Samsung introducing the new Blu-ray home theater System, the HT-BD2S, which resembles its predecessor but has smaller satellite speakers and is available for over 30 percent less than its older cousin the BD2T’s retail price of $1500 USD. The “s” stand for “smaller speakers”.
According to the source article, the head unit (the combination receiver/Blu-ray player/amplifier) is identical to its more expensive cousin’s, and therefore will see the same flaws that the BD2T suffered from. The included Blu-ray player is slow loading and is limited to the old Profile 1.0 specification. The system also has subpar connectivity options.
Does the downsized price and speaker size make the HT-BD2S more attractive than its big brother? Our gut reaction is no. That’s because the head unit (the combination receiver/Blu-ray player/amplifier) included with the BD2S is identical to the one on the BD2T. In other words, even if the smaller speakers on the BD2S manage to sound better than the skinny tallboys on the BD2T, it will still suffer from the same shortfalls as the older model: a slow-loading Blu-ray player that’s limited to the old Profile 1.0 spec (no picture-in-picture commentaries, and no online-enabled features) and subpar connectivity options (few inputs for connecting other AV sources). Still, the presence of the cheaper Samsung in the marketplace may put pressure on Panasonic to lower the price of its forthcoming SC-BT100 (slated to hit later this spring, also for $1,000).
Still, for $1000 USD the system and the upcoming, equally priced Panasonic SC-BT100 are decent and cheap all-in-one Blu-ray home theater solutions and hopefully the competition will lead to better prices for consumers in the future.
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