Samsung UA46B7000WM (46-inch LCD)

Features

The edge-lit UA46B7000WM is a new-generation LED TV that offers three distinct advantages. Besides the obvious bulk reduction, this model uses fewer bulbs along the four corners of its full-HD LCD panel. This makes it less costly to manufacture, which may explain its lower premium. There is also a substantial 40 percent power savings compared with conventional LCD TVs. We do have our reservations about its vague mega dynamic contrast rating under the new Samsung classification. That said, there's little doubt that its 100Hz frame rate-doubling engine will smoothen out fast motions.

The Korean chaebol is setting a new yardstick for connected TVs in Asia with the introduction of its Media@2.0 solution. A key highlight is Internet@TV powered by the Yahoo widgets. For our Singapore-based review unit, the Web service comprises YouTube and AccuWeather. The former downloads and displays standard-definition videos from the portal that can be played full-screen on the TV, while the latter provides live weather forecasts. Unfortunately, the YouTube menu has no search option, which undermines its appeal. Nevertheless, we were informed that more new widgets will be launched in the future.

Another two notable Media@2.0 components are USB 2.0 and DLNA multimedia playback. Both these functions are compatible with JPEG, MP3, DivX, MPEG-1/2/4, WMV, H.264 and VC1 encodings in numerous file formats. The files can be copied into the panel's 2GB (877MB free) onboard memory from USB storage devices and network servers for access locally. A Wi-Fi USB dongle is bundled to supplement its Ethernet port in order to facilitate wireless network streaming, though you'll need a good draft-N router such as the Linksys WRT610N which offers dual-band and ultra-long range.

To receive HD broadcasts, the UA46B7000WM has integrated digital TV (IDTV) capability and an electronic program guide, courtesy of its built-in DVB-T digital tuner and MPEG-4 decoder. This frees up its four 24p-ready HDMI 1.3 terminals for Blu-ray players and game consoles. As for analog 1080p-enabled equipment, you'll have a single component-video socket--one less than normal--and a PC input. Rounding up the ensemble is an optical audio output that can route Dolby Digital soundtracks from DVB-T and HDMI sources for external decoding by the home theater systems.

Tags: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., TV, animation, graphics animation, video

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