SAMSUNG LE46A956 MY REVIEW (HOPE IT HELPS)

[admin_exported]

I had been waiting and saving for a large flat panel tv for some time and when it came near to getting it i started to do some homework.early on i decided to go for LCD after weighing up the pros and cons of the two formats.then after looking on this site and reading some reviews a decided to go for the sony 46w4500 after all what hi gave it product of the year,then the dreaded clouding issue reared it's ugly head.with so many coments coming up on this and other sites i just couldn't take the risk.

so after a bit more fishing around a went for the samsung series 9 46 incher and all i can say is WOW!!

first of it looks amazing,great sleak design black with the clear trim round the outside but that's just the start.when we got it set up which is very straight forward especially with it's 4 HDMI 2 scart and 1 comonenent.there is no shortage of conectivity.the menus are very easy to use with plenty of features for different settings and adjustments.

my biggest concern with the samsung was the SD problem a lot of LCD TV's suffer with and i have to say with a bit of tweaking about the picture is absolutley fine.the freeview decoder produces a good image,granted some of the digital chanels struggle a bit but at 46 inches it's to be expected.all in all the tv is great for normal tv.

i am running it with panasonic's new DMP-BD35 and the DVD upscaling is brilliant i tryed out ratatouille,revenge of the sith and iron man and the image is very crisp and clear with some great detail.very ocasinally there was a little grain but most of the time the image was faultless.

it is with blu-ray that the samsung really soars.to say the picture is outstanding would be an understatment.seing is beliving the image is just so crystal clear and full of detail i nearly pooed my self.the trump card the samsung has is the smart LED backlighting were it can completely turn off an area of led backlights to produce true blacks.THE DARK KNIGHT with it's night time cityscapes will have your jaw on the floor.the blacks are perfect.the 100 MHZ motion flow produces super smooth images even in the standout night time lorry chase.WALL-E looks just as good with vibrant colours and fantastic detail.

the tv has lots of other great features but i can't go on to much.the wiselink is worth mentioning as it is just so useful.just plug in a usb or flash drive and you can watch clips film's music or pictures in the blink of an eye.the set is also capable of conecting to a pc wirelessly and showing it's content.

i have got sky HD on order and i am sure this will only boost the tv's performance.i must make a mention of huges electrical who have given me a good deal (although i know i could get it cheaper off the net) but the best thing is i have the set on a 14 day trial and if i don't want it i can give it back for an exchange or full refund.

I CAN'T RECOMMENED THIS TELEVISION ENOUGH but don't take any chances see it for yourself in a shop or get a home trial.i hope this has been of help and good luck tv hunting

 

[Bazzy]

Hi,

Thanks for the review! Were you able to compare the freeview & SD performance against any other models? What distance do you watch SD from? Also, how bad is the washout when viewing at an angle? I have read quite a few reviews on the 55" version that state unless one is watching dead centre the picture washes out drastically, even a position a very small amount from centre is enough to veryÿadverselyÿaffect the image.ÿ

Bazzy!ÿ

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Mad4,

Many thanks for sharing these experiences - they seem to correlate very well with those reported elsewhere. I'm very tempted to get the LE46A786 myself (same TV, less some fancy and to me not needed features).

I'd also be interested in hearing your thoughts on the viewing angle. Like any LCD display I am sure there are some changes (it's inherent in the LCD technology) but I find it hard to believe they'd be so dramatic as some suggest. I've looked at the "little brother", the LE40A786 and I could not see any real difference in that respect versus CCFL backlit LCD TV's.

There is a massive thread about the Samsung LED backlit TV's at other forums: http://www.another site/forums/lcd-televisions

The general view there seems to be that these Samsung units are a major leap forward in LCD TV's.

Mr K.

 

[Anonymous]

HI Bazzy and Mr K

thanks for you're coments.i would have responed sooner but i have been busy.we are generally sitting about 9ft from the screen (probably a bit to close for SD but in full hd it doesn't matter and lets face it,it's the full hd you would by the tv for)the tv's digital tuner produces a nice colourful picture.you do sometimes get the odd bit of noise on screen but it doesn't affect the viewing experience and can also be quite stunning for SD.i suppose it's down to if someone is a perfectionist.i knew full well that tv's this size suffer from on screen noise so it's to be expected and when i had a good look at the sony 46w4500 the sd image was just the same if not a little worse.

i brought the tv for the amazing full hd picture and what i read about the smart led backlighting and as you have said about the forums the effect is stunning.i can safely say the blacks are the best i've seen.pure jet black.like i said on my review THE DARK KNIGHT is incredible considering how dark the image is a lot of the time (no pun intended)

as for the viewing angle there is nothing to worry about on the 46.i just checked on a blu-ray and SD and there's the very slightest fade of centre but it really is hardly noticable and doesn't affect the image when watched at quite a harsh angle.

the series 7 is a good choice as it has LED backlighting as well but i have not seen one in action.

just a quick note i have noticed in some shops and online stores there seems to be a mix up between the series 7 and 8.as you know the 7 has led backlighting but the 8 DOES NOT.

any more questions don't hesitate to ask and i'll try to help

 

[Anonymous]

sorry i am newbie here and i have this question of what is the difference of a tv with led backlighting and one with not? i am asking this cause i am thinking of buying the 8 series.

 

[Clare Newsome]

madd44:
any more questions don't hesitate to ask and i'll try to help

You're very welcome here, but we've now had to amend your house-rule breaking name twice. Please don't do it again. House rules here in case you haven't read what you agreed to when you signed up to the site (rule 2 being particularly pertinent...).

Thanks!

 

[Anonymous]

hi clare i've tired changing my user name but my account won't let me can you help.

hi acidkorn on a normal LCD tv there is just one backlight behind the screen as lcd doesn't produce it's own light.when a lcd has to produce a dark or black image it can't do a fantastic job because it needs to keep the backlight on.saying that some sets still do a very good job.

smart LED on the samsung series 9 and maybe the series 7 (i'm not sure as i just checked the samsung site and there is no mention of smart LED on the series 7 spec)is multiple led backlights that partially turn on/off depending on the image being produced.so you can have pure blacks next to brilliant whites which normal lcd can't do.the series 8 doesn't have this feature.

 

[Andrew Everard]

We have changed your username twice - you are now just madd.

 

[Anonymous]

I too have just purchased a LE46A956 and totally agree the picture is excellent, especially the dark knight imax scenes on blue ray. My only gripes of the TV are: The software to allow you to stream media to tv is not good. I have ditched it in favour of Twonky media. Tried Nero home but again would not work the way I wanted it to. The sound from the telly is not very loud but again use av centre to listen too most of the time so not a real issue. The main issue is that it has developed a dull mark in the middle of the screen all the way down the full length of the screen. It suggests a bank of LED's have gone awry. I am now waiting for a replacement or fix. Don't let this put you off as it still is a great picture when working. The good points are streaming media to it works really well (just don't bother with samsungs own software). The picture is fantastic on HD sources. It looks really good too.

 

[Bazzy]

Hi,ÿ

Many thanks, what are off air & freeview SD channels like?ÿ

Bazzy!ÿ

 

[Anonymous]

They are fine if prepared to tweak picture settings a little. I must admit I only use sky either HD by HMDI or plain vanilla sky through RGB scart and the picture is very good.

What I would like to know is there anybody else out there that has this set with the same fault as mine. There is a dull patch which runs down the middle offset to the left hand side. It seems to be intermittent but is very noticeable when a white background is shown. Is it that I am unlucky or has anybody else seen this problem. I do know that it has been manufactured within the last month.

 

[Anonymous]

HI i had to change the name (it's a long story)

i would just like to up date my review!

i've had the tv for a couple of months now and it still blows me away.even on SD from time to time.the main reason for the update is we have got SKY HD now and it is worth every penny (sky have some very good deals on at the minute)again the picture is phenomenal with the LED backlighting.blackest blacks with bright whites at the same time.LOST is spell binding with the level of detail the HD picture has to offer.there is no judder apart from the rarest of times.

the only thing i would say is at the moment there are limited channels on HD but it is worth getting and there will be more and more as time goes on.

the only thing i would critesize about the series 9 is it is slow switching between channels and there is sometimes a slight time delay in the sound that gives lip sync problems but if you someout of that channel and then back in it is all fine.

SHARKTANK i haven't had the problem you were talking about. (yet) i hope i don't.

good luck. again hope this has helped!

 

[Anonymous]

I like the sound of this TV - it seems to match my requirements pretty well.

Does anyone know of a downside (apart from the price - ouch!) of this unit?

Speaking of price, I found a supplier on the net that are advertising this TV at a price of 927 GBP. Has anyone heard of the supplier Kolosar? Is it a scam?

Cheers

Pete