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5 Responses to “Samsung HT-BD8200 Blu-Ray Sound Bar Home Theater System”

1. M. Shanafelt Says: January 12th, 2010 at 10:45 pm

   We had purchased the Polk Soundbar first, but had some major issues with it. First, the remote would stop and start working at weird times. Plus it was hard for me to hear dialogue when their was background music. So we packed it up after a week, and sent it back. Deciding on this soundbar was tough. I had looked at the other Samsung model at BestBuy, but I wasn’t happy that it didn’t have Blue-ray. I figured I’d be better off spending the extra $100 on this model to keep from paying it later & having to deal with another component to hook up.

   All in all, I’m very happy with the sound we receive from the Soundbar. It obviously isn’t true surround sound, but that’s a trade-off I’m willing to make rather than have speakers hung all over the place. The bass is definately better out of this unit than it was out of the Polk, and the sound seems more balanced to me. We’ve tried almost every feature – the Netflix streaming is awesome (and once Netflix gets some better quality titles available, it will be even better), the USB drive function is very nice as well.

   A couple of minor issues
   
   1, when you are listening to a connected iPod, you can’t listen in shuffle mode. I have no idea why they wouldn’t have included this feature, but hopefully a firmware upgrade can resolve this issue.
   
   2, A lot of folks have discussed the fan. It is true that it does emit a low hum, but its not noticeable (at least to me) when the unit is in actual use. However, it does become annoying when someone (my wife) doesn’t turn the soundbar off and leaves the fan running.
   
   3, To go along with above, I’d like to have the unit turn off automatically if it doesn’t play sound for an hour. Not sure if this possible.
   
   4, The screensaver that runs on the TV when the soundbar plays music from the USB drive is really choppy. I get around this by just turning the TV off during playback.
   
   5, I haven’t tried the HDMI out yet (still have an old tube TV), but review the other reviews to see some of the issues other folks have had with that.

   And finally, the things I really like about the Samsung Soundbar:
   
   1, Good sound
   
   2, Netflix & Pandora playback
   
   3, Stylish – I especially like the glass touch-sensitive buttons.
   
   4, Having the DVD player & audio all integrated into one device is nice.
   Rating: 4 / 5

2. Trish Says: January 13th, 2010 at 1:29 am

   This system is great! However, I will add that your satisfaction with this system will depend upon your expections. What I expected was easy setup, great sound, and a clean streamlined look. The setup took 10 minutes once I unpacked it, two power plugs and two wires and I was done. The sound was great since all I previously had was the TV speakers. Since my LCD is wall mounted over the fireplace, maintaining a streamlined look was very important!

   I will say that if you currently have a ‘true’ 5.1 surround with all the speakers, you may be disappointed. I purposefully bought this system because I did not wish to have speakers mounted and wire installed through the drywall at a significant cost. In addition, I do not have a convenient place for various components.

   I love the sound, the ease of use, I didn’t experience all the problems that others talked about. I really enjoy the system and have great sound without sacrificing aesthetics.
   Rating: 5 / 5

3. J. A. Fields Jr. Says: January 13th, 2010 at 1:44 am

   This is the perfect add-on to our Samsung HD TV.
   
   It was almost plug and play. Very easy to set up and operate.
   
   The sound quality and DVD video playback are amazing.
   Rating: 5 / 5

4. Craig Rector Says: January 13th, 2010 at 4:09 am

   “I purchased this product a couple weeks ago. I did my research and waited for the ideal product for what I was looking for. This product boasts a lot, but fails to follow through.
   
   - BluRay player was faulty right out of the box
   
   - streaming movies and music glithces and freezes and the navigational features malfunction
   
   - Sound is awful, subwoofer is too loud and the high levels are quiet. On top of that the options to adjust the audio are inadequate, all you can do is increase or decrease the decibles on the bar and subwoofer….which doesn’t do anything for the awful mix levels.
   
   - inputs are minimal, you only have an optical in for audio and THAT”S IT!! This means that you have to run your cable and any other device to your TV then run the optical cable to the speaker unit. Why don’t they have the inputs to receive all devices to the unit and then only need to run the video to the TV? This wouldn’t be an issue exect the sound quality is poor going to the TV then to the unit and there is no way to adjust it properly.

   On top of all that, I tried calling in to Customer Support to get a replacement or have them fix mine…(remember the blu-ray player doesn’t work) and they say they can’t just send a replacement, I have to pay to ship it to them and wait a 3-4 weeks for them to fix it and get it back to me. i tell them I am not paying for faulty brand new equipment, they say they will send me a pre-paid shipping label and I would have it by email in a few minutes. It has now been over a week and dozens of phone calls and I still don’t have it.

   All this could be overlooked if I paid very little for this sleek, feature rich peice of trash…but it’s $800!!!!!

   Samsung Customer Care is the worst I’ve seen in a while AND this product is a total RIP OFF!!!!”
   Rating: 2 / 5

5. design4use Says: January 13th, 2010 at 6:21 am

   The first unit that really cuts down on the cable nightmare and is stylish enough for a living room vs a sound engineering lab. We just donated all our huge multi hi-fi component and speaker setup and it really feels liberating. No more cable mess. Despite not officially surround certified it sounds great, and has ample power to fill a large living room. The wireless subwoofer is another nice touch and just works (just plug it into a power outlet anywhere in the room).
   
   Setup time was minimal and instantly gratifying. We are using the unit with a Philips LCD flatscreen TV using HDMI between the two and picture and sound are fantastic. On the plus side: access to Pandora (streaming suggested playlist radio based on themes), Netflix/Blockbuster and Youtube. All of these are well integrated. Finally direct plug in ability for iPods another plus.
   
   On the drawbacks side the user interface is sometimes a little more complex then needed and the remote is not nearly as stylish and timeless as the unit but all this can be forgiven given all the real world advantages.
   Rating: 4 / 5

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