SAMSUNG HT-D5550 5.1Ch 3D Blu-ray Home Cinema System (what blu-ray player)

[agoat85]

I just got a SAMSUNG PS51D550 51" Full HD Plasma 3D TV and wanted a Samsung blu ray 3D player and i found the SAMSUNG HT-D5550 5.1Ch 3D Blu-ray Home Cinema System or the SAMSUNG HT-D6750W 7.1 Ch 3D Blu-ray Home Cinema System but i only want the player and then add the speakers my self at a later date however i am unable to find the model of the blu-ray players that comes with these packs so im unable to buy it on its own. so was hopping thats someone here might be able to help (or maybe it is not sold on its own and thats why i cant find the model)

Thanks anyway for any replys


Lance

 

[Chris_Lucid]

The box bit of a home cinema kit that you call a "blu-ray player" isn't that at all. It is an amplifier with a blu-ray drive. A sort of combo device if you like. These aren't available without the speakers. It's a package.

However, Blu-ray home cinema kits aren't the only way to get surround sound. It's just that these are more visible in high street electrical stores and the big electrical warehouses. There is a tier of product above these. It's the AV Receiver and 5.1 speakers. These are mix-n-match systems. If you just want a Blu-ray player now and then to add sound later then that is the way to go. Start with a budget of £250 for an AV Receiver and some speakers.

Before you ask, No, this isn't high-end or top-of-the-range or audiophile gear. It's the entry level price point for a proper AV surround system. But what you will get is something with lots of inputs and great flexibility, and the sound quality will kick the arse of any all-in-one Blu-ray home cinema kit the south side of £600.

 

[agoat85]

I never knew about AV Receivers so thanks for that its good to know.

so if i wanted to run my xbox360 and my ps3 and a 3D blu ray player into an AV Reciever what would be the best Samsung product if i wanted 5.1 3d surround sound. i have around £550 for my setup and around £200 for my 3D blu-ray player but i havent picked one yet so if you have any ideas on a Samsung 3D blu ray im open to ideas.

Thanks for all the help on this people

 

[Chris_Lucid]

I'm afraid there isn't a Samsung product that I can recommend that would meet your needs directly. The home cinema kits all come with an integrated Blu-ray player. But what's worse is the woeful lack of external inputs.

Samsung does make an AV Receiver - but only one. There isn't a range so there's no real commitment from the brand behind this type of product. Also, this product appears to have been available for over a year but there's still scant info on the UK web site about it, and you can't even download a manual. That worries me.

If you are looking at Samsung only because you believe they'll work better together then you might want to have a rethink. It makes very little difference. Most AV systems have a different brand of electronics from the TV.

Personally I think I'd go with a budget of around £100-£150 on a 3D Blu-ray. Prices keep falling and I don't see a great deal of value in the streaming features which are pushed as added advantages. They always seem clunky to use and slow to react compared to a decent media streamer.

£500 - £600 will buy you really quite a nice audio system. You'll get an AV amp with 3D support, and possible AV bypass in standby mode (i.e. the AV amp doesn't have to be on for you to watch the Blu-ray or Sky via the TV speakers). Are you looking to buy this side of Christmas or in the New Year?

 

[agoat85]

Hi Chris,

Thanks for the quick reply. I was only going samsung as i didnt want to have problems working the 3D (altho im very new to all this so dont know much) my main goal was to get a Blu ray before Xmas however the rest could wait till after xmas if it would save me some money or get me a better setup.
The main things i need are like i said before 2-3 HDMI 3D 5.1 and 1080 upscaling thing if you get that on these things.

Thanks again for the advice so far im very new to all this

 

[Chris_Lucid]

It might make a bit of a difference on the blu-ray player, but very little on the audio system to be honest. The discounters are already very aggressive with their pricing, and manufacturer deals only come around when there's a model change. That happens more towards spring/summer than just after Xmas.

Also, if it was me then I would put 1080p scaling low down on my priority list. You're paying for something your TV already does.

 

[agoat85]

ok cool thx for the reply chris i didnt know if i needed the 1080p scaling thing for like my dvds i gess that would come from the blu ray player then not the reciver ? ill have to read to see what would be good for me then as like i said im very new to all this and even tho ive read about this stuff i find it hard to understand thats why i was going for the Home Cinema System thingy first time around as it all came together and i didnt have to use my little brain to much :]

 

[Chris_Lucid]

You are not alone in thinking this way; and that's fine if you're the kind of person who never wants to plug in more than the TV and play a few discs. But as soon as you start to look at connecting other devices then you'd realise what a mistake it was to buy an all-in-one kit. They are just too limited. By that time though of course it is too late. I have just saved you wasting hundreds of pounds. :-righton

 

[agoat85]

do you think Samsung BD-D8200M will be any good ?

 

[Chris_Lucid]

Honestly, I don't know. Are you really stuck for space and in need of a BD player that also has a Freeview recorder built in?

 

[Channel Hopper]

You are not alone in thinking this way; and that's fine if you're the kind of person who never wants to plug in more than the TV and play a few discs. But as soon as you start to look at connecting other devices then you'd realise what a mistake it was to buy an all-in-one kit. They are just too limited.

Not forgetting that if/when they go wrong under warranty, your system is unusable until it is repaired and returned.