OK Netflix-ready Blu-ray player, frequent freezing issue

Author's Rating:

Pros: Netflix/Pandora
Good picture quality w/ HDMI cable
Remote control glow-in-the-dark buttons

Cons: Frequently freezes up
No subtitles for Netflix streaming
Sometimes has problems playing older DVDs

The Bottom Line: 
OK for a non-picky user on a budget, a little hassly due to frequent freezing up.

Author's Review
We have owned the Samsung BD P-166 Blu-Ray player for about 16 months now. It was a gift from a cousin who had purchased it for $99 at Best Buy during Holiday sales and decided to get a new one after less than a year due to issues with it freezing up frequently.

I had been contemplating getting a Netflix ready device and when he offered it to me, informing me of the issue which can be fixed by re-booting. I was more than happy to give it a try.

Picture Quality

We had just gotten our first HDTV in 2009, and I was somewhat dissatified with grainy picture quality from our old Sony DVP-NS55P DVD player to the HDTV. This was my first Blu-Ray player and I was immediately impressed with the picture quality. Blu-rays looked amazing and DVD picture quality was a huge improvement.

Freezing Issue

I saw none of the freezing issue my cousin mentioned for a couple of weeks, then it started happening. I soon came to notice that this occurred if I left the player on after a movie or if I paused it too long and the auto shut-off kicked in. I discovered that I had to unplug it for about 10 seconds, then re-plug it in for it to work again.

This is the reason I rate this product 2 stars.

Netflix Streaming

Up till then, we had been streaming Netflix on our Laptop with a VGA cable to the TV. I love the Netflix streaming function on the blu-ray. Navigation is a bit tedious because I have about 100 titles in my instant queue, but about a year later, I discovered I could navigate 5 items at a time using the fast-forward button, which makes things a little easier.

I just wish there were more features such as closed captions (for watching at night when I don't want to disturb anyone).

Pandora

I frequently use the Pandora feature, which I love. Sound is good, it's fairly easy to use. Set-up was a little difficult; I had to email Pandora customer service to change it from my cousin's account to my own.

Updates

Due to numerous online accounts of failures with updates, I have been hesitant to upgrade my player. I figure what capabilities I current have/don't have is better than losing funcationality altogether as a result of a failed update.