Samsung LE52F96BD Review
| by Vincent Teoh |
25 September 2007 |
Black level has – until recently – been one of the Achilles' Heel of LCD televisions due to the way this particular technology derives its "blacks" from using polarised films to "twist" the liquid crystal material within so that the constantly-on backlight is blocked. However, structural physics dictates that light leakage inevitably occurs (remember there are over 2 million pixels on a full HD LCD TV), contributing to the greyish blacks we see so often on LCD televisions.
Then someone smart somewhere started asking the question, "What if we could reduce the luminosity of the backlight to cut down the amount of light that could be leaked in the first place, and achieve better blacks?" This is the premise behind using LEDs as backlight, the brightness of which could be adjusted in clusters (including being switched off completely to achieve true black) depending on what's required on screen.
Canadian outfit Brightside Technologies was the first to unleash its patented individually modulated LED (IMLED) technology on the world back in 2005. A 37" television sporting their IMLED backlight would have cost a prohibitive USD 50,000 then, which was why they focused much of their efforts on licensing their technology to major manufacturers. Since then Brightside had been acquired by Dolby Laboratories, the world-famous audio company.
Fast forward to the third quarter of 2007, and it's Samsung's turn to introduce their version of LED-backlit LCD TV (dubbed "LED SmartLighting") to the scene. You'll be pleased to know that the Samsung LE52F96BD I'm reviewing today would cost you less than £2500, which is far more affordable than what Brightside charged for their 37-inch two years ago.
Let's get down to it...
Full Specifications
Physical Measurements
| Screen Size (Diagonal) |
52 inches |
| Aspect Ratio |
16:9 |
| Dimensions Without Stand (in mm) |
1372 x 780 x 120 |
| Dimensions With Stand (in mm) |
1372 x 845 x 320 |
| Weight Without Stand |
36.8 kg |
| Weight With Stand |
42.0 kg |
Display
| Native Resolution |
1920 x 1080 |
| Dynamic Contrast Ratio |
500,000:1 |
Video
| HD Ready |
Yes |
| Maximum Supported Input |
1080p |
| Special Features |
LED SmartLighting, DNIe, Wide Colour Enhancer, Movie Plus |
TV Tuner
| Analogue |
PAL |
| Digital |
DVB-T (Freeview) |
| Stereo Reception |
NICAM, A2 |
Connection
| HDMI |
3 (HDMI 1.3; 2 rear, 1 side) |
| VGA |
1 (HD-15; rear) |
| Component |
1 (YPbPr 3 x RCA connectors for video & L-R 2 x RCA connectors for audio; rear) |
| Scart |
2 (21-pin; rear) |
| S-Video |
1 (4-pin; side) |
| Composite (including audio input) |
1 (1 x RCA video & 2 x RCA audio; side) |
| Analogue Audio Output |
1 (L-R 2 x RCA connectors; rear) |
| Digital Audio Output |
1 (Optical; rear) |
| Headphone Output |
1 (3.5mm stereo minijack; side) |
| USB 2.0 Port |
1 (side) |
| Common Interface Slot |
1 (rear) |
Audio
| Speakers |
2 |
| Output Power |
15 watt + 15 watt |
| Sound Effect System |
SRS Surround XT |
Power
| Source |
AC 220V-240V, 50Hz |
| Power Consumption |
310 Watt (<1 Watt Standby) |
Source: http://www.samsung.com/uk
