There are also four modes available with standard-def sources. We appreciated the three power-saver modes and the singular fact that, unlike most other manufacturers, this year Samsung did not use the brightest picture mode as its default. Instead, the default picture mode for Home use is Standard, which saves a lot of energy compared with the much brighter Dynamic.
Check out the Juice Box below for details on the set's energy use. As far as other conveniences, Samsung throws in picture-in-picture along with a USB port that can connect to thumb drives to play back digital photos and MP3 music. The LN52A is also compatible with the company's forthcoming digital media adapter.
The connectivity of the LN52A is excellent. There are three HDMI inputs available around back, while a fourth can be found in a recessed bay along the panel's left side. There's also a pair of component-video inputs; a single RF input for cable and antenna the '07 models had two ; and a VGA-style RGB input for computers 1,x1, maximum resolution.
Its picture quality, anchored by excellent black-level performance, and accurate color, surpasses that of the Sony KDLXBR4 --and Samsung's de-judder video processing has improved to the point where it's basically equal to the Sony.
We did notice a couple of minor issues, and as usual we'd avoid watching dark movies on this glossy-screened TV in rooms with lots of ambient light, but that's about it. Our standard calibration was aided by the numerous picture controls in the Samsung's user menu.
We were able to improve color temperature and dial in saturation without going overboard thanks to the blue-only mode check this tip to see how it works. Although we attempted to tweak the color points a bit using the custom color palette controls, primary and secondary colors were already close enough to the standard that we simply settled on the default Auto in the end.
Click here for a full list of our dark-room picture settings. The Pioneer and Panasonic plasmas got darker by a couple of hairs, although the Samsung solidly beat the two Sonys. Of course, as with all LCDs, those deep blacks became brighter when seen from off angle see below. Details in shadows were quite good, although not perfect. During a shot when Flint stares into the camera after sneaking into his daughter's room, for instance, we couldn't quite make out the print on the wallpaper behind him, and the shaded half of his face looked indistinct compared with the reference Pioneer, although still more natural than any of the other displays.
Cranking brightness brought back the details but destroyed black levels, and the Samsung wasn't crushing black. Color accuracy: The initial color temperature in Warm2 was still a tad blue see the Geek Box , but other than that we had no complaints. After calibration it was quite accurate, lending a natural look to skin tones and other delicate areas, like Mary Jane's pale face. Green grass in the plaza and red balloons during the parade all looked rich and punchy, and color balance was superb.
Overall saturation, thanks to deep blacks and fine color balance, was equal to the superb Pioneer. Video processing: Samsung's Auto Motion Plus AMP processing is designed to smooth out motion--specifically the judder or faint stuttering inherent in frame material such as most films. Judder can be perceived most easily in pans and camera movement, but once you notice it, it seems to pop up everywhere there's any movement onscreen. Some viewers find the smoothing effect desireable, while some think it looks too video-like and even cartoonish in some instances, particularly Hollywood films.
We're of the latter camp, but we feel de-judder processing can be effective in some scenes. AMP has been improved this year, and it suffers fewer artifacts than the version we tested on the LN-TF from The infamous "triple ball effect" seems greatly toned down, for one thing.
We looked at one example we cited in the 71F review, a deep pass during a college football game between West Virginia and Louisville, and this time there was very little blurring and elongation of the ball. We also turned to the same hockey match between the Ducks and the Kings and noticed blurring of the puck much less frequently.
It was still there in some instances, such as a flip pass into the air that spanned half of the rink before landing, but it was much less noticeable.
Of course, the level of AMP made a big difference--we saw more blurring and artifacts around the puck in High mode, fewer in Medium, about the same in Low, and none in Off. For that reason, we still recommend watching hockey, and indeed all sports, in Off mode. A separate fine tuning setting may be put into the TV's memory for each analog channel. Input Source Names: You can assign a name for the component connected to each of the inputs.
When input naming is completed, you will no longer have to remember which component is connected to each input when selecting a source to watch.
Channel Labels: Each analog channel programmed into memory can be labeled with a name up to 5 characters. Digital channel names are already assigned and cannot be edited. CH button on the remote. Program Reserve: The television allows you to reserve a program you want to watch at a later time which changes the channel automatically to the reserved program at the selected time while you are watching another channel. V-Chip: The V-Chip automatically locks out programs that are deemed inappropriate for children.
Energy Saver: This feature adjust the brightness of the TV in order to reduce power consumption. When watching TV at night, set the Energy Saver feature to High to reduce eye fatigue as well as power consumption.
You can set this feature to High, Medium, Low or Off. Sleep Timer: The sleep timer switches the television off after a specified amount of time. The sleep timer can be set to 30, 60, 90, , , or minutes. You also choose the On Timer's channel and Volume. The on and off timers work independently of one another. You can turn this feature off if you prefer. You can use the remote control up to a distance of about 23 feet from TV with a direct line of sight.
The remote's buttons are backlit and will light up with a press of a button. The pedestal stand allows you to swivel the television left to right degrees. The weight of the TV with the stand is Wall Mounting: The TV has four threaded inserts on the back for use with an optional wall-mount bracket.
The spacing of the mounting holes is VESA x mm horizontal x mm vertical in accordance with the industry standards set by the Video Electronics Standards Association.
The threaded inserts require M8 8mm machine screws not supplied. Without the stand, the TV weighs No audio cables are needed for an HDMI-equipped device. The HDMI jacks will accept p, i, p, and p signals.
The Component Video 1 input can also be used as a composite video input. Digital Audio: The optical digital output with plastic cover on the rear panel will output Dolby Digital when available or 2 channel PCM.
This jack allows you to connect a personal computer with a D-Sub pin output. Headphone Jack: Also on the side-panel is a 3. The TV's speakers automatically mute when a pair of headphones are connected to this jack.
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