Blu Ray Player Review: Samsung BD C7900
January 26, 2011
Samsung’s BD-C7900 is the high end 3D Blu ray player. Out of the four 3D Blu ray player models offered, the BD-C7900 demands the premium price over the other models. Built on same foundation, the BD-C7900 provides similar performances across the board. It is not surprising that the BD-C7900 mirrors the BD-C6800 in performance and feature sets.
Features
The BD-C7900 is fully compliant with the Profile 2.0 specification. It is compatible with BD-LIVE contents as well as Bonus View features on the Blu ray discs. The BD-C7900 can natively decode Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby True HD, DTS, and DTS HD audio formats. Like the previous models, Samsung App delivers variety of internet streaming contents you via Samsung App store. For movies and television shows, you can access Vudu, Netflix, and Hulu plus. Hulu plus lets you stream some of the shows from ABC, Fox, and NBC. Also, Pandora and YouTube are available for video and music streams. You can also download many games like Monopoly or Texas Hold-em poker from the app store. You can get your weather and news feed from the USA Today and AccuWeather. There are many more apps you can download and customize for your needs. With the included WiFi functionality, connecting to the internet should be breeze if you have wireless networking available.
Design
The BD-C7900 has the same overall design as the BD-C6900. The dimensions are slightly bigger to accommodate the extra HDMI output. The LCD is located in the middle of the player with the disc tray on the left side. The top side of the left has the see through feature that displays the disc. The top right side includes all the playback functions available should you lose the remote. The back of the player houses all the connectivity. It includes 2chhanel audio output, component video, optical and digital audio outputs, USB 2, and 2 HDMI outputs. The extra HDMI output is there to accommodate the older receivers not capable of passing HDMI 1.4 signals. The 3D contents require HDMI 1.4 specification. Most of the older receivers cannot accommodate the HDMI 1.4 specification. You can essentially output the video directly to the television while outputting the audio via the extra HDMI port to the receiver. This solves a lot the headache faced by the people with older receivers. The included remote is adequate at best. The button outplays were pretty good and most buttons were placed in the logical spots.
Performance
The BD-C7900 has similar performance as the other 3D Blu ray player models from Samsung. The overall loading time is fantastic. The BD-C7900 takes less than 15 seconds to boot up and load a Blu ray disc. Like the other Samsung players, there is nothing to complain about the picture quality. Tested with two Blu ray movies, the BD-C7900 showed no video processing defects. The movie did not display any moiré, jaggieness, or motion blur defects. The DVD upscaling was spot on as well. While it is nowhere near as good as the Blu ray contents, it was definitely step up from the regular DVD player.
Audio
There was nothing noticeable with audio decoding. All of the audio formats decoded properly. The high definition audio formats had no problem being decoded natively. The output of audio source via one HMDI and video via another worked flawlessly. The inclusion of extra HDMI does deprive it of an analog multichannel output. But, that is to be expected. If you need the 7.1 channel output, go with the BD-C6900. The BD-C6900 is an identical player except the 7.1 channel output instead of extra HDMI port.
Final Thoughts
Samsung has another outstanding player on its hand. I’m especially impressed by the inclusion of extra HDMI port for the people who might have older receivers. This solves the big problem faced by the people who have the HDMI 1.3 receiver. The 3D contents cannot be carried via the HDMI 1.3 specification. The inclusion of internal memory as well as the built in WiFi was excellent inclusion. Overall, this is a highly recommended top of the line Blu ray player.
Video
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Samsung BD-C7900 1080p 3D Blu-ray Disc Player List Price: Sale Price: $157.97 You save: $242.02 (61%) Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days |
Description
3D Technology Checklist This product is 3D-related. To help you get a great 3D experience, use our checklist below to ensure that you have everything you need. If you have any questions or want to learn more about 3D, we invite you to visit 3D 101--our center for everything 3D...
Features
- Built-in 3D
- Internet@TV
- Wireless LAN built-in
- BD-Live? (Profile 2.0), BONUSVIEW
- AllShare?
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Unbiased Review of Samsung BD C7500
January 26, 2011
Apparently, there was some success with the Samsung BD-P4600 in 2009. The uniquely designed Blu ray player offered all the necessary features while making the Blu ray player wall mountable. The overall design of BD-C7500 is nothing like any other players. Samsung is the only major manufacturer to offer up a Blu ray player capable of being mounted on the wall. This should appeal to consumers who want a clutter less home theater system.
Features
The set of features are fairly similar to the Samsung’s own BD-C6500. The BD-C7500 is a Profile 2.0 player capable of playing all the Profile 2.0 contents. The player is capable of natively decoding Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby True HD, DTS, and DTS HD formats. The BD-C7500 comes loaded with Samsung app. You can choose from wide array of different apps to run on the BD-C7500. You have access to internet streaming services from Netflix, Vudu, and Hulu Plus. Also, you can download simple games like Monopoly and Texas Hold’em poker. For news and weather, you can access USA Today or AccuWeather apps. There are other apps you can download from Samsung’s own Samsung App Store. The BD-C7500 is WiFi ready out of the box. It comes with the WiFi adapter required for the wireless access. Unlike some of the newer Samsung Blu ray players, the BD-C7500 does not come with DLNA compliance. Instead, it uses the older feature called AllShare to access various media files from other devices.
Design
The overall dimension from the BD-P4600 is carried over to the BD-C7500. The smaller and more compact design is obviously there to accommodate the wall mounting functionality. While the dimension is similar to BD-P4600, the overall presentation of BD-C7500 is different. Instead of round edges, the BDC7500 supports sharp rectangular shape. Also, gone are Touch of Color scheme. Instead, the player is finish in wood pattern finish. This gives it a more organic look than the glossy finish on most other players. As expected, the smaller form factor precludes any multi channel analog outputs. Instead, the BD-C7500 will come with 2 channel audio output as well as optical and digital audio outputs. It also comes with mandatory HDMI and 1 USB 2.0 port.
Performance
The overall performance of BD-C7500 is remarkably similar to the BD-C6500. The load time is less than 15 seconds for most Blu ray discs. This is big step up from the older generation Blu ray players that took forever to load. The BD-C7500 took less than 40 seconds from power up to disc load. Tested with three different Blu ray movies, the BD-C7500 showed no defects. It showed no moiré, jaggieness, or motion blur in any scenes. The bonus contents including Profile 2.0 contents played without any problems. The upscaling of DVD discs showed some signs of degradation as expected. While not as great as some of the top upscaling players, the overall image looked great on the big screen. Overall, the video processing was top notch compared to older generation players.
Audio
The BD-C7500 decoded all the audio formats without any problems. Even the high definition audio formats decoded natively without any problems. The MP3 and AVCHD also had pretty good playback. You shouldn’t have any problem with Blu ray movies that contain high definition audio formats.
Overall
The BD-C7500 is really a niche Blu ray player. Most consumers will not require a player that needs to be mounted on the wall. However, those that want to have stream lined home theater setup, this is just the player. In fact, it is the only player that is specifically designed to be mounted on the wall. The inclusion of WiFi adapter really adds to the overall value as you don’t want too many wires going in and out of the wall mounted player. As of this review, the player can be had for around $200.00. If you need a mountable player, this player should provide a perfect solution.
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Samsung BD-C7500 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player List Price: Sale Price: $189.99 You save: $160.00 (46%) Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days |
Description
The BDC7500 can also has a wireless LAN adaptor included. Add to that AllShare™, which enables content to be seamlessly streamed between DLNA® devices, allowing you to play files stored on your PC through your Blu-ray Player...
Features
- Internet@TV
- Wireless LAN built-in (Wireless LAN adaptor not included)
- BD-Live? (Profile 2.0), BONUSVIEW
- 1GB built-in memory
- AllShare?
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Sony BDP S770 Blu Ray Player Review
January 25, 2011
Sony’s high end Blu ray disc model, BDP-S770, packs small bit of extra features as well and a slick new design. The BDP-S770 is a 3D compatible player with Profile 2.0 compatibility. The BDP-S770 will be fully able to display all the Profile 2.0 contents without limitations. In terms of features and performance, the BDP-S770 is almost identical to the BDP-S570 from Sony. Like BDP-S570, BDP-S770 can natively decode Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital +, Doldby True HD, DTS, DTS-HD, and DTS-HD MA. It can also output these in bitstream as well. On top of these audio formats, the BDP-S770 can also read MP3, AAC, SACD, and WMA audio files. The BDP-S770 also comes with the Bravia Internet Entertainment platform. The Bravia Internet Entertainment platforms works a lot like Samsung App. You can download various widgets that you want on your player and view them at any time. You have access to many video streaming contents like Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Video, Netflix, and YouTube. Also, there are other internet accessible contents like Facebook and twitter. You can also access news and weather feeds from various sources like USA Today and Yahoo. Like the previous version, the BDP-S770 is capable of playing mkv, wmv, and divx files. You can stream the files from other DNLA compliant devices or use the USB port to play these files. The BDP-S770 also comes with 1GB internal storage.
Design
The one of few things that separates the BDP-S770 from BDP-S570 is the more refined design. Sony designed the BDP-S770 to match the 3D Bravia HD television sets. While not radically redesigned, it does look sleeker than the BDP-S570 model. The BDP-S770 has a flush design unlike the BDP-S570. The disc tray is located on the left while the LCD is located on the right side. The playback buttons are located on the top right side with USB port located right beneath it. The input and output options are identical to the BDP-S570. For audio, the 2 channel analog audio, coaxial and optical audio outputs are available. For video, composite and component video outputs are available for standard definition. There is 1 HDMI 1.4 compliant port, ethernet port, and 2 USB ports available as well. The lack of second HDMI 1.4 port was disappointing as BDP-S770 is supposed to be the high end model for Sony. The BDP-S770 remote is step up from the BDP-S570 remote control. The included remote control is a backlit whereas the BDP-S570 is not. Overall, the remote control functionality and ease of use is about the same.
Video and Performance
Like BDP-S570, the BDP-S770’s loading time was very fast. The speed of power up and loading Blu ray movie was noticeably faster than most other players. The power up and loading of Blu ray movie disc was less than 10 seconds total time for most movies. The interface is the same one used in the BDP-S570. It is very similar to the PS3 interface.
I could find no fault with the video playbacks. Check for defects using two different Blu ray movie titles, I found no video processing defects. The BDP-S770 lacked any moiré, jaggieness, or motion blur during the playback of the movie. The DVD upscaling was fairly decent as well. While not as good as Oppo, it did deliver fairly nice image quality on upscaled images.

Audio
As with BDP-S570, there was no issue with audio decoding on BDP-S770. All the formats decoded properly with onboard decoding. SACD and MP3 formats had no problem with the playback as well. Overall, audio quality was on par with other mainstream Blu ray players.
Overall
This is an almost identical player to the Sony’s previous model. The Wifi, onboard storage, 2 USB port, and backlit remote control are all pretty impressive. However, the same weakness follows the BDP-S770. Primarily, it lacks addition HDMI 1.4 port. Most of the older receivers will not be compliant with HDMI 1.4 specification for 3D images. The extra port would have solved this problem. Given that this is a premium model, I would have liked to see the extra HDMI port like the Samsung’s high end model. Even with this minor complaint, I can recommend this player as it is a very feature packed player.
Video
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Sony BDP-S770 3D Blu-ray Disc Player with Wi-Fi List Price: Sale Price: $289.95 You save: $10.04 (3%) Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days |
Description
Sony BDP-S770 3D Blu-ray Disc Player with Wi-Fi
Features
- Built-In Wi-Fi: Connect to your home's wireless broadband network
- 3D Blu-ray Disc Full HD 1080p playback , 3D Blu-ray Disc movies in Full HD 1080p
- Also supports standard Blu-ray Disc movies in HD and upscales DVDs to near HD quality
- USB Input - Simply connect your digital camera, USB-enabled MP3 player, or USB storage device
- 1GB built-in memory
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Blu Ray Player Review: Samsung BD C6800
January 25, 2011
Like their mainstream Blu ray player models, Samsung introduced more than one 3D Blu ray player models. The BD-C6800 is similar to the BD-6500 in terms of features. The overall performance and features mirror the BD-C6500 except for BD-C6800’s ability to play 3D contents when connected to the 3D television set. Like other 3D Blu ray players, you will need HDMI 1.4 compliant cable and receiver with HDMI 1.4 compliant input if you use the receiver as the central unit in your home theater system.
Features
Like most other new Blu ray players, the BD-C6800 is a BD-LIVE compatible player. It is fully compliant with Profile 2.0 settings. The BD-C6800 can natively decode Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby True HD, DTS, and DTS HD audio formats. The BD-C6800 covers all the high definition audio formats available today. The Samsung app covers all the internet streaming contents you need. You have access to Vudu, Netflix for movies. For television shows, you have access to Hulu plus. The Hulu plus lets you stream your favorite television shows from ABC, Fox, and NBC. You also have access to Pandora and YouTube for rest of the internet streaming needs. The Samsung app also includes some basic gaming. You can play simple games like Monopoly and texas holdem poker. You also have nice news service feed from AccuWeather and USA Today. There are various other apps you can download and customize. The inclusion of built in WiFi was nice upgrade from the earlier models.
Design
The BD-C6800 follows exact same form factor as the BD-C6500. At only 39mm, the BD-C6800 is thinner than most other Blu ray players. The dimension and finish are identical to the BD-C6500. The overall glossy finish adds to the overall appearance of the player. The LCD is located in the middle of the player with the playback functions located on the right side of the player. The back of the player houses all the input and output ports. It includes Ethernet, HDMI, and USB port. It also includes all the standard definition AV ports such as Digital and optical audio out. Unlike the BD-C5900, BD-C6800 comes with analog 7.1 channel output. The included remote control is very functional unit. The buttons are well placed and are easy to operate.
Performance and Video
The BD-C6800 takes less than 15 seconds to boot up and load Blu ray disc movie. This is great improvement from previous players that took upwards of 1 minute. Most other new players will have very quick load time compared to older players. The overall picture quality is what would expect from Samsung Blu ray players. The picture quality is exceptional. Tested with two Blu ray movie discs, the BD-C6800 showed no defects during the playback. The movies showed no moiré, jaggieness, or motion blur defects. The DVD upscaling was comparable to other players. While it showed some image distortion from upscaling, it looked nice on the large screen television. Some of the aspect ratio problem present on earlier Samsung Blu ray player was not present in this player.
Audio
All the audio formats properly decoded. The high definition audio format had no problem with onboard decoding. The included 7.1 channel analog output was nice addition from the BD-C5900. The quality of audio mostly depends on the audio equipment and not the actual decoder from the Blu ray player.
Final Thoughts
The overall price and performance of BD-C6800 is excellent. The Samsung app is very nice addition to the player and it provides excellent choice of internet streaming contents. The simple games were nice bonus along with the built in WiFi function. As with other 3D capable Blu ray players, you will have to have HDMI 1.4 compliant cable and receiver if you run your Blu ray player through the receiver. Other than that, the BD-C6800 is a very competent player at a nice price point.
Video
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Samsung BD-C6800 1080p 3D Blu-ray Disc Player List Price: Sale Price: $149.95 You save: $130.04 (46%) Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days |
Description
Turn your living room into a full-fledged 3D multimedia center, with the Samsung BD-C6800 Blu-ray Disc™ Player.
Features
- Built-in 3D
- Internet@TV
- BD-Live? (Profile 2.0), BONUSVIEW
- Wireless LAN built-in
- 1GB built-in memory
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Blu Ray Player Review: Sony BDP S570
January 17, 2011
Sony’s second 3D effort, BDP-S570, is a Profile 2.0 player fully compliant with Profile 2.0 contents like BD-LIVE. The player is able to natively decode Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital +, Dolby True HD, DTS, DTS HD, and DTS-HD MA. It can also decode MP3, AAC, SACD, and WMA. Like other players, the BDP-S570 is capable of streaming different internet contents. The Bravia Internet platform is a lot like Samsung’s app platform. You can pick and choose different widgets and apps to add to the overall Bravia Internet Entertainment. For example, you can add Hulu Plus, Amazon Video, Netflix, or YouTube video for video streaming. There are many more widgets you can download for the Entertainment. You can also add facebook or twitter for social networking. Also, you can download news feeds from Yahoo, USA Today, and various other service widgets. The player is capable of playing mkv, wmv, and divx files as well as standard Blu ray and DVD formats. The built in WiFi eliminates the need for ethernet connection.
Design
The overall design is fairly standard. The loading tray is located on the left side with the LCD located on right. The overall dimension is similar to the BDP-S470 model. However, the BDP-S570 is little bit thicker than the BDP-S470. The power button and the playback functions are placed on the “lip” of the player. One of the two USB port is located on the right side of the player. I always liked having the USB port in the front even if player only has one. USB on front allows for easy access for using USB memory sticks to watch photos or occasional divx or mkv file formats. The input and output options are fairly standard for a Blu ray player. For audio, the 2 channel analog audio, coaxial and optical audio outputs are available. For video, composite and component video outputs are available for standard definition. There is 1 HDMI 1.4 compliant port, Ethernet port, and 2 USB ports available as well. The universal remote control is very standard affair. It’s fairly easily to program and use with other home theater equipments. The button layouts are nice and logical.
Video
While the overall video processing was as expected, the loading speed and overall operational speed was noticeably better than other players. The speed of power up and loading Blu ray movie was lightning fast compared to other comparable Blu ray players. The user interface can slow you down some if you have never used Sony’s interface. While intuitive, it is not some simple point and click generic interface. For people that have used PS3, it will come as second nature.
The video processing was superb on all level. There was really nothing to nitpick in terms of video processing. Spot tested with 3 different Blu ray disc and 2 different DVD discs, I found no video processing errors. This is to be expected from Sony’s Blu ray players. The Blu ray movies showed no moiré, jaggieness or motion blur during several sequences in the movie. The DVD upscaling was somewhat lacking compared to the top end player from Oppo. However, the overall performance was top notch.
Audio
All the audio formats BDP-S570 advertised to natively decode did so without any problem. The high definition audio formats all decoded properly without problem. SACD and MP3 formats had no problem with the playback as well. Overall, audio quality was on par with other mainstream Blu ray players.
Final Thoughts
The inclusion of WiFi, 3D capability, onboard storage, and 2 USB ports were all very impressive for the player with the street price of around $175 at most internet retailers. The inclusion of internet streaming platform was also impressive. Only thing lacking from the player was the second HDMI port. With 3D streaming requiring HDMI 1.4 specification, some of the older receivers will be not be able to properly pass these signals. Some of the newer players come with 2 HDMI port to eliminate this problem. Even with this minor gripe, the overall performance and price point makes this player an excellent choice for buyers looking for 3D Blu ray player.
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Sony BDP-S570 3D Blu-ray Disc Player Sale Price: $249.99 Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days |
Description
Begin enjoying Blu-ray 3D movies in Full HD 1080p or DVDs in near HD quality faster than ever with the Sony BDP-S570 Blu-ray Disc Player. Wirelessly stream photos, videos and music or instantly access a wide variety of entertainment apps including: Netflix, , Pandora, Slacker, Picasa, YouTube and more.
Features
- BRAVIA Internet Video , Access movies, music, videos and more.
- Built-in Wi-Fi and Blu-ray 3D playback capability.
- iPhone , iPod touch BD Remote.
- Quick Start , Load to watch movies faster than ever.
- DLNA wireless streaming of photos, videos and music
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Review: Samsung BD C5900 Blu Ray Player
January 16, 2011
Samsung was one of the first manufacturers to jump on the 3D technology bandwagon along with Sony. Samsung introduced their mainstream Blu ray players at the 2010 CES. They offered up BD-C5500, BD-C6500, BD-C6900, and BD-C7500. The 3D capable Blu ray players were conspicuously missing from the line up. Samsung rectified that quickly by releasing array of 3D capable Blu ray players along with their high end 3D television sets. The Samsung BD-C5900 represents the entry level model for their 3D line up. While the BD-C5900 does deliver great picture quality, there are some issues that might cause some problems.
Features
The features on BD-C5900 are remarkably similar to Samsung’s BD-C5500. Only feature that differentiate BD-C5900 from BD-C5500 is its ability to play 3D contents. Like BC-C5500, the BD-C5900 is a Profile 2.0 player with all the audio decoding capabilities. It is able to natively decode Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby True HD, DTS, and DTS HD. While you can connect BD-C5900 via WiFi, you will have to purchase separate WiFi adapter. The BD-C5900 comes with full complement of internet streaming contents. Samsung apps include Blockbuster, YouTube, and Netflix for internet video contents. It also includes some games like Monopoly. Facebook, Twitter, and Pandora are part of social networking applications included in Samsung apps. There are various news services that can stream weather and sports. Like BD-C5500, the BD-C5900 is able to play H.264, AVCHD, Divx HD, MKV, MP4, and WMV9 files.
Design
The overall dimension of BD-C5900 is identical to the BD-C5500. The thickness of the player measures in at 39mm. The LCD is located in the middle of the player with playback functions located on the right side. Instead of having 2 USB ports, the BD-C5900 only included 1 USB port. This shouldn’t be a big deal for most users. Samsung did encase the player in high glossy finish compared to flat black for the BD-C5500. This does add some aesthetic beauty to the player. The input and output option stays the same for the BD-C5900. It includes USB, Optical digital output, Ethernet, and HDMI port. Like BD-C5500, it lacks the multichannel analog output. You will need receiver with HDMI interface for multichannel outputs. The included remote is adequate for every day usage and shouldn’t bother most people.
Performance
The overall performance of the BD-C5900 is pretty impressive. The Blu ray and DVD disc loaded extremely fast. The power up to loading was fairly fast just like the BD-C5500. In less than 10 seconds, you can power up and start watching a Blu ray movie. The playback performance was on par with BD-C5500. Like the BD-C5500, I found no defects during the Blu ray disc playback as well as DVD playback. There was no blurring, moiré, or jaggieness present in earlier players. Tested with 2 different Blu ray movies, the picture quality was virtually flawless. Also, the DVD upscaling was spot on. While not as great as the top of the line upscaling players, it was fairly good on the large screen television. Even with great upscaling, you will notice some image distortions of upscaling 480p to the high definition resolution.
Audio
The sound quality was good as expected. The quality of your home theater equipment will have more impact on the overall sound quality. The audio processing capability was as advertised. BD-C5900 handled all the audio formats including the high definition audio formats. The overall audio playback was on par with other competitors.
Overall
There’s really no problem as far as video or audio processing. There were only few minor complaints about the features included on the BD-C5900. The DLNA was particularly difficult to get it working. Even after the firmware updates, I could not get the DLNA features to work 100% of the time. Also, some of the Samsung apps fail to load properly on several occasions. While most worked as advertised, some simply failed to connect and display properly. The 3D contents require you to have the HDMI 1.4 compliant cable and input if you have receiver. This is particularly troubling if you run your home theater through a receiver. If you have older receiver, you might not be able to rout your 3D contents through the receiver. Other than these minor problems, I found the player to be very competent in handling all the Blu ray movie contents.
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Samsung BD-C5900 1080p 3D Blu-ray Disc Player List Price: Sale Price: $129.99 You save: $100.00 (43%) Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days |
Description
3D BluRay
Features
- Built-in 3D
- Internet@TV
- BD-Live? (Profile 2.0), BONUSVIEW
- Wireless LAN-ready (Wireless LAN adaptor not included)
- AllShare?
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Review of Pioneer BDP 330 Blu Ray Player
January 16, 2011
Pioneer has always produced quality electronics in the past. Their audio product was second to none and their television sets were widely considered one of the best on the market. Like Philips, Pioneer has opted to outsource manufacturing of some of their electronics. Pioneer has ceased manufacturing their premium plasma high definition televisions. Now, they have decided to outsource manufacturing of some of their Blu ray players.
Features
The Pioneer BDP-330 is the non elite high end model in Pioneer’s Blu ray line up. Like other manufacturers, Pioneer carries three mainstream Blu ray disc players. The BDP-330 is supposed to pack most features at better performance. Pioneer BDP-330 is a profile 2.0 player with full complement of audio decoding options. The player is fully capable of playing any BD-LIVE content. The Pioneer BDP-330 can natively decode Dolby, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS, and DTS HD MA. Pioneer’s Blu ray players always lacked large amount of internet streaming contents. This hold true for the BDP-330 as well. The BDP-330 only offers Netflix and YouTube along with RSS feeds. If you happen to purchase older version, you will need to update the firmware to have access to Netflix. The player lacks onboard WiFi or onboard storage.
Design
As with other Pioneer players, the BDP-330 is aesthetically pleasant looking player. The front face is divided into two portions. The top portion includes the disc tray and LCD. The middle divider holds the slim playback function buttons. The bottom portion also contains one of two USB port. The overall dimension and weight of the player is on the small side. The included universal remote control is easy to use. The buttons are in logical place and are on most part large enough for most people. The BDP-330 is compatible with iControlAV application. The app allows you to control BDP-330 with iPhone or iPod touch. The back contains USB, Ethernet, HDMI, Optical audio, RCA audio, and composite outputs. The extra USB is there for the optional WiFi adaptor.
Performance and Video
As mentioned earlier, the Pioneer BDP-330 is manufactured by different company. The BDP-330 is essentially a rebadged Sharp Blu ray player. The overall loading time is on par with the Sharp Blu ray disc player. The quick load feature doesn’t decrease the load time drastically. Instead, it is on par with any other comparable player. In fact, compared to the new Sony or Samsung players, it is noticeably slower.
Audio
As expected, the overall video processing is on par with Sharp Blu ray disc player. I spot tested two different Blu ray movie titles. On most parts, the Blu ray movie played without any video processing defects. However, few scenes represented some jaggieness and blur. While not really noticeable if you are not looking, it was present in several sequences. Other than that small portion of the movie, the overall movie presented no moiré or any other video processing defects. The DVD upscaling was adequate at best. The overall picture quality suffered the usual upscaling artifacts. The artifacts were very small and not a big distraction.
On the other hand, the audio playback was flawless. All the audio formats played without any problem. The two Blu ray movies presented no issues during the playback. The lack of multi channel analog output might be a problem for some consumers. Other than that, there really isn’t much to say about the audio performance.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the BDP-330 is very underwhelming Blu ray player. You would expect lot more from a company like Pioneer. Pioneer has built up a big reputation as the leader in high end electronics equipment. However, the BDP-330 does not live up to this expectation. Short of buying the elite line from Pioneer or the older models manufactured by Pioneer, I would avoid the rebadged versions. The lack of WiFi and even 3D capability makes this a poor choice for people looking to spend over $200.
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Pioneer BDP-330 1080p Streaming Blu-ray Disc Player (Black) List Price: Sale Price: $149.00 You save: $30.99 (17%) Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days |
Description
Without question, the greatest success of all Pioneer's players is the ability to recreate film as the director intended. And as movies are the combined work of many people, from cinematographers and set designers to Foley and makeup artists, every detail is taken into consideration in order to help you get closer to the ultimate cinematic experience...
Features
- Internal Audio Decoders: The BDP-330 features internal decoding of all advanced audio formats including Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTSHD High Resolution, and DTS-HD Master Audio.
- Wireless Ready: An optional 802.11n wireless adapter (AS-WL100) is available allowing access to online wireless content and firmware upgrades without the need to run additional cables to your Blu-ray Disc player
- Dual USB Inputs: A front and Rear USB input are provided to accommodate optional BD-Live Storage, our optional AS-WL100 Wireless internet adapter, or JPG/MP3 media playback.
- Multi-Format Compatibility: You can play High Definition DVD discs recorded by digital video cameras in AVCHD format. You can also play BD-R/RE, DVD-R/RW, etc. recorded using Blu-ray Disc recorders or DVD recorders as well as CD/CD-R.
- HDMI Precision Quartz Lock System (PQLS) Jitterless Transmission (Bitstream): By HDMI connection with a compatible Pioneer A/V receiver, A/V sources such as Blu-ray Discs and DVDs, as well as CD music are precisely reproduced with minimum jitter.
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