Samsung BD-P1000

Posted by T3 Online on Thu 25 Oct 2007

UK's first Blu-ray deck looks awesome but has problems...

Viva la revoluci�n! Blu-ray is finally here and, according to its backers, it's going to take us, "Beyond High Definition." Alas, on the evidence of this, the first Blu-ray player to hit the UK, there's still a long way to go before that's anything more than marketing hype.

Every first-gen product in a new format has mis-steps, but this has more than a drunk Peter Crouch appearing on Strictly Come Dancing. Start-up time feels slow compared to a DVD player (although still quicker than Toshiba's HD-A1, the import-only flag-bearer of the HD-DVD format) and the menus are sluggish.

The HDMI output here isn't the latest 1.3 version, so there's no support for high quality, lossless audio formats. With Toshiba's forthcoming HD-XE1 HD-DVD player supporting HDMI 1.3, despite costing a few hundred quid less, this is a missed opportunity. You'll also have to wait for later versions for Blu-ray's vaunted Internet connectivity features.

Blu-ray discs play back at maxi-def 1080p, but having hooked it up to the LE40F7, it's difficult to see what the fuss is about. xXx looks better than on DVD or Sky HD, but is still a bit grainy and noisy up close. More damningly, if you switch the - admittedly stunning-looking - Ultraviolet down from 1080p to 1080i, you find there's bugger-all quality difference. This could be down to the discs rather than the player, but it's still a big disappointment.

The player also upscales regular DVDs. Adaptation and Lost look pretty impressive when boosted to pseudo-1080i.

This player isn't bad, but it also isn't the revelation we'd been led to expect. Should you shell out a grand? No!