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: Defective
Summary: 2 Stars
The player I received was defective and I am currently in the process of getting another one. It would lock-up and the only way to reset it was to turn the power off at the power strip or unplug it. The power button or eject button would not work when it locked up. My audio and video settings would not retain in memory. Every time I powered off, my settings would default to the factory settings. When it does work, the picture and audio are great. I have a Sony 60" rear projection LCD TV capable of 1080i and I was impressed by the differences between 480p, 720p and 1080i. Hopefully the replacement will work to my satisfaction. If it doesn't, I will try a different brand, probably the Sony...
Ok, a couple of days later I received the replacement from Amazon and the player has the same issue. For example, I set the audio output setting from PCM to Bitstream and after I power off, it reverts back to PCM. I set the video output to HDMI 1080i and it reverts back to 720p. I called Samsung and they want to repair it. The power light is an annoying bright blue too. I am going to get the Sony DVPNS77H/S instead.
Digital camera Review: Doesn't work for me
Summary: 2 Stars
I bought this after reading some favorable reviews and that it had optical audio output. However after playing about five discs it stopped working. It now just says no disc every time I load any type of disc. The image was nice while it worked, skipping was a problem. I no longer have the receipt, since I bought it from circuit city. However if you read the many reviews on the internet and scroll through them you will see mine is a common problem.
I also own the philips 1080p up-converting DVD player and that one works flawlessly, except it has not optical audio output.
Warranty may be great and all but I also want something that works with no hassle. Stay away from this one as you may get one of the lemons. Get the philips 1080p up-converting instead.
Digital camera Review: Exactly what I was hoping for
Summary: 4 Stars
It does what it's supposed to. The picture (on my 50" DLP) looks great, no matter what DVD I'm watching. It is sleek in design... although the "power button" does glow when running, which can be kinda annoying. The remote is a typical Samsung remote, easy to use, but not real flashy.
All-in-all, a very good unit for the money.
Digital camera Review: Excellent image quality, but not without caveats.
Summary: 4 Stars
Fastidious as I am, I've checked out all the local consumer brands. (A $300 DVD player that doesn't play HD or Blu-Ray seems pointless, and I'm waiting for either of those brands to become THE standard. right now, bet on Blu-ray... but I digress.)
Many local electronics stores probably don't like me right now, but as a consumer who works hard for his money, I'm going to scope things out.
Many low-end brands (sub-$100) have pitiful quality. Even more pitiful up-converting quality that is actually worse than standard component video.
I've read enough to stay with "the two S's" - meaning Sony or Samsung. The brands starting with M, L, or P seem to be problematic with picture quality (PQ), and I looked at those models too.
I ultimately returned the Sony model because it wouldn't play some of my DVD+R DL discs. Plus, I wasn't entirely happy with the upconverting PQ despite it being much better than average.
So I tried the Samsung 1080p7. Its upconverting PQ, of all available brands, is clean and crisp - it shows as much detail as cleanly as possible. While it won't perform miracles for poorly compressed discs (think "those tv show sets where they cram 9 episodes on a disc meant for 7"), it edges out in overall quality.
Now it is true that HDMI offers little compared to other video inputs (chiefly the 'component video' input). But there IS an appreciable difference to make the upgrade worthwhile; the output video isn't grainy and no color adjustments need to be made in either the player or TV set. They look accurate, properly saturated, with no appreciable bias of one color above any another. (my TV set being a high-end 32" Sony, but that's a separate review...)
Also, this player seems to work better with film sources (movies) than TV (video) shows. As I typically prefer movies to TV, the difference was negligible in my ultimate decision to purchase this player. Again, such differences are more likely to be seen on a LCD or plasma set; the anomaly can be seen when it turns the interlaced video image into a progressive one.
The Samsung 1080p7 also plays many of my DVD+R DL discs, though it has had trouble with some of them. (I did exchange the model at the store and the replacement, so far, has fared better with the same discs that wouldn't work before. It also has a newer firmware, dating 5.10.07 (compared to 4.26.07 if I recall the old date correctly), so I'm hoping Samsung has fixed the DL problem. If not, I can live with it. Though I'm hoping they have fixed it for good. :) )
As with the crisp and detailed video of solid gamut, audio - in Dolby 5.1, DTS, et al, is also excellent. One problem does exist in that it won't channel MPEG PCM audio through the fiber or coaxial out; requiring a second link to the audio receiver. MPEG PCM audio usually applies only to homemade discs of weddings, birthdays, street riots, births, divorce proceedings, conceptions, funerals, and so on, and never (so far) with store-bought discs. It's somewhat annoying, but I can live with it.
Oh, at least for North American units (R1), they nixed the ability to make the unit region-free. Disheartening, but as they say, "applesauce happens". Maybe I'll give that Oppo a try one day down the road...
All things considered, the pros heavily outweigh the cons. Samsung is definitely going to be a major brand in the consumer DVD arena. Though for LCD TV sets, Sony still has the edge and doesn't cost that much more...
Digital camera Review: Excellent product...
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased this DVD player a month ago, and the first thing that struck me was how easy it was to hook up. Okay, it does not come with the HDMI cable you need to view and listen to truly high def / high quality audio from DVDs, but you can buy a cheap HDMI for under $15 and it works every bit as well as the $50 HDMI (so don't be fooled)
All I did was plug the HDMI cable into the DVD player, and the other end into the HDMI port in the TV and boom, done. It's easier than using the separate cables for audio and video as with the older style of DVD player, and the result is more than I expected.
Okay, I have never owned an HD TV or viewed HD DVDs before now, so you hard core HD folks who have a 50 inch plasma and full surround may not be impressed by this machine. However, if you're looking for a cheap, quick and easy way to get your feet wet in the HD arena, buy this Samsung DVD player and an HD-TV (still need an HD-TV otherwise the TV resolution won't care what you're DVD player is doing to improve picture and sound clarity.
The first time I played one of my old DVDs on this new machine, I was alone in my flat and I actually had to stop the machine twice when I thought I kept hearing sounds in the house. Turns out it was the sound quality from the TV + DVD. I was amazed. I have no surround sound, just the basic speakers that came in my Samsung television, but the sound was very close to what I've heard on surround sound systems which my friends own. The picture quality also incredible. My television allows for 1080i resolution, and the picture I get from my old DVDs with this new Samsung player is virtually identical to what I see on the HD channels from my cable provider.
Incredible value, easy to hook up, I recommend this item!