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LockedWhich do you think is better?

posted on October 30, 2009 at 02:38PM Inappropriate?

I'm looking at two 5.1 HTIB systems.  The LG's LHB953 - Sears #98449 - and Samsung's HT-BD1250 - Sears #98629.

 

Has anyone experienced either system?  I'm trying to decide between the two and not sure which one I'm going to go with, yet.  I'd appreciate some thoughts concerning the two - I'll even consider opinions on the matter, as well!

replies: 8 latest post: November 29, 2009 at 09:23AM by GenJones32
Displaying all 8 posts
posted on October 31, 2009 at 03:35PM
 

Hi, Rob. I live in Cincinnati too, so it's good to talk to a local guy!

The LG and Samsung will give you similar performance, i.e., both will look great (thanks to Blu-ray) and sound . . . okay.

You may be able to tell that I'm not a fan of all-in-one systems generally. Blu-ray is capable of incredible sound that no HTiB can deliver, but that's not even my main concern.

The main issue is that these are "closed systems" that can only work as a single unit. If the Blu-ray player (or an amp or tuner or speaker) dies in a few years, you're back to square one, having to buy entire new system. You can't even use the speakers for anything. Bummer.

That leads us to component systems. They typically cost more--some of them a lot more--but they offer much better sound and will let you replace/upgrade components as needed.

If I had to choose between these two, I'd go with the Samsung, based on sound quality and my experience with Samsung's usability, but I would urge you to consider separates.

-Doug

posted on October 31, 2009 at 09:31PM
 

This isn't for my primary entertainment system.  When I finish my media room, it will be all component - and drool-worthy.  This is simply the system for our family room television.  Our current 5.1 system is dying, so we were looking into buying a new one.  We decided to go ahead and replace our little up-convert DVD player, as well.  It was a cheapy so we figured it was time to step intot he Blu-ray age.

 

For the price, we decide to fuse the two and get them together.  Frankly, she doesn't care about Blu-ray - or the 5.1, for that matter - and just gave in and told me to replace them.  I'm totally taking advantage of this... this is just the most advantageous approach.

posted on November 01, 2009 at 08:24AM
 

Well, it sounds like you're going into this with  your eyes wide open, Rob. That's just fine. I've had the opportunity to review both LG and Samsung systems and my recommendation stands. They're both fine, but for the money, I'd go with the Sammy.

Enjoy!

-Doug

posted on November 09, 2009 at 04:48PM
 
In response to TriCoRob's post from October 30 2009 02:38PM

Rob, 

As has been mentioned above, both Samsung's HT-BD1250 and LG's LHB953 are comparable- both are DVD/Blu-ray capable, both are 5.1 channel single-disc and both are wireless ready.  With that being said, the main things you should consider going forward with your decision are: 1) Brand name- is it important to you/your family that you have an LG HTIB to match with your LG TV or Samsung HTIB to match with your Samsung TV? 2) Content accessibility- currently both HTIB systems offer online content such as Netflix and Pandora; however, Samsung has just signed Blockbuster and seems to be aggressively pursuing additional content providers. 3) Disc loading time- does one system offer a shorter load time?  If you have small children this can be a big concern due to attention spans. 4) Styling- Samsung offers "Touch of Color" styling- this may or may not be important to you. 5) Price- the Samsung HT-BD1250 has an everyday price of $549 while the LG LHB953 has an everyday price of $479; is this $70 difference significant to you?

I can't recommend one system over the other as both are good choices, but hopefully the above considerations will help you be more comfortable making your decision.

posted on November 09, 2009 at 04:51PM
 

I myself, use my PC as the media center of the house.

A Blu-Ray internal disc drive will set you back half the price, and most aftermarket motherboards, as well as high performance video cards, will come with HDMI outputs.

With a solid dual, or quad core CPU, and a nice graphics card for about $150 bucks, plus 2 to 4 GB of memory, you can have a system that will blow away any DVD player on the market.

A nice Sony amp, and killer speakers to top it off, you have an internet capable, mulitmedia central.

This includes YouTube, NetFlix, and even Windows Media Center, should your version provide it.

posted on November 09, 2009 at 05:26PM
 

I will go to a cheaper brand.

posted on November 23, 2009 at 11:34AM
 

Great... looks like I'll be going with the LG.  Aside from my cellphone, I don't own any other LG products.  The reasoning behind this is, sadly, simple - the Samsung's speaker wires are PROPRIETARY connections.  What are they THINKING?!

 

I'm going with the LG because I won't be relegated to keeping my speakers within a particular range of my system.  I need to be able to move my rear speakers considerably further away because of how my room is set up and its size.  Wireless doesn't work because the "rear" of my room is actually open to the rest of the house.

 

I was ready to buy the Samsung, too... that sucks!

posted on November 29, 2009 at 09:23AM
 

Good go with the LG the sound is superior the menu setup is superior and the Samsung has the tendency to have speaker outage issues. That LG HTIB is an excellent one especially if you are trying to shake the room.

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