Samsung is expanding its selection of Blu-ray-equipped HTiBs with the launch of three models: the 5.1-channel HT-BD1250 system with wireless-ready surround speakers, the HT-BD8200 surround bar with embedded player and wireless subwoofer, and a 2.1-speaker virtual surround system, the HT-BD7200. All ship in the first half with all decoding of all Blu-ray surround formats but DTS HD High Resolution. Pricing was unavailable.
The BD8200 is the company’s first BD-equipped surround bar with embedded player. The BD7200 is the company’s first BD-equipped HTiB with two speakers, a sub and virtual-surround technology.
All three are the company’s first BD-equipped home theater in a box (HTiB) system with BD Live capability and the first to stream on-demand content from Netflix and music from Pandora’s Internet music service. Information on whether it streams Netflix’s new HD service was unavailable.
An optional Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n dongle can be connected to a USB 2.0 port on all three models to enable wireless streaming of BD-Live content, Pandora music, and Netflix video through a wireless home network. The USB connection can also be used for multimedia file playback, integration with portable media players, mobile phones and other digital devices, and memory expansion for Blu-ray interactivity features.
All three are also the company’s first BD-equipped HTiBs that include an iPod dock.
The company’s three current models are priced at $799, $999 and $1,499. The current models are multispeaker systems, with the former featuring a 5.1 speaker complement and the latter two offering 7.1-channel speaker complement.
