 Stylish, Sleek and Powerful |
| Review Date: September 20, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Peter Backman, Camano Island, WA |
I know there have been a number of mixed reviews about this product, and it almost deterred me from selecting it when I was looking for a Blu-Ray player to go along with a Samsung 50" plasma HDTV I recently bought.
After having this player for a little over two weeks now, I can't be more happy with it. I wasn't sure how I was going to react to the unusual form factor, and I would not have originally thought about mounting a Blu-Ray player on my wall rather than keep it in a entertainment center, but it has worked out extremely well and I very much like having it wall-mounted for both access and use of the remote control.
The player has worked as smooth as silk and I have not had a single issue playing any DVD in my library, including titles burned on DVD-R and DVD+R disks.
I also really love the additional features of Netflix and Pandora and was amazed at the HD quality of the streamed Netflix titles.
I also like that with the wireless network access comes automatic firmware updates, which from I've been reading will prevent me from having to worry about newer Blu-Ray disk features from being usable.
I really have only two criticisms and one warning about this player.
I would really prefer it if the USB Wifi Dongle was positioned to be underneath the visible edges of the player. Having it stick out takes a bit away from the visual sex appeal of this player.
I will also say that they should issue one of these players to CSI graduate students for fingerprinting exercises. This thing is so sleek and shiny that you can spot fingerprints and smudges on it from a 10 feet away.
Lastly, if you are planning on putting this unit in a TV/Entertainment cabinet/housing, beware. Because it is a side-facing slot-loading player, you will not be easily able to load disks without turning the unit sideways each time. Fortunately for me, I enjoyed mounting it on my wall, but it would have been slightly annoying if I had had to stuff it in the new TV cabinet I bought at the same time.
Overall, I am thrilled with this unit and would easily recommend it to anyone looking for a leading-edge Blu-Ray player that will be a great home theater component for several years.
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Style Without Compromise
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| Review Date: June 4, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Scott Kovacik, San Diego, CA USA |
My BD-P4600 arrived 6/3/09. Purchased via Amazon at a great sale price over Memorial Day weekend.
1. Style Factor: That's why I've been drooling over this puppy since January. I detest "boxes" and have endeavored over the years to find the best combination of style/features/ease of use in all my gear. Started with B&O in the 80's, and I'm now getting around to replacing my Bose Lifestyle. (Bose ease of use and style are great, but I sure miss really good sound - Harmon Kardon AVR3550HD will replace this eventually, along with Mirage speakers.) The BD-P4600 was the first step in a complete refurb. And it didn't disappoint. The "Touch of Color" is excellent around the bezel. The size and shape is perfect - big enough to show off, but not overwhelming. Love how the controls are touch sensitive and show up only when the device is on. Slot load, instead of a clunky tray popping out, is great. Pictures don't do it justice.
2. Wireless Network: Samsung includes the wireless dongle. Once I got to the screen to set up the network connection (I have AirPort Extreme, 802.11n) at first I thought it wouldn't take my wireless password. Found out the problem via trial and error - first off, my password is all lower case. Since the Samsung offers up a screen with letters that you have to navigate to to enter, I was choosing capital letters over and over again, I'm ashamed to admit. Whoops. But then even choosing lower case letters it wouldn't work. Samsung offers several secure network options to log on with. I was choosing mine - which is WPA. There were a couple of other secure log on protocols there with longer names that I finally chose out of frustration. Although it didn't make sense to me, choosing a network security protocol OTHER than WPA on the Samsung worked. Whew!
3. Netflix/Pandora: I'm a Netflix subscriber and am on the cheapest plan, so it does wear a bit thin waiting for another DVD after I finish watching one via snail mail. Setting up Netflix and Pandora went flawlessly, easily and quickly. I chose a few movies from the website (can't put movies in your queue via the Samsung) and they showed up right away. Picked one, hit Play, took a moment for it to load (acceptable time frame, considering wireless) and worked like a charm. No more waiting for the mail! No more purchasing movies via my cable company at outrageous prices when there's nothing on TV (which is often.) Fantastic!
4. DVD/CD Playback: Just what you'd expect - handles CD's and DVD's and I know a host of other formats - and, of course, Blu-Ray. This is my first Blu-Ray player, and I don't own any yet (then why did I buy this?!) but it's my plan to continue building my library with Blu-Ray. I've ordered Terminator 2 Skynet Edition, as this Blu-Ray version offers BD-Live internet connectivity - apparently "Skynet" tells you that you are connected and it gives you the city you live in with area code, your email address, the degrees outside where you live and other goodies that only "Skynet" would know. (If it comes up with more personal information, then I'll get worried.) The BD-Live feature sounds awesome, and I can't wait to see it in action.
For now, since the Bose is still around and does not have an HDMI input, the Samsung is sitting at the base of the pedestal that my Panny 46" is attached to. I didn't use the wall-mount capability of the Samsung, so I attached the included base and it "sits up" quite nicely. HDMI is directly attached to the Panny, so I'm using the TV's own speaker set, which is pretty good for that particular product, and very acceptable for the occasional Netflix streamed movie, where this device, for now, will perform its main function. My Harmony One's software had the BD-P4600 remote functions in its data base, so I can get rid of the (IMO) Samsung's lackluster remote - nice piano black finish, but no back-lit buttons, not-too intuitive layout and very small lettering for this 51 year old.
I understand that a PC can stream to the BD-4600; although I haven't tried that yet, from what I've read it's a bit of a task. Recently Samsung updated their manuals to reflect some new information regarding reading shared files from a PC, so it would be of benefit for anyone wishing to do this to visit the Samsung site for the latest information.
Nothing I've read so far states that Mac can share files to the BD-P4600, although I know folks out on the web are trying workarounds and other tricks to get there. Samsung states that, for now, this is not available.
I'm quite satisfied with this 21st Century-looking machine! |
Fantastic
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| Review Date: January 4, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Ken DeRoche, Seattle, WA USA |
This is the form factor and set of features I have been waiting a long time for. Most everything you need for media is built into this unit in a very sleek, sexy package. We have the player mounted on the wall right under the TV and not only does it look great (you can hide all the wires), it is very accessible.
We are able to download and watch instant movies from Netflix with no problems. Very, very cool.
So far, it plays our existing DVD's and CD's without issues.
We can stream music, video and image content from our home network attached storage drive media server (Netgear Stora) via wi-fi with no problems.
Takes a little setup, but nothing unduly difficult. You just need to know the IP address of your media server along with account and password.
The Auto Network Search feature can find other computers on the network and access their shared folders, but we had to use the manual search to find the media server by IP address.
My box has a port on the back, inside a recessed cove, for the wi-fi dongle along with all the other plugs and it is completely hidden. There is also a back cover plate that hides all the cords and plugs and the dongle even if viewed from behind. However, there is also another USB port on the outside of the unit intended for downloading firmware or adding a memory stick, so maybe those who say the wi-fi dongle sticks out are plugging it into the USB port??
A definite raving thumbs up from me with a couple of wish list items, (and these are all software related) ...
1) Wish the player would remember the last network streaming connection(s). Have to do the manual search to find our media server each time the unit powers on. It remembers the last info you input, you just have to go through the screens each time, so I will probably program a smart remote to do all that.
2) Wish the player would remember the last play list or have multiple persistent play lists. The single playlist disappears when unit is powered off.
3) Would love ways to quickly navigate through large lists of media on screen rather than just scrolling away (search, alpha jump to keys, etc)
Maybe these will be features of a new firmware version...
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Awesome DVD Player
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| Review Date: December 30, 2009 |
| Reviewer: M. Kades, |
| Far and away the best DVD player I have ever had. It's design is great and the fact that you can use Netflix online and Blockbuster online is a real selling point. Easy setup for everything too. Will buy another one for the other room soon. |
Pretty Cool
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| Review Date: December 19, 2009 |
| Reviewer: G. Stephan, hamtpon, va |
Received the BD player from Amazon the next day. Shipping was FAST!
About the player.
-Love the stlyling (matches my Samsung TOC Plasma TV) and the features (WiFI).
-Out of the box, basic hook up was easy (including listending to Pandora and watching NetFlix and YouTube).
-The only issue I had was file sharing (computer to BD). The player could "see" the computer but could not access the files. I called Samsung Customer Service for assistance. Service was lacking...they directed me to links which didn't help. Links were to Windows XP that dealt with file sharing. Searched the WEB for answers. After MANY hours of trials/errors, I discovered the problem was with my internet security settings (NOT FILE SHARE SETTINGS). Once internet security settings were adjusted, I was able to view photos, listen to music, and access the movies on my computer(s).
-Quality of video is outstanding. Found that I could watch scratched DVD's on the BD where I couldn't on my old player.
-No regrets purchasing this BD player. |
Best buy for " Samsung BD-P4600 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player ", Lowest Price Samsung BD-P4600 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player + Free shipping. Get Samsung BD-P4600 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player Now! |
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