BLU-RAY PLAYER Samsung BD-C6800

January 2010 was a month when 3D technologies finally made it to the home theater systems as a response to all of the positive feedback on 3D movies in the cinemas. The real debate is on whether these 3D technologies are actually worth the extra cost considering all of the pricey high-end LED HDTVs. Samsung’s approach was not only to put 3D technologies in their future models, but also to make them as slim a pencil. To support that, Samsung also rolled out a couple of 3D Blu-ray players so people won’t have to wait for their cable networks to provide 3D material. The Samsung BD-C6800 is one of those models that comfortable stays below the $300 price tag while offering a nice set of features.

Design

Following the footsteps of their TVs, the Samsung BD-C6800 tries to be as slim as possible and the 1.7-inch thickness is just enough to stand out when incorporated to the home theater system. It looks great when placed on top because there is an attractive Blu-ray 3D logo that glows. The basic controls found on the side of the player glows as well and the disc tray may look to be hard to find, but is actually found on the left side of the player. The black metal finish matches their Samsung TVs well and looks very minimal compared to other competing devices.

Features

The Samsung BD-C6800 introduces the wonders of 3D technology just like the other models in Blu-ray 3D family. Once a Samsung 3D is properly connected and a pair of 3D Active Glasses are worn, the 3D experience is revealed and it adds some great emphasis to some of the 3D Blu-ray titles that exist today. Although the number of titles is limited for now, it does sport a feature that can convert regular movies and sports into 3D too.
The BD-C6800 is not only future-proof on the 3D aspect, but on the standard Blu-ray aspect as well since it provides the full BD-Live 2.0 support that is required to view any extra materials from certain titles. The content is not found on the disc and relies on an Internet connection to access the material. Fortunately, the Samsung BD-C6800 has wireless LAN built-in to the device so it is unnecessary to purchase a wireless USB dongle.
This wireless LAN feature becomes even more valuable when the web-connected Samsung Apps are loaded. These applications use the Internet to get some information in real-time so viewers can stay up to date. In addition to obtainable information in news sites, video can be streamed from popular web services like Netflix, BLOCKBUSTER, and YouTube. Other ways to enjoy the wireless Internet using the Samsung BD-C6800 include accessing social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter along with popular Internet radio service Pandora.
Although it is a wireless USB adaptor is no longer needed, a port is still provided for other portable devices including flash drives to be plugged in so various multimedia file formats can be viewed on the connected display. These formats include the common ones such as JPEG and MP3 along with full DivX and DivX HD support and AVCHD and MKV as well. It is even possible to playback any CDs or DVDs that have DivX HD files in them.

Performance

Good performance can be noticed right when the disc is inserted. With the Ultra Fast Play feature, average Blu-ray discs load in less than 15 seconds and the display can be fully maximized after pressing a single button. This button is known as the “Screen Fit” button and it quickly converts 21:9 aspect ratio content into the standard 16:9 aspect so there are fewer distractions. Non-Blu-ray content also looks good providing that a 1080p TV is connected thanks to its built-in upscaling features. It also interacts well with other Samsung and DLNA-certified devices through the AllShare and Anynet+ features.

Bottom Line

The Samsung BD-C6800 completes the 3D equation when paired with a 3DTV and it can also add wireless Internet functionality to any TV that lacks it. For about $280, the Samsung BD-C6800 is surprisingly budget-friendly and it has the necessary future-proofing features to last several years.