What's the reputation of the company trading off CC's name now?

#1 - Wondering the same thing. Although, I've got non-refub version of this model and like it so far. Haven't had a problem playing a BluRay yet, except for a scratched Netflix.

To answer #1, Circuit City, CompUSA name is now owned by TigerDirect. I know a lot of people have a bad view of TigerDirect, but they are actually a pretty good company these days. As for the Samsung player, it is a great deal, I bought this player at Samsclub for $128, plays blu-ray beautifully, but the real reason to get this player is Netflix streaming movies. Netflix "watch instantly" movies look great on this player, many titles available in HD, something you can't get when watching Netflix movies on a computer. I liked this player so much I bought another to attach to my bedroom TV, mainly for the Netflix streaming feature. You will need a wired network connection to use streaming Netflix and Pandora. You can buy a wireless dongle from Samsung, but it is about $70 extra. This player supports HD audio, blu-ray looks great, DVD upscale is OK, but not great. For $100, you can't go wrong. The reasons that these were returned have all been fixed by latest firmware update. I say go for it!

#3: So, is the firmware solid now? I've been eyeing this model for a while, but the common problem seems to be flaky firmware.

Also, how does it handle "imperfect" discs, like those you get from Netflix which have been watched many times? Any freezing/skipping/annoying lock ups on the minor scratches?

I've had it lock up only once on a bad Netflix disc, but it was a deep scratch. Just wish Netflix pushed out surround audio with the streaming. Annoying to go from nice HD audio from a BluRay to stereo only with streaming.

Bought this off tigerdirect about a month ago as a refurb, so it's probably from the same stockpile as this. The unit works great. Streams netflix in HD if your network has the capability and has so far handled netflix disc's just fine. It does get a little twitchy on dvd's burned from .iso's if they're not perfectly clean. Overall, I'd recommend it, especially if you hook it up to a Samsung TV. The anynet+ and BDwise stuff work well.

My son has one and it's never faltered. Especially good at streaming Netflix. Now there's no reason to leave the house except for food and maybe prophylactics.

You can usually buy this brand new at Sam's club or Walmart for around $130. So you are only saving $30 and getting a refurb. I'd rather pay a little more to get new and not deal with TigerDirect.

$138 at walmart.com, but you pay tax, too. I bought this last night (from TD) and will be getting a 3rd party 2yr warranty for around $20.