Might want to slow down there, Samsung -- don't want to pull anything by cranking out
too many new HDTVs
at a time. Yep, Sammy's letting loose a few more sets today alongside the
Series 7 plasmas and Series 9 LCDs: the September-bound Series 8 LCD HDTV line. The Series 8 850 (rose accents) and Series 8 860 (deep blue accents) only differ in color, while they both pack a 1080p Ultra Clear panel, Auto Motion Plus 120Hz technology, a 50,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, InfoLink RSS reader, DLNA certification, 4-millisecond response time and twin down-firing speakers with an integrated subwoofer. You'll also find a built-in NTSC / ATSC / ClearQAM TV tuner, a DNIe Pro video processor, swivel stand and four HDMI-CEC ports (among others). The pain? $2,699.99 for the LN46A850, $3,399.99 for the LN52A850, $2,799.99 for the LN46A860 and $3,499.99 for the LN52A860. Got all that?
posted Jul 23rd 2008 11:37AM
The most important feature was not mentioned! These sets use ACTIVE LED backlighting! This means that the light source behind the LCD panel can be selectively turned off IN PORTIONS of the screen. This enables the deepest blacks of any LCD I have seen to date, and is what enables the ridiculous 50,000:1 contrast ratio. These models are the direct replacement for last years "81" series sets and if last year's models are any indication, these should be the BEST looking LCDs on the market when they ship!
Wasn't mentioned because it isn't true. The active led backlighting is the 9 series.
Not only that, but it looks like the 40 incher misses both the top of the line 950 AND the model one down 850. The 750 doesn't bring THAT much to the 40 inch table, so it's the 650 if you want a 40. Too bad as I was willing to spring for second gen LED backlight.
The prices on these LCD's is TRBL TRBL.
Not the best looking either. Sony is a much better product.
I bet the picture on my CRT monitor still looks better than these crappy LCD's.
Yes, I'm an LCD playa hata. They just look like diarrhea to me.
The one thing I can't figure out is what is the difference between the 7 & 8 series. It seems to me that the only difference is the fact that the 7 series is a Touch of Red and the 8 series offers rose & blue in this model. They both have ToC design, sub woofer, 120Hz, and 50,000 contrast. Am I missing something here? Ohh and these have 4ms response time.
Come on Samsung!!! You have not been listening to your customers. Yes, you make the best picture LCD to date. However, the feature set is horrible. For example, google "Samsung PIP sucks" and see how many hits you get. There is no excuse for not have a simple PIP button on your remote as even the lowest class sets do. We want to be able to use our LCD sets as a computer monitor and watch a program within the PIP window without having to spend 10 minutes fumbling through the convoluted menu to activate the PIP and then figure out how to get the audio to work as well. NO EXCUSE!!
Also, why in the world do you only support analog signals within the PIP window???? This is the digital age and what happens after Feb 2009 when analog OTA broadcasts cease?
Finally, you led the market at one time by providing two 75ohm inputs that would allow us to use an OTA input and have a cable/satellite input as well. Bring it back!! OTA provides a great source of programming that the cable/satellite/FIOS operators don't always include.
I no longer own a Samsung because of the lack of these features. I now own an inferior picture quality Vizio. However, these features considered along with the picture quality make the Vizio (and others) a better overall viewing experience.
I WILL go back to the Samsung brand, but, not until these deficiencies are addressed.