The HD Guru reviews the Samsung LN-T4081F, says it's the best LCD HDTV yet
By Ben Drawbaugh 
posted Nov 1st 2007 4:37PM
posted Nov 1st 2007 4:37PM
posted Nov 1st 2007 4:37PM
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"He was disappointed with the sets ability to upconvert 480i, but honestly who cares?"
As long as the (vast majority) of channels are available as SD only, I would consider the quality of 480i upconversion to be very important.
I agree, it isn't like we get even half of our channels in hidef yet, nor will we anytime soon. Decent 480i upconversion was one of the most important requirements I had for my HDTV. A lot of cheap displays can do it decently.
Is there a site anywhere that reviews or ranks displays according to the SD upconversion quality? How do you know if one set is better than others without actually comparing an SD signal yourself?
we're getting so close to getting more main-stream hi-def channels, but it's still a valid point. 480i scalers are still important. I hear plasmas do the best job on these. I can't wait til VH1 and MTV go HD on DTV... once comedy central goes HD, my custom guide in DTV will be HD complete :)
I was waiting on this set to come out for a long time and was anxious to see it next to Sony's latest XBR4. I settled on the Sony as Samsung has gone to a pure glass front which reflects every last bit of light.
Also, you have to take HD Guru's review with a grain of salt. His reviews are more technical based in stead of real world. You can see he gets frustrated with so many people buying LCD screens when he can prove that technically Plasma screens reproduce colors more accurately. He says that people are stupid and get fooled by the LCD's brightness and think that brighter is better.
Of course, not all of us live in a cave or in a room where we can block out all the light, in fact, I would say the opposite is true. Aren't most of us looking for homes or apt. that are light and airy, give a sense of openness? Personally, I have a 25 foot window in my living room with a 150 degree view of the San Francisco Bay, the proverbial "million dollar view." Let me ask you, does it make more sense to find a TV that will work well in that environment or to invest in curtains to cover up all the windows just so I can experience a more realistic black?
In the end, there is a lot more that goes into a TV than the technical specification. While people like HD Guru are useful starting points, go with what looks best to you and fits your living environment.
- Roger
Probably one of the best post I've read in a while. I too live with floor to ceiling windows comprising one half of my apartment and have to balance my beautiful view versus controling light for ideal tv viewing. Thus I own a LCD.
You have a few valid points, but you can't argue that plasmas have better picture quality at night. It does get dark where you live right? Plus newer plasmas have great anti-glare glass on them that makes them almost as good as LCDs in bright rooms.
My room has 7 very large windows and gets sun most of the day, I have yet to have anyone say it didn't look fantastic during the day. And yes I ask them what they think. On top of this, I've had a few LCDs in for review sitting right next to it and while the Plasma can't compete with the LCD in regards to brightness, it beats every category hands down -- including bright room situations. Of course I don't have any halogen lights like they do at the big box stores, so ymmv.
I own the 52" version of this set (LNT5281). I would go a step further and say it is the best overall picture on the market...period. I rigorously compared it to everything out there; be it LCD or plasma (XBR4 [which has the same panel], KURO, etc.). This TV blew everything away. The blacks can be as black as TV's bezel black. For those that swear by the KURO, I (and 3 of my friends) all felt that it was not as good in a side-by-side...perhaps even a little green.
I was initially very concerned about the reflectivity of the glass as it is NOT a traditional LCD matte finish. However, I have it above a fireplace in a room with 6 windows and I can honestly say it is not an issue. The picture is so bright that there is no discernible glare when the set is on. The only issue I have with the TV is the off-angle viewing is worth than my 50", 2 year old plasma. This is not really an issue if you sit directly in front of the TV.
Buying a new TV is a series of compromises. Sure a top of the line Plasma would have been nice, but I would essentially have to give up watching it during the day. So would you give up watching TV during the day, just to have a better picture at night? I was not willing to make that compromise and for me, even with the TV at its brightest setting, it is sometimes barely enough during the day.
The XBR4 is not perfect, it still shows more motion artifacts that I would like, but for the most part I am happy with my purchase. Do I really need that absolute highest picture quality? No, I just need it high enough for me to enjoy.
- Roger
I can only compare my Sammy 71 to my roommate's year-old Panny plasma, but I prefer my 71 even at night. I just have to turn down the backlight at night to get my blacks nice and deep. LCDs really have come a long way.
Top that off with my 1080p vs his 1024x768 (he has non-square 16:9 pixels). Those pixels make quite a difference for PC and some 360 games.
I'm sure this isn't a very fair comparison since LCDs a year ago looked way worse than my Sammy 71, and most plasmas now are true 720p. But I still don't think you can make a blanket statement of "plasma looks better than LCD".
I will admit, plasmas always perform better off-angle. So far, no LCD has overcome that weakness entirely.
Aaron, good to see someone enjoys the 81 set. I would have to completely disagree - the Kuro sets imho blow away ALL flat panels of any kind, including the 81 LED. LCDs may have a brighter white than plasma but that doesn't matter, since normal to dark room viewing would required lowering the brightness to levels that wouldn't burn your eyes (ie.torch mode).
The biggest problem with LCD in general is the back light resulting in failing to deliver deep blacks. This 81 LED does it well on blank input screens, but if you turn up the volume on a blank input for example, the volume graphics will display and it will also display a big white cloud on either side of the volume - meaning that the panel is not capable of displaying accurate deep blacks and bright areas. Hence the 81 is a marginal step above any other LCD including the XBR4/5. LCD is also not capable of delivering proper shadow details, only crushed blacks - the LED does not help in this case either.
The Kuro you saw was probably at a B&M store which was not calibrated. If you dont believe me, buy the 5010 Pioneer and do a side by side with your 81 at home. You'll be blown away by the vast differences. I had really high hopes for the 81 (after waiting 8 months for it) but Samsung completely failed. In all honestly, the Pioneer Kuro is a true revolutionary step above all current FPDs. Samsung needs to fix/improve their fist gen LED LCD.
I bought a 4671 instead of the 81. I did this because the 71 had more options for motion control and looked about the same. HAd the tv for 2 months now and love it to death. Im a big gamer so plasma was completely out of the question. And Im glad I didnt get a plasma cause I already accidently left halo 3 on in the lobby for 22 hours (dont ask). If I had a plasma, my set would be messed up right now with burn in. 81 series looks like a good deal for movies but since Im more about games I went 71.
And I also dont care about 480i upconversion. I dont watch tv from cable cause it just looks worse, or im so used to watching tv without commercials (torrents). The technically challenged people in my hosuehold still watch regular ole cable so I do have a subscription to it, but like I said, I just download everything online in better quality, commercial free. I really couldnt care less about 480i upconversion.
This thread has caused me to research the Pioneer Elite Kuro at AVS Forum. I hadn't looked at TVs since the Pioneer Elite PRO-FHD1, the last greatest monitor (but I wanted bigger than 50"). Thanks, HDpurist.
Meh, the poor upconversion is a non-issue to me because I would prefer to use a good A/V receiver to do the upconversion anyway, and the majority of people buying this tv would have the tv hooked up to a good A/V receiver. About the only thing that keeps me from this tv is that being a first generation tv, it will probably be replaced rather quickly by a much better tv that will have a better price point.
You know, when EngadgetHD can't make a conclusion for themselves and follow the blind faith in others (HDguru), and that blind faith is based on one's personal opinion and not any type of scientific testing, what good is it?
With this kind of attitude I could be a radical individual for any of the world's religions. :)
I'm sure HD DUD fans could care less, but I wonder if this set will accept a native 1080p/24 signal and display it properly without additional processing/interlacing/deinterlacing steps. HD DUD players that are advertised as outputting 1080p/24 do exactly that, in addition to creating lip sync problems. Sad how many compromises HD DUD fans are willing to accept in their "HD" experience. One wonders if they would not be more completely satisfied with just an upconvertingp/upscaling SD DVD player instead...
I must say. I have an XBR4 1080p and a PS3. I must say, I am VERY pleased with how regular DVD's look upscalled to 1080p through the PS3. I have no idea where the PS3's upscalling capability lies on the spectrum, but for me it looks excellent.
- Roger
I suppose the blacks directly adjacent to something bright wouldn't be up to par with the Kuro, but certainly an all-black screen on the Sammy 81 will be much blacker than the Kuro!
I keep reading articles like this and thinking it would have been nice to get the 81, but you really can't beat the deal I got for my 71. :¬)
Bought a defective Samsung HDTV a few months ago. Trying to get them to honor the warranty has been a nightmare.