Samsung BD-P1200 reviewed

Samsung’s BDP-1200 is the latest Blu-ray player to hit the market. It is also the earliest second-generation machine in the format to appear, beating out Sony and other Blu-ray supporters by about three months. The BD-P1200 includes a number of performance enhancements not available in the first Samsung player or in any of its competitors. These include faster boot-up, load times, better upconversion of standard definition DVDs and with some discs, improved HD performance.

The all glossy black finish provides an understated quality to the BDP-1200’s exterior. It is one of the smallest high definition disc players I have encountered measuring only 16.9 (w) x 12.8 D x 3.1 inches high. The remote control is similar to the unit that is supplied with Samsung’s first generation model the BD-P1000, though it is just a tad longer. Like the earlier version it’s not backlit, making it impossible to read in rooms with low ambient lighting. Samsung supplies only a stereo audio/composite video cable. Before overpaying for an HDMI cable at one of the big electronics retail chain stores, read my article on HDMI cable at http://hdguru.com/?p=12

The BDP-1200 is the first Blu-ray player to be equipped with the Silicon Optix (SO) HQV Reon signal processor. To test the player’s upconversion (converting standard definition 480i DVD up to 1080p) and deinterlacing (converting native 480i SD DVDs and 1080i Blu-ray discs to progressive) capabilities I used the newly released HD HQV Blu-ray “Benchmark” test disc from Silicon Optix and the SO SD DVD test disc.

The HD HQV Benchmark includes tests for video noise, video resolution, “jaggies” and film cadence detection—all recorded in 1080i video. The resolution test may also be used to test if a player or display properly deinterlaces 1080i sources, the most common format for video-based content seen on broadcast and cable networks’ HD programming.

The Samsung also incorporates a longer list of features than its first generation Blu-ray player (the BD-P1000). However, like all other Blu-ray players the latest Samsung lacks a number of functions that the Blu-ray format is capable of performing. On the audio side the BD-P1200 supports Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus and DTS but does not support DTS-HD or Dolby TrueHD.

On the video side, the BD-P1200 (according to a Samsung spokesman) does not allow pop-ups such as the director’s head overlaying a movie when the commentary track is activated. The BD-P1200 has an Ethernet connector but it can only be used for firmware upgrades. It will not permit downloadable applications such as new movie trailers or interactive games. To date, none of the Blu-ray players have this capability.

In additon, it is not possible to access the “Easter Egg” video test patterns found on Sony Pictures Blu-ray discs. The code is 7669. The BD-P1200 does not permit the entry of more than a three digiit number. A Samsung executive told the HD Guru adding this functionality may be possible in the future via a firmware upgrade.

What capabilities does BD-P1200 possess? It will output 1080p and will play at either 60 Hz or 24Hz via its HDMI output (the player also has component video output up to 1080i). The Samsung will play discs in the following formats: BD-ROM, BD-RE and BD-R (25GB or 50GB), DVD-Video, DVD-RAM, DVD-R, DVD-RW discs as well as audio CD discs including ones recorded using the MP3 codec.

For most of my image quality evaluations I used the superb Pioneer PRO-FHD1 1080p plasma monitor. This is a full 1920 x 1080 panel that features dot-for-dot display of 1080i/p sources (in this mode the players output is not scaled within the monitor). The Pioneer was set at 72Hz output for judder free viewing when using discs recorded at 24 frames per second (movies).

Evaluations began with the timing of Blu-ray disc boot-up and loading. The Samsung wins the Blu-ray speed race with “off” to full boot-up in just 30 seconds. Once booted up the BD-P1200 required as little as 23 seconds (the time varied slightly using different BD-ROM discs) to begin playing a disc. One note, using the Pioneer monitor I occasionally encountered issues with the copy protection (HDCP) using the HDMI connection. This produced a “snow screen” followed by a black screen and audio pops until the disc’s content appears. This was only experienced with the Pioneer plasma, other HDTVs connected to the BD-P1200 via HDMI functioned properly. I cannot determine if the compatibility problem lies within the Samsung or the Pioneer plasma, though I have not had this issue with any other HD disc player I have used with the Pioneer monitor.

Viewing a number of recent Blu-ray movie releases, including Babel, The Pursuit of Happyness, The Wild and Rocky Balboa confirmed the player’s phenomenal high definition performance. However, the HD Guru finds that all of the latest high definition players including the Sony BDP-S1, Panasonic DMP-BD10 and the Pioneer BDP-HD1 perform equally well with the latest film-based Blu-ray discs. By the way, the discs mentioned were beautifully transferred with none of the scratches, dirt or artifacts that marred many of the early Blu-ray releases such as The Fifth Element.

The Blu-ray HD “Benchmark” confirmed the Samsung’s flawless video HD performance, with the player passing all of the tests. The content on the Benchmark is video based 1080i (as opposed to film based 24p) which allowed me to confirm the BD-P1200’s ability to properly deinterlace native 1080i disc content currently found on concert videos such as John Legend at the House of Blues. For comparison, I repeated the resolution loss test using the Sony BDP-S1 and was surprised to discover the Sony player drops 1080i to 540p using its 1080p output mode. This means 50% of the resolution within the disc is lost. The reduction was clearly apparent when viewing the test disc’s video sequence of a stadium where the upper deck’s seats disappear and form moiré patterns. This resolution loss was also noticed when viewing the John Legend disc using the Sony player set at 1080p output. (For more on this test see http://hdguru.com/?p=17)

Fortunately the Pioneer PRO-HD1 can properly deinterlace a 1080i signal, so changing the Sony player’s output from 1080p to 1080i recovered the full resolution 1080 lines.

With the high definition tests completed I moved on to the standard definition HQV test disc. The Samsung passed all the tests and verified the player’s noise reduction circuits are highly effective (they only function with standard definition discs). The DVD SD version of Babel appeared sharper than on any other Blu-ray player I sampled. Its performance is only equaled by the Toshiba HD-XA2 HD DVD player, which uses the same Silicon Optix Reon chip set.

The Samsung BD-1200 provides a high definition image equal to the best Blu-ray players I have tested. Its SD DVD performance sets a new standard for Blu-ray players. If you desire a Blu-ray player and don’t feel the need for the features the player lacks (such as Dolby TrueHD output), its performance and low price ($799 retail) makes this Samsung a fine choice for viewing all DVDs and new Blu-ray discs.

HD-DVD may be feeling a little blu

I’d be feeling a little blue too, if I were competing against the world's leading electronics and media giants that include Apple, Dell, Hitachi, HP, JVC, LG, Mitsubishi, Panasonic, Pioneer, Philips, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, TDK and Thomson).

All of these manufacturers will be bringing to market Blu-ray also known as Blu-ray Disc (BD), the next-generation optical disc format developed by the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA).

This super high capacity format provides rewriting and playback of high-definition video (HD), as well as storing large amounts of data. The format offers more than five times the storage capacity of traditional DVDs and can hold up to 25GB on a single-layer disc and 50GB on a dual-layer disc.

It may prove to be an effective and efficient way to back up artwork files, our small web and graphic design studio process can manage to generate up to 25 GB of data each week. I’d be happy pay up to $2.00 or more to back up the week’s works – “cheap insurance”, as Matt would say! (by the way, Matthew is one of our highly regarded designer’s, an established member of the Cyber team). Sorry!, I digress, back to the story.

Backward Compatibility a big +

Most players will be able to read/write CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray discs using a BD/DVD/CD compatible optical head, so you don't have to worry about your existing DVD collection becoming obsolete. In fact, most of the Blu-ray players coming out will support upscaling of DVDs to 1080p/1080i, so your existing DVD collection will look even better than before. While it's up to each manufacturer to decide if they want to make their products backwards compatible with DVD, the format is far too popular to not be supported. The Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) expects every Blu-ray Disc device to be backward compatible with DVDs.

Blu-ray v/s HD-DVD

Although both Blu-ray and HD-DVD are similar in many aspects, there are some important differences between them.

The first is capacity. Because Blu-ray utilses a lens with a greater numerical aperture (NA) than HD-DVD, the laser spot can be focused with greater precision to fit more data on the same size disc. This allows Blu-ray to hold 25GB per layer (50GB on a dual-layer disc), whereas HD-DVD can only hold 15GB per layer (30GB on a dual-layer disc). Blu-ray has also adopted a higher data transfer rate for video and audio (54Mbps vs 36.55Mbps). The greater capacity and data transfer rates for Blu-ray will allow the movie studios to release their movies with higher quality video and audio than the HD-DVD format.

The second is content. The Blu-ray format has received broad support from the major movie studios as a successor to today's DVD format. Seven of the eight major movie studios (Warner, Paramount, Fox, Disney, Sony, MGM and Lionsgate) have already announced titles for Blu-ray, whereas HD-DVD only has support from three major movie studios (Warner, Paramount and Universal). This is an important difference because some of the studios might only support one of the formats, so you won't be able to get your favorite movies in the other format. Choosing the format with the most content support minimizes this risk.

The third is hardware support. The Blu-ray format has broad support from the world's leading consumer electronics, personal computer and media manufacturers, including Sony, Panasonic, Philips, Samsung, Pioneer, Sharp, JVC, Hitachi, Mitsubishi, TDK, Thomson, LG, Apple, HP and Dell. The Blu-ray format will also be supported in the next-generation PlayStation 3 (PS3) video game console. This means that you will have a lot of choice when it comes to players and hardware. The HD-DVD format has far less supporters, so the amount of players and hardware will be very limited. So far, Toshiba is the only company to officially announce a HD-DVD player and it will only support 1080i output, while the announced Blu-ray players will support 1080p.

Anyone remember Betamax?

In the early eighties, there was a stoush between two video formats Betamax and VHS, Betamax proved to be the better format, however, I recall, Sony and Toshiba were the only manufacturers that provided this format, where as the VHS format was offered to the market, by the likes of JVC, Phillips, NEC, Panasonic, Sanyo, Sharp, Pioneer and Hitashi, resulting in Betamax (the better format) losing out, it simply couldn’t get market penetration.

At this stage it appears that Blu-ray will have the leading edge over HD-DVD, it also appears it will have longevity due the vast amount of electronic manufacturers in the market providing the same format.

But there’s one thing I know for sure, I will not be paying $1,300 for a unit, I’d be happy to wait for a year or more when I’ll be able to buy one for a tad over $200.00 or maybe less.