Samsung earlier in 2010 came out with a line up of stand alone Blu-ray Players. But this has not stopped them from releasing a whole new trio of Blu-ray Players, all of which have Full HD 3D Blu-ray capability. Samsung already has a 3D Blu-ray Player, the BD-C6900. It reception was good among both experts and consumers, but it is more expensive compared to Sony's 3D compatible Blu-ray Players. This could be one of the reasons for the new 3D Blu-ray Players.
The new Blu-ray Players from Samsung are the BD-C5900 (0 list price), BD-C6800 (0 list price) and the BD-C7900 (0 list price). As you can see they range in price, giving you more options to choose from. Which should help you select the right 3D Blu-ray Player to fit your budget. The BD-C6800 is the mid-price Blu-ray Player. It can be best described as the same model as Samsung's BD-6500 plus 3D capability, which was released earlier in 2010.
Adopting the slim design they have incorporated with their TVs, Samsung has designed the BD-C6800 with the same approach. It is only 1.7 inches thick and has a black metal finish that will match Samsung's TV's. And for an added feature, Samsung has made the 3D logo glow with a nice attractive blue color. Giving the player a High Tech feel. Also glowing are the basic controls located on the right side of the player. The disc loading tray can be found on the left side. The overall design is an attractive one and should fit well into anyone's home theater.
Video Quality: The BD-C6800 will give you a very good picture. It has Full HD 1080p/24 playback when playing back Blu-ray discs. The video connections include a HDMI(v1.4) Output, Composite Outputs, and Component Outputs. For best image result, the HDMI connection is the best when connected to a 1080p HDTV. This will also give you the best results when playing back non High Definition content such as DVDs and streaming online videos via the players up scaling features. The BD-C6800 comes with a Screen Fit feature. When this button is selected it will convert 21:9 aspect ratio content to standard 16:9 aspect to provide you with less distractions.
Audio Quality: The options for connecting the audio are the HDMI Outputs, Digital Audio Outputs (Optical, Coaxial), and Analog Audio Outputs (7.1 Channels). The BD-C6800 has internal audio decoding for Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital, DTS-HD Master Audio, Dolby Digital Plus. But having 7.1-channel analog audio outputs will allow your Audio/Video receiver to decode the High Resolution audio formats. This is great for those who have older receivers.
The great Full HD 1080p video and 7.1-channel studio audio quality you get when playing Blu-ray discs is the same when playing 3D Blu-ray discs. However, when playing back 3D Blu-ray discs you do need to connect the player to a 3D TV and have a pair of 3D glasses. Not many 3D Blu-ray movies are currently available right now, but there is a feature that will allow you to transform regular movies and sports into 3D images.
The BD-C6800 is not only a 3D capable Blu-ray Player. It has many of the great features you come to expect in a mid range player. It has BD-Live support so you can have access to content found on selected Blu-ray discs. The content itself has to be downloaded from the internet and can be such things as deleted scenes, current movie trailers, chat rooms, online games or even live commentary. Getting this content is made very easy with the inclusion of an Ethernet Port and built-in Wi-Fi. Allowing you to connect to the internet with out too much trouble. It also has 1gb of internal memory so there would be no need for an external USB flash drive to store downloadable content.
Having a wireless internet connection will be useful to take advantage of Internet/TV and Samsung's apps. These apps will allow you to access a number of Online Streaming Media Services such as Netflix, Blockbuster, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Pandora, Picasa, Flickr, Monopoly gaming, AccuWeather, USA Today, and many more.
If you do not want to stream data from the internet the BD-C6800 allows you to use a USB devise to playback various media formats like JPEG, MP3, DivX, DivX HD, AVCHD and MKV. The player also comes with Samsung's AllShare feature, which means the player is DLNA certified. This will allow you to sync up your entire household though the Blu-ray Player. With a wired or wireless connection, the Blu-ray Player is connected to your Home Network. This will let you stream your computer's audio and video files to your HDTV using your remote.
THE PROS: The BD-6800 Blu-ray Player from Samsung is very similar to its earlier release, the BD-C6500. The main difference between the two Blu-ray Players is that the BD-C6800 has Full HD 3D Blu-ray capability. Allowing you to playback 3D Blu-ray Discs at 1080p. It also has, Wi-Fi built-in with 1GB of internal memory, BD-Live Ready, Ultra Fast Play, DLNA certified and 7.1 analog audio outputs. Supports online media services: Internet @ TV /Samsung Apps(provides content from Netflix, Pandora, Vudu, Blockbuster, Picasa and Twitter)
THE CONS: May require updating firmware right away to use all features, especially setting up WI-FI connection.
THE FINAL WORD: Overall, Samsung's BD-C6800 Blu-ray Player provides great video and audio quality. With the added benifit to playback 3D Blu-ray disc. Of course a 3DTV and 3D glasses are also required to view 3D images. With the Internet/TV feature you are given an ever growing access to digital online content. The Samsung BD-C6800 is offered to you at a reasonable price and has a great set of features. -- Price you should look for when purchasing -- Under 0.00
