Samsung A856 Vs Sony W4500 (Samsung better blacks?)

[admin_exported]

Hello,

Any idea's when you will be reviewing the Samsung or if you've seen it yet? According to specs it is the same (If not better) than the Sony. Samsung has 70000:1 contrast compared to Sony's 50000:1. I've seen an online review and the black level on the Samsung reached 0 cd/m².

Both TV's have features such as DNLA and are 100hz. The main selling point for me is that the 52" Samsung is 4.4cm deep where as the Sony is a whopping 11.9cm deep (which will stick out far too much from the wall once wall mounted). The other thing that puts me off Sony's is the clouding and backlight bleed which the Samsung's don't seem to suffer as bad from.

I'm really tempted by the Samsung but don't want to part with my hard earned cash until you've reviewed it!

Any news would be good! Or if anyone's had a chance to see the A856 in the flesh!

 

[Andy Clough]

Samsung LE40A856 is First Tested in our December issue, out next month. Might be able to sneak the review online a bit sooner if I ask Mr First Tests Editor Simon Lucas nicely, especially as he reviewed it.

 

[Anonymous]

Is that the led backlite samsung??

 

[Anonymous]

Many thanks for getting back top me so promptly! I'll be waiting with anticipation for it to be posted through my door next month then!!

Hopefully it's a good TV as I'm struggling to find a true flat screen lcd / plasma that's also top notch in terms of picture quality. Most of them are around the 10cm+ mark when it comes to depth.

In relation to the backlighting, I'm pretty sure its standard screen. There is a 7 series I think which is backlit as well as the 9 series

 

[Anonymous]

Saw the 7 series in John Lewis and the black levels are stunning, makes me wonder whether it didn't make the deadline to be in the 2008 awards. The 8 series is impressive but it's selling points are the thin screen and the multimedia features. The solution is to go with the 9 series, with both the LED backlighting and the multimedia facilities.

 

[Clare Newsome]

9 series Samsung due in this week, I believe...

 

[Anonymous]

I do quite fancy the LED backlighting but the 9 series is priced a good few hundred quid more than the 8 and I'm back to the problem with how deep the panel is. According to Samsung's website its over 11cm which is around the same depth as the Sony.

I do really fancy the 52W4500 but once wall mounted it will stick out further than the mantel piece on the fireplace and look too top heavy... so the wife says anyway, So it's a no go. Why can't Sony make there TV's a little thinner! :-(

I guess I'll have to wait to receive my copy of next months What hi-fi to see how the 8 series has scored.

 

[Anonymous]

Go for the Samsung 8 series mate, like I said in a previous thread I saw the Samsung LE46A856 alongside the Sony KDL46W4500 and had both remotes to tweak settings to my hearts content and there was no contest, Samsung was miles better than Sony.

I am saving up for the 46" 9 series because if you spend enough time googling, you can get it for £100 more than the 46" 8 series.

I'm sure that if the Samsung 8 or 9 Series had been around at time of print for the Awards issue, there is noooo way the Sony would have won the 46" category

 

[Anonymous]

Mamba25:

Go for the Samsung 8 series mate, like I said in a previous thread I saw the Samsung LE46A856 alongside the Sony KDL46W4500 and had both remotes to tweak settings to my hearts content and there was no contest, Samsung was miles better than Sony.

I am saving up for the 46" 9 series because if you spend enough time googling, you can get it for £100 more than the 46" 8 series.

I'm sure that if the Samsung 8 or 9 Series had been around at time of print for the Awards issue, there is noooo way the Sony would have won the 46" category



Many thanks for the info, I haven't been able to see an 8 series in a shop yet so unfortunately haven't been able to compare against the Sony. From reading about all the clouding / backlight bleed on the Sony's at the moment I'm starting to think the Samsung will defeinitely be the better option!

 

[Anonymous]

Mamba25:
Go for the Samsung 8 series mate, like I said in a previous thread I saw the Samsung LE46A856 alongside the Sony KDL46W4500 and had both remotes to tweak settings to my hearts content and there was no contest, Samsung was miles better than Sony.

I'm sure that if the Samsung 8 or 9 Series had been around at time of print for the Awards issue, there is noooo way the Sony would have won the 46" category

After all this clouding debacle with the W4500, which according to owners appears to have special incidence on the 46", I am reconsidering my decision to buy the 46W4500 and leaning somewhat towards the 46A756.

Question to Mamba25 and current A756/A856 owners: I have 3 windows in the wall opposing where the LCD will go (i.e. behind the sofa). I currently have to draw the blinds to properly watch the telly on my CRT. Is the luminance on the Sammy enough to compensate for the reflective surface, or will these LCD's make my eyes bleed standing 4 m away from windows?

Cheers.

 

[matthewpiano]

Sony ZX series - less than 1cm thick (9.9mm). Won't be cheap but shouldn't be long before its out.

 

[cmf]

oh god here we go again !!!! looks like i am never gonna decide

first was the a6 then there was the zf355 then came the w4000 then a philips and just when i thought w4500 was right.

looks it just about to all start again with the a7 vs a8 vs a9 vs sony zf and dont forget the philips 9 series

and all this time panasonic have been there with plasmas

and soon we'll have pioneer lcd coming to the table.

 

[Anonymous]

Your story sounds a lot like mine, though at the moment I am only between the A756 and the W4500 (before I went through A656 vx W4000). Series 8 doesn't interest me as I have no limitation in space, nor am I going to hang it on a wall (so I may as well save a few bob).

Apart from the fear of burn-in & retention, I have decided not to go for Plasmas because they consume a lot of power (Samsung's 50" series 7 plasma consumes more than twice what the 46A756 does).

As for Kuro LCD's... well... a respected review site already said that they're not nearly as special as their plasmas.

The Philips have a good image: but it would kill me to pay a good 20%-30% premium for a LCD similar to the Sony.

 

[Anonymous]

The Sony ZX does sound good but if there's a 52" version I think you'll be looking at £3000+
Also I've waited so long I want to buy one soon. It's so annoying that there always seems to be something new around the corner! I've read a review on CNET about the A856 and although a good review they said that it did lack a little details and they also noticed a lip-sync issue. The lip sync problem was only once and went away when they turned the tv off and back on again... but I wouldn't want it to be a reoccurring problem! Still hoping the A856 will be the answer to my tv problems with a good review from What hifi. It's such a shame Sony don't do a slim version of the W4500!.... With no clouding!

I also looked at the 9 series Philips however they are as just as big at the back as the Sony. I basically want a 50"+ tv which gets an excellent review, is 10cm deep or less and costs under £2000. That's not too much to ask is it??.....

 

[Anonymous]

Ollie20964:I've read a review on CNET about the A856 and although a good review they said that it did lack a little details and they also noticed a lip-sync issue. The lip sync problem was only once and went away when they turned the tv off and back on again... but I wouldn't want it to be a reoccurring problem!

Interestingly, just yesterday, I saw a post in another forum where a W4500 owner mentioned the very same thing happening to him. He proceeded to fumble with the sound settings to see if it would go away, but it only did when he switched it off and back on (in the morning, if I remember correctly).

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Clare and the team,

Many thanks for the review, I think I may have just decided on my next tv! The fact it is so slim wins it for me against the Sony as I will be wall mounting it. I know you said the Sony has a slight edge over image quality however how do they compare in relation to black levels, as according to the specs the 8 series has a higher contrast ratio?

Thanks again,

Ollie

 

[drummerman]

Ollie20964:The Sony ZX does sound good but if there's a 52" version I think you'll be looking at £3000+
Also I've waited so long I want to buy one soon. It's so annoying that there always seems to be something new around the corner! I've read a review on CNET about the A856 and although a good review they said that it did lack a little details and they also noticed a lip-sync issue. The lip sync problem was only once and went away when they turned the tv off and back on again... but I wouldn't want it to be a reoccurring problem! Still hoping the A856 will be the answer to my tv problems with a good review from What hifi. It's such a shame Sony don't do a slim version of the W4500!.... With no clouding!

I also looked at the 9 series Philips however they are as just as big at the back as the Sony. I basically want a 50"+ tv which gets an excellent review, is 10cm deep or less and costs under £2000. That's not too much to ask is it??.....

Yes, I agree, HT and particularely TV's are very short lived. You could argue that plasma, although the newer technology, is more mature in that pretty much everything that can be done to improve the technology/quality probably has been done whereas LCD still seems to improve.

I should'nt really but like another forum member I am somewhat pleased that the new Kuro LCD panel is not ground breaking stuff as I just got one of the company's plasmas. I saw it today and agree that whilst nice its another LCD and very expensive.

Anyway, consider the Kuro Plasmas, not much above your budget, less than 10cm deep (I think, though I'm not really bothered by that, I tend to look at my tv's from the front

) and stunning pq.

Perhaps not too important but if you would want to sell/upgrade your set in 2 or 3 years time you probably get more of your money back, relatively speaking, with something like a Kuro though I may be wrong there.

 

[Anonymous]

What about the Samsung A956, definiely better blacks, second only to the Pioneer Kuro and giving it a good run for the money. Highly recommended on a HDTV review site. 55A956 is £2500 and the 46A956 is £1700

 

[Anonymous]

I've read and heard that the new Samsung 7, 8 and 9 series have serious input lag. This for me is a big problem, because I play a lot of games (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii). For this reason I'm considering the SOny W4500, because that tv seems to have very little input lag. Any ideas on this?

 

[Anonymous]

kingnbajam:I've read and heard that the new Samsung 7, 8 and 9 series have serious input lag. This for me is a big problem, because I play a lot of games (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii). For this reason I'm considering the SOny W4500, because that tv seems to have very little input lag. Any ideas on this?If you dont want an input lag, then look at the Panasonic plasmas. No input lag (IFC off) and no clouding.

 

[Anonymous]

I already own the Panasonic 46PZ85 and love the set. The new tv is for my game room, so I'm looking for a 37/40 inch tv which is perfect for gaming. The Panasonic plasma is great for gaming, but the only problem is phosphor lag, which is something I notice. It's not a huge problem, but I'd rather have a tv without phosphor lag issues. LCD tv's do have other issues though, like clouding, banding and other disturbing problems. I've experienced this with lcd tv's from Sharp, which had massive banding. Was not happy with that, because I play a lot of footie games. So a good, solid W4500 set (without the clouding, backlight bleeding) seems like a perfect set. No?

 

[Anonymous]

kingnbajam:I've read and heard that the new Samsung 7, 8 and 9 series have serious input lag. This for me is a big problem, because I play a lot of games (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii). For this reason I'm considering the SOny W4500, because that tv seems to have very little input lag. Any ideas on this?

Really? If this is true then my decision making has gone right out the window as I originally wanted the Sony KDL-46W4500 but after seeing it compared alongside the Samsung 46" 8 series decided on the Samsung and have just been toying with the idea of the 8 series or 9 series. As I will be using it for gaming and SKY HD, if there is an input lag problem that sort of mucks my plans up. Can anyone else confirm this lag problem? I find it hard to believe there is such a problem as the Sony PS3 demo machines in all game stores originally ran on Samsung LCDs when the PS3 was first introduced??

 

[Anonymous]

You can find reviews of the Samsung 7 and 9 seris at http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/. The 7 and 9 series tv had input lag of 60ms. This was lowered to 30ms when switching to game mode. However, in game mode you cannot adjust the settings (it's locked), so you will have a bright and not so natural picture. So no Samsung for me, even though I'm sure they are great tv's for (HD) movies.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi people 1st post as this thread has caught my attention. I'm in the same kind of ball park as the posters in here in deciding for a new set.

The options are:

40w4500 for £850

40 samsung 656 of 756 for around £800 with a free BR player

or (Late entry in the race)

46XF355 Toshiba for £750

It's main use is going to be SD Sky+, with a possible change to freesat or skyHD in the future.

Second use, and most important HD use right now is Xbox 360.

I'm a massive Samsung fan, and this would have probably been a done deal by now but i too have seen that review about the input lag and as a gamer it would drive me nuts, so my brand loyalty to Samsung is being put under question.

Sony was the next runner, the W4000, but then reviews pointed out the the W4500 was a superior set and worth the extra, but with so many horror stories about clouding, ghosting, backlight bleed it really has put my off them.

While browsing i ran in to the Toshiba, bigger screen and cheapest of the lot, only downside to that no 100hz from what i gather.

So that's where i am, sorry to hijack but this thread could be gold to me in the future.

Thanks.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi, I'm afraid I can't comment on the Toshiba as I haven't seen it or read any reviews.

I was very tempted by the Sony W4500 however I don't have much luck when buying electrical goods so my odds of winning the Sony backlight bleed lottery would be slim!!

The main reason for not buying the W4500 for me is that it's so big at the back (nearly 12cm). As such once wall mounted it'll stick out so much you may as well wall mount a CRT tv!

I'm just about to purchase the 52A856. It seems to tick all the right boxes for me and is only 4.5cm deep so will look really smart once wall mounted. Plus I think Samsung Tv's have a nicer design than Sony's. I think the picture quality may be marginally better on the Sony, but the Samsung 8 is still excellent! Also unless you're going to have them side by side in a room I doubt very much you'd notice the difference.

I was a bit disappointed that you can't send HD mateerial via the DNLA on the Samsung. Not sure if the Sony W4500 can do it?... Maybe the What Hi-Fi team can enlighten us with that one??

Regarding the input lag, I don't think it is too much of a problem for gaming. There are owners on another site that are using the Samsung 856 for gaming on the 360 and they said it's superb. I have afriend who works in a Tv retail shop said he has not notcied any problems either.

Hopefully What hif-fi will do a face-off soon and will include the Samsung 8 to see how it fairs against the competition?!

After getting a good review I would have thought loads of people would be considering this set however I'm surprised by the lack of interest! Everyone still seems happy enough just moaning about problems with the W4500!!