Official Samsung HT-AS720 thread w. updated first post.

[redlikefire02]

post updated 5-13-2008

here's the info i've gathered so far from the BestBuy and tech websites .. TrueHD and DTS HD passthrough!! plus its pretty. check out all the decoding!

Prices - Location

Highest - 599.99 Best Buy
Midrange $569.99 and 539.99 Best buy
Low - 509.99-479.99 Best Buy and 499.99+ ship JR audio









Multiple built-in decoding formats include Dolby Digital, Dolby ProLogic II, Dolby ProLogic IIx, DTS, Dolby Digital EX, DTS ES Discrete 6.1, DTS 96/24 and DTS Neo:6



7 EQ/DSP modes let you customize your sound


Total output: satellites and center-channel: 100W maximum per channel at 4 ohms; subwoofer: 150W


150W powered 8" subwoofer


Frequency response: 150Hz - 50kHz (speakers); 20-200Hz (subwoofer)

Impedance: 4 ohms


System is expandable up to 7.1 channels



Built-in FM tuner with 30 presets

Inputs: 4 composite video, 2 HDMI, 5 audio, 2 optical digital audio, 1 coaxial digital audio


Outputs: 2 composite video, HDMI, audio, headphone



Product Details


Total System Power 650W @ 5.1
Total System Power 850W @ 7.1

Front Surround Power/Channel 100W x 2; 100W center

Rear Surround Power/Channel 100W x 2

Subwoofer Power (watts) 150

Subwoofer Type Active

Subwoofer Size (in.) 8

DVD Disc Capacity No DVD Player

Dolby Digital Decoder Yes

DTS Decoder Yes

Dolby Pro Logic Decoder Yes

DSP Soundfields 7

Number of Speakers 5 + subwoofer

Satellite Speakers 3" full range

HDMI Inputs 2 - Version 1.3

DVI Inputs No

Digital Input 2 optical, 1 coaxial

Headphone Jack Yes

Component Video Inputs No

Component Video Outputs No

HDMI Outputs Yes - Version1.3

DVI Outputs No

Tuning Presets 30

Front Speaker Dimensions 10-3/5"H x 3-9/10"W x 3-4/5"D

Center Speaker Dimensions 3-1/2"H x 11-4/5"W x 3-3/5"D

Rear Speaker Dimensions 10-3/5"H x 3-9/10"W x 3-4/5"D

Subwoofer Dimensions 15"H x 12-1/5"W x 17-2/5"D

Dolby Digital 6.1 Input No

DTS ES Discrete 6.1 Yes

DTS ES Matrix 6.1 No

DTS 96/24 Yes

DTS NEO 6 Yes

DVD-R/RW No

DVD Audio No



JPEG Viewer No




"HT-AS720 5.1 Channel Blu Ray Receiver / Speaker System
Consumers who already enjoy the full HD 1080p cinematic video quality of Samsung's Blu-ray disc players and HDTVs can now have an audio experience to match. The HT-AS720 5.1 channel hi-definition receiver / speaker system provides powerful, theater-like sound. With its slick, deep black design and soft blue LED accents, the HT-AS720 seamlessly boosts both the audio presence and visual aesthetics of the home theater to a new level. A fully powered subwoofer, accentuated by five satellite speakers, gives the HT-AS720 a rumbling 650 Watts of total output power to keep movie and audio fans satisfied. A complete portfolio of innovative features includes two HDMI-CEC inputs and 1 HDMI output for on-the-fly switching of components as well as 1080p pass through capability for a high-definition viewing experience.

The AS720 can also support the pass through of Dolby True HD and DTS HD and has a built in Dolby Digital Plus decoder allowing consumers to experience their favorite movies with clear, full-bodied sound. The design and performance of the AS720 has also been perfectly matched with Samsung's new Blu-ray players as well as with their award-winning HDTVs. While the performance of these products are impressive, they will impress even when not turned on." gizmoto.com



********** UPDATE 5-13-2008

many of you have been PMing me asking about the 720's ability to pass TrueHD and DTSHDMA i own a samsung 1400 Bluray player and do post on blu-ray.com, i just copied and pasted my findings here.

HD DVD and Blu-Ray player (including the PS3) settings for AVR720----

set player(s) to PCM or LPCM.

Player will decode the TrueHD and DTS HD and reciever will light up as LPCM or Multichannel and you will be hearing the HD audio formats.

what you will be hearing:

PCM (uncompressed)
DD
DD+
TrueHD
DTS
DTS HD
DTS HDMA

also remember to either use your remote or the disc options to see/choose what audio you prefer

hope this is easy for everyone ... makes things very simple and much less reading . ***remember it depends on what your player can decode internally***

if you want to bitstream audio you might not want this reciever. remember the AVR720 does passthrough not internal decoding of high definition formats.





POST REVIEW 5-13-2008

I have owned the 720 for quite sometime now and am still pleased with my purchase. i still have to remind myself this is a HTIB as I find myself comparing it to just receivers. as i traded up my samsung 1200 bluray player for the 1400 i got to hear truehd. what a difference, especially on the 720. I currently use the 720 in my bedroom, its more than adequate for that situation and could very easily fill up a small to medium living room or family room. I have found that it on occasion has handshake issues with my anynet+ (HDMI-CEC) but this only occurs when the power goes out or even flickers. I simply unplug the receiver for 1 minute and plug it back in and it works flawlessly. I am in florida so power fluctuations are more common. I am deciding to go with the APC J15 power conditioner/battery backup very soon to see if this makes a difference in the issues that are being had. other than that simple task its been working great, everyone loves the looks of it, some didnt even know it was a receiver its so streamlined and classy. If I could do it again, I would get the Onkyo 605(or better) or Yamaha v663*personally preferred*(or better) with some Polk speakers as they have become very very cheap. I do enjoy the 720 but it will remain in my bedroom. I do not regret this purchase but i do think those receivers have much much more than the 720 has to offer, but remember they are NOT htib's as I have mentioned before in this thread. Thanks all and I will reply to emails and will try and keep this first post updated asap.

[l337hxr]

the glossyness will match my samsung 46" and my ps3.

so when's the ETA on this sucker?!!?

[redlikefire02]

its out now at BB my local store had one but I like to pay cash so ill have to wait another 2 weeks for the ol' paycheck lol. but you have to ASK them. they have none on display til Oct 1st. but techincally if "its in stock, they can sell it".

[l337hxr]

how come i can't find this unit on samsungs website?

i searched for this model

i'd like to know more about its specs, THD..etc.

[l337hxr]

i'm also a little bit skeptical abotu the size of those speakers...

feature wise this system is packed with decoding features.

right now i'm also leaning towards the Samsung HT-SF2000 which makes my life easier by not having to mount speakers.

the majority of the use of my Home theater will be for movies and games and both are from hooked up via the PS3's HDMI or toslink.

[redlikefire02]

its so new dude lol ive been looking for it too i even searched it... they wont release specs until it "officially" is out.

[nthsidenike21]

If someone actually ends up seeing this unit in person would you mind posting the dimensions of the receiver itself? I've also done some googling and can't seem to find much about this unit either...
The only thing that worries me is the size and the fact that it is only 650 watts, hopefully thats just the specs of the included speakers and not the maximum receiver output (since it mentions it is expandable to 7.1 - which, if true, is awesome!)

[redlikefire02]

even if its 650 the speakers and output is 4 ohms .. which is RARE if not (trying to find a word for extremely rare) lol .. but the quality even at 650 would be crisp and clear all the way up to full volume .. unlike 8 ohms. im calling samsung tomorrow to get level 2 support because level 1 didnt even have this listed in their database. but 650 at 4 ohms would be like 1000 or more at 8 .. ive heard 4 vs 8 and you can really tell its amazing

[l337hxr]

i'm still worried about its performance.. the size of those speakers are kinda small...

[redlikefire02]

bigger than the SS2000's thats for sure.. remember sometimes its not quantity or size but quality. im not worried at all about speaker size. samsung hasnt let me down thus far and doubt they will with this .. and you said you wanted the SF2000 .. with the whole 3 decoders vs this ones 8 plus the 2 TrueHD/DTS passthroughts plus expandable to 7.1 .. you cant come close to going wrong.

[l337hxr]

well i had my eyes on the sf2000 sony, then the onkyo sr-800..but i don't like how the sr800 is pass thru and requires optical.... i do like four floor standing speakers...

but then this samsung does have looks and features (decoding) ...

the only thing mainly being hooked up to it is my PS3 anyways.

[G-star]

150W powered 8" subwoofer
Frequency response: 20-200Hz (subwoofer)

hmmm.....i wonder what the -3dB point and THD figures are for this sub?

[Kex]

I am not really in the market for this kind of unit, but I thought I would share some remarks for those of you who might be considering it.

Originally Posted by nthsidenike21

... since it mentions it is expandable to 7.1 - which, if true, is awesome!

Although we have no view of the rear pannel connections as yet, if you examine the front panel carefully on the right hand side, to the left of the Volume control knob, and just left of the red DTS icon, you will see a set of eight rectangular icons. These seem to represent the 7.1 channels: the top row, for example, is labeled [L][C][R] (the icons would usually light up according to what speakers are outputing sound). So according to this, it does seem to have the capability of having 7 speakers connected, as well as the subwoofer (probably represented by the icon just below [C] for the center).

It is odd though that they only mention the power per channel ratings for front surround, center, and rear surround. Surely they are missing two channels?

Originally Posted by l337hxr

i'm still worried about its performance.. the size of those speakers are kinda small...

The specs, although perfectly normal for a HTiB, seem a bit feeble to me:
- Frequency response: 150Hz - 50kHz.

Compare this to something like Polk Audio R150s, at just $50 per pair:
- Overall Frequency Response: 60Hz - 24kHz.

Put simply, as far as I understand it, the lower the first figure, 150 vs. 60, the more low frequency sound and bass you can get from the speakers, leaving the subwoofer to do the heavy lifting on the low end where normal speakers can't ... usually ... go. Generally speaking, many people like to set the subwoofer crossover point at 80Hz, but this is well below the stated specs of these speakers. Some people with high crossover settings complain about the sound not being loud enough for dialogue and normal activity, compared to the bassy rumbles and effects coming from the subwoofer.

Impedance: 4 ohms

AFIK, this is just a way to get more for less. You double the WPC rating of the unit by using 4 ohms, so, instead of 100 w/channel at 4 ohms, this unit would only have 50 w/channel at 8 ohms. I am not sure what issues you need to be aware of with this exactly, especially if you decide to upgrade the speakers later with standalone models (most speakers are rated at 8 ohms).

By this same measure, if I am not missing something, the 110w x 7 Onkyo SR800, mentioned already, could be rated at 220w x 7 at 4 ohms!

The other thing I would be concerned about are video inputs. Only two HDMI inputs is still fairly standard, even on many $1,000 AVRs. Usually, though, this is helped by the availability of component inputs (which can also handle HD up to 720p, sometimes even 1080p). If you only have two, and HD cable or satellite, you will not have any options for connecting extra stuff other than composite video, which really is the bottom rung of the ladder for video. So check what video components you will be using, especially existing ones that might only have composite, S-Video and component outputs as options.

Just some food for thought, guys, especially for those considering units such as the Onkyo SR800 as well.

[Chadly1980]

Ooooo! I can't wait to hear the price on 'em and the reviews from customers with pictures, too! I want this and get the Oppo 980H DVD player...tits!

[redlikefire02]

ok ive seen this last night while awaiting my copy of halo 3 .. i took a pic with my camera phone of the back official retail is 599.99 but i saw it for 569.99 3 days in a row on BB website. it was by far the SEXIEST reciever there, hands down no question.

[Chekoman]

Saw it today at BB.
It's prety neat, it's 650 wtts on 5.1, and 850 wtts on 7.1

I'll get it tuesday afternoon

[Chadly1980]

Excellent! Post pics when you have it all set up at your home!

[y2k02c5]

Just when I thought i found my system, I get disappointed to find out it has a missing feature.

I can't believe they put 4 composite connections, but NO component. So if you have a Satellite / Cable box, HD DVD Player, and Xbox 360, or PS3, You are screwed by not having that component input option.

Overall the rest of the specs look great.

Guess its back to the HTIB drawingboard

[nthsidenike21]

Originally Posted by nthsidenike21

If someone actually ends up seeing this unit in person would you mind posting the dimensions of the receiver itself?

?

[redlikefire02]

Originally Posted by y2k02c5

Just when I thought i found my system, I get disappointed to find out it has a missing feature.

I can't believe they put 4 composite connections, but NO component. So if you have a Satellite / Cable box, HD DVD Player, and Xbox 360, or PS3, You are screwed by not having that component input option.

Overall the rest of the specs look great.

Guess its back to the HTIB drawingboard

video doesnt have to go to a reciever, just the sound which you can run through one of the many digital connections

[Chadly1980]

I hope that Sears will sell this system. I have a $200 gift card through them, and with combining my Christmas money, I'd like to pick one up through Sears!

[krispykeith]

Has anyone been able to listen to this yet? I was just about to buy it a few minutes ago but I hate being the guinea pig.

[redlikefire02]

i have .. in the middle of best buy with FM radio (which we all know is pure crap from the back of best buy with 100 recievers around you underneath a shelf, and it was still hitting hard.

[krispykeith]

so even given the less than ideal conditions....you thought it sounded promising?

[logan214]

I am about to pull the trigger on a Onkyo HTIB untill I read this post. Is this one actually a better set up? 50" Samsung 5064 being delivered Monday so it would match one another.

[Kex]

Originally Posted by logan214

I am about to pull the trigger on a Onkyo HTIB untill I read this post. Is this one actually a better set up? 50" Samsung 5064 being delivered Monday so it would match one another.

Logan, you probably have to decide what you want. This unit has some decent connectivity, and looks sleek, but the Onkyo has a "real" receiver, rated at 8 ohms, not 4, so you will probably have more power from the Onkyo (and at least as many decoding formats). You may not have the video switching between inputs and outputs, depending on which model, though. You will have HDMI and component video inputs, as well as S-Video and composite. So you basically have to decide what is important. Long term, the Onkyo can be upgraded to a full blown HT system, using speakers bought seperately (not just HTiB quality). The Samung may be limited by its 4 Ohm rating (most speakers are 8 Ohm).

I am sure that many buyers of this Samung will be very happy, but an Onkyo is no slacker. I would be careful of giving up a good price on an Onkyo for a sexy looking 4 Ohm system that is not necessarily all that cheap at $569-599.

[logan214]

Originally Posted by Kex

Logan, you probably have to decide what you want. This unit has some decent connectivity, and looks sleek, but the Onkyo has a "real" receiver, rated at 8 ohms, not 4, so you will probably have more power from the Onkyo (and at least as many decoding formats). You may not have the video switching between inputs and outputs, depending on which model, though. You will have HDMI and component video inputs, as well as S-Video and composite. So you basically have to decide what is important. Long term, the Onkyo can be upgraded to a full blown HT system, using speakers bought seperately (not just HTiB quality). The Samung may be limited by its 4 Ohm rating (most speakers are 8 Ohm).

I am sure that many buyers of this Samung will be very happy, but an Onkyo is no slacker. I would be careful of giving up a good price on an Onkyo for a sexy looking 4 Ohm system that is not necessarily all that cheap at $569-599.

Thanks for the info Kex, I just bought a bunch of goodies for new family room addition and want something under 1000. but with real good quality. I'll do a search for info on the Onkyo so I don't get off topic. You guys were building alot of hype on this sytem here and I got excited.

Scott

[redlikefire02]

onkyo doesnt have true HDMI switching thought. and just the speakers are 4 ohms .. the reciever can do between 4 and 8 ohms not just 4. everything Kex said the onkyo does samsung also does AND with your tv being samsung you can do everything with 1 touch of a button using the HDMI CEC

[krispykeith]

Red, where are you finding the info that the receiver supports 8 ohms and the extra watts?

[bstronger]

I bot this Samsung tonight from BB and speaker connections are labeled "4-8 ohms". More tomorrow when I connect.