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More…The Samsung BD-P1400 ($400 as of 4/24/08) is, at this point, one of the older Blu-ray Disc players currently available. And its features reflect this: It lacks both BonusView for picture-in-picture playback and BD-Live for accessing Internet-connected content.
Samsung BD-P1400
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| Overall Design | Good |
| On-screen menus | Very Good |
| Ease-of-use | Good |
| Responsiveness | Fair |
| Remote control | Good |
| Other features | Fair |
| Documentation | Very Good |
| Overall performance | Good: 74 |
| Brightness and contrast | Good: 76 |
| Color | Fair: 67 |
| Detail | Good: 74 |
| Audio | Good: 71 |
| DVD-Video quality | Good: 77 |
| Specifications | Fair |
| HDMI version | 1.3 |
| 24p output support | Yes |
| Ethernet connection (firmware) | Yes |
| Ethernet connection (Internet) | No |
| Ethernet connection (streaming content across home network) | No |
| DLNA support | No |
| USB 2.0 ports | No |
| Number of USB ports | 0 |
| Component video output | Yes |
| S-Video output | Yes |
| Composite video output | No |
| 2-channel analog audio output | Yes |
| Coaxial digital output | Yes |
| Optical digital output | Yes |
| Warranty | One year parts/90 days labor |
| Weekday support hours | 12 |
| Saturday support hours | 12 |
| Sunday support hours | 12 |
| Toll-free support number | Yes |
- Lab Tested
- How We Test Blu-Ray »
Pros
Very good menus and documentation
Ethernet port for easy firmware updates
Cons
Disappointing picture
Poor audio quality
Bottom Line
This Blu-ray player is inexpensive, but its image quality and features disappoint.
Samsung BD-P1400 Blu-ray Disc Player
BD-P1400 Review, by Lincoln Spector May 28, 2008
In our image and sound quality tests, the Samsung BD-P1400 just barely nudged ahead of the Panasonic DMP-BD30, which had the lowest score in our spring 2008 roundup of Blu-ray players. One juror noted that this model produced a flatter image than the other players, with less detail. And this unit's problems with The Searchers' day-for-night scene (chapter 20) were exactly opposite those of the Pioneer's: We could see the characters' faces just fine, but it was so bright you'd never guess the image was supposed to be night.
Surprisingly, the Samsung unit did well on our standard-definition playback tests. But on our high-definition tests, it fared worse, coming in last in our tests for color quality and detail.
The BD-P1400 failed one test entirely. When we inserted a Blu-ray disc of Pixar's Cars, this model happily displayed the trailers, but froze on the main feature. The disc wouldn't play, even after we waited nearly 4 minutes--1 minute longer than the instructions suggest--for the disc to begin playback. This particular release, authored in BD-Java and heavy on interactive extras, was just too complex for the Samsung player to handle.
The BD-P1400 is one of the few Blu-ray Disc players available that supports on-board Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD High Resolution decoding. Despite that capability, it came in last place in our audio tests using a track from the uncompressed PCM 5.1-channel sound track of The Last Waltz. One juror noted that the player's audio reproduction sounded duller and flatter than that of other models, with the highs and lows missing.
Speed-wise, the BD-P1400 is a mixed bag. It powered up and started playing in 47 seconds--faster than all but one of its competitors--but once it started playing, it didn't respond well to the remote. More than once I pressed a button and waited, not sure if the player had actually received the signal I'd just sent it.
The player itself is easy to use: The on-screen menus are clear and well-illustrated, with attractive and informative icons. An exceptionally useful Speaker Setup screen helps you get your surround system properly arranged. The menus fail to explain a few items (the concept of PCM Down Sampling isn't explained on-screen), but the thorough, 65-page (and all-English) manual takes up the slack there. A clearly written and colorful Quick Setup Guide complements the manual. Although the remote isn't backlit, commonly-used buttons glow slightly in the dark.
The BD-P1400 comes with an ethernet port, which makes updating the firmware a breeze if you can stretch a cable from your router to your TV room. But this player won't play media off of your home network, and it won't work with BD-Live features on discs.
At $400, the BDP-1400 remains among the least expensive Blu-ray Disc players available. But other models can offer better value.
--Lincoln Spector
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User Reviews
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User Reviews From Around the Web
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Reviewed by: Washougal2008
Strengths: nice picture (if working)
Weaknesses: Locks Up - can not retrieve discs
Overall: I want my Iron Man DVD back. It is inside and it won't come out! Help! Been using this plaver on about 12 other discs - no big problems - though slow to load and loud (bearable, barely). Picture is good when it works - noticed I can't access all menu items. Was not aware I had to update firmware. Thought I would have a working player for $369. Imagine that was too much to expect. Now I can't even update firmware because locked up. Tried everything (short of sledgehammer). Have tried to contact customer service - NO HELP there! Do not buy SAMSUNG.
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Reviewed by: eagle6305
Strengths: none
Weaknesses: many
Overall: Being a huge film buff, I was excited to finally upgrade to Blu-Ray and collect high definition titles. What a disaster it's been since buying this product. Literally, from the first day, I had problems with skipping, pausing and not playing Blu-Rays. After two firmware updates it still didn't work, so I sent it to the shop in NJ where they fixed the problem. It worked well for 90 days, now won't play Blu-Rays at all. so, once again it's back in the shop where they have ordered parts and I'm waiting to see if they can fix it. I've been on the phone with technicians 10 times and all have agreed that they provide more technical support on this product than any other. It's loud, slow, unreliable and a major disappointment. Save yourself the headaches and frustrations and do not buy this player...
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Reviewed by: dcrystal01
Strengths: Very good viewing quality, ease of use, energy efficient feature. Easy to use menus.
Weaknesses: Need to upgrade firmware out of the box, a task that is difficult for some folks.
Overall: very good price, player does a fantastic job with blu-ray, a very good job with regular dvd. Be aware that to create the firmware update cd you must be able to burn an iso file. Other than that, a wonderful player. Energy saving feature comes on sooner than I like. I have gotten very good support from Samsung on the phone.
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Reviewed by: NYCshopper2008
Strengths: Easy to operate, great picture quality, relatively inexpensive
Weaknesses: A bit slow
Overall: This is my second purchase of this player - good product. Rememeber to update the firmware. I purchased it as a gift several months after buying one for myself. After a review of what is available on the market I decided on the same model.
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Reviewed by: krazeemexykan
Strengths: fast load time, great picture & audio. Affordable & reliable.
Weaknesses: none
Overall: I have not had a single problem/issue with this player. from day one, it has performed like a champ. the images and audio produced by it are unmatched. Outperformed my PS3 and my friend's Sharp hands down. Would strongly recommend this to anyone.
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