Need help please Samsung bd-p1600 or Panasonic dmp-bd60

[ahedgpe]

I am replacing a sony bd player the lasted 10 days over the warrany and have narrowed it down between the samsung 1600 or the panasonic dmp-bd60k. I have heard that the panasonics have issues with short pauses/freezes but have great pic quality on dvd and bluray. The samsung has similar quality and I see a lot of mixed reviews. We watch tons of movies...which one is recommended?

[MrBoylan]

I am replacing a sony bd player the lasted 10 days over the warrany and have narrowed it down between the samsung 1600 or the panasonic dmp-bd60k. I have heard that the panasonics have issues with short pauses/freezes but have great pic quality on dvd and bluray. The samsung has similar quality and I see a lot of mixed reviews. We watch tons of movies...which one is recommended?

They're both very good players though the Panasonic may be just a tad better at upconverting than the Samsung. Some people have experienced the "playback freeze" you mention on Blu-ray Discs on the Panasonic player, but not all owners have seen this. It's possible that Panasonic may be able to address this with a firmware upgrade but this is not guaranteed. In my experience, when the playback freeze does occur, it doesn't last that long and it's infrequent enough that I wouldn't personally worry about it. But YMMV as the acronym goes...

Really the major difference between the Panasonic DMP-BD60 and the Samsung BD-P1600 is in their online streaming capabilities. The Samsung player comes with Netflix streaming, Blockbuster VOD and YouTube. The Panasonic player has Amazon Video-on-Demand and YouTube. If you're a Netflix customer with one of their "unlimited" rental plans (starting at $8.99/month), the Netflix streaming option is compelling as there is no incremental per-title rental fee. It's included in the monthly fee. Selection is kinda limited but whenever I browse the list of instant streaming titles, I always find something interesting.

If you prefer having the option for an occasional on-demand rental at a reasonable price, then Amazon video-on-demand (in the Panasonic players) is also a nice option. But if you don't care as much about internet streaming, then the two players are fairly similar. If you go by price alone, then get the BD60 because it's now down under $150 online - more than $30 lower than the Samsung player. Also, if you buy it on Amazon, you can get the new Snow White Blu-ray Disc for free.

Here are a couple of links to the players on Amazon so you can pick your favorite:

• Amazon.com: Samsung BD-P1600 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player: Electronics
• Amazon.com: Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player, Black: Electronics

Good luck...

-Chris

[ahedgpe]

Thanks so much for that...I have done ALOT of research for the two! The only thing we will really use it for is playing bluray and dvd, but it will get used alot (at least 2-3 movies a day). As far as you know, is the Panasonic getting ready to be discontiued? BB has a great price on both right now so I've been torn on which to get...dont want to have the same issue that our current one has (cant get it to turn on now).

[MrBoylan]

Thanks so much for that...I have done ALOT of research for the two! The only thing we will really use it for is playing bluray and dvd, but it will get used alot (at least 2-3 movies a day). As far as you know, is the Panasonic getting ready to be discontiued? BB has a great price on both right now so I've been torn on which to get...dont want to have the same issue that our current one has (cant get it to turn on now).

The 3 Panasonic players (bd60, bd80, bd70v) are all still current and should be until next Spring. The next major upgrade to their Blu-ray player line is likely to be 3D support which will be introduced next year if all goes well. But this requires an actual modification to the Blu-ray Disc spec itself so a lot of things can get in the way of that happening.

Panasonic players tend to have a pretty good reliability record, and frequent firmware upgrades when they experience any disc compatibility issues. If the two players were exactly the same price, it would be a tough call, but with the Panasonic player $35 cheaper "street price" that one would probably be my choice. My neighbor has one now and has yet to see a freeze, but he watches significantly fewer Blu-ray Discs than you do. Wherever you get it, make sure they have a decent return policy. This way if you do get the freeze then you can return it if you find it annoying.

-CB

[ahedgpe]

Also, how would the insignia ns-brdvd3 or wireless version compare picture quality wise with the panasonic or samsung?

[MrBoylan]

Also, how would the insignia ns-brdvd3 or wireless version compare picture quality wise with the panasonic or samsung?

We haven't reviewed any of the Insignia players so I can't make any first hand comments, but earlier Insignia players haven't fared so well, as you can read on CNET:

Insignia NS-BRDVD Blu-ray players/recorder reviews - CNET Reviews

Regards,

-Chris