Samsung Blu-ray players

Samsung has become one of, if not the top selling brand in the LCD HDTV market so it is no wonder that they are also worth considering for their blu-ray players as well.  They have a variety of successful players that have been in the market as well as a 2009 line of players that are currently available.

Samsung BD-P1500

The Samsung BD-P1500 1080p Blu-ray Player is a good choice for the budget conscience consumer.  It can be found at many places for a very affordable rate as it has been replaced by Samsung's newest line of players.

The P1500 streams and decodes both Dolby Digital plus and DTS, however it just streams, but does not decode Dolby True HD or DTS-HD Master Audio.  In addition it does not offer multi-channel (5.1 or 7.1) analog output. 

Although the 1500 was released as a profile 1.1 player, it does have an ethernet port to connect to the internet to check for the latest firmware upgrades.

Overall, like most blu-ray players, it produces a clear image and is an affordable first step into the world of Blu-ray.  It does lack some of the features found in the newer versions.

Samsung BD-P2500/2550

The Samsung BD-P2550 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player and BD-P2500 players offered some significant advantages over the P1500.  The P2550 is pretty much the same as the P2500 except it added support for Pandora. 

The P2500 offers complete streaming and decoding of all the HD surround codecs, including Dolby True HD and DTS-HD Master Audio.  It also offers 7.1 analog output.

It is a 2.0/BD-Live player with 1GB of memory.  It offers NetFlix streaming (The P2550 also offers Pandora).

Additionally, the P2500/2550 is a very strong performer in SD DVD upscaling due to its HQV chipset.

Samsung BD-P1600

The Samsung BD-P1600 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player is this year's upgrade of the P1500.  It is able to stream and decode all surround formats including Dolby True HD and DTS-HD Master Audio.  In addition it also offers support for Netflix and Pandora.  There is also a USB WiFi dongle.

The P1600 however does not offer the HQV chip like the 2500/2550 and it only has the 2.0 stereo analog audio outs so some will argue that you will get more bang for your buck going with the P2550.

Samsung BD-P3600

The Samsung BD-P3600 1080p Blu-Ray Disc Player has some additional improvements over the P1600 such as wireless connectivity with 1GB onboard memory and 7.1 analog audio outs.  This is in addition to the popular features of the P1600 such as Netflix streaming and Pandora support. 

The P3600 has a unique look similar to their popular Touch of Color LCD screens which will appeal to some and not to others.

Again the P3600 lacks the HQV chip which diminishes is attractiveness as compared to the P2500/2550 for those who have a major concern with SD DVD upscaling.

Samsung BD-P4600

The Samsung BD-P4600 1080p Blu-Ray Disc Player is very similar to the P3600 in terms of features and performance.  The major difference is the P4600 is a super slim model that is designed to be wall mountable.  Samsung wanted to make the Blu-ray player something that would easily be incorporated into the flat screen LCD models that have been so popular.  If you are looking for a unique solution for your home theater room, this may well be a model to consider.

Overall, Samsung's 2009 Blu-ray models look to be a promising line of players that are sure to sell well to complement their line of Samsung LCD tvs.  They offer quicker load times and support for all of the HD audio surround formats along with NetFlix and Pandora support.  Again there are some who have large SD DVD collections that will still prefer the excellent SD DVD upscaling of the P2500/2550, but if you are in the market for a Blu-ray player Samsung is certainly a brand to consider.