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April 19, 2009

Sharp Aquos LC-52D92U review

When the Sharp Aquos LC52D92U is first unboxed and unfettered from all of its packaging, you will find that you need help in moving your new HDTV around the room to its correct viewing position. This television set, which can cost upwards of $5300 weighs in at over 70 pounds and after completing the attachments, that weight jumps to over 90 pounds.

While many TV?s of this size can be heavy, one good reason to grab a friend to help with your new big screened electronic gadget is to prevent damage to this product. You will have to place the television first down so that it is lying flat on the delicate screen. Once it is in place, you will now have to connect the speaker system and table stand. Once these items are in place, they will add an extra 20 pounds to your new TV.

This product didn?t manage to make a fantastic impression with its cabinet and auto dimming backlight. LC-52D92U has good performances but far from best although you might expect something excellent for this high price. The market has better products than the Sharp Aquos LC-52D92U when it comes to visual quality and other extra options.

This TV managed to get a score below average because it lacks many things when it comes to video performance: details are pixilated (a scene with a moving train managed to disappoint the jurors because things became very pixilated at one point).Standard definition managed to get an average score but this HDTV managed to show more pixilated scenes than many from its categories which have smaller price.

During HD-DVD and Blu-ray tests the result was very unsatisfying as scenes were having contrast and brightness problems. However, sometimes, the contrast was very good showing the best detailed pictures on a 1080p but it doesn?t manage to keep the same performance for all scenes.

Unfortunately, you will notice the pixels during some scenes and people?s skin has a red tendency if you take a closer look. The color quality is very good, when taken alone, the colors are amazing, but during scenes the performance is far from what we expected.

When it comes to sound, things begin to improve because audio quality is way better than video quality. The sound is really excellent, especially when listening to an orchestra, because it manages to make a clear difference between high and low sounds like no other sound system found on HDTVs.
You will experience a unique feeling when watching musicals or concerts because you almost feel like you are near the music players. This HDTV really managed to impress everybody with its audio quality.

The remote is also one of the best, compared to other hard to handle remotes; it also has a wonderful design and its size is just right. Buttons? arrangement is comfortable and everything is well organized in a way which helps the user remember where buttons are; this makes surfing on the remote for volumes or channels smoother.

This is very useful because you cannot access the on screen menu without the remote; the only buttons found on the TV are power, channel and volume, so expect to use the remote more frequently. The settings found on the on-screen menu are various; however, a disadvantage is the fact that you don?t have any RGB controls.

Other options may include setting up the black depth level and another for motion blur. There is also an option for surround sound, which makes the difference when it comes to sound score. This HDTV lacks other things like an option for the user to make setting combinations for different programs they watch.

This is one of the HDTVs that look good on the outside because it has a great and stylish design, but it only manages to have an average performance when it comes to graphics. Other products would do better and may have a lower price. The $3000 price is a bit too much to spend for such a poor performance.

The Sharp Aquous LC52D92U presents some of the best contrasts that will give you greater picture quality not usually found in 1080p. However, this great feature presents a down side to this HDTV as it shows that the processor is weak at the very least.

Filed under Uncategorized by Plasma TVs

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April 18, 2009

Samsung LN46A550 LCD HDTV

User-friendly and a certified eye candy–two reasons why this TV set is an excellent choice.

Save for some minor slips like images on shown on the set that?s lacking detail and user?s manual isn?t completely helpful, the Samsung LN46A550 is almost a complete package. It is easy to see that this TV is almost perfect.

First up is an image test. We scouted nine 46- and 47-inch high definition sets .And among these; it is the one from Samsung that got attention. This set particularly got a high rating for its Blu-ray discs. The set makes pictures look like they?ve come straight from 35mm print as shown when we viewed Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Vizio?s VO47LF and the Syntax-Brillian?s Olevia 747i followed the ratings of the Samsung.

Speaking of audio, the TV?s audio system isn?t primed for high-end sound experience. But if you?re in for talk and regular shows, then the set?s audio will just be fine and you can omit the surround sound stereo. However, if you prefer to listen to deafening sounds of your movies, an external gadget can easily be used to improve the sound quality.

Yes, this TV is easy to use. It has an icon-based on-screen menu that can be understood easily. Need help? Then there?s an explanation about the menu as well. When you need to check up on options for the current input, all you need to do is to access the separate tools button on the remote control.

This works just like your pc?s mouse. There?s more; when you need to play a connected device, the easy-to-use LN46A550 instantly switches the input to that source. A major feature of the Samsung is the convenience factor. Much of the controls that need to be used can be used automatically, without the need of a few extra steps.

One of the only problems that you will find involves the remote control. It has backlit buttons that are large enough to be viewed by almost everyone, however if you like the picture in picture option and use it frequently, you will have to go through the menu option each time, there are no buttons assigned to it. Another issue with the remote is that you cannot use it to control other electronics such as a VCR because there is no way to program it.

With large and easy to see buttons, you?d think that the remote control is perfect. Not quite. Missing is a helpful PiP button for your easy access to Picture-in-Picture. Also, that ratio button is mislabeled. Who will immediately know what a P-Size is? Playing your devices like DVD will be tasking as well since it isn?t programmable. Well you can still play these devices if you want to, granted that you use the brand?s proprietary Anynet technology. The HDMI ?s Consumer Electronics Control channel will make it possible.

The set-up guide and bilingual manual is supposed to facilitate that easy set-up. But the opposite happens. The guide is difficult to comprehend for the non-techie person and the manual is long and too complicated. While the price of some flat screen TV?s are too high due to a bad product, the Samsung offers enough options to justify the price.

So why is the LN46A550 such a good buy at $1500? That?s because of its features. Its USB port is helpful when you view pictures and listen to music. On the side of the set are the easy-to-access HDMI, S-Video and the USB. Want to change the angle of the set for viewing pleasure? Then you can do that as well, as the set can swivel on its stand. Reasons such as these help make the set a well-rounded HDTV and a winner.

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April 17, 2009

Samsung LN-T5281F review

Although $4500 may seem like a lot of money to spend on a HDTV, the amazing features that enhance the quality of this TV might justify the amount of money you are about to spend.

During the video tests, this product managed to impress with its minimal pixelation in the background scenes. When it comes to high definition videos, the Samsung LN-T5281F managed to have an excellent score. Skin tone is amazing, and physical features make everything look so realistic; however, it doesn?t manage to bring such natural skin colors like the Sony Bravia KDL-52XBR or the Vizio FV52LF do, but it managed to get a good score for natural looking skin colors.

The brightness and contrast levels are ok, nothing is wrong, and our Samsung managed to score above average. Details are really good, especially in the dark areas, even if you watch a movie with a poor quality. However, when switching on standard definition, like a football or baseball game, everything gets pixilated and has subpar color.

Another good advantage when testing this TV was backlighting, which made sure that the HDTV shows deeper and better quality blacks than the ones brought by a fluorescent backlight. You can test this by using the option in the on-screen menu which lets you set something on only half of the screen; you will surely notice the big difference between default settings and your current settings. However, make sure that you turn on the feature because its default setting is off.

There are various presets for you to choose from, like Dynamic or Movie mode; the DNIe setting, which means Digital Natural Image engine, reduces the background noise and makes images more detailed with its contrast enhancement. You will also find options like White Balance (with RGB settings for color temperature) and My Color Control with settings for each of the colors pink, blue, white, and green.

The audio quality is good but, unfortunately, not excellent. You cannot hear the lows very clear when comparing Samsung LN T5281F with Pioneer Kuro PDP-5010FD. It proved to be very disappointing because the sound is not as rich and full like the one brought by Pioneer Kuro PHP-5010FD. There are various inputs that you get: three HDMI, two composite and two sets of component. The USB port ensures that you can watch pictures or listen to music on your HDTV.

When analyzing the remote, most buttons are black; only few have back light and some of them are colored. The remote is black and has a wonderful and stylish design. Compared to other remotes, this one has smaller buttons but they have a well organized structure making any surfing smooth.

The Samsung LN-T5281F is incredibly similar to their T5265F model, but it is missing a key feature that is present in most HDTV?s and that is the ability to operate in 120Hz. However, this newer model also sports features missing in the 65F models. One of those features is the local dimming capability. Using the dim option, Samsung hopes to recreate the CRT so that you can have great performance from this gadget, and while its good, its not as great as what the CRT could offer.

The HDTV?s design is elegant and glossy with a narrow bezel, but not the thinnest available bezel. It also has a blue LED indicator for power which has the shape of an arc. Another great feature known as the LED Motion Plus, will allow you to reduce the lag on your screen. It does work well but if you?re not careful, you will eventually be left with dull shades of color on your screen.

If you are looking for a good performance TV, this is one of the best products; however, the price may be too high for the average buyers, so this product may not have many fans a first. However, if you wish for something with a lower price and good performance the Samsung FP-T5084 might be the best solution for you.

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April 16, 2009

Samsung LN-T4061 review

The Samsung LN-T4061 looks very much like the HP-T4264, after all they both came from the same manufacturer. But they don?t seem to have only the manufacturer in common because their features and technology are almost identical. On the tests, both HDTVs managed to get almost the same marks.

Although the Samsung LN-T4061 is smaller than the HP-T4264, they are both the same when it comes to menu, design, remotes, etc. Another difference between those two would be the fact that Samsung LN supports 1080p and has an LCD panel, while the other uses a plasma screen.

This product is a bit above average compared to other products in its category. During the tests it managed to get a satisfactory score but it?s far from being on the first places. Everything looked good but it had some problems during the standard-definition test on DVD and TV shows.

The high-definition test, however, ran very smoothly and this product obtained a better mark. There were minor problems with the skin tones in 1080p but other than that everything was good.

When it comes to physically setting up this product, you won?t have any difficulties because everything is accessible. The connectors are found on the LN-T4061?s back so you won?t have any problems finding them.

Even if you don?t have any knowledge in technology you will eventually manage to set up the TV. This is a pretty good advantage since you need hours to set up most of the HDTVs on the market because you can?t figure out where everything is.

The menu is not complicated, having a well organized structure. Also, every option is easily found and if you wish, you can make the menu opaque to see everything better.

While you select the sources, it will automatically skip any source that cannot be found, this might prove a little tricky because if you have something and it doesn?t find it, you must select it from the provided list. There isn?t any option that lets you introduce your own source, if you cannot find it in the list.

You also have the freeze option and picture-in-picture if you want to see something from two sources; however, you aren?t allowed to watch from different channels. The USB port lets you see the pictures from your camera on the TV; you also have a jack for headphones. Using these options you can also connect a portable music player such as an iPod to listen to tunes as you fiddle with the Samsungs controls.

The remote isn?t the most comfortable and intuitive thing in the world. It?s rather long and not all the buttons have light; however, it can be programmed. Unfortunately, some of the smaller buttons may be a turn off for some consumers who may be visually impaired.

The sound is good, considering the fact that it comes from an internal system so this TV won?t have problems regarding its sound.

This is one of the average quality HDTVs, although images look good on it, sometimes you have the feeling that something is missing. The skin tones aren?t very real, as it tends to lighten them. Overall this is a good HDTV for someone who isn?t very pretentious because overall this will prove to be a good LCD TV that will bring satisfaction to most of its buyers.

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April 15, 2009

Samsung HP-T4264 review

Although this is not the best quality HDTV, when comparing the price and the performance with other HDTVs it proves to be a very good choice for the average buyer. Other products in its category have a higher price and setting them up might be difficult. With its excellent quality and easy to set up structure, this product managed to be one of the favorites.

Although this product has some problems with color rendering, any other features work very fine and the picture quality is not bad. But for only $1400 this great product is one of the most affordable HDTVs on the market. You won?t have problems setting up this TV because everything can be found in the back.

Everything points outward making things easier to install; other HDTVs create problems when installing them because most of their inputs are facing down and that creates a difficult access. Other extra options you get are: headphone jack and USB port for pictures and music from external devices, another S-Video port, and one extra HDMI connector.

These are a lot of options for a TV this cheap, that?s why it?s one of our favorites. You even get some access inputs on the side of the TV, so things won?t get complicated when you want to plug in something else. Easy set up system is a good advantage when it comes to HDTVs because most people don?t have technical knowledge and may spend a few hours figuring out where most of the connectors are.

The menu set up is also easy and smooth. If you can?t read things from the menu, you have an opacity option to make text more visible. When searching for sources, the Samsung HP will automatically skip the ones you don?t have; but you can rename your own with the select option.

You have a picture-in-picture option; however it doesn?t allow you to watch two things at the same time because the HDTV has one tuner. Unfortunately many of the HDTVs today don?t have options which allow watching two programs at once.

The designers may leave out the extra tuner because they assume that most people will be using a DVR or similar recorder, making an additional tuner unnecessary. However, this assumption will give a lack of options to those without these recording boxes.

Most HDTVs out there on the market have a native 720p resolution for their plasma screens; three of them can handle a 1080p signal- they convert the signal downwards and display it at its best quality they can handle.

However, the Samsung-HPT4264, cannot manage the signal but this isn?t such a problem because you can set any Blu-ray or HD DVD player instead. If you choose to set the Blu-ray or HD DVD you should choose the lower resolution for the best quality. Because of this, this product obtained a lower score overall.

The remote control is a little uncomfortable but it can be programmed and the light up function for buttons. If you have problems with your grip or pain in your wrists, you may need to buy a universal remote so that you can put aside the official remote.

Overall, the Samsung HPT4264 is unique in that its price is cheaper than most but it still manages to give you plenty of options and great quality usually seen in TV?s that cost a lot more than this one. The biggest issue with the Samsung HDTV is the picture and viewing quality. While its not the worst, there are many other big screen TV?s that offer a clearer screen and better views.

With a good score in image category this product managed to situate itself in the first categories. Considering its price, it is a good option if you want something cheap with a good image quality for your home. Although more expensive products would have better performances, this one has an amazing price for its quality and will make any buyer satisfied.

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