Rating: 
Summary: Great Unit But Be Aware!
Review: If you want to view your dvd's in HD mode, You will have to connect the player using the DVI output.
There is no 720p or 1080i output from the component output jacks.
If you have a DVI input on you monitor, tv or projector, then this is the unit for you.
Rating: 
Summary: comes up short of being spectacular
Review: Pros:- Attractive slim silver chasis with front panel mirror design
- DVI output Cons: - Image in 720p mode shifted to the right; Samsung has yet to release a fix
- 1080i mode outputs snow on Sony and Toshiba DVI/HDCP compatible t.v.'s; models affected were ones
manufactured in March through mid May. Samsung offers a fix.
- Audio out of sync on some players; spoken words do not match up with lips
- Awful virtual 3D surround. Users with just 2 speakers such as their television's are not in for a treat
- No onboard DTS decoding. This would be ok if this model was a low end model but it suppose to be there top of
the line
- Does not play DVD-Audio on models released in the U.S., Canada
- Only a 96kHz/24-bit audio D/A converter. 192kHz is available in other brand's DVD players
- Low audio output. Vocals are hard to hear even using Monster's top of the line THX cables. Users without a home theatre receiver, surround speaker set-up will have to turn their televisions volume up very loud
- Unresponsive remote control has to be pressed two or three times before the unit responds. Remote has poor range and has to be pointed directly at the unit. Buttons on the remote are tiny, cluttered and have an uncomfortable feel - especially the navigating ones for the menu selection
- Same buttons for the slow motion/fast forward/rewind/search features which could cause skipping to the next chapter instead of slow-mo or fast playback
- Eject has to be pressed twice to get the tray to open after powering the unit on
- Very slow scene selection. Wait time can be up to 15 seconds
- Picture shakes erratically between new scenes. This can get in the way of your viewing enjoyment
- Picture quality using component cables exceeds DVI on this unit. From best to worst: 480i, 1080i, 720p, 480p
- 1080i mode not available using component cables a long with Faroudja DCDi™ de-interlacer/scaler
- Picture quality is still grainy in 1080i mode using Monster's top of the line DVI cable. I assume it is not the fault of the cable but the player. Guest's have commented that their progressive 480p picture is more clean, sharp, clear and colorful
- Artifacts visible in all viewing mode's. Stairs and pixelation very evident in 720p and 480p modes
- Screen fit that eliminates the black bars while viewing a widescreen 16x9 format introduces stairs. Sides are also cut off to keep the picture proportional I would not recommend this DVD player since it is plagued with design flaws and its non error free picture play back.
Diffinitely not reccommended for users who plan on using component cables. There are players out there that are less than half the cost which will give you better quality audio and video. If you are looking to make use of your DVI connection and don't mind the problems with the HD-931 then consider this model. Also consider the one from V. The Samsung HD-931 carries a hefty price tag for a unit that only benefits a user with its DVI ouput and comes up short on terms of quality and performance. It would not be suprising to see a drastic price drop.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Design and Great Picture
Review: Just purchased this DVD Player and was amazed that this thing could output DVD's at a higher level than progressive scan and for a reasonable price. I definately think that people with HDTV's with the DVI input should purchase this... the picture is great and so is the design. As mentioned in other reviews however, the unit comes with a [crummy] remote (compared to the unit itself,which is great: you'd think it would come with an awesome remote, but I guess the one it comes with does the job).
Rating:
Summary: Stunning picture quality!!!
Review: I own a '03 Sony XBR direct-view TV, and previous to selling it, a Toshiba progressive scan DVD player. After reading about this player, I knew it would be the best way to take advantage of the sizable investment I made in buying a HDTV given the limited content available. Sure enough, the DVI connection and the high-def capabilities of the Sony XBR created a noticeable improvement even over a progressive scan DVD with high quality connections. I have to say that I'm very impressed especially given the price!
Rating: 
Summary: Great player - Horrible remote
Review: I've been using the HD931 for a little over a week, connected to a 50" Samsung DLP HDTV (HLN507W - outstanding TV!!). Quality of the output is excellent, both video and audio. Menus and options are pretty complete; no complaints there.
The big problem is the remote. It's bad enough that you often have to press buttons *hard* to get a response. Worse, though, is the general design and layout. For example, the same button is used to move to the next chapter (press once) and to scan forward (press and hold; after 2 sec, the player starts to go 2x, then 4x, 8x, etc., and you *try* to release when you get to the scan speed you wanted). One slip and you end up skipping to the next chapter when you only wanted to scan ahead a bit. Of course, there are buttons to skip back or ahead by 10 secs, but these are nowhere near the normal forward and back buttons! Neither is the Step button. Speaking of which, unless I've missed something, you can only step forward, not back; a limitation I would not expect from a player in this price range. And I've saved the worst for last: the Eject button (the LAST thing you want to hit inadvertently) is just above (and easily mistaken for) the "Chapter/Scan forward" button (probably the most used button during casual viewing). Can't tell you how many times I've popped the dang disk out when I just wanted to skip a bit, and had to sit through all of the FBI warnings and intro material before navigating back to where I was. The designers of this remote need to be sent back to Ergonomics 101.
All that aside, the remote is something you can learn to live with; push Play, put down the remote, and enjoy. 4 stars out of 5.
Rating:
Summary: Expensive for what it does, fishy quality
Review: My review unit overheated after about 15 minutes, testimony to the South Korean electronics company's poor quality reputation. I also don't see the point of this expensive gadget. You'll do better by getting a high-quality HDTV from Mitsubishi or Philips with built-in decoders.
Rating: 
Summary: Be careful this Samsung DVD had a lot of technical problems
Review: Here's my experience with this Samsung DVD player and my KF50WE601 Sony RPTV with the DVI input. Samsung used the excellent technology from Faroudja and Silicon Image but the DVI integration is badly done.
The black and white levels are totally crushed on the KF50WE601.
No setting is available in the menu to get adjust this parameter. (called Fullrange on the Faroudja chip)
Also color artifacts are present on the screen (color stain) this is probably related to this color space problem. Those technical problems could be solved by a new firmware, but Samsung Support just ignores their customers. Several of my DVD is not playing back correctly on the HD931, lot of skipping.
I got also a Philips DVD 724 that doesn't show those problems with the same DVD. The overall transport control is very slow and clunky compare to less expensive DVD player. Be really careful before buying this Samsung DVD.
I made the mistake myself by buying this DVD before my new SONY WegaIII and now I'm stuck with it.
In the future I'll think twice before buying Samsung equipment.
Rating:
Summary: No contest : HD931 wins hands down vs. JVC 480P XVN50BK
Review: Summary: if your screen is larger than 32", you need the HD931.
I just upgraded from a 32" jvc tv to a 60" Sony WEGA lcd projector. I connected both the HD931 with DVI cable (5m DVI-D through av-cables.net for $35)and my 9-month old JVC "digital direct" XVN50BK progressive scan player using monster component cable. On good dvd transfers the difference is stunning, but even on mediocre dvds the difference is clearly noticeable. On all dvds the HD931 eliminates stair-stepping and cleans up the image, resulting in more detail and depth. Yes, the remote is somewhat of a pain, and yes, my new Sony stretched most 4:3 dvds even at 480P until I called Samsung and obtained a firmware update that I was aware of only because of another Amazon customer review. All in all, the clear difference in picture is definitely worth the little extra bit of hassle. With sharp dvds the picture is very, very close to HDTV from ~8' away & up.
Rating:
Summary: Still the best DVI player even with the problems
Review: Having now received a new replacement, and after watching DVD's for a few weeks on another player, I got to say: This player has the best picture of any I've seen.
Rating:
Summary: DVD-R does not work well with this player
Review: Even though Samsung claims it can play all burnable DVD media, it does not work very well. I have tried all brands of media and it takes several minutes to half an hour to load a disc. I have also used media burned from different hardware with the same result. The picture on my 60 inch lcd projection using the DVI input looks great, but the remote is terrible and it is unable to play media that works in cheap freebie players. Wait for a DVI enabled player from a good company.
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