HIGH-DEF DISC NEWS TAGGED "SAMSUNG"Receive High-Def Disc News via RSS

Samsung Announces Free Player Update For Netflix Streaming

Thu Oct 23, 2008 at 03:00 PM ET
Tags: Samsung, Netflix, Video Streaming (all tags)

Owners of the Samsung BD-P2550 and BD-P2500 Blu-ray players awoke this morning to some happy news. With a simple update, their players can now stream Netflix movies at no extra charge!

As announced by Reuters, the two companies have settled on an arrangement similar to that announced last month by LG Electronics which will allow owners to take advantage of Netflix's "Watch Instantly" service.

Netflix account holders can visit the website to add standard definition movies and TV episodes to their instant queues. Those selections will then be available for viewing on their TVs via their Samsung players.

For more information on Netflix streaming, visit the company website!

See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.

Related links:
Netflix, Samsung in streaming partnership [Reuters.com]

Samsung Sued Over "Defective" Blu-ray Players

Mon Feb 11, 2008 at 09:00 AM ET
Tags: Samsung, Technical Glitches (all tags)

An early adopter is taking on Samsung, filing a class action lawsuit against the electronics manufacturer over compatibility issues with its BDP-1200 and certain Blu-ray discs.

According to court papers filed late last week, Connecticut resident Bob McGovern is suing Samsung on behalf of "thousands, and perhaps tens of thousands" of consumers who purchased Samsung's 1200 Blu-ray player, only to later find the player incompatible with "numerous Blu-ray disc titles."

The suit goes on to say that although Samsung was "fully aware" of the incompatibilty issues at the time of the manufacture and sale of the player, it has not updated or repaired the player. Court papers do not list the affected titles by name, nor do they describe the source of the alleged incompatibility, stating only that the player suffers from "defective design and/or manufacturing."

As we've previously reported, the highly anticipated Blu-ray release of 'Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer' and 'Day After Tomorrow' this past October were greeted with playback problems on several players, including Samsung's BDP-1200. Although Samsung later issued a firmware upgrade which was said to correct the problem, some early adopters have reported continued incompatibility issues with these and several other Blu-ray discs and the BDP-1200.

See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.

Related links:
McGovern vs Samsung Electronics (PDF) [Courthouse News Service]
Discs mentioned in this article: (Click for specs and reviews)
Fantastic Four: The Rise of the Silver Surfer (Blu-ray)
The Day After Tomorrow (Blu-ray)
Earlier on High-Def Digest:
Playback Problems Reported on 'Silver Surfer,' 'Day After Tomorrow' Blu-ray Discs (Oct 04, 2007)
Samsung Firmware Update Corrects Playback Issues on New Fox Titles (Oct 10, 2007)

CES: Samsung Bows New Dual-Format Blu-ray/HD DVD Player

Sun Jan 06, 2008 at 06:24 PM ET
Tags: CES 2008, Samsung, Dual-Format Players (all tags)

Updating its recently-released BD-UP5000, Samsung says it will introduce the new BD-UP5500 Duo HD player in the second half of 2008.

Like its predecessor, the BD-UP5500 will support both Blu-ray and HD DVD discs, as well as the latest BD-Java and HDi interactivity available (including full support of Blu-ray Profile 1.1).

Samsung says the BD-UP5500 will also feature 7.1 PCM, DTS-HD High Resolution and Master audio, plus Dolby TrueHD Bistream output via HDMI 1.3.

The deck's ethernet connection will enable firmware upgrades and web-enabled features with compatible HD DVD discs. (Company reps tell us the deck will not be BD-Live compliant, meaning it will not support web-enabled features on certain Blu-ray discs.)

The BD-UP5500 is expected to retail for $599, making it the lowest-priced dual format player announced yet. (The BD-UP5000 is currently retailing at $799.)

See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.

Related links:
Samsung Invites Newcomers into the World of HD Home Entertainment with New Duo HD Player [Press Release]

CES: Samsung Bows New Dual-Format Blu-ray/HD DVD Player

Sun Jan 06, 2008 at 06:24 PM ET
Tags: CES 2008, Samsung, Dual-Format Players (all tags)

Updating its recently-released BD-UP5000, Samsung says it will introduce the new BD-UP5500 Duo HD player in the second half of 2008.

Like its predecessor, the BD-UP5500 will support both Blu-ray and HD DVD discs, as well as the latest BD-Java and HDi interactivity available (including full support of Blu-ray Profile 1.1).

Samsung says the BD-UP5500 will also feature 7.1 PCM, DTS-HD High Resolution and Master audio, plus Dolby TrueHD Bistream output via HDMI 1.3.

The deck's ethernet connection will enable firmware upgrades and web-enabled features with compatible HD DVD discs. (Company reps tell us the deck will not be BD-Live compliant, meaning it will not support web-enabled features on certain Blu-ray discs.)

The BD-UP5500 is expected to retail for $599, making it the lowest-priced dual format player announced yet. (The BD-UP5000 is currently retailing at $799.)

See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.

Related links:
Samsung Invites Newcomers into the World of HD Home Entertainment with New Duo HD Player [Press Release]

CES: Samsung Unveils BD-P1500 Blu-ray Player

Sun Jan 06, 2008 at 05:46 PM ET
Tags: Samsung, CES 2008 (all tags)

Samsung has taken the wraps off its first standalone Profile 1.1 Blu-ray player, the fourth-gen BD-P1500.

Like Samsung's third-gen player (the BD-P1400, released last fall), the BD-P1500 will carry an Ethernet port for firmware upgrades, but company says it is not certified BD Live, meaning it will not support web-enabled features included on certain discs.

The BD-P1500 will also feature bitstream audio output of 7.1 PCM, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD High Resolution and Master Audio via HDMI.

Due this June, the BD-P1500 is expected to retail for $399.

See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.

Related links:
Press Release: Samsung's 4th-Gen BD-P1500 Blu-ray Player [Gizmodo]

Samsung Blu-ray Player Hits New Low of $270

Tue Dec 11, 2007 at 04:18 PM ET
Tags: High-Def Retailing, Samsung, Amazon, Costco (all tags)

Setting a record for most consecutive price drops in the space of a week, several retailers have cut their prices on Samsung's BD-P1400 player well below this weekend's already record breaking price drops.

As we first reported Sunday, several retailers snipped as much as $100 off their price tags for the player, offering it a then-record low of $299.

Now at least two national retailers have dropped prices even further. Yesterday we reported that Costco had dropped its price to $279.99, and today Amazon cut its price to just $269.98 -- that's a whopping 46% off the player's original suggested retail price.

Although HD DVD has long held the low-price advantage over Blu-ray, Samsung's BD-P1400 player is now within $70 of Amazon's lowest-priced HD DVD player (Toshiba's 1080i HD-A3 HD DVD player, which the retailer is currently selling at 33% off list at $199.98).

How low will Blu-ray player prices go as we enter the heat of the holiday shopping season? Stay tuned...

Thanks to everyone who sent in tips related to this story.

See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.

Related links:
Samsung BD-P1400 1080p Blu-Ray Disc Player [Amazon.com]
Samsung BD-P1400 1080p Blu-Ray Disc Player [Costco.com]
Earlier on High-Def Digest:
$299 Samsung Player Sets New Low Price Record For Blu-ray (Dec 09, 2007)

$299 Samsung Player Sets New Low Price Record For Blu-ray (UPDATED)

Sun Dec 09, 2007 at 01:12 PM ET
Tags: High-Def Retailing, Samsung, Amazon, Best Buy, Circuit City (all tags)

UPDATE: (Monday, Dec 10, 2007) If you happen to be a Costco member, there are even more savings in store for you. The discount retailer is now offering the same deck mentioned below for only $279.

Several retailers have dropped their prices for Samsung's BD-P1400 to $299, setting a new low price record for a Blu-ray Player.

At press time, the new price had been spotted at such major retailers as Amazon.com, Best Buy and Circuit City, as well as several regional chains.

This latest price cut comes only two weeks after Amazon.com set a previous low-price record with the same player, offering it at $339.

Although HD DVD has long held the low-price advantage over Blu-ray, Samsung's BD-P1400 player is now within $50-$100 of the lowest-priced HD DVD player at the same big three retailers (Toshiba's 1080i HD-A3 HD DVD player).

As we've previously reported, a recent firmware upgrade issued by Samsung for its 1400 player made it the first Blu-ray player to unlock DTS-HD Master Audio.

(Thanks to Paul for the tip!)

See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.

Related links:
Samsung BD-P1400 1080p Blu-Ray Disc Player [Amazon.com]
Samsung BD-P1400 1080p Blu-Ray Disc Player [BestBuy.com]
Samsung BD-P1400 1080p Blu-Ray Disc Player [CircuitCity.com]
Samsung BD-P1400 1080p Blu-Ray Disc Player [Costco.com]
Earlier on High-Def Digest:
Samsung Blu-ray Player Price Drops to Record Low $339 (Nov 22, 2007)
New Samsung Blu-ray Player Unlocks DTS-HD Master Audio (Sep 27, 2007)

Samsung: Dual-Format Blu-ray/HD DVD Player Now Shipping

Thu Dec 06, 2007 at 01:00 PM ET
Tags: Samsung, Hardware, Dual-Format Players (all tags)

Despite reports to the contrary, Samsung says its BD-UP5000 dual-format high-def disc player is shipping "as we speak," and will hit stores at a price lower than previously announced.

Rumors of a delay for the manufacturer's first dual-format player surfaced earlier this week after a listing at Amazon bumped the player's release to January 15, but a Samsung spokesman told Dealerscope on Wednesday that the player is currently shipping to stores, and that it should be on shelves by "mid-to-late December."

The spokesman added that due to "recent activities in the marketplace," the player's suggested retail price has been dropped to $799 (it was originally announced with a $1,049 price tag, but that price was reduced to $999 in early September).

As we've previously reported, Samsung will be the second manufacturer to market an dual player capable of playing HD DVD and Blu-ray discs, following the introduction of LG's BH100 in January of this year.

Samsung says its BDP-UP5000 will support both BD-Java and HDi, as well as web-enabled supplements on both formats, via an Ethernet connection. In late October, the manufacturer noted that the player will require an upcoming firmware update to actually play back Profile 1.1 discs.

See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.

Related links:
Samsung Says Dual Player Still on Track For December, at Reduced Price [Dealerscope]
Earlier on High-Def Digest:
Samsung Confirms Profile 1.1 For BD-UP5000 Dual-Format Player (Oct 24, 2007)
Samsung Lowers Price on Upcoming Dual-Format HD DVD, Blu-ray Player (Sep 07, 2007)
Samsung Plans Dual-Format Blu-ray, HD DVD Player (Apr 16, 2007)

Samsung Confirms Profile 1.1 For BD-UP5000 Dual-Format Player

Wed Oct 24, 2007 at 04:22 PM ET
Tags: Samsung, Hardware, Dual-Format Players (all tags)

Samsung has sent out a media alert confirming that its upcoming BD-UP5000 player will be Profile 1.1 compliant, but Gizmodo is reporting that the player will require an upcoming firmware update to actually play back Profile 1.1 discs.

As we've previously reported, the Blu-ray Disc Association has mandated that all Blu-ray players launched after October 31, 2007 include a series of features (including secondary audio and video support) in order to be Profile 1.1 compliant. The updates will enable several functions not supported by current Blu-ray players, including true video picture-in-picture playback.

Although we assumed the BD-UP5000 would include Profile 1.1 support when Samsung revealed a release date delay that would see the player hit stores after the October 31st deadline, today's news adds an interesting new wrinkle.

At press time there was no word on exactly why a firmware update would be required to enable playback of Profile 1.1 discs, nor was it clear whether other previously announced Profile 1.1 players (including LG's BH200 dual-format player, which is due to hit stores shortly) would require similar updates.

To date, no Profile 1.1 discs have yet been announced for release. As we reported earlier this week, Warner has made the decision to release its first PiP enabled title ('Terminator 3') in early December without utilizing Profile 1.1 technology, instead encoding entire sequences of the film with a "burned-in" PiP window.

Samsung says its BD-UP5000 player will hit stores in mid to late December at retail price of $1050. As always, we'll keep you updated as more information comes in.

See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.

Related links:
Samsung's Already Awesome HD Disc Hybrid BD-UP5000 Upgraded to Profile 1.1 (Bye Bye Format Bitching) [Gizmodo]
Discs mentioned in this article: (Click for specs and reviews)
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (Blu-ray)
Earlier on High-Def Digest:
Blu-ray Association Sets Fall Deadline For BD-Java Hardware Support (Mar 26, 2007)
Report: Samsung Cancels BDP-2400 Blu-ray Player, Delays BD-UP5000 Dual-Format Player (Oct 01, 2007)
LG Goes Full Profile With BH200 Dual-Format HD DVD/Blu-ray Player (Oct 12, 2007)
Warner Sets Record Straight on 'T3' Blu-ray PIP Track (Oct 22, 2007)

Samsung Firmware Update Corrects Playback Issues on New Fox Titles

Wed Oct 10, 2007 at 04:04 PM ET
Tags: Technical Glitches, Samsung (all tags)

Samsung has released a new firmware upgrade for its BDP-1200 Blu-ray player that corrects playback issues on Fox's most recent BD+ enabled titles.

As we've previously reported, several of the studio's new BD+ encrypted discs (including 'Rise of the Silver Surfer' and 'Day After Tomorrow') were incompatible with both the Samsung BDP-1200 and LG's BH100.

Both manufacturers promised a fix, and Samsung looks to be making good on that promise.

Although it wasn't available for download on the Samsung site at press time (and the company's customer service reps don't currently seem to be aware of it), the new firmware update is available via the deck's ethernet connection. (For instructions on how to set up the BDP-1200 for ethernet download, see Page 45 of the player's manual.)

Note that some readers have reported a somewhat lengthy (and sometimes buggy) install, but following the update, the Fox BD+ discs are indeed playing back properly.

See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.

Discs mentioned in this article: (Click for specs and reviews)
Fantastic Four: The Rise of the Silver Surfer (Blu-ray)
The Day After Tomorrow (Blu-ray)
Earlier on High-Def Digest:
Playback Problems Reported on 'Silver Surfer,' 'Day After Tomorrow' Blu-ray Discs (Oct 04, 2007)
Fox Speaks Out on 'Silver Surfer,' 'Day After Tomorrow' Blu-ray Playback Problems (Oct 05, 2007)


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