HP SL4778N and SL4278N MediaSmart 1080p High Definition LCD TVs Review

HP’s SL4278N and SL4278N MediaSmart 1080p LCD HDTVs will connect with your wireless home network (integrated 802.11n) and allow you to view videos, photos or listen to music stored on devices attached to the network. Additionally, they have a broadband Internet connection for accessing on-line media. The MediaSmart is a HDTV that has the convergent capabilities that have anticipated but not emerged as a market force.

HP SL4778N 47-inch MediaSmart LCD HDTV

The 47 inch SL4778N and the 42 inch SL4278N MediaSmarts are 1080p (1920 x 1080 pixels) resolution LCDs. As with their MediaSmart lacking sibling models, the LC4276N, LC4776N and 720p LC3772N, they have a brightness of 500 cd/m² (nits) which is more than adequate for a typical home viewing situation - as are the contrast ratios of 1500:1 for the SL4278N and 1200:1 for the SL4778N. Avid gamers should note the fast 6 MS response time. An integrated ATSC/NTSC/clear QAM Tuner gives the flexibility to receive HD and digital shows from off air sources and cable. Both televisions have a generous 176 degree viewing angle.

HP have put considerable thought into their vitally important video processing supplying a 3D Digital Comb Filter, HP Visual Fidelity Engine, 3D Color Enrichment, Video Noise Reduction, Photorealistic Sharpness Enhancement, film mode processing (3:2 Pull Down) and a Motion-adaptive deinterlacer.

Why Choose a HP Integrated Wireless Networked MediaSmart Television?

Both the SL4778N and SL4278 have a built-in Digital Media Adapter (DMA) to provide a computer network link. One might wonder why they would do this when linking a flat panel LCD to a stand-alone DMA such as an Acoustic Research Digital MediaBridge or the D-Link DSM-520 can achieve a networked media system with similar functionalities. The answer is probably four-fold;

some consumers will be happy to pay the premium for the convenience of an integrated solution with “out of the box” operational capability rather than spending time on set-up and configuration of twin devices,
techno phobia drives many electronics consumers towards the simplest device to set-up and operate,
some would also take the view that performance problems are also easier to deal with if you have a single supplier,
knowing the display screens resolution and display characteristics (and speaker audio capabilities) when designing the DMA allows streamed media to be optimized for it

HP’s SL4778N and SL4278N MediaSmart Capabilities

Media Smart makes it possible to stream photos, music, and movies from networked PCs and Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices over a either a wireless or wired network connection to your HP LCD TV. The Media Smart LCDs are compatible with a wide variety of media files (see tabulation below). It’s important point to note that HP specifies that your PC must have Windows Media Player 11 or UPnP-based Media Servers. The Media Smart TV will work with any Digital Living Room Network Alliance or universal-plug-and-play-compatible (UPnP) device. HP has designed the MediaSmart TV to work with a number of Internet-based service providers (see below).

Set-up

Network ((802.11a, b, or g) or wired) connection to your wireless network is menu-driven and automatic with a DHCP-compliant router. To access PC media content you need to run the software disc supplied. The MediaSmart LCD’s will also recognize any Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) standards compliant Network Attached Server (NAS) such as HP’s new Media Vault.

Operation

The top level interface for the HP SmartMedia TV is very simple with four options; Photos, Videos, Music and Services.

Photos Compatible file formats include; BMP, GIF, JPEG, and PNG for photos Photos are listed in submenus as thumbnails. Album cover artwork is displayed when tracks are playing.

Videos Compatible file formats include; MPEG-1, MPEG-2 MP@ML, MPEG-2 MP@HL, MPEG-4 (including DivX), AVI, WMV, H.264, and WMV-HD files. QuickTime and QuickTime HD are not supported.

Music Compatible file formats include; WMA, WMA-Pro, WAV, AAC, and MP3.

Services Services available include; Rhapsody music, the Snapfish photo service and CinemaNow movie downloads and Live365 Internet radio. A HP account is required to gain access to services available. HP intended to add further services over time.

Sound System

The HP MediaSmart LCDs come with two 20 Watt speakers mounted below the screen. The televisions have Virtual Surround Sound with Theater and Music hall modes.

Connections

There is a well rounded selection of available connections – an improvement over the previous MediaSmart model – including;

3x HDMI digital inputs
PC Input (RGB-VGA)
PC Audio In
HDMI Audio In (RCA)
4x Analog Audio In
Digital Audio Out (optical)
Analog Audio Out (stereo)
RS-232c
Networking Connectivity 10/100-base T, IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n
2x component video
2x composite video
S-Video
RF input

Warranty

Both the HP SL4778N and SL4278 MediaSmart HDTVs come with a one-year limited with in-home repair warranty. An optional extended warranty of three years is available.

HP SL4778N and SL4278N MediaSmart 1080p LCD TVs Specification

Screen	42 or 47 inch High-Definition Widescreen
LCD Resolution	1920 x 1080 pixels
Contrast	Up to 1500:1 contrast for SL4278N and 1200:1 for the SL4778N
Brightness (typical w/o filter)	Up to 500 cd/m²
Tuner	Integrated 1 ATSC/NTSC/Clear-QAM
HDTV supported inputs	Component Input 1 & 2 (YPbPr/VGA) : 1080i/720p/480p/480i; HDMI 1080i/1080p/720p/480p/480i; 1 analog cable/antenna input
Image processing	3D Digital Comb Filter, HP Visual Fidelity Engine, 3D Color Enrichment, Video Noise Reduction, Photorealistic Sharpness Enhancement, film mode processing (3:2 Pull Down), Motion-adaptive deinterlacer, Fast 6 MS response time
Audio enhancements	HP Virtual audio processing, Dolby Digital 5.1 optical digital output
Speakers	10W x 2 speakers (integrated, bottom)
Video connectors	3 HDMI, 1 PC Input, 1 Antenna Input, 2 High Definition Component Inputs (Y, Pb, Pr), 2 Composite Video / S-Video Inputs
Other connectors	4 A/V Audio Inputs, 1 Digital audio out (optical), 1 HDMI audio Input, 1 PC audio input, 1 Analog audio out, RS-232 (for service & control)
Dimensions (Panel with stand and speakers)	40″ x 29″ x 11″ (in) (with stand)
Wall mountable	Yes
Remote control	Universal (included)
Warranty	1 Year with in-home repair
Weight (with stand)	SL4278N - 64 lb SL4778N - 78lb

Technorati Tags: MediaSmart, 1080p, LCD, wireless home network, HDTV, stream photos, Network Attached Storage, NAS

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