Samsung’s were given a couple of methods up its sleeve with the brand new BD-E8500 Blu-ray player. Once you understand twin RF sockets at the again panel and the inclusion of a 500GB hard drive, you’ll know it’s now not only a simple disc-spinner.
Those dual tuners make it conceivable for you to file two different programmes at the similar time – you can even watch a 3rd channel, as lengthy it’s at the identical frequency as one of the vital channels you’re recording.
This is a pretty useful feature that is helping the BD-E8500 stand out against its opponents. A look at the guide gets you up to the mark on how the entire purposes paintings, and it’s simple to use on a daily basis after that.
The Freeview channel guide is decently laid out, but is quite less intuitive than the similar providing at the LG HR925M – however Samsung’s Smart Hub menus and interface have always been properly designed, and are easy to use.
Samsung BD-E8500: Smart apps
You can also stay viewing a channel while web-browsing or switching to Samsung’s online portal (where you’ll find a host of multimedia choices). Along with a whole lot of family-orientated apps, on-line video content material is to be had via Netflix and YouTube – our closing day with our review pattern coincided with the E8500 in any case getting updated to include BBC iPlayer.
Other media comparable to photos, videos and song saved on USB sticks or to your laptop may also be seen in the AllShare Play hub, where your entire recorded programmes will likely be available as neatly. While it supports playback of most media formats, the BD-E8500 doesn’t like WAV recordsdata.
This is a handsome player, now not least for the reason that front panel is styled with an elegantly curved steel finish, and the touch-sensitive buttons are integrated into the computer screen –a somewhat nifty function.
As with the LG, Samsung has presented the mix of a conventional far off and a smartphone app, either one of which can be quite simple to use.
Samsung BD-E8500: Picture performance
We start with Fargo on Blu-ray. The image is quite clear, and the cold and stark colour steadiness that reflects the film’s iciness backdrop is handled nicely. The Samsung is speedy and assured, and whilst it lacks the subtle finesse of the Panasonic DMP-BDT500 or Sony BDP-S790 avid gamers, the movie remains stress-free to look at.
Play Tintin in three-D, and you’ll in finding that motion is a Samsung energy – some minor blurring way it’s not best possible, but that element of the image is analogous with, if now not better than, than the LG’s effort.
The BD-E8500 will upscale DVDs to 1080p as neatly – play Death at a Funeral and whilst there is a tiny quantity of noise, it’s in large part unobtrusive and doesn’t detract from enjoying the film.
Samsung BD-E8500: Sound high quality
The Samsung suffers in a similar way to the LG player with sound. It is relatively thin and unrefined compared with the extra robust Panasonic players. It has effective dynamics, is going loud without difficulty and has a nice soundfield, however it will do with an additional layer of subtlety and finesse.
Samsung has at all times arise trumps in relation to features – something that’s changing into an increasing number of important at the moment, as we now expect equipment to come with the entire trappings it may possibly be offering.
Samsung BD-E8500: Verdict
Once again, Samsung will get it right on this appreciate, especially with that dual-tuner recording ability. And while that characteristic sets the BD-E8500 excluding its competitors, Samsung nonetheless needs to up its game in image and sound quality, since the requirements somewhere else are so prime.
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