The Samsung BD-P 2500 is a Blu-ray, DVD, and CD player, available since September 2008 and currently selling from around 120 GBP.

• Excellent 24p HDTV picture.
• HD audio output as bitstream.
• DVD playback quality matches that of a top-rate DVD player.
• Analog 7.1-channel audio output.

• No built-in DTS-HD decoder.
• No MP3 or JPEG support.

In terms of Blu-ray and DVD picture quality for the home-theater, the Samsung BD-P 2500 is one of the best players in its price class. Multimedia fans beware, however, that it does not support playback of MP3 or JPEG files.

Connections:

1x

Introduction

Compared to the forerunner model (the BD-P 1500), Samsung’s new BD-P 2500 offers significant leaps forward in picture quality — thanks to its HQV video processor — and support for analog 7.1-channel audio. The only limitation is the device’s lack of multimedia capabilities.

Features and Operation

Operation is simple with the neatly laid-out remote control.

Despite wearing the "BD-Live ready" logo on its packaging, the Samsung cannot, at the time of testing (September 2008), tap into interactive, Internet-based content. Samsung reports, however, that this functionality will be included in the firmware update that was due in early October 2008 (unfortunately, we haven't had the chance to test the new version). This firmware should also enable the BD-P 2500 to handle DivX-format videos, but that's it for multimedia capabilities. The Samsung can decode AVCHD-format, high-definition camcorder videos, but you have to burn these onto a recordable DVD first.

"HQV" Video-Processor:
The integrated "HQV" (Hollywood Quality Video) video-processor's newest version has overcome one weakness in particular: The Samsung now delivers excellent de-interlacing of 1080/60i-format HDTV video, ensuring a sharp, flicker-free picture for sports broadcasts, documentaries, and live concerts.

Newly added:
New additions include noise reduction and a three-level sharpness enhancement. This optionally sharpens DVD movie images in the same flicker-free, high quality that we praised in the previous model, although the sharpness menu covers the entire screen, meaning you cannot preview the effect of your adjustments.

24p Playback and Operation:
Home-theater users will find something they like here. We appreciated the user-enforceable 24p playback and straightforward operation, but we would have liked to see complete status information for the audio and video codecs.

Full connectivity: Samsung's new player can output analog 7.1-channel sound from both Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby TrueHD signals. The USB and Ethernet connections currently only work for firmware updates.

The BD-P 2500 can output all high-definition audio formats, either as a bitstream for the latest AV receivers or as PCM audio for older HDMI-devices. However, it only produces full, 7.1-channel sound with soundtracks recorded in Dolby TrueHD and Dolby Digital Plus, since it lacks a decoder for the DTS-HD formats "High Resolution" and "Master Audio". If one of these formats is present, it will output a maximum of 5.1-channel sound in reduced quality, via both HDMI and the analog, 7.1-channel, cinch output.

Excellent: We use this sequence from Chapter 2 of the Blu-ray “Antarctica Dreaming” (in 1080i format) to challenge players with a camera pan across sharp-edged rock formations. The Samsung gave natural-looking picture quality with no bothersome stair-step effects and only very rare edge-flicker.

Blu-ray:
Apart from tiny deviations in color decoding, the Samsung performed excellently in our laboratory testing. This model’s HQV processor depicts the jagged rocks in the Blu-ray documentary “Antarctica Dreaming” more sharply than its predecessor.

We challenged the player with a Pioneer demo-disc, recorded at 60 frames per second, which shows cars moving quickly across the picture. The HDTV de-interlacing was up to the task, showing only tiny anomalies on the cars’ license plates. The landscape sequences in “The Fox and the Child" are crystal clear, with top-quality progressive images, from both the Full HD 1080/60p format and the 1080/24p movie mode.

Perfect: The Samsung reproduces high-frequency picture information in 100% resolution with almost no dampening. Blu-ray color decoding was correct, while DVDs showed only minor variations.

Excellent: This tricky, fly-by sequence in Chapter 12 of “Gladiator” on DVD helps us evaluate a player’s DVD de-interlacing. The Samsung produces no flicker as the camera passes over the roofs of ancient Rome. Increasing the picture sharpness improves the picture’s depth-effect yet further.

If you’re considering combining your DVD and Blu-ray player, but you’re worried about sacrificing DVD quality, you’ve come to the right place. At the time of testing, the Samsung is the only Blu-ray player we’ve tested in its price class that’s capable of replacing a high-quality DVD player. It masters all tricky movie sequences with ease, and depicts clean, movie-like motion, with no irritating edge-flicker.

In the neutral sharpness setting, test patterns work well without looking over-enhanced, while older Disney classics such as “A Bug’s Life” leave room to increase the sharpness setting slightly, bringing yet more clarity to the ants’ eyes or the fine lattice patterns in the circus decorations. Concert recordings such as Motörhead’s “Stage Fright” looked great, and when front-man Lemmy swings his bass guitar, the Samsung resolves each individual string clearly.

The audio setup menu allows you to set the size and number of speakers in your system.

When the Samsung outputs audio as a bitstream to the Onkyo TX-SR 806 receiver, Dave Matthews’ and Tom Reynolds’ guitars sound transparent and dynamic on Dolby’s “The Sound of High Definition” Blu-ray.

Switching to PCM multichannel audio meant we had to turn up the level on the receiver by 4 decibels in order to receive the same volume, and the spatial depiction lagged behind a little.

CD audio sounded rounder and more vivid via HDMI than via the Samsung’s optical output. You may, of course, observe different results with different receivers — it’s worth trying a few different connections to find the best quality from your individual setup.

Perfect again: The BD-P 2500’s audio frequency response shows no problems. The player scored top marks in almost all aspects of sound quality, and recorded a signal-to-noise ratio of 97.5 decibels.