The skinny remote is pretty good overall. The changer mechanism is unusually smooth and quiet as it goes about its business. The five-disc DVD changer/receiver is 3 inches tall and 17 inches wide and deep, so it might be too deep to fit inside your cabinet or entertainment center. The blue circle of light inside the receiver's volume control looks cool. The HT-TQ85's head unit (a combined A/V receiver, amplifier, and DVD changer), speakers, and subwoofer are finished in semigloss black with silver toned accents.

Samsung's new flagship home theater in a box picks up on the styling cues from its BD-P1000 Blu-ray player and 2006 HDTV line. In short, if you're looking to spend around $500 on an HTIB, the Samsung HT-TQ85 definitely warrants serious consideration. Still, the sound on CDs and DVDs is right up there with best HTIBs we've tested in the midprice class. It's not all good news, but missteps aren't of the deal-breaking sort: the HT-TQ85 lacks speaker autosetup, and the manual setup is hardly a cakewalk. There's also an optional, wireless surround-speaker amplifier available for buyers who'd rather not run wires from the front to the back of their home theaters. And sure, XM Ready A/V receivers are increasingly common, but that capability is rarely found in HTIBs-same with USB connectivity-and the Samsung HT-TQ85 is one of few to offer both. The HT-TQ85 sports not only an HDMI output, but it's the first HTIB we've seen with an HDMI input. Even a cursory perusal of Samsung's new HT-TQ85 ($530 list) flagship system will demonstrate how the brand thrives in this highly competitive environment. The fast-paced home-theater-in-box (HTIB) market keeps manufacturers on their toes, with intense demand for new features and lower prices.

Digital flipboard samsung 85