In the
days leading up to the Blu-ray Disc Player launch, some have managed to get their hands on one for review. TheManRoom has published their first hands-on impressions, but so far they have not managed to get a Blu-ray disc to try in it. For a start, the packaging itself is noticeably smaller than that of the Toshiba's HD DVD player and is shipped with a remote control (inc. batteries), a component video cable and a HDMI cable. The player itself is also much sleeker than the HD DVD player and is not much larger than the average DVD player. The same can be said about the remote.
Unlike
the lengthy boot-up time of the Toshiba HD-A1, this player takes 10 to 15 seconds to power up and just over 30 seconds to to get into the setup menus. It also gives the option of 1080p for those who have a HDTV set capable of handling this. When compared with the HD-A1 for DVD playback, the picture quality on both is about the same on average.
However, one drawback the reviewer did discover is that there is no mention that the player is capable of handling 50GB dual layer Blu-ray discs and only lists single layer Blu-ray discs as a playable Blu-ray disc format in the manual. It also mentions a disclaimer that not all discs will work due to the evolving Blu-ray format. However, it is unclear if dual-layer format can be added via a firmware update later on.
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Early word on the initial wave of Blu-ray titles is the MPEG-2 codec chosen to fit the content on 25GB single layer discs has compromised video quality. This is the codec Sony prefers at the moment, though they are capable of either switching to VC-1 or putting out 50GB discs '“ the latter of which is more likely to happen towards the end of this year. On the flipside, the PCM audio tracks sound stellar. If you recall, early word on HD-DVDs were the exact opposite: Warner Brother's first wave was lauded for stunning 1080i video but lambasted for shoddy compressed audio. In an unfortunate twist, the BD-P1000 apparently '“ though not verbally confirmed by Samsung - is not capable of playing 50GB dual layer discs. Page 8 of the instruction manual contains a chart that states only single layer discs will play. Further down on the same page is a compatibility disclaimer noting the format is evolving and all disc types will not work. While no specific mention is made of a future firmware update to support 50GB dual layer discs, mention is made of updating the BD-ROM version via firmware. Samsung would have to be foolish not to offer a firmware update to support 50GB, if it's even possible through a simple firmware update. That's a question best suited for the technophiles. The full article including photos and screenshots can be read here. |
The uncertainty about the player being upgradeable to
support dual-layer Blu-ray media may be turn out as quite a serious drawback if
someone confirms that the player will physically only be able to read single
layer Blu-ray discs, particularly with the Blu-ray camp constantly promoting the
50GB capacity being the major advantage over the HD DVD camp's 30GB
capacity. The Toshiba HD-A1 manual does mention that dual-layer HD DVD
media is supported in their player. Even if dual-layer Blu-ray Disc
players were to come out later on, that would still be a problem as the early
adopters would be forced to upgrade to a dual-layer player should movies start coming out on
dual-layer media later on.
Feel free to discuss about Blu-ray and the competing HD DVD format on our forum.
Source: TheManRoom - News
