Panasonic TX-P42V10 Arrived

The much-awaited V10 series of plasma TVs from Panasonic - comprising the 42-inch TX-P42V10 and 50-inch TX-P50V10 - have hit UK stores, and are now available to buy from retailers such as John Lewis. Sitting one rung up from the G10 series we tested recently within Panasonic’s hierarchy of Viera plasmas, the V10 series offer the following extra features over the G10:

• THX video certification;
• “Single-sheet-of-glass” design;
• An additional HDMI input (4 on the V10 series vs 3 on the G10);
• [Digital Cinema Colour], the activation of which produces an expanded colour gamut;
• [24p Smooth Film], the activation of which applies Panasonic’s motion-compensated frame interpolation (MCFI) technology to 24p material;
• [Viera Cast] which lets you enjoy certain internet content (e.g. Youtube, Bloomberg, Picasa, Eurosport) on the TV from an Ethernet connection without having to switch on your computer; and
• DLNA media streaming capabilities.

Panasonic TX-P42V10

We first saw the THX-certified Panasonic TX-P42V10 at their 2009 Convention in Amsterdam, and were suitably impressed by its deep blacks, natural-looking colours and clear motion. Now that we have received a review unit, we’ll see if the initial impression holds up in our comprehensive array of tests.

Note: Our Panasonic TX-P42V10 review is currently under way… estimated publication time is early next week.

Panasonic TX-P46Z1

At the Panasonic Convention 2009, we also saw the 46-inch Panasonic TX-P46Z1 which is part of their flagship Z1 series. The Panasonic TX-P46Z1 (RRP £4300) boasts an ultra-slim design and a wireless media box which – according to Panasonic – is capable of transmitting uncompressed full HD content without any deterioration in image or audio quality. Users craving for even larger screen can opt for the 54-inch TX-P54Z1 (RRP £5500).

Pitched as a lifestyle product, and featuring many hand-built components coming from a new production line in Japan, the Panasonic Z1 series will be sold exclusively in selected stores in very limited numbers in the United Kingdom.

Samsung LE46B750 Review

High-end LCD televisions from Samsung have been superb in the past, and this year it’s no different. Samsung have redesigned the GUI for better user interaction, updated the design and implemented new video processors. So without further ado, let’s move on to our Samsung LE46B750 review.

Note: The specific model we tested was the Samsung LE46B750U1W, which may be sold as LE46B750, LE46B750U or LE46B750U1 by high-street stores like John Lewis, Comet and Currys, or online retailers such as Amazon or Dixons. While we did not test the 40-inch LE40B750, there is no reason to believe that there will be any drastic difference in picture performance.

Design

The design of the Samsung LE46B750 HDTV is simple yet elegant. The piano-black finish with reflective panel will complement any living room. The build quality has improved significantly this year. The panel no longer appears to be composed entirely out of plastic. Also, unlike on the previous models, the input and output ports are solid and no longer bend/warp when plugging cables into the HDMI or the SCART connections. Overall, I’m quite impressed and prefer the conservative design chosen by Samsung.

Connections

The Samsung LE46B750 LCD TV features 4X HDMI (v1.3), 1X D-Sub, 2X 3.5mm audio jacks (for D-Sub and DVI), 1X Component Video, 1X Optical Out, 1X Ethernet, 1X Analogue Audio Out (RCA), 1X Composite, 2X USB, 1X Common Interface, 1X Standard SCART, 1X RGB SCART and 1X ANT In.

On-Screen Display (OSD)

Samsung has resigned the old GUI and improved it many ways. It is now easier to navigate, and provides information regarding each function, which is a real treat for nervous users. It also provides all the necessary picture adjustment options to maximise the television’s performance without being forced to access the service menu. However, disabling the auto-dimming function does require the help of the service menu, but it’s not recommended as it may void the warranty.

Each function within the user menu is described with a caption

Navigating between different inputs is a real delight although it could be more responsive/ faster. The menu system highlights connected and active devices, so you won’t have to guess blindly.

On the negative side, the GUI utilises most of the screen, which can be frustrating when calibrating. The animation of the GUI is not as smooth as I expected. The resolution of the GUI is rendered at a lower resolution and up-sampled, which does show.

Side Note: Due to limited time and lack of resources, I was unable to fully test the Samsung LE46B750’s ‘additional’ functionalities such as DLNA, Widgets, Media Player etc… please refer to the relevant sections in the LE40B650 review if necessary.

Remote Control

When it comes to remotes, I always compare them to Sony, Pioneer and Matsushita (Panasonic), primarily due to the design, layout, ergonomics and functionality.

The design of the Samsung LE46B750’s remote control (BN59-00861A) is aesthetically pleasing. However, it does lack the lavishness of high-end models. The layout is close to excellent and the backlight function is the icing on the cake. I would have chosen a different font, but it does the job.

The buttons do feel somewhat ‘cheap’, but in this day and age, it shouldn’t be a problem as most rarely use the TV remote.

Calibration

Greyscale

Like most high-end sets, the Samsung LE46B750 LCD HDTV comes with greyscale calibration options as standard, which allow users to maximise the set’s performance.

Unfortunately, it’s virtually impossible for a consumer grade display to produce uniform gamma, colour and luminance across the screen. The panel embedded on our review sample is no different. Upon displaying a shade of dark grey (20IRE), I could effortlessly detect colour variations across the screen. More information on this matter can be found under the “Uniformity” section in this article.

The results below were obtained by performing the measurements at the centre of the screen:

Pre-calibration “Warm 2″ CCT

Pre-calibration “Warm 2″ RGB tracking

As you can see from the images above, the RGB value stabilised after 50IRE. This preset value is better than most sets.

Post-calibration “Warm 2″ CCT

Post-calibration “Warm 2″ RGB tracking

After altering the RGB Gain and RGB Offset, I managed to obtain a fairly accurate image.

Gamma

Post-calibration “Warm 2″ gamma

This was truly a pleasant surprise. The gamma managed to maintain within 2.2.

Colour

Post-calibration CIE chart with reference to HD Rec.709 specifications

With [Colour Space] set to “Auto“, the Samsung LE46B750 HDTV managed to produce very decent chromaticities.

Benchmark Test Results

Power Consumption

Factory [Dynamic] mode	~221 watts
Calibrated [Movie] mode	~105 watts
Standby	<1 watt

Uniformity

The panel on our Samsung LE46B750 test model yielded good black and white uniformity corner to corner. Backlight bleeding in real-life was barely noticeable and the panel uniformity was typical for a consumer grade display. By that I meant there were visible defect and imperfections across the panel, but nothing too distracting. However, it did make it slightly more difficult to accurately calibrate the display as our measuring device will only register values from a single location.

In fairness, it’s virtually impossible for manufacturers to produce a clean panel with cost in mind, and other technologies such as plasma and CRT also suffer from similar issues.

Samsung LE46B750 uniformity	Dell 2209WA uniformity

Again, the main problem with such flaws is getting calibration accurate. But on a consumer-grade television, it shouldn’t matter too much.

Contrast Ratio

With [Backlight] value set to 2, the Samsung LE46B750 produced an excellent dynamic range of 3500:1 on-off and 2000:1 ANSI. The important value here is ANSI as ~99% of all contents are composed of dark and light elements. So at any given moment, the Samsung LE46B750 can generate 2000:1 without a problem, which is a big plus.

I found the auto dimming on the Samsung LE46B750 rather effective in delivering plasma level blacks without degrading the image to a point where it becomes noticeable. Also, the auto dimming only kicks in if the panel is prominently black. For the record, I failed notice the fluctuations in black level while viewing videos and playing games.

Motion Performance

Pixel Response: With my usual tests based on PixPerAn, I was able to detect visible low and high tone smearing caused by overdrive errors. Sadly, this phenomenon is neither new nor localised to the Samsung LE46B750 as it affects number of HDTVs and monitors (based on VA/TN technology). I simply fail to understand manufacturers’ undying quest for overdriving the pixels without perfecting overdrive mechanism. Thankfully on this occasion, the effect on real world content is negligible.

For reference, my two year old Sony BRAVIA KDL-26P2530, (which is fitted with PVA panel) has no form of detectable smearing.

MCFI: Samsung’s implementation of MCFI was rather average in comparison to other manufacturers (namely Panasonic), and the improvement in motion can only be ascertained by sacrificing image quality/ stability. In other words, as the value of [Blur Reduction] increases, the level of visible artifacts begins to creep in. However, on highly compressed sources such as Sky HD, DVB-T etc…, artifacting becomes less noticeable.

After updating the firmware on our Samsung LE46B750 review unit to 2009/04/14_001008, there was a noticeable improvement in 200Hz processing. Setting the value of the [Blur Reduction] to “5” produced fewer visible artifacts than with the previous firmware. Nevertheless, we recommend that you only enable the 200Hz when viewing sports.

On a brighter note, Samsung did not unify high-level and low-level MCFI. Instead, they provide users with the option to manually control the intensity of the MCFI, which is a must-have on all sets with MCFI.

Audio Performance

Samsung LCDs were never known for their audio performance. They have always been criticised for having poor audio and the B750 is no different. The Samsung LE46B750 sounded like a pair of cheap speakers with no real detail in any of the frequencies.

I wish Samsung would include a detachable speaker with decent sound, or at least sell it as an optional accessory. That way, people aren’t forced to spend extra on a sound system.

Picture Quality

I am extremely impressed by the Samsung LE46B750’s picture performance. The image it produced was extremely clean and free of all common image artifacts. Transitions between different shades of colours were smooth with no visible banding or posterization. I also failed to detect any form of black or white crush. So far, I have only seen these positive attributes on monitors. However, the image produced by the Dell 2209WA remains slightly superior (primary due to the fact it was automatically calibrated and has minute uniformity issue).

Skin tones are one of the most important aspects of image quality and the Samsung LE46B750 LCD television rendered it beautifully. The image had excellent detail, depth and clarity without any visible colour dominance. The variant shades of warm colours that encompass Charlize Theron’s face, neck and chest were clearly visible and truthful. There remained a hint of processing, but it’s very subtle and complemented the image.

This image will highlight any inaccuracies in colour, greyscale, black crush and gamma… and the Samsung LE46B750 aced it in every aspect. There wasn’t any evidence of black crush. The gamma was spot on and there wasn’t any detectable colour dominance. In fact, the image accuracy is comparable to the Dell 2209WA, but there were minor inaccuracies which is forgivable as it’s virtually impossible to calibrate a large-sized LCD panel uniformly across the screen (as stated before).

This is a beautiful image with multitude of colours which makes it ideal for direct comparison. As you can guess, the image produced by the Samsung LE46B750 LCD HDTV was outstanding and highly comparable to the calibrated Dell 2209WA. There were no signs of black or white crush, nor (visible) inaccuracies in colour. Also, the transitions between multitude shades of colours were smooth and free of artifacts. Simply put, the rendered image was simply spectacular.

Overscanning: Users can enable “Screen Fit” when using 1080i/p and 720p to disable over-scan. This is ideal for keeping scaling errors and loss of detail to a minimum.

Backlight Flicker/Trailing: Unfortunately, the Samsung LE46B750 suffers from backlight flicker and backlight trailing, but thankfully, only trailing is perceivable. These visual artifacts aren’t unique to Samsung as many LCDs suffer from them. One of the known causes is the CCFLs failing to receive enough power. On the Samsung LE46B750, setting the [Backlight] to “10” will cure the trailing, but it is not recommended due to obvious reasons.

Blacker than Black (HDMI): The Samsung LE46B750 accepts both VESA and CEA signals, so it’s compatible with Computer and Consumer Electronic Standards.

Viewing Angles: Unfortunately, the viewing angle of the Samsung LE46B750 was rather average. The viewer must sit directly in front of the TV with an average distance of 1.75-2 meters to avoid colour, gamma and contrast shifts.

High Definition

High-def materials on the Samsung LE46B750 HDTV were superb. The deep blacks and stable gamma truly complemented the image. The performance of 24p was also excellent. Motion appeared smooth and sturdy… a joy to watch. The reflective panel helped to induce additional depth to the image, which was clearly visible when I viewed Finding Nemo. Words simply cannot express the image rendered by the Samsung LE46B750. Those who are venturing into the world of HD will be truly stunned by the picture quality without a doubt.

Standard Definition

The Samsung LE46B750 LCD TV produced excellent results with minimal noise via RGB SCART. As with HD, there was no visible evidence of neither black nor white crush.

Scaling (480p via HDMI): The scaling algorithm used by Samsung LE46B750 is somewhat on par with the ATI HD4XXX series graphics cards. The ATI HD4650 produced excellent detail with noticeable colour errors where the Samsung produced slight distortion in fine detail with minimal colour errors.

Film and Video Mode De-Interlacing: Samsung LE46B750 LCD television did an excellent job of de-interlacing. The image was clean and free from aliasing, which is a must for large panels.

Digital Noise Reduction: Enabling noise reduction caused a shimmering effect, which can be perceived if viewed within 1.8 meters, so it’s best disable noise reduction.

Gaming

Due to the high input lag, I cannot recommend the Samsung LE46B750 for hard-core gamers. However, for casual gamers, it’s just about acceptable with [Game Mode]/ [PC] mode enabled.

Enabling [Game Mode] considerably reduces the input lag, but it prevents users from selecting WARM 2, which is needed to get close to the D65 standard. Thankfully, this can be overcome by connecting the console to HDMI 3 (HDMI/DVI) and assigning the name “PC” via Name Edit.

Press the Menu button the remote > scroll down and select Input > select Edit Name > scroll up/down to select HDMI3/DVI and set it to PC.

Be advised that in [PC] and [Game Mode], MCFI (200/240Hz) cannot be enabled as the panel reverts to 60Hz, which may affect those who are highly sensitive to motion blur.

Conclusion

Pros

• No visible Banding or Posterization
• Good Pixel Transition Time
• Build Quality
• Accepts and Displays 1080p24 Without any Motion Artifacts
• 1:1 Pixel Mapping and Aspect Ratio Correction for 720p
• VESA and CEA Support
• Black and White Uniformity
• Standalone MCFI
• Black Level / Contrast Ratio
• Defeatable Edge Enhancement
• SD Performance via SCART
• Low Power Consumption
• Scaling
• Primary Chromaticity
• De-Interlacing

Cons

• High Input Lag
• Audio Quality
• Inaccurate Overdrive
• Viewing Angle
• Backlight Flicker and Trailing
• Unable to Enable MCFI in Game Mode / PC Mode
• Engaging [Digital Noise Reduction] introduces shimmering

Summary

Samsung did a wonderful job with the LE46B750. Apart from the average MCFI performance and high input lag, the Samsung LE46B750 is truly one of the best 46-inch LCD HDTV on the UK market.

Hopefully, Samsung will continue to improve their MCFI algorithm (as they have been known to in the past), so keep an eye out for those firmware updates.

Calibrated Settings

The following configurations are unique to the test model, and are to be used as reference only:

Sony KDL37W5500 Review

The Sony KDL37W5500 LCD TV shares exactly the same design, connectivity, user menu, EPG and infrared remote control as its recently tested brethren the KDL40W5500 (please look up the relevant sections if necessary), so this review will instead focus on its calibration potential and picture performance.

Note: The specific model we tested was the Sony KDL37W5500U (which denotes the 3-pin-plug United Kingdom version), but the terms KDL37W5500, KDL-37W5500 and KDL37W5500U may be used interchangeably throughout this article to refer to the same LCD television.

KDL37W5500 Calibration

Greyscale

Just like on the KDL40W5500, engaging the [Cinema] / [Theatre] mode on the Sony KDL37W5500 – with its default [Colour Temperature] setting of “Warm 2” – yielded a greyscale which came closest to D65 industry standard:

Pre-calibration CCT with [Cinema] mode & “Warm 2″ [Colour Temperature]

Pre-calibration RGB tracking & delta errors

The blue channel on the Sony KDL37W5500 did not track as well as that on the KDL40W5500, exhibiting a bump around 50-60% stimulus and then a dip after 70% stimulus. Even after tweaking the values in the [White Balance] submenu, we could not fully rectify this blue channel inconsistency:

CCT after greyscale calibration in [Cinema] mode

RGB tracking and delta errors (dEs) after greyscale calibration

In other words, the calibrated greyscale on the Sony KDL37W5500 HDTV did not track as well as that on the KDL40W5500, likely due to a difference in the LCD panel used. Nevertheless, from 30% stimulus onwards delta errors (dEs) did not go much higher than 4, which is good enough for all practical purposes.

Colour

Post-calibration CIE chart with reference to HD Rec. 709

With a green primary that was tilted towards blue, an undersaturated red which was partially compensated by mild red push, and slightly off magenta (and yellow) secondary colour points, colour gamut on the Sony KDL37W5500 was similar to - though marginally more constricted than - that on the KDL40W5500. Engaging [Live Colour] would over-exaggerate the colour intensities/ brightness globally, so we advise leaving it off for critical viewing.

KDL37W5500 Benchmark Test Results

Dead pixels	None
Screen uniformity	Excellent
Overscanning on HDMI	0% with [Display Area] set to “Full Pixel“
Blacker than black	Passed
Black level	Very good (0.09 cd/m2 calibrated)
Black level retention	Stable in [Cinema] / [Theatre] mode
Primary chromaticities	Green primary tilted towards blue
Scaling	Very good
Video mode deinterlacing	Average; limited jaggies reduction
Film mode deinterlacing	Passed 3:2 cadence in 480i; and 2:2 in 576i
Viewing angle	100°
Motion resolution	[Motionflow] “Standard” and “High“: 600; “Off”: 300
Digital noise reduction	Acceptable at baseline
Sharpness	Defeatable edge enhancement
1080p/24 capability (PS3)	Accepts 1080p/24 video signal; no telecine judder
Input lag (rel. to Samsung F96)	21ms in [Game Mode]; 42-67ms otherwise

Power Consumption

Default “Standard” [Picture Mode]	141 watts
Calibrated [Cinema]/[Theatre] mode	90 watts
Standby	15 watts with [Quick Start] engaged; <1 watt otherwise

KDL37W5500 Performance

Even out of the box, we immediately noticed that the Sony KDL37W5500 exhibited better screen/ backlight uniformity than that on the KDL40W5500. After calibration, not a wisp of clouding nor backlight bleeding was seen in sight.

Calibrated black level on the Sony KDL37W5500 was 0.09 cd/m². While this figure does not seem as good as the 0.05 cd/m² measured on the KDL40W5500, in real-life side-by-side comparison the difference was subtle rather than stark… the Sony KDL37W5500 LCD television still managed to muster sufficiently convincing blacks to convey depth and realism beyond what lesser competitors could hope to achieve.

Armed with near-D65 greyscale post-calibration, colours - including skin tones - looked the part, though the slightly compressed colour gamut (not to mention the lighter shade of black) did shave a bit off the vibrancy.

In [Cinema]/ [Theatre] mode, point gamma hovered around the 2.2 ideal throughout, imparting a realistic rise from dark to bright to the picture, complemented by revealing shadow detail and punchy image contrast that was extremely pleasing to the eye. As expected, high-definition detail extraction and presentation was impeccable once [Display Area] was set to “Full Pixel” to achieve 1:1 pixel mapping.

Similar to the KDL40W5500, standard-definition video processing was very impressive on the Sony KDL37W5500. Standard-def upconversion/ upscaling appeared sharp and detailed without introducing excessive ringing, and 2:2 pulldown was performed competently to eradicate line twitter and moire from film-based content such as movies and American dramas. The only small blemish remained the rather average video-mode deinterlacing, which led to a few more jagged edges than we would like to see in video-based material.

With [Game Mode] engaged via the [Scene Select] submenu, input lag on the Sony KDL37W5500 was measured to be 21ms slower than our resident Samsung F96 reference. While the resultant gaming response did feel a touch heavier than the near-lagless experience we so enjoyed on the retired Bravia W4000/ W4500 series, whether or not this amount of input lag will affect your gaming performance depends on your individual sensitivity, and the reflexes demanded by the particular game.

Delivering sufficient audio resolution and dialogue clarity to satisfy your everyday needs, the sonical performance of the Sony KDL37W5500 was comfortably ahead of that of its closest competitors (Samsung and Panasonic), but again still a half-step behind the benchmark set by the W4000/ W4500 series due to a relative paucity of bass extension.

KDL37W5500 Review Conclusion

It’s not surprising to find that the overall picture quality of the Sony KDL37W5500 HDTV was very close to the KDL40W5500, though the difference in LCD panel types used may have contributed to a slightly lighter shade of black, and less compliant greyscale tracking. Nevertheless, if you’re in the market for a 37-inch LCD television, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better set given its commendable black-level performance, circa-2.2 gamma, exquisite high-definition detail, and highly competent SD upscaling and film mode deinterlacing.

Samsung UE40B7020 Settings

Here are the final settings for the Samsung UE40B7000 review sample we tested, calibrated from a high-definition source using HDMI input in accordance with video industry standards in a dimly-lit environment suitable for critical viewing. These calibrated settings should also be applicable to the Samsung UE40B7020 LED-backlit LCD TV, seeing that the only difference between the two models is cosmetic.

Of course, the usual caveats apply. While these settings resulted in video-standard-compliant images on our Samsung UE40B7000 HDTV set, they may not do so for yours due to unavoidable differences in input source, viewing environment, firmware versions, and baseline service menu levels. However, if you do not have the resources to perform proper calibration on your UE40B7020 LED TV, these settings should serve as a good starting point for achieving picture quality that comes close to the standard used in film studios. Still, you should at least use a basic calibration disc like the Digital Video Essentials Blu-Ray to set the black level [Brightness] correctly on your Samsung UE40B7020 or UE40B7000 HDTV.

Another warning: if you are not used to D65 images, it’s very likely that you will find the resultant picture too yellow or too dark immediately after applying these settings. The reason for this is that most PC monitors and televisions are by default set to a colour temperature in excess of 9300k, which slowly brainwashes us into falsely thinking that the whites generated by these displays are the “real whites”. On the other hand, the video industry (broadcast and film studios) uses the D65 imaging standard, which is what we are striving to achieve through calibration so that we can appreciate movies in the way that the directors intended. What we advise is to stick with the following settings for 3 days to 1 week to get used to D65 images, after which reverting to the out-of-the-box values should hopefully make you realise how garish and unnatural the colours were prior to calibration.

Two sets of picture adjustment values are provided. The first one is in [Movie] mode which exhibits low-APL auto-dimming; the second is in [Game] mode which defeats the auto-dimming, but also compromises video processing somewhat. We suggest experimenting with both to see which one you prefer.

* Backlight can be increased as necessary in a brighter viewing environment (especially during daytime) to boost shadow detail and peak brightness.

** In the “Custom” [100Hz Motion Plus] submenu, set [Blur Reduction] to “8” and [Judder Reduction] to “0“.

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Sharp LC42DH77E Review

Not so long ago, Sharp LCD HDTVs were the golden jewels of home electronics. Their quality was simply unbeatable and oozed opulence from every angle. Simply put, Sharp flat panel TVs were the Kuro of their days. But that all changed in 2007 when Sharp adopted a newer-simpler design (for the Western market). In truth, Sharp no longer invest heavily in the European and the U.S market due to the heavy competition from budget and Korean brands such as Samsung, LG and Vizio. So if you’re after a high-quality Sharp flat screen television model, you’ll have to import one directly from Japan.

Before I move on, I must point out that the Sharp LC42DH77E (also marketed as the Sharp LC42DH77) is very similar to its predecessor the Aquos LC42B20E which was reviewed in July last year.

Sharp LC42DH77E Design

The overall design of the Sharp LC42DH77E is very similar to the Aquos B20 series with minor modifications, which some find rather attractive. The build quality appears solid and so are the connection ports.

LC42DH77E Connections

The Sharp LC42DH77E HDTV features three HDMI inputs (two at the rear and one on the side), and also VGA, two SCARTs (but only one is RGB enabled), component, composite, PCMCIA type II, USB, optical out, headphone out and analogue audio out.

Rear connections	Side connections

LC42DH77E On-Screen Display

The OSD on the Sharp LC42DH77E hasn’t changed much from the previous model. However, they have added hue and saturation controls for primary and secondary colours, which are somewhat useless without the ability to control RGB/white levels. The responsiveness in my opinion is acceptable, though switching between inputs can be slightly aggravating. However, the simplicity does favour the average user.

Remote Control

Again, nothing has changed here. The remote is pretty average and the layout could be improved to allow better interaction. For example, the input select, DTV, ATV, Radio and EPG should be placed at the top instead of the seriously outdated teletext buttons.

Sharp LC42DH77E Calibration

Greyscale

As with most mid-range sets, the Sharp LC42DH77E LCD television also lacks user configurable greyscale control via the main-menu. Unfortunately for the Sharp LC42DH77E, that’s where the problem begins as the preset greyscale is quite poor compared to today’s standards. However, it may be possible to rectify this issue via the service menu (which may void your warranty and therefore is not recommended).

“Warm 2″ CCT

As you can see from the image above, the colour temperature varies greatly and it does impact the image quality to an extent.

“Warm 2″ RGB tracking

As you can see from the RGB chart, the blue and red are somewhat over dominant, but the green remains fairly stable after 20% stimulus.

Gamma

“Warm 2″ gamma tracking

Despite my attempts to obtain stable gamma value, I was unable to get close to the desired value of 2.2.

Colours

“Warm 2″ CIE chart with reference to HD Rec. 709 specifications

There’s no surprise here and the graph pretty much speaks for itself.

Sharp LC42DH77E Benchmark

Power Consumption

Default [Dynamic] mode	~234 watts
Calibrated [Movie] mode	~100 watts
Standby	<1 watt

Screen/Backlight Uniformity

Sharp still hasn’t fixed the vertical banding of the panel, which plagued the Aquos range since 2006. The effect can be seen without applying too much of an effort, especially during games (at least in my case). Whether or not this is a problem depends on the individual’s perception as some may fail to notice the effect.

The black uniformity was excellent as I did not detect any uneven backlighting. The blacks (greys) appeared smooth corner to corner. However, the white uniformity was slightly unforgiving as certain parts of the screen were contaminated with minor tinting, which wasn’t noticeable under normal viewing conditions and contents.

Contrast Ratio

I was somewhat impressed by the Sharp LC42DH77E’s black level performance but wasn’t astonished. After calibration, it did manage to produce ANSI contrast ratio of ~1600:1, which isn’t too bad.
Like its predecessors, the Sharp LC42DH77E was bundled with features such as OPC (automatic/adaptive-backlight-dimming) and adaptive contrast correction (Active Contrast), which may be of use to some, but they are better left disabled. However, the Active Contrast feature does help to improve the SD contents via analogue inputs.

Motion Performance

Sharp’s implementation of MCFI is rather average to be honest and the improvement in motion was only visible with high-tone contents. Contents composed of low-tone colours suffered from visible smearing, which was perceivable when playing 60p games. In fact, when playing HALO 2 via my PC, I could perceive more detail on my 2209WA than on the Sharp LC42DH77E with MCFI enabled (in most areas). I suspect the cause of this problem is down to the way the panel is driven and the incorrect use of over-drive. This has, continues to be an issue with some panels based on Vertical Alignment technology.

However, for sports and average soaps, it shouldn’t be a problem due to the method of perception (tracking vs. none-tracking) and the quality of content. For example, during gaming, the user continuously tracks the screen and since the content is graphics based, it’s easier to detect screen and image defects/artifacts. However, when viewing soaps or news, the user simply absorb the image where most artefacts remain passive.

On a brighter note: Sharp did not unify high-level and low-level MCFI. So enabling 100/120Hz will not induce soap effects in movies and seasonal programs. But if you’re fan of the low-level MCFI, enable film mode and select Advanced.

Audio Performance

In order to maximize the performance of the built-in speakers, the set needs to be placed on a traditional TV stand for the sound to be deflected; otherwise it can appear rather hollow. As with most flat panels, the bass from the Sharp LC42DH77E speakers sounded damped, but the mids and the highs seems to be acceptable. In my opinion, it’s better to invest in a sound system or purchase a pair of stylish active speakers (with a remote).

Sharp LC42DH77E Picture Quality

Out of the box, an experienced user could easily spot the inaccuracies in the image quality. However, with the Sharp LC42DH77E, this is true even after post-calibration via the user menu. Displaying samples which I’ve carefully composed over the months highlighted the imperfections in colour and gamma.

Skin tones are one of the most important aspects of image quality. Unfortunately, the Sharp LC42DH77E failed to render it correctly. The image had blue dominance and the tone of the skin appeared rather pale. There was very little detail/substance to the image in my opinion. For example, I was unable to distinguish the variant shades of colours of Charlize Theron’s face, neck and chest. The difference was far more noticeable once I’ve directly compared the image to the Dell and the BRAVIA.

This image will highlight any inaccuracies in colour, greyscale and gamma. As with the previous image, blue dominance was evident, yet the greys (snow on the platform) appeared warmer then 6500K, which was in accordance with the CCT chart. The image lacked depth and black crush was evident on the bogie, under the bridge and near the front of the train. In addition, the silver-grey hull appeared to have mild red dominance. Overall, the image was far from accurate.

On this image, the Sharp failed to produce the correct shade of green and yellow. Black crush was also evident in this image (shelters) and the over-all quality image appeared artificial to say the least. No amount of tinkering could fix the high level of gamma or the colour inaccuracy.

Overscanning: The Sharp LC42DH77E LCD HDTV allows the user to enable Dot to Dot (1:1 Pixel Mapping) when using HDMI at 1080p, and yes, it does significantly improve the static image quality. However, due to the triangular architecture of the sub-pixels, fine details appeared pixelated and lacked definition. Therefore, I cannot wholeheartedly recommend the Sharp LC42DH77E for PC usage.

Subpixel architecture of Sharp LC42DH77E

Blacker than Black (HDMI): The Sharp LC42DH77E does accept both VESA and CEA signals. So it’s compatible with Computer and Consumer Electronics Standards. In English, it can accept and display 0-255 and 16-235 levels automatically.

Preferred Colour Space (HDMI): Unfortunately the Sharp LC42DH77E doesn’t like YCbCr via HDMI as it produced highly visible image artifacts (almost similar to a horizontal banding). Using RGB Colour Space fixed this problem.

Greyscale Banding: It wasn’t highly visible and was more than acceptable in my opinion.

Sharpness: Thankfully, the Sharp LC42DH77E doesn’t suffer from any form of artefacts caused by edge enhancements. The level of EE can be fully controlled via the user menu.

Colour Banding and Posterization: Somehow I don’t think the Sharp LC42DH77E utilises a 10bit video processor. Vertical colour banding and posterization were visible when I viewed high quality contents on-screen. It didn’t bother me too much, but couldn’t help noticing at times.

Viewing Angles: The viewing angles of Sharp’s ASV LCD panel continues to remain very average and just because it’s a variant of VA doesn’t excuse it to be, especially when the latest VA panels from AUO and Samsung have significantly better viewing angles.

High Definition

The Sharp really does shine with HD contents (like all HDTVs) and it accepts and processes 24p perfectly. The motion of 24p contents did appear smooth and sturdy, which is a big plus. However, the inaccurate colours did act as a distraction.

Standard Definition

Unfortunately, I was unable to test DVB-T due to the lack of good/quality signal. However, the image quality via RGB was very good. Visible noise was minimal and smearing was virtually nonexistent. However, during dark scenes, the image did appeared muddy; but enabling Active Contrast helped to resolve this issue without degrading the image too much.

Scaling: Sharp’s scaling algorithm is average compared to today’s standards. Subtle details were lost during up-sampling of 576i contents via component video and RGB SCART.

Video-mode Deinterlacing: Sharp failed in this category as well. On a smaller set, this would’ve been forgivable, but on a 42-inch, absolutely not.

Film-mode Deinterlacing: Sharp also failed in this category, which is somewhat of a surprise as the previous model didn’t.

Digital Noise Reduction: Sharp’s implementation of DNR was good. It suppressed compressions and other forms of noise without inducing highly visible smearing effect.

Thankfully, all four video processing can be outsourced to an external device for critical viewing. For those with standard Sky STB and Sky+, it’s not a problem and the DNR should help with compression artefacts.

Sharp LC42DH77E Review Conclusion

Pros

• Build Quality
• Accepts and displays 1080p24 without any motion artifacts
• 1:1 Pixel Mapping
• VESA and CEA Support
• DNR
• Low Input Lag
• Black and White Uniformity
• MCFI Separation
• Good Black Level
• Defeatable Edge Enhancement
• SD Performance via SCART

Cons

• Lack of Gamma and Greyscale Controls
• Viewing Angle
• Scaling Stability
• Colour Accuracy
• Gamma
• Sound
• De-Interlacing
• Colour Banding and Posterization
• YCbCr Artefacts
• Low-Tone Smearing
• Panel Banding
• Viewing Angles
• RGB Sub-Pixel Structure

Summary

All in all, there’s nothing special about the Sharp LC42DH77E LCD TV. However, if Sharp were to aggressively price the Sharp LC42DH77E, it may become popular among the budget-conscious.

Samsung UE40B7020 / UE40B7000 Review

Even though Samsung has produced and sold LED-backlit flat screen HDTVs for some time now, 2009 marks the year when the world’s largest electronics manufacturer starts marketing them under a new “LED TV” moniker to distinguish them from conventional CCFL-backlit LCD televisions. Here’s the scheduled lineup of Samsung LED-backlit LCD TVs (otherwise referred to as “LED TVs” in this article for the sake of simplicity) for 2009:

• B6000 Series: Entry-level edge-LED TV with 100Hz Motion Plus technology. Available now in 40-inch (UE40B6000/ UE40B6000VW) and 46-inch (UE46B6000/ UE46B6000VW) screen sizes.
• B7000/B7020 Series: Mid-range edge-LED TV with 100Hz Motion Plus technology and enhanced interactive functionalities such as [Internet@TV], [Wireless DLNA] and [Content Library]. Available now in 40-inch (UE40B7000/ UE40B7000WW or UE40B7020/ UE40B7020WW), 46-inch (UE46B7000/ UE46B7000WW or UE46B7020/ UE46B7020WW) and 55-inch (UE55B7000/ UE55B7000WW or UE55B7020/ UE55B7020WW) screen sizes.
• B8000 Series: High-end edge-LED TV with 200Hz motion technology. Expected to be available for sale from May 2009.

The Samsung UE40B7000 LED TV we are reviewing today employs the “Edge LED” technology which is quite different from the local-dimming LED backlighting system we have previously seen on the Samsung F96, A786 and A956 series. In “Edge LED” HDTVs, white LEDs are mounted along the edges of the screen to illuminate a cleverly arranged array of reflective plates which then steers the light forward and out of the screen.

As you can imagine, this “Edge LED” technology allows for breathtakingly slim panel depth and purportedly lower energy consumption (because less LED bulbs are used). Without further ado, let’s see how the Samsung UE40B7000 HDTV fares in our tests…

Note: The Samsung UE40B7020 and the Samsung UE40B7000 differ only in their cosmetic styling (the UE40B7020 has a “Platinum Black” all black bezel; whereas the UE40B7000 has a “Rose Black” bezel), so for all intents and purposes, the findings in this UE40B7000 review can also be applied to the UE40B7020.

Design

Measuring only 3cm in depth, it’s not far-fetched at all to describe the Samsung UE40B7000 as wafer-thin. Its mildly reflective “Ultra Clear Panel” is framed by a polished black bezel infused with red accent towards its outer edges, which is further encased by a thin strip of see-through plastic extending beyond the borders. Beneath the Samsung logo along the bottom border of the bezel, you’ll find a smiling red-orange LED indicator light which would blink in response to any remote keypress even if you elected to switch it off in the user menu.

Designed to match the bezel, the black rectangular base of the swivelling pedestal stand also sports red borders with transparent fringe. The translucent pedestal stem allows you to vaguely spot your cables running down the back of the Samsung UE40B7000 HDTV. All in all, even when switched off the Samsung UE40B7000 is a stunning looker… its size-zero slenderness really wouldn’t look out of place in a Valentino fashion show.

Connections

Amazingly, Samsung has managed to cram 4 HDMI inputs, 2 USB ports and even a TV tuner into the rear of the Samsung UE40B7000 without compromising its slimness, although the shallowness of the recessed connection bay may prevent thicker cables from fitting the input sockets snugly. If you wish to connect your devices to the Samsung UE40B7000 via Scart, component or composite, three breakout cables are supplied though their relatively cheap quality may not sit well with owners of high-end equipments.

Rear: 4 x HDMI, 2 x USB, VGA, ethernet, aerial, digital audio out, CI slot (not shown)

Breakout cables for Scart, composite and component connections

Operation

The on-screen user menu, EPG and multimedia interactive functionalities (such as [Internet@TV], [Media Play] and [Content Library]) on the Samsung UE40B7000 are essentially the same as those found on the LE40B650 which we have reviewed in depth last month, so please refer to the relevant sections if you need more detail.

Infrared Remote Control(s)

The Samsung UE40B7000 comes with not one, but two remote controls. Featuring a gloss black coating and user-friendly, backlit buttons, the first one is no different from that bundled with the LE40B650 apart from a peculiar hook-shaped appendage which curves backwards at the bottom of the remote.

Left: Main remote; Right: Baby remote

The second, smaller remote looks like a supersized key fob, and lets you power the Samsung UE40B7000 on and off, as well as change volume and channels. We doubt this baby remote will be used much, if at all.

Calibration

Greyscale

Just like the LE40B650, out of the box “Movie” [Mode] with its default “Warm2” [Colour Tone] provided the greyscale closest to D65 standard on the Samsung UE40B7000:

Pre-calibration CCT with “Movie” [Mode] & “Warm2″ [Colour Tone]

Pre-calibration RGB tracking and delta errors (dEs)

We performed our initial run of greyscale calibration on the Samsung UE40B7000 by adjusting the RGB offset and gain controls in the [White Balance] submenu. Here are the results:

CCT after greyscale calibration in “Movie” [Mode]

RGB tracking and delta errors (dEs) after greyscale calibration

At first glance a good job was done: delta errors (dEs) were curbed below 3 from 20% stimulus onwards. However, these CCT and RGB tracking graphs do not tell the full story… here’s why.

Samsung has by default implemented auto-dimming on the UE40B7000, presumably to achieve the very deep blacks that edge-lit LED backlighting technology is capable of. What this means is, when the content on screen falls below a pre-defined Average Picture Level (APL) threshold, the light output on the Samsung UE40B7000 would dim down automatically.

And because the dimming effect on the Samsung UE40B7000 is of the global (again an unavoidable characteristic of edge-LED backlight) rather than local (i.e. individual LED arrays can be activated and deactivated separately) variant, once the auto-dimming is triggered there would be a corresponding drop in the luminance of even the brighter elements within the image on screen, resulting in reduced contrast (and, to a lesser extent, diminished colour saturation and intensity).

In other words, greyscale and point gamma could shift dynamically from frame to frame, particularly affecting darker scenes with lower APLs which would trigger the auto-dimming.

The auto-dimming/ black level fluctuation on the Samsung UE40B7000 can be defeated by engaging [Game Mode] and then setting [Dynamic Contrast] to “Off” (many thanks to Mr Laurent Grimal and Mr Seow who independently verified that this worked on their sets), though this solution is less than satisfactory as it entails some compromises in video processing (will be explained in a later section). Nevertheless, to remove low-APL greyscale and gamma fluctuation from the equation, we proceeded to calibrate the Samsung UE40B7000 in [Game Mode]:

CCT after greyscale calibration in [Game Mode]

RGB tracking and delta errors (dEs) after greyscale calibration in [Game Mode]

Because [Game Mode] limits us to [Picture Mode] “Standard” and [Colour Tone] “Normal” (which yielded a pre-calibration colour temperature in excess of 8500K), the calibrated greyscale in [Game Mode] did not track as well as that in “Movie” [Mode]. Still, we managed to keep delta errors (dEs) below 4 from 30% stimulus onwards… not a bad result at all.

Colour

[Colour Space] “Auto” was faithful to HD Rec. 709 specifications, while [Colour Space] “Native” was oversaturated (especially green):

[Colour Space] “Auto”	[Colour Space] “Native”

By setting [Colour Space] to “Custom” on the Samsung UE40B7000 to access its colour management system, we had no problems mapping the x, y coordinates of all the primary (except blue) and secondary colour points to obtain accurate hues and saturation, but aligning colour decoding proved to be far more difficult because the colour intensities are heavily influenced by the aforementioned APL-dependent auto-dimming.

We advise sticking to [Colour Space] “Auto“, unless you wish to calibrate the colours in [Game Mode] which of course disables the auto-dimming, making it possible to achieve supremely accurate hue, saturation and colour decoding:

Post-calibration CIE chart in [Game Mode] with reference to HD Rec. 709

Benchmark Test Results

Dead pixels	None
Screen uniformity	Mild clouding and backlight bleed
Overscanning on HDMI	0% with [Size] set to “Screen Fit“
Blacker than black	Passed
Black level	0.01 cd/m2 when auto-dimmed
Black level retention	Stable only in [Game Mode] with [Dynamic Contrast] “Off“
Primary chromaticity	Excellent in “Auto” [Colour Space]
Scaling	Good
Video mode deinterlacing	Excellent
Film mode deinterlacing	Passed 3:2 cadence in 480i and 1080i; and 2:2 in 576i
Viewing angle	90°
Motion resolution	[100Hz Motion Plus] engaged: 550; “Off”: 300
Digital noise reduction	Acceptable at baseline
Sharpness	Defeatable edge enhancement
1080p/24 capability (PS3)	Accepts 1080p/24 video signal; no telecine judder
Input lag (rel. to Samsung F96)	22ms in [Game Mode] or over VGA; 85ms otherwise

Power Consumption

Default “Dynamic” [Mode]	104 watts
Calibrated “Movie” [Mode]	78 watts
Standby	<1 watt

Picture Performance

Black Level

Because of the presence of auto-dimming, it’s only fair that we qualify our black level figures with the Average Picture Levels (APLs) under which they are measured. On a totally black screen (video black), the Samsung UE40B7000’s calibrated black level – enhanced by auto-dimming – was measured at 0.01 cd/m², a superb figure that is beaten only by 9G Pioneer Kuro plasmas (e.g. the PDP-LX5090) and Samsung local-dimming LED-backlit LCD TVs like the F96, A786 and A956 series. On an ANSI checkerboard test pattern, we recorded a still excellent 0.06 cd/m².

In [Game Mode] where auto-dimming is disabled by switching off [Dynamic Contrast], calibrated black level was 0.04 cd/m², matching that measured on the CCFL-backlit LE40B650 LCD TV.

Screen Uniformity

Even after calibration, and even with the aid of auto-dimming, the Samsung UE40B7000 exhibited slightly worse screen uniformity than the latest conventional CCFL-backlit LCD televisions such as the Samsung B650 and Sony W5500 series. On a totally black screen (video black), we observed mild backlight bleed on all 4 corners of the screen, as well as several patches of clouding.

However, these screen uniformity issues probably fall within our expectations for non-plasma flat screen HDTVs, and to be fair were quite subtle and not really noticeable in real-life viewing (especially in brighter ambient lighting conditions).

Video Processing

As was the case with the LE40B650, standard-definition video processing was overall very good on the Samsung UE40B7000 LED TV. Because we’re interested in using [Game Mode] for critical viewing due to the lack of auto-dimming/ black level fluctuation, we also investigated its video processing properties.

With [Game Mode] engaged, video processing on the Samsung UE40B7000 took a hit in the following manner:

• Slightly worse video-mode deinterlacing (more jaggies seen);
• No film-mode deinterlacing;
• Marginally worse digital noise suppression at baseline;
• [100Hz Motion Plus] greyed out and therefore cannot be activated; and
• Subtle telecine judder witnessed with 1080p/24 material.

Points 1 and 2 can easily be circumvented by outsourcing the deinterlacing process to a competent external device (i.e. send a progressive video signal from your DVD player/ set-top box/ external video processor); and point 3 is basically a non-issue. As far as we’re concerned, the 2 significant downsides to engaging [Game Mode] is lower motion resolution, and the introduction of subtle telecine judder when the UE40B7000 is fed with 1080p/24 signal.

Standard Definition (Freeview Digital TV)

Just like the B650 series, the Samsung UE40B7000 is blessed with high-quality upscaling and excellent deinterlacing (both video- and film-based), which makes standard-def material extremely watchable. We did witness some low-grade motion smear on slow-medium pans, but engaging [100Hz Motion Plus] – we liked a “Custom” setting of [Blur Reduction] “8” and [Judder Reduction] “0” – quickly rectified this.

[Game Mode] is greyed out and hence not available when watching TV programmes through the internal tuner. Fortunately, most sports programmes – for instance football and snooker which were on TV all week – are usually shot in well-lit environments, delivering sufficiently high Average Picture Levels (APLs) to avoid eliciting auto-dimming/ black level fluctuation on the Samsung UE40B7000. In these brighter scenes, the combination of D65 greyscale and almost spot-on primary and secondary chromaticities resulted in beautifully accurate green hues on the football pitch and the snooker table, not to mention suitably convincing flesh tones. The aforementioned “Custom” [100Hz Motion Plus] settings did not introduce any significant interpolation artefacts.

High Definition (Blu-Ray)

With [Size] set to “Screen Fit” to attain 1:1 pixel mapping, the Samsung UE40B7000 portrayed the fine details in the spy thriller Body of Lies on Blu-ray – be it the grains of sand in the desert, or Roger Ferris’ (Leonardo DiCaprio) facial hair, pores and scars – with impeccable sharpness and crisp definition. Along with the deep canvas of blacks, this appreciable sharpness contributed immensely to the sense of depth and dimensionality we so crave from high-definition material.

In brighter sequences (for example those filmed in sun-drenched deserts), colours looked wonderfully realistic judging from the skin tones and whatever little foliage there was on display, thanks to D65 greyscale (achieved with calibration), and mostly accurate primary and secondary colour points.

However, because the light output on the Samsung UE40B7000 was globally reduced once the Average Picture Level (APL) of the content being displayed on screen dropped below a certain threshold, predominantly dark scenes would appear a touch lifeless and desaturated. Needless to say, in these darker scenes shadow detail suffered a bit as well due to the drop in overall luminance.

Our main bugbear with the auto-dimming/ black level fluctuation on the Samsung UE40B7000 is not so much the black level fluctuation itself (we really do think that the actual dimming process is for the most part reasonably subtle and not distracting), but the depressed luminance of the brighter elements within a mostly dark scene resulting in poorer perceived contrast.

The most obvious examples in Body of Lies are the numerous insertions of faded-in white text on a black background stating the location of the next scene. In spite of inkier blacks, the lower overall luminance on the Samsung UE40B7000 (brought about by global auto-dimming) meant that the white text was not delivered with the desired impact. This was especially obvious during the daytime (not that we’re recommending this for critical viewing… just trying to make a point): stronger competing ambient light made the dip in perceived contrast even more noticeable when it came to displaying predominantly dark content.

Engaging [Game Mode] and then disabling [Dynamic Contrast] eliminated any black level fluctuation while still maintaining deep blacks, exquisite detail, D65 greyscale and accurate colours, but introduced a subtle telecine judder to slow panning shots, for example the many high-resolution surveillance satellite tracking footages in Body of Lies. Whether or not this telecine judder will bother you depends on your individual sensitivity and whether you recognise it in the first place; to us, it was largely tolerable.

Sound Quality

As you can expect from the acoustic limitations imposed by the Samsung UE40B7000’s super-slim chassis, its internal speakers sounded hollow and bereft of any meaningful imaging. It can go fairly loud without distorting, and dialogue is reasonably clear, but for critical viewing/ listening, we would go with external home theatre systems.

Our Samsung UE40B7000 review sample did not emit any significant background noise either in use or in standby.

Conclusion

Pros

• Accurate colour chromaticities and decoding
• Capable of 0.01 cd/m² blacks (though with auto-dimming; see Cons)
• Impressive SD video processing
• “Custom” [100Hz Motion Plus] setting allows for blur reduction independent from dejudder processing
• Stunning super-slim styling
• Extensive networking and media playback versatility (Internet@TV, Media Play, DLNA, etc.)
• Consumes less power than LCD televisions of similar size

Cons

• Auto-dimming/ black level fluctuation at low Average Picture Level (APL), unless [Game Mode] engaged and [Dynamic Contrast] set to “Off“
• Mild clouding and backlight bleeding
• Input lag may affect sensitive gamers

Summary

The UE40B7000 is the fruit of Samsung’s commendable maiden effort at implementing edge-lit LED backlighting technology on a flat screen HDTV. Not surprisingly, this first-generation product is not problem-free. For starters, the edge LED system can contribute to some backlight uniformity issues though the severity varies from unit to unit. Our review sample exhibited some mild clouding and backlight bleed, but these were barely noticeable in real-life viewing after proper calibration and ambient light setting.

To artificially generate deeper blacks and live up to its marketed contrast ratio (and perhaps even mask the uniformity issues), unfortunately Samsung has also introduced low-APL auto-dimming which can adversely affect the image quality of darker scenes. The auto-dimming can be thwarted by engaging [Game Mode] and then disabling [Dynamic Contrast], but this entails some heavy sacrifices in video processing, motion resolution and 1080p/24 handling… truly a case of being caught between a rock and a hard place.

Nevertheless, the Samsung UE40B7000 LED TV is not without its merits. The television set’s stunning design, deep blacks, accurate colours, advanced motion-compensated frame interpolation (MCFI) technology, impressive video processing, superior energy efficiency and extensive networking/ media-playing functionalities did enough to earn the Samsung UE40B7000 a well-deserved recommendation from us here at HDTVTest.