This is a common complaint among these early generation HD disc players. The new Samsung BD-1400 is a 3rd generation model announced that is specifically rumored to address these slow disc start times and may start playback in just a few seconds - but it isn't due out for a while yet (fall or later).
The PS3, of course, remains one of the strongest players on the market with fast load times, wi-fi built in for updates, and a full feature set for output... and, oh yeah, it plays games... at a relatively inexpensive price point.
Of course, no IR or serial control leaves it out of most complex systems as the main player.