SAMSUNG HT-DS610 Slim 5.1 Home Theater in a Box DVD Sound System

Rating:
Summary: Nice, bit I have an issue
Review: I agree with all the positive reviews here, the sounds is nice. I did notive an improvement in the picture with progressive scan with the component cables. I have a JVC 52" rear projection HDTV. However, there is a glitch in the progressive scan, I'm not sure how to describe it, but it seems to glitch/freeze/spaz for a split second. Not sure what is going on, might be the TV, but progressive scan works fine with my Gamecube.

Rating:
Summary: Poor sound quality
Review: I bought this and had to return it because the sound quality is so incredibly poor. True, it's an inexpensive system, so I wasn't expecting anything outstanding, but this is barely one step above portable stereo quality.

On the bright side it has all the features one could ask for, including progressive scan picture, five disc capacity, ability to play slideshows from picture CDs, play MP3s, the list goes on.

I knew I was in trouble when I had the sound level really low and still got distortion with some of the sound field settings. And there is almost no fine tuning of the sound. No equalizer or tone controls and barely adequate fade and balance controls. Forget about cranking it up. The distortion and hollow base from the subwoofer make the system useless for those action adventure films I got the system for. You get what you pay for.

Rating:
Summary: Great Value
Review: I just picked this system up at Best Buy for a little less than what it is here, and it's only part of what makes this system a great deal! First of all, let me disclose that I made the upgrade from a shelf system with surround and a dvd player that wasn't truly 5.1, but I must say I'm thoroughly impressed so far. I brought it home, plugged all the speakers in, put them where I wanted them, unplugged my old dvd player, and put the video jack into it and I was up and running. I can even run my Comcast digital cable box through both my tv and this system so that my not-so-technologically inclined family members can choose which they prefer to listen to. Why then, do I rate this only 4 stars? The first reason is the remote. It will get easier to use over time, I'm sure, but it could be more intuitive and be more of a universal remote (it only controls your home theater and a tv). The other reason is that you lose some of the controls to the sound while playing certain dvds. I was used to switching between sound equalizations while watching dvds before and now the only control I have is over the levels of the various speaker sections, not any preset values. I'm sure there's better home theater systems on the market, but I can't afford any of them, and I haven't seen anything near what I picked this one up for with a 5-disc changer and 600 watts. And overall great value!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent quality-features-value balance!
Review: I researched low-end all-in-one home theatre units to buy my son for hs new apartment. In this price range, I looked at the Panasonic SC-HT05 -- which had no DVD player -- and the Sony DAV-BC150, which did.

I settled on the Samsung as I found it for less than 2/3rds the cost of the Sony, and it had good reviews here.

It connected up so-o-o easily, including to my son's Comcast Digital Cable box (color-coded speaker wires were cool, despite being proprietary connectors).

Excellent sound for its price range. My son even says that turned up it can be too loud!

Agree with other reviewers that the remote is not the best, but for the price, it more than meets the need!

Rating:
Summary: Not as Bad as Some Would Have You Believe
Review: I was a bit concerned after reading some of the other reviews. I hooked up the system as was surprised. I have it in a 17' x 12' family room and the sound is incredible! I love the DTS.

Lots of features on this and very simple to use. There is a very minor motor noise that can be heard if you have your ears pasted to the sytem, but stand back even one foot and it is not noticable.

I read on other reviews that the 5-disc changer locked up on them, Is it possible they were activating the system lock? This is an added feature, kind of a parental control. By simply holding down the open/eject button for a few moments, the locking device is activated. Just hold it down again and it is releases.

I am very happy with this syetem so far, especially for under $200, which is what I paid.

Rating:
Summary: Decent, but with issues.
Review: I've owned this system for about 4 months. It has its high points -- aesthetic qualities, value, features. But it also has down points. Sometimes it will refuse to play discs until I open and close the tray. Sometimes, I cannot select DTS soundtracks on movies with DTS audio. Then again, sometimes I can. Once in a while, the center speaker quits working but resumes. It's like an unreliable employee. It gets the job done, but on its own sweet time. I'm concerned about longevity of the system. If I were a prospective buyer, I'd probably get one of these but make damn sure I saved all the packaging and receipts (just in case.)

Rating:
Summary: Read this review first!
Review: Reviews like those accompanying mine are the reason that I now read online reviews AFTER I have already made my purchase.
I went shopping for a theater in a box because this item is intended for a NON-AUDIOPHILE, technically UNSAVVY friend of mine with a child. I didn't want to spend more than $250.00 on something that runs the risk of being abused. My friend doesn't care about a progressive scan feature and will never miss it if it isn't activated. She will also likely find the simplicity of the remote (which I do agree, lacks appeal) just that... simple. But a shotty $120.00 KOSS system simply wouldn't do. I mean.. I will have to listen to this thing from time to time, right? So I went to Best Buy, Circuit City and Good Guys and auditioned every single unit under $400.00 with a couple of CDs that I burned myself.
Bottom line: You will not get better audio quality matched with an on-board DVD player at this price range. Not to mention that, aesthetically, it does well for itself. I have had no problem playing all sorts of DVDs (though I haven't tried any that I burned myself). Of course, I keep my Dvds clean and only try to use region 1. All rentals have played with no problem and older Dvds,even slightly scratched, played without a hitch as well.

Want to distance the speakers a bit further than the supplied cable? Invest in a wire stripper and a $3.00 bag of wire connectors at "The Shack" you'll be fine... really.

enjoy your purchase.. I sure have.

Rating:
Summary: All but dead within months.
Review: Sadly, I wasted my money on this system about four months ago at Best Buy and didn't get a service plan to go with. On the 35th day it ceased playing one of my Season 3 Buffy discs, which it had played many times over. Now it refuses to play any of these discs, as well as many others it has previously played, no matter what slot in the carousel I place it in. The resume feature no longer works properly - once the unit is turned off it locks up and won't resume, even after three minutes, just whirs and whirs and won't read. Just yesterday it refused to read a rented dvd, which the day before it had read better than my new (and about to be returned) Toshiba. It now refuses to properly play my homemade vcds and dvds, playing only a few minutes before jamming up completely. It's a shame, my old Samsung VHS/DVD combo unit lasted for about five years - I was using the dvd player to play what this model wouldn't, up until five days ago when it suddenly stopped playing discs altogether - and it was a floor model of all things.

I'll say this for it, though - the subwoofer (...) :) You'll really notice it with explosions like in Wrong Turn. The speakers seem to take a bit of abuse, too, because I've gotten into sound fights with my neighbors (blasting my music to drown out their car stereos) and haven't had any of the speakers blow out yet.

Rating:
Summary: Only 1 BIG problem
Review: The system over all is great. But there's one big problem in my opinion, that I am concerned about, the Progressive Scan feature. Given you will need to output the video with component cables in order to receive 480p/780p (pending your HDTV monitor). However, the "P-Scan" feature is ... I'm sorry to say, "pathetic." The manual states that you have to hold down the "P-Scan" button on your remote for more than 5 seconds to toggle in between either "P-Scan" or "I-Scan" (Interlaced) and that's it. I've tried this, and haven't noticed any positive improvement on picture quality. Even worse, there is no display feature on the DVD system nor the monitor to let you know if you're in P-Scan mode. I've compared the progressive scan to my older DVD player, and the older DVD player progressive scan's picture quality is much better. Hope this helps.

Rating:
Summary: Worth you Money
Review: This is a great system for the money. The Good: 5 disc changer, 600 watts of power, and reads all my DVDs (at least in the time I've owned it), and it has a mode called Matrix that can turn even monophone sound into 5.1. The Bad: The equalizer only works in Stereo mode (not even with a CD), the DVD player is rather large, and the sound is not as customizable as I would like. The Ugly: The Remote has something to be desired and takes some time to learn the advanced features.

I give this 4 stars because its a good system for your money. It plays my well-used DVDs (fingerprints and all) without skipping and is the simplest thing in the world to set up (took me an hour from driving home to playing Lord of the Rings). If your obsessed about the perfect sound, I wouldn't suggest buying this, but it gives great sound at an even better price.