Samsung BD-P1600

The BD-P1600 didn't fare well with standard-definition DVDs, which the player must upconvert to 1080p. We found images softer and less detailed on the Samsung player than on the PS3. Our judges split on whether the unit did an acceptable job of upscaling, but none of us thought the output was very good.

All BD Live-capable players have an ethernet port. With the BD-P1600, you can use that port to enjoy Netflix's and Pandora's video and musical offerings. (You'll have to sign up for these services and manage them via a computer.)

When we tested with Netflix content--Gandhi in standard definition and The Host in high def--on the BD-P1600, we deemed the image quality acceptable, though not at the same level as DVD or Blu-ray content. In contrast, two other Blu-ray players--the LG BD300 and the previously mentioned Samsung BD-P2500--delivered horrible image quality in our Netflix trials. Streaming quality depends in part on Internet traffic and other issues unrelated to the technology at either end of the stream, so we can't say for sure what caused the improvement.

The BD-P1600 is the first Blu-ray player we've tested that lets you listen to personalized Pandora.com music channels over your television or over the home-theater system you use with your TV. The interface is easy enough. And since streaming audio over the Internet isn't a problem, sound quality isn't a major issue. But once you've set up your player with one Pandora account, you can't remove that account or add another.

The BD-P1600 comes with a USB 2.0 port for use with a 1GB flash drive (for BD-Live functions) and for playing MP3 music and displaying JPEG photos. To find the files you want to play, though, you have to search through folders on your flash drive (or external hard drive). Another problem: Though the USB port doesn't support video, a poorly placed menu option suggests that it does. The player has on-board audio decoding of Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, and DTS-HS Master Audio Essential.

For reasons unknown, Samsung decided to put a big flap over the front panel of the BD-P1600. The flap swings open when you eject the tray--and it stays open until you remember to close it, meanwhile posing a scrape hazard to anyone who walks by the player too closely. Like the Panasonic DMP-BD60K, the BD-P1600 is shallower and lighter-weight than its predecessors, helping it fit easily into tight spaces.

The BD-P1600's setup menu is a good-looking, legible full-screen affair, though it lacks explanations of its options. If you press the remote's Display button while watching a movie, a big box on the side will pop up, listing the title, chapter numbers, time elapsed, and some technical information. When you press Pause or skip to the next chapter, a leaner, more useful information display pops up, showing you time elapsed and total time.

This Samsung unit is one of the fastest Blu-ray players we've tested, getting a disc up and running in just 42 seconds. There's a very slight wait when you skip a chapter, and none at all when you press Pause.

Other recent Samsung HDTVs have had excellent remote controls, but not this one. Many important buttons--such as the ones for Play, Pause, and the disc menu--are well placed but too small. Meanwhile, the setup button is quite large--and how often do you use that? The remote isn't backlit, although a few commonly-used buttons glow in the dark. It is, at least, programmable.

The Samsung BD-P1600 produces very good images, and by Blu-ray standards it's as fast as lightning. But problems with upscaling DVDs and some unwise design decisions prevent it from being a great player.