Harman Kardon BDS 400 2.1 Channel Blu-ray Home Theater Systems

harman kardon® BDS 400 At A Glance

• Complete, integrated home theater system
• Décor-complementing design
• Sublime Dolby® sound quality
• Crystal-clear HDMI® perfection
• 200-watt, compact, powered subwoofer
• USB port for multimedia
• Preprogrammed/learning remote control
• Digital-amplifier technology
• Three digital inputs and two line outputs
• Dot-matrix information display
• Heavy-duty, gold-plated, binding-post speaker connectors
• Wall-mount hardware
• Magnetically shielded transducers
• Intuitive playlist memory
• Simplified system upgrades
• Headphone jack

Make every night “movie night.”
The BDS 400 is the complete package. As an all-in-one home theater system, the fully loaded BDS 400 comes with a Blu-ray Disc™ receiver, DVD/CD player, two Dolby® Virtual Speaker units, an HDMI® output, a USB port (for importing music, video and picture files) and a preprogrammed/learning remote control to facilitate easy setup. With everything you’ll need to redefine the entertainment experience at home, the BDS 400 is a superb 360-degree audio/video performer that’ll have you rethinking your plans to “go” to the movies. There are no extras you need to buy – except for, well, maybe popcorn.

Décor-complementing design.
It might sound strange to hear someone compliment your home theater system on its good looks, but with the BDS 400, it’s a distinct possibility. With its modern, high-style design, the BDS 400’s appearance is as elegantly crafted as the entertainment you’re watching on screen. As a perfect fit for most bookshelves, countertops or entertainment centers, the BDS 400’s friendly size is just one of its many attractive features.

Sublime Dolby® sound quality.
To say that the BDS 400 exceeds expectations would be an understatement. The 2.1-channel surround-sound system’s Dolby® Virtual Speaker technology overachieves by creating what is virtually a 5.1-channel surround soundstage – from just two speakers. By letting you hear every nuance of the latest movie soundtrack as it’s meant to be heard (from virtually any source), the BDS 400 stays faithful to each note and syllable. The BDS 400 is also equipped with digital-amplifier technology to prevent interference or conversion artifacts – so you can always experience the most efficient and exceptional sound quality imaginable.

Crystal clear HDMI™ perfection.
If you’re going to invest in a system with the extensive capabilities of the BDS 400, you’ll want to enjoy the best high-definition picture and sound quality possible. Thanks to an HDMI® output, you’ll get it. By delivering HD digital video (up to 1080p) and high-resolution audio at the highest level possible, the BDS 400 allows you to experience each frame of Hollywood action as it was shot – without quality loss due to conversion or compression of a video or audio signal. After all, if you’re going to recreate the movie-theater experience at home, why not come as close to the real thing as possible?

Compact, powered subwoofer.
Far from bulky, the compact BDS 400 subwoofer fits unobtrusively into your life. Yet it’s hard not to notice, thanks to its acoustic loading to the floor, impressive output and sealed enclosure – all creating tight, powerful bass performance. In addition, the glossy, black subwoofer gives you the ability to adjust volume, phase and bass-boost controls, so you can always create an ideal listening environment. The subwoofer also turns on and shuts off automatically, responding intuitively to audio signals, so the BDS 400 system saves you not just time but energy as well.

A full-line multimedia player.
Imagine a home theater system that can play every song, video or picture file you toss its way – while hooked up to your TV. Serving as a true multimedia device capable of playing media as sophisticated as Blu-ray Disc™ technology (or even casual videos shot on your iPhone device, straight from the USB port), the BDS 400 offers you flexibility that you might not have known was possible. Simply attach a device (such as a flash drive) to the front-panel USB port, which makes temporary connections easy, and watch your media manifest itself before your very eyes. That’s all it takes: One cable and you’re instantly watching MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MP3, WMA and JPEG files on your TV with greater quality than is possible on your computer screen.

Take control with preprogrammed/learning remote.
There’s nothing more frustrating than a coffee table stacked with more remote controls than coffee-table books. That’s why the BDS 400 simplifies your life with a remote control that’s capable of controlling your TV, cable boxes, satellite tuners and home theater system – all via the adept BDS 400 system. And with an on-screen menu that makes setting up and using the system easy on all accounts, you can expect a greater level of synchronicity among all of your components, making your life easier.

Dynamic digital-amplifier technology.
Going digital has its benefits in so many ways. The same goes for the digital amplifier that comes with the BDS 400 home theater system. With the BDS 400, you can keep your audio signal smooth by reducing conversion artifacts and improving sound quality in the digital domain – from the source to the amplifier output. In addition, by utilizing digital amplifier technology, the BDS 400 keeps its receiver size small to ensure that your system generates less heat than others – a benefit that allows you to reduce your carbon footprint. Ultimately, you’ll enjoy not just an optimal entertainment experience but an energy-efficient one as well.

Gain extensive connectivity through multiple inputs.
With three digital inputs and two line outputs, the BDS 400 empowers you with great flexibility to mix and match with other systems. And even though the BDS 400 provides you with everything you’ll need to get your home theater system up and running, you can expand your system using multiple audio sources at any time. In addition, the BDS 400 offers up extensive connectivity in ways that more limited systems can only dream of. It even has an Ethernet port that allows you to connect to the Internet via your local area network, so you can take advantage of BD-Live™ interactivity – a next-generation technology that allows you to create your own programming with MP3, WMA and JPEG playback.

Enhanced display features designed to save energy.
Thanks to a dot-matrix information display that communicates freely with you to deliver status messages, the BDS 400 allows you to play music without turning on the TV. This forward-thinking feature saves energy. Additionally, a screen-saver function prevents image burn-in on CRT and plasma displays. The BDS 400 even has a cover-art display function as part of its state-of-the-art MP3-player technology. This way, you can see the artist you’re listening to, thanks to audio files (via USB devices) with ID3 tags.

Improve the quality of your connections.
You can never have too secure a cable connection to prevent disruptions to your signal. That’s why the BDS 400 has heavy-duty, gold-plated, binding-post speaker connectors to help you achieve the strongest connection possible – drastically minimizing the likelihood of distortion or interference. The BDS 400 system is also compatible with a variety of speaker wires – accepting banana connectors, spade connectors, pin connectors, bare wire and any other connectors you’re likely to use. To help you simplify the process before installing the unit, the BDS 400 even comes with a detachable IEC power cord that lets you connect to the installation site with ease.

Simplified wall-mount hardware for your speakers.
The BDS 400 puts your speakers precisely where you envision them. By including the proper wall-mounting hardware for the left and right speakers, the versatile BDS 400 offers multiple installation options, particularly for working around wall-mounted flat-screen TVs. And with wall brackets that pivot, you can aim the sound at whatever couch, love seat or dining-room chair you may be sitting on. This overall flexibility ultimately allows the system to flow with your existing design scheme while becoming a nice complement to any setup imaginable.

Magnetically shielded transducers.
When you’re immersed in your favorite movie or TV show, there’s nothing worse than unexpected interruptions to picture or sound. With magnetically shielded transducers designed to eliminate picture interference and distortion, the BDS 400 system allows you to place your speakers close to a TV screen – or wherever your décor demands – without affecting picture or sound quality. The BDS 400 even has flat-panel midrange transducers (honeycomb design with carbon-fiber skin) that improve sound quality over conventional flat-panel materials, making for a more natural, transparent sound. And with a 2-1/2-way crossover network, you can now expect even more natural sound by improving the transition between midrange and tweeter.

Intuitive playlist memory.
It’s nice to have a home theater system with a great memory. With playlist functionality in place to store the locations of frequently used media, the BDS 400 system remembers your favorite selections, making it easy for you to play files stored on your USB devices or CD-Rs with a minimum of button pushing. It’s one thing to be able to listen to your home-theater system. But when it listens to you, isn’t that a nice bonus?

Be system ready when it comes to upgrades.
Keep your receiver’s performance up to date and upgraded with the latest software for improved operation – at the moment upgrades become available. With the BDS 400’s on-screen display (OSD), you can simplify the upgrade process and ensure that your BDS 400 receiver is consistently running up to speed with its potential.

Going solo.
Sometimes when you’re watching a sporting event or movie in your living room late at night using the BDS 400’s 2.1-channel speaker system, those sleeping in the other rooms (not to mention the neighbors) can get swept up in the experience. That’s why the BDS 400 comes with a headphone jack, so you can enjoy your very own intimate listening experience and not have to worry that sound is traveling beyond your four walls.