Samsung BD-D6900 3D Blu-ray player and DVR combo

Does it all and then some

Sat 2 Apr 2011 // 08:00 UTC

Slot machine

For optical media, the BD-D6900 uses a slot mechanism, rather than a tray – but disc loading speeds are good. HD image quality is perfectly acceptable, both from the Freeview HD tuner and discs. Blu-rays are extremely sharp with precious little noise and 3D is great fun. However, as an upscaling DVD player, I’d rate the BD-D6900 as merely average.

Slimline slot loader

It’s worth noting that the implementation of the Smart Hub portal itself is slightly different from what we’ve seen on the brand’s 55UED8000 TV. There’s no web browser or live TV window. At the time of writing the key apps available included YouTube, DailyMotion, Acetrax, Facebook, Google Maps and Twitter.

As with Samsung’s TVs, there’s 2D-to-3D picture processing onboard, which will turn any TV channel or video footage into faux 3D. More interesting was the 3D conversion of 2D still images, which can work rather well.

Verdict 

Overall, I really rather like the BD-D6900. Its functionality fits with what a modern entertainment device should offer, with only a couple of caveats: I would like to see wider, more bullet proof file streaming, and the USB recording provision needs a rethink. If you happen to have a spare external drive, enlisting it for PVR work makes a lot of sense. However given that Samsung has only seen fit to place a USB on the front-panel, parking an external HDD in plain sight is going to prove unsightly. Still, when all is said and done, the BD-D6900 is quite an innovative and unique proposition. ®