The Samsung's wide variety of picture controls will be of interest for video enthusiasts. You can adjust all the important parameters easily, such as the color space, gamma, and white point.

Operation is very simple thanks to the backlit buttons of the remote control and the tidy on-screen menu. However, there are also some criticisms: The button for switching picture format is hidden away, and there is no directly accessible channel list. Also, at 1.5 to 2 seconds, the time to change channels is not setting any records.

Here, we recommend the "Movie" picture mode, since this preset comes closest to a natural picture. Also, you should deactivate the noise reduction and the "100 Hz Motion Plus" setting. Otherwise, the unnaturally smooth motion gives an unusual picture impression.

While quality of the analog TV picture is adequate, experts will immediately notice that scrolling texts look smudged. Also, camera pans evoke significant saw-tooth formation as well as artificial-looking skin colors. In contrast, the DVB-T picture is sharper and cleaner overall and has more accurate colors.

Surprisingly, the Scart input gives detailed pictures with accurate de-interlacing during movies. Here, we do see a slight magenta tint, but this can be rectified with the picture controls.

As you might expect, the set shows best with signals fed in via HDMI, with only 576i-YUV suffering some blurring. Overscan can be switched off for both 1080i and 1080p, resulting in an optimal PAL picture.

The locally dimmed backlight shows its benefits as soon as you give it material from a Blu-ray disc - this is where the display shows its full potential. The new technology means that bothersome pumping effects, which are common with conventional content-dependent backlight control, simply do not arise. Light cloud-effects do occur rarely - for example, if white text appears on a black background.

The circuitry also struggles with stars against the background of space, for example, but the overall result is satisfactory. The picture does inherit a better impression of depth thanks to the "Smart LED" technology. With this technology activated, the contrast ratio within an image goes from 2,300:1 - measured from a small white area on a black background - to more than 5,000:1. The reflective contrast filter screen ensures an outstanding picture impression in dark environments. The almost perfectly neutral colors and the low residual backlighting could make the viewer believe they are watching a plasma set, not an LCD. However, the TV does have its Achilles' heel, in the form of smear effects during fast camera pans and strong viewing angle dependency.

We would classify the HDTV processing as functional. With 1080i playback, the de-interlacer provides detailed and flicker-free imagery. Even the 24p reproduction works just the way it should: In the opening of the Bond movie, the animated playing card symbols glide accurately and judder-free across the screen.

Computer Operation:
The Samsung gives a clean PC image via both VGA and HDMI. Full HD cannot be displayed via VGA, but is no problem with HDMI. The TV is recognized as a Samsung and delivers its available refresh rates and resolutions to the PC.

Sound Quality:
The A 956 is solid in terms of music. The loudspeakers lay on rich sound and broad stereo. Speech intelligibility suffers slightly due to the indirect emission behavior of the speakers, which point toward the floor.

Mode: Movie

Size: Just Scan

Contrast: Max.

Brightness: 48

Sharpness: 5

Color: 50

Tint: R50-G50

Gamma: -1

Black Adjust: Off

Dynamic Contrast: Off

Color Space: Auto

White Balance: all set to 25

Edge Enhancement: Off

xvYCC: Off

Color Tone: Warm 2

Flesh Tone: 0

Digital NR: Off

100Hz Motion Plus: Off

Smart LED: On

* applied to realistic playback from HDTV/Blu-ray material through the HDMI interface in a darkened environment. Manufacturing and HDMI playback device deviations may necessitate slight adjustment.

The Samsung's deep images are very convincing, and it is particularly energy efficient.

The remote control is backlit and comfortable to hold.

Future-proofed: The A 956 has plenty of connectivity.

There are also some connections on the side, but no headphone socket.

Unfortunately, the LE-46 A 956's picture is highly dependent on viewing angle.

While the Samsung is a very expensive set, it does offer many useful extras and a convincing picture.