Samsung BD-P4600 (Blu-ray Players)

Samsung has made the first genuinely stylish Blu-ray player. Step inside to find out if its performance is as good as its looks…

A stylish and perfectly respectable Blu-ray player tarnished by connectivity issues

Ultimately, the Samsung BD-P4600 may be sunk by its price. Sony and Panasonic both have excellent models on the market that cost less and have a more traditional form factor. But that's not to say the BD-P4600 isn't a great player, because it is. We...

Attractive design ; Fast load times ; Easy to use ; Good picture and sound quality

Relatively expensive ; Lack of analogue audio outputs

Alternatives include the new LG BD370, which is cheaper, also has fast load times, and adds the wonderful extra of YouTube access. We also rate the Panasonic DMP-BD35 and Sony BDP-S350 very highly, although the former is tricky to get hold of, because...

Danny finds out why Samsung's BD-P4600 Blu-ray player isn't your average deck.

With the BD-P4600, Samsung has created the most distinctive-looking Blu-ray player to date, with a gorgeous wall-mountable design that will please those who like their players to look as good as the pictures they provide.

Once powered up the BD-P4600s blue display is easy to read from across the room and the touch-sensitive buttons suggest sophistication

Original styling; Slim proportions; Fast disc loading; Good multimedia management

Average DVD scaling; Limited connectivity; No internet features (unlike its competition)

A perfectly reasonable product comprehensively spoiled by connectivity issues

Unique looks ; simple to set up ; vibrant Blu-ray and DVD images

Not the last word in motion tracking ; mediocre sound ; choosy about handshaking with other devices via HDMI

Billed by Samsung as 'the world's slimmest', the 42mm-high BD-P4600 is also the world's first wall-mountable Blu-ray player. Its black glossy finish blends into platinum-grey to complement Samsung's Crystal TV range, and the curvy chassis looks great...

This player has a feature set that bests most of its competitors, including Wi-Fi compatibility with an included USB dongle and 1GB of onboard memory.

Unique design; can be wall-mounted; excellent image quality on Blu-ray movies; Wi-Fi USB dongle included; Netflix and Pandora streaming; superfast operational speed and disc loading; Profile 2.0 compatible; onboard decoding for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD...

Costs more than a PS3; unusual design won't fit all decors; compartment for connectivity is cramped; PC streaming setup is difficult

Samsung's BD-P4600 Blu-ray player is packed with features and its unique design makes it wall-mountable, but most buyers will be better off with the step-down BD-P3600.

Despite its slim build, the BD-P4600 is no slouch when it comes to performance. It has Wi-Fi connectivity via an optional USB dongle accessory, which allows you to connect the player to your home wireless network and then access BD-Live bonus content...

The remote control is simple enough to use, and is your ticket to some classic Samsung menus (see the photos on this page). It's not backlit but it sits easily in your hand. Given how long it is, though, you sometimes need to use both hands to reach...

Quality of Blu-ray images ; (Optional) WiFi; DivX HD and JPEG HD compatible ; Decodes all HD audio formats ; PC streaming mode; fast at recognising Blu-ray discs ; Design; 2 USB ports; energy efficinet

Upscaling DVDs to 1080p ; No image settings like noise reduction available ; Minimal connectivity with no 7.1 channel analogue output ; Noise common for Blu-ray and DVDs; no access to YouTube or Picasa ; It can crash in PC streaming mode or when...

The P4600 is a great concept--and it works! Samsung has put a lot of work into and the result is a player that gives excellent results when playing Blu-ray discs. Turning it into a multimedia hub is a good idea, and extras like DivX HD support are sure...

The primary claim to fame for the BD-P4600 is that it's the first wall-mountable Blu-ray player. But that's far from its only achievement. For a start, its glossy black exterior, thin profile and lozenge-like form factor make for a gobsmacking...

Looks great, built-in BD Live memory, plays DivX HD, USB ports support wi-fi dongles

No multi-channel analog audio or component video, and image quality lags behind the very best