The Samsung LE32BG651 is a mid-range TV that seems to offer a bunch of features that were previously reserved for more expensive high-end models. That includes a Full HD 1080p screen, Media 2.0 Internet services, access to multimedia files and the Motion Plus 100 Hz system to increase the fluidity of moving images. On paper, at least, it's not missing much to compete with the big boys.
The LE40B651 is one of several Samsung models featuring the “touch of colour” design. In this case, a red tinge highlights the edges of the glossy black/transparent acrylic frame, and I have to say that, to these eyes, it looks fairly nice: not quite as much as the considerably more expensive but similar Sony X-Series displays, but nice all the same.
The gloss doesn't stop with the bezel, though: this LCD TV features Samsung's “Ultra Clear Panel” coating, which means that the whole thing looks especially vibrant and glossy. It's clear that some anti-reflective process has been used, but it's still going to shine more than a matte panel, and as such this TV is best kept out of brighter environments.
The remote control fits nicely in your hand, too, and all of the buttons are well placed, accessible, and better yet, can be lit up by an optional backlight. Again, the remote continues Samsung's love affair with gloss black, which, given its ability to pick up scratches and fingerprints, has to be one of the strangest design decisions I've seen lately.
Samsung have included a specialized “Game Mode” on this TV. There's a good reason: normally, there is a high level of input lag on this TV which makes some games very hard to enjoy (this is especially the case if the Scaling and 100hz functions are operating). Selecting Game Mode cuts down this lag, but also forces the user to use the “Standard” picture mode (why?). Also, in this mode, you can only select “Cool” or “Normal” greyscale presets (again, why?)
You can, thankfully, still access the White Balance controls, so it might be possible to come somewhere closer to correct Greyscale by calibrating from this less than perfect starting point.
It's much more than just a pretty face, though. For instance, it's extremely well connected, with four HDMIs, two USB ports and a DLNA-certified Ethernet port leading the way. The USB ports allow the TV to playback JPEGs, MP3s and even video files, but also let you connect wirelessly to the internet via an optional dongle. The Ethernet port provides a wired internet connection too, or the facility to access files on a PC.
The LE40B651's internet connection is the most significant feature that separates it from Samsung's cheaper LCD TV ranges, allowing you access to a small section of the internet designed and controlled by Samsung to provide a seamless operating system via the TV's remote.
The services Samsung's online system offers are currently wider-ranging than those of rival brands thanks to an exclusive (until September) deal with the Yahoo Widgets online application platform. Among the stuff already on offer are the YouTube video service and the Flickr photo storage site, plus news and weather feeds.
Using the Movie mode, I disabled the “Black Tone”, “Dynamic Contrast”, and “Digital NR” features, and correctly set Brightness and, using the “Blue Only” mode, also set the Colour control. After configuring settings as optimally as possible without using a measuring device, the picture quality was certainly improved, but was certainly far from the best “basic calibration” result I've witnessed recently.
After measuring the results, it became obvious why things looked off. The Greyscale tracking, as you can see from the chart, is all over the place. In fact, the only semi-consistent problem here is an emphasis of red – ouch. It became clear from these results that the LE40B651 was likely to pose a calibration challenge.
Fortunately, Samsung have not hidden the Greyscale controls in a service menu – they're available to all. Before I began altering these settings, though, I noticed that the measured Gamma was coming in too low, at around 2.1. Not to worry – Samsung have a Gamma control here too. Nudging this up to “+1” brought an average gamma of 2.29. This is higher than the 2.2 we'd ideally want, but it evened out the Greyscale tracking a little, providing a better basis for calibration.
In the end, calibrating the LE40B651 improved the Greyscale tracking to a huge extent. It's not ruler-flat by any means, and the chart always showed a strange red push of about 12% at 20 IRE, but this wasn't hugely noticeable when looking for it on real world content.
Author Resource:
Asli Mana writes articles about different subjects, including LCD TV . To read her articles see her Sony Bravia LCD TV website.
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