: Big Disappointment: Faulty Product, Even Worse Customer Service
Summary: 1 Stars
This purchase was especially disappointing because I was very pleased with my Samsung LN40A550 40-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV. I bought the upsampling DVD player to complement that TV, but it was a waste of my money. (I was replacing a progressive scan DVD player that was a few years old.)
I unpacked the player and attached it to the HDTV with an HDMI cable and got NOTHING. No picture. No menu. Nothing.
The TV recognized the Anynet device (DVD player), but found no signal.
I spent half an hour playing with the remote, reading through the manual, and searching the terrible support Web site. Finally, I was able to get a flickering, noisy, pink screen.
I had to turn off the auto setting for HDMI resolution. I discovered that the DVD player only worked in the 480 setting. The 720p and 1080i settings gave me the distorted video. The 1080p setting resulted in "no signal."
I registered the DVD player at the Samsung support site. This required typing in detailed information including the serial number that was printed in a 6 pt. font on the back of the machine.
The download area had information about a firmware upgrade. But there was no mention of what version it was or how to find out what version was on my player. Of course, there was nothing about what features this firmware added or what bugs it fixed.
The procedure for updating the firmware would have confused a hacker.
* Download the zip file containing the firmware.
* Unzip the files.
* Burn the files to a CD-R.
(not a DVD-R because the player does not read them)
* Be sure to use the ISO 9660 character set.
* Finalize the disc.
* Turn on the DVD player.
* Turn on the TV.
* Switch the source to the DVD player.
* Put the Newly burned CD into the player's disc tray.
* Answer Yes when prompted to update.
Screen shot bears no resemblance to actual prompt.
Options are "Total" and "Cancel."
* Highlight "Yes" and press Enter on remote.
(Of course there is no "Yes" to highlight.)
* The upgrade begins and the upgrade screen appears.
(The first time nothing changed on the screen when I selected "Total.")
(When the screen did appear on the second try, it was completely different than the screen shot shown on the Web site.)
* IMPORTANT: While the firmware is installing (without any feedback) do not press any buttons or turn off the player.
Unplugging the power cord, dirt or scratches on the disc, opening the tray during processing, or a power outage could cause PERMANENT DAMAGE TO THE UNIT.
* During the update, the tray will open.
* Remove the disc.
* Wait two minutes.
This information is inconsistently presented in three different locations on the Web site.
With luck and persistence, I was able to update the firmware. But it had no impact on my problem.
I tried to find some mention of others having the same problem in the FAQs. But the FAQs are not browse-able. I had to type in a question to get a list of possible matches. No version of the question produced any relevant FAQs.
I clicked on the "If you do not find the answer you are looking for, send us an e-mail and we'll try to help" link. It brings up a javascript e-mail form.
Even though I was logged in with all my personal and product information stored in their online database, I had to re-enter the model number, the serial number, the purchase date, my name, my e-mail address and my zip code.
I submitted my request for help one week ago today. I have not received any reply from Samsung, not even a "we got your request" e-mail.
This DVD player produces no better output than my old player and is a hassle to use.
The Anynet connection is slow and provides little benefit. I would not use it as a factor in deciding whether to buy this unit. I would not recommend buying this player at all. If I didn't like my TV so much, I would recommend not buying anything from a company that is so terrible at customer support.
UPDATE: The problem was with the TV. It had an issue with multiple HDMI inputs. This has now been addressed with a firmware upgrade. However, it took 3 weeks for Samsung tech support to get back to me about my problem.
Digital camera Review: Bought it for the EZ View feature
Summary: 4 Stars
My last Samsung (4 years old and still working) has EZ View which is a great feature to get the picture to fit the screen, so I got this one after two bad Toshiba models. It's paired up with a 37" Samsung HD TV,so it shares remotes. So far it works as expected hooked up via HDMI. As for Samsung HDTV's, I think they are great only if you can live with an inferior cable/or non HD picture.
Update Jan. 2010. Unit died. Expect short product life (2 years?).
Digital camera Review: Broken in 5 Viewings!
Summary: 1 Stars
This product is dismal. I give the vender and the product one pity star.
No return policy or info. The DVD broke in 5 uses and was far from stellar. Cheap construction, limited options and slow loading times. The up convert sounds good in theory, but you can not really see any difference especially on larger screens. Up converting is an unsuccessful attempt at alchemy! If you want HD you have to start with an HD format not a normal format and then expect to create something that is not there. All and All a poor experience that ended 90 dollars poorer and with one more square foot of land fill real estate spoken for.
Digital camera Review: Buggy
Summary: 1 Stars
Worked well at first, but now six months later it suffers from frequent delays (the screen will freeze for a few seconds and then resume a few seconds later in the video) and occasional freeze-ups (from which nothing but unplugging the unit will recover). Seems like a buggy product.