Samsung BD-P4600 Blu-RayPlayer Review - (Designedto Impress With a 'Touch ofColor')

The BD-P4600 Blu-ray Player
from Samsung looks like no
other player. This uniquely
looking Blu-ray Player was
designed to stand out in a
crowd. Which it does, but
not only for its looks. It has a
great set of features that
include Online Streaming
Services such as Netflix and
Pandora, it is Wi-Fi 'Ready',
has 1 GB of internal storage
memory and is DLNA
compliant.
There is no denying the first
thing that will catch most
people attention is the
design of the BD-P4600. It is
one of the slimmest (1.6
inches thick) Blu-ray Players
on the market and the very
first player that you could
mount on your wall. With
rounded corners and red
highlights and glossy black
finish, it is a refreshing take
on the usual boxy design of
most Blu-ray Players.
Rectangular in shape, once
powered on the touch
sensitive control buttons are
revealed by lighting up.
There is a LCD display in the
middle of the player. The
Player itself is perched on a
stand at about a 45 degree
angle. The disc loading tray
is located on the side of the
player. All inputs and
outputs can be found by
flipping the unit over and
removing a plastic cover.
Getting audio and video
cables into this
compartment can be a little
tricky if the cables are large.
The Wi-Fi connectivity USB
Port is more cleverly design.
Once the USB wireless
adapter is inserted, the
compartment can be easily
covered and concealed from
view. (The USB Wireless
Adapter is included in the
purchase)
Video Quality: Video can be
connected through the HDMI
Output or the the Composite
Outputs. HDMI connection
will give you the best
possible images. The image
quality on the BD-P4600 is
very good. It passes most
experts Blu-ray image tests
including the Silicon Optix’s
HQV test suite. Performing
very well in all areas
including Video Resolution,
jaggies and Film Resolution.
Producing clear, crisp
pictures. However, with it's
DVD performance, while
very good, (up-scaling DVDs
to near HD levels) it does
not measure up to other Blu-
ray Players.
Audio Quality: Audio
connection are the HDMI
Output, the 2.0ch Analog
Outputs or the Optical
Digital Output. The BD-
P4600 has internal audio
decoding for Dolby TrueHD
and DTS-HD Master Audio. So
most HDMI capable audio/
video receivers should have
no problem playing back
these formats. If you want
your audio/video receiver
to do the decoding,
bitstream output is support
as well. The BD-P4600 also
has decoding for people
with DVDs with legacy DTS
formats, like DTS 96/24, ES,
ES Matrix, and Neo:6.
The BD-P4600 is a Profile
2.0, so it has the standard
Ethernet Port for internet
connectivity. Or as
mentioned before you have
the option of using the
included USB wireless
Adapter to connect to the
internet. Once connected
you can access any BD-Live
content found on Blu-ray
discs. Downloading this
content is made easier with
the inclusion of 1 GB of
internal storage memory.
This eliminates any need for
using a USB flash drive.
The BD-P4600 comes with
access to Online Streaming
Media Services such as
Blockbuster On Demand,
Netflix, YouTube and
Pandora. Added to this, the
BD-P4600 is DLNA certified.
Meaning it can stream media
from a connected computer.
Files formats MP3, JPEG, and
DivX are supported.
Other noteworthy features
include very fast disc
loading times. The BD-
P4600 is one of the fastest
loading Blu-ray Players on
the market. Loading some
discs as fast as 11 seconds. It
also has low power
consumption. Using 1 watt
on standby and 16 watts
while watching movies.
THE PROS: The Samsung BD-
P4600 has a unique design
and is wall mountable.
Providing excellent picture
quality with Blu-ray Disc
playback. It is Wi-Fi 'Ready'
with a USB adapter included.
It has online streaming
services such as Netflix and
Pandora. Very Fast
operational speeds and disc
loading times. Has 1GB of
internal memory, making
BD-Live content easier to
access. And has internal
audio decoding for Dolby
TrueHD and DTS-HD Master
Audio. BD-P4600 is DLNA
compliant.
THE CONS: Its unique design
may not appeal to everyone.
Input/Output compartment
is small. Its high price tag
may turn consumers
towards the player's
competitors.
THE FINAL WORD: The
Samsung BD-P4600 is
packed full of features and
functions. Has excellent
image and audio quality. Its
high price tag is attributed
to it's unique design and
wall mounting feature, but
his may appeal to some
consumers who are willing
to pay the extra cost. -- Price
you should look for when
purchasing -- Under $
350.00