The BD-C5500 is a new entry-level Blu-ray player from Samsung. It has a price list of less than $ 180.00. But don’t let this fool you into thinking that this Blu-ray player is somehow inferior or lacks some of the newer features. The BD-C550 offers online streaming services, wireless Internet capability, internal memory, and excellent video and audio.
As with all 2010 Samsung Blu-ray players, the BD-C5500 meets all Energy Star 4.0 guidelines. It also has low power consumption: 13 watts during playback; .1 watts in standby mode. This low power consumption cannot be found in the more expensive BD-C6500. The Blu-ray player design also follows Samsung’s newer models, it has a slim (39mm) look with a high-tech glossy black finish. There is a drop down panel on the front that hides the disc loading tray.
Video quality: Video quality is excellent on the BD-C5500 when playing Blu-ray discs. Provides a full 1080p display on the corresponding HDTV. Video connections are located on the rear and consist of HDMI, Component and Composite video outputs.
Audio quality: You won’t find as many audio connections on the BD-C5500 as on higher-level players. (There are no analog 7.1 outputs) It has the following: HDMI, analog audio outputs (2.0ch) and optical digital audio outputs. But it has internal audio decoders for Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital, DTS-HD decoder, Dolby Digital Plus. Demonstrating great high resolution sound.
A nice feature of the BD-C5500 is the Internet @ TV function. This gives you streaming content and downloadable apps like Netflix, BLOCKBUSTER, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Flickr, Pandora, and many more. The firmware update in the future will provide even more content. This Blu-ray player is Profile 2.0, so it can handle BD-Live content found on Blu-ray Disc. It gives you access to online material such as movie trailers, movie scenes, chat rooms, live commentary, trivia games, and much more.
Of course, to take advantage of these online features, you will need to be connected to the Internet. The BD-C5500 has an Ethernet connection located on the back of the player or it can be connected wirelessly through a USB port. To do this, you would need a LAN adapter that is sold separately. You can also connect to a home network. Then use the AllShare function. This allows video and audio content from your computer to be streamed to the Blu-Ray player (either wirelessly or via the Ethernet connection). You can then view this content directly on your TV.
THE PROFESSIONALS: The Samsung BD-C5500 has excellent image and audio quality. It has a low power consumption. It supports Wi-Fi and has 1GB of internal memory. Supports online media services such as content from Netflix, Pandora, Vudu, Blockbuster, and Twitter); and it is also DLNA compliant.
THE CONS: Without built-in Wi-Fi, a USB adapter is required to be wireless. You have to wait for some online applications to be available via firmware updates.
THE FINAL WORD: The Samsung BD-C5500 is a very good entry-level Blu-ray player. It has 1GB of internal memory, making it easy to access BD-Live content. It has online streaming services and also supports DLNA. For a very reasonable price, you get a very competent Blu-ray player. Price to look for when buying: less than $ 170.00.