[Mobius]

As a happy HD DVD (HD-XA1 & 360 add-on) owner I was interested in obtaining the player that was considered one of the best out there for SD DVD playback, the HD-XA2. I felt that the timing was right as the price was coming down and I could put the HD-XA1 in the bedroom system etc...

Then one day the guys at the Secrets of Home Theater page put out their popular DVD benchmark on the Samsung BD-P1200. It scored (basically) the exact same as the HD-XA2 for DVD playback and was getting great reviews for its Blu-Ray performance. A few weeks later the price was now dropping on the Samsung online and Best Buy happened to have a deal of picking any 4 Blu-Rays with the purchase of the BD-P1200. I was able to price match the online price + get the 4 Blu-Rays which at the time was an incredible deal for this player as it was still hard to find in store.

The Secrets tests really made me think about picking up my 4th HD-DVD player (I had sold 1 to a buddy) or for a little less money, I could get my 1st Blu-Ray player in the BD-P1200 which had the SD DVD performance I was looking for and would enable me to get any HD movie I desired. I have been very happy with the Samsung so much so I am really considering getting the BD-UP5000 later on this year. I think it will be a great player and since my collection continues to grow with both formats, I think my next player should be a dual format one.