Samsung BD-C5900 1080p 3D Blu-ray Disc Player Review

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(More customer reviews)A BD player these days is not just for playing BDs and DVDs but also for playing music CDs and serving content from the internet.
Let me go through the nice aspects of this player first:
* Fast BD/CD load times - disks load almost instantly
* Nice picture quality. Upscaling to 1080p works very well too (at least when viewed on a 46" Samsung LED TV).
* Overall nice for watching BD/DVDs
Here are the areas of improvement:
* Remote control buttons could be made better. Either the buttons are not good or the BD player does not respond fast enough - forwarding, rewinding and using the direction buttons is not exactly fun.
* If your primary purpose is to view content online, skip Samsung entirely. Very few of the apps mentioned on their website are actually available. Go for Sony instead (I am returning this player and getting a Sony). The user interface is also poor. The new Apple TV is the best in terms of interface (and until third party apps are available on that, the Sony BD player should fill in the void).
* The player supports DLNA - but the Samsung implementation is full of bugs. Besides it lacks features such as shuffling songs, forwarding or rewinding video and that makes it practically useless.
* Not at all recommended for playing music on a hi fi system - you will notice the sound made when the disk rotates.
Overall, Samsung has done a poor job with its BD players. Its TVs are awesome but it has a long way to go in catching up on the BD player quality.
UPDATE Oct 26, 2010
I exchanged this played for Sony BD-P570 a couple of weeks ago. The Sony player also has issues with DLNA. Also, Netflix on Sony freezes all the time and several other features do not work despite a firmware upgrade. I cannot recommend Sony either and am still searching for a BD player with network features that work as advertised. If you are aware of one, please let me know.
UPDATE Dec 23, 2010
After trying several other players, I finally came back to the Sony BDP-S570 3D Blu-ray Disc Player when the price on Amazon dropped to $138 a few days ago. With the latest firmware (several versions newer than the one I had tried earlier, the wireless setup and Netflix freezing issues are resolved. Further, this is the only player that plays 1080/60p, 28fps files from my Panasonic camcorder without any problems. I am bumping up my rating from 1 star to 4 stars.
If you don't want the hassle of trying different players and returning them like I did, go for Sony BDP-S570 3D Blu-ray Disc Player. It is not perfect but better than other players in the market.

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VIZIO E370VP 37 Inch Class Edge Lit Razor LED LCD HDTV Review

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(More customer reviews)Since there are no reviews yet for this product, I'm going to write this review sooner than I normally would and then update after I've lived with this TV for a while. My unit was damaged in shipping but a replacement is on the way courtesy of Amazon so I am using it in the meantime. Like other reviews I've read for this size, I'm choosing a 37" unit because it fits in my cabinet perfectly. If I did not have that constraint, I would definitely purchase a 42" as there are many more choices in that size range from more brands. As a point of reference, I own 4 year old Sony Bravia LCD TV also and have been very happy with that TV and brand. If Sony made this size I would have purchased another Sony.
Here are my thoughts on this TV...
Pro's:
- The picture. Stunning. Really great picture. Smooth. Looks at least as good if not better than the Sony in the other room. Great performance on high speed motion shots.
- Menus and navigation. Very intuitive, easy to use and navigate. I haven't had to use the manual once. Easy plug and play.
- Size. Nice and thin. Easy swivel stand. Looks very modern.
- Lots of connections in the back. They are listed on the Amazon product page so I won't repeat here, but pretty much whatever you need is on the back... plenty of HDMI ports, etc. Fast HDMI switching when you go between inputs.
Negatives:
- I think at this price point, some sort of internet connectivity should be included. If this were in the $450 range I'd get it, but at the current price, I'm left thinking this isn't the greatest value.
- Sound. WOW. Most reviewers on most LCD TV's complain about the sound. I assumed that things were getting better and that sound would be at least as good as my four year old Sony. Not so. It's worse. No base and just disappointing sound. I know that most people hook these up to external speakers, but if you're looking for a set where you don't need to do that, you might want to keep shopping.
- The remote. CHEAP. Seriously, the free remote from Comcast is nicer. Come on, Vizio, invest a little in the remote. Most people at this price point and size aren't going to be buying a universal remote I'm guessing. Would be nice to have something better. The buttons are very small, poorly laid out, and do not illuminate. I'll be using my Comcast and Apple TV remotes but be warned, this remote is disappointing.
Overall it feels like this TV should be in the 450 price range and likely I'm guessing it will be promoted down to that once it's been on the market a little while (it's brand new as I'm writing this). Again, I need this for a specific sized cabinet so I'm going to keep it. True, the most important thing is excellent picture, which this TV has, but these days we consumers expect a bit more, like decent sound and a remote that's not so Fisher Price. This reminds me of a TV I'd see in a hotel room. At this price I think you can probably do better.
Hope this is helpful.
UPDATE 6/25... so the "dent" in the front speaker is a design feature!?! Amazon replaced the original unit with another Vizio which has the dent in the same place, right next to the Vizio logo on the front... you can see it on the Amazon page if you zoom into this area. One of my friends described the dent as looking really cheap. I'll have to see if I get used to it but think it's a ridiculous design feature on the speaker in a very visible location.
Update 6/28: I added a modestly-priced Logitech sound system Logitech THX-Certified Speaker System Z623 and I'm really pleased with it... the TV remote adjusts the volume level on the Logitech when plugged into the jack on the back of the TV, and it makes for a nice system with great quality sound.


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May 2011As impressive as it is thin, VIZIO's E370VP 37-inch LED LCD HDTV features full 1080p high-definition resolution, Razor LED backlighting for a great picture and slim design, SRS audio technologies for virtual surround sound and volume smoothing, and energy-efficient operation that exceeds ENERGY STAR 4.1 guidelines. On top of all that, you'll be able to enjoy your JPEG photos from connected USB devices, and no matter what you're watching you'll get a striking 200,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio.
The E370VP proves that a great picture doesn't necessarily mean a huge price tag.

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RCA 22LA45RQD 22-Inches 720p LCD TV -Black Review

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(More customer reviews)I also purchased this TV from Costco on sale for $320.
I'm using this TV in my computer room. It's not my primary TV. Setup was a snap... Hooked up cable, a DVD player, a PS3, and connected my desktop PC DVI->HDMI. HiDef streaming from Netflix on the tv is great. Also the set has a QAM tuner so you can get digital cable without renting the box from the cable company.
I read a few complaints about buzzing from the speakers and was prepared for the worst. Most of the time I run sound from the TV through an optical cable to my Logitech Z-5500 surround sound pc speakers. However I used the built in speakers for the first week I had the set and never once heard the buzz. The speakers sound perfectly fine to me.
The first thing I did when I hooked the TV up to my PC was run Dead Pixel Buddy. My set has no dead/stuck pixels.
Shop around for cables. I wanted one quick so went to Worst Buy. The one HDMI cable I needed was $69. I went online to monoprice and was able to get the same quality cable plus a 15' HDMI, and 20' DVI->HDMI and 15' optical shipped for less than 1/2 of Worst Buys price.

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22 inch LCD Full HD 1080p, + DVD Combo - TunerMode: ATSC, 1 HDMI Input, Resolution: 1920 x 1080, Contrast: 1000:1, Brightness: 300cd/, Response Time: 5ms, Digital 3D Comb Filter, Noise Reduction, DVD/SVCD/VCD/CD/ MP3/JPEG

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