WHC40.25samsung_dvdhd850

29/11/05

12:50 PM

Page 62
GROUP TEST>Upscaling DVD players
This Samsung will spin MP3, WMA and JPEG files Offers DiVX compatibility

RATINGS

##### EASE OF USE ###$$ FEATURES ####$ PICTURE ####$ SOUND ####$ VALUE ####$ OVERALL ####$

Samsung DVD-HD850

Samsung is bravely offering HDMI output and video upscaling on this budget deck, bringing what should be superior picture capabilities to the masses of AV enthusiasts who dont want to spend a fortune on their gear. The DVD-HD850 looks beautiful with a cool, metallic case. Alongside the HDMI socket it offers component video outs for progressive scan signals and S-video and composite video backup. The audio connections come in optical and electrical digital variants, as well as simple stereo phonos. There are no 5.1-channel phono outs because this deck does not play DVD-Audio or SACD discs. It will, however, spin MP3, WMA and JPEG files, and offers DiVX compatibility, complete with a video-on-demand registration code. The HDMI output can be set to deliver a standard progressive scan signal, or it can upscale to 720p or 1080i standards.
more filmic, and there is a hint of greater stability. This may have as much to do with the progressive nature of the picture as anything else. The differences are subtle and require much switching between feeds to get a feel for them.
Sound issues via the HDMI output blight an otherwise strong performance, but video upscaling is a bit disappointing too

TEST SCENE

> >Fantastic Four
The Samsung did better with live action material than with CGI footage, which didnt display the level of impact you would expect
INSTANT SKIP AND INSTANT REPLAY ARE HANDY PLAYBACK ADDITIONS

AT A GLANCE

FEATURES Video upscaling HDMI output PAL progressive scan 4x zoom DiVX VOD playback CONNECTIONS HDMI output Component video output RGB Scart output S-video output Composite video output Optical digital audio output Electrical digital audio output Stereo audio output
again. There is also a 128x picture search facility, great for tearing through a film at breakneck speed. Ease of use is fair, but playback of a DVD has to be stopped before you can access the onscreen menu system. Its much easier to be able to adjust certain parameters while playback continues or is paused. The remote control does let you switch between different HDMI outputs through a dedicated button, which makes it easy to audition the different options. Starting with an RGB feed first, the picture is fine, but nothing special. The visually spectacular Fantastic Four is certainly bold and the picture has impact, but there is a bit less dynamism than we are used to. The image is better on live action footage but less impressive on the CGI elements, which dont quite leap off the screen like they can do. The HDMI cable delivers a slightly different picture. It is perhaps a touch

Growing feed

It takes a little getting used to, but the greater realism of the HDMI feed does grow on you. The bad news is that activating upscaling to 720p has no effect, except for making the picture a bit darker. There doesnt seem to be any illusion of greater detail (there is no extra detail on the DVD, so its up to the upscaling circuitry inside the DVD-HD850 to extrapolate as best it can), nor does the image look any more solid or stable. The sound output via an HDMI feed can also intermittently cut out, raising questions about the quality of the circuitry used, but this sort of thing could be a product sample issue. For the money, this a good DVD player, but it doesnt do enough to make you really excited I

Hop, skip and jump

Samsung throws in the usual playback features, including a zoom and slow-motion replay, with some interesting additions. Instant Skip and Instant Replay will jump 10 seconds forwards and backwards, respectively, letting you quickly review a scene or skip over something youve seen before and have no desire to see

www.samsung.com/uk 0303

Can upscale to 720p or 1080i standards
High quality, all digital connection in the form of HDMI output The remotes HDMI button is a Godsend

62 WHC JANUARY 2006

f o c u s

DVD PLAYERS

SAMSUNG DVD-HD850

AFFORDABLE

d e f i n i t i o n
n the beginning there was celluloid film, and we were happy.Watching a movie at home was an occasion to be savoured as we had to rent a projector, set it up in a darkened room, load the film through gears and sprockets, place the single low fidelity at the front of the room, and as long as we hadnt made the funny loop below the lens too long, voices would be timed with onscreen images. Next we found VCR cassettes, and as initially only the well-heeled owned VCR players, renting a movie was still something of an occasion. As time moved on and the price of video cassette players came down - and Sony lost the Betamax battle - watching movies at home became more common. After a few more years, or should that be decades, DVD was released, and this format delivered easier operation and far superior sound and image quality than video could ever offer (This is of course apart from those films that are copied from tape to DVD). In a relatively short period of time, the price of DVD players plummeted, to the point where almost any person could afford one, and whats even better, DVD players that featured the absolute latest in technology became available to the average Joe public. One such DVD player is the Samsung DVD-HD850 on review here. On the techno front, the DVD-HD850 offers the ability to play a whole slew of disc-based formats, including those with DivX, MP3/WMA, and even MPEG4 discs. Naturally the player can also read a variety of recordable disc formats too, but the manual does caution that if you didnt record it right, the laser wont read it right Of particular interest to those with higher definition TVs, projectors, monitors, or A/V receivers, will be the fact that the DVD-HD850
is equipped with component video outputs that can be set to interlaced or progressive output, and that there is a HDCP-compliant HDMI output. On the looks side of things, the DVD-HD850 follows the current trend in being slim and trim, with measurements of 430 mm wide, 250 mm deep, and 49 mm high.The front panel is neat with a minimum of buttons and the display is large enough for one to see all the information needed. Being slim and trim with a minimum of buttons means that most users would want to use the supplied remote to operate the player, and luckily for us this proved to be simple and quite intuitive to use, although the jog dial does have to be rotated to its extremes to fast forward or rewind. In between the extremes of rotation, the dial moves forward or back in slow motion. There were no surprises at the back of the player, with all the usual suspects - component, composite, S-Video, digital and audio outputs present.There was also, as expected, an HDMI connector.

p e a k s

VERDICT With an HDMI output, the Samsung DVD-HD850 offers great image quality at an affordable price. Image and sound quality in analogue modes is good too. PRICE..RSUPPLIED BY Samsung SA 011-549-1500
For my part of the review, the DVD-HD850 was set up in the office demo room and connected to either a LCD monitor or a video projector. Coaxial digital out was sent to our A/V receiver, and S-Video out was connected directly to the projector/monitor. Even with an S-Video connection, the player delivered good to look at onscreen images, colours were clean and bright, and detail was good.There were some movement artefacts, but these were relatively minor. Audio quality was top notch and easily met or bettered that of our stock player. The DVD-HD850 also proved more adept at reading scratched discs than our player, and this should prove to a positive boon to those that rent DVDs that havent been looked after too well. For the second part of the review, the DVD-HD850 found its way to friend and colleague Rowan Callaghan, and he connected the player up to his projector via the HDMI cable and component cable. In HDMI mode the DVD-HD850 can output signals from 576p all the way up to 1080i. Rowan used 1080i and noted that there was an improvement in image quality over even component video. He could see, for example, that Frozone on the Incredibles DVD, had stubble on his chin. Another bonus when using HDMI was that there were a few additional settings that could be used to further enhance colour. Overall, the Samsung DVD-HD850 proved to be a more than able player. Couple this to the fact that firmware is upgradeable with downloads from the Samsung website and you have a DVD player that should be current for a while to come.