Samsung Series 4 720p High Definition LCD HDTV 22 inch LN22A450, 26 inch LN26A450, 32 inch LN32A450, 37 inch LN37A450 and 40 inch LN40A450 Review

Samsung’s high definition LCD HDTV Series 4 has six models, the 40 inch LN40A450, 37 inch LN37A450, 32 inch LN32A450, 26 inch LN26A450, 22 inch LN22A450 and 19 inch LN19A450. All are 720p 1366 (H) x 768 (V) pixel, with a built-in ATSC/Clear QAM digital tuner. The dynamic contrast ratio of the 40 and 37 inch models is an excellent 10,000:1 but, it drops to 5,000:1 for the LN26A450 and 3,000:1 for the two smallest models. The Energy Star compliance offers 25% power savings and is worth considering in a purchasing decision. Samsung rate the viewing angle (horizontal and vertical) of their PVA (Patterned Vertical Alignment) at an excellent 178 which provides off centreline seating flexibility.

Samsung Series 4 720p LCD HDTV

Samsung’s LCD display panels have been produced under a joint venture (called S-LCD) with Sony since the establishment of a factory in Tangjeong, South Korea for which ground was broken as early as 2004. Through the joint venture, Samsung have had the advantage of Sony technical input in their LCD panel design. They have recently (April 2008) agreed on a third S-LCD flat-screen factory at Tangjeong for 8th generation TFT-LCD manufacturing. The response time for the Series 4 panels is 6ms.

As with all higher specification LCD models, video processing is handled by Samsung’s Digital Natural Image Engine (DNIe). You have to go up to series 6 or series 7 to get additional features like Auto Motion plus 120Hz for reduction of LCD motion blur and judder effects which can occur when watching slow panning shots of films shot at 24 frames per second.

Series 4 models come with Wide Color Enhancer which optimizes a color’s hue for a more natural look.

Samsung advertise the series 4 as having a having a CCFL (Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp) backlight which Provides colors in your picture that were not available before which means that Samsung have used enhanced fluorescent material with the CCFL to get it closer to reproducing the NTSC (National Television Systems Committee) color standard. Earlier LCD panels could only achieve 72% but Samsung’s color enhanced CCFL can get to 92% NTSC color range. Sony also have a wide color gamut CCFL lamp.

Other Notable Features

V-Chip system for parents to block TV programs and movies rated as containing objectionable content.
Entertainment Mode allowing customized picture settings, for different content (e.g., gaming, movies and sport).
Anynet+ ,Samsung’s implementation of CEC (Consumer Electronics Control or HDMI-CEC), for control other AV equipment, such as a DVD player, from the Samsung remote control.
Sound leveller (automatic volume control) to reduce volume level differences across broadcast channel changes.
Trilingual on-screen displays in English, Spanish or French.
Variable sleep timer to set a TV off time in varying time intervals.

Sound

SRS TruSurround XT

The Samsung Series 4, A450 models come with SRS Lab’s patented SRS TruSurround XT surround sound technology. TruSurround XT is a multi-channel virtualization technology which will produce a surround sound effect using only the twin 10W hidden bottom speakers of the Series 4 models.

MTS Stereo

Each model comes with an MTS (Multi-channel Television Sound) decoder enabling it to accept and decode a digital TV transmission which has multiple audio tracks (different languages). You can use the MTS menu to select the language you wish to listen to.

Connectivity

The Series 4 LCD HDTV models come with a reasonable range of connection options split between a rear and more convenient side connection panels. The side panel might have been a more convenient position for the PC D-sub connector, especially with the larger panels sizes.

Rear

2 HDMI—High Definition Multimedia Interface
2 Component (Y/Pb/Pr)
RF input
Composite AV
PC D-sub
Optical sound out
RS232

Side

1 HDMI
S-Video
Composite AV
Headphone
HDMI-CEC

You can connect a PC to use the TV as a monitor using a D-Sub/PC Audio cable combination or a HDMI/DVI + 3.5mm stereo mini plug cable combination. There are menus for customizing the display as with a computer monitor.

Warranty

Samsung back their Series 4 LCD HDTVs with a 1 year parts and labor warranty (90 days parts and labor for commercial use), with in-home service, backed by Samsung toll-free support.
Resources

Samsung Series 5 LCD HDTV Additional Features

Full HD - 1080p 1920 x 1080 pixels
higher 30,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio
quicker 5 ms response time (sharper action scenes)
greater (500nit) brightness - up from 450nit of series 4
Picture-in-Picture (PIP)
Wiselink (USB 2.0) to connect devices directly to your HDTV
Lose Optical sound out + RS232 connections

Samsung Series 6 LCD HDTV Further Additional Features

Touch of Color design
50,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio
4 ms response time
Infolink (RSS feeds of customizable stock quotes, weather and brief news articles)
Auto Motion Plus 120Hz
Ultra clear panel for improved contrast and reduced reflection
Wheel key remote control
4th HDMI
Digital Media Adapter compatible for playback and navigation of Internet and PC multimedia

Samsung Series 7 LCD HDTV Further Additional Features

Internal flash memory (1GB) with pre-loaded interactive content such as cooking recipes, children’s entertainment, HD artwork and more
Integrated woofer for low frequency enhanced audio experience
DLNA Certified - Compatible for better interoperability with electronic devices from other manufacturers
Digital Contents Management (DCM)