Second Time’s (Almost) the Charm

Turning to DVD, The Fifth Element was not quite as sharp as the HD DVDs I watched, but that’s to be expected, and the BD-P1200 allowed it to look as good as DVD can. The scrapes on Korben’s cab were plainly visible, and the crowded skyways looked more three-dimensional than usual. Colors were also beautiful, if not of this world, including Leeloo’s orange hair and diva Plava Laguna’s blue complexion.

Movie soundtracks sounded superb—open and clear, from booming explosions to screeching monkeys. Dialog was intelligible, and music was clean and well-defined.

Conclusion

Overall, I was highly impressed with the BD-P1200’s performance, especially the razor-sharp detail. True, the intermittent crashes and audio drop-outs exhibited by the first review unit did not inspire confidence, but the second unit didn’t have these problems. It seems that Samsung has produced a fine player the second time around. TPV