Samsung DVD-HD850 Up-Converting DVD Player

• HDMI Output
• Hi-Def Conversion
• EZ View Letter Box Eliminator
• Plays DVD, R/RW, Audio, SVCD
• FLT Display

First, let me say that I actually have a DVD-HD850 connected to a Sharp LC-32D5U (which I also reviewed). My brother has the same DVD player plugged into his Samsung HLN507W (50 inch DLP). I've noticed many reviews (in general) are from people who haven't bought or even seen what they're reviewing. Rest assured; I've been playing with my DVD payer for four days and I've tried everything there is to try.

The Good... HDMI looks great. I played The Matrix simultaneously on my old DVD player and the HD850. All five people who watched thought the HDMI picture looked better. The digital signal gives a noticeably clearer picture. I changed the display when people weren't looking and everyone was able to identify analog vs. digital.

The Bad... All the upconversion stuff is hype. First, I was annoyed by the false advertising of 768p. It turns out to be 1024x768 for using a 4:3 computer monitor, not a 1366x768 16:9 TV like my Sharp. I played The Matrix and toggled all three modes: 480p, 720p and 1080i. They all looked exactly the same. All the gains come from the digital signal, not the upconversion.

As for all the other complaints about the remote and other issues listed in the other reviews... I haven't noticed any of them. I hooked the HDMI cable from the HD850 to my Sharp TV and everything worked from the start. One of the other guys said there were problems with dark scenes. That is probably his TV, not the HD850. My Sharp has the same problem. I ran a THX Optimizer and I can only see 7 of the 10 shades of black. The darkest shades all blend into one color regardless of the color settings on the TV. The Samsung's manual talks about RGB color pallet. It has a selection for full range (0-255), so if you don't see it all on the TV, it's not the DVD player's fault. You could use the analog component video output and get all 10 shades of black (but you'll lose the advantage of the digital output).

A minor problem is that you have to stop the DVD player in order to change modes (component vs. HDMI or different color settings for HDMI). It would be nice to do it on the fly so you can directly compare different modes back to back.

The case does look nice, but I'd prefer black (not enough to pay an extra $50 for the DVD HD950) and I hate the bright blue light that surrounds the power button when the DVD player is turned off.

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I probably can't add much to what others have said about the HD850, but I will throw in my two-cents worth anyway.

I'm not one who picks a component apart trying to find its shortcomings. I go purely by how a particular unit serves my needs and what I see for myself. Comparing the HD850 connected through the HDMI connection to my 50 inch Sony Grand Wega, this player just blows away any progressive scan unit I have ever had utilizing component video hook ups!! That's all there is to it...No comparison!! But I will agree that the newer DVD's available now have a much better digital transfer, which makes this player shine that much better. However, I did notice older DVD's in my collection looked much better with this unit than before, So I know there is something to be said about the up-conversion even though it may not have achieved true HD yet...But believe me, it's getting mighty close!! This unit will require a separate audio connection since the HDMI with this unit DOES NOT support audio...the operating manual makes this quite clear.

We had company drop by one night while watching the second Star Wars...Attack of the clones. These folks were totally blown away at the quality of the video. One person even asked if the TV was a plasma on a HD channel. When I showed them it was a DVD, all I heard was "WOW!!"

For the money, most people will not go wrong with this unit....No, it's not perfect, and will not be the correct choice for everyone...Only YOU can make that decision. But in my opinion, at this point in time, compared with brands who DO NOT provide the HDMI cable with the player, the value provided in the HD850 was a no-brainer for me! Until the new generation HD players hit the market with the new HD DVD's, this unit will serve me just fine!!

Then we can start buying all our favorites all over again in HD!!

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Video via the HDMI is excellent. Audio using the coaxial out is also crisp and clear. Definately an above average player. That said though, I do not see any noticable improvement using either 720p or 1080i settings and HDMI output compared to my other player (Denon DVD-3800) which is using component outs. Television used was a Sony HDTV KD-34XS955 34" WEGA. This player was purchased primarily for the HDMI capability and the DivX playback support I had read about in reviews. However, the version of the DVD-HD850 available in the United States does NOT support DivX/XVID playback. I verified this myself with many file types/settings and double checked with Samsung support.

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It takes a little while to make sure all the connections are right, and I had to add audio L and R cables to the HDMI to get the sound. Overall I am very pleased. Good stong picture, easy to use controls, easy to read manual. It is true that you will not get actual HD but at 480dpi it looks good, 720 it looks a little better, 1080 doesn't change much over 720. The more updated and digital the movie though the better you will notice the upconversion. Recently released animated flicks look nearly 3D. Yes the blue light showing that the unit is plugged in is too bright. In a bedroom or if the box is set where you can see the face even when it is off it may get annoying. In my entertainment center filled with many lights I don't really notice it.

When using this DVD player, some HDMI "hand shaking" problems were discovered. The player has trouble authenticating with the TV if the TV is powered on after the player (when the splash screen should be visible). Block noise has very little filtering; although for an HDMI player of this price range, this is somewhat expected.