Samsung BD-P3600 Review

[teachsac]

This is my first Samsung product since the 1000 (which lasted 2 days in my setup). I wanted a wireless connection and was interested in Netflix streaming (yeah I joined. Not buying much anymore unless it's a must have). This particular model comes with a USB dongle already packaged, whereas the 1600 does not. The Samsung only uses their particular adapter and nothing else. The adapter is $89 and on backorder. It also has 1GB of built in memory. It also has 7.1 analog outs (I don't think the 1600 does, but I'm not sure). MSRP: $399

Aesthetics:

I prefer either the look of of the sleek Panasonics or the hefty build look of te Denon or Pioneer compared to this model. It looks like an upside down trapezoid. There is a built in fan and it hasn't gotten warm yet running for two hours.

Initial Setup

Unplugged the Panasonic and put in the 3600. Went into the setup menu and set the time, audio, etc. Here is where the problem started. I could not get 24fps mode set to on no matter what I did running through the processor. It would turn on running directly to the projector. I know for a fact that the processor accepts and passes 1080p/24 because my Panasonic ran in that mode and Panasonic will not force 24FPS period. So I do not think it is the processor.

Unplugged it and moved it into the bedroom replacing the BD35. Running through a 4806CI to a Hitachi Director's Series 47X902. Guess what. I was able to select 1080p/24. Guess I'll leave it there. Put it back into PCM mode since the 4806 doesn't decode.

Next hooked up the wireless adapter and entered the security key. No problem connecting. Up and running. Next I activated the NetFlix. Done.

Video (BD):

Put in Australia BD. Loaded up very quickly. Even a little faster than the Panasonic. I originally set the video to movie. PQ and AQ was vey good. I wanted to change the video setting back to normal. THis is where the Panasonic has a true advantage. In the 3600, you have to go back into the main menu to change the settings. Picture seemed better, more vivid in this mode, but I would have like to have been able to do it on the fly while the movie was playing to get a truer comparison.

One nice thing about the 3600 is the subtitle button. Normally I set it before I watch a movie, but if my daughter comes in after starting, it's nice to be able to just hit one button instead of 3 or 4 to get to the subtitles Yeah lazy.

Advantage: Panasonic (just for the user interface and being able to change settings while the movie is playing.

Video (SD):

Gone in this model is the Reon chipset. With the Samsung, SD DVD is only able to be played at 1080p/60. No 24fps mode for this model.

I put in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory because there is a lot of straight line movement and a lot of bright colors. There was no evidence of jaggies during the conveyor belt scene in te intro. Colors were bright and vivid. It does a fairly decent job at upconverting. About on par with the 35/55.

Advantage: Panasonic. Just because of te 24fps mode with SD DVD

Netflix:

Well, there isn't a whole lot of HD ready to be streamed on Netflix at the moment. So I queued up "The Office: Season 1" As with most video streaming, PQ was only fair compared to satellite, cable, or BD. There was definitely artifacting visible. I will also need to call up my phone provider to see if a speed update is available in my area. I'm at 3046 kbps right now. We'll see how this pans out in te future.

Overall:

Overall this seems to be a good player. If you want Netflix and wireless streaming, this might be the player for you. If you don't need a wireless connection or Netflix, then I would consider the BD60 or 80 depending on if you need the analogs.

Pros:

Quick boot up
Internal Decoding or bitstreaming audio
Vivid colors with BD
Wireless connection
Netflix and Pandora streaming
Subtitle Button on remote

Cons:
Did not connect 1080p/24 to my projector running through the processor (Panasonic does)
No 1080p/24 upconversion for SD DVD (only 1080p/60)
Clumsy user interface, lack of settings while playing a movie

Enjoy,

S~

 

[gadgtfreek]

Thanks for the input. Glad to see Sammy may be getting their crap together.

 

[SatinKzo]

Be interesting to follow this teachsac see how it performs for you down the road (if you keep it).
I saw one the other day at best buy, thought the design was ugly and that alone would keep it out of my house, but that is just a personal opinion. The loss of the Reon is kind of odd outside of a cost cutting measure.

Keep us informed with some updates. Throw some new releases at it and let us know if it handles them etc.

 

[teachsac]

Well it's been a week and so far no problems. It has once again moved and is now in the family room (not theater room). Connected up with the Mits 65831 with no problems. Reason it moved is for Netflix streaming mostly for the kids. I have yet to have any problems with the player itself and streaming has gone fairly well. The only problem was when my ISP got bogged down the other night. The connection kept dropping and reconnecting. The quality is pretty good and HD is nice. Hopefully more to come in the future. Most of the SD content is not bad and looked much better than the DVD of True Grit I watched the other night. Since then no probs. Working on adding filesharing with my compters for streaming music and videos.

S~

 

[teachsac]

Hey... Who stickied my post

S~

 

[69Mustang]

So, how's the networking? Streamed any music or movies?

 

[teachsac]

So, how's the networking? Streamed any music or movies?

I haven't had any problems. I set up my Pandora account and I set my shared folders on my computer where my video and music are. Not happy that Netflix is now raising their Blu-Ray fee again. That's another thread, though.

S~

 

[dfergie]

Hey... Who stickied my post

S~

Ilya... he beat me to it

 

[69Mustang]

I haven't had any problems. I set up my Pandora account and I set my shared folders on my computer where my video and music are. Not happy that Netflix is now raising their Blu-Ray fee again. That's another thread, though.

S~

I'm interested in streaming from a PC. Have you streamed any content from your PC to your 3600? And what OS/Windows media version? Sounds great so far. Thanks

 

[teachsac]

All of my files are on my XP system. My laptop is used for work and has Vista. Haven't tried it with that one yet.

S~

 

[teachsac]

What happened to my post?

Samsung released its firmware today adding Youtube and the preparation of BB next month or so. I'm interested in seeing exactly how it will work, especially for us members.

S~

 

[mccoyrj]

I've had my 3600 since Christmas morning. Not sure what to think of it. At times it works well - loads fine, doesn't freeze, rewinds/forwards/pauses with no problems. Other times it takes forever to load, freezes during playback, freezes when forwarding or reversing during playback, and pauses with no return. Netflix seems to work fine during slow traffic periods, but during primetime will reload to lesser resolutions, or not reload at all - this is mainly due to my wifi setup, which is getting overloaded in my house.

Today I loaded "Taking Woodstock" with no problems. When I tried to load "Pineapple Express" it got stuck in a constant download cycle, made a lot of noise, and I finally had to stop and remove the DVD. I checked it out and it seemed perfeclty fine (not warped and no markings to hender playback). Are certain Blueray DVDs hard to load no matter what brand player is used?

I have until the 31st to return this thing for a full refund. So far, I'm not sure if I want to keep it or not. Has anyone had similar experience with this thing, or know of something that may be causing my problems other than the player itself?