Samsung BD-P3600 Blu-Ray Player
- Number of Discs: 1
- WiFi Connection: WiFi Ready
- Playable Disk Types: DVD Video DVD-R DVD-RW DVD+R DVD+RW CD (Audio) CD-R CD-RW Blu-ray
- Playable File Formats: DivX MP3 WMA JPEG
- DVD Type: Blu-ray Player
- Internet Content Support: Apps
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A BLURAY PLAYER WITH MANY BUILT IN FEATURES!
Pros
Great styling, wireless access to internet!
Cons
Manual does not give enough clear information, can not stack component!
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
This is a modern looking Blu Ray player that has nice features built in. How it will ultimately work out has yet to be determined!
Well, I guess my title says it all. All Blu Ray players do the same basic function, play DVD and Blu Ray discs. This Samsung obviously does that, but adds a lot more to the mix.
First question people would ask me is why this player and not the sony BDPS560 or something like it? Well, the 560 was not out at the time I purchased this unit, and I read all the reviews on the player and the video quality, which were pretty complimentary.
My home theater room is at the extreme left side of my house, on the main level, and there was no way for me to run an Ethernet cable from the office upstairs where the router is, to the home theater room. That is where this player shines! It has an included dongle that allows the player to receive signals wirelessly from your router. These signals allow you to perform firmware updates to the player, when released, and allows you to take advantage of Profile 2 features, such as adding extra material to certain discs that are capable of the BD LIVE format. For instance, on a Disney "Sleeping Beauty" disc, it allows the viewer to chat with other folks on line at the same time, and will also download some additional material, such as video sequences or games to enhance the movie. Not all Blu Ray discs do this, only the ones marked "BD LIVE capable".
The fact that the wireless transmitter is included, is a great feature.
Also included is a full 1GB of memory. No purchasing additional memory cards to store material for BD LIVE discs or anything else. Again, a nice plus that all these things are included with the 3600.
Okay, so it has these features, but what about the picture, you may ask? Beautiful, crisp, clear with no jaggies. It has an upconverting feature to HD, and starts playing a disc within about 15 seconds or less. Most Blu Ray players I have tried, including the SONY BDPS550, take close to a minute to play a disc from the time you hit play. Is it a terrible thing, no, but waiting only 15 seconds or so is a nice feature, and not so frustrating when you are waiting for your entertainment to begin!
This player has two nice additional features. One is access to Pandora, which is Internet radio stations. You access Pandora on the Samsung, and go to a web site on your computer which allows you to access Pandora on the 3600. You then enter a code which allows you to access radio stations through your TV or stereo system. I have not accomplished this yet, so I can not give an opinion as to how it does or does not work. I also have a MAC computer, so I don't know if there will be any compatibility problems or not. As I work with the player, I will update this review with more specific information, hopefully useful to anyone contemplating purchasing this Blu Ray player.
The other nice feature is the built in ability to play movies from NetFlix On Demand. Again, I have not tried this, nor joined NetFlix as yet, but I will report on my findings once I do!
The styling on the 3600 is unique with rounded corners, shiny black body, and touch sensitive buttons on the top of the player. I have nothing on top of this unit, so accessing the buttons is not a problem for me, as I use the remote most of the time anyway. If you want to stack a component on top of this player, forget it, you can't do it. Not only will you not be able to access the buttons to control it, but the pressure of a component will activate one of the buttons.
The remote is nothing special, with no backlighting for the buttons, and I find, a slightly confusing layout of buttons, but not so bad where you can't figure out how to use the remote pretty easily.
Setup was fairly easy as far as the player itself is concerned. I have not tried the wireless (Wi-Fi) connection as yet, but I will add that to my updated Epinion.
The manual to me was a little frustrating to read as it was not clear on a number of items. Included with the player is not only a wireless adapter, but a USB memory stick as well. There is no good documentation on how to hook up both units and why you even need the USB memory stick.
For those folks without an HDMI connector, this player has multichannel outputs, component outputs and a fiber optic (TOS LINK) output. You are not stuck if your TV or receiver is not HDMI capable, although the manual keeps stating that HDMI is the preferred way to go. Also a LAN connector on the back if you don't want to, or can't use the wireless (dongle) adapter, and can connect directly with a CAT 5 or 6 cable directly to the player.
So there you have the basics of the 3600. My update will include some more information, but as I was just released from the hospital, I am moving a little slower than I usually do, so please forgive the delayed update!
All in all, this model Samsung seems like a great player with some nifty features. I don't think you can go wrong with it!
================================================
First Update:
Well, as I am able to get around and function again, I'll be updating my review with more pertinent information. This update deals with connectivity to the internet. I attempted the wireless connection last night. It found my router almost immediately, but the problem was it would not connect. I have WEP security and I entered my password as instructed, but it would not connect no matter how many times I attempted it. I will talk to Samsung to determine if this is a normal problem! I can't tell if this issue will be the same for other readers, but I wanted you folks to know each step as I discover more facts about this Blu Ray player!
One positive note however, is that I set up the PANDORA Radio program on the player with absolutely no problem at all. I went to the Pandora web site, entered my code from the Blu Ray, and immediately was able to listen to internet radio through the player, and see album covers as well. My fears about having a MAC computer were unfounded in this instance, so you Apple folks will have no problem setting up this program.
The NetFlix account also worked fine, with no hitches. The only problem is that you have to go to your computer to select your titles. You can not perform that function from your TV/Samsung. You are able to delete movies on the TV but not add them. They are working on this, so maybe you will be able to select right from the TV in the not to distant future!
In case you are wondering how I can hook up PANDORA/NETFLIX when my wireless connection failed to work, I temporarily ran a VERY long cable downstairs just to check the player before it goes out of warranty. Needless to say, the wife is not happy with this 100' cable running down the stairs! Will have to solve this problem quickly, yes dear, (VERY QUICKLY)!!
SERVICE ALERT!!!!========================================
Okay brand new important information! As I write this, my brand new Samsung BD-P3600 is at Samsung Factory Service! Having not gone over the unit "with a fine tooth comb" like I normally would have, I set up the essentials of the player and gave it a cursory examination. Once I felt better and got over the meds from my hospital stay, I really put the player through its paces. Lo and behold I realized there was a LIP SYNC problem. The audio and the video did not line up correctly. It looked almost like the dubbing of a bad karate movie!
I of course called Samsung and they tried resetting my player and changing the audio output. Nothing worked! They said there is no firmware update for it, so my 2 weeks old player had to go back to its home for service. No, I am not thrilled. I noticed that other people on the web complained about this sync problem, but Samsung said they know nothing about it!!
Well you know that I will keep everyone updated on this situation, and will decide if it warrants changing my Epinion rating or not. I will see how the player is when it gets returned from the service center.
Well, here is my sad tale of woe! The Samsung was sent back and I received it today. I unpacked it and set it up. The lip sync problem was gone! They said the power supply had to be replaced. Okay, that part sounds great, BUT, yes a new problem, it would not output the rear surround channels any more! Spent an hour on the phone with service and upper level service technicians. Finally they muttered the same words I dreaded to hear: "We are very sorry but this is indeed a problem, and has to come back to us for repair"! I Could not believe it. They opened the machine and created yet a new problem.
I was upset and wanted a new machine, but Samsung's policy is the 3 strike rule. If it comes back from repair and is bad the third time, they will replace it! Who the heck wants a unit like this that has to be repaired 3 times?
Well stay tuned and I will continue with the story of: "The Cursed BLU RAY player"!
Well, cursed is right! Just received the "repaired" player. They replaced the power supply which solved the lip sync problem. NOW, I can get no rear surround channels of audio out of the player! So came the dreaded words of "it has to come back for repair", so ONCE AGAIN, the unit has gone back due to the audio output problem.
Keep reading to find out if this player can be exorcised or not!
Not sure about the curse, but the unit was returned stamped "NOTHING WRONG WITH UNIT"!
Tried to get the rear surround channel again but no luck. I just ordered a test DVD from Amazon to check the audio outputs on all 7.1 channels; so stay tuned!!
================================================
SOME FINAL PARTING WORDS:
Used my test disc and found all surround channels were indeed output through the Samsung, so now it is working perfectly!
As far as getting the internet to the player in another room, I went to Staples and purchased a NetGear 200 Mbps. AC extender. With this device it takes the output of your router and sends it via electrical wiring to another plug-in device in the room of your choice. I must honestly say that both my NetFlix Instant Que and Pandora Internet Radio both work perfectly. I recommend this device for anyone who had a problem like mine! I have a MAC and it worked fine without downloading or adding anything at all!
So now finally I am happy, and can recommend this BD-P3600 to you! Thanks for following my saga!!
===============================================****October ****October 2009 UPDATE****
Samsung just released a brand new firmware update for this BluRay player. If you do the update, you will also be able to view BLOCKBUSTER MOVIES & YOU TUBE!
The exciting part of having BLOCKBUSTER as well as NETFLIX, is that BLOCKBUSTER does NOT NEED A COMPUTER to select movies for your to view list. All you need is the remote control for the Samsung! As of this writing BLOCKBUSTER is still working on the software to make this happen, but it is a great addition, if you choose to subscribe to it!
Dennis
First question people would ask me is why this player and not the sony BDPS560 or something like it? Well, the 560 was not out at the time I purchased this unit, and I read all the reviews on the player and the video quality, which were pretty complimentary.
My home theater room is at the extreme left side of my house, on the main level, and there was no way for me to run an Ethernet cable from the office upstairs where the router is, to the home theater room. That is where this player shines! It has an included dongle that allows the player to receive signals wirelessly from your router. These signals allow you to perform firmware updates to the player, when released, and allows you to take advantage of Profile 2 features, such as adding extra material to certain discs that are capable of the BD LIVE format. For instance, on a Disney "Sleeping Beauty" disc, it allows the viewer to chat with other folks on line at the same time, and will also download some additional material, such as video sequences or games to enhance the movie. Not all Blu Ray discs do this, only the ones marked "BD LIVE capable".
The fact that the wireless transmitter is included, is a great feature.
Also included is a full 1GB of memory. No purchasing additional memory cards to store material for BD LIVE discs or anything else. Again, a nice plus that all these things are included with the 3600.
Okay, so it has these features, but what about the picture, you may ask? Beautiful, crisp, clear with no jaggies. It has an upconverting feature to HD, and starts playing a disc within about 15 seconds or less. Most Blu Ray players I have tried, including the SONY BDPS550, take close to a minute to play a disc from the time you hit play. Is it a terrible thing, no, but waiting only 15 seconds or so is a nice feature, and not so frustrating when you are waiting for your entertainment to begin!
This player has two nice additional features. One is access to Pandora, which is Internet radio stations. You access Pandora on the Samsung, and go to a web site on your computer which allows you to access Pandora on the 3600. You then enter a code which allows you to access radio stations through your TV or stereo system. I have not accomplished this yet, so I can not give an opinion as to how it does or does not work. I also have a MAC computer, so I don't know if there will be any compatibility problems or not. As I work with the player, I will update this review with more specific information, hopefully useful to anyone contemplating purchasing this Blu Ray player.
The other nice feature is the built in ability to play movies from NetFlix On Demand. Again, I have not tried this, nor joined NetFlix as yet, but I will report on my findings once I do!
The styling on the 3600 is unique with rounded corners, shiny black body, and touch sensitive buttons on the top of the player. I have nothing on top of this unit, so accessing the buttons is not a problem for me, as I use the remote most of the time anyway. If you want to stack a component on top of this player, forget it, you can't do it. Not only will you not be able to access the buttons to control it, but the pressure of a component will activate one of the buttons.
The remote is nothing special, with no backlighting for the buttons, and I find, a slightly confusing layout of buttons, but not so bad where you can't figure out how to use the remote pretty easily.
Setup was fairly easy as far as the player itself is concerned. I have not tried the wireless (Wi-Fi) connection as yet, but I will add that to my updated Epinion.
The manual to me was a little frustrating to read as it was not clear on a number of items. Included with the player is not only a wireless adapter, but a USB memory stick as well. There is no good documentation on how to hook up both units and why you even need the USB memory stick.
For those folks without an HDMI connector, this player has multichannel outputs, component outputs and a fiber optic (TOS LINK) output. You are not stuck if your TV or receiver is not HDMI capable, although the manual keeps stating that HDMI is the preferred way to go. Also a LAN connector on the back if you don't want to, or can't use the wireless (dongle) adapter, and can connect directly with a CAT 5 or 6 cable directly to the player.
So there you have the basics of the 3600. My update will include some more information, but as I was just released from the hospital, I am moving a little slower than I usually do, so please forgive the delayed update!
All in all, this model Samsung seems like a great player with some nifty features. I don't think you can go wrong with it!
================================================
First Update:
Well, as I am able to get around and function again, I'll be updating my review with more pertinent information. This update deals with connectivity to the internet. I attempted the wireless connection last night. It found my router almost immediately, but the problem was it would not connect. I have WEP security and I entered my password as instructed, but it would not connect no matter how many times I attempted it. I will talk to Samsung to determine if this is a normal problem! I can't tell if this issue will be the same for other readers, but I wanted you folks to know each step as I discover more facts about this Blu Ray player!
One positive note however, is that I set up the PANDORA Radio program on the player with absolutely no problem at all. I went to the Pandora web site, entered my code from the Blu Ray, and immediately was able to listen to internet radio through the player, and see album covers as well. My fears about having a MAC computer were unfounded in this instance, so you Apple folks will have no problem setting up this program.
The NetFlix account also worked fine, with no hitches. The only problem is that you have to go to your computer to select your titles. You can not perform that function from your TV/Samsung. You are able to delete movies on the TV but not add them. They are working on this, so maybe you will be able to select right from the TV in the not to distant future!
In case you are wondering how I can hook up PANDORA/NETFLIX when my wireless connection failed to work, I temporarily ran a VERY long cable downstairs just to check the player before it goes out of warranty. Needless to say, the wife is not happy with this 100' cable running down the stairs! Will have to solve this problem quickly, yes dear, (VERY QUICKLY)!!
SERVICE ALERT!!!!========================================
Okay brand new important information! As I write this, my brand new Samsung BD-P3600 is at Samsung Factory Service! Having not gone over the unit "with a fine tooth comb" like I normally would have, I set up the essentials of the player and gave it a cursory examination. Once I felt better and got over the meds from my hospital stay, I really put the player through its paces. Lo and behold I realized there was a LIP SYNC problem. The audio and the video did not line up correctly. It looked almost like the dubbing of a bad karate movie!
I of course called Samsung and they tried resetting my player and changing the audio output. Nothing worked! They said there is no firmware update for it, so my 2 weeks old player had to go back to its home for service. No, I am not thrilled. I noticed that other people on the web complained about this sync problem, but Samsung said they know nothing about it!!
Well you know that I will keep everyone updated on this situation, and will decide if it warrants changing my Epinion rating or not. I will see how the player is when it gets returned from the service center.
Well, here is my sad tale of woe! The Samsung was sent back and I received it today. I unpacked it and set it up. The lip sync problem was gone! They said the power supply had to be replaced. Okay, that part sounds great, BUT, yes a new problem, it would not output the rear surround channels any more! Spent an hour on the phone with service and upper level service technicians. Finally they muttered the same words I dreaded to hear: "We are very sorry but this is indeed a problem, and has to come back to us for repair"! I Could not believe it. They opened the machine and created yet a new problem.
I was upset and wanted a new machine, but Samsung's policy is the 3 strike rule. If it comes back from repair and is bad the third time, they will replace it! Who the heck wants a unit like this that has to be repaired 3 times?
Well stay tuned and I will continue with the story of: "The Cursed BLU RAY player"!
Well, cursed is right! Just received the "repaired" player. They replaced the power supply which solved the lip sync problem. NOW, I can get no rear surround channels of audio out of the player! So came the dreaded words of "it has to come back for repair", so ONCE AGAIN, the unit has gone back due to the audio output problem.
Keep reading to find out if this player can be exorcised or not!
Not sure about the curse, but the unit was returned stamped "NOTHING WRONG WITH UNIT"!
Tried to get the rear surround channel again but no luck. I just ordered a test DVD from Amazon to check the audio outputs on all 7.1 channels; so stay tuned!!
================================================
SOME FINAL PARTING WORDS:
Used my test disc and found all surround channels were indeed output through the Samsung, so now it is working perfectly!
As far as getting the internet to the player in another room, I went to Staples and purchased a NetGear 200 Mbps. AC extender. With this device it takes the output of your router and sends it via electrical wiring to another plug-in device in the room of your choice. I must honestly say that both my NetFlix Instant Que and Pandora Internet Radio both work perfectly. I recommend this device for anyone who had a problem like mine! I have a MAC and it worked fine without downloading or adding anything at all!
So now finally I am happy, and can recommend this BD-P3600 to you! Thanks for following my saga!!
===============================================****October ****October 2009 UPDATE****
Samsung just released a brand new firmware update for this BluRay player. If you do the update, you will also be able to view BLOCKBUSTER MOVIES & YOU TUBE!
The exciting part of having BLOCKBUSTER as well as NETFLIX, is that BLOCKBUSTER does NOT NEED A COMPUTER to select movies for your to view list. All you need is the remote control for the Samsung! As of this writing BLOCKBUSTER is still working on the software to make this happen, but it is a great addition, if you choose to subscribe to it!
Dennis
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