Samsung BD-UP5000 1080p HD-DVD Blu-Ray Disc Combo Player
See it at Amazon.com for $999.99Average Customer Rating
(4.0 out of 5)
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(1 out of 5)Warning! Dolby TrueHD Only 2 Channel on bd-up5000
Warning! This thing is not Dolby TrueHD multi-channel capable.
They are using the fine print specifications of Dolby TrueHD to deliver a product that is, in my opinion, of inferior quality when it comes to home theater.
The samsung bd-up5000 only plays 2 channels in Dolby TrueHD.
The user manual states in the fine print "When playing a dolby TrueHD disc, audio will only be heard over the front left and right speakers".
I also called Samsung support about this.
After being kept on hold and disconnected several times... they confirmed that this unit will only play 2 channel TrueHD.
The level 2 technician at samsung kept telling me that Dolby TrueHD only requires a minimum of 2 channels for the specs and kept telling me to read about it on the Dolby website.
The samsung technician also told me that they have no plans on issuing a "fix" to make the samsung bd-up5000 thing multi channel for TrueHD.
I just upgraded my amplifier so I could accept a multi-channel Dolby TrueHD signal and I ordered the samsung bd-up5000 because it is advertised as having dolby TrueHD.
The samsung hd duo bd-up5000 isn't multi-channel Dolby TrueHD compatible... at least not if you ask anyone who expects to hear their home theater in "surround sound".
Not much surround sound to hear from a unit that only outputs 2 channels of Dolby TrueHD.
I am truly disappointed with Samsung.
(4 out of 5)BD-UP5000 good and bad
I picked up a BD-UP5000 when limited quantities appeared in mid December 2007 and have been quite happy with the unit. It's my first venture into HD disc playback and having a single box to play all DVD formats was essential. This player delivers excellent picture and sound quality (including exceptional SD DVD upscaling). Less than 10% of HD DVD and Blu-Ray titles have only a TrueHD track which will output as 2-channel stereo. Most discs have other tracks that can be selected: Dolby Digital, multichannel PCM, DTS, etc. So lack of multichannel TrueHD isn't as big an issue as it may seem. Still even one title that limits you to 2.0 is frustrating. Lockups and strange behavior when loading and playing some discs is frustrating, but from what I've read most players go through growing pains and the content providers are at least part of the problem because they can influence the way the player behaves with custom menus and features.
The 5000 has a Silicon Optix Reon running HQV SD upconversion. SD DVD quality is amazing. You need HDMI/HDCP video as the analog components are limited to 480p based on licensing constraints. The HDMI output supports 1080p60 and 1080p24 as well as other more common rates. 1080p24 is noteworthy since it sends a film to the display at it's native frame rate of 24 frames per second without introducing a 3:2 pull-down sequence. However, the display must be capable of receiving 1080p24 AND have a refresh rate of 72 or 120 Hz to completely eliminate motion "judder".
The 5000 will decode Dolby Digital and DTS encoded sound tracks to multichannel PCM and ship them out via HDMI. Or the player can be placed in "audiophile" mode which sends the undecoded bitstream to the receiver for decoding there, again via HDMI. Some audio tracks can be sent to the receiver via S/PDIF optical or coax connections, but not the higher bandwidth tracks such as multichannel PCM. You must have HDMI for those or use the 7.1 analog outs. The "reencode" mode converts all audio formats to DTS, allowing you to get multichannel audio to your receiver via S/PDIF optical/coax if HDMI isn't an option.
The 5000 has had a rocky start and is still somewhat unstable and lacks key features. While it was announced the first part of 2007, it didn't ship until mid December 2007. Many of the disc compatibility problems have been fixed by a firmware update released in mid January 2007, but there are still some discs that have problems. The 5000 suffers from random lockups requiring a power cycle and lacks support for the advanced audio formats: Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD HR/MA. In addition, standard definition discs are always stretched to 16:9 even for 4:3 content. Most TVs and displays can't unstretch the image without reducing the size as well.
A Samsung engineer working on this product indicated they are aware of the problems and missing multichannel audio support. He said they are planning a major firmware update in the May 2008 time frame. Speculation at AVS Forum (the 5000's user thread is 3000+ plus posts!!!) is that Samsung relies on Broadcom to supply DSP firmware, so it may really Broadcom we're waiting for. This makes sense since the BH200 has the same audio format limitations and uses the same chip. Firmware updates can be done via an ethernet connection to the 5000, or you can download an ISO CD image from Samsung's web site and burn an undated disc from any PC or Mac. (Mac update procedures are not documented but work fine: use Disk Utility or Toast Disc Copy to burn the image file; do not use Finder's burn mechanism.)
Samsung announced the BD-UP5500 at CES January 2008 with availability in the May 2008 time frame. The 5500 is not a true replacement for the 5000 since it does not have the Reon upconverter, nor does it have multichannel analog outputs. Price should be lower than the 5000. This might be an option for some, but the lack of the Reon/HQV is a big deal for me since there are many more SD DVDs than Blu-Ray and HD DVD combined. Those that have a separate audio processor may also need the multichannel analog audio outputs. The 5000's true replacement will be the BD-UP6500 due out late in 2008.
Blu-Ray Java and HDi allow content providers to "enhance" the viewing experience with additional material on the disc and/or downloaded from the internet. Personally, I just want to watch the movie as the producer/director intended. The 5000 is currently Blu-Ray BDJ 1.0 with a promise for 1.1. The 5500 will have to be BDJ 1.1 based on Blu-Ray specs/timetable. The 5000 (and 5500) will never be BDJ 2.0. The 6500 should be BDJ 2.0. The 5000 is supposed to support HDi but haven't tried it.
If you want a single box solution that can play most of the HD DVD, Blu-Ray and SD DVD discs, and can live with the limitations at least until firmware updates are available, the BD-UP5000 is worth serious consideration.
Your only other choice is the LG BH200, but it doesn't have the Reon HQV upconversion or multichannel analog audio outputs. Other than that, the 5000 and BH200 have essentially identical features with similar prices: $750 for the BH200 on Amazon, currently.
However, if you need onboard decoding or bitstreams of Dolby TrueHD or DTS HD MA, Blu-Ray and HD DVD playback and can't wait for firmware updates, you'll need to look for separate Blu-Ray and HD DVD players.
(3 out of 5)Good Effort-Still a Work in Progress
Credit is due Samsung (and LG, for that matter) in trying to resolve the HDM format war with universal players. The 5000K, lacks full HD audio codecs implementation. Playback on a limited number of High Definition media was impressive, although compatability problems have been noted for discs of both types by other owners. If you currently have of library of both types, this model is worthy of consideration, although with Warner's recent declaration of going Blu-Ray only, HD DVDs will likely become increasingly rare. SD playback is troubling with respect to multiple audio drop-outs.
Details as follows:
Mine is a Dec 07 build. I'm using HDMI through-out. Based on a day and half's use, Set-up was straight forward (to an Integra DTC 9.8)and Sony SXRD XBR2 LCoS set. Performance is as follows:
-HD DVD (1 tested) Fast loading, full menu navigation, excellent sound and picture. No stoppages
-Blu-Ray (1 tested) Fast loading, full menu navigation, excellent sound and picture. No stoppages
The tested discs do not include those noted as having play-problems (e.g. 3:10 to Yuma, Star Trek OS, etc.)
Mitigation:
Samsung has issued one firmware release with another reportedly in the works in the immediate term to deal with various playback issues. A longer term upgrade to handle the advanced Audio Codecs activation may be issued in May 08. Samsung's responsiveness to the problems has been rather halting with various parties getting different answers from customer support. (See AVS Forum for details). The Samsung website currently has only limited information.
-SD DVDs (5 discs tested--personally owned and Netflix rentals): Excellent picture quality, but multiple short audio drop-outs on all tested media, which do not appear to be at the chapter stops as some have thought and are not always repeatable.
Although I have a dedicated player (Oppo 980) for SD playback, this is a noteworthy defect, especially if you are intending the 5000k as a one stop solution for DVD playback irrespective of media.
-CD playback (3 discs tested): Mid range distortion on one one of three. Not a deal breaker, but again somewhat disturbing that there is a defect in this application as well.
Overall, this is a workman-like product, which, if Samsung follows through with firmware updates can be improved considerably. With the format war appearing to tilt in favor of Blu-Ray, the 5000k may become a niche product, chiefly for those with extant libraries of both media types and carries a premium price.
(2 out of 5)Firmware Upgrades lagging...
I purchased this player with the hope it would be able to play blu-ray and HD-DVD discs as well as a single format player. From an image and sound quality perspective, it lives up to that expectation. The player has an HDMI 1.3 audio/video connection for super easy set-up. One cable and I was done. However, this player does not yet (as of this writing) play the expensive HD-DVD box set for Star Trek Season 1. The unit locks up and must be turned off. It will play other discs, but not those with this particular interactive content. Samsung does warn that firmware upgrades are necessary to fix these kinds of issues. I contacted their customer service (In India) to find out when to expect the update. They claimed they knew about the issue and would have a fix in 7 days. When this didn't happen, I followed up and the new service person said "IF" they create a firmware upgrade, they would find out when I did. In the short term, I am watching the DVD side of this box set on my Oppo DV-981HD player (without the HD interactive extras). This player upconverts the standard DVD to 1080i or 1080p and looks so close to HD that I'm wondering why I spent so much money on the Samsung. If you are looking for a High Def quality and don't want to spend the money, I recommend the Oppo. The jury is out on Samsung at this point. I've got an expensive box set that I can't play on my very expensive player.
(1 out of 5)Not Ready for Market
I had ordered this from Amazon and it was due to ship 2/5. Family was coming for an unplanned visit and so I bought it at a discount outlet so it would be available for their visit. I ordered "310 to Yuma" from Amazon and it would not load. Two more discs I bought from from Amazon would not load. I called Samsung. The "firmware" or "software" needs an update but it is not available. I was told to call back in a week but no one was sure when it would be available. The lady told me she understood how I felt. I told her I doubted that. I returned the Samsung and got an LG. Everything loads now!