Rise of the Samsung A/V juggernautIn the Blu-ray department, there are the BD-P1500 and HT-BD2 duo. The former is a fourth-generation standalone player and streamlined iteration of its BD-P1400 with upgraded Profile 1.1 interactive features support. Unlike its predecessor, it's capable of delivering both unformatted and decoded Dolby TrueHD/DTS-HD audio via HDMI. The BD-P1500 is also neck-to-neck with the Sony PlayStation 3 in terms of a 1080p24 video output, losing ground only in BD-Live (Profile 2.0)-compliancy. Though Pioneer was first to debut a Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD-ready surround sound system, Samsung is one step ahead of the rat race with its HT-BD2 featuring an integrated Blu-ray player. The neat all-in-one proposition aside, it's adequately driven by a beefy 1,100W amplifier and has 7.1-channel speakers for an enveloping sound stage. Being a third-gen Blu-ray kit, it's compatible up to Profile 1.0 only. On the bright side, its HDMI output is equally adept at churning out pristine 1080p24 pictures to complement the high-resolution audio. Taking a step back into the DVD domain, we have the 300W HT-X810 sound bar and 800W HT-X715 home theater system. What's remarkable about the handsome HT-X810 is its self-contained design and cutting-edge feature set. Putting aside a built-in 1080p-upscaling DVD player, the 2.1 kit offers Bluetooth for pairing mobiles devices, as well as a 5.8GHz wireless subwoofer interface. This lessen the amount of cumbersome wiring, thanks to its combination of virtual surround sound technology and wireless connectivity. To match the rose-black accents of its series 6 and 7 flat-panel TVs, Samsung is offering the exquisite HT-X715 compact 5.1 system. While it's based on the same Touch of Color design, there are also plenty of other refinements that further differentiate it from its peers, most notably the etched touch sensors on the DVD receiver and companion animated graphic user display. Lastly, it has almost comparable capabilities as the HT-X810 including Bluetooth connectivity, though 5.8GHz wireless is an optional addon via its SWA-4000 kit. |
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