Sony, Samsung offer best value in Blu-Ray players

Feb. 28 (Bloomberg) -- Now that Toshiba Corp. has conceded the battle over next generation DVD technology to Sony Corp.'s Blu-ray, it's time to evaluate high-definition players.

Unlike current DVDs, Blu-ray can store a full-length, high- definition movie on a single disc. When viewed on an HD television, a Blu-ray movie should look amazingly sharp and rich in color. The selection of movies should improve, too, as Hollywood focuses on one standard.

I tested Blu-ray players from four companies: Sony, Panasonic, which is owned by Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Tokyo-based Pioneer Corp., and Samsung Electronics Co., based in Suwon, South Korea. I also played Blu-ray movies on my Sony PlayStation 3 game console to see how it stacks up against the standalone players.

The image quality on all five devices was impressive, ranging from very good to excellent. I connected each player, one at a time, to my plasma TV and watched the Blu-ray versions of ``Planet Earth'' and ``Spider-Man 3,'' as well as the standard DVD versions of ``Lord of the Rings'' and the animated film ``Tarzan.''

Samsung's BD-P1400 and Sony's BDP-S500 showed a slight edge over the other devices. Images looked extra sharp on my plasma and colors were truly vivid. Even standard DVDs looked better because the Blu-ray devices I evaluated can perform a technique called upconversion which takes standard definition content and converts it to high definition by adding pixels on the screen. Both of my DVD flicks looked great on the HDTV, although movies on Blu-ray discs appeared even richer.

Start Speed
Startup speed -- the time between pressing the power button on the remote and the player showing the movie on screen -- was where I noticed a difference. The PlayStation 3 and Panasonic's DMP-BD30 were the fastest at 31 and 32 seconds, respectively. The Samsung came in next at 55 seconds, followed by Sony's BDP- S500, clocking in at 1 minute and 1 second. The Pioneer Elite BDP-95FD was the slowest at 1 minute and 11 seconds.

In general, Blu-ray players cost between $400 and about $1,000. Based on my tests and online research, the higher priced models don't provide noticeably better performance or features than their lower priced counterparts. For most users, I don't see a significant advantage to buying a more expensive player. The $999 Pioneer BDP-95FD was slower than the others and has features almost identical to Samsung's $400 BD-P1400.

The key difference is the additional infrared port on the Pioneer, which allows you to connect an external infrared box for a specialized remote control designed to access the Blu-ray player even through cabinet walls. This would be useful for someone who wants to hide their equipment. Pioneer said you can also access movies and photos from your computer with the BDP- 95FD player using an Ethernet cable.

Play Music

The four Blu-ray players can be plugged in to high-end, surround-sound speakers and they all support high-definition audio. They all play music CDs, although to play MP3s on the $600 Sony BDP-S500, you must have the content saved on a DVD.

The BD30 from Osaka-based Panasonic is the only player I looked at that's designed with a SecureDigital memory card slot, which can let you view videos from a camcorder or photos from a digital camera. Convenient, but you can also just plug your camera or camcorder directly to a TV with a standard audio/video cable.

The Samsung and Pioneer Blu-ray players, as well as the Sony PlayStation PS3 game console, have an Internet connection, allowing software upgrades. They all come with remote controls, though only Samsung's and Pioneer's are designed with handy, glow-in-the-dark buttons.

Good Looks

Sony's BDP-S500 is the most aesthetically pleasing for my taste, thanks in part to the glossy blue, auto-sliding front cover. Pioneer's 95FD looks classy and would fit right in with an audiophile's home theater setup. The $500 Panasonic BD30 is the lightest and smallest -- ideal for tight spaces.

All companies plan upgrades this summer or fall. Sony said this week that it will introduce two models, the $400 BDP-S350 and the $500 BDP-S550. Enhancements will include an Internet connection for software updates and the ability to access interactive content, a feature that the industry calls BD-Live.

Sony's new players will also have a feature called Bonus View or Picture-in-Picture. Typically, this is used for extra material on a movie disc, such as a director's commentary while the movie is playing. Panasonic,

Pioneer and Samsung also promise to add Bonus View to new Blu-ray models. None of the Blu-ray players I reviewed have Bonus View and BD-Live. The PlayStation 3, though, can be upgraded for those features through its online connection.

Samsung's BD-P1400 and the Sony PlayStation 3 have the most bang for the buck, although I read several reports on Amazon.com from people complaining that the Samsung machine wouldn't play new releases in Blu-ray format. Samsung said it will provide software updates that users can download via the Internet. To possibly avoid such hassles, consider the pricier Sony DBP-S500 or Panasonic BD30.
One advantage of the PlayStation 3: You can also play video games on it.

Blu-ray Players Scorecard
Panasonic DMP-BD30 $500 7/10 http://www.panasonic.com/
Pioneer Elite BDP-95FD $999 6/10 http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/
Samsung BD-P1400 $400 7.5/10 http://www.samsung.com/
Sony BDP-S500 $600 7.5/10 http://www.sonystyle.com/