Customer Reviews

Samsung BD-P1590 Blu-ray Player

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(26)
1 star:		(65)

 

 

Sleek, sexy, easy to use and highly affordable; the Samsung BD-P1590 is the perfect player for that newcomer to the Blu-Ray world, or even as a second player for a seasoned Blu-Ray vet. With just one caveat, this player is ideal for that film lover on a budget.

Let's start with what it can do. First of all it can output Blu-Ray discs in glorious 1080p HD (provided you have an HDMI cable and an HDTV); as far as BD output this player performs admirably. I found nary an issue with disc playback, and the picture is astounding. The player is able to handle nearly ever disc I tried to play, save for Watchmen, which comes with brand new features that the BD-P1590 was not equipped to handle; a simple firmware update should fix that. With the LAN connection you can receive firmware updates and access BD-Live (a sort of Xbox Live for Blu-Ray players that has all sorts of neat stuff).

The BD-P1590 is also setup for the Netflix 'Watch it now' queue, and provided you have a Netflix subscription you can stream any flick from their 'Instant Q' to your television. If you have a great internet connection the quality is superb at best, and wonky at worst, with the usual annoying pixelation and audio sync issues that plague streaming. One amazing feature of the Netflix streaming is the new HD streaming; being able to watch a good chunk of content in HD is always a plus. In addition to being Netflix-ready, the BD-P1590 is also Pandora ready. For those of you who do not know, Pandora is a free internet radio service. Just type in an artist and Pandora will find music exactly like that artist and other artists just like it. Its not going to sway most people, but its icing on the cake. You can also play music and photos through the player, which is nice but not necessary.

The Samsung outputs audio via DTS Master Audio HD, which is good enough for me, and provided you have a surround setup it will sound truly spectacular. However here is where the only caveat comes in; there is an audio sync issue with Blu-Ray disc playback, especially noticeable if you hook up a surround sound system directly to the player, resulting in a nasty echo effect between your player and your television. The latest firmware update did nothing to solve this problem; hopefully Samsung will figure out how to fix this annoying issue.

Another annoying thing is that the BD-P1590 has no hard drive, so if you want to do anything on BD-Live, or listen to music or view photos you need to have everything stored on a flash drive, which isn't really a big deal but in this day and age a built-in hard drive should be standard fare.

I am very pleased with this Blu-Ray player and I highly recommend it.

I bought the BD-P1590 from [...] on Saturday. Upon connecting it to the Internet and powering it on the screen notified me that an upgrade to the firmware was available. I immediately upgraded it. Shortly after that while trying out the different features, I noticed that Pandora was locking up after just a few songs. After Googling to see if this was just me or if others were experiencing the problem I found a thread showing that several other people started having the problem right after the firmware upgrade. Search these terms in Google "Samsung Blu-ray Player Firmware 9/3/09 Update Kills Pandora". I called technical support this morning knowing that I was going to get much help but just wanting to make them aware that another person is having the problem so that as they monitor reasons for people calling in that it would start floating to the top. I spoke to two different customer service reps (due to them hanging up on me, on accident I presume). Disturbingly, both reps put the blame on me for Pandora locking up. They both said that I shouldn't have upgraded to new firmware if I wasn't having a problem with the machine already. I told them the screen saying that new firmware was available didn't mention that warning and that most companies suggest you have the latest firmware. I also questioned them about blaming me, since their firmware broke the machine. I would think they would apologize. Neither seemed to be aware of any other customers having this problem. I begged them to not ignore this as just an isolated problem but to have a manager Google the issue so that they could see others were experience the exact same issue with Pandora that I was due to the firmware upgrade. I asked when a new firmware would be sent out to fix the problem and they said in 6 months. Again, what kind of company wouldn't have had their developers there 24/7 until the problem was fixed and they could send out a new update. Pandora and NetFlix are the key differentiators of their Blu-Ray player and basically the reason I chose Samsung over the competition. Being content to tell me that it will take them six months to fix the problem is completely unacceptable. I'm hoping [...] will let me take it back for a new one and this time I won't do the firmware upgrade. What a joke!

We've had a great experience with the player. Set up was easy enough, tho wireless was too expensive and I opted to run a cat-5 cable from a mini hub to get the connection. Instant watch in Hi Def is flawless, so don't blame the design or hardware if yours isn't. It's your internet connection, and more than likely throttling by some ISPs that limit bandwidth to protect their own servers from overload. IT's a great player and I love it. Only lost Netflix once and it turned out that the time had to be set on the player so Netflix could synch with it, never would have gotten that on my own without Samsung support, which was excellent.

The tile of my post is reference to an insidious problem, however. Pandora works great, but the player goes to sleep in a few minutes and the music stops. There's no setting you can make to avoid it going to sleep mode, so how the heck are you supposed to enjoy music on the thing if it only stays awake for 10 minutes??

I purchased this player, like many, because it boasted compatibility with Netflix's Watch Instantly system. It said it was wireless, ready to connect. I assumed it had an adapter built in, both because of the price and because of the wording. Then I found out you needed to buy the adapter. I already had a wireless router and a USB network adapter from Netgear. Then I was annoyed that I couldn't use my Netgear USB adapter... you have to use a Samsung USB adapter, and it is much more expensive.

But I could picture how cool it would be to watch Netflix instantly on my TV instead of the computer. I could have run a long Network cable across the room to make it work, but I said fine, and bought this Samsung adapter.

It was very easy to hook-up, and it began downloading the latest firmware update. That took a while, but was easy. Setting up the Netflix was easy.

Now we can watch the movies, and it works pretty well. The main problem is rewinding, fast-forwarding, and pausing on occasion. There is one speed, and occasionally it is just too much for the player or the connection, and the movie will freeze until I restart the whole system.

Now that I have figured that out, we pretty much plan on watching the movie straight through rather then relying on the ability to pause and back track like we often do with our DVR.

Anyway... the whole system is still worth it. This was my second Blu-ray player, and the quality of playback was solid. There are still kinks in how everything works together, especially with the remote control, which could use a light up feature for starters, and better fast-forwarding and rewinding as well- it jumps too fast, and then needs to buffer too long before resuming play. One further gripe involves where you plug in the Samsung Network adapter... It directly blocks the player's EJECT button, so you need the remote each and every time you switch disks. (Update: there is a USB plug in the back of the player too, which seems to work fine so far.) Netflix also doesn't offer too many films in its Watch Instantly system, but it is certainly a cool thing to have. I am also going to try the Pandora instant radio soon, since that looks very well thought-out.

So, for my fellow early adopters of advanced technology- it works, and I look forward to see how it will continue to improve.

(another update: Some concern over how this player plays normal DVDs. Blu-Rays seem fine, but it doesn't like FF or RW DVDs too much...)

I was happy to see that Samsung released a blu ray player with Netflix capabilities in my price range. Needless to say, the video quality of the BD-P1590 is excellent. The discs load quickly and operating the remote was very easy. Setup was also a snap. I plugged my player into the internet router and immediately got an update message from Samsung. The updates loaded quickly and painlessly. All ready for BD live 2.0. I am totally thrilled with the streaming of my Netflix movies through this player. I didn't have a sync problem between video and audio. Also, the HD movies from Netflix looked good to me. I think that blu ray video format will soon be the norm for a lot of video fans. Having 1080P is a real treat. I really appreciate the video quality and ease of use this player provides. I would recommend this player to everyone looking for a Netflix streaming blu ray player.

Pros: Standard DVD's definately better and BluRay disks are perfect. Loads / Reads / Resumes / ejects promptly as expected

Cons: Haven't been able to connect wireless yet in order to view added features. Additional cost to do so is disappointing but not a deal breaker.

Summary: I purchased a BD-P1590 from Sam's Club for approx $180 after getting researching on-line reviews and comparing to the BD-P1600 (about the same). I connected to a Samsung LN-T4669F 46"LCD via HDMI cable, but had difficulty with the Allnet+.

After trying for about 10min it finally connected. I loaded a regular DVD and during previews it froze. Removed and tried again but this time it couldn't read the disk. The display read "close". I called Customer Service and they wanted me to send it back for repair. I decided to return for another unit figuring if the second one is bad, I'll try a different brand. No problem with the exchange from Sam's Club.

The second unit connected immediately without any problems whatsoever. The initial screen listed all 4 options; Blu Ray, Netflix, Pandora & YouTube. (the first unit only showed NetFlix & Pandora). I then inserted a regular DVD (same as before -Across the Universe). The previews ran perfectly and the movie played flawlessly. I then played with it by stopping, ejecting, resuming searching, etc. with no problems. I tried another movie, again no problems. Powered off unit and it immediately switched to the TV as it was supposed to. A few days later we watched a BluRay movie, Night of the Museum. It was superb, absolutely the way it was intended to be viewed, clear, precise, enjoyable. Actually it was unbelievably perfect. I am very satisfied with this unit so far. I've had it for a few weeks and it's used practically everyday by my daughter who's a movie nut. She said it's definitely an improvement from our old DVD player.

I'm aware that Samsung's customer service has many complaints by dissatified consumers but I preferred to get a Samsung player to minimize the remote controls. However, now that I am familiar with the features of both TV and BluRay player, both controls are somtimes needed because the disc player cannot control all of the features from the TV and Vice Versa. So don't plan to put away the TV control permanently. On that note, brand loyalty goes out the window which helps me decide on the complimenting audio system; definitely not Samsung.
It appears that the first player purchased was defective but the second (replacement) player is good. This happens, as I recently experienced the same problem with a bluetooth notebook mouse. I don't feel I've spent a lot of money for this player, comparatively speaking, so for my purposes it fits our needs and does what it's designed to do. I recommend this unit but if the first unit seems goofy or doesn't operate well, give it a 2nd chance. But be sure to purchase it from a place where you can return it.

12/10/2009 UPDATE***
Haven't had any issues yet. Although I haven't connected the unit to the internet. My daughter plays movies frequently and hasn't encountered any faults. Picture is perfect and movies play fine without interruptions. Unit functions as it's suppose to (pause, resume, search, etc).

Now I'm concerned about updating firmware. I'm considering on splurging for the dongle but don't want the problems that many others have encountered. Are updates automatic? Are they necessary in order to utilize functions via internet. I'm interested in using NETFLIX but don't want to ruin a good thing.

Have had player for 3 months, and used with samsung 32 inch LCD.Remote controls both T.V. and player without any problms,use every day. Great picture and perfect for netflix.Some netflix streaming movies in 720 definition, but no digital sound yet. Has played all blu-ray cd's including Watchmen.Also plays computer burned and standard cd's with no issues. No sync issues with netflix. Was issues with Pandora but fixed now(firmware update). Need to have hooked to router to get updates that fix issues. Other site review said that cat 6 cable gets better picture and faster up loads from netflix.Just pluged into router and auto detected all settings. Block buster movies coming soon on player.Has you tube also. Price dropped $60.00 at wal-mart to $188.00 now. Know 3 people with this player and none have had any issues. Highly Reccomended

If not for a minor glitch during setup, the lack of internal memory and the fact that I believe the packaging is misleading, this would be a 5-star review. For details, read on!

First: the purchase. Found this unit (Samsung BD-P1590) while out Black Friday shopping (sorry Amazon!) while visiting friends. It sat in the trunk of my car for 36 hours until I finally got home and brought it in. The choice of this unit was predicated on two things: 1) that it is blu-ray, and 2) that it streams Netflix.

Second: Set Up. I put the unot up in my bedroom. It was replacing an HD-DVD player I had bought early on in the format war (bet on the wrong pony there!). When I went to set up the wireless that was advertised ont he box, I found that it was only wireless capable if you bought an additional wireless USB dongle from Samsung for an additional $80. Major bummer. Thankfully, I have IPTV from the phone company, so I have a wired network line in my bedroom where it resides. Currently, I just swap the cable to use Netflix, I will soon be adding a switch in my bedroom to eliminate the cable swapping. After connecting the unit to the network, it immediately did a firmware update. the unit froze at the end of the firmware update. I ended up having to unplug and re-plug it. Once I did that, it started up fine.

Third: Netflix. Netflix setup was a breeze. Since the unit has no internal memory, it direct streams. I added a 4 Gig memory stick to allow local caching while playing. Streaming from Netflix doesn't show any of the muxing problems others have reported. Picture quality of recent releases is excellent. Old Standard Def stuff (like 4:3 TV shows) looks good, but you can tell the source is lower quality.

Fourth: Blu-ray. The picture quality is amazing! It makes my old HD-DVD player look like a chump. The sound quality is great playing through the TV speakers in faux surround-sound mode.

Fifth: SD DVD. The video was upscaled to 1080 with no artifacting or muxing problems. Once again, the picture and sound quality far exceeded my expectations.

Finally: some random observations. The touch-sensitive front panel controls are reminiscent of the pre-slim PS-3s. The front panel display is good and the remote is par for consumer electronics. The unit is smaller than I had expected, which is nice. The smaller profile than my old HD-DVD player gives me some welcome space on the dresser where I keep it. I don't use the Blockbuster or Pandora services, but from other reviews here, I deduce that Pandora will be worth checking out. Just for the sake of checking out the YouTube connection I looked up the famous "Evolution of Dance" clip. The YouTube connection is speedy and plays without a hitch. However, like Netflix, the source quality determines the picture quality, but it IS upscaled. Sadly, grainy, fuzzy videos don't benefit from upscaling.

I will update this once I install the network switch.

UPDATES: I added a 4 port ethernet switch and the unit performs just as awell as it did before. Having had some time to think about it, I went back and looked at the box. On the front and top of the box, there is a logo that says "Wireless LAN Ready", but on the side of the box, where it lists the features as text, right under the line where it says "Wireless LAN Ready" it clearly states, in the same size and font "Wireless LAN Adapter Not Included". I have to give Samsung some love for creating a great Blu Ray player with a great set of features.

I got this unit as an exchange for a Samsung bd1500 it did not have a fan on the back like the bd1590 & so it over heated & fried! Well excited about getting new model with more features & better looks!
Loved the cool sounds it made from front controls!
Loved it until the end of the movie & I hit the pop up menu for BD & all of a sudden the movie started to skip audio & video I was like ok! No big deal!
Well then I tried a standard dvd and nothing it would not play it! Back to the store I went..another model same thing & finally I gave up on a Samsung BD player & went for a Panasonic that I wanted anyway but was a lot more expensive at the time & passed on well this time it was on sale for $35 cheaper!! Received my store credit & went home with the Panasonic BD-60 Love it better picture,more options,a lot of tweaking you can do! Has a rear fan & all of the features the Samsung had & more!
Plus I already had a Panasonic Plasma so now my tv remot controls my BD player!!

I latter learned their are lawsuits against Samsung for the BD players & their are tons of sites for Samsung BD player problems...Check it out!!! It might change your mind because I'm glad I did!!!

This is a great product. However, it is WiFi READY, not enabled. For WiFi, you will need a ~$50 (+ship) wireless adapter. Make sure you plug it into a router for the firmware upgrade.