Blu-ray Samsung BD-P1500

What Hi-Fi Sound and Vision

£ 250 * * * *

Decent, affordable Blu-ray player that won’t disappoint

For
Good Blu-ray performance; solid DVD upscaling

Against
Images aren’t quite as clear or crisp as the class-leader; no decoding of DTS-HD Master Audio

In an ideal world, all Blu-ray players would come with all the bells and whistles that a user could ever need. But at the more affordable end of the market, where cost is an issue, something has to give.

Samsung’s £250 BD-P1500, then, lacks a few features found on more expensive players. It can decode Dolby TrueHD, but not DTS-HD Master Audio; it has stereo phono outputs but no multichannel analogue connections; and is Profile 1.1 (not 2.0) out of the box.

So, if the Samsung has caught your eye, just make sure your home-cinema receiver has an HDMI input that can accept decoded HD audio or that it can do the decoding itself.

And to upgrade to Profile 2.0, you’ll need to carry out a firmware update as soon as Samsung release it (September/October, we’re told), either via disc, or through the Ethernet connection on the back of the player.

Easy to set up, and a fine picture
The BD-P1500 is easy to set up, and you’re aided by a simple, fuss-free menu system. Blu-ray loading times are also reasonably quick.

Outputting a 1080p/24fps video signal, the Samsung delivers a very impressive picture. Images are detailed and stable. During the action-fest that is Rambo, there’s very little sign of judder and the player picks out decent detail from the jungle backdrop.

It’s a decent DVD upscaler, too, but the class-leading player at this price (Sony’s £230 BDP-S350) brings greater clarity and definition. With the Samsung, sound quality is clear and open, whether you’re listening to surround sound or a simple CD. The only drawback is that bass notes sound lean and malnourished.

There are more expensive players on the market boasting more useful features, but if you want a no-frills Blu-ray deck, then this Samsung should definitely be auditioned
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HD DVD
No

Blu-ray
Yes

DVD-Video
No

DVD-A
No

SACD
No

CD
Yes

MP3
No

DivX
No

DVD-R/-RW
Yes

DVD+R/+RW
No

DVD-RAM
No

HDMI out
1

HDMI 1.3a
Yes

DVI out
0

Component out
1

RGB Scart out
0

S-Video out
0

Composite out
1

Optical digital out
1

Coaxial digital out
0

Phono audio out
1

FireWire out
0

Multichannel analogue out
No

Video scaling
1080p

24fps
Yes

Dolby Digital Plus decoding
Yes

DTS HD decoding
Yes

Dolby TrueHD decoding
Yes

DTS HD Master Audio decoding
No

Dolby decoding
Yes

DTS Decoding
Yes

PCM decoding
Yes

Dolby Digital Plus HDMI output
Yes

DTS HD HDMI output
Yes

Dolby TrueHD HDMI output
Yes

DTS HD Master Audio HDMI output
Yes

PCM HDMI output
Yes

Dimensions (hwd, cm)
6x43x27