Four combiners in comparison

How well are these combineries really, which often do not cost much more than one of the individual components? Can the components reach the water to a separate device? Do the components work really well together? What are the advantages or disadvantages of such a combiner? We did the test and got four different combos into the lab.


The test field


In the race went models from the house of LG, Panasonic and Samsung. Since the functional scope of the devices is sometimes very different and different concepts behind it, they are not really to be compared. Therefore, we decided to examine the models separately.


All-rounder in the home network


The LG and Samsung devices are Blu-ray players with receivers for satellite signals. The Samsung Combo also has a built-in hard disk, so it is also a hard disk recorder.


United


The Panasonic DMR-BST 700 is a Blu-ray recorder with satellite receiver and hard disk. He can also record on Blu-ray discs. The other Panasonic-Kombi in the test, DMR-XS400, has nothing to do with Blu-ray, but is fully dedicated to DVD and hard disk recording.


As different as the devices are, they have one thing in common: they combine several device categories under one roof and thus help save space and money. Because where you had to buy three devices, you get everything in one for a little more money. And the space in the cupboard or shelf remains clear.


The individual components work together well. In this way, MP3 copies of a music CD can be stored on a hard drive and copied from there to an external USB memory device, so that you can prepare your favorite music for mobile devices like MP3 players or smartphones

The network connection brings - at least with the Panasonic devices and with LG - the service Gracenote into the game. This quickly determines the data of the inserted CD and enters the information on the individual songs directly into the MP3 file. This is referred to as ID tags.


Their network capabilities make the devices into all-rounder in the multimedial living room or house. Thanks to DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance), photos, music and films can be spread over the network at home. A prerequisite for this is that both the sender and the receiver are DLNA-compatible. The advantage of this is that films recorded in the living room with the combineret can be viewed in the bedroom, for example.


However, it can always happen that the receiver does not understand the file format of the sender. The screen remains black and the speakers mute. The combos in our test proved to be very versatile and could play a lot of formats, especially in the film area.


But that's not all: Many of the devices have their own Internet portal, which gives access to various services such as YouTube, Facebook, or the media counters of the public broadcasting corporations.


The PC remains in the study, in the living room the combinerät takes this task. However, the content varies widely. It is worth mentioning Panasonic with VIERA Connect and Samsung's Smart TV portal.


The advantage of a combination unit is well-known: everything from one source promises a seamless interplay of the individual components. But what happens when one of them refuses service and needs repair? Then the complete device is on the road and you can not watch TV, since the satellite receiver is missing.


Nevertheless: the combi have their qualities and do not have to hide from the competing single components, as our tests show.


Download: Table


4K Blu-ray player in the test