Samsung BD-D8500M review
An amazingly extensive feature set and excellent user interface make the BD-D8500M a fantastic all-in-one set-top box, but the single-channel recording is disappointing.
As if Blu-ray and PVR functions weren’t already enough, Samsung has incorporated its Smart Hub internet TV system into the BD-D8500M. It supports AceTrax and YouTube for streaming movies and user-generated video, as well as a Your Video channel that acts like a miniature IMDB, listing detailed descriptions of almost any film you can think of. Facebook, Twitter and Picasa integration are also useful if you want to check your social networks without reaching for a PC or laptop, but we expect most people to appreciate catch-up TV courtesy of BBC iPlayer the most, especially as it supports the high definition stream.
With such an extensive feature list, the BD-D8500M is ideal for anyone that has yet to upgrade to Blu-ray, or just wants to simplify an existing home cinema setup. The lack of two-channel recording is a major flaw, but if you’re only an occasional TV watcher it’s still a great buy.
Details | |
|---|---|
| Price | £390 |
| Rating | **** |
Buying Information | |
| Price | £390 |
| Warranty | one year RTB |
| Supplier | http://www.comet.co.uk |
| Details | www.samsung.co.uk |
Features and Connections | |
| Blu-ray profile | 2.0 |
| HDMI outputs | 1 |
| HDMI Version | 1.4 |
| Component outputs | 1 |
| S-video output | 0 |
| Composite outputs | 1 |
| Stereo phono outputs | 1 |
| Coaxial S/PDIF outputs | 0 |
| Optical S/PDIF outputs | 1 |
| Wired network ports | 1x 10/100 |
| Wireless standard | 802.11b/g/n |
| USB ports | 1 |
| Mass storage support | yes |
| Supported memory cards | none |
| BD Live storage | 1GB |
Video, Audio and Photo | |
| Video playback formats | AVCHD, DivX HD, MKV, MPEG 2, MPEG 4, WMV 9, XVID |
| Image viewing formats | JPEG, GIF, PNG |
| Audio playback formats | MP3, WMA, WAV, AAC |
| YouTube streaming | yes |
Audio | |
| Dynamic Range Control | no |
| Dolby TrueHD support | yes |
| DTS-HD MA support | yes |
Physical | |
| Power consumption standby | 1W |
| Power consumption on | 22W |
| Size | 430x60x299mmmm |