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Blu-Ray Home Theater
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Technical Details
- Integrated Blu-ray- 300W Output power
- HDMI out with CEC + 1080p
- iPod video, audio + iphone support; Bluetooth
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By C. Chu
After reading all the reviews, both good and bad, I decided to pull the trigger after I found a unit for around $500. I'm glad I waited for a little while as I believe that the right price for this product is about $600. It has plenty of features to keep you occupied and plays BD and DVD just fine. It will not satisfy the high end hifi crowd nor people expecting good 5.1 surround sound. Personally, I don't need wall shaking sound effects that pisses of my neighbours so this is the right system for me.
By R. Kay (Burlington, Vermont, USA)
Overall: The Samsung HT-BD8200 is an amazing value given the actual discounted price versus the list price. My local Vermont store was within spitting distance of Amazon, ABT, Crutchfield pricing so I purchased locally a) in case of any problems and b) so I could have a professional install. Having the cables hidden (Power, Cable TV, HDMI, FM Tuner, Optical) is well worth the $100+ install price.
Background: The Samsung HT-BD8200 is paired with a Sony 46 inch XBR9, with the relatively new Bravia 3 engine and 240 Hz refresh rate. My room isn't suitable for a 5.1 system due to the number of outside doors, inside pocket doors, fireplace, windows, etc. The Sony and Samsung units are mounted on a Sanus articulating mount that not only tilts left/right and up/down, but pivots away from the wall for maximum viewing when our daughters visit with their college coeds for a home cooked meal and movie.
Pros:
1. The HDMI 1080p DVD up-conversion is great. Use a quality HDMI cable such as Monster. Our friend has a Sony TV/Blue Ray system and thought he was watching a Blue Ray disk, when it was actually a DVD at 1080p.
2. While not 5.1/7.1, sound quality is excellent - think of it as a very good stereo hooked up to the TV, Blue Ray, DVD player, which all sound great. Be sure to adjust the factory setting "bass test rumble" The 2.1 stereo quality sourced from CDs and the FM tuner far exceeded expectations. TV show sound quality is greatly improved with an optical cable by playing the sound through the 8200.
3. Adjustable speaker to seating area "throw" distance; adjusting this setting helps maximize the sound quality and sound immersion.
Cons:
1. Need HDMI cable for maximum quality. The Samsung has difficulty reading smudged DVDs. If mounted directly under a TV, place unit slightly in front of TV to allow access to the top loaded BD/DVD/CD player.
2. Need optical cable to listen to the TV through the Samsung. Plus, must scroll through the unit's function key to "digital"; no function key on remote.
3. For those unwilling to learn to decipher the manual, getting the settings set can be frustrating.
Other: Have not yet tried the streaming Netflix, Pandora, etc. with the included wired/wireless LAN unit.
Summary: We have been waiting for the Samsung HT-BD8200 since the January 2009 Consumer Electronics show. I downloaded the user manual prior to obtaining the unit. Once you learn how to adjust the settings to your preferences, the unit is an amazing value in terms of price, quality, and size. For see CNET UK's 8.5 star professional review: [...]We will absolutely recommend the Samsung HT-BD8200 to family and friends.
By The Amazin' Mets (New York)
I love this unit! First, surround sound capabilities are pretty much non-existent. I still like the sound the unit provides, better than my TV speakers will ever provide. I don't use the surround feature, having said that, the sound fills the room VERY well. The subwoofer is the heart of the speakers providing that "movie theater" feel. Transformers Revenge Of The Fallen made me crap my pants, I thought there was an actual robot alien fight happing in front of my eyes as I could feel everything....I ran out the room and hid like a little school girl. Please note, that particular movie is bass heavy and you may want to turn the DB on the subwoofer down. All other movies I have played at the factory setting and sound good.
It will never replace a true/high-end 5.1 or 7.1 system but then again I did not spend big bucks on the system nor do I have to bother running cables around my walls and have speakers showing all over the place. I know the "true audiophiles" will chirp that with a little more cash saved one could have a decent home theater setup and to that I say....who gives a crap.
Where else can $600 get me the following in a small, VERY compact, wall mountable single unit:
-A quality Bluray/DVD upscale player
-Speaker system with a wireless subwoofer
-Ability to connect iPod/iPhone.....and yes, it does work with iPhone 3GS!
-Ability to connect any MP3 device
-Ability to connect USB device for picture/music playback
-Stream YouTube, NetFlix, Pandora on device
-Have internet capabilities. THIS UNIT DOES INCLUDE THE WIFI DONGLE!! Not sure why they don't mention that.
As far as Bluray loading speeds, I say this unit is as fast as my old DVD player. Now, I have mainly watched Bluray movies from Netflix which appear to be a no-frills version. Maybe the version you buy at retail locations that include a ton of features will load a little slower?
I have only had two minor issues with this unit. They have happened only once but I feel it's fair to mention.
1-The unit had turned itself on. I leave for work in the am one day and when I get home I see it's on.
2-The unit has a light at the bottom that can be set to on when unit is off, on only when unit is on or off altogether. I had it set to on when unit is on but I came home one day to find the light on. I checked to make sure it was at the setting I had originally chosen and it was. I set it to "off" to be safe. I don't want or need the light on.
On another note, I don't like the fact that the screen saver option cannot be disabled. I listen to Pandora often and like having the artist information on the screen, yea, it's a big deal for me to those who are rolling their eyes. When I have people over it's nice to see that information as well and it provides a nice visual rather than a stupid windows like screen saver. GIVE ME THE OPTION SAMSUNG!!!
I have heard some folks say their fan is loud; my fan is quite as a mouse. Also, my wifi works without any issues what so ever. Nothing is perfect and there are bound to be glitches I guess.
There is also one digital optical output which may bother some. I have a switcher which works wonders and have not lost sleep over it.
Finally, this is the system I did not know I wanted until it was released. To think that I was going to buy a Bluray player, soundbar system and a Netflix streaming device at one point. You either want this or you don't, there is no competition at the moment for a package like this so stop reading reviews!
By MidLifeCrisis (West Coast)
SAMSUNG HT-BD8200 - I like it, but I hate it. Does not use HDMI for sound. Only for Video. Requires that you use HDMI cable AND Optical cable. when connected to the new Samsnug LED TV's, it disables ALL special sound features, and many picture features on my SAMSUNG UN55B8000 and 8500. The worst is the Automatic sound level that gets disabled. One channel volume is blaring, while another is low.. Whats up with that? when you disconnect this unit, everything is fine. You can configure the soundbar to turn off with the TV, but not to turn it on. You must keep BOTH remotes handy at all times because Samsungs own LED TV remotes will not work on the sound bar. Whats up with that? When you use this with WIFI, it conflicts with many other WIFI devices during power on causing connections to fail on other wireless devices(computers etc), while the HT-BD8200 powers on. All settles down and other WIFI devices start working again in a few minutes. It does not give any likness to 5.1 sound.
Overall, its overpriced .. It has some problems, I should have sent it back, but I didnt. The Netflix streaming is cool, but The HT-BD8200 does hang during netfix play, and needs powered off and back on every few days. I will live with it till its oblsolite.
The sound IS better than just TV speakers, but the loud fan noise kinda offsets that plus.
When I first called Samnung Tech support to report the flaws they had never heard of the HT-BD8200, whats up with that? finally after a week or so of calling for support, was told they have no plans to update the firware. I was given an option to send it back to Samsung for repair at my expense. I choose to just live with the flaws, but I kept thinking to myself, I bought it new, I should not to have to live with a repaired unit. I expect the repaired replacment would have been somone elses return with its own set of problems, and at least i know whats wrong with this one .. hahaha
Bottom line.
1)There are many formats listed in the manaual that clearly state will not play
2)This sound bar does not integrate with samsungs own high end TV's(cant speak for other TV makes and modles)
3)Loud fan noise
4)Flawed WIFI causes interfearance with other devices on your local Wireless
5)loose USB ports on internal circuit boards may be contributing to its issues
6)special TV sound and video features become disabled (at least on my 8000/8500 LED TV's)
I see a lot of reviews from people who have paid full price, and are totally happy. I would question those, seriouly ...
I say, buy it, and see for yourself. Just make sure they have a liberal return policy and dont pay full list price. I predict You will see it for $500 or less. Prices are droping on this unit for a reason.
Lower price = fewer expecations. for the right price, its a GREAT sound bar.
By J. Webb (New Brunswick, Canada)
I am thoroughly satisfied with the Samsung HT-BD8200. I have it hooked up to my LCD HD-TV and it looks and sounds great.
Pros:
Plays not only Blu-Ray discs, but all of my cd's and dvd's. (burned copies work great too)
Network connectivity is great through the included wireless usb adapter. I was streaming youtube in less than 5 minutes of setup.
I was surprised to find out that it plays my .avi , mp4 , and .mkv files natively off of my usb devices. I plugged in a usb stick with a few .mkv encoded movies and it played flawlessly.
The included ipod dock is a nice touch and I was easily able to play video off of my ipod.
Cons:
Some of the setup instructions are a bit vague. There are a lot of settings you can tweak to enhance your viewing and listening (audio/video sync, etc). Wish there was more detailed explanations.
Could use more inputs for folks with many other components. Since it's an all-in-one unit, I'm not too put out by this. I have my Asus O!play and my Sirius satellite radio hooked in though the aux jack and the optical in.
All-in-all, there are a lot of features and this unit sounds great. It's not true 5.1, but it fits the bill for those who don't want or need the extra speakers and wires. You won't be disappointed with this unit.
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