Samsung BD-P3600 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player Review
Just received this player 2 days ago for 9.99 shipped. Overall i am quite happy with it.
My setup
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Optoma HD70 720P overhead projector (projecting 120 inch diagonal image)
Yamaha HTR-6050 5.1 reciever with HDMI video passthru.
Verizon Fios actiontec wireless G home network with WEP security.
First thing first - Connected the provided wi-fi dongle to the usb port at the back of the player and without much ado the player connected to my home network. The firmware update took almost 25 minutes to download on my wireless G network and another 5 minutes to apply it. My player does not lose the network settings after cycling power as reported by some users.
Blu ray performance - Breathtaking clarity in the video image. Had to tweak some audio settings for my receiver though. Since my receiver only supports HDMI video passthru but no HDMI audio, i had to change the audio output of the player from PCM to BitStream (re-encode). Please note that besides HDMI audio, it only supports optical audio out but no digital audio out.
SD DVD performance - Excellent upscaling. No jagging artifacts seen in the image.
Netflix/Pandora/Blockbuster/Youtube - All work great and as expected. I was happy to see Netflix deliver HD quality on my wireless G network, probably because line of sight proximity to my router.
PC streaming - This is where i ran into trouble.
Auto detection of networked PCs - Kinda flaky Detects only 2 out of my 3 networked PCs. However, the one it does not detect has zonealarm on it. So it could be a firewall issue.
Manual setup - Since it was not auto detecting my main desktop, I had to resort to manually configuring it. For manual config you need to provide the following bits of info -
1. IP address of the PC
2. Share name (since it can support only one shared folder at a time, i shared my entire H drive with the name H$. It then lets you browse the entire directory hierarchy)
3. Userid / password of the desktop account.
After the manual config was completed i could stream all my MP3s, JPGs and most of my videos from my H drive. As for the video formats you are safe with XVID / DIVx/ MP4 and MKV. I don't think it supports HD resolution streaming.
Finally, as a last bit of irritant, the player does not remember your PC share after you recycle power. Which means once you power off, it forgets the PC connection you had so pain-stakingly configured, either automatically or manually. (What a bummer). Good news is that once you select to manually configuire it again, it remembers the IP address, share name, userid and password you used the last time. So all you need to do is go through those 4 screens again just hitting the blue D button (for save) along the way.
In conclusion, it is a great little player which meets most of my needs. I just hope future firmware upgrades will take care of the little annoying bits here n there.
Samsung BD-P3600 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player Feature
- Experience vivid, crystal-clear visuals that are more natural, more realistic and simply stunning with Blu-ray's full 1080p HD resolution
- Stream Blockbuster, Netflix, YouTube & Pandora
- Multi-format playback lets you enjoy Blu-ray Discs, DVD, CD, MP3/WMA, JPEG, AVCHD and more
- DivX support allows you to enjoy downloaded DivX movies on the big screen
- Connect wirelessly for BD-Live content or streaming services using the included USB Wi-Fi dongle
Samsung BD-P3600 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player Overview
Samsung BD-P3600 plays
Blu-ray high-definition discs (selectable output resolution: 1080p signals available through HDMI output only; 720p/1080i signals available through HDMI or component video) with selectable 720p/1080i/1080p video upconversion for DVD (upconverted video available through HDMI output only). There is built-in audio decoding for Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD and DTS-HD Master Audio Essential--Netflix video and Pandora music streaming (subscriptions to these services required). Player has 2 USB ports (1 front, 1 rear) for storing downloaded BD-Live material.
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Customer Reviews
Second to none... when it works! - S. Surbrook - Memphis, TN
Please understand that this review represents my opinion and is my best recollection of the events described.
Here is the short version of the review:
1. This player is second to none that I have seen in both BD and DVD playback. (Though I hear really good things about the Oppo blu-ray player that is about twice the price.)
2. The load times are very fast. About 1/2 the time of my Samsung BD-P1400 player.
3. Netflix, Pandora, Youtube, and Blockbuster online are a great plus for this player!
4. Samsung's support site and phone lines are a pain to work with.
5. Samsung's warranty repair company is even worse.
6. The player has intermittent connectivity issues with Netflix (movies quit playing, etc.). However, it is unclear where the problem lies (the player, my router, Comcast, Netflix).
The key question is would I buy this player again knowing what I know now?
I'm not sure. The reason for this is I have also heard of problems with other brand's players, so would I potentially just be swapping problems. Also, I don't know of another player that has this one's connectivity (Netflix, Blockbuster, Pandora, and Youtube). And who knows what they might add next?
***** The long version of the review starts here *****
To put this review in perspective, I have a Samsung BD-P1400 that has played perfectly, but it is slow to load discs and I needed a blu-ray player for our smaller HDTV. I also have a Samsung 72" DLP HDTV. So you could say that I've been a BIG Samsung fan until now.
I have owned this player for about 7 months now. When it works, the picture is fantastic! However, I have had problems with it starting and playing blu-ray discs (only). The first time I started having this problem, blu-ray discs (BD) that played fine previously would start "stuttering" (Harry Potter (any), King Kong, etc.). I'd check the disc and see a fingerprint and think that was the problem, clean it, put it back in, and it would play fine. However, even clean(ed) discs would start stuttering. Then a few wouldn't load intermittently. Then no BD's would load at all.
So I started getting familiar with the nightmare that is Samsung support. BTW, the player finally quit playing BD's (the first time) about 3 days before the 90-day labor warranty expired, so I had to rush getting it into the system so they wouldn't charge me labor to fix it (keep your receipts and register ASAP as the receipt date is the key date AND they won't repair the unit under warranty without one). I finally got an RMA and sent the player in, in my original, pristine packaging to Samsung's warranty provider, CVE, Inc. out of Riverdale, NJ.
After almost 2 weeks I got the player back... in someone else's trashed packaging. The player had a cracked faceplate because it wasn't packaged correctly. UGH! Rather than wait another two weeks for them to fix that problem, I just dealt with it.
Anyway, after another week or so, the stuttering started again, then the intermittent not loading, then it finally wouldn't load any BD's, but DVD's would play perfectly.
So, I called Samsung to get another RMA and they tried to tell me I would have to pay a labor fee to have it repaired since I was, by now, well past my labor warranty end date. I told him that it was obvious that they didn't fix it correctly the first time and I shouldn't have to pay for a repair when the first, full warranty repair wasn't completed correctly. (Note: Don't "demand" stuff as you are much less likely to get a sympathetic response.) After arguing with the guy and finally asking to speak to a supervisor, he conceded that they would repair it for free.
Since the packaging I received the player back in was basically completely trashed (to the point of allowing damage to the faceplate of the player), I packaged it up in a different box and securely wrapped it in bubble wrap and foam shipping peanuts. There was at least 3 inches of packaging on every side of the player. After 10 days I received the unit back, in yet another different, trashed box. The top was crushed in and I was very scared about the condition of the player inside. Since UPS did their normal "drop and run" delivery, I took pictures before, during, and after opening the package in case I would have to file a damage claim.
I was shocked to see that they had wrapped about 1/2 the player in one layer of bubble wrap, stuck a couple pieces of 1" foam in with it, and shipped it LOOSE in the box. The reason why the top had been crushed in was that there was no support from the internal packaging. Unbelievably, there was no visible damage to the unit.
Did I mention that CVE doesn't update Samsung's warranty ticket information, so the only way you will be able to find out what is going on once they send you an email telling you they received it, is to call them directly? The only other contact you will receive from them is an email telling you the repair is complete and it will be coming to you soon.
Fortunately, the repaired player, this time, has been working perfectly for over a month now. The picture is perfect, and the player loads both DVD's and BD's very quickly.
It is fantastic being able to download Netflix movies. Pandora works well. However, navigating Youtube still needs some refinement and much better ease of use, but it is workable.
Like a couple other people I have been having intermittent problems with Netflix connectivity. However, it is unclear to me whether the problem is with Netflix, Samsung, or Comcast (my high speed internet provider), or even my Linksys router. I have heard accusations on other sites that Comcast has been throttling certain types of internet connections. I, personally, do not have any proof of this.
I have the BD-P3600 connected, via Wi-Fi, to a Linksys Gigabit Wireless-N router. It is connected with a WPA-PSK secured connection. The one thing that might point to a need for a further firmware update is that I have to power off the player before I can get Netflix to play again once the connection errors out. This indicates to me that there is an issue with the player's ability to resume (even momentarily) interrupted internet connections. Also, I frequently have to power off the player to connect to Netflix if I watch a DVD/BD first. This might also indicate a problem with Samsung's handling of IP address renewals. Then again, these are all speculations about the cause of the Netflix connectivity problem. It is an ongoing issue. I have not contacted Samsung about it.
Oh, I have the lastest, 2.05 firmware installed.
So there is my review of this unit. When it works, I love it. When it doesn't, I DREAD dealing with Samsung support. BTW, the price here is about 2/3 of what I paid for it 7 months ago.
Would I buy another knowing what I know now? At the current price, I would say possibly. I would do much more research to check out other players in this class. However, I might be tempted to try the BD-P4600 or Oppo if I could scrape together the money.
I have given this player only two stars because I had to send it back twice to get the BD loading and playback problem resolved.
Buyer Beware: No Service After the Sale - Rats make great pets "Steve" - Gainesville, FL
Amazon has been great. The problem is with Samsung, the company and this unit.
The unit streams NetFlix wireless for about 10 minutes. The screen then freezes and a message appears to check the router as there is no connection. My router is an Apple Airport running the latest software. Speed tests confirm download speeds of 19.3 Mb/s which is fast. The router works fine on the MacBook Pro, 64 Gb iTouch and Playstation 3. I spoke at length with Apple in Canada on the router which is fine. Apple is a superb company.
Calls to Samsung elicit someone for whom English is not a native language. From the long hold times with an open connection, it sounds like a "boiler room" operation as many people can be heard speaking in heavily accented English in what sounds like a small room. They are not in the US.
Technical support is useless. I am told that no one is available even during business hours. One of the reasons that I purchased this unit was for the streaming capability, which is now useless. There is an old saying that you really find out what a person, or in this case company, is like when you need help. I had thought of buying one of their large screen LCD TVs. No more thought along these lines.
I have learned a fairly inexpensive lesson. I will buy nothing from Samsung because they do not stand behind their product, there are no US customer service technicians and no one speaks very good English. I will stick with Sony and Panasonic. With Sony and Panasonic at least you can get someone in the US. On a personal note the above experience brings home the reality of outsourcing everything to other countries in order to save a buck. While I can't do much, I can vote with my dollars for companies that at least maintain some US technicians.
Great Player If It Worked Correctly - M. Hoak - Vienna, VA
I bought this player before reading about the problems that many folks are having. Unfortunately, I got to experience them first hand. My player would freeze up every 20-30 minutes while watching any Blu-Ray movie. The picture would freeze and stay that way for about 10 seconds. At other times, menus would lock up and become inoperable. I talked to Samsung customer support, but their solution was "send it to us for repair." I'm taking it back and picking up the LG 390. Samsung is clearly having quality and/or firmware issues with this model. It's shame, because it's a great player when it's actually working correctly.
*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Dec 02, 2009 05:47:26
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