There are plenty of other features, though. Like with most of the latest generation of Blu-ray players, it'll play much more than just BD, DVD and CD discs thanks to its USB port. Plug in any USB storage device and it'll add a neat menu of the drive's contents onto your TV screen – be they music, video or pictures.

It's really easy to scroll through content, making this a great medium with which to view digital snaps and watch downloaded video files. MPEG and .AVI files look a little cleaner when they are upscaled by the Samsung player, too.

However, there's no slideshow option for photos and no fancy jukebox settings for MP3s.

Another feature that's lacking here, which LG and Panasonic are pushing, is access to YouTube or other web services. Presumably, we'll soon be seeing that on the next wave of Samsung's machines. Perhaps that's when we'll see Wi-Fi actually built into the machine, too.

Given the premium price tag here, it's disappointing not to have that functionality included, especially as it's available on the manufacturer's current range of TVs.

The Ethernet connection is useful in other ways, though, and it's easy to set up. You don't need to type in passwords or IP addresses – it's a simple case of plug and play – and it means you'll be able to pick up any firmware updates that come along.

The model is Profile 2.0 compliant, of course, which means you can access the BD-Live functions on certain Blu-ray releases. I'm still waiting for decent BD-Live content to break cover, though...

Practical and stylish

For its few faults, this is a neat piece of BD technology from Samsung. It looks like the kind of lifestyle proposition non-techies might go for, and presents an interesting solution for anyone with a wall-mounted flatscreen, particularly if you go for the wireless dongle option.

In terms of sheer performance, it falls short of more conventional models and is unlikely to win buyers from Panasonic's DMP-BD80. But the smart interface, speedy loading times and undeniably cool form factor are all compelling reasons to take a closer look at this model.

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