Great resolution, performance, and price Published on October 14, 2006 Samsung HL-S5687W
56" 1080p DLP HDTV
SRP: $2500
Specs:
TV Systems: NTSC & ATSC (8VSB terrestrial)
Channels: Terrestrial (analog & digital) 2-69; Cable (analog) 1-135
Component Video In: 2 (Y, Pb, Pr) 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p
HDMI In: 2 above 5 video formats plus 2-channel PCM audio at 32K, 44.1K & 48 K
PC In: D-SUB 15-pin, analog RGB
Speaker Output: 10W per channel
Voltage: AC 110-120V at 60Hz
Dimensions W x D x H: 50.87" x 16.34" x 35.67"
Weight: 73.41 lbs.
Samsung Electronics America, Inc.
105 Challenger Road
Ridgefield Park, NJ 07660-0511
1-800-726-7864
www.samsung.com
Intro
When the various flat screen and new video technologies began coming out a few years ago I delved into them a bit and soon realized that although some of them had advantages over my top-of-line Pioneer (six years ago, that is) Pioneer Elite CRT HDTV, none of them equaled the black blacks and shadow area details I was getting with my old-fashioned CRT rear-projection set. Now more time has passed and I thought it was appropriate to try out my favorite of the technologies, DLP or Digital Light Projection display. Another goal was to test one of the new 1080 progressive displays, which derives the highest-definition results from the latest models of the new hi-def DVD format players, which output 1080p images. In the meantime, all video displays had come down in price - even in the last several months - more rapidly than with any other consumer electronics. DLP became my personal favorite because plasmas are the SUVs of video displays - hogging more AC power, deteriorate over time and can burn in more easily. I don't have a setup conducive to handing a display on the wall. DLP uses millions of tiny mirrors which switch on and off over 15,000 times per second to deliver a razor-sharp picture. They also tend tend to have the highest contrast ratio - from black to white - of the technologies other than CRT. I preferred the DLP image quality to even the best LCDs, and although video projectors have also improved greatly and come down in cost I was used to the RPTV approach and wanted to review something around the size of my present 51" display. I find Sony's LCoS technology excellent, but the premium price didn't seem worth it to me. The top-selling rear-projection sets are either Samsung or Sony.
Comparisons of Models
The most obvious difference between my old set and the Samsung was the weight: 333 lbs. vs. 73 lbs.! The screen is 56" vs. my unit's 51" but the frame around it is so narrow that the display fits well between my two CWD equipment cabinets on either side. It does require a matching Samsung base underneath, and is described as a pedestal set. The depth is the next major difference. The Pioneer is 25" vs. about 16" for... |