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Samsung LE-40 M 71 B
The Samsung LE-40 M 71 B TV is a 40" (101.6 cm) LCD flat-panel TV and was introduced to the market in fall 2006 for around 2,600 GBP.
Florian Friedrich, October 11, 2006
- Color rendering is realistic.
- Its copious luminance makes it suitable for living room viewing.
- The pedestal is included in the delivery, which is very practical.
- Excessive sharpness: Exaggerated outlines create an artificial and unrealistic picture.
- There is limited connectivity since S-Video is not available on the Scart sockets.
- Not really suitable for HDTV: The screen resolution could be higher.
Luscious crisp colors but processed sharpness - there is a real short supply of precise adjustment on the LE-40 M 71 B. The Korean super giant, Samsung, is one of the key manufacturers of LCD televisions and computer monitors. Yet, along with the panel, carefully calibrated video technology is required - and it is this aspect that shows weaknesses in our tests.
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In general, this Samsung fairs up pretty mediocre:
The tuner only works with an analog cable connection; of the two Scart sockets, only one accepts RGB signals and neither accept S-Video (of a high-quality nature) - a very poor offering. At least there is the possibility to attach a camcorder via the side-mounted connector, and use the VGA interface to hook up to a PC.
Two independent picture sources can be displayed simultaneously, either as picture in picture or side by side. However, since the set has only one tuner input channel, the second picture source has to come from an external player.
A positive feature is that the television remote controller is able to operate the key functions of third party DVD players, video recorders or other external receivers.
Great for multimedia fans:
The set can read CompactFlash, SD or MMC cards, and even has support for Sony's Memory Stick Pro or XD. Other memory devices can always be interfaced through the integrated USB port.
Whatever storage medium is selected, the Samsung accepts digital photographs in JPEG format and can play MP3 formatted music. Even holiday snaps can be faithfully reproduced on a suitably connected photo-printer. Samsung call this multimedia functionality "Wiselink".
Operation
Screen Menu and Remote Control:
The screen menu of the LE-40 M 71 B is optically appealing and navigation is straight forward. The remote controller is ergonomic with the most commonly used buttons for program selection and volume being easily accessible and suitably proportioned. Many of the other buttons, however, command dexterity as they are packed in. Annoying: The picture format button, which is often required on a 16:9 television, is hidden in the bottom right of the second row of buttons - easily overlooked, and is labeled "P.Size".
TV and DVD Picture Quality
A pleasant feature of the Samsung is the natural colors of the "Film" preset. The resulting picture is free of noise and without significant ghosting - but fast banners are rendered more precisely by competitor's models.
Remarkable: The maximum luminosity of the Samsung is an impressive 450 Candela/m², which is almost double that of comparative competitive products of the same generation. Fear not: The Samsung's backlight is adjustable to suit the viewing environment.
Aggravating and of poor quality: The strong and irremovable post sharpening of the picture leaves a crisp and yet artificial impression. Look closer and it becomes apparent that Samsung has botched the picture as fine details are sharpened to excess and seem then unnatural.
This scenario changes little with DVD source material: More votes for the Samsung color rendition - the color temperature and consequently the white point setting are as good as ideal. (Under laboratory conditions we gained 6,400 Kelvin and not 6,500 Kelvin). Only when making a direct comparison between the studio monitor and the Samsung in the test lab could we see a feint green cast present on skin tones. The automatic color space recognition worked efficiently, and faithfully reproduced saturated colors such as those seen in the corn fields of "The Lord of the Rings".
Residual light, when compared with other LCDs, was color-neutral, and the colors from warmly lit indoor shoots were consistent and not pale. Darker color shades are rendered without noise or gradation. Three dimensional picture effects such as those conveyed by space scenes from the film "Space Cowboys" on good plasma TVs do not occur here.
Once again that annoying post sharpening becomes apparent - this varies however when the LE-40 M 71 B is fed from an applicable source with progressive signals (such as a modern DVD player) interfaced to the YUV or HDMI sockets.
HDTV Picture Quality
This Samsung model cannot finely interpret original 24 frames/second picture material from a Blu-ray source - some picture judder may be present. However, this video source does provide the viewer with harmonious pictures albeit with slight imperfections in detail portrayal. The horizontal details of the mesh curtain in "Aeon Flux" (11:38) are reproduced far better on other televisions - the Samsung set, in this respect, renders them with an unnecessary soft focus.
Computer Operation and Sound Quality
Computer Operation:
The VGA input of the LE-40 M 71 B accepts signals up to 1360 x 768 pixels, but perfection is some way off. Videos or photographs are rendered crisply, but Microsoft Windows desktop fonts or those of a web browser are a little indistinct and blurred. The handbook even mentions that the television is not HDMI-DVI compatible - a real shame.
Sound Quality:
Newscasters' voices are amplified clearly and understandably; film soundtracks are spatial but lack bass and are somewhat tinny. This Samsung is far from being high-fidelity.
Settings for the best home-theatre performance*
Mode: Movie
Contrast: 100
Color: 34
Brightness: 70
Energy Saving: High
* applied to realistic playback from HD DVD/Blu-ray material through the HDMI interface in a darkened environment. Manufacturing and HDMI playback device deviations could necessitate slight adjustment.
Quick Points Summary
Polished: The highly reflective casing of the Samsung is not entirely advantageous - incident light striking the casing distracts from the main picture.
Stingy: Just two Scart sockets (and neither with S-Video) are not enough. Even so, the Samsung does provide two HDMI interfaces.
Concealed format: The remote controller is ergonomic, but the manufacturer has hidden the button for picture format switching.