Samsung DVD-1080P8 1080p Upconverting DVD Player

selectable 720p/1080i/1080p output via HDMI digital interface * Anynet+ simplifies control of compatible Samsung components via the HDMI connection (HDMI-CEC) * 1 set of audio/video outputs (composite, 480i/480p component video, and HDMI) * plays DVD-Video, DVD-R & DVD-RW, DVD+R & DVD+RW, CD, CD-R & CD-RW, MP3 & WMA CDs, and digital picture CD (JPEG) * remote control *

bought this DVD player for two main reasons: 1. To play upconverted DVDs on my new sony LCD 2. To play some of my DIVX encoded movies 3. To play international DVDs Pros: - nice overall appearance and design of the player - The 1080P upconversion was standard - I haven't seen the upconversion output of many other DVD players, but don't expect any miracles from any sub $100 players. The artifacts / pixelation / mosquito noise ... made any of the DVDs I tried barely any better. The upconverted DVDs looked worse on my new 32" Sony LCD than on my 8-year old 32" Sony XBR flat tube. - Price was right: $50 or so on Amazon Cons: - I couldn't get it to play non-region 1 DVDs. Not even DVDs with no region-coding. It kept refusing to play those too. I tried all kinds of hacks but to no avail --> That's the kiss of death - The overall operation of the player was sluggish. Response to remote control key presses was slow and annoying. DVD door would not respond quickly... - The menu was also fugly to look at and operate. - I tried several DVDs with DIVX encoded files and it couldn't play any of them ! --> not good. Conclusion: Save yourself some money and some time. Don't get this Samsung DVD-1080P8 (mine went back to Amazon. great return service). Get instead the Philips DVP5990 (it gave me upconversion, USB playback, multi-region).

Setup was very easy, but then again no one should have issues hooking up a DVD player to a TV. The quality of the upscaling DVDs is pretty good on my Samsung A450 in 720p and 1080i using the HDMI cables I got from Monoprice. One of my only gripes is the lack of a visible clock and the generic remote control. It functions for the most part but is sometimes hard to use in dark rooms because of the black buttons. I was debating on getting one of the Oppo series DVD players, but with the economy the way it is, this was the next best affordable option. Since my TV is a Samsung, it just made sense to get a DVD player of the same brand.

I need to get a refund for this product. It stopped working in less than 45 days.

This an amazing DVD player and if you use it on a smaller monitor the Blu-Ray is a unnecessary investment. If you have a 46" or larger set you would notice the difference. Mine has worked great once I set it up properly. As for up-converting vs. upscaling, I really have yet to discover any difference between them. I advise sticking to the same brand as your TV when possible on whatever players you buy. The price Amazon has now is so cheap it is a no brainer.

I have this player paired with a Samsung LN40A550 LCD TV via HDMI. The picture quality is excellent and the Anynet+ feature is a big plus. Sleek design matches the LCD and blends in with Directv STB.