Dateline: 05/26/2015
Samsung always makes a big splash on the TV front, and 2015 continues that tradition. However, a TV doesn't do you any good unless you have some great content to feed into it, and Samsung has added four Blu-ray Disc players for 2015 that can provide great content access, the BD-J5100, BD-J5700, BD-J5900, and BD-J7500.
What The J-Series Provides
As with all Blu-ray Disc players these days, in addition to Blu-ray Disc playback, all four players in Samsung's 2015 line-up also play DVDs and CDs, and are also compatible with additional file formats, including MPEG2/4,AVCHD (v100), AAC, MP3, WMA, MKV, WMV, JPEG, MPO.
All four players also provide an HDMI output for connection to your home theater receiver or TV/video projector. However, it must be point out that, with the exception of the BD-J7500, audio can only be output via HDMI or Digital Coaxial audio connection.
On the other hand, a USB port is provided on all players for access to content stored on flash drives, as well as an Ethernet connection for access to both internet streaming (Netflix, HuluPlus, M-GO, Amazon Instant Video, Vudu, and more via Opera TV Apps) as well as content from DLNA compatible devices, such as network-connected PCs.
Another interesting feature provided on all four players is the ability to rip content from Audio CDs onto a USB flash drive.
Moving Up The Line
The step-up BD-J5700 also provides additional functionality, including built-in WiFi for added network and internet connection convenience, and well as WiFi Direct which enables transfer and sharing of media files between two Wi-Fi-enabled devices (such as the Blu-ray Disc player and a compatible smartphone) without the need for a full network connection.
The next step-up BD-J5900 also provides additional functionality, including 3D Blu-ray Disc playback.
Finally, the top-of-line BD-J7500 adds a second HDMI-audio only output (this is very practical if you have a 3D or 4K Ultra HD TV, but don't have a 3D or 4K-compatible home theater receiver), as well aDigital Optical, rather than digital coaxial audio output, and also provides a set of 5.1/7.1 channel analog audio outputs.
However, that is isn't all, the BD-J7500 also provides, 4K upscaling, a full web browser, Screen Mirroring (Miracast) which allows you to share content that is being displayed on a compatible smartphone or tablet on your TV as well, via the Blu-ray Disc player, and SHAPE multi-room Link compatibility.
On the other hand, what is odd, is that the BD-J7500 includes the Samsung 2014 Apps/Smart Hub platform, instead of the updated Opera TV Apps platform provided on the rest of the J-series Blu-ray Disc players.
In addition to what all of the players do offer, it is also important to point that none of the players provide component, or composite video outputs, and only the BD-J7500 provides analog stereo or 5.1/7.1 channel audio outputs.
The Choice Is Yours
Looking across the entire 4-player line-up, it looks like Samsung is offering something for everyone - the BD-J5100 might be right for those that just want a basic player, for either budgetary reasons or to add Blu-ray to a second room TV.
The BD-J5700 offers up the convenience of Wifi, which eliminates the need for a long ethernet cable connection to your router (provided it is Wifi capable), and if you have a 3D TV, then the BD-J5900 would a good choice.
However, if you want something a little extra, especially if you have a 4K Ultra HD TV, and prefer analog audio connections for listening to audio CDs or movies, then the BD-J76500 might be just what you might prefer.
For more details on the features and specifications of all four players, check out the their respective Official Product Pages (click on the model number):
BD-J5100 ($99.99 - Check Prices)
BD-J5700 ($109.99 - Check Prices)
BD-J5900 ($139.99 - Check Prices)
BD-J7500 ($279.99 - Check Prices)