|
For people looking to step up to full 1080p resolution in a 40-inch flat-panel LCD, Samsung's 2007 model LNT4061FF is a good choice. Besides offering full 1080p resolution the LNT4061F also features a 10,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio for rich blacks and subltle texture display, an 8ms response time panel for smooth motion, hidden side speakers, an NTSC tuner, and 3 HDMI ports. Compared to other Samsung Models
The primary differences between Samsung's LNT4061F and the LNT4065F LCD HDTV is in the contrast ratio and video processing power. The pricier LNT4065F offers a 15,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio compared to this model's 10,000:1 ratio, and also offers full 10bit video processing over this model's 8 bit system. The more expensive model should display finer gradients of shading making for more detail in darker scenes. The video processing difference should ensure smoother motion in fast moving scenes for the LNT4065F. Video Processing
The Samsung Digital Natural Image engine (DNIe) Video Enhancer refines all analog NTSC and wideband video inputs for an overall improvement in picture quality. DNIe improves contrast, white level, picture detail and incorporates digital noise reduction to improve lower quality video inputs. The 3D Y/C digital comb filter constantly analyzes the three dimensions of picture height, picture width, and picture changes-over-time to dramatically reduce edge image artifacts while improving transition detail. Connections
- HDMI (version 1.3): 3 (1 CEC cabaple)
- Component video: 2 (Y, Pb, Pr)
- S-Video input: 1 side/1 rear
- A/V inputs: 1 side/1 rear
- PC inout: 1
- Headphone Jack: 1
- USB 2.0: 1
Audio Features
High-quality virtual surround sound can be experienced with just the speakers built into the TV. SRS TruSurround XT technology delivers an amazing, simulated 3D effect with clear dialog and powerful bass through hidden side speakers. TruSurround XT audio adds three audio enhancement technologies to produce an amazingly immersive sound experience. - Dialog Clarity brings movie dialog into Focus during the playback of any surround-encoded material to make speech much clearer and crisper.
- TruBass creates incredible deep rich bass allowing a person to perceive significantly deeper, richer low bass tones that are far beyond the physical low frequency capabilities of the speaker itself.
- The SRS WOW feature widens the soundstage by processing standard two-channel stereo material as well as multi-channel encoded material for a dramatic improvement in the playback of any stereo audio over a two-speaker system.
What's in the box: Samsung LNT4061F 40-inch 1080P LCD TV, remote control, 2 AAA batteries, Power Cord, cleaning cloth, owners manual, warranty card.
|
 A great picture, with only minor drawbacks |
| Review Date: April 22, 2007 |
| Reviewer: fluffy, San Francisco |
I have been putting this television through its paces since I got it a few weeks ago, and it is by far the best TV I have ever owned, and very difficult to beat. The image quality is really good, with bright, vivid colors and wonderful detail, especially for 1080i/p content, but even lower-resolution 720p content, which is what's more commonly-available on OTA HD broadcast, looks phenomenal. I also have an Apple TV hooked up to it, and even though most of my content is encoded at either 360p, 480p, or 720p, it still looks quite good.
It does take some time to get the image tuned to perfection, and the default settings are way too bright with too much color saturation boost, and the DNIe processing system actually seems to make some motion effects worse. However, it's very easy to change the settings and see immediately what effect they have.
Like all LCDs it does have some slight black point problems; these aren't noticeable for fullscreen 16:9 content, but for older 4:3 content it's pretty obvious that the black isn't pure black. However, this is again tunable.
The only thing I really notice which is pretty annoying is that it doesn't do a very good job of upscaling 480i content, such as the output from most video game systems, and for DVDs to look good you really need an upconverting player since even with a progressive-scan player there is a lot of visible pixelation when the 480p content is scaled up. It's really more a sad reflection on how the previous "next-generation" video looks downright primitive by today's standards.
The other noticeable issue is that unlike many televisions with digital tuners, it doesn't have an on-screen program guide. My previous TV (also a Samsung) had an on-screen program guide, but it was rather cumbersome to use and took several minutes of scanning every channel to see what was on, and most local channels are pretty inconsistent about providing the EPG information anyway, so it's not really that big of a deal. You can still see the detailed information for the program that's currently showing, so it makes use of EPG, just not as much as it could.
This television's tuner is also quite phenomenal. My previous TV required a very carefully-positioned powered antenna which was very sensitive to every little nearby fluctuation, while with this one I only have a piece of wire jammed into the antenna port and I get perfect reception of every local digital station.
Another nice improvement over Samsung's older HDTVs is that it has a wide variety of zoom modes which allow you to counteract some of the stupider things that TV stations do (for example, pillboxing a letterboxed 16:9 show, which is very common for widescreen non-HD programming). Also, analog TV stations and source inputs get their audio signals upconverted to digital, so you only need to run a single optical audio connection to your stereo (while previous Samsungs required running both analog and digital cables and switching between the two inputs based on source material).
As a PC monitor this is also quite nice. I have a Mac mini hooked up via SVGA cable, and even with an analog signal it looks perfectly sharp and crystal-clear, and of course you can hook it up via HDMI (with a DVI to HDMI adaptor) as well. The only gripe there is that the supported resolutions are a bit quaint - at least on analog SVGA the only 16:9 resolution it supports is 1920x1080, which can be difficult for some older systems to handle. However, on HDMI it should support all the standard HD resolutions.
This television may be more expensive than others in its size class, but it also far outshines every other TV I have seen, aside from the newer LN-T4065, which is nearly identical aside from providing a higher dynamic contrast ratio. If you want to only buy one TV which will last for a long time, it would be hard to go wrong with this one. |
Exceptional
|
| Review Date: May 1, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Scott Hilleque, Austin, TX United States |
I've had the LN-T4061 for a week now and am still very impressed. The picture quality is excellent, build quality is solid, and ease-of-use is very good too. I am using it with an HD cable box, a Media Center PC, and a home theater receiver. In all cases, connecting and configuring the various inputs was completely obvious and pain free.
General Image: The colors are absolutely amazing. I've looked at a LOT of LCDs over the past few months and I can't recall any of them looking this vibrant. The 10,000-to-1 contrast ratio really makes for a stunning image. The black level is very good for an LCD too, but not quite pitch-black. Since I like to watch movies at night in a dark room, I can pick out a tiny amount of dark grey if I'm looking for it. Still, it's much better than most LCDs and the high contrast ratio makes dark scenes look much better. If you look at LCDs in a store, you'll notice they always play bright, contrasty video. That's because most LCDs have a problem showing the difference between dark colors, like in shadows and night scenes. The Samsung isn't perfect, but it doesn't wash out nearly as bad as the others I sampled.
Image Settings: You can fine tune picture settings (Color, Contract, Brightness, etc.) or use one of the built-in presets. The default setting was a little "over driven" for my eyes, so I stepped it back to the next level and haven't had to touch it since. All settings are stored per-input, which is how it should be.
High Definition: Both of my sources output in HD, the cable box at 1080i and the HTPC at 1080p. I give it 5 stars each in image quality, color fidelity, lack of pixilation, and lack of motion tear.
Standard Definition: I don't really have an SD source anymore as my cable box and HTPC up-convert the content to HD. I did connect an S-Video cable just to try it out though, and was generally satisfied with the picture. There were definitely artifacts of scaling and de-interlacing, but they mostly disappeared to my eye at couch distance (about 12 feet). I didn't give it the close scrutiny I did with the HDMI and component connections though.
HDMI Inputs: I am using only one of the three HDMI jacks, and that for connecting the cable box. In the past I would leave the TV volume at 100% and use the PVR's internal volume control to set the final level. Over HDMI though, you always have full volume going to the TV. The easy work-around for this was to train the cable remote to use the TV codes for volume. This works great and the picture quality is excellent. I also read a forum post about the TV "handshaking" intermittently over an HDMI connection, but I haven't experienced it. Also, on a side note, do NOT buy expensive HDMI cables. The signal is 100% digital and doesn't benefit in any significant way from a $150 "OFC" or "directional" cable. If you need a run of 50' or more it's a different story, but at 6' it's a non-issue.
Component Inputs: Before I got the HDMI cable, I used the component jacks for a few days and I can't say that I noticed any difference when I went to HDMI. It's nice having a single cable instead of the 5 for component, but I couldn't tell one way or another.
Audio: The built in 10-watt speakers are not enough for immersive movie watching, but they do just fine for regular TV shows. Coupled with a home theater sound system, you've got the best of both worlds; easy operation for normal stuff and theater sound for movies.
On-Screen Menus: It has a nicely polished translucent on-screen menu system. The layout is simple, features that don't apply are grayed out, and the hierarchy is logical. What more can you ask for.
Remote Control: I use the cable PVR's remote most of the time, and had no trouble adding Samsung's codes to it. The Samsung remote is actually quite nice, but there are enough special features built into the cable remote (PVR, guide, A B & C buttons, etc) that I prefer to make that the normal clicker. I still keep the TV remote handy though as there are a few features the other remote won't do when watching movies. I wish I could do it all with just one, but I guess that's where remotes like the Logitech Harmony come in.
Cabinet: Personally, I don't like "shiny" media equipment; they just cause glare and distract from what you are really watching. The frame is somewhat shiny but the screen it totally matte. In my opinion, it's a nice mix and looks quite professional. I was worried about the WAF, but the first words out of her mouth were "wow, its pretty". That's good enough for me.
Other: I played around with the "digital picture frame" mode some and it is kind of neat. You plug a USB stick into the side and it does a slide show of the photos and music on it. I probably won't use it as I have a media center PC, but those that don't might find it useful. That same USB slot is also used to do firmware upgrades, which is a lot better than shipping it off to a service center if an incompatibility ever crops up.
All in all I am extremely pleased with this TV. I waited a long time for 1080p prices to fall to levels that would fit my budget and I'm really happy I chose this one. There aren't many reviews out there for this year's model yet, but I expect this one to take off big time. |
Great TV, Great Price
|
| Review Date: September 25, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Peter West, Orange County, CA USA |
This was one of the most nerve racking purchase decisions I have ever made. I poured over reviews, worried that I would regret not waiting for the next gen product, fretted that I should go for plasma after all.
Well, I took the plunge, and now I can't believe I waited so long. This product is gorgeous. If you, like me, want to watch your TV, not measure it with test instruments, this thing will surpass your expectations. Not only that, it will do it at half the price of "this year's model".
I studiously input all the settings advised by CNET and didn't like the results. Then tried those much maligned factory settings (Standard, in a room with the blinds closed), and found them to be perfect for me.
There may be better sets out there, but if you are above a "certain age", I'll bet your eyes couldn't see the difference anyway. So place your order, relax, and think about what to do with the $1400 you just saved! |
Samsung LNT4061F HDTV - Great for PC, Gaming, and HD Cable!
|
| Review Date: June 24, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Phil, Philadelphia, PA |
In purchasing this TV, I had in mind that I would use this for all of my multimedia needs--using it as a PC display, my 360 display, and as a regular HD cable TV display. Simply put, this TV met every one of these challenges.
First up on my agenda was hooking up the PC. I hooked this up via a DVI to HDMI adapter. My PC recognized it immediately and I quickly had my PC looking as vivid as ever on this Samsung. However, I did have some driver issues in attempting to set a resolution of 1920x1080, but after a few tweaks, I had it running flawlessly. My only complaint is that 1920 resolution is kind of hard on the eyes from a distance--more pronounced during web browsing and text reading. I do, however, always use 1920 res for gaming as it looks quite marvelous and requires little to no squinting for text reading (many games such as WoW allow you to increase the font size anyway)! I tested Half-Life 2, Quake 4, World of Warcraft, and a multitude of other games. In a word, it was simply breathtaking. It took a while to calibrate the display accordingly, but I eventually found a sweet spot for it. This TV will surely provide bragging rights if any of your gaming friends decide to hop on over to your place.
The 360, like the PC, looked wonderful. My connection was through an HDMI cable provided in the X-box 360 Elite. Games looked crisp and colorful, and the blacks were quite impressive for an LCD. Movies through the Xbox Live Marketplace were truly a sight to behold as well. Why bother with HD-DVD and Blu-ray when you got great HD movies right here?! Unfortunately, I do not possess any pure native 1080p games, but i'll be sure to test them out soon enough.
After I was done with the 360, it was finally time for regular HD cable TV. It was amazing to be sure. Again, calibration took some time, as you can't use the same PC/360 calibrations as you do with regular HD movies. I made sure to take a brief look at the AVSforums for some recommended calibrations--make sure you do the same too! As for cable channels, my only complaint is that Comcast doesn't carry enough HD channels! I don't know the reasoning behind the hold up for television stations not making the HD jump yet. It's almost heartache to try to watch SD channels after watching a few HD Sopranos episodes or some HBO/Showtime HD movies. So in that sense, the only flaw of this TV is that SD pretty much sucks, and it needs to pass away as soon as possible. The HD programming, otherwise, was top notch, and looked sharper than ever on this Samsung display. It's almost scary to imagine what 1080p is like in comparison with 720p--although, the difference is sure to be more pronounced with larger displays than this 40 inch one.
As for the general features of this TV, they are clean and simple enough for the general layman to understand. The TV menu offers simple calibration settings which can be furthered by some advanced calibration settings--again, I would try to test out some of the calibration settings provided by the AVSforums. The audio and video hook ups were rather plain, but the bare essentials are obviously there. The most appealing aspect of the AV hook ups is that this Samsung monitor provides 3 HDMI inputs--for the techies out there with multiple HDMI devices, this is a wonderful treat. The frame of this TV is quite clean and while it can reflect light, my TV is placed in a certain angle to avoid any reflections what so ever. The onboard sound of this Samsung is mediocre at best--but, hey, what internal sound is ever good? If you're buying a nice TV like this, then you're most likely buying a nice home theater set up as well. So make sure to pick one up!
Ultimately, this TV is a must purchase. I was skeptical after viewing multiple HDTV's at Circuit City, Best Buy, and Tweeter. In fact, the one Best Buy model was constantly having drop outs (a somewhat minor but known issue). As such, I was quite hesitant and was leaning more towards the TV next to it, the 40 inch Sony XBR, whose quality was more of the same, except without the drop outs. Additionally, I was debating between the 4065f instead of the 4061f, as the former provided 'better' technical specs, and more specifically, an emphasis on contrast ratio and impressive blacks. However, after purchasing this TV and evaluating it for quite a while, I can honestly say it is generally without flaws. If you find yourself teetering on the border of purchasing either this, the Sony, or the LNT4065f, go with this. I can't imagine justifying a 200 dollar increase for a reflective screen, and 'technical' stats (contrast ratio) that can barely improve on what already exists on this TV. As for the Sony, well, we all know the ridiculous dollar increases with that brand. This TV wins hands down. |
Top notch picture quality and features for a reasonable price
|
| Review Date: May 11, 2007 |
| Reviewer: JPL, San Francisco, CA United States |
PROS: HDMI v1.3, great picture w/ deep blacks, lots of calibration options, minimal profile
CONS: glossy finish, annoying menu quirks
I've had this TV for a few weeks, and now that I've gotten the set calibrated I've been amazed by the picture. I had a Sony Wega CRT HDTV (30") that had a fantastic picture but I wanted a bigger TV. I also have a relatively bright room, so I wanted to see how a matte screen LCD would perform with a lot of ambient light. (This is why I didn't go with the Samsung LN-T4065F which has a highly reflective glass screen.) Having the matte screen has been great, there is considerably less glare that I have to deal with which makes up for the minor reduction in PQ going from CRT to LCD. Also, the hidden speakers on the bottom give this set a fairly minimal profile; it doesn't have big speakers along the sides or bottom which - in my opinion - make a TV look bulky. Other folks have mentioned poor sound quality from the hidden speakers but I haven't been disappointed. For games and movies I'm running the sound through my stereo system anyway.
I'll provide my impressions by content.
- XBox 360 (via component) output at 1080p: *amazing* detail and color. Since these are video games I'm not concerned about getting color "right", I'm more interested in "pop". Very vivid without crushing blacks too much. Response time is excellent, no noticeable lag.
- Dish ViP 622 DVR (via HMDI) output at 1080i: this is a tough one to rate since most of the processing is happening in the DVR before it sends the picture to the TV. I can say this much: pure 1080i content that doesn't have much motion (such as "SNL" on NBC-HD) is fantastic. If you're willing to spend time getting the picture settings correct you will be very impressed. Unfortunately the compression that Dish uses (MPEG-4) leaves a lot to be desired for fast moving content. With a TV of this size sitting at normal viewing distance you will see the artifacts, but again it's not the fault of the TV. 720p broadcasts (such as ESPN-HD) appear to be a little better if you switch the DVR to output at 720p.
- Sony DVD player (via component) output at 480p: the Samsung does a very good job upscaling the picture, it's not jittery at all. The level of detail during dark scenes is extremely impressive; the blacks are not as good as my CRT but still very deep.
My only complaints about this set are very minor. The glossy finish is OK when the set is turned off but I don't like the glare when I'm actually watching TV. Using the menu (as noted by others) is a little slow, but it also skips back to the previous menu screen after only a few seconds. Somewhat annoying if you're doing lots of calibrations. I've also been unable to get truly white whites when using the Warm2 picture mode (even though Warm2 is as close as this set gets to 6500 K) but I still need to play with the settings a bit.
Overall very very happy with this TV. The picture settings definitely need work out of the box but all LCDs do. Spend some time calibrating the set and you'll get a great picture. And with all the connection options (and HMDI v1.3) this is a TV you can keep for a long time. Looking forward to getting a combo Blu-ray/HD-DVD player later this year to really take advantage of this set's picture quality. |
|
No video reviews found for this product.
Leave a Reply