AVS BR Forum's Samsung BD-C6800 owner/master thread - Page 2

Well you guys, I've owned both the 6800 and now have the 6900 and there are a few subtle differences. About a month ago I bought a Sony 46HX800 which is a 3DTV. So of course I set out to find the best Blu-Ray player to go along with the TV. So I went to Best Buy and stumbled across both the 6800 and 6900. But the 6800 was so new that none of the sales people knew the differences between it and the 69 because Samsung's reps hadn't been in to educate them yet. So I decided I was gonna try both and run them through the paces to see if they were identical like the specs on the box indicated. What I discovered is the 6800 is more identical to the 6500 than the 6900.
First of all, the two players do not have the same scaling chip because the first thing I noticed when I played a regular DVD, was how much better the 6900 looked than the 6800 and any other upconverting player that I've seen (never seen the Oppo in person).
The second thing I noticed right off the bat was the 6900 was alot faster and more responsive browsing through the menus and loading the Internet@TV extras like Netflix and Pandora. The 6800 took on average about 20 seconds longer to load Netflix for me and I was running them off the exact same wireless network and had them located on the exact same spot on my TV stand. It also has a more detailed on-screen display for Pandora that shows album art and a few other quirks.
The 6800 also does not have HULU Plus. I'm sure it'll probably get it sometime in the near future but this feature was important to me because I had just gotten the invite email after waiting a couple months after signing up for the service on my iPhone. Overall, I had both players for about two weeks each and decided the 6900 was worth the extra money and haven't looked back since I returned the 68 last week. If anybody has anymore questions I can gladly answer them....

HiFiFun,

I am a long time subscriber to Home Theater Magazine and David only referenced the Oppo player ONCE I used the player continuously for weeks in my system, and its performance never left me wanting for my reference OPPO BDP-83. The Samsung's 1080p/24 output matches the OPPO's, and whether I chose the internal decoding or bitstreamed the audio to my surround processor, the sound was very impressive. You are reading a lot more than is actually written. What is the whole truth? I own (Oppo BDP-83SE and Samsung BD-C6900) and I have owned enough blu-ray players to know that 1080p/24 output is more alike than different amongst players. However, I'm not the sleuth that you are so I didn't get all that you got out of the article as it relates to the Oppo, since the reviewer was talking about the Samsung other than the TWO sentences relating to the Oppo. (lol) I have the Samsung in my bedroom, because of the streaming capabilities and it is a very good player, but it will not be supplanting the Oppo or my Pioneer Elite 23FD for that matter in my home theater setup.

I respect you opinion as wells as David's, but it is just that an opinion. Instead of people and reviewers posting that something is better how about just saying you prefer one product over another in your setup, because that is the only claim anyone can make. Outside of synthetic tests, which don't always mirror real world; reviewers like David and yourself and I are just individuals with subjective opinions, which some may or may not agree with, but to each his own.

Unfortunately, you, David and I don't get to decide which component is better for the masses. "The Samsung is superior in every category that a consumer cares about." What features do I as a consumer care about?

"it is apparent that his findings match mine." What exactly do you and David agree on?


Willie

Does the 6800/6900 play sacd or dvd-audio?

Why can't someone else take the lead and make the comparison, its not hard to do? Smaller, lighter, less power, half the price, faster load times, Ethernet app, HDMI 1.4. plus 3D. What more do you want? Like better PQ too?

There is also an "audiophile" setting for the sound. Hmmm?
Obviously Oppo was in Samsung sights and in my opinion they took them out.

Their new 700 receiver has accomplished a similar feat, but no-one knows about that either. For best effect the Samsung receiver should be used with the Samsung
6800/6900 player, as HDMI implementations affect the picture and sound quality.
The pair should be auditioned together . I paid $330+250 for the pair, with a 45 days return privilege.
Note that the Panasonic VT25 faster phosphors also contribute the motion based PQ. So my simple system cherry picks the best of the latest technology

I only observed Blu-ray disc with the Samsung, as my Dvd up-conversion is handled by ATI 5750 and Power DVD 10.

My viewing pleasure is so high that broadcast HDTV comes in a distant second to Samsung 6800 Blu-ray playback.

The classic lesson taught here is not to overspend. I should slap myself for spending $919 on the Oppo 83se. Ouch

Lastly does Oppo advertises in Home Theater Magazine. Please don't answer

Thanks very much for your observations! This is the first real comparison between these two players that I've read.

HiFiFun,

What you site in your 1st sentence is mostly true for any player when comparing 2009 models versus 2010. (lol) If those features that you list on 2010 players are important then a prospective buyer should look at the Samsung as well as other players that offer similar features. This would not be either of Oppo’s current models and no player (3D) from 2009.

If Oppo was in Samsung’s sites, then they would have included SACD and DVD-A support. What is it about the Samsung that you think was aimed at the Oppo? The fluff (my word) features of the current Samsung models are available on most of the 2010 models compared to their 2009 counterparts. I personally find nothing about the Samsung that was directly aimed at the Oppo. Now if they updated their warranty from 90 days to 1 year then that would be start towards the Oppo. (lol) This is only my 2nd stint with a Samsung player. I returned the 1st a few years back because of the 90 day warranty and abysmal support from my experience. So far the Samsung 6900 has been solid in my application.

Samsung and “audiophile” in the same sentence brings a smile to my face. Only the person doing the listening can determine the benefit of the “"audiophile" setting in the player. The fact that Samsung refers to it as “audiophile" doesn’t make it "audiophile". (lol) Also, being smaller and lighter could speak to the build quality of the player. If weight was an indicator of build quality, then most of the sub $400.00 players would be considered weak.

I agree with you about not overspending. Most get caught up in brand loyalty or what is perceived as better through someone else’s eyes and ears. Like you I own the Oppo BDP-83SE, but I went the upgrade route since I purchased my player in March 2009. When I upgraded to the SE I needed the improved analog and though I’ve upgraded my AVR to the Marantz SR7002 I still prefer the analog section of the Oppo. What prompted you to buy the Oppo BDP-83SE in the 1st place?

Last, Oppo does advertise in Home Theater Magazine, but I would bet you dollars to donuts that they would be the last manufacturer to expect favors for their advertising dollars.

The bottom line is that any observations that you or I make are purely subjective for our specific setups. I have nothing against the Samsung 6900 that I own and it is doing a fine job in my bedroom. However, for my home theater setup and what my eyes and ears are telling ME it would be the 4th player on my list amongst those available to me. All the features of the Samsung 6900 would be of little benefit to me in my home theater setup, but others may find great benefits in these features.

I highly doubt that a person shopping for the BDP-83 is also considering the Samsung 6900 since they both offer two completely different feature sets beyond blu-ray, DVD and CD playback.


Willie

This ia exactly what I was hoping for...a direct comparison. Thank you! Just to make sure, the 6800 does not have Hulu, but the 6900 does? What about Vudu?

I saw the 5500 and the 6800 today at Costco (about $100 difference). I'm going to buy from them because of their very liberal return policy, and was ready to go for the 6800 because I thought it had the same scaling chip as the 6900...but now, since I don't really care about 3D, and I'll be hard-wired to so I won't need wifi, I guess I'm back to the 5500.

No, the 6800 did not have HULU as of last week when I returned it. But yes it does have VUDU and pretty much all of the other apps the 6900 has to offer. I'll double check to see if theres any others, because to be honest the only app I downloaded other than the ones that were already installed was HULU. I'll also check on that SA-CD question for the guy above. I use my 360/PS3 to stream music over my network so I really didn't pay attention to the CD capabilities of the two players....

No!

For the pastseveral months I've been building small form factor (SFF) HTPC's because the constant component upgrading was droving me nuts (like where am I supposed to put last years junk?) This concept is called a single source component. Once ATI releases 3D drivers a PC can do more and better than any stand-alone component. Adding half-baked DLNA and Internet services is a perfect example of how manufactures string consumers along. A SFF HTPC blows them all away.

So I approached buying a Blu-ray 3D player as a stop-gap measure until ATI releases their 5000 series video card drivers.
But even the best laid plans go to pot, as these Samsung's players beat the latest ATI HTPC. So I'm a bit mad in one way but happy in another!

It reassembles the bits and adds a realism type of polished luster that I've never seen before. It approaches the zenith of making a sampled discrete digital system look like a perfect analog system. The reconstruction is so natural looking it fools the eye.

I auditioned the player on my upstairs system consisting of a JVC front projector and a 46" lcd. At first I split the Samsung 700 receivers output into a 1.3 HDMI splitter. But this lost some of the gains documented.
So I removed the splitter and drove the JVC directly from the Samsung receiver. (Remember HDMI 1.3 added active equalization for driving different lengths of HDMI cable, now second generations 1.4 chips probably do it right).

So there you have it, a state of the art playback system for $350 + 250.

For legacy formats I will still use my Oppo for the occasional SACD playback (as Power DVD 10 handles DVD-Audio).

Which audio DACs does 6900 have? For guys like us who also care about the audio side of things the Samsung is probably still a step behind Oppo on this one.

Not to mention the 6900 isn't exactly "cheap" either.

Well, I came home tonight with the 6800 ($249 at Costco), and now I'm in need of some help with which settings to choose for both audio and video. Will anyone please share their 6800, 6900, 6500, or 5500 audio and video settings?

Here's what I'm connecting to:
HDTV: Sony KDS-60A3000 (1080p native res; 24p)
Receiver: Denon AVR-3808CI (HDMI 1.3; decodes Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD MA, etc.)

I use the Denon to do all the HDMI switching, so the 6800 connects to the Denon 3808, and 3808 connects to the TV.

For video, I'd like to set the 6800 to automatically send 1080/24p for BD, and to automatically upconvert for DVD. Can both of these settings exist simultaneously? In Progressive Mode, is the "Auto" setting the right one to use or do you set it to 1080p so the player upconverts DVDs?

As for Audio, since both the 6800 and the Denon 3808 can decode all the main audio formats, I'm not sure whether to set the 6800 to send Bitstream or PCM?

Big Box has the 6800 on sale this week for 229 which truly is a best buy.

My guess is the 6800 offers some refinements over the 6900 as it was introduced later. Nothing else makes sense, as this is not the typical warehouse model to prevent price comparisons.

This Samsung 6800 player and the Samsung 700 all-digital receiver combination has allowed me to compare against HTPC based Blu-ray playback. Why? The bar has been raised, as the Samung are superbly engineered. They offer the best picture and sound quality with no flaws.

But what about HTPCs for Blu-ray? They too can be excellent - some are and some aren't. My Gateway SX2840 imparts an edge (the usual RFI/EMI) into the sound. Another home built HTPC with an Antec active power factor correction power supply is almost equal to the Samsung combination.
Then there is the piracy fight over blu-ray. Even if your system is HDCP compliant, Power Dvd can falsely state it isn't (with some disks). As a result I'm forced to use AnyDvd to defeat the paranoid Fox stupidity. Then there is the manual switching to 24Hz playback then back to 60Hz afterwards.

The point is the Samsung 6800 way more convenient with reference picture and sound quality. It hard to screw up with incorrect settings. Just try getting a HTPC to perform optimally.

Now I've got to go replace the spewing SX2840 power supply to bring its performance up to acceptable standards.

Hello all,
Just entered the world of BR after moving my HD-DVD player to the rear projection unit. The main reason for getting this unit is to be able to watch my .MOV (H.264) 1280x720P HD files from my Cannon camera. However, the the 6800 does not even show the .MOV files when I go into the "Video" menu on the BD player. I tried converting to some other extensions using "Super" and nothing seems to work. Please advise any suggestions....

Everything is hooked up correctly via WIFI.

HHGregg has it for $199 this week and i price matched with BB.

Does anyone have an answer for my above post?

Remarkable.

What we are witnessing is predator Samsung targeting Sony's 3D "ready" players, which are around $200. Its not very often that I feel sorry for Sony, but Samsung is after the 3D technology crown, and at any expense.

In comparison the $400-429 Panasonic players can't even track a 3D disc - among other issues.

To wit: Costco still has the 6800 at $249!

Who can even consider the 6900?

Again one amazing competition where consumers benefit.

This is why HTPC exist.

I got it to work FLAWLESSLY after doing the following. First my set up:

-Verizon Fios with Actiontec wireless "G" Router. BD-C6800 Samsung BD (latest upgrade) player and Samsung PC Connect. I have a Home Built PC with an AMD 3800+ (2.9 Ghz) with Nvidia 9800 video card. 500 GB Hard Drive and Windows XP SP3.

The BD player is about 15' from the router and hooked up wirelessly. My Tv is a Samsung 46A650 Via HDMI direct. I used a free program called "Super" and converted my HD (1280x720P) H.264 to M2TS and AAC sound. After conversion I changed the extension to .MP4, refreshed the Samsung PC Connect.

Outcome: Flawless video with no loss of PQ, no "jerkiness" or errors. I am in the process of converting another (larger) file to be sure... I will keep you advised.

Bought one of these last night. My first BR and I must say, I am happy! I will now be willing to watch Standard DVDs as the PQ is very close to Fios HD. I have a make sift front projection setup and it is only 720p but the BP was a nice up grade! I was really worried about slow disk loading after all the reading about BR player.. but to my supprise, the disk loads fast (not instantly) but fast enough not to be an issue.
The 1 complaint I have after initial setup are internet related.
There are no apps to access free internet video other than youtub..
ABC.com would have been a better choice.. I would hope more apps will be added as time goes by. Oh.. and we are old farts.. so the cell phone texting style interface sucks for us! BTW the firmware upgrade went smoothly after the network was configured

As other people noted, the 6800 is the 6500 +3D, not the 6900 in another form. The 6900 has better processing so that it is faster than the 6500/6800 and has better upscaling. I own the 6500, but would love to have the 6900 in the 6500 form factor. However, the 6800 is not that.

In case anyone is wondering I just spoke with Samsung. The Hulu App is currently only available on the C6900. However, it will be available on all 3D models in the near future.

I imagine the reasoning here is that the C6900 is a test bed for it to make sure it works, and then they'll roll it out to the others.

FYI.

Well, I picked up the 6800 on sale at Costco for $199 a couple of weeks ago, and the unit has performed admirably. I got it to replace a 3-year old Panny BD-30 for two reasons...the unbelievably long time it took the Panny to load and play a bd disc drove us nuts, and we wanted to play around with the Sammy's internet apps.

So far, the 6800 has flawlessly played every disc we've thrown at it...BDs and DVDs, including Netflix rentals. The one thing that caught my eye was that a couple of the upconverted DVDs didn't look that great, which leads me to believe that the old Panny may have done a better job of upconverting (I haven't bothered reconnecting the old Panny for comparison).

As for the internet apps, so far we've only used Netflix and Pandora (set up Vudu, too, but haven't streamed anything yet), and both have worked perfectly via a cat6 wired network connection.

The Netflix streaming quality has been pretty good, and the app itself is ok. However, in my opinion, it's not as good as Netflix on my son's Xbox 360 in another room. The Netflix app on the 360 allows you to browse and add content to your queue...the 6800 Netflix app does not (you must use your computer to add titles to your queue). Also, the Netflix "HD" pq looks more like a good DVD through the 6800 via HDMI on my 60" HDTV. In the other room, Netflix content appears to look much better through the Xbox, which is connected via component video to a 40" HDTV. Of course, this may have more to do with the different TVs than anything else.

Anyway, that's it for now. I'll report back as I get some time with the 6800.

I suspect the BD-C6800 probably has the same video processor as the BD-C5900 -- which is to say the Broadcom BCM7633YKFEBG. Looking at the PCB of my BD-C5900 (having opened it up completely), I see it says at the bottom (towards the front of the unit): BD-C5900/C6800 BCM7633 Rev 01 2010-04.

I currently have the Sony S570/Sx57 and while I like the PQ and speed, I'm not very happy with the lack of divx and the silly requirement for the USB to be Fat32. Now that Costco lowered the price on the 6800 I was thinking of trading in to get it. I looked at the manual and found something puzzling- it says that the 6800 supports thumb drives but doesn't support external HDD's. Anyone able to connect an external HD to it?

Deciding between the Sonys and a Samsung is a tough one, with trade offs either way. I really must keep my Samsung because of its wider compatibility with various formats but I like pretty much everything else about the Sony. Unfortunately, I simply cannot be straight-jacketed, so I make do with the Samsung. Things I'd like to see Samsung improve upon: PQ in the sub-6900 line of players, 24p output of DVDs as a selectable option, Sony-like orientation of the buttons so that pushing on them doesn't push back the (very light) player, 15 second advance/rewind with a solitary discrete push of a button on the remote (being limited to 1.5x/2x/etc. forward/reverse scanning crimps my style) and probably a few more things I simply don't have time at this instant to go over.

Just wondering what the issues is with the PQ. Have no other BP to compare it to, and it looks better than fios HD. I am watching on a 720P DLP projector with a small 65" screen. I guess if I had a 1080p display and a real screen with no scaling going on it would be more important, but I am still curious as to what is lacking in the PQ of sub 6900 modles.
Thanks!

i just ordered a new Samsung tv and they are sending me a BD-C6800 for free.

should a stick with my ps3 for the new TV and use this to replace the BD-P2500 in my bedroom... or should i use this instead of my ps3??

Your new tv probably has more than on HDMI ports, get 2 cables, 2 dvds and 2 BR of the same move, and do a head to head test. Find different sens of bright, dark and detailed colorful sens and compare the 2 players with all picture enhancements in the players set to off.
Let your eye be the judge of which is best. If you can not tell, then use the one that you like the best (interface wise) where you use the player the most.
Wish I had something to compare the 6800 to...

Howdy,

After purchasing a Vizio XVT553SV from Costco, I picked up the Samsung c6800 player. Very nice match.

Just picked this up on a whim at Costco. Mainly for the 3D ready and what appeared to be 7.1 outputs on the box (no display model). Price was $189 and I remarked to my better half that it seemed odd that a player would feature the audio outputs and be 3D ready for the price - nevertheless it was true. Good return policy at Costco meant it wasn't much of a gamble.

Got it connected tonight. Haven't messed with it much other than Netflix (prefer the 360's setup), Pandora - solid, and testing out the streaming. It managed a near 12GB mkv without any issue (connected via 10/100 ethernet cable).

Overall I like what I see so far. Nice menu, orientation etc...I'll report back when I've had a chance to play with it some more.