Samsung BD-P1400 1080p Blu-Ray Disc Player Reviews

• Overall good player with some major quirks

  
  By A1J991IUH9RJX0 on 2007-11-22
  I have a BD-P1400, a PS3, and an Xbox 360 + HD-DVD drive. In the month that I've had the Samsung it's done a terrific job on video and audio quality. I'm playing it on a 46" Samsung LN-T4665F connected through HDMI. That's the good news, and it's certainly good. I've never had any of the stutters or other audio/video glitches that others have mentioned. On the other hand, here are the quirks that I've run into: (1) The Samsung takes by far the longest of my three players to load movies, and simply responding to an eject/open request takes 30 seconds for some reason (even when there's no disc inside). There's no feedback to tell you what's happening during eject, so you wonder if it's hung or actively thinking about it. (2) The Blu-ray movie producers in their infinite wisdom keep changing their DRM formats as their latest ones get hacked, which is an unbelievably customer unfriendly decision. The BR players are all updatable so it's conceptually possible to play the latest movies. Unfortunantely, the Samsung has a VERY unintuitive failure mode and upgrade procedure, which likely makes this required operation out of reach for most people on this device. Here's my (very long) step by step experience, which I hope will help give you a tangible understanding of what it's like, as well as potentially out anyone else similarly stuck. I ran into this with the new Live Free or Die Hard DVD, which after the usual 45 second or so load process simply hung the player. It wouldn't respond to any input (play, stop, menu, etc), the counter read "0000", and the screen remained black. I had heard about the DRM format issue, so suspected that this could be the potential problem - unfortunately I had bought that DVD on its first day of release and tried to play it that night so no one else had posted about their problems with that config yet. Following the manual's instructions, I plugged in a enet cable and tried to pick up the latest update. For some reason it didn't successfully get a DHCP address on my network, so I manually entered the network info. It told me that there was a new update available, so I selected download. When the download process strated, again these was no way to tell whether it was hung or actively working, and no way to tell how much progress it had made and how much more it still needed. As a result, after about 30 or 45 minutes I cancelled and tried again. (BTW, I'm connected through a Verizon FiOS fiber-optic connection that's as fast as any consumer internet in the US). After 20 minutes I gave up and went to bed, leaving it to (maybe) download overnight. In the morning, the machine was off but it when I powered it up I learned that it had not completed the upgrade. In retrospect I believe this is what happened: the download eventually completed, it put up a "do you want to upgrade your firmware" dialog box, and after a couple minutes of inactivity it timed out and eventually turned off. Nice design, their engineers clearly did not try this in their homes. I gave it one more try in the morning, leaving it running while I ate breakfast and did email. After an hour or so the download completed, the "do you want to upgrade" dialog came up, and I said "yes" before it timed out. The upgrade completed successfully, but unfortunatley the Live Free or Die Hard movie still hung the player. At this point I suspected a faulty disc, so I got a replacement from the retailer. The new disc had the same problem, though, which told me that this was a player bug. Since the movie had been out for a day, I found a couple posts of other people having problems including one that got a confirmation from Samsung support. I called support, who eventually told me that the version 1.2 firmware on the website would fix the issue (hint, you need to know exactly what to ask and be persistent since this person would have sent me away with false information if I hadn't kept clarifying her responses). Going to the website, I found the alternate method of upgrading the firmware that the support person desribed, downloading a zip file to a PC, loading the .iso to a CD-R or CD-RW, and playing that on the player. I hadn't found this in the user's manual, but it certainly couldn't be any worse than the online method I had gone through in the previous 24 hours. Interestingly, there was no obvious way to relate the "version 1.2" available on the website with the version I had upgraded to online that morning (the online version uses a long date code instead of a version number). With nothing to lose, I went ahead and tried using a CD-RW using the instructions posted on the web. No luck, the player didn't recognize it as a firmware update. I tried again with a CD-R. Still no luck. Still clinging to a tiny shred of hope that (a) the "version 1.2" might actually fix the problem, and (b) the version 1.2 might have been posted to the web that day after I did my upgrade in the morning - a day after a major blockbuster movie that required it was released nationwide, but who's counting - I tried the painful online update process again. Lo and behold, a new update was available that might be version 1.2 (?) I went through the update, and the movie worked! Wow. This is a lot more detail than you likely need to make a buying decision, unless you read this and say "wow, reading those details tells me that this machine requires a lot more technical messing around than I'm comfortable with just to watch a movie". Potentially this might help someone else who has already bought the player figure out why a new movie hangs the box mysteriously - I would have LOVED to find this two days ago. Maybe Samsung will even read it and start to understand how painful their current usability is, even for a moderately technical user.
  
  

• Good Quality - Missing Features

  
  By A2ZM8AXKO39DSH on 2007-10-22
  Unfortunately, since Bluray is still in its infancy (so-to-speak) there aren't many options for players. I bought the BD-P1400 and found that while the picture quality is great and the upconversion quality is superb, there are still some problems with this player. My first unit starting having hardware/software problems; namely, it would simply quit playing during the middle of the movie, at random times and multiple times throughout a movie. I returned the unit and exchanged for the same model and have not experienced the same problem with the new unit. Also, there are some basic functions missing on this player:
  1) No Replay/Skip-back button which seems to be a pretty standard feature on DVD players nowadays. I miss this button a lot.
  2) No memory feature. When you stop a movie you have to start over as if you just loaded it in the player.
  3) (2) becomes a very annoying problem if you pause movies frequently for breaks or doing chores around the house, which I do a lot. When you pause a movie it will only pause for about 5 minutes, then it will go to screen saver. After a few minutes of screen saver it will STOP the movie and when you come back you have to start the movie over and try to find where you were. This is a MAJOR annoyance!
  4) It is missing DVD playback features like viewing different angles, etc.
  
  It is my opinion that this player was released prematurely based on its feature set. However, Samsung did a great job on the Bluray compatibility & picture quality and the DVD upconversion quality. If you want a player for quality HiDef video and don't care about features this is a great player. However, if you want more features out of your player, you may want to hold out for later generation models.
  
  If there were a lot of other players on the market right now that didn't have these same flaws, I would have rated this player much lower just based on features. However, I understand that Bluray is still in its infant stages of development and manufacturers are rushing products to market to compete (and hopefully win) with HD-DVD. Thus, I am not too upset with my investment in this model. But I also know that I will want to purchase another Bluray player before this one reaches the end of its life.
  
  p.s. I have purchased several Bluray discs and also rented quite a few from Netflix and so far have not encountered one disc that this player will not play.
  
  

• BD 1400 Warning

  
  By A3OIUQX5CU176V on 2008-01-01
  I've owned this BR player for 6 weeks. Its had problems loading some discs off and on, but with a firmware update most of them have eventually loaded and played. Yesterday it suddenly stopped loading Blu-Ray discs all togerther. DVD discs load and play.
  
  I've searched the web, especially the excellent bluray.com website, and have noticed that most Blu-ray players have problems, but Samsung stands out for poor support. Before purchasing this player, or any other player, check out the manufacturer's support and factor that into your decision to purchase.
  
  
  
  

• Nice player... but STILL PROFILE 1.0 - Beware!

  
  By A1PL8JA0TEHBVN on 2007-10-22
  This player is very similar to the previous BD-P1200 which was not a bad player. But if you are planning to get a Blu-ray player, keep in mind that these players are still under the Profile 1.0 banner.
  
  The profile 1.0 brings a basic set of features and leave other features available only on the future player profiles. Player profile 1.1 is effective on October 31st meaning that the newer players announced after such date must have the profile 1.1 (this player is already available so it is not profile 1.1). Player profile 2.0 - the final profile - has no date yet announced.
  
  Like any High Definition technology, one cannot say this player is bad. It upconverts your standard definition DVDs nicely and will give you a list features that will make the delight of any AV enthusiast. It does output 1080p image and that alone is a great thing to see.
  
  GOOD POINTS (something that can make you buy it)
  -Upconversion of standard definition DVDs.
  -Lan connection for online software updates.
  -It supports HDMI 1.3.
  -Price (compared to other Blu-ray stand alone players only).
  
  BAD POINTS (something that will make you buy other Blu-ray model or go HD DVD)
  -Still a player profile 1.0 (I'm not sure if it is possible to upgrade this player to profile 1.1). This is a half-developed minimum player profile. So it has no dual stream video decoding, for PiP and other advanced interactive functions (only available in HD DVD players for now).
  -Region coding (if you only care for "Zone-A" discs, this may not be a problem for you. Otherwise you may try HD DVD which is a region free format).
  -Price (compared to the cheaper PS3 and HD DVD players).
  
  Still, for this price, this blu-ray player can be a good choice.
  OR you'll want to go for the cheaper PS3, OR wait for a Profile 1.1/2.0 player to come out, OR take a look at a HD DVD player.
  
  

• All around great buy

  
  By A2S2B44CQTFFI9 on 2007-10-20
  I have a Playstation 3 that has awesome picture quality for both Blu-Ray and upscaling of Standard DVD's since a software upgrade. We use this for our main HD TV in the family room. I needed another player for a second HD tv we just had hung in our bedroom. I waited for the BD-P1400 to become available since I already committed to the Blu-Ray format and wanted the latest technology available. I can not say enough about the sound quality that this player offers, it is unbelievable. The picture quality is excellent and on par with the Playstation 3. I am seriously considering purchasing a second BD-P1400 for our main set because of the outstanding sound.
  
  The only problem with the player is if you stop viewing a movie and want to come back to it at another time. It does not remember where it left off, but either does the Playstation 3.
  
  Great player especially for the money.
  
  
• An Exemplary Performer
  By AOBZKXO4FUVBT on 2007-11-20
  As someone who purchased the very first Blu-Ray player on the market, I can say, with hindsight, how far the technology has come.
  
  This unit supports uncompressed TrueHD sound for a much more realistic soundtrack, HDMI 1.3 for the full color spectrum, and includes an Ethernet Port for firmware updates (which some new spec unit do not include).
  
  This unit upscales standard def DVDs as well as any stand alone unit I used (incl my Oppo 981). While some DVD color banding is evident, keep in mind I'm watching it on a 72" TV.
  
  Loading times vary seemingly with how Java-rich the BRD is that I'm watching.
  
  While the remote is intuitive, the buttons are not backlighted and the size of the buttons for more minor functions do not lend themselves to people with large hands.
  
  Out of the box, it's usable but you'll likely get more functionality setting it up with someone with a modicum HD experience.
  
  The unit did freeze while watching Spiderman II. However, after loading in the latest firmware the unit has played without incident.
  
  As improvements in the firmware are made, it's a worthwhile use of time to check every so often for the free upgrades.
  
  I enjoy my unit for which I paid $370; I would purchase it again unhesitatingly .
  
  
• Not ready for prime time
  By A7CACRX7L77XX on 2007-11-10
  I returned this product within a week of receiving it. Each and every time I turned on the unit, it reset to 480P resolution. I was forced to go through set-up ever time I turned it on to change to 1080P. Also, the unit would not connect to the internet via the Ethernet port.
  
  When I contacted Samsung, the customer service representative claimed that the Ethernet port was not for connecting to the internet, but for connecting to a computer (huh?!?). He was not phased when I pointed out that the manual (yes, I actually did read the manual) clearly states how to hook the unit to the INTERNET via the Ethernet port.
  
  With all the start up issues, it took nearly 5 minutes before I got to the title screen on any movie. This unit is not ready for production. Too many bugs, and the only way to upgrade firmware on my unit was to get a CD in the mail from Samsung.
  
  Instead, I bought a PlayStation 3. Works great. Firmware upgrades via wireless. The time between disc insert and title screen is as fast as my old Sony DVD player (maybe 15-30 seconds).
  
  
• Wait!! WAIT!! WAIT!!!!!!!
  By A3CXH74FPVRLO5 on 2007-11-29
  Oh boy is thing a turkey...First of all the firmware that shipped with unit is already obsolete.Not a problem since Samsung has an easy procedure to update (USE THE CD!!).Here's the deal with this thing.Power on stuck in load until it decides to accept a disc,Jittery video even with the F/W update and an open door button that looks innocent enough,but doesn't do anything.No doubt this unit was rushed to market to cash in on the 2007 holiday season and Samsung laid an absolute egg.Apparently,Amazon (you guys are great!!)has gotten so many complaints and returned units that they are limiting their replacement quantity to 2.After that it's a refund.I am waiting for replacement #1 now and hope that I get one that was built properly.I am not too optimistic.The joke may be on Samsung as they deal with a 50% return rate.Unfortunatly,the Blu-Ray player market is thin,so there aren't many choices.This one is pretty bad.
  
  
• Horrible Product, Not Even Finalized
  By ASGLRM82IICR1 on 2007-11-26
  I bought this thinking I was buying a complete high definition player, boy was I wrong. From what I understand, this won't work with a lot of new features coming to Blu-ray discs. I would wait and purchase a player with finalized specs, before wasting your money on a player that will be obsolete in a few months.
  
  
• The worst player I have ever owned
  By A1URYBESOEN6M0 on 2007-12-03
  I can't believe the features that are missing on this machine that a $30 machine from the grocery store has!
  
  It does not remember where you were when you hit stop. That is the most important feature for me. I almost never have time to watch a whole movie at one time.
  
  It takes a very long time to power on, load, stop, play... anything.
  
  About every third time I turn it on, the display is all static. I have to turn it off, then back on. Which is about a 40 second process with this thing.
  
  Don't buy it unless all you want is a simple player that will do Blu-ray.
  
  
• IMPORTANT: DO NOT BUY BLU-RAY STAND ALONES UNTIL DEC 2008
  By A3RUG7P3B31L3V on 2008-01-22
  The format war is over. Time to buy a Blu-Ray, right?
  
  WRONG!!!
  
  WARNING:
  
  Blu-Ray 2.0 compatible stand alone players will not hit the market until December of 2008.
  
  The current players will NOT be forward compatible. In a nutshell, this means if you buy a stand alone player NOW then sooner or later you will purchase a disc with special features you CANNOT access without buying a new Blu-Ray stand alone player.
  
  The ONLY future-proof Blu-Ray device is the PS3!!
  
  
• Don't think about it.
  By A15KF69U5QJG1P on 2007-11-23
  Went through two of these. Amazon sent email saying that the problems with this machine were more widespread than they had known, and that another (3rd) one would not be sent and that they would prefer to just refund my money.
  I D/L the firmware and all, the BDP1400 is a fault-laden machine period ending. I know the prospect of less money is appealing but buy the Sony S500. I also went through two of the Panasonic BD30's. Those were faulty as well.
  I am not the biggest fan of Sony buy they are on top of BluRay.
  
  
• Broke after a week
  By A3NCBUXZXCHNXF on 2007-11-30
  PQ was good but that's all that was good about this. This player skips frequently in the middle of playing a movie.. about a week into owning this, it froze loading a disc... i turned it off and back on then it wouldn't play any movies at all!!! it says "invalid disc" with every disc that i put in and then ejects it. I tried updating the firmware but that didn't do any good.... i would give this zero stars if i could... i ended up exchanging it for the sony s301 which worked a lot better... ultimately i exchanged the sony for the Toshiba HDDVD player when they went on sale for $99.99. I was willing to pay a bit more when the price of the HDDVD player was $299.99 and bluray players were $399.99. But at 1/4 the cost, i decided HDDVD was a MUCH better deal...
  
  
• Die Hard with a Big Stick in Your Eye
  By AAMBDO1GK7M6O on 2007-12-03
  I recently blew about $3.5k on a new HDTV, new Blue Ray dvd player (this Samsung BD-P1400), and a couple of Blue Ray DVDs, including Live Free or Die Hard. I too could not get Die Hard to play, and received no error message explaining the problem. After scouting around the manual, I guessed that it was a firmware update issue, so I went to the Samsung site to d/l the latest firmware. The instructions for creating a firmware CD are extremely unclear, obviously written by somebody for whom English is at best a second language. To get clarification I called Samsung tech support, and was told that as of today, December 3, no firmware update exists that will let me watch Die Hard on the BD-P1400; I should try back in a week. Yet other reviewers say that they have successfully updated their machines and can watch Die Hard. So like what the heck is going on here? Is this a Samsung issue, or a Blue Ray one? Given the system's lack of basic DVD controls and these problems, potential purchasers may well want to wait a while before committing to the Blue Ray format.
  
  
• Whoa...Very Disappointing
  By A6A5VGR2PT259 on 2007-12-30
  I purchased this unit when it was approx $340 based on it processing DTS-MA and True Dolby HD. It was the cheapest BD player that would either decode or pass through that type of audio. I have an Onkyo TX-SR605 and wanted to take advantage of the HDMI 1.3 connections. My 1st Sammy 1400 was delivered with the 1.2 version of firmware and all seemed well until I tried to play Pirates 3 and it just hung on the menus. Corpse Bride also would not play. Samsung indicated that "some" 1400s were having issues and a firmware update would be coming shortly.
  
  I called Amazon, who are great, and they exchanged the unit for another one. I upgraded the firmware via network connection and immediately tried to play Pirates and it worked! This was great....so I thought. At about 20mins into the movie, my tv started to flicker as if someone was turning it on and off repeatedly. I also noticed the HDMI indicator on my Onkyo receiver was flashing as well. I popped in Casino Royale and it was playing great and again, 20 mins into the movie I started having HDMI handshake issues again.
  
  No matter what movie I played, whether it was bitstream, PCM, DTS-HD or just Dolby D, I started having HDMI handshake issues about 15-20mins into a movie. At this point I started questioning my receiver and my tv but since this unit was only 2 days old, I sent it back for a refund and bought the Panasonic DMP-BD30 and could be happier. No more HDMI issues and it plays every movie like it should. No problems with DTS-MA or True Dolby with my Onkyo.
  
  To date, Samsung STILL has not issued an new firmware revision for the 1400 and I feel sorry for all the people that got this player over the Holidays and can't play the newest films ie, Pirates 3 & the new Die Hard.
  
  I would absolutely NOT recommend this unit.
  
  
• Great Player
  By AXTOTQMDBTF26 on 2007-10-09
  This is a great Blue Ray player. DTS HD MA bitstream finally. To the review below who said "crappy Toshiba HD-DVD players", I'm really not sure what you are talking about. Toshiba makes EXCELLENT HD-DVD players that look and sound just as good as the Samsung Blue Ray players. If you want HD, going format neutral.
  
  
• Not future ready
  By A1ZO6VO9RESLAT on 2007-12-05
  I decided to try Blu-ray. The player is solid, the visual design is really beautiful. From an aesthetic standpoint, it is a gorgeous player. However after recent learning about Profiles 1.1, 2.0 and 3.0 I decided to return it and cancel. Unfortunately this player does not support the newer profiles coming out soon, thus it's really a waste to buy this old archaic hardware that won't play interactive features like PiP. 1.1 is Picture in Picture, a second video player. 2.0 is web enabled and 3.0 is for deep color I believe. Nevertheless these "cheap" Blu-ray players while are coming down, are actually outdated hardware that won't support future content and new extras from Blu-ray studios. Samsung should warn people about this, I'm so glad I realized this today before my 30 days ran out to get my money back. If you're thinking of BD, I would say hold off until at least a Profile 2.0 player is affordable.
  
  
• Blu-Ray technology not yet ready
  By AKBUF2SXXJHAW on 2008-02-11
  I bought this Blu-Ray, Samsung BD-P1400 player for Christmas '07 (along with a 46-inch LCD HDTV 1080p) and was excited by the prospect of seeing movies in HD. However, the reality was worse than I expected: I had to ask Blockbuster to send me 3 times the same movie (once the disc was broken, second time it refused to load; third time it played, but it still had problems paying it). Why pay the premium when you can't enjoy the movie from the beginning through the end?
  
  In the past 6 weeks or so I owned this player I realized I jumped too early on the Blue-Ray bandwagon:
  1. the player does not support all DVD formats, for example I can't play it on DVD+ discs that I could play on my 5-year old Sony DVD player;
  2. the Blu-Ray discs are highly sensitive to even insignificant scratches or finger prints; out of the 10 Blu-Ray discs I rented so far from Blockbuster during these 6 weeks, 3 of them they refused to play altogether and none of the discs played smoothly until the end. I would wipe the discs with a leather cloth several times and the player still had problems playing them. On the other hand, all of the 10 or so regular DVD discs played without issues.
  3. There are a small number of Blu-Ray titles available, less than 500. Moreover, I can't get them for rent at my local Blockbuster store.
  4. The Blu-Ray discs I have watched did not have extras like different angles.
  
  Consequently, at this juncture, it is not worth the price premium. If I were again in a position to upgrade from regular DVD to High Definition, I would wait a little while and check the following:
  1. extent of formats supported (should have at least full backward integration, i.e. DVD-, DVD+, CDs with MP3, etc.);
  2. the number of Blu-Ray titles being available should be more than 2-3 thousand;
  3. the High Definition format market may settle in a year or so, with Blu-Ray format in a good position to emerge as the standard (like the VHS vs. Beta). Then, many more titles would be available in this format.
  4. the price of a good player should be $150 or less for mass market volumes;
  5. the manufactures address the issues (bugs) with the discs not loading or being too sensitive to play.
  
  
  
• Excellent blu-ray player
  By A2SEDN26NTGIVF on 2007-10-20
  Excellent blu-ray player. Installed new firm ware before the first use, played POTC: DMC and FF: ROTSS just fine. Fast load times (less than 1 minute), amazing picture and sound quality. Couldn't be happier with it.
  
  
• Great, but...
  By APMYPD97EHUUZ on 2007-11-22
  Added 101508: Firstly, thanks for the comment about Transformers. I got this and the Toshiba HD-DVD player at the same time and it seems I confused the software.
  and now: I am now on firmware version 1.9. The only remaining nagging problem with this player is that if you leave it on PAUSE for more than 5-minutes, you are dumped out to restart from the beginning... all of the waiting while the disc interacts (usually about 60->80 seconds), and ads and FBI warnings... Samsung has so far ignored owners' please for a fix.
  Other than that, this player sends great video and bitstreamed audio excellently.
  --------------old review below------------------------
  Despite having to go 3-tries at a working unit (as always, Amazon's CS has been fantastic replacing each faulty item), and despite some minor and some major glitches in operation (slow load times, and some video drop-outs, some audio drop-outs and even locking up on specific Buy-ray Discs) this is a marvelous piece of home theatre equipment! Firmware upgrades are quick and easy via ethernet (and hopefully Samsung will continue to upgrade since this technology is so new). The HD sound (Dolby DIgital Plus, Dolby Digital TrueHD, & DTS-MA) bitstreamed to my Onkyo 805 is amazing! As is the picture... Ratatouille, Surf's Up, 300, March of the Penguins, The Departed, Sopranos Season 6, and many others have fantastic video picture on my SXRD-60XBR1! Try it, you'll be impressed! But if the glitches bother you, return it...
  
  
• Great features but not perfect (yet)
  By A1RV3DNVLOE5X0 on 2007-12-07
  I have had this unit for a month now after having a Sony 300. Much is argued about this machine, but bottom line is that if you want to plug this into your receiver and hear the next generation audio, this is one of your only choices. Other machines may play them through an HDMI connection, which only a few receivers have. This machine will play them through your 5.1 analog connection, which most modern receivers have. The PS3 won't do this, either.
  
  This machine is "profile 1.0", meaning it does not have the latest and greatest features, like internal memory, picture-in-picture, and web connectivity. Some machines are boasting "profile 1.1", and ultimately all new machines will have to be "profile 2.0". Personally, I couldn't care less about picture-in-picture and the last thing I need is one more thing connected to the internet. I just want to watch movies with high quality picture and sound like you find at the theater. If that's what matters to you, this machine will fit the bill perfectly.
  
  The other thing that matters most to me is being able to "upscale" regular DVD's to high definition for my large TV. This after all, I have a large collection of DVD's and rent DVD's continually, so I want to play them, too. This machine does a great job of making regular DVD's look good on my big TV, so you can use this one machine to play everything. A lot of people say the PS3 is the best Blu-ray player on the market, yet it does NOT upscale regular DVD's.
  
  There is an ethernet port for updates via the internet, but to tell you the truth, it us much easier to upgrade by downloading the software from Samsung and burning it to a CD with your computer. The theory is that Samsung will be able to keep this machine updated as new Blu-ray disc playability issues arise. We'll see how well Samsung follows through on this.
  
  I have had a slight "stuttering" issue on some Blu-ray disks. There is rumor that it is related to the 24p cinema mode. It is hardly noticeable (I could turn off the 24p option if it really bothered me). I expect Samsung will correct this with a firmware upgrade soon.
  
  As of this date, no Blu-ray player has ALL the features, all the compatibility, and all the future features. There is no perfect player yet. Technology will continue to change - perfection is a moving target. But if you want to play Blu-ray and DVD's, with great picture and sound, and connect it to your home stereo system with 5.1 analog, this is your best choice. Simple as that.
  
  
• Not worth the money at this point.
  By A3PV95KM3MCTTE on 2007-12-09
  After buying & testing out this player, I came to a conclusion that the Blu-Ray format is still "Broken" and needs repair ASAP. Many of my Blu-Ray movies would not play and the load times on other that do play took way too long, some even froze. I have the most up-to-date firmware, so that is not the problem. My 2 friends also have the same player with similar problems.
  
  I do give a little credit to Samsung for trying but it really is not their falt in this matter.
  Right now the better choice is the HD DVD player which has a brighter future due to it's finished specs & complete future compatability.
  
  Unless the BDA assosiation can fix Blu-Ray, they are going to have many customer complaints.
  
  So, I'll be selling this player on eBay and keeping my HD-A35 HD DVD player which only costs me $50 more then this Samsung BD player.
  
  
• Discounted for a reason
  By AUCBWHYZBZJ6K on 2007-11-22
  I bought one of these from my neighborhood BB. Returned it. Nothing but quirky issues as mentioned in the other reviews listed here. I'm not surprised these will be discounted. I'm sure there are stockpiles of them sitting there needing to be sold. I'd pass and go with a Toshiba as I did and had no more issues.
  
  
• Unreliable
  By A4R2PBCVJL2GC on 2007-12-12
  Went through tough of these before finally deciding to return them for good. Won't play half the discs I put in it.
  My $200 Toshiba HD-A2 has been rock solid on the other hand. Never a lockup or read problem. I will stay with HD-DVD for now and try Blu-Ray again some day.
  
  
• complete junk and obsolete to boot
  By A37266OR7LAT4N on 2007-12-15
  at this price glitches and hiccups are unforgiveable. after discovering this player is obsolete (not 1.2 or 2.0 compliant) i went HD DVD. same quality, half the price. buying blu-ray makes no sense when you can get an hd-a30 for 230 with 10 movies.
  
  
• Very Disappointing
  By AN5JE64HJQVN9 on 2007-11-24
  I don't know how many of you just have 400 bucks laying around to spend on junk, but I expected for the price I paid I would get a little more bang for my buck. First of all, the player only comes with standard RCA connectors, if you want component, DVI, or whatever it is you prefer, that's an extra trip to radio shack. The dvds take a considerably long time to load, to the point where I don't know if it's loading or if it froze. If you're patient enough to wait for the long load times, then hopefully you're also patient enough for the lag on the remote response. If you hit pause, rewind, anything takes about 2-3 seconds to respond. I watched Spider Man 3 just this afternoon, I counted 11 times the audio skipped and got knocked about 4 seconds out of sync. This is 11 times i had to restart the chapter to get it to reset itself.
  This so called High Definition Next Generation Player behaves like a cheap $30 dvd player you can buy in line at the gas station. I'm very disappointed with this product.
  
  
• I tried it, but you need not bother
  By A13P7N350ZOTI6 on 2007-12-12
  I read some good things about this and decided to give it a try since it was a good price. Blu-ray, ok, why not, I'll try it again. Let me tell you one thing right up front -- this player is SLOW, especially when trying to play the new BD+ titles like Rise of the Silver Surfer. Good Lord, why even release this type of product? Once it started playing the picture was very nice (about as nice as my 1080i HD DVD player), but the utter lack of features, slowness and the fact that it is already obsolete by newer profile 1.1 players makes product another real lemon. And no, you can't make lemonade with this, so don't waste your money. If it goes under $50, pick one up, but until it does stay far, far away.
  
  
• Already obsolete - but a nice unit
  By A278MHAXFSACTN on 2007-12-13
  BE WARNED!! This unit is not BD 1.1 spec compliant. It cannot be upgraded because it does not have the required hardware. It is an already obsolete piece of equipment. If you must have BD, you are better off waiting (or spending the extra $$) to get a unit that is 1.1 compliant. Otherwise you will not be able to take advantage of all of the features on upcoming BD discs, much less the future BDi and BD2.0 specs in development. BUYER BEWARE!
  
  
• Nice player with stunning picture and sound still needs to have some kinks worked out (probably with further firmware updates)
  By AQP1VPK16SVWM on 2007-12-25
  The Samsung 1400 has become one of the popular selling Blu-ray devices because of price and the general quality of the picture for the device. Overall, this unit is a good, solid performer but it does have its drawbacks and some of the firmware fixes that Samsung has posted lately haven't completely eliminated some of the problems. I wanted a secondary player that was relatively inexpensive, easy to use and could play most of my discs whether they be audio or video. The Samsung 1400 lives up to that need delivering a stunning picture and audio. I'd give the unit 3 1/2 stars and will reserve the right to upgrade (or downgrade)the ranking based on the firmware updates that come through. The price is certainly right for this unit and if you are just diving into Blu-ray this is a solid little performer that has some issues you should be aware.
  
  AN UPDATE: If you are looking for a Blu-ray player that will be able to play ALL special features in the future this may or may not be the player for you. For example, 1.1 the next generation of players was supposed to be able to play picture-in-picture commentary (similar to what HD-DVD's currently do)while this model might not be able to play it. Please note that some pip enabled commentary tracks are designed to be read by the 1.0 players later discs, however, will have special features only accessible by the 1.1 players (For example, "Sunshine" has a pip comparison between the film and footage shot on set. You can watch the latter separately but not as a pip feature on a 1.0 player). This might not have the bells and whistles of the multi-format player (the Samsung 5000UP)but it handled these "difficult" Blu-rays just fine. Perhaps this was due to an improvement in the firmware that I downloaded but either way I was impressed that this little player could handle it.
  
  The picture is truly stunning in both 1080i and 1080p. The picture can be adjusted to a variety of settings depending on what you prefer. The remote is clear and easy to use and any adjustments you want to make to the player are also petty easy to do as well. Audio sounds terrific and there are jacks in the back for 5.1, 2.0, an HMDI cord is included as well. The True HD sound comes across with remarkable clarity as well. The 1400 played DVD-R's, DVD-RW's, CD's, DVD's and Blu-rays with equal ease and did a stellar job with all of these formats. It does take a bit for the 1400 to start the movie but once it does the operation was pretty smooth and quick.
  
  There is also a internet jack in the back for firmware upgrades something that some other models (including the Sony model currently nearest in price and comparable features)doesn't have which means you should be able to upgrade as needed should you have any problems.
  
  There are a few negatives that consumers should be aware of as well. I haven't had any problems with jitter (unlike some folks here)but even after the firmware update (as of 12/24/07)I still do have occasional problems with audio/video synching (where you have lip flap because the lips don't match the audio). Usually this is pretty easily corrected (I push stop and then push start again) but it shouldn't continue to be a problem AFTER the firmware upgrade. I'm hoping that Samsung will have this issue fixed fairly soon. It's only happened on two discs ("Ghostrider" and "Star Trek: The Original Series" when I wanted to watch the non-HD-DVD side of the disc on this player)so far but it is annoying. It's not an isolated problem related just to the 1400 as it has happened with other players (and HD-DVD players as well)but it wasn't a problem that I ever experienced with a DVD player. Keep in mind, however, that any Blu-ray or HD-DVD player has more in common with a computer hard drive than it does with a DVD player). It's a minor annoyance but, again, something that shouldn't be occurring on even an irregular basis.
  
  The booklet that Samsung has included reminds me of a poorly edited Reaader's Digest version of a novel--you get something of the story but miss the significance because so much is missing from the story. For example, when I had problems updating the firmware, there wasn't enough information to help me problem solve the issue. I figured it out on my own just fine but it could have been resolved much more quickly if there were more information on how to deal with firmware issues.
  
  The update for the firmware took about 30 minutes from the moment it began downloading the changes until it asked me if I wanted to update the firmware. I suspect that most of that had more to do with internet traffic than with the firmware update itself (or at least I hope so). When I did have questions for Samsung and elected to call them vs. accessing them via their website, I couldn't get through at all. It seems to me that it would behoove Samsung to have more information with easier access outside of going to their website and struggling through the large variety of options.
  
  Overall, this is a solid performer that has its quirks. I say quirks because most of the minor problems can be fixed up with competent updates to the website for download. I like the ease of use and the image/sound quality beat out the Sony that I used for comparison. Also, it had some nice bells and whistles missing from the Sony (for example the internet port in the back for updates). I'm pleased with the performance so far although I would like to see the firmware issue with synching audio/video (a big issue for me)be resolved asap.
  
  The purpose of my review isn't to get folks to agree with me or disagree but to try and pass along some challenges with this unit and some of the positives. If you disagree do the most challenging thing--write a review and let all of us know.
  
  
• Very happy with the 1400
  By A3L5GJU36Z1FK6 on 2008-01-25
  I have read and continue to see many complaints about different blu-ray and hd-dvd players not working like people hoped. I can say that with this model I have had absolutely zero issues. I am sure some people will write that it doesn't load this or doesn't do that, but it hasn't affected me. I have not found a single disc that has not played perfectly. What people have to remember is that in this day and age everything is like a computer, you may have to update, it is part of life now, get over it. Will the manufacturers eventually get this flawless, probably so but in the mean time I will be enjoying my movies now. If you are an early adopter like I am on technology then any issues you might run into will be no big deal. The player is easy to setup, easy to play and loads reasonably fast. Glad I bought it and already thinking about a second one for different room.
  
  

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