Samsung HT-BD3252 Bu-ray HTiB Announced

Written on Jul 21, 2009 by Brian and filed under News, Samsung

Samsung seems to be executing the market saturation strategy with their home theater in a box lineup. Already with half a dozen systems announced this year, Samsung is rolling out another, yes a fourth Blu-ray home theater system, the HT-BD3252. The 5.1 system features 1000 watts of total power, wireless rear speakers and an included USB WiFi dongle to enable easy access to streaming content from Netflix, Blockbuster and Pandora.

Samsung is pitching the HT-BD3252 as an upgrade to their HT-BD1250which recently began shipping. The key differences are that the HT-BD3252 offers wireless rear speakers and includes the WiFi dongle which is optional in the BD1250. At suggested retail, the HT-DS3252 runs at a $200 premium over the HT-BD1250, which seems reasonable.

Other highlights include Samsung’s Auto Sound Calibration (ASC) which automatically configures  the speakers to optimum levels and output depending upon their seating position and support for the latest HD audio formats, including Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio.

Of course access to the online content whether it’s via the Blu-ray player which supports BD-Live, or content from Netflix, Blockbuster and Pandora. Samsung includes a wireless USB dongle that gives the HT-BD3252a tremendous amount of flexibility. Blockbuster content won’t be available until later this year, but thanks to the WiFi connection, owners will be able to easily download a firmware update for this system to enable new features.  

And speaking of flexibility, Samsung has included an iPod cradle, two HDMI inputs and the ability to play audio and photo files from a networked PC or a connected USB device like a portable hard drive.

While it might start to get confusing for consumers to figure out all of Samsung’s offerings, the HT-BD3252 seems promising. The system is due out next month for a retail price of $799.

HT-BD3252 Blu-ray Home Theater System Specs

• 1000 Watts total output power
• 5.1-Channel
• Smart Volume
• Dolby Digital®, Dolby Pro-Logic II®, Dolby Digital Plus™, Dolby Digital True HD™, DTS-HD Master Audio®
• Rear Wireless Included
• Wi-Fi capable with included USB dongle (802.11b/g/n)
• USB 2.0 port with USB HOST functionality
• Included iPod cradle, onscreen display support, and remote control navigation
• 1 HDMI-CEC output
• 1 Composite output
• 2 HDMI-CEC inputs
• 1 Optical input
• 1 Ethernet port
• BD Profile 2.0-compliant (BD-Live™)
• Plays Netflix SD/HD streaming content
• Plays Pandora streaming audio
• Plays BLOCKBUSTER OnDemand streaming content (via firmware upgrade available in Fall 2009)
• Auto Sound Calibration (ASC) with included microphone
• Wired / wireless PC Streaming of select audio and photo files