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Because the Blu-ray player is Profile 2.0 you can access BD Live extras, but it also supports YouTube video streaming as found on LG’s standalone BD370. The feature isn’t found on the first batch of systems but a later firmware update will enable it. Starting with the system’s sound performance, we gave it a run out with the ”Iron Man” Blu-ray disc and although we can’t pretend that the two channels do justice to its scintillating Dolby TrueHD soundtrack, you can certainly hear the high calibre of the speakers.
Picture Detail was a mixed bag, the grass was soft and a little twitchy and the stairs lost all their definition about halfway up, but the bridge and the statue looked fine. All of the Noise Reduction shots were at least a little, well, noisy, some very much so, with most of the images lacking genuine, natural detail. With Motion Adaptive Noise Reduction, the sky was noisy and in general the picture lacked detail.
Made for iPod and iPhone
Netflix and Pandora StreamingWith built-in Ethernet or WiFi connections, the Samsung HT-BD8200 provides instant access to Netflix and Pandora services to add more entertainment possibilities. When you purchase an item using our links, we may earn an affiliate commission. At the center of the HT-BD8200 unit is a compact, wonderfully featured Blu-ray player. Elsewhere on the feature list is Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus and DTS HD Master Audio decoding, the impact of which will no doubt be reduced by the 2.1-channel configuration but you should be able to hear the increased sonic resolution offered by these formats. Alternatives include the Samsung HT-BD8200 and the HT-BD1250 (standard 5.1-channel design), which--aside from their different designs--offer the same basic feature sets.
The argument is, of course, that not everyone has the space, budget or desire to incorporate a 7.1 or even a 5.1-channel system into their home, and a three-channel system is a great way of upgrading from tinny TV speakers without encroaching on precious living room space. All LG Blu-ray home cinema systems and Blu-ray players come complete with Dolby and DTS High Definition decoders to produce uncompressed high quality sound. On the rear of the slim, gloss black Blu-ray player is a host of ins and outs that include HDMI switching , Component video and Composite video, both optical and analogue audio, and a slot for attaching an add-on iPod dock.
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So it’s not actually a home cinema system, though it does boost the sound from any flatscreen TV. USB Host PlayThe USB Host Play function allows direct playback of multimedia files from your USB devices without the need for a PC. High Fidelity SoundWith the integrated Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD, DTS, Dolby Digital and Dolby Digital Plus decoders, enjoy ultra-realistic HD surround sound like it was meant to be. The player can also upconvert standard-definition DVD to a full 1080p output, which is exactly what we did with our HQV demo DVD. On the Color Bar/Vertical Detail test, the tiny white lines were clearly visible without flicker, although the color bar was not particularly smooth in its transition from dark to light.
The main reason to choose the HT-C6200 over a £100 Blu-ray player is, of course, for cinema sound. Although the machine can decode the Blu-ray HD audio formats - Dolby True HD and DTS HD Master Audio - you’d best forget 5.1 sound effects. The system’s two speakers can deliver stereo only - its quasi-surround mode is less than successful. Instead a DPS button on the remote supplies modes for Smart Sound , Power Bass (initially frighteningly boomy - especially with action movies) - and a superb MP3 Enhancer that audibly lifts lo-res music.
1 Blu-ray Home Theater System delivers virtual 7.1 sound
JPEG photos and MP3 and WMA music files can be played from a USB stick or streamed from a computer. For the technical answer, I fired up our trusty HQV demo discs, starting with Blu-ray at 1080p output. On HD Noise Reduction, the HT-BD8200 delivered very good image detail but definite noise as well, on both the flowers and the sailboat segments. In terms of Video Resolution, the fine horizontal lines in the corner boxes were evident, proving full resolution processing. But the Stadium portion of the exam displayed a general noise in the upper deck, giving way to definite moiré on the right side near the end of the panning shot. Bought individually you can find this pairing online for around £100 more, so you save money as well as enjoying the added convenience of getting everything you need in one hit.
The HT-X710T was one of Samsung's funkier home theater products of 2008, a 2.1-style home theater system with a tapered, wall-mountable DVD player head unit. It's also Wi-Fi-ready, but you'll need to invest in a separate USB 802.11n dongle, or stick with wired Ethernet connectivity instead. Other niceties include an iPod dock and the ability to stream audio from A2DP-compatible Bluetooth audio devices, such as music phones. Like the other Blu-ray home-theater-in-a-box systems in Samsung's 2009 lineup, the HT-BD7200 also includes a "green-friendly" kelp-based subwoofer. Sporting a sleek and compact form factor, the SC-BTX70 is a 2.1 system delivers realistic virtual 7.1 channel sound dispersed through a wide listening area. Panasonic’s advanced proprietary surround technology delivers Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD virtual 7.1-channel surround sound.
Bose Lifestyle 48 Series IV - DVD Home 5.1 Heimkino-System mit HDMI Komplett Zub
The front speakers are gorgeous, with a glossy black finish and oval shape that will attract plenty of attention. Each one is perched on a silver horseshoe-shaped stand and plugs into the back of the main unit using flimsy springclip terminals, another sign of all-in-one cost cutting. As for the subwoofer, the matching gloss-black finish makes it look fine from a distance but on closer inspection it’s worryingly light and hollow – although at least it’s sensibly mounted on rubber feet to minimise vibration. But these issues aside, the speakers display impressive finesse with the other sonic elements and music playback is a treat.
BD-Live 2.0 CompliantThe Samsung HT-BD8200 supports BD-Video Final Standard Profile 2.0, a new version of the Blu-ray standard that adds a variety of enhanced features such as downloads video, games and more, and even chats with friends when watching the same movie. The system is easy to use thanks to the superb interface, which revolves around the eye-catching Home menu – your central access point for all supported media. It offers a choice of Movie, Music, Photo and Setup and each one is represented by a full-colour graphic. The remote is thoughtfully laid out with large icons drawing attention to the most important buttons, although it’s a tad cluttered towards the bottom. Around the back we’re pleased to discover two HDMI inputs , which allow you to channel two other sources though the system, such as a PS3 and Sky HD box. That way, you can improve the sound quality for TV viewing and gaming, and you only take up one HDMI input on your TV.
Selling online from the usual big retailers (and for as little as £340), the core of the HT-C6200 is its Blu-ray player. It’s unusually well specified, hosting Samsung’s online content platform - Internet@TV - that gives you access to a plethora of online widgets comprising YouTube, Lovefilm movie streaming , Twitter, Picasa, Facebook, Google Maps, USA Today, Rovi TV listings and Getty Images. It’s still lacking BBC iPlayer despite Samsung promising it in the recent past, but Internet@TV does appear to be set for bigger things, so it might be worth investing in. For now, at least all of this can be done over Wi-Fi so there’s no need to trail an Ethernet cable all the way to a router.
As for the BDP-S350, it’s a highly attractive, slimline Profile 2.0 player (provided its firmware has been updated from the original Profile 1.1 spec), and it’s beautifully built for a so-called ‘budget’ player. It also spins DVDs, CDs and recordable Blu-ray discs, although it doesn’t support MP3 or DivX playback from any of them – only JPEG is supported. The subwoofer meanwhile is admirably slim, measuring just 95mm wide and 215mm tall, which makes it far from imposing. It’s also surprisingly sturdy for a system sub and is finished in fetching shades of black, with ports on the front and side. Buttons are sparse, with just volume, input select and power buttons found on top, and there’s a simple display panel that shows the current input and houses the system’s setup menu. Given Blu-ray’s ability to deliver immersive hi-res 7.1-channel soundtracks, you might question the sense of pairing a Blu-ray player with a 2.1-channel sound system, which is exactly what Sony has done with the BDV-FS350.
The two front speakers, boasting a new top mounted speaker design which expands the listening area, are constructed with rigid, low-density bamboo cones to achieve pure sound and crisp dialogue. The system’s 96-kHz Surround Re-master function enhances the sound quality of CDs and other sources and even raises the quality of the multi-channel audio data on Blu-ray Discs and DVDs to produce highly realistic sounds. The HB354BS marks LG’s entry into the world of Blu-ray systems and is one of two one-box packages hitting the market in May. The step-up HT954PB features a 5.1-channel configuration with ‘Champagne’ style speakers, and bumps the power up to 1000W.
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