The attractive remote is slim and ergonomic, with faultlessly placed and perfectly sized controls for the most part. iPod playback can be controlled using the system’s remote and the menus appear on the TV screen. You don’t have to do anything to install the sub, it detects the signal and starts working straight away. The deck can search for PCs automatically, but if you have no joy there’s a manual mode, which asks you to input the folder name. I wasn’t given a dongle to test wireless functionality but the setup process is just as complicated as Samsung’s Blu-ray players. The wired internet connection worked smoothly and delivered BD Live content and YouTube clips with minimal fuss, aside from the inevitable buffering breaks, but it does depend on your broadband connection. On the downside the setup menu can only be called up after you’ve stopped the movie. Contained within this are a few sound adjustments (L/R balance, sub level, distances), while all the other essentials like HDMI resolution and network settings are easy to locate and adjust. The excellent menu system uses a bright colour palette and a sensible submenu layout that progress across the screen from left to right. Setting up the system is a cinch, which is exactly what you want from a soundbar. Samsung’s power rating is 300W in total, which on paper should be enough to make an impact, although the 260W HT-WS1G system suffered from a distinct lack of oomph when it came to movie playback, so it’ll be interesting to see how this one compares. Smart Sound stabilises the levels to guard against sudden changes in volume, Audio Upscaling claims to boost MP3 playback to CD quality and Power Bass adds more, um, power to, er, bass notes. The system attempts to fill in the sonic gaps with V-Sound, which adds virtual effects to emulate 5.1-channel sound. The HT-BD8200’s strong feature set continues with YouTube access – a new addition to Samsung’s Blu-ray roster – as well as Dolby True HD and DTS HD Master Audio decoding, giving you sharp hi-res sound albeit only from 2.1 channels. This USB port is joined by a connector for the supplied iPod dock (which works with any model, as well as the iPhone), analogue stereo input for other MP3 players and a headphones port. This supports USB sticks, MP3 players and even external FAT 16/32 HDDs, and it’ll play DivX HD, MP3 and JPEG files. With that USB port handling wireless or BD Live storage duties, Samsung has sensibly provided another USB port on the right-hand side for media playback. ![]() Plug in Samsung’s optional wireless LAN dongle (WIS09ABGN) and you can connect to the internet or stream content over your home network without a cable in sight or connect a USB flash drive to store BD Live downloads and provide firmware updates – an essential feature, as BD Live’s required 1GB of memory isn’t built in. Next to these is a USB port that can be used in a couple of ways. ![]() We might have criticised Samsung for not including more inputs, but it’s not such a big deal on a soundbar aimed at buyers who want to keep things simple. The recessed panel houses HDMI and composite video outputs, an Ethernet port, an antenna input for the FM radio tuner and an optical digital audio input, which is good news for anyone with a Sky box. Given the limited space on the back and the focus on simplicity, the main unit’s generous array of connections comes as a pleasant surprise. There are no dials or sockets to play with, just a blue light on top and a tiny button on the back to reset the wireless connection with the main unit. As for the subwoofer, it’s the same model that accompanies the HT-WS1G DVD soundbar we reviewed recently and shrugs off the stereotypical black box image with curved corners and a lustrous gloss-black top panel. In the box is a wall mounting bracket and a plastic cradle stand that slots neatly onto the bottom. ![]() The HT-BD8200’s soundbar is yet another stunner, with its gloss black finish and translucent edges giving it a very commercial but extremely desirable look.Īlong the top is a row of illuminated touch-sensitive buttons, but the thing that really made me swoon is the disc loading mechanism – the entire centre panel slides forward to reveal the upward-facing slot, and if there’s a disc inside it rises like a phoenix from the flames and stays there until someone grabs it – lovely stuff.Īlso impressive is the large display panel, making information easy to read from a distance, while the unit’s slim profile stops it from jutting out too far from the wall. Samsung apparently doesn’t know how to make an ugly product. Samsung HT-BD8200 Blu-ray soundbar not for you? Check out our round up of the best soundbars to buy
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