Samsung introduced the first Blu-ray disc (BD) player to the United States (the BD-P1000), and the company continues to refine its BD player offerings with regular firmware updates and a steady stream of new models. The Samsung BD-P1500 ($299.99 list) doesn't offer many multimedia extras, such as picture slideshow function or MP3 playback, but the stylish player delivers a quality BD movie viewing experience. You also get effective DVD upconversion, so those "classic" video discs will look good on a high-resolution HDTV. The player's Blu-ray feature support isn't (yet) complete, but Samsung strikes a good balance between usability, performance, and price.

When compared with many other BD players (including previous Samsung models), the BD-P1500's minimalist facade is a pleasing change. The glossy black face features a dimmable center display with the tray mechanism located on the left and a circular pad providing basic playback controls on the right. The remainder of the player's chassis is finished in matte black. It measures a fairly standard 3.3 by 16.9 by 10.8 inches (HWD) and weighs 8.6 pounds.

The baton-style remote control is classic Samsung and features smallish disc playback control buttons that glow in the dark. In testing, it remained responsive at distances up to 15 feet and at off-axis angles up to 40 degrees, but I couldn't help but long for one of the new large-buttoned, backlit remotes that Samsung has started to include with its newer HDTVs, such as the LN52A750.

The BD-P1500's selection of audio/video ports should satisfy all but hard-core analog audio connoisseurs. Video outputs include HDMI and component. Audio outputs, in addition to HDMI, include optical and stereo (RCA); the Samsung BD-P1400 provides 5.1 analog outputs as well. The player also provides full decoding, as well as bitstream output for Dolby's Digital+ and TrueHD audio formats, but it supports only bitstream output for DTS-HD tracks.

An Ethernet port is provided for simplified online firmware updates via an option in the BD-P1500's setup menu, and a USB port allows the player to be updated using a firmware file stored on a flash memory device. Samsung says that the USB port may be used to add additional storage capacity for future compliance with BD Profile 2.0 (aka BD-Live), which enables supporting Blu-ray movie titles such as Transformers and Iron Man to access additional multimedia content from online sources.

Long start-up and disc load times are often a source of frustration for BD player owners, and the BD-P1500 provides a tangible improvement over the company's previous generation of players. With a fixed selection of six BD movies from my disc library, the BD-P1500's average load time per disc was 44 seconds—about 17 seconds faster than the BD-P1400 and not much slower than the 41 seconds that it took the Panasonic DMP-BD30. Powering up the BD-P1500 and waiting for its disc tray to open took a remarkably quick 7 seconds; that's twice as fast as the Samsung BD-UP5000's once-record time of 14 seconds.

The increasingly complex menus featured in recent BD movie releases such as Resident Evil: Extinction can make older BD players seem sluggish and unresponsive, but the BD-P1500 provides a generally smooth navigation experience with these titles. Also, the Bonus View (picture-in-picture) feature with supporting BD movies functioned properly; a dedicated button on the remote enables this feature. The BD-P1500's on-screen disc information includes basic audio track info as well as direct track and title navigation, but details about the video stream, such as the encoding format used, are not provided.

Most theatrical movies were originally recorded at 24 frames per second (fps), and most Blu-ray movies are encoded into the 1080p24 video format (1,920 by 1,080 resolution at 24 fps). An increasing number of HDTVs support 1080p24 input over an HDMI connection, typically resulting in improved picture quality that more closely recreates the cinema viewing experience. The BD-P1500 supports 1080p24 output with Blu-ray movies; however, its DVD video upconversion lacked 1080p24 output in favor of the more commonly supported 1080p60 format. The Panasonic DMP-BD50 is the only BD player I've tested that offers 1080p24 upconversion with DVD videos.

The BD-P1500's ability to upconvert DVD video is above average, with some distinct image quality improvements over Samsung's previous player, the BD-P1400. The HQV Benchmark test DVD showed that the P1500 was faster at detecting video material originally recorded at 24 fps (most DVD movies); was more effective at minimizing jagged-edge artifacts; and was better able to enhance scene details. The selection of classic DVD movies I viewed on the P1500 looked quite good when upconverted, although the player did briefly hiccup in the middle of a scene from Gladiator, resulting in loss of detail until it recovered.

If you plan to record and author HD video for playback on the BD-P1500 (assuming the player is configured for 1080p output), be sure to finalize the projects in a progressive format. Not doing so would result in significant loss of detail, as the player lacks effective 1080i-to-1080p conversion. The LG BH200 and the Panasonic DMP-BD50 feature superb 1080i/p conversion, but they are more expensive players. Most Blu-ray movies are encoded into the 1080p24 video format, and the BD-P1500 proved capable of passing this quality video information along to a compatible display.

Power consumption measurements on the P1500 were similar to those of most modern BD disc players with an estimated monthly operating cost of only $0.52—based on 5 hours of daily use at $0.13 kWh (a Northern California average). This result includes a standby consumption rate of 0.5W.

The Samsung BD-P1500 Blu-ray disc player provides a pleasant Blu-ray viewing experience and offers improvement in disc-handling speed when compared with its predecessor. With the P1500's online price already dipping below the $300 mark, it represents a good value when compared with the similarly featured Sony BDP-S350. Sony's PlayStation 3, while a top-notch gaming console, is also the fastest and most easily updated Blu-ray player available. But if this isn't an option for you, the BD-P1500 is a capable and affordable alternative.

Benchmark Test Results:
Factory default display settings
HDMI video output @ 1080p24

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