18 out of 18 people found this review helpful.
Samsung's Best UP-Converting Player To Date! ALMOST PERFECTION.
Date of Review: Jul 28, 2006
The Bottom Line: BEST UPCONVERTING PLAYER ON THE MARKET FOR PICTURE AND ABILITY TO PLAY FORMATS LIKE DIVX AND PAL, WORKS WITH THE LATEST HDTVS THAT DO 1080p.
The Samsung DVD-HD960 is by every standard the best of a long line of Samsung UP conversion players. This style of player will work only with a HDTV and a DVI or HDMI port/ jack. If you lack those, it will function as a basic DVD player. If you have the correct connections, you can adjust the TV screen resolution much like your PC monitor.
The MORE resolution the better details and picture.
WHAT MAKES THIS BETTER THAN THE PREVIOUS MODEL:
1. Unlike the HD950 which was an excellent player this unit, will do resolutions up to and including 1080p. If you have one of the newest batch of HDTVs that allow a display of 1080p, you can take any DVD and change it from 480p to 720p, and 1080i all the way up to 1080p, which translates into 2X TWICE the detail of a 1080i display.
2. Like some previous Samsung units this player has DCDi, which is a type of chipset that allows your picture to have a more detailed and clear look. This takes away the jagged appearnce on some objects as well as better defines them. HOWEVER in previous units this format was not used to the ability it could deliver. In the HD960 it offers a FANTASTIC picture.
3. Player will play DivX formats, and does so well. A real nice feature for those who like to download and save to CD or DVD. I have had no problems with it playing any format of DivX.
4. Clarity and Flat out better than cable TV HD , can be achieved with this unit and a good compatible HDTV set. The HD960 offers many picture adjustments such a sharpness and color, as well as black level, to achieve a picture that while not true HD, it looks as good and in some cases better. On newer Mastered IN HD, DVDs which you can see on the back on the DVD cover it is AMAZING.
5. NO CHROMO errors and VERY good BLACK PLUGE LEVELS are real PLUS factors. Translated that means that most colors are very true to life, even when shown in higher resolutions. Blacks show details is what having a good black level is all about, instead of watching just a mat black object, you see alot of details in that object. Color is VIVID as well as Natural.
6. Player does well, in the COLOR chromo area, with little of the greenish look that plagues many of the UPconverting players, mainly the earlier models.
7. Plays PAL formats as well. Allowing viewing of European and Australian video. Does a fine job too!
NEGATIVES:
1. I found the remote on the lame side for such a unit, it is feather light, and lacks features that were included on the previous model. BUT this is not enough to take away from all the positive points. I also found it was slightly slower to respond to a change made in the Menu festure, here again the remote works fine, and the unit overall is very responsive, these are minor flaws.
DESIGN:
Samsung for many years has had one of the best looking units outh there, all of the models are clean and modern. The HD960 is both silver and black and rather an evolution of the simple clean design Samsung has become known for. The bright blue power indicator, remains and is adjustable. I've always like the look of Samsung better than the rest, while unimportant in why I rate the unit highly, it still seems to make a nice addition to any Home Theater.
SETUP:
Very Simple on screen setup, as well as basic DVD setup. There are options to achieve the best picture, such as sharpness, contrast etc.. all that lacks is Gamma, which would be a nice addition. NOTE: I do want to mention this player was setup with HDMI as it is made to preform at it's best that way, and take advantage of the ability to UP convert resolutions. All players listed below I have tested I have used the premium connection ability of the unit.
AUDIO: Sound from this unit is above average for either a HDMI connection or via cables. Very Clean and Clear. Follow the instructions and you will have no problems here.
BASICS:
Player offers ALL the standard basic features. ZOOM, Fast Forward, Skip etc..
FINAL RESULTS:
This is the first unit I have tested that I would rate equal to and in many ways Superior to the Panasonic DVD-S97S. Samsung has finally caught up with Panasonic in the ability to use both DCDi and have a many featured ability to ADJUST and Correct ANY DVD picture to suit the viewer, which was always a desirable feature.
Out of the Box, the unit is easy to install, the manual makes common sense, and the factory picture setting is fine, if you are cramped for time.
If you own a 1080p Progressive Scan HDTV, you will be AMAZED what a DVD can really look like. If your TV is 720p or even better 1080i, still this is the best choice, on the market right now, and by far the best for the money.
WHY BUY IT:
Of all the points made if you have the right TV, this is as close to Blu-Ray and HD DVD you can get, AND YOU CAN GET THAT WITH YOUR PRESENT DVD COLLECTION.
NOTES:
DVI HDTV based HDTVs work fine with a DVI/HDMI cord or Converter. Both offer a PURE DIGITAL Connection, for the Video.
Below is a list of players I have used to compare this player with, and have now or have owned.
Panasonic DVD-S97S - HDMI
Panasonic DVD-S77S - HDMI
Denon DVD-955S - DVI & HDMI
Denon DVD-755S - DVI
Samsung DVD-HD931 - DVI
Samsung DVD-HD841 - DVI
Samsung DVD-HD850 - HDMI
Samsung DVD-HD950 - HDMI
Toshiba SD-5960 - HDMI
Toshiba SD-5970 - HDMI
Toshiba SD-5980 - HDMI
Samsung DVD-HD941 - HDMI
Toshiba SD-V592 DVD-VCR Combo - HDMI
Denon DVD-2910 - DVI & HDMI
Denon DVD-3910 - DVI & HDMI
LG LGDVB418 - HDMI
LG DN191H - HDMI
This player was tested on the following TV sets:
Mitsubishi 62" DLP 1080p
Hitachi 60" LCD
SONY 50" LCD
Panasonic Plasma 42" HDTV " plasma will only do 768p
resolution and works fine here!
Panasonic CRT HDTV Widescreen 30" tube
