62 SAMSUNG LE40M86BD/87BD www.samsung.co.uk
Samsungs LE40M8 series comes in two iterations. The M86 (pictured) is a Dixons exclusive; the M87 available elsewhere adds a silver-strip beneath the screen
HOME CINEMA CHOICE DECEMBER 2007

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REVIEWS 63

The road ahead is Super Clear
Samsung has elevated LCD TV design to high-art but has performance kept pace with aesthetics? John Archer gets critical
e live in an age where competition between established CE marques and ascendant Chinese manufacturers has now become so intense that each is trying to outdo the other with fancy-sounding proprietary technologies well, certainly the words (or acronyms) used to describe them. To this end we now have Samsungs Super Clear panel technology, which includes diffusers built into the screen and a specially developed anti-reective coating to minimise ambient light reections. Combined with a dynamic contrast system, the result is a sky-high (by LCD standards) contrast ratio 15,000:1, claims Samsung. I can tell you right away that Super Clear Panel delivers in spades, producing black levels that genuinely convince. Presented with a blank black source image, the screen looks nearly as profoundly dark as the gorgeous glossy bezel that surrounds it. Try doing something similar with practically any rival LCD TVs and that supposedly black screen will look grey. It has to be said that during actual TV or movie viewing the black levels achieved never quite match those witnessed during this blank screen parlour trick, presumably because the dynamic contrast feature tries to calculate the best balance between the demands of the bright and dark elements in a typical picture. But nonetheless, during the police station
shoot out sequence in Sky HDs recent showing of The Terminator, Arnies trademark shades have seldom if ever looked blacker on an LCD TV. Although the Super Clear Panel is probably the single most striking feature of the 40M86BD/40M87BD, its far from its only trick. You also get: Samsungs Digital Natural Image engine (DNIe) processing for improving colours, black level, motion handling and detail; a Movie Plus mode designed to interpolate extra frames of image data to counter LCDs common problem with resolution loss when showing moving objects; a variable dynamic contrast system; comprehensive colour and white balance adjustments; a self-explanatory Edge Enhancer; and nally the option to activate xvYCC wide colour space for suitable sources (AVCHD home movies typically). This latter feature is because the
Product: Samsungs LE40M8 series comes in two avours: the M86 is a Dixons exclusive, while the M87 with silver-trim, is available from other retailers Positioning: Step-up model from the brandsTulip range Peers: Sony KDL42LF66 Philips 42PF9831 D
sources from other brands. HDMI v1.3 is also comfortable with the 1080p/24fps. output from Blu-ray and HD DVD players.

Not quite awless

Given its advanced specication, the 40M86/87BD certainly looks good value ataround 1,200. But before
you get too excited about all the tricks at the TVs disposal, you should know that some of those tricks are awed to say the least. The
Movie Plus mode, for instance, may indeed leave moving objects looking sharper, but it also creates a shimmery ickering effect around the edges of some moving objects that can be more distracting than the resolution loss the feature was designed to correct! The Edge Enhancer function, meanwhile, can make an image appear over-stressed , especially during HD viewing hardly the benet that you might have expected. Finally I urge caution when using the Dynamic Contrast and Black Level boost features, as both can lead to empty dark picture areas and overaggressive peak whites. The key thing with all these potentially problematic features, though, is that theyre optional. So either use them with care, or ignore them altogether. In short, dont feel a need to switch on every option youre presented with. Dont let them spoil things unnecessarily.
DECEMBER 2007 HOME CINEMA CHOICE
40M87BDs trio of HDMI sockets are all high-spec v.1.3 affairs rather than the still-common v.1.2. As such, the
LE40M8 range can handle the extra colour range of the DeepColor system that HDMI 1.3s extra bandwidth makes possible. Indeed, Samsungs Seong Woon Jung told us that the screen supports full 16bit colour. The HDMIs also comply with the CEC interoperability standard, known as Anytime in Samsung circles, so that the TV remote can also control any CEC-compatible connected

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64 REVIEWS

Specifications
HD Ready: YES including all key 1080p configurations Progressive scan : YES NTSC and PAL formats both work Digital TV tuner: YES plus CI slot Composite video: YES one input S-Video: YES one four-pin input Scart: YES three (two RGB) Component video: YES One input HDMI/DVI: YES three HDMI v1.3 (1 x sidemounted) PC input: YES one VGA input Headphone: YES one output Sound: Nicam stereo Resolution: 1920x1080 Brightness: 550cd/m2; Contrast ratio: 15000:1 (claimed) Dimensions (on stand): 971(w) x 687(h) x 300(d)mm Weight: 20.9kg Also featuring: Picture presets; backlight adjust; dynamic contrast mode; DNIe processing; Noise reduction; DeepColor compatibility

Tech Labs

Image improvements
Pre-calibration, in basic out-of-thebox mode, colours show a distinct blue shift. However, these can be considerably reduced with proper setup. Our Tech Labs found that the set gave far more authentic colour delity with a little TLC. Generally, this Samsungs performance is laudable, but the profound impact of its black level is just part of the story. Equally striking is the amount of ne detail the set delivers from high-denition sources. The Full HD pixel count reproduces every last dot of image detail from spectacularly crisp HD transfers like the Blu-ray of Con Air. This is especially true if you use the 40M87BDs Just Scan mode, which removes all overscanning, rather than the standard cropped 16:9 mode the TV aggravatingly defaults too.
HDMI v1.3: Connectivity is ne. With three HDMI v1.3 inputs, one of them sidemounted, most bits of kit can be connected
Shots of the interior of the Cons plane also reveal the extra pixel density delivered by Full HD; colour gradations look smooth and credible. As well as being subtly blended, the 40M87BDs colours (post calibration) are pleasingly vibrant. Even the tricky skin tones on the Con Air ight looking totally natural. This marks a considerable improvement over previous 40in Samsung TVs. The only real issue I have with the 40M87BDs picture performance concerns motion handling. For without the awed Movie Plus system to improve matters, the screens natural response time can cause motion softness and, occasionally, smearing. This can be distracting both for sport and video games, although for the most part I felt relatively unphased thanks to all the good things the picture was doing, especially during HD viewing. The audio isnt as impressive as the pictures. The glamorous design demands that the speakers are hidden away, which leads to the soundstage appearing slightly swallowed at times.

A: Pre-calibration colour temperature indicates a shift to blue B: This has also dragged the magenta readings out of true. Post-calibration colour temperature improves the situation, though at 8400K it could still be closer to the ideal 6500K Before calibration Colour temperature: 11,319K Contrast ratio: 6000:1 Luminance: 82fL After calibration Colour temperature: 8,400K (normal) Contrast ratio: 3500:1 Luminance: 88fL

VERDICT

Samsung LE40M87BD 1,200 Approx Highs: Picture quality, especially black level; design & connectivity Lows: Motion blur; some of the optional picture features are flawed Performance: Design: Features:

Conclusion

In the nal analysis the 40M86/87BD is an ambitious TV with signature technology thats only partially succesful. But a combination of tasteful design (we prefer the simpler Dixons M86 design) and superior black level ultimately make this model worth enthusing about

Overall:

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Nanotube Radio - AVReview News and comment

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Nanotube Radio

By Duncan Madden

Researchers in the States have created the world's smallest radio made from carbon nanotubes. The tiny strands of carbon are smaller than a grain of sand but the developers claim they may end up outperforming silicon based electronics currently in use. The story, from Reuters, adds that the strands are a hundred thousand times smaller than the width of a human hair, forming a thin layer of semiconductor material that can be used in electronics devices and circuits. 'Our goal is not to make tiny radios per se, but really to develop nanotubes as a higher-performing semiconductor,' said John Rogers, a professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Illinois to Reuters. These radios are specifically designed to showcase a new way of building new platforms for electronics technology. Once the tubes are made, they are tested in two radio frequency amplifiers, a radio frequency mixer and an audio amplifier, all made from carbon nanotube materials. Tests were carried out plugging regular sized headphones into an output transistor (also made from nanotube material) using a normal sized antenna. Reuters also claimed that in one test the research team tuned one of the nanotube transistor radios to a Baltimore radio station and picked up the traffic report. Rogers went on to conclude, 'The radio itself is not interesting. But the fact that we are at a point that we can do things like a radio is a good milestone for us'. www.reuters.com
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