Samsung BD-P1000 Blu-Ray Disc Player
Samsung Blue-Ray Thoughts
Interesting thoughts by the other readers listed here on Amazon.  However, don't believe them.  First of all, the Betamax and VHS thing isn't relevent.  Betamax lost and VHS won not because VHS was better -- it wasn't -- but because of VHS marketing superiority and because of the movie studios behind VHS.<br /><br />In the case of Blue-Ray, it is technically superior and because Sony has a history of bad moves with formats, I was tempted to pick any direction rather than back Sony; for example, going to HD DVD.  But HD DVD will lose for the same reasons Betamax lost -- this is about studio backing.  Level-headed people will see that HD DVD will not win.<br /><br />Now for the player itself:  Don't believe those readers that talk about the Samsung Blue-Ray unit but either don't really have one, or if they do, they are playing it on a 1080i monitor instead of a 1080p screen.  Yes, those HD DVD folks running 1080i will look at the 1080p Samsung on a 1080i screen and think it isn't worth the money.<br /><br />But, instead I suggest one talk the 1080p Samsung and run it on a 1080p monitor like Samsung's new screen or the HP 5800 I run in my home.  Stunning!!!  Worth the money!!  You 1080i folks just don't get it because you are comparing 1080i against 1080p but you don;t have a 1080p to compare it on!!!  As an analogy, take a regular DVD unit and turn off the progressive scan and watch a movie at 480i instead of 480p.  Get the picture?<br /><br />The Samsung Blue-Ray and the upcoming Sony units are not about seeing DVD in Hi-Definition.  They are about going BEYOND high-definition.  Very few people have 1080p screens; therefore, very few people can can take the Samsung Blue-Ray 1080p unit and appreciate its promise.  The reader needs to understand this in the context of all these ridiculous reviews here on Amazon.<br /><br />Tom