SHOW.ROOM | HDTV SAMSUNG LE46F86BD

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LE40F86BD
This 40-inch version of the F86 has the exact same feature set and spec as its bigger brother, but at a svelter 1,094 x 290 x 675mm, its more suited to smaller rooms. Thats not to say its small, mind, 40 inches is just big enough to make full 1080p compatibility worthwhile.

THE SAME PRICE

PIONEER PDP-428XD
This plasma television might be smaller and less pixel packed, but its black levels truly are the best around. Black levels affect colour reproduction and sharpness, making this one of the nest HDTVs ever produced.

STANDOUT FEATURE

1080P RESOLUTION
The LE46F86BDs Full HD resolution means that it can display 1080p pictures from a Blu-ray or HD DVD player without downscaling them by a single pixel. This means sharper detail, and more of it, too.
1,500 THIS DARK DESTROYER DELIVERS HIGHLY DETAILED 1080P PICTURES

SAMSUNG LE46F86BD

UNIT DETAILS

THE LATEST ADDITION to

Manufacturer: Samsung SRP: 1,500 Screen size: 46 inches Screen type: LCD Contrast ratio: 25000:1 Max resolution: 1920 x 1080 Ports: Rear: 2 x HDMI v1.3, 2 x SCART, 1 x component video in, 1 x PC in, 1 x RF in, 1 x optical audio out, 1 x analogue stereo out, common interface slot. Side: 1 x HDMI v1.3, 1 x S-Video in, 1 x composite in, 1 x headphone, 1 x USB 2.0 Speaker wattage: 2 x 10W Max viewing angle: N/A Unit Dimensions: 1222 x 111 x 687mm Unit Footprint:

122.2cm

68.7cm

32.0cm

2ND TEST

THE TUDORS (BBC HD)

The sumptuous colour palette of the jousting tournament was delivered in strong, vivid style here, while the more muted tones of the candlelit indoor scenes retained plenty of detail, thanks to the TVs high contrast ratio and strong black levels. The Full HD resolution of the screen ensured that the ne details remained sharp, whatever the scene.
Samsungs HDTV range is a hulking, elegant number with the Korean rms customary gloss black nish. Add the soft blue light on the stand and the glowing white, touch-sensitive controls, and youve got something that certainly looks the part. But theres much more to this 46-inch gogglebox than an elegant exterior. LCD TVs have always struggled with motion, which in the past has resulted in pictures as juddery as a bag of frogs in a dodgem car. To combat this, Samsung has developed 100Hz Motion Plus, which doubles the frame rate of the screen by slipping a cheeky extra frame between the originals. Its not a new concept, but this version works slicker than most. There is the occasional artefact around the edge of a moving object, but you can tone it down or turn it off. The screen has a stonking 1920 x 1080 resolution, and is able to display full 1080p pictures, including those from a Blu-ray or HD DVD player running at lms native 24p speed. This means you dont get the jarring judder thats sometimes associated with high-denition movies, with lms displaying at the exact speed the director intended. Its a must-have feature if youre going down the HD DVD/Blu-ray route. HD material, whether from disc or Sky box, looks jaw-dropping here. Weve never been a fan of LCD TVs black levels, but the Samsung shatters preconceptions by rendering dark, murky scenes excellently shadows retain detail and look black rather than washed-out grey. Its not up to the standards of Pioneers new plasma range, but then, what is? Colours are bright and rich, and the detail in high-def movies and TV shows is crisp, although we have seen sharper on other full 1080p screens of a similar size. Its very capable with HD games too and, thanks to the slick motion handling, youll have

HULKING AND ELEGANT, THE SAMSUNG SHATTERS PRECONCEPTIONS BY RENDERING MURKY SCENES EXCELLENTLY
an irritation-free blast with even the fastest-paced titles. The screen isnt so good with standard-def material, though. DVDs look acceptable, but most digital TV channels are either soft, noisy or both. The 20W of audio power sounds a bit weedy, but the two invisible speakers provide more than adequate sonic accompaniment. Youd be better off with external speakers, though. SAM KIELDSEN

REMOTE PLAY

THE LE46F86BDS CLICKER DISSECTED
SOURCE SELECTION This tiny button ips between the different external sources useful when youve got lots of gear connected up. VOLUME CONTROLS Probably the most used keys after the on/off button, so Samsung has helpfully put them right in the middle. P.MODE This toggles between different aspect ratio settings, allowing you to make sure 4:3 material isnt stretched out over the whole screen width.
PICTURE AUDIO AESTHETIC EASE OF USE
A big screen with an even bigger selection of features and stunning HD picture quality.

VERDICT

108 ISSUE ONE HD REVIEW

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HOME CINEMA SYSTEM LG HT902TB | HDTV PHILIPS 32PFL9632D

SHOWROOM

LG HT902TB
Manufacturer: LG Electronics SRP: 269 Unit type: Surround speaker/DVD system Output mode/Channels: 5.1 Frequency range: 25Hz-20,000Hz Power Output: 1,000W Ports: HDMI, SCART, component, composite, optical Speaker wattage: 225W (sub), 5 x 155W (satellites) Special Features: Plays back compressed audio and video formats, upscales DVDs to 1080i Unit dimensions: Main: 430 x 310 x 70mm Front speaker: 280 x 280 x 1,200mm Centre speaker: 450 x 102 x 161mm Rear speaker: 280 x 280 x 1,200mm Subwoofer: 258 x 401 x 406mm
269 A BUDGET-PRICED UPSCALING HOME
CINEMA SYSTEM WITH 5.1 SURROUND AUDIO

HOME SURROUND SYSTEMS

that also offer DVD playback are gaining in popularity, and with LG offering a 1,000W setup that also upscales video to 1080i for under 300, its easy to see why. Youll nd four tower speakers (which, rather strangely, only offer the option of oor mounting), a decent sized centre speaker and a rather oversized sub in the box, which all wires up neatly to a DVD player/amplier with an impressive range of connectivity. Putting everything together is fairly straightforward and youll nd a range of ways to tweak the audio environment via the remote control. Theres also a number of virtual surround modes that can help achieve an effective pseudo surround experience from a stereo signal. Luckily, you can achieve some fairly impressive results simply by playing with these various modes. However, adjusting the volume of individual speakers is far more awkward than

it needs to be, requiring you to trawl through set-up menus on the DVD menu. We also had some issues with A/V synchronisation, which can be compensated for by adjusting the HD AV delay, although its a tricky process. Making up for these issues, though, is the performance, range of connectivity and support for compressed video, audio and photo les burnt to DVD or stored on an external USB device. When you take the low price into account, this is an extremely well-featured system that would be ideal for the less discerning HD consumer. PAUL LESTER

DIGITAL MEDIA SUPPORT

Many of the LGs most impressive features are fairly standard on 5.1 systems, but support for compressed media formats such as.avi and.mp3 is a bit harder to come by. The 902TB allows you to either play back les burnt to DVD or copy them to external USB storage, which can then be connected directly to the player.
If youre looking for a low-priced upscaling/surround-sound solution, the 902TB is one of the best around.

PHILIPS 32PFL9632D

800 WILL IT LIGHT UP YOUR LIFE?
THIS SPANKING NEW set has
Manufacturer: Philips SRP: 800 Screen size: 32 inches Screen type: LCD Contrast ratio: 8000:1 Max resolution: 1366 x 768 Ports: Rear: 2 x HDMI v1.3, 2 x SCART, 1 x component video in, 1 x PC in, 1 x RF in, 1 x coaxial audio out, 1 x analogue stereo out, common interface slot. Side: 1 x HDMI v1.3, 1 x S-Video in, 1 x composite in, 1 x headphone, 1 x USB 2.0 Speaker wattage: 2 x 8W Max viewing angle: 176 degrees h/v Unit dimensions: 829 x 125 x 543mm
not one, but two Philips innovations stuffed into its shiny black and silver hide: a revamped Ambilight system (see Standout Feature box) and a completely redesigned pictureprocessing engine called Perfect Pixel HD. Perfect Pixel HD takes anything you feed it, chews it up with a little technical wizardry and spits it out looking better. Standard-denition pictures are upscaled to HD resolutions, extra frames are added to smooth out motion, noise and artefacts are eliminated and so on. Pretty much every at panel has some form of processing, but Perfect Pixel HD is among the best we have seen. HD images look astoundingly clear and clean here and motion is faultlessly even plus, without the artefacts. The colours also look natural here rather than falsely oversaturated. Sound quality is perfectly acceptable but nothing to get very
excited about, while the TV itself is easy to use and even comes with a step-by-step set-up wizard that will help congure the picture settings to your personal tastes. With a great set of connections thrown in no fewer than three HDMIs as well as component video and a smart, stylish design, this is one of the best mid-sized HDTVs around. The only criticism could be the lack of a Full HD screen but, in our opinion, a 1080p panel is unnecessary on this size of TV. SAM KIELDSEN

AMBILIGHT

This backlighting system was made to improve viewers perception of colour and reduce eyestrain. Lamps project light onto your wall, which changes to match the dominant colours and tones on screen.
A fantastic, premium quality 32-incher packed with clever technology and a spectacular HD picture.

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Samsung LCD TV

Specifications
40 | LE40F86BD 46 | LE46F86BD

Model Code LE40F86BD

Panel Additional Feature Full HD Super Clear Panel LED Smart Lighting iDTV Type Movie Plus Speaker Type (Hidden/Side/Array) HDMI-CEC HDMI Version (1.2/1.3) Auto-Wallmount Support HD Ready 1080p signal support Resolution Brightness Dynamic Contrast Ratio Response Time Wide Viewing angle 100Hz Motion Plus Wide Color Enhancer DNIeTM Sound Output(RMS) Stereo Type Sound Effect system Sleep Timer Clock & On/Off timer Still Picture Teletext(TTXT) Auto Channel Search Picture - in - Picture Auto Power Off OSD language Auto Volume Leveller Game Mode Color system Power Headphone S-Video HDMI USB 2.0 Composite, L/R RF Input Component(Y/Pb/Pr) Scart S-Video Headphone(Earphone) Composite(AV) HDMI PC Input (D-sub) Audio Out, L/R Optical sound out RS232C (for service only) Swivel (left 20/right 20) Color Operation power consumption Stand-By power consumption SET Size(WxDxH) with Stand SET Size(WxDxH) without Stand Package(WxDxH) Set weight with stand Set weight without stand Package Weight Wall Mount VESA Remote Controller Batteries, AAA type Power Cable

F8 LE46F86BD

Pan-EU Hidden 1.3

1920 X nit 25,000:1 6ms

10W X 2 A2/NiCAM
10W X 2 A2/NiCAM SRS Surround XT

Feature

1,000 TXT 1 Tuner EU 21EA
System Input & Output (Side)
Input & Output (Rear)
Free Volt 1 Black 240W < 1W 1094 x 289.9 x 675 1094.3 x 102.8 x 607.x 372 x 795 23.7 19.8 29.9 200*200 TM87C
EU Multi Free Volt 1 Black 270W < 1W 1222.3 x 319.9 x 752.4 1222.4 x 111 x 686.x 424 x 877 32.8 27.7 40.2 Auto compatible 600*400 TM87C

Cabinet Power Dimension

Weight

Accessory

* Design and Specifications are subject to change without notice.