Samsung BD-P3600 was considered one of the best Blu-ray Players of 2009. It is loaded with great features such as Online Streaming Media Services, WI-Fi capable, on board memory and much more. Find out all the features and function and judge for yourself it this is the right Blu-ray player for you.
Samsung BD-P3600 has everything a good Blu-ray Player should have. Launched in 2009,
the BD-P3600 has excellent audio and video quality and comes loaded with extra features. It has very fast operational and disc loading speed, Online Streaming Media Services, 7.1 analog outputs, 1 GB of internal memory, Wi-Fi capability and much more. One of its biggest draw backs was its high listing price of $400.00. That has since changed and should be able to located the BD-P3600 for under $300.00.
The BD-P3600 has a distinctly unique design with round corners and a glossy black finish. It looks different from any other Blu-ray Player you have come across. The disc tray is located on the left side. There are no buttons on the front panel of the player. The player's button controls are on top of the player on the right side. They are touch sensitive, giving the player a high tech feel but can be inconvenient since you will not be able to put any other devices on top. A USB Port can be found by opening a little door directly below the controls. All other connection can be found on the back of the Blu-ray Player.
Video Quality: You can connect the BD-P3600 via the HDMI Output, the Composite Outputs, the Component Outputs or a S-Video Output. The HDMI is capable of Full HD 1080p/24 video playback. Samsung abandoned the HQV processing which was very successful in its BD-P2500 Blu-ray Player. Instead it used the Video Quality Enhancement (VQE) video processing engine which Samsung says improves the quality of the picture, adjusts brightness while reducing shaking, flickering and other visual “noises” that can occur. When tested by experts the BD-P3600 passed all levels of visual quality on both DVDs and Blu-ray discs.
Audio Quality: Audio for the BD-P3600 can be connected through the HDMI Output, Digital Outputs (Coaxial, Optical) or through the Analog Outputs. Because the BD-P3600 has 7.1 Analog Outputs, you can still take advantage of the high-resolution formats if you have an older Audio/Video receiver without a HDMI input. It has internal audio decoding for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. This means it will decode the audio formats to be played back on almost any HDMI Audio/Video receiver. Bitstream outputs is supported as well if you want your Audio/Video receiver to do the decoding.
The BD-P3600 also has an Ethernet Port and USB Port located on the back of the player. With the Ethernet Port you can connect to the internet and access BD-Live content found on many Blu-ray Discs. Samsung has conveniently added 1 GB of internal storage, therefore you do not need to connect any external storage devices to download this BD-Live content. If you do not want to use the Ethernet Port you can connect to the internet using the USB Wi-Fi dongle that comes with the BD-P3600. This is a great extra bonus, since you would normally have to pay about $80.00 for this Samsung dongle.
Once connected to the internet you can access Online Streaming Media Services to view movies, videos, music, photos, etc. Services include Netflix, Blockbuster On Demand, Youtube and Pandora. It is also possible to connect to your Home Network to stream content stored on a connected computer. Files that support this feature are MP3, JPEG and Divx. The setup process to use this feature is not easy. Be prepared to spend some time to get the PC Streaming working correctly. You do have the option of using a USB drive to play these files back on the BD-P3600.
THE PROS: The Samsung BD-P3600 has excellent picture quality with Blu-ray Disc playback. It is Wi-Fi 'Ready' with a USB dongle included. It has Online Streaming Media Services such as Netflix and YouTube. Has very fast operational speeds and disc loading times. BD-Live content is easier to access with 1GB of internal memory. There is internal audio decoding for DTS-HD Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD. It has 7.1 analog outputs. The BD-P3600 is also DLNA compliant.
THE CONS: Consumers may not like the front panel controls being located on top of the Blu-ray Player. Setting up data streaming from the PC is not simple and can take some time to setup.
THE FINAL WORD: The Samsung BD-P3600 does not have the HQV Reon-VX video processing solution but still has great image and audio quality with lightening fast operational and disc loading speed. An abundance of connectivity options. As well as Online Streaming Media Services. The Samsung BD-P3600 Blu-ray Player is a perfect option to meet all your High Definition needs. Many experts consider the BD-P3600 to be one of the best Blu-ray Players. -- Price you should look for when purchasing -- Under $300.00
