Entered CNET Catalog: 07/25/2007
SKU: 036725616738
Manufacturer: Samsung
Manufacturer description
The Samsung HT-BD2T is the world's 1st home theater system with an integrated Blu-ray player. Imagine the convenience of having the latest Full High Definition (Full HD) technology all in the one package. Utilizing a 7.1 speaker configuration (7 main speakers, and a subwoofer) the HT-BD2T gives true surround sound that has to be experienced to be believed. Driven by a powerful 1,100W RMS amplifier, Samsung's HT-BD2T can deliver booming action sequences, whilst also delivering quiet spoken dialog.Product summary
The good: 7.1-channel all-in-one home theater system with built-in Blu-ray player; built-in support for latest Dolby TrueHD and DTS Master Audio surround processing; elegant styling, with four tallboy speakers; full-size subwoofer; upscales DVDs to 1080p.
The bad: Very expensive; only Blu-ray Profile 1.0 compliant, so it will not play some bonus features on some new discs in 2008; few jacks for connecting external sources; slow disc loading; no auto speaker calibration.
The bottom line: The Samsung HT-BD2T delivers the sort of top-notch video quality you'd expect from the world's first home theater system with built-in Blu-ray--but its high price, average audio quality, and lack of extras make it tough to recommend.
Editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 03/21/2008
Editors' Note: As of spring 2008, Samsung has announced the very similar HT-BD2S, which--except for smaller speakers and a lower retail price--is identical to the HT-BD2T reviewed here.
Now that Blu-ray has officially triumphed over its HD DVD rival, it's only natural to begin seeing the high-definition disc format begin to become a bit more, well, standardized. Take the Samsung HT-BD2T: it's the first home-theater-in-a-box system in the world to feature a built-in Blu-ray player. It's exactly the sort of gorgeously styled system--curvy disc player, matching 7.1 channel speaker/subwoofer system--that's dominated the top end of Samsung's home theater line-up for the past few years, except that this one plays Blu-ray Discs in addition to DVDs and CDs. The skinny speakers don't make much bass, but the hefty powered subwoofer supplies ample low-end thunder. The Blu-ray player, meanwhile, is essentially identical to that of the Samsung BD-P1400: it offers all of the current Blu-ray niceties, including 1080p video with 24 frames-per-second (fps) playback over its HDMI 1.3 output, upscaling of standard DVDs to 1080p resolution, and the capability to decode the lossless Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio found on the latest Blu-ray movies. Of course, the BD2T's emphasis on style means that those skinny speakers don't quite have the oomph to let you discernibly hear the improvements of those soundtracks versus their lower bandwidth DVD equivalents. Likewise, the Blu-ray player performed well, but the dearth of upgradeability to newer Profile 1.1 and 2.0 Blu-ray specs means that it's already outdated. Also, the HT-BD2T's scant connectivity--just two digital and one analog audio input--means that your TV will need to handle the video switching duties for your system. None of those are necessarily a deal breaker, but to us, that sounds like an unnecessarily long list of caveats on a $1,500 system.
Design
The Samsung HT-BD2T is a 7.1-channel Blu-ray home theater in a box. That translates to a nine-part system: seven speakers, a subwoofer, and a curvaceous head unit that houses all of the electronics, including the disc player and amplifier.
The high-gloss black top of the head unit slopes down to meet a protruding silver control panel that houses a row of basic controls--Volume Up/Down, Play, Stop, Previous/Next, and Function buttons. On the left side there's a disc-loading slot; on the right, a not very visible display that indicates track times and surround processing information. The unit is 3.5 inches tall by 17 inches wide by 16 inches deep and weighs 9.3 pounds--in other words, it's larger than a standard DVD or Blu-ray player, but not extraordinarily so.
The long, slender remote control is nothing fancy. Considering the HT-BD2's flagship pricing, we expected the remote to be at least backlit, but no such luck. The Volume Up/Down and cursor controls are well placed, but the rest of the buttons are crowded together and too small. It can also be programmed to control basic functions on most brands of TVs (naturally, it works out of the box with Samsung models).
The speaker package includes four tallboy speakers--two main-front and two side-surround-- that require some assembly if you intend to use them as floor-standing speakers. Your alternative is to mount the speakers on the wall using their keyhole slots. We listened to them assembled, and the 51-inch tall towers were reasonably stable. The 21.6-inch wide center speaker has a table stand or can be wall-mounted, that's also true for the 10.6-inch tall rear surround satellites. The gloss and matte black speakers are all-plastic designs with perforated metal grilles. They're attractive in a home theater in a box way; build quality is merely average for HTIBs, and well below average when compared with even sub-$1,000 speaker/subwoofer packages. You are, in effect, paying a premium for the convenience of buying a packaged system. A well-chosen separate Blu-ray player, AV receiver, and speaker package will offer superior audio performance for about the same money as the $1,500 HT-BD2T.
The HT-BD2T's matching medium-density fiberboard subwoofer looks and feels a lot more substantial than the speakers do. It's 19.7 inches tall by 11.4 inches wide by 17.2 inches deep, and weighs 35.3 pounds. It also requires its own power cord.
While assembling the speaker stands can be time-consuming, setup is straightforward: each speaker plugs into the main unit with a color-coded plug, so there's little chance of error.
We were a bit surprised to note the HT-BD2T's feature set doesn't include auto speaker calibration; but the sound was reasonably well balanced without any fussing on our part. Still, chances are you'll have to navigate the onscreen setup menus to get the video squared away, so while you're there you can fine-tune the volume levels of all the speakers (the subwoofer has its own rear-mounted volume control).
Features
The main unit of the HT-BD2T is probably best described as the guts of a Samsung BD-P1400 Blu-ray player paired with a built-in amplifier. The unit plays Blu-ray and DVD movies and audio CDs, as well as burned DVDs and CDs, including those with JPEG photos and MP3 audio.
The amplifier delivers 135 watts to each speaker channel and 150 watts to the subwoofer. Its surround processing modes are comprehensive: Dolby Digital and DTS for DVDs; Dolby Pro Logic IIx for generating a faux surround effect (using all seven speakers) from stereo sources; and--for Blu-ray Discs--support for Dolby Digital Plus, uncompressed linear PCM, and lossless Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio soundtracks. Those last items--sometimes missing from Blu-ray players and AV receivers--mean that the Samsung HT-BD2T should play any Blu-ray movie with its optimal soundtrack.
Like all Blu-ray players, the HT-BD2T can output video at 720p, 1080i, or full 1080p via HDMI. It can also upscale standard DVDs to those resolutions as well, and it supports 24-frame playback at 1080p, which may offer smoother playback on some compatible TVs. The system is upgradeable via an Ethernet connection, but only for minor fixes such as disc-compatibility issues. The Blu-ray player doesn't support Profile 1.1 (picture in picture) or 2.0 (BD-Live) Blu-ray features, nor can it be upgraded to do so. It's not a total loss--it will still play the movies and other extras found on 1.1 and 2.0 discs--but given the premium you're paying for the HT-BD2T, we'd prefer state of the art.
The HT-BD2T connectivity offerings are slim. Aside from HDMI, video output choices are limited to component and--for non-HD televisions--composite. There are no audio outputs (which makes sense, since you're buying this package to use the surround speakers). Inputs are limited to just two optical digital ports and one set of stereo analog connectors. Combined with the dearth of video inputs, that means you'll need your TV to handle video switching duties for other AV components, such as game consoles and cable/satellite boxes. It also means that you're limited to plugging in three audio sources--two surround and one stereo--to take advantage of the HT-BD2T's speakers. In addition to the disc player and the ability to toggle among three external audio sources, the only other built-in functionality of the HT-DB2T is an FM radio.
Aside from the built-in Blu-ray player, the feature list of the Samsung HT-BD2T is actually pretty thin. That's par for the course for "lifestyle" home theater systems, but at this price, we would expect to see plenty mores--Sirius or XM satellite radio support, HDMI passthrough, video switching, or a more current Blu-ray compatibility (Profile 1.1 or 2.0 built-in, or the ability to upgrade). Also missing in action are bass and treble or any sort of tone controls. There's also no headphone jack.
Performance
For the most part, the Blu-ray player of the Samsung HT-BD2T performs pretty much in line with most other Blu-ray players we've tested--which is to say, it's pretty slow. Disc-loading times varied--some Blu-ray discs were up and running in 35 seconds, but the Sunshine Blu-ray needed a full two minutes to come to life (DVDs rolled in 15 seconds). The HT-BD2 needed five seconds to change CD tracks. Gee, we thought new technology was supposed to be not only better, but also faster. More gripes: the rear-mounted cooling fan is noisy enough to be heard during quiet movie scenes. On the bright side, the player had no trouble playing the 3:10 to Yuma Blu-ray, a disc that's proved to glitch on other Samsung players. Otherwise, we found the Blu-ray playback on the BD2T to be essentially in line with the Samsung BD-P1400, the standalone player upon which this model is based.
To assess the HT-BD2T's sonics we started with Dolby's The Sound of High-Definition Blu-ray demo disc. Switching between lossless TrueHD and standard Dolby Digital revealed little difference on the well-recorded San Francisco Symphony tracks; the Dave Matthews' Live at Radio City tracks didn't benefit from TrueHD's technically superior sonics. The HT-BD2 sounded smooth and bass was full. Detail was only average for upscale HTIBs.
With our old HTIB torture test standby now on Blu-ray, House of Flying Daggers, the HT-BD2T was unfazed by the circle of drums scene. The huge drums sounded powerful and the "thwack" sound as Ziyi Zhang kicked the massive drumheads was fairly well defined. Still, the swordplay's metallic clang sounded muted and lacked detail. We were more impressed with the HT-BD2T's capability to create a seamless, wraparound sound field, even when we only used five speakers. Moving up to full 7.1 channel surround provided only slight improvement in the surround experience. The HT-BD2T can play loud enough to fill even moderately large rooms with sound.
We next used a Blu-ray Disc, Sunshine, to see if we could hear a difference between the regular and lossless DTS Master Audio tracks. The sci-fi flick has a great, deeply layered soundtrack, but we could not detect a sonic advantage for the lossless format. Also of note: we couldn't use the picture-in-picture commentary feature on the disc, as that only works on newer Profile 1.1 Blu-ray players.
CD sound was a step down from movie sound; we felt that the HT-BD2T blurred Radiohead's atmospheric sound mixes on their In Rainbows CD. "Walk of Life" from Dire Straits' Brothers in Arms CD felt dynamically flat. Like most home theater systems, the HT-BD2T was more satisfying with movies.
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10out of 10 user reviews
Good but expensive to maintain.
Pros: High quality picture and terrific sound delivery.
Cons: Faulty components cannot be replaced. If one component goes bad you junk the entire bundle. Poor technical support from manufacturers.
out of 10 user reviews
Less than 12 months old and having huge problems!
Pros: Great design, which was the tipping point to purchase this product.
7.1 channels, true HD sound.
Cons: Will not play many movies, even with the latest firmware update.
Poor sound quailty, especially when the unit is cold (15 degrees C) (well within operating temp')
Extremely slow at loading (expect the drive head is hunting rather than loading)
I gave 0.5 rating for the great design only.
out of 10 user reviews
most expensive ornament i have ever bought
Pros: did like the product when it worked.
Cons: the unit stopped working after 18 months and Samsung didn't want to know.
out of 10 user reviews
Blu-ray Theater
Pros: Plays Blu-rays, DVDs with upscaling , and CDs. Great sound, especially the Sub-Woofer.
Cons: Can be slow in loading some Blu-rays. Some new 1.1 and 2.0 features are off-limits.
Updated on May 29, 2009F.Y.I. My player has played EVERY Blu-ray I have purchased, including 2009 titles.
out of 10 user reviews
DOWNLOAD THE LATEST UPDATE ALL THIS PERFECT.
Pros: BUENA CALIDAD DE SONIDO E IMAGEN Y EXCELENTE DISEÑO.
AL DESCARGAR LA ULTIMA ACTUALIZACION TODOS LOS PLOBLEMAS QUE APUNTAN LOS USUARIOS QUEDAN SOLUCIONADOS. EXCELLENT
Cons: FALTAN ALGUNAS CONEXIONES.
out of 10 user reviews
Great product after firmware update
Pros: Excellent Sound and Excellent picture
Cons: The line of sight on the remote control is dreadful
out of 10 user reviews
Do not buy!!!!
Pros: If this product plays a disc it is wonderful.
Cons: The problem is it won't play a disc. 9 of 10 disc loaded will not play. Not for the none tech head. The instruction say you can update firmware from a disc burned from web site, but instuctions say you can't update with disc in unit. What's up?
out of 10 user reviews
Looks arent everything
Pros: when it works picture is quality is good then again i have an excellent Plasma 1080 souround it good when movie does not skip
Cons: Wont play all Blu Ray disc have many Brand new ones. Skips scenes and sound crackles at times. Takes 12 min to load movie In line of Fire Clint Eastwood, Bought PS3 xmas which loads same movie in 5 seconds and does not skip
out of 10 user reviews
Do not buy this product.
Pros: Sound quality was pretty good.
Cons: Did not play the majority of discs I attempted to play on it.
out of 10 user reviews
Beware before you buy
Pros: Sleek, simple, good sounding, great picture
Cons: Long loads, will not play some 2008 discs
First the good: It is obviously a lot easier to get everything you need in box and it also looks very nice once set up. The sound is great considering the size of the speakers and the sub delivers plenty of puch for a medium sized room, and the wires are plenty long to reach just about anywhere you'd like. The picture quality is also very nice, with a 1080p TV I was very satisfied with the image it produced, and needed very little tweaking on my tv to get the colors just like I wanted it.
Now the bad: The load times are horrible, almost twice the amount of my PS3, and then some. The remote is not very responsive, I stood right in front of it and had to point it at its nose to work and could see that with time the buttons would most likely wear due to user frustration. It only has 3 audio inputs and no XM radio capability, so connecting anything other than maybe a game console & Ipod is impossible. Finally the real bad news, it is only 1.0 compatible. What this means is that it will not play some of the 2008 discs realeased, I bought it with Batman Begins and it would not load at all. I havent tried a lot of new disks but reports out there are that many new movies wont play either. I could possibly overlook the other cons but to me if it wont play everything out there what is the point? I contacted Samsung and after getting hung up on twice they told me that a firmaware update was required, so I went online and tried the download only to find that the player told me "no updates available at this time". Well if thats the case I am gonna have to assume that future discs requiring updates wont play for a while. Not at all what i expected for $1200
Bottom line for me: It has the potential to be a very nice unit, with DD true HD and DTS HD it decodes the latest and greates sound tracks, but whats the point if it wont play the movie? I own a PS3 and its hands down a better player. Maybe with more time better players will arise but for the moment I will not buy another Blu-Ray player. For $1200 bucks you otta recieve something top notch, not something already obselete. I will return it and follow my original plan, buy a reciever, speakers and use my PS3 wich will samve me almost $500 bucks in the long run.
