Samsung Unveils HT-BD3252 Blu-ray Home Theater System
By Rachel Cericola
Hot on the heels of the company's new $549 HT-BD1250 home theater system, Samsung has already announced an upgraded Blu-ray Home Theater in a Box system.
"The
HT-BD3252 builds on the success of the HT-BD1250 and adds several performance and ease-of-use enhancements, including rear wireless speakers and built-in wireless access to the latest streaming and PC-based multimedia content," says Reid Sullivan, senior vice president of audio/video and digital imaging marketing for Samsung Electronics America.
The wireless networking features are a pretty big deal. The HT-BD1250 had them as an option, but you needed another piece to make them happen. The HT-BD3252 includes that piece: a WiFi dongle.
Aside from that, the HT-BD3252 is designed to deliver the full HD experience -- to the tune of 1,000 watts of total power. It also features an expanded center-channel speaker, for better dialogue reproduction. Of course, there are also four other speakers (two of them are big boys!), as well as a subwoofer and BD Live-enabled Blu-ray player to complete the package.
One nifty feature is Samsung's Auto Sound Calibration (ASC), which can automatically adjust the speakers to optimum levels and output, depending on their position in the room. Think you need a degree in advanced A/V to make that happen? It's all seamless, at the touch of a button.
Also, the aforementioned wireless access means that the system can play audio and video from any networked PC, as well as connected devices, such as a digital camera or portable drive. Other features include two HDMI-CEC inputs, an iPod/iPhone cradle, and support for Netflix and Pandora streaming. The unit also includes built-in decoding for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio surround formats, for the latest in high quality lossless surround sound. Blockbuster's OnDemand service will also be added via a firmware upgrade this fall.
Samsung says that the HT-BD3252 will retail for $799. Expect it to be available sometime next month.
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