Samsung HT-P1200 Theater System

There's a lot to like about the Samsung HT-P1200. Okay so it has an ugly name but that's all that's ugly about this system. In its glossy Darth Vader Black it's quite simply a stunner. Turn it on at night and 'ooooh' as the vertical, stand mounted DVD player glows an eerie blue. Press open and 'ahhh' as the dark glass splits and separates to allow you access to the DVD section. Stand back and and 'phwoar' at the tall, slim black speakers and weighty subwoofer.

Now I could go into a LOT of technical detail here – but I won't. Most people reading this are going to want what I wanted, a good looking, nice sounding, simple to set up system that's not going to dominate the living room but will still have the power to make Troy even more of a guilty pleasure.

So from the beginning. The system arrives in a BIG box. You open it and find three smaller boxes. One contains the DVD player, one the five main speakers and the last the subwoofer. Open the boxes and assembly instructions are written on the inside flaps. They're very quick, very simple and pretty brief. The DVD player screws to its stand, the first two screws allowing it to hang as you tighten the others, so it's a one person job. The speakers slot together and take two screws each. That's it. You're done,

Cables are color coded and snap into the back of the subwoofer. Couldn't be easier. A thick cable links DVD unit to subwoofer. Six simple connections and you're ready to roll. DVD can be connected in any number of ways. My TV isn't new enough for HDMI connection (the best quality) so I used component jacks. Picture looks good enough to this untrained eye. Two more component jacks linked DVR to unit and I was done. In total – less than 15 minutes.

Then came the fun part. Attach the enclosed mic, put it where you'd usually sit and hit ASC. Stand back. The system will now test itself, working out ideal delays and getting the speakers bet configured to your space. There's a dog startlingly loud 'white noise' half way through this set up (there are still paw prints on the ceiling) but it only takes a minute and then you're all set up and ready to go.

And boy are you ready to go. With five movie modes, four music modes, countless DOLBY PRO LOGIV II modes and manual set up options you're not going to be at a loss for a setting. I personally enjoy 'virtual 9.1' in which the system mimics a nine speaker set up and really has the house rumbling. But it's all pretty much a matter of personal taste.

Also handy is the 'virtual 5.1' option – in which two channel sound is reproduced as 5.1 sound, giving your system a chance to shine even during 'Nanny 911' (though the sound of screaming kids and yelling parents in 5.1 sound isn't something that I could heartily recommend).

So far I have absolutely no quibbles about the sound at all. Radio reception is crisp and clean, CD reproduction is excellent and DVD's have taken on a whole new lease of life. I've yet to try to USB port (yup, it will take your I-Pod) but I'm sure that it will prove up to scratch too.

Navigation has been a breeze too – the on screen instructions are intuitive and graphically simple.

Of course there are some things that might have been better. I'd like to have seen the same attention paid to the remote control as to the rest of the system. Something black with a blue LCD would have been perfect, instead you get a standard slab of hard gray plastic with too many small buttons scattered around its surface. Then there's the speaker cables, they seem awfully thin, and the connectors seem quite flimsy – especially in comparison to the build quality elsewhere in the system. Connection points also seem scarce – but with HDMI, AnyNet, Digital and Component connectors plus a separate USB port there are enough for my immediate needs.

Ultimately though this is a sexy system. You buy it for the way it looks and feel relief when it sounds ok too. For out of the box home theatre it's pretty bloody good – and it should be at this price – and it will create one sound effect that no other system can – a coo of envy from all who see it. Job done.

UPDATE

Well other than gathering and REALLY showing the dust I'm still happy... USB does work remarkably well (though not with Shuffle, it limits itself to ten songs) and finding a code to enable MULTI-REGION DVD playback was a cinch (it was a very easy 'crack' too).. speakers are wearing in nicely and I have to say that LOST is taking on aurally terrifying dimensions

One last thing - USB connection doesn't work with the latest video i-pod. Samsung have promised to send me a 'patch' as soon as they have one, which is comforting but beware people, currently only 20G, 40G and I-Pod Minis are supported. No Video I-Pods or Nanos

UPDATE II

FINALLY got myself a HD television with an HDMI connection and i have to say that the system works brilliantly. Okay it's a hassle to have to insert the disc, press STOP, then STOP again, push the SD/HD button twice to get to 1080i mode and then press PLAY to get going (and if you turn the TV over you have to repeat the whole thing) but the results are worth it. Stunning color, great definition, real warmth. This thing just gets better