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Features

The timely appearance overhaul aside, the F8 is no pushover in technical specifications. Its full-HD panel is now upgraded to deliver an ultra-high 25,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio. That's more than a 66 percent leap over its predecessor and second only to the 2008 Bravia W's 30:000:1 rating. Furthermore, Samsung has made a slight improvement over response time now to 6ms rather than the usual 8ms. Speaking of motion reproduction, this is the first LCD TV from its flat-panel stable with frame rate-doubling technology dubbed 100Hz Motion Plus. Viewing angle, on the other hand, is pegged at an industry-leading 178 degrees.

Another notable selling point is its unique combination of an integrated DVB-T tuner and MPEG-4/AVC decoder. The former eliminates the need for a settop box and brings about the convenience of an electronic program guide, while the latter enables out-of-the-box HD reception (MediaCorp HD5 in Singapore). The implementation could have been better if there were separate aerials a.k.a. RF sockets; one for onboard analog tuner and another for DVB-T antenna. This is to cover stations yet to embrace digital and the hassle of swapping TV aerial cables, a norm really in the US and Europe with dual-format broadcasts.

To address the mousy sound from most TVs, Samsung is jazzing up the F8's sound reproduction using an elaborate 2.2 audio subsystem. The .2 here refers to a pair of bass-tuned subwoofers for that added oomph in today's hyper-aggressive movie soundtracks. The loudspeakers ensemble is driven by a respectable 20W stereo amplifier paired with a five-band graphics equalizer and SRS TruSurround XT virtual surround processing. Lest you aren't too impressed by its sonic credentials, an optical digital audio output is available, too, adding Dolby Digital playback for compatible HD broadcasts via external sound system.

Rounding up the feature set is a battery of shimmering gold-plated jacks on the rear. At the top of the echelon are two (plus one by the side) digital HDMI 1.3 terminals with Anynet function for one-remote Samsung equipment operation. One step down, there are the dual component-video sockets and a PC input. Visibly missing is an S-video equivalent, though the above-mentioned five inputs are all brilliantly capable of accepting 1080p signals. As an added bonus, we were delighted by the HDMIs' undocumented film-centric 24p frame rate compatibility: A godsend for the purist who swears by this theoretically judder-free format.

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