Samsung HT-DB770

Get DAB-happy with this new all-in-one

Samsung has obviously gone a bit mad. The company is rushing headlong towards global domination and, not content with producing increasingly obscene sizes of television - an 80-inch plasma screen, for God's sake! - it's decided to throw everything except the kitchen sink into its all-in-one home cinema systems.

At first glance, the HT-DB770 looks like pretty standard Far Eastern fare: it's based around a smart silver control unit and has five satellite speakers plus a rather chunky subwoofer. It plays most types of disc - except SACD and DVD-Audio albums - and has hugely exaggerated output ratings. What's different about this, however, is that it features automatic calibration, which sets up the speakers for you with the minimum of fuss. It's also the first one-box home cinema to include a tuner that receives digital radio.

If you haven't heard DAB radio yet, you really should. The quality of the reception - so long as you're in an area that can get it (see www.digitalradionow.com for a handy checker) - is first rate. Finding and storing stations is a matter of remembering the names rather than a set of random frequency locations. The clarity from this model's tuner is up to the usual high standards, which is a bit of a bonus.

However, the purpose of the home cinema is ultimately to watch movies on, and thankfully the performance here is pretty good too. The auto set-up does a decent job of balancing levels, and chances are that you won't have to bother making further changes. Sound quality from the slightly larger-than-usual satellites is very reasonable, although the system can sound a bit harsh when pushed to higher volumes. Stereo is also a tad disappointing, even though the subwoofer does a fair job of beefing up the tunes.

Picture quality from DVDs is decent, although it's not going to set any hearts a-pumping by enabling you to spot any extra detail on Storm's face in X-Men 2. For a start, you're limited to an RGB Scart connection.

When it comes down to it, the DAB tuner in this kit isn't going to be a huge draw for most, as few people even bother to use the analogue one in their existing set-ups. However, it's a nice touch, works well, and adds value to an otherwise well-rounded, reasonable home cinema system.
Shaun Marin

KEY FEATURES:
Plays DVD-Video, DVD-R/-RW, VCD, CD, CD-RW, MP3-CD, Dolby Digital, DTS, Dolby Pro Logic II surround decoders, region 2 only, DAB tuner, AM/FM tuner, connections: 1 x Scart (RGB-enabled), 1 x composite video out, 1 x optical digital input, 2 x stereo audio input, 1 x FM antenna in, 1 x DAB antenna in, power output: 5 x 86W (satellites), 1 x 100W (subwoofer), dimensions: 430 x 75 x 368mm (main unit), weight: 9.3kg (main unit)