Customer Reviews

Samsung BD-C6900 1080p 3D Blu-ray Disc Player

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(21)
1 star:		(26)

 

 

Samsung's BD-C6900 is one of the first Blu-ray 3D players on the market (the other being Panasonic's DMP-BDT300 and upcoming DMP-BDT350). As a first generation Blu-ray 3D player, you have to expect a few glitches (and you'll get them), but if you're itching to watch 3D TV at home in full HD 1080p, this player will get the job done, with a few nice perks and one potentially major caveat.

There is a lot to like about the BD-C6900 including super-fast boot-up and load times : 8 seconds to boot, 11 seconds to load a DVD and an almost unbelievable 18 seconds to load a BD-Java Blu-ray title ("Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl"). This is about twice as fast to load a BD-Java disc compared to the otherwise super-speedy OPPO BDP-83 player, and is less than 1/3 the load time of the Pioneer BDP-320 on the same title. It also offers a wealth of IPTV options and web widgets, including Netflix and VUDU streaming, YouTube and Pandora (among others). And with DLNA networking, you can connect it to your networked computers to access (and stream), audio, video and photo content like nobody's business.

As a 3D player, it seems to perform exactly as designed - we say "seems" because the only real 3D content we have on Blu-ray 3D Disc to test with is the Monsters vs. Aliens promo disc that Samsung includes in the 3D Starter Kit. When connected to a Samsung UN55C8000 3D LED/LCD TV, the MvA disc looked fantastic using the Samsung active shutter 3D glasses. Yes we did see some "crosstalk" (interference between left and right channels), but this was caused by the TV, not the player.

But as a 3D player, there is one little known caveat - yes the player is compatible with 2D TVs (in 2D mode) and with current HDMI 1.3 receivers, however, if you want to take full advantage of the audio and video capabilities of this player used with a 3D TV, then you will need to have one of the brand new HDMI 1.4-equipped audio video receivers. Current HDMI 1.3 receivers *cannot* pass through the HDMI 1.4 3D video signal to a compatible 3D TV. This means that if you want to take advantage of lossless audio codecs (Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio), your only option is to upgrade to an HDMI 1.4-equipped receiver or use the player's multi-channel analog outputs and let the player do the decoding. And this is neither the easiest to set-up nor the highest quality option as it relies on the bass management and speaker configuration capabilities of the player, which are weaker than the bass management capabilities of most receivers.

Panasonic's Blu-ray 3D players get around this limitation by providing two HDMI outputs: an HDMI 1.4 3D-enabled output (to connect directly to the display or to an HDMI 1.4 receiver) and a legacy HDMI 1.3 output for connecting to an HDMI 1.3 receiver. Is this a show-stopper? It might be if you don't want to upgrade your receiver (again). But if you only use the speakers built into your TV (blech!), or you're happy with the legacy lossy surround formats (Dolby Digital and regular DTS) which you can get from the optical output, OR if you have an HDMI 1.4-compliant A/V receiver then this will not be a problem for you.

As a standard 2D Blu-ray player, we found that the BD-C6900 was a mixed bag - some upconversion tasks like odd cadence detection and correction as well as standard 2:3 film cadence detection, were performed well, as was the player's treatment of diagonal lines: no jaggies visible here, even on the spinning white line torture tests on the HQV benchmark discs. But we were surprised to see some noticeable digital artifacts on standard Blu-ray Discs such as "Blade Runner" - the intro title sequence looked less than ideal with ghosting in the title sequence and beyond that, some noise and blockiness in the black backgrounds that we have not seen on other players.

Overall, the BD-C6900 is a pretty solid Blu-ray and DVD player, but for the 2D Blu-ray playback artifacts and HDMI 1.3-receiver incompatibility. If these factors are not important to you, then you are likely to be happy with it. If not, then wait for Samsung's higher end Blu-ray 3D player, coming later this year (not yet announced) or take a look at the Panasonic or Sony Blu-ray 3D players when they become more widely available.

Our comprehensive BD-C6900 review is available on Big Picture Big Sound (dot com).

First off i would like to set the world strait on compatibility. This blu ray player is not compatable with most HD TV's. Even if your TV says 3d HD ready it might not be. the reason i explain below in "how it works". if you do not have a samsung hd tv this will not work for you as of now. Misubishi is making an addapter its not out yet but on mistubishi DLP tv's that say 3d ready this will work for them eventually with the addapter. to find out if your tv is compatable you need to contact Samsung. go to their website and call them. i have been doing this for a month and finally they have people that know about the product now. you need to varify your hd tv will work.

how it works: and why your tv will or will not work. new 3d uses whats called active shutter technology. the appearance of 3d is made possible by showing your eyes two different pictures at the same time but separated. red and blue lens glasses work because on the screen it will show two different picture one to work with the red and one for the blue the screen would block out the other color giving your eyes viewing different pictures at the same time causing a 3d effect. polarized glasses work by skewing the image in one eye to create a similar effect.

active shutter takes it too the next step. the active shutter glasses connect to your 3d source wirelessly and work with the bluray player to make you see 3d. they do this but blocking and unblocking your view in your eyes so fast that you can not see it. the bluray player will also send the images preskewed to your tv so when your right eye is blocked it will show you one image and when the left eye is blocked it will show the next image skewed from the first one. it does this so fast that with the glasses on you can not tell. now you ask well if its the glasses working with the bluray player why will this not work on any tv. the reason is your refresh rate. the BD-C6900 requires a 120hz refresh rate. not all tv;'s have that, infact most dont. playing the 3d on a regular tv the frams the bluray is giving out will not be able to all be show properlly and the 3d effect will not work.

pros and cons: pros. this new tech gives you a full HD 3d picture. you are talking clear then in a movie theater. with out the different colored lenses you will not have crisp clear picture. this new tech should be the standard for tvs in the next three years. it also is right now only a little bit more exspensive then other bluray products. its a lo tech solution for a hightech product there fore soon it should be around the same price as regular blurays.

cons. the glasses. amazon only sells the third party ones right now but i exspect them to be coming out with the samsung ones soon. on this bestbuy has them right now for $149 a pair. thats right one set of glasses $149 you are talking 300 dollars to see the movie with your significat other. but dont worry because samsung has said that they are going to be coming out with 3d starter kits that should have two pairs and a movie and only cost an arm and a leg. as of right now your movie choices are none. march 21st is when they are going to launch monsters vs aliens with the starter kit. it will probably be 2011 before the movies really start to come out for it.

in reading this you might think well its just not worth it but i will tell you why it is. right now this player is designed that it still can play 2d blurays. thats right 2d. it is also the fastest loading one of the market right now for 2d. if you need a new blueray player go with this one now and to be ready for the new tech coming. if you tv does not work now think about it. by 2011 could you be on your next tv? chances are unless you just bought one in the past year there is that chance. investing now in this now tech will help keep you above the curve in the future.

key points:

- it will not work with all tvs contact samsung to make sure yours will work even if it says 3d ready

- it will play 2d blurays in 2d, and has fast load times

- this uses active shutter technology and will require active shutter glasses for everyone viewing. people with out glasses will not be able to view it.

- limited selection of 3d blurays as of now should be main stream by 2011

- bluray player does not come with a set of glasses.

- it will play 2d blurays and dvds on a regular non 3d tv. it will work on old tvs just not be able to play it in 3d.

overall: i bought this item. i own a DLP samsung that is compatable with this player. i have done alot of reasearch on this tech and hopefully will be able to enjoy this very soon. avatar should be out end of this year in 3d and alice in wonderland should not be far behined.

***Update 24 March 2010***
Player works great, the picture is as clear as my last player. load times are normally under 15 seconds way faster then my old one. the guys on here that talk about bugs dont understand electronics. flat out there is an upgrade for the player already. it looks like samsung messed something up but sent out an update to fix it. all they would have to do is go to thier setting and check for an update, download it then everything will be fine. this is why new players have these updates. plain and simple this player is great. once you install it get the upgrade, its free and takes about 10mins to download over DSL. I will get back when i personnally get Monsters Vs Aliens in the mail, i will also write a review on the bundles page after I get it. you want to read a good review look at the amazon verified purchase tag. that means we bought it. I'll update again soon.

*** Update 7 April 2010***
the player still works great. i use it almost everyday and have yet to have a problem. the reason that some people are having a problem is because they have not updated the firmware with the player. anymore companies are changing bluray movies so offten to prevent piracy that the players have to be updated often. if you have issues with it make sure you update it first. i have tried most of the movies people have had issues with and have yet to have a problem. one little pet peve of mine though. there is no way to keep finger prints off the top of this player. every time i clean it as soon as its used it looks like a 3 year old finger painted it. ok its not that bad but a finger print proof finish would make this nicer.

***Update 1 September 2010***
i have now had some time to try all the other features this has to offer. first off, if you dont own netfilx and you like watching movies you need to look at netflix and see if it is for you. this bluray player works great with netflix picture is clear and movies download faster then on my Xbox 360. the youtube facebook myspace and twiter apps are all worthless. the youtube app dones have every video and whe search is worthless. poor app poor execution. facebook and myspace are like trying to get on the internet on one of those old clamshell phones from three years ago. maybe a thrid of the features the site has to offer and all its good for is viewing or updating a status. twiter i perosnnal fell is pointless to begin with but you should probably update it with your phone over this because the on screen keyboard is slow and difficult to use. haveing said all this netflix is amazing and the picture is as clear as a bluray. i have only had one movie skip a little but it fixed itself.


READ IF YOU OWN ANY OTHER TV THEN THE TWO NEW 3D COMPATIBLE ONES
As i suspected the samsung tech's that i talked too didnt know anything about the products. first off unless you own the two new 3D TV's the 3d Feature will not work. specificlly the DLP TV's for samsung. i will explain. the new 3d uses active shutter technology through HDMI 1.4 the DLP's used a computer interface through a specially designed conection. yes the DLP can run the 3d but the new players do not have a compatable conncetion for the products yet. the reason it will not sync up is because the TV does not have a way to link with the glasses as of now. i was told by bestbuy there will be an idependent addapter that will provide a sensor that can be pulged into the tv for the glasses to sync. it will then also alow the player to project it through a HDMI 1.3. as of now though it does nto work and samsug plans on making one but not yet. if you do not own the two new tv's this will not work for you right now. i would recommend to either buy theSamsung BD-C6500 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player or buy this one and wait for the adapter. if you but this and it does not work, even if you ask samsung if it will and they tell you it will they are not legally liable for anything they say. i had a rep on the phone for an hour trying to tell me that yes it should work and its probably a problem with my tv before thier second tier tech support told me it would not with out the adapter no one makes. fortunatlly amazon is amazing and helped me out with returning my glasses. i will wait till the adapter comes out before i try this again.

I'm not going to review the Blu-ray player part, as I think it's been very well reviewed by many other people, and I would totally agree the Blu-ray playback is very good. My 2 stars are for Blu-ray playback only!

However, I am going to write about the built-in Apps, and more importantly Netflix. I bought this player primarily because it played Netflix, and Hulu Plus (in fact it's the only Blu-ray device currently certified to play Hulu Plus content). I wanted a simple interface for the bedroom that my wife could easily use, and this seemed to fit the bill perfectly.

Unfortunately, after spending an hour on the phone with Samsung Level 2 support they told me that it's a known issue that streaming HD content from Netflix on this player will cause it to buffer every few minutes (SD content does seem to play OK, but I admit to not using it for hours on end to confirm that). I haven't yet tried Hulu Plus, but can only imagine it suffers from the same buffering problems. The funny thing is that she also told me to delete everything from my instant queue, as that was known to cause problems too - are you kidding me?!

Now, I'm very tech savvy, and have 20 years IT experience, so I think that gives me license to say that it's not "User Error"!

So, for the record, I have this connected via a Netgear WNR3500L Wireless N router connected via TWC (clocked at about 14Mbit), and the player and router are about 30-40ft apart (with 2 non-brick walls in between) with a wireless signal of "Excellent" according to the player. I've tried setting the player as the highest priority in QoS, added it as a system in the DMZ (to allow all ports), and basically had it running as the only device connected to the router. I have a Wii, PS3, 2 laptops and a desktop, and they ALL stream Netflix perfectly, so I know it's not my setup.

So, a word of advice to anyone looking to buy this player for streaming. As of firmware 1014 (August 2010) it just doesn't work correctly. Will they fix it? They tell me "yes", but gave no ETA, so I'm returning it for a refund and will find something else for the bedroom. After looking at a number of other reviews, it would appear I am not the only one seeing this issue. Buyer beware!

UPDATED (9/17/2010) - I posted a similar review directly on Samsung's website, but they refused to publish it! They said it "...didn't meet one or more of the product review guidelines." Talk about trying to brush it under the carpet. Great work Samsung. I have now lost total respect for them, and will go back to Sony/Toshiba.

(A tip to other reviewers: Don't rate an item if you don't own it. Some of these reviews are from people who haven't even seen this player!)

This item arrived quickly, on a Saturday to our surprise, via Fedex. It's a gorgeous (if you like simple/shiny black) piece of AV equipment. At first, we were dismayed by what we thought were little scratches on the top - it was just a piece of protective plastic on it that is removable; it does have a flawless finish.

I don't usually leave reviews even though I buy on Amazon frequently, and I feel a bit guilty giving this rave reviews as I work for a competitor, but they haven't come out with a similar product yet. We mostly wanted to upgrade the family room/media room for our teens to give them more reason to hang out home with their friends - I must say, that works. They can't wait to show off another blu-ray to friends (who are self-impressed audiophiles for the most part) who are very impressed. The only problem, is, we want to watch it as much as they do... we never used to watch TV this much. I know this sounds like an ad but really, it's that amazing.

The tech stuff:
The ease of setup, connection to the TV and the internet is simple and straightforward. One HDMI cable to TV (included w/TV), done. Plug in Ethernet if you don't want to use wireless. It's pure digital output - sound and video. It has a separate Digital audio out for those who were worried about the extra HDMI output. The sound is astonishing. Digital sound, can't beat it. (We're using it with a Philips Soundbar now, but the TV itself has great sound). If you don't have a hi-def TV it might not work as well, but then why buy it anyway? The instruction booklet is good clear English, not written by someone with English as a second-language. The only thing that looks daunting to me is the remote control, but the kids don't seem to have a problem with it.

It performs beautifully in video and sound. It uses 1.4 cables (don't do what we did and buy 1.3 cables, besides the TV comes with cables). It runs on wifi to access the internet, and can download Netflix, Pandora, Youtube, etc., etc., content, and came with coupons for that. The kids like the internet part; we use it much less than they do.

It works flawlessly with our TV. We own the Samsung UN46C7000 46-Inch 3D HDTV and love it; together it's a marriage made in Home Theater Heaven. It's SUPER fast compared to other blu-Rays we have used. This is the first *3D* blu-ray we have used, and comparing it to regular 2-D blu-rays, it blows them all away. It up-converts beautifully and our 2-D blu-ray videos look like a dream on this.

We have only had it for days so we will write more when we have had more movies under our belts, but: older 3d movies look amazing, regular 2-D (most blu-rays are still) and downloads. All we can say so far is WOW. If you are interested in upgrading to a new 3D TV in the near future, this is a no-brainer to buy,

Movies we suggest to knock your socks off:
National Geographic 3D movies, Polar Express, Bugs!,the IMAX movies, and the new Micheal Jackson movie. Older teens liked the Bloody Valentine movie. The kids - even my son - reverted to movies like Snow White (the new blu-ray) to my surprise, just because it was so "flipping awesome" to watch on this player.

WARNING: If you have a hard time pulling yourself away from the TV set (we never used to like we do now) - don't buy this. You won't want to leave the room.

If you're looking for a top-notch, latest technology Blu-ray player with extras that's going to work quickly, this is a good buy. I've blathered on enough; check it out.

The first player that was shipped to us did not work. Yes we tried updating the firmware but it would not play any discs. Fortunately Amazon made it easy and fast to exchange it for another player. The second player has played all the discs we have tried. We are having trouble streaming video with Netflix. I can watch Netflix on my desktop, on my laptop and on my Samsung unc7000 TV but not on the Blu Ray player. I can only guess that there is some problem with the firmware as initially I had the same stopping and starting problem with the Tv until Samsung issued an update to it(the TV).
To the reviewer who complained of scratches - there is a plastic protective sheet on top of the player. It looks like it is scratched but you can just remove the plastic. The 3D is fantastic.

My main interest in gettting this was the wireless connectivity and Netflix. The DVD/Bluray discs play well. I am surprised that Samsung has not fixed the universally know bug with this product about the NETLIX movie streaming. The video lags the audio about 2-4secs. The Netflix movie pauses for buffering repeatedly. Therefore, if one is not going to use Netflix app, this product is perhaps the ideal buy and in case you use Netflix then this is not the right product for you. I am not sure why others have not pointed out this fact!

For the one month that it actually worked, the picture was beautiful. Blu-ray performance is very good and DVDs look almost as good. The 3D support is pretty good, there is some crosstalk, but I'm not sure whether that is the player or the TV.

The wireless connection never worked, and I have a rock steady network with 6 other wifi devices connected with no problem, so I know it is the C6900 that has wireless problems. The internet connectivity worked fine when wired through an Airport Express. The picture quality on all of the apps, including Netflix is just so-so. The Netflix picture quality on Roku is much better.

Then the major defect hit; it wouldn't recognize any discs, even brand new Blu-ray discs. It gives an error message stating that it couldn't load the disc and kicks them all out. Spent an hour of troubleshooting with Samsung and the worst customer service rep I have ever spoken to. The rep was so focused on following his script that he didn't actually listen to a word I said. I don't think he ever understood the error message even though I was reading it off the TV. Nothing worked, so it was sent in for repairs. It was returned two weeks later...with the same problem, plus grease and fingerprints all over it. I am now waiting on it to either be "repaired" again or Samsung will send me a refurbished replacement with comparable features, not necessarily the C6900.

The only way to get anywhere with Samsung customer support is to be such a pain that they transfer you to their "executive customer support". That gets you to someone 1. who speaks flawless English 2. has access to a totally different system of some sort and they can also send you a free shipping label. Samsung customer service in general is absolutely awful, but at least that department listens to you.

This blu-ray player came with my Samsung c8000 plasma, but getting it more or less free isn't worth the aggravation it has caused. Based on experience with other Samsung blu-ray players which died within a year and had the same terrible customer service, I just took advantage of the Oppo 93 pre-release offer and expect to put which ever player Samsung decides to send back on eBay.

Don't get this unless you really will be playing 3D videos!! We got this to be compatible with our 3D LED TV and to get the free glasses; but should have gotten just a good Blu-Ray play instead and saved $200.
This player duplicates many of the standard features of the LED TV (wireless, apps, Netflex, Pandora, etc) so we wasted money by getting a full featured player.
Need both Blu-Ray and TV Samsung remotes to fully controlled both TV and Blu-Ray. Nice if Samsung had a universal remote.
Blu-Ray front panel "touch" is useless, remote for player is confusing, unit is slow to respond, the Samsung inter-operatability network (AnyNet+) caused setup and operation problems. Have to turn off Anynet to make Samsung TV and TV remote to function as expected.

This Blu-ray player has a power save function that automatically turns the system off after 25 minutes of inactivity. A feature that cannot be turned off. Why is this a problem you might ask? For instance if you are watching a movie and decide you don't have the time to watch it in one setting this feature will affect you.

The player does not remember where you left off during the movie after it turns itself off. The problem with this is that when you come back to watch your movie you will be forced to fast forward until you get back to the place where you left off. Something to be aware of before you purchase this player.

I have bought 2 of Samsung's latest Blu-Ray-3D Wi-FI Enabled players after doing

The BD-C6800 & the BD-C6900.


Both players are almost the same except for one the (6900) upscales DVD's a little better than the other and the outputs on the back are different with small fascia changes and as of right now late December 2010 the 6900 has HULU plus and a few more APP's that the 6800 can't get but Samsung says they plan to roll out more app's for everything which a lot of other manufacturers are behind on. Samsung has also said they moved its servers from Korea to the US for its Internet@TV service which I must say NetFlix and all the other streaming content is better than expected on a tiny 12 megabit VDSL connection. Wireless N has been working flawlessly in both players as well. This player really has it all. You might find that searching for Youtube is much easier than other brands as it has an auto-fill and search results are displayed on the fly as you type. Basically the GUI is really good for a DVD and remote. Just remember this isn't going to replace the old desktop any time soon and I never intended it to be used as a PC.

I consider myself to be a professional user and had my initial doubts on going all out on an expensive blu-ray player to replace the laptop connected to the TV I figured was going to be impossible. I thought would be a waste of time and it would be limited in codecs it supported and software but the Samsung connected right up to my Netgear Ready-Nas server and after getting everything running on the network streaming content I found it upscales the video from the DLNA ReadyNAS server making it look better than playing it on VLC or similar app in windows with a 15 Pin D sub VGA on the highest resolution......

Only thing the units Cons are:

No keyboard support ( that is easily installed )
Texting on a remote is slow and out dated, remote keys don't have the letters on them like a phone/ Needs Android APP (Iphone support is limited)
Different methods of inputing text on both units, (firmware isn't the same on both making the GUI somewhat different)
DVD load time is slow if you play a lot of Blu Rays. ( Not the main reason I bought this player)
Firmware still has some glitches.

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Summary - Ownership 2 weeks. Tech Level - HIGH

Basically this thing lacks a Browser and thats it.Everything else works like advertised. I am pretty sure in time Samsung Apps will have a Browser and Keyboard support among other things.

If you are looking for a player strictly to play 3D-DVD's or you have a large collection of Blu Ray's I would not recommend this player for you .


This player is more so for the technically inclined who want all the extra features. Blu Ray quality is amazing on this unit but the slowness and load times might bother some.