Samsung DVD-P401 Progressive-Scan DVD Player

Having just purchased a Samsung Digital TV (Tantus Dynaflat, 27"), I wanted to take advantage of the progressive scan and 4:3 pulldown ability. The logical choice was to purchase a Samsung VCR with these attributes (to maintain remote compatibility, etc.). DVD players on the market are strikingly similar... and most often, you do truly get what you pay for. This Samsung has been a startling exception. [the money] for a DVD player with 4:3 pulldown and progressive scan? Amazing! However, enough about the theory... how did it work in practice? After hooking up the player to the Digital TV and then via a switch on the back of the player enabling 480p, the 480-line progressive scan mode, the picture clarity jumped from the run-of-the-mill DVD we're all used to, to something more resembling film quality (See the explanation on 4:3 pulldown in the manufacturer's comments). Putting this DVD player through its paces meant pulling out a DVD from my collection which looked like, on the playing surface, someone used it to sharpen cutlery. This copy of "The Matrix" has more scratches on it than a prison wall- which makes it a good test for the dual-laser pickup. Most DVD players skip badly on this DVD; my second-generation Sony DVP-S530D even refuses to play certain chapters. The Samsung DVD-P401 did not hesitate, skip, or give any indication it was not dealing with less-than-pristine media. As a DVD player, it delivers more than expected, and much more adequately than many other DVD players which cost twice as much. .... This is a great little player at any price- and at [the price], the bang-for-buck-ometer is off the charts. Read more

First of all, one of my selection criteria was I had 3 1/4 slot to put this in. The specifications said" Slimline - 2.6 inches tall". Reality - it is 3.375 inches tall. Must be using a different kind of ruler... Now the design specifics: * Very slow to load disks compared to my Sony downstairs - on the order of magnitude level. * Frequently hangs up when playing CDs. Seems to be the first time through the CD after waking up. The solution is open the drawer and close it again. Doesn't even error-correct, just sits there and clicks the stepper motor. * The remote control is awkward to use, especially if lights are low. For example: The big arrow buttons don't change the volume, you have to hit a tiny volume mode button that's mixed in with two rows of identically sized and shaped buttons. Then you can change the volume. But make sure to get it right, the volume mode times out and you'll have to find that little button again... I could go on and on, I hate thoughtless bad design, but I have other things to do... Read more

Despite what one reviewer has said I have had success playing mp3s from a CD-R on this unit. Read more

I first got this DVD player as a present back in September of 2003 and it still works great. I also bought new gold plugs for it last May and I must say with those you get the best picture and sound available for your tv when using this player. I always hook my Sony V600s up to the tv in order to listen to music and watch movies without any outside distractions. The way cds sound is absolutely fantastic almost the exact same way it could be heard in a studio it sounds so clear.I never knew I could get so much great sound and picture out of a little Sylvania tv and I have this great device to thank for it. I havent had any problems with it so far but if I do I'll clean the lens. Read more

We bought this as our first DVD player. We thought Samsung was a reliable brand plus it had good reviews on a few sites. At first it was great then slowly we started to have problems. Last year we started noticing pixelation on some scenes but we blew it off as just something on the disc (dust, dog hair, etc...). Then it started doing it on brand new DVDs & everything went down hill from there. Now it skips scenes, freezes up and continues to pixel on scenes. Very frustrating! Sometimes it works perfect, other times you have to restart three or four times just to get the movie going. Of course the warrenty is expired & there isn't anything we can do except take it to "an authorized dealer". (Yeah, right!) We got 3 years worth of viewing out of it, but I was hoping for quite a few more. Read more

I was looking for an inexpensive DVD player with Progressive Scan and MP3 support. I found it in the Samsung P401 PRO's 1. The unit is the good looking, and has execllent video & audio output. 2. I have played 5 DVDs and had no issue at all. 3. The Video, SVideo, and Component Video outputs all performed as advertised. 4. The zoom (2X & 4X) functioned properly and responsively. 5. I had zero issues with the load times (unlike others experience) 6. MP3's play well, but Samsung needs to improve its funtionality and documentation (see CON's). 7. Added Bonus Feature - N-2-2 Spatializer 3D sound option adds dimension to two speaker stereo set ups and functioned well. CON's 1. The manual is very short, and doesn't provide a lot of detail about the advanced features (doesn't explain the features well enough). 2. The manual doesn't mention the MP3 capability of the player, with one very small exception (a brief "Note" on p.6 General Features It states that to make sure that your MP3's are recorded at a bit rate of 128Kbps or greater, and that if your MP3's are recorded with Varible Bite Rate (VBR) that your sound may come and go. (My VBR MP3's ran fine)) Other than that the manual doesn't mention MP3 capability at all. One last note on MP3 capability there doesn't seem to be a way to randomize MP3 playback (hopefully Samsung will add this when they do a firmware update), and song titles are limited to 8 characters. 3. Remote control is smallish, and is not backlit. Otherwise this is a great player, and in my opinion a great value for a Progressive Scan player. J. Murphy Read more