The contents converted from 2D to 3D appeared to have the effect of a pop-up storybook as if the depth was composed of multiple layers. It certainly provides the illusion of 3D, but can be somewhat distracting and artificial at times.

The compulsory eyewear doesn’t seem to sit well with the consumers (as one would expect). The idea of wearing a pair of glasses to experience 3D in 2010 seems preposterous to select group of individuals. However, the 3D glasses have been improved and trimmed to a satisfactory level, though the diminished luminance remains the biggest dent of all. After all, both Circularly Polarized and Active Shutter Glasses do block 50% of incoming light as each eye is blacked-out for 8.3ms (120Hz), which ultimately increases the power consumption of the display devices (possibly double) for viewing 3D in comparison to 2D. Thankfully, flicker was nowhere to be seen, which was truly a delight.

Sadly, wide-angle auto-stereoscopic displays are likely to remain mere prototype for some time and such displays require several major technological breakthroughs especially in the field of transparent display technologies (such as the TOLED).

Regardless of the effectiveness of the 3D hardware, we believe the primary quandary with 3D TV uptake lies within the content itself. Obviously Panasonic applied great deal of effort into creating the demos for their sets, and their Frame-Sequential SS3D professional camcorder was truly spectacular.

Having stated that, 3D TV is still in its infancy and it will take time for us to learn how to shoot, edit and master in 3D. It will also take time for us to become accustomed to 3D TVs.

In addition, 3D experience can be highly subjective (due to the incongruity of individual’s perception of stereo depth). We do understand the reluctance of some users towards the acceptance of 3D, but there is no time like the present to launch 3D TVs as it will take time for the feature to become commercially viable and to be implemented into the mid-range sets. After all, it has taken nearly two decades for HD to become widely adopted among the developed nations.

So on that note, we are fairly certain that in few years’ time, users will start to appreciate the true value of 3D displays and 3D-enabled eyewear (also known as Head Mounted Displays). However, for the time being, 3D will remain something of a feature than function.

Design

From afar, the TX-P42G20 looks just like any regular Panasonic plasma television, with its glossy black bezel and a matching swivelling pedestal stand (which is packaged separately inside the shipping box and therefore requires assembly). Upon closer inspection however there are a number of practical improvements.

Effectively measuring only about 5cm in depth and 20kg in weight (without stand), the Panasonic TX-P42G20 is slimmer and lighter than the outgoing G10 series. Under external light its “black” bezel takes on a navy hue, and the gradiated accent along the bottom border becomes more obvious. But perhaps more importantly, we observed slightly less on-screen glare and reflections compared to last year’s G10 and V10 plasmas due to implementation of an improved anti-reflective filter. Although this can make the G20 plasma screen look a little grey when switched off, the good news is that its contrast performance is largely preserved instead of washed out during daytime.

Also, by modifying the panel glass design, Panasonic have eliminated the “double image” phenomenon (multi-layered plasma glass causing “ghost image” — e.g. white text on black background — to be repeated behind the original image when viewed up-close and off-axis) on the TX-P42G20 plasma HDTV.

A quick look around the back of the Panasonic TX-P42G20 revealed no cooling fans nor recessed handgrips, and generally solid build quality.

Connections

The Panasonic TX-P42G20 has 4 HDMI inputs. Only the “HDMI2″ port has met HDMI 1.4 specification by including an audio return channel (ARC).

Rear: 3 x HDMI, VGA, component, 2 x Scarts, aerial, Freesat, ethernet & audio outs

Side: 2 x USB, CI slot, SD card, HDMI, headphone out, composite & control buttons

Operation

Just like those found on previous Panasonic HDTVs we’ve reviewed, the user menu on the Panasonic TX-P42G20 features large legible fonts, a clear interface, and highly responsive navigation. There are a couple of small drawbacks though: there’s no numerical indicator for the controls when making adjustments; and there’s no warning message asking you to confirm your action when you click on the [Reset To Default] option, making it extremely easy to accidentally erase your saved settings to factory configuration.

[Picture] menu

[Sound] menu	[Setup] menu

Depending on the input, there are up to 6 global picture presets available: “Dynamic“, “Normal“, “Cinema“, “THX“, “Game” and “Photo“. Engaging the [Advance(isfccc)] option in the [Setup] menu is essential to not only unlock the white balance and gamma controls for these picture presets, but also add 2 valuable [Viewing Mode] presets — named [Professional1] and [Professional2] — to each input.

[Picture] > [Advanced Settings] submenu	[Setup] > [Other Settings] submenu

The aforementioned white balance and gamma controls are housed in the [Picture] > [Advanced Settings] submenu. Under the [Setup] > [Other Settings] submenu, you can find more picture adjustment options like [Intelligent Frame Creation] and [Resolution Enhancer]. The latter is basically an edge enhancement control for SD images.

[Picture] > [Advanced Settings] submenu

Unlike the other global picture presets, the settings for the two [Professional] modes can be saved independently per input, and also mapped to any other input via the [Copy Adjustment] option. Furthermore, clicking on [Advanced Settings] in both [Professional] modes would open the door to advanced picture calibration options such as white balance, gamma and a colour management system:

[Professional] mode > [Advanced Settings]	[Colour Management] submenu

These user-accessible calibration controls have been conspicuously omitted from the UK versions of Panasonic flat-screen televisions for as far as we can remember, so a big thumbs up to Panasonic for finally introducing them on the TX-P42G20… AV enthusiasts who wish to adhere to motion picture standards will definitely be pleased.

Functionalities

This section will be updated as and when we get around to testing the [Viera Cast], DLNA, Wifi and USB-PVR functionalities on the Panasonic TX-P42G20.

Calibration

Greyscale

Out of the box, naturally the [THX] picture preset yielded the greyscale closest to D65 industry standard on the Panasonic TX-P42G20 plasma TV:

Pre-calibration CCT in [THX] mode

Pre-calibration RGB tracking and delta errors (dEs)

By adjusting the RGB gain and cutoff controls in the [Advanced Settings] submenu (which is made available by engaging the “Advance(isfccc)” option in the [Setup] menu), we calibrated the Panasonic TX-P42G20’s greyscale in [THX] mode even closer to D65, and reduced delta errors (dEs) to below 4 from 30% stimulus onwards:

Post-calibration CCT in [THX] mode

Post-calibration RGB tracking and dEs in [THX] mode

Unfortunately the resultant overall gamma was nearer to 1.9 than the ideal 2.2 (the gamma curve also adopted an S-shape at the top-end), which meant that pictures would appear slightly overbright and washed out due to a drop in image contrast. To add insult to injury, for some unknown reason the [Gamma] control had no effect in [THX] mode on our Panasonic TX-P42G20 review unit, hence preventing us from bringing gamma closer to 2.2.

Gamma curve in [THX] mode	Corresponding gamma tracking

Back to the drawing board then. Knowing that the [Professional] modes offer the most comprehensive set of picture adjustment controls on the Panasonic TX-P42G20 HDTV, we recalibrated from scratch in “Professional1” [Viewing Mode]. Here’s the result:

Post-calibration CCT in [Professional] mode

Post-calibration RGB tracking and dEs in [Professional] mode

With lower delta errors (dEs) across the luminance range, calibrated greyscale in [Professional] mode was even better than what we managed to achieve in [THX] mode. The functioning [Gamma] control in [Professional] mode also allowed us to obtain an excellent overall gamma of 2.21 on the Panasonic TX-P42G20 plasma TV.

Colour

Even prior to calibration, the [THX] and [Professional] modes on the Panasonic TX-P42G20 exhibited accurate primary and secondary colours when charted on a CIE diagram with reference to HD Rec. 709 specification. Switching to any other [Viewing Mode] resulted in an expanded colour gamut with oversaturated green and red primary colour points.

CIE in [THX] mode	CIE in [Cinema] mode

Activating [Vivid Colour] in the [Picture] menu brought about a small amount of red push and a mild change in cyan hue, so we left it turned off (the option is not available in the [THX] and [Professional] modes anyway).

The colour management system (CMS) hidden in the [Professional] modes on the Panasonic TX-P42G20 works quite well, but suffers from the following limitations:

• It is effectively a 2D CMS (i.e. it allows you to adjust hue and saturation but not brightness); and
• You can only adjust the primary colours (red, green, blue) but not the secondaries (yellow, cyan, magenta).

Here’s what we found: when we used the CMS to map the RGB coordinates exactly to Rec.709 specification, a secondary colour would be “dragged” away from its original correct position, or the colour decoding would be off (however slight). In the end we simply left the CMS untouched, as the eventual colour points and colour decoding were accurate enough after calibrating greyscale to D65 in “Professional1” [Viewing Mode]:

Post-calibration CIE chart with reference to HD Rec.709

Benchmark Test Results

Power Consumption

* The default factory settings in “Normal” [Viewing Mode] was unusually dim: luminance output measured only 48 cd/m² on a 100% stimulus windowed pattern, which is the reason why the power consumption of our Panasonic TX-P42G20 test sample was lower out-of-the-box than that after calibration.

Picture Performance

Black Level

Idling luminance (and calibrated black level) was measured to be 0.02 cd/m² on the Panasonic TX-P42G20 HDTV, although whether or not this figure can be maintained over time remains uncertain (see boxed explanation). When powered on from standby, or when a DVD/ Blu-ray disc is being loaded, the plasma television would display a lighter black level of 0.05 cd/m² for about 1 second before settling at its idling luminance.

Our Panasonic TX-P42G20 sample did not exhibit any black level fluctuation in its [Cinema], [THX] and [Professional] viewing modes.

A number of USA owners of Panasonic’s 2009 plasma models have reported a sudden rise in black level on their plasma TVs after 1000 to 1500 hours of use. In an email response to CNet USA’s queries, Panasonic USA confirmed that the black level on their 2009 plasmas can brighten over time as a result of automatic internal voltage adjustments which kick in at set intervals to maintain optimal picture performance throughout the life of the TVs.

Panasonic USA went on to state that the newest (2010) Viera plasmas will incorporate an improved algorithm to apply the voltage adjustments in smaller increments so that any change in black level over time is going to be more subtle.

Should you be concerned when buying a 2010 Panasonic plasma television? Our opinion is “no” for the following reasons:

• While there exists a handful of subjective anecdotal reports, at this time of writing there is no concrete evidence showing that European and British sets are similarly affected by this loss in black-level performance; and
• Measurements on a couple of American 2009 samples suggest a threefold rise in black level after 1500 hours of use. Assuming that the black level on the Panasonic TX-P42G20 will increase by the same factor, it’s still going to be a respectable 0.06 cd/m² which is generally adequate to produce deep blacks.

Disclaimer: This information has been included in this review for completeness… we hope that it will not be taken out of context, or blown out of proportion.

Motion Resolution

Using Chapter 31 of the “FPD Benchmark Software For Professional“ as our reference test pattern, the Panasonic TX-P42G20 achieved a motion resolution of 900 with [Intelligent Frame Creation] disabled. Engaging [IFC] would boost motion resolution to 1080 (the maximum quantifiable limit in this particular test pattern).

Standard Definition

The Panasonic TX-P42G20’s handling of standard-def signal — especially 576i — is much improved compared to last year’s G10 and, for that matter, V10 plasma series.

The main area of improvement is in the quality of scaling/ upconversion. Whereas in the past SD material can look soft and/or blurry on previous Panasonic plasmas, the TX-P42G20 resolved every line of the DVD format (both PAL and NTSC), capturing sufficiently sharp detail (either off-air or from DVDs) without any sign of excessive ringing. Engaging [Resolution Enhancer] in the [Setup] menu would inject some edge enhancement to make standard-definition content look even sharper, but because we started witnessing some unnatural halos and stairstepping (however slight) around high-contrast moving edges, we left it off.

Just like the G10 and V10 series, the Panasonic TX-P42G20 HDTV smoothened jaggies effectively for video-based material, but failed to detect and process 3:2 and 2:2 cadences for film-based content. This deficiency in film-mode deinterlacing means that discerning viewers might notice some deinterlacing artefacts such as moire and line twitter in 24p movies and American dramas.

On the whole however, SD programmes — as long as the source bit-rate was up to par — were a joy to watch on the Panasonic TX-P42G20 thanks to its inky blacks, excellent contrast, accurate colours and decent upscaling.

High Definition

The Panasonic TX-P42G20 plasma is the first flat-screen HDTV we’ve tested that boasts an integrated Freeview HD tuner, though this is expected to become a commonplace feature on almost every new HDTV launched in 2010. If you’re fortunate enough to live in an area with Freeview HD reception (at this time of writing only 2 transmitters are sending out Freeview HD broadcasts: Crystal Palace in London, and Winter Hill in the North West), you can hook the Panasonic TX-P42G20 up directly to your TV aerial to watch a limited number of HD channels without needing to install a satellite dish or pay any subscription.

Currently the only available HD channels on Freeview HD are BBC HD and ITV HD, but Channel 4 HD and Five HD are scheduled to be added sometime later in 2010. On Freeview HD, ITV HD is broadcast as a separate channel (mostly an upscaled simulcast of ITV1 with the occasional native high-def programmes thrown in), but sometimes you may get the message “This programme is unavailable on ITV HD” when there’s no content. This is different from the arrangement on Freesat (which the Panasonic TX-P42G20 can also receive through its onboard Freesat tuner) where ITV HD is offered as a red-button service.

In terms of picture quality, black-level reproduction and contrast performance were predictably top-notch on the Panasonic TX-P42G20. While subjectively only a hair deeper than those on last year’s Viera G10 plasma series, the inky blacks served as an ideal platform for the incredibly lush colours of HD content to shine with a stunning degree of authenticity that’s impossible to achieve without D65 greyscale or accurate chromaticities.

Even without [Intelligent Frame Creation] engaged, motion clarity on the Panasonic TX-P42G20 plasma TV was more than acceptable when we watched some live FA Cup football action on ITV HD. Activating [Intelligent Frame Creation] did bring about some subjective improvement in motion resolution, but the frame interpolation also caused the ball to “shimmer” when flying past the crowd (though this was nowhere near as conspicuous or offensive as the notorious “triple-ball” tearing artefact witnessed on older Samsung flat screen HDTVs).

1080p/24 video signals were handled properly without any evidence of telecine judder. Engaging [24p Smooth Film] — this option appears in the [Setup] > [Other Settings] submenu in place of [Intelligent Frame Creation] when the TV senses a 24p signal — would introduce a video-like effect to film-based material.

HD Console Gaming

Out of 10 consecutive runs, the Panasonic TX-P42G20’s input lag was measured to be on par with our resident Samsung F96 LED-based LCD television 4 times, and 16ms slower 6 times. [Game Mode] and [Intelligent Frame Creation] did not make any difference to the input lag figures.

Note: Our resident Samsung LE52F96BD with [Game Mode] engaged has about 30ms of latent input lag vs a CRT.

For us, reflex-dependent video games like Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 played fluidly on the Panasonic TX-P42G20, which together with punchy contrast and vibrant colours amounted to a truly absorbing gaming experience. However, whether or not your gaming performance is going to be affected by this amount of input lag depends on your own individual sensitivity, and the reflexes demanded by the particular game.

We witnessed virtually no image retention on the Panasonic TX-P42G20 plasma television, but there’s no harm in taking the appropriate precautions and avoiding lengthy non-stop gaming sessions (at least for the first 200 hours) to prevent permanent screenburn.

On our review sample we did not notice any green/ yellow flashes (also known as phosphor trails, plasma rainbows, green fringe, phosphor lag, etc.) on fast-moving, high-contrast edges. However, because individual susceptibility (i.e. how sensitive your eyes are to the temporal fluctuations of plasma cells) plays a major part in determining whether you see these phosphor trails or not, you should trust your own viewing experience rather than what we say in this regard. If you have seen them before on other plasmas, it is very likely that you will see them too on the Panasonic TX-P42G20 given that the underlying plasma technology remains unchanged.

A Word On Flicker

Several readers have remarked that they see a flickering effect — think CRT monitors with low refresh rates — on Panasonic NeoPDP plasma TVs. For the record, the only times we have noticed flicker on the Panasonic G10/V10/G20 plasmas were from the corner of our eyes when our gaze was focused on our calibration laptop screen, AND only if the plasmas were displaying bright (mostly white) content. Otherwise, we have not witnessed any flicker in real-life viewing.

That said, because the ability to detect flicker varies from one individual to another, it’s not beyond the realm of possibility that some unfortunate viewers with high flicker sensitivity may see flicker on NeoPDP plasmas all the time (just like how some people can still complain of flicker on a CRT monitor refreshed at 85Hz). If you have been troubled by flicker on the G10/V10 plasmas, then the Panasonic TX-P42G20 won’t be suitable for you either.

Audio Performance

Due to its slimmer chassis, the Panasonic TX-P42G20 sounded flimsier that last year’s G10. The down-firing orientation of the hidden speakers significantly dented audio resolution and stereo imaging, but at least the volume could go pretty loud with reasonably clear dialogue for run-of-the-mill viewing.

Background Noise

Our review unit emitted a soft buzz from the front of the screen. Like most plasma televisions, the brighter the on-screen content, the louder the buzz, but we were never really bothered by the plasma buzz on the Panasonic G20 at normal TV volume and sitting distance.

Conclusion

It seems to us that the best bits of Pioneer Kuro technology acquired by Panasonic have been reserved for higher-end models such as the forthcoming V20 and VT25 series, because as far as black-level performance on the Panasonic TX-P42G20 is concerned, any improvement over last year’s G10 series can only be described as marginal. In other words, whilst inky its blacks still cannot match those seen and measured on the legendary 9G Pioneer Kuros.

Nevertheless, the Panasonic TX-P42G20 represents a clear step up from its predecessor, as it successfully addresses a few deficiencies we pointed out on the G10:

• White balance and gamma controls are now available in the user menu, allowing us to calibrate the plasma panel in line with motion picture industry standards;
• The [THX] and [Professional] modes can effortlessly deliver accurate colours without red push; and
• The quality of SD scaling/ upconversion has improved visibly, so terrestrial SD broadcasts will look sharper and more detailed on the G20 compared to the G10.

An integrated Freeview HD tuner, commendable motion clarity, wide viewing angles, and reduced power consumption (cf. previous 1080p plasmas) complete this terrific package. Although it’s early days (after all we haven’t examined any 2010 offerings from other TV manufacturers), the Panasonic TX-P42G20 appears to be the HDTV to beat in 2010 when it comes to overall picture quality at this screen size and price point (£989 including free delivery by using voucher code “10ALL” (expires on 19 March) which gives 10% discount from Currys).

	3D, is this the “Real Deal”? There have been several attempts to launch 3D TVs All have failed A key reason… the technology wasn’t there This time it’s different, thanks to digital Digital Cinema makes it viable to screen 3D movies Cinemagoers are voting for 3D with their feet
	Drivers for 3D: Cinema Avatar now the biggest grossing movie ever… much of the revenue has come from the Avatar 3D version When given a choice, people choose 3D Hollywood producing increasing numbers of new 3D titles, and also re-releasing 2D blockbusters in 3D
	Drivers for 3D: Home Video Blu-ray the perfect vehicle for delivering 3D to the home High capacity and able to carry 2 high-quality Full HD video streams Video-on-demand and downloads will follow
	Drivers for 3D: Broadcast Only a limited number of 3D titles will be released on Blu-ray in the first 12-18 months Consumers will look for alternative sources of 3D content Pay-TV operators interested in 3D as premium event-driven experience, e.g. sports, movies, music Orange, France has conducted several trials including Roland Garros tennis tournament Sky had a high-profile public event last month with live Premier League soccer match shown on polarised displays in 9 pubs across the UK Sky has announced it will launch a service to the home later this year

The majority of us who are in the know are aware that 3D is nothing new. It is in fact older than our great-grandparents, and the reason for its continued failure was due to a number of factors. The primary obstacle however was the analogue domain, as it was difficult to capture, edit, master and display large sequences of 3D via film without inducing any serious adverse effects to the audience.

The method of perception was also limited to linear polarized filters and anaglyph 3D, which failed to win the hearts and minds of the mass audience. Furthermore, it was not possible to produce high-quality 3D on consumer grade-CRTs due to flicker and limited resolution among other factors.

The ColorCode system widely used in the US and recently used by Channel 4 to promote 3D is an improved version of the anaglyph, but even such undertaking failed to produce the level of quality required to satisfy the average consumer.

As time flowed, the thrust for 3D did not diminish, but the hardware simply was not capable until now. Between 2005 and 2009, we’ve witness numerous technological transformations across multiple fields. Flat panels became widely accepted, GPUs for the first time were able to compute general purpose coding (limited maybe but a step in the right direction to help reduce rendering time), cinemas upgraded the age-old mechanical film to digital (and enabled rich digital contents), and so forth. It is the combination of such technologies and the quality of the content which can be created that is powering the re-imagined 3D dream.

Note: This is the first of our 4-part article series which looks into 3D TV technology. In our next article, we’ll outline the 3 key challenges hindering 3D uptake.

The first batch of Panasonic TX-P42G20 (also known as the Panasonic TX-P42G20B which denotes the 3-pin-plug British version) plasma HDTVs has today arrived at the warehouses of UK electrical retailers such as Comet and John Lewis.

Update 9 March 2010: We have now completed and published a full review of the Panasonic TX-P42G20.

Like the outgoing G10 series, the Panasonic TX-P42G20 sports a true HD native screen resolution of 1920×1080, NeoPDP plasma technology, a Freesat HD DVB-S tuner, and 600Hz Sub-field Drive Intelligent Frame Creation Pro. However, the Panasonic TX-P42G20B does offer the following improvements over the TX-P42G10:

• Built-in Freeview HD DVB-T2 tuner;
• THX Certified;
• User-accessible white balance and gamma controls with ISFccc;
• Expanded VIERA CAST functionalities, such as Skype and on-demand Blockbuster movie streaming;
• Wifi-ready via an optional dongle; and
• Two USB ports which allow you to playback music, pictures and video files, and also record HD or SD TV content to an external hard drive like a PVR. Unfortunately the recorded programmes are encrypted and cannot be viewed on other televisions or computers.

Specification-wise the Panasonic TXP42G20 is probably more a successor to the V10 series due to the THX certification which yielded impressively accurate primary colours and 2.2 gamma on the TX-P42V10B we reviewed last year. Perhaps most importantly, we expect to see Kuro-esque blacks on the Panasonic TX-P42G20B (Panasonic claims a dynamic contrast ratio of 5,000,000:1).

The Panasonic TX-P42G20B plasma HDTV can now be ordered online from Comet (£1039.99 using voucher code AW60 to get £60 discount) or John Lewis (£1099 with free 5-year warranty) for immediate delivery. For those wanting a larger screen, the Panasonic G20 plasma series will soon also be available in 46 inches (TX-P46G20 or TX-P46G20B) and 50 inches (TX-P50G20 or TX-P50G20B).

Sony’s 2010 batch of Bravia HDTVs is due to hit UK stores anytime soon, starting with the Sony KDL40EX503 LCD television which spec-wise replaces the immensely popular KDL40W5500.

Note: Retailers like Dixons, Comet, John Lewis and Amazon may sell these Sony Bravia EX503 HDTVs under their respective alternative model names; the extra alphabet “U” appended to the end of the model number simply denotes the 3-pin-plug UK version.

Like the outgoing W5500 series, the Sony EX503 LCD TVs are blessed with full HD 1920×1080 native screen resolution, four HDMI inputs, Motionflow 100Hz motion-compensated frame interpolation (MCFI) technology, Bravia Engine 3 (BE3) video processing, and DLNA functionality. The Sony KDL40EX503 does offer the following improvements over the KDL40W5500:

• Integrated Freeview HD (DVB-T2) tuner;
• Wifi-ready for accessing selected online content via a wireless USB dongle; and
• Can now playback DivX/ XviD/ AVI/ AVC video files over DLNA and USB (previously only limited to MPEG1).

In Europe, the Sony KDL40EX503 is known as the Sony KDL40EX500 which lacks a Freeview HD tuner but makes up for it with a built-in MPEG-4 AVC HD tuner.

Sony KDL32EX403 / EX403 Series

Lower down the Sony Bravia ESSENTIAL range is the EX403 series which does not feature 100Hz Motionflow technology. The Sony EX403 series comes in four screen sizes, of which we expect the 32-inch Sony KDL32EX403 to be the most popular:

The Sony KDL32EX403 is known as KDL32EX402 in European countries, with the corresponding absence of Freeview HD tuner but addition of MPEG4 AVC HD tuner.

Sony KDL40EX703 / EX703 Series

Given the runaway success of Samsung LED TVs in 2009, Sony must be kicking themselves for not selling more affordable edge-lit LED-based LCD televisions earlier. The EX700 series – which sits highest in the Bravia ESSENTIAL range hierarchy – is Sony’s slightly late attempt to join the party. Besides the 40-inch Sony KDL40EX703, these slim, full HD, 100Hz edge-LED LCDs are available in 32-inch (Sony KDL32EX703), 46-inch (Sony KDL46EX703), 52-inch (Sony KDL52EX703) and 60-inch (Sony KDL60EX703). Prices start from £900 for the 32-inch to £2800 for the 60-inch.

Those who do not need 100Hz Motionflow technology but still want a slim edge-LED screen can opt for the cheaper Sony EX603 series. It only comes in two sizes though: the 32-inch Sony KDL32EX603 and the 40-inch Sony KDL40EX603 which are priced at £800 and £950 respectively.

On the 16th of February 2010, Panasonic chose the beautiful city of Munich to launch and promote their 2010 line-up of products – ranging from home entertainment systems to portable devices – at their annual convention. However, the central theme of this year’s convention was primarily on 3D TV.

Financial Report

We were greeted with an intro video, which was followed swiftly by a presentation outlining Panasonic’s financial successes in 2009.

Display Devices Strategy

20 minutes later, the focus moved onto display strategy, which was primarily based on the core objectives that combined rich networking capabilities, eco-friendliness and superb picture quality delivered via Panasonic’s very own LCD and plasma technology.

Panasonic completed the construction of its 13th generation plasma panel factory, and is currently in the process of building its 8th generation LCD plant in Himeji. In other words, we may not see Panasonic NeoLCD HDTVs for some time yet.

The second generation NeoPDP plasma panels will feature approximately 4 times the luminance efficiency compared to the 2007 (10th generation) models thanks to the new Xenon discharge gas, high-density phosphors and cell structure.

In comparison to the 2009 models, Panasonic claimed that their 2010 line-up will boast a 36% reduction in power consumption. We’ll probably wait for the actual power consumption test results when we get our hands on review samples before drawing any conclusions.

Aside from 3D, black level was the subject of discussion among many of the attendees. So it was welcoming news to hear of Panasonic’s continuous stride towards perfect blacks.

However, we are a little sceptical of the “5 million to 1 contrast” quote, which ironically (in a small way) contradicts the “Infinite Black” slogan.

3D TV Revolution

2010 is the advent year of 3D designated for the living room, and it will come as no surprise that Panasonic is at the forefront of the 3D TV revolution.

In contrast to competing manufacturers, Panasonic is uniquely situated to fully utilise the 3D technology in conjunction with the newly developed second generation NeoPDP screens and RealD-powered Active Shutter Glasses, which together will provide full HD 1920 x 1080 Frame-Sequential 3D (FS3D) per eye as illustrated below:

Introducing 3D in a problem-free format to the masses is difficult to say the least, as both LCD televisions and plasma display panels suffer from several limitations which have to be tackled without significantly increasing production costs. The main problem is crosstalk. On LCD TVs, pixel latency and high hold-time lead to image overlap, which in the 2D world is perceived as motion blur. In the 3D world however, it manifests itself as double-image. The same is true of PDPs, but the culprit is prolonged phosphorus lag. As a result, Panasonic had to redesign their underlying plasma technology not only to drastically reduce phosphorus lag, but also to eliminate perceivable flicker, amplify luminance (with minimal power increase), and minimise uneven phosphorus aging.

Panasonic also eliminated the traditional dual-glass shield, and implemented single-glass technology to completely eradicate internal reflection while yielding superior ANSI contrast.

The end result: the Panasonic VT20 series of full HD 3D TV. Detailed information regarding the models will follow shortly, so stay tuned.

Samsung will be launching their new 2010 range of HDTVs – first unveiled at CES Las Vegas back in January – in the United Kingdom next month. Scheduled to first hit the stores (and the review desks) is the Samsung UE40C7000, an edge-lit LED-based 3D TV which will also boast the following features:

• 200Hz motion technology;
• Freeview HD tuner;
• “Internet@TV” offering access to selected online content such as BBC iPlayer and Lovefilm on-demand movie streaming; and
• PVR functionality by plugging in a USB external hard drive or memory stick.

The 3D technology implemented on all Samsung 3D TVs including the UE40C7000 is the active shutter (also known as alternate-frame sequencing) variant powered by RealD. Requiring the use of shutter glasses dubbed “3D Active Glasses”, Samsung’s 3D technology works by first blocking the left and then the right lens to deliver alternating images to each eye to create the illusion of 3D depth.

Unfortunately these 3D glasses will have to be purchased separately as they are not included with the 3D TV, though some retailers may start selling various bundles at a discount. Two versions of these 3D active shutter glasses are available: a battery-powered one at £100, or a a rechargeable one at £150. The good news is that Samsung’s 3D glasses are designed according to the specifications set by the Glasses Standardization Working Group of the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), and so can potentially be used on 3D TVs from other manufacturers.

The Samsung UE40C7000 is expected to go on sale in the United Kingdom from March 2010 with a RRP of £1800. The Samsung C7000 series of LED-based 3D TVs will also be available in larger sizes: a 46-inch Samsung UE46C7000, and a 55-inch Samsung UE55C7000. Samsung will also release a C7700 range (e.g. the Samsung UE40C7700) which will sport an extra DVB-S satellite tuner.

Note: The specific model we reviewed was the Toshiba 46SV685DB (denoting the 3-pin-plug British version) which may be sold as Toshiba 46SV685D or Toshiba 46SV685 by high-street stores like John Lewis, Comet and Currys, or online retailers such as Amazon or Dixons. These terms may be used interchangeably throughout this review to refer to the same model.

Design

Because its LEDs are arranged in separately controllable clusters directly behind the screen, the Toshiba 46SV685D is inevitably bulkier and heavier than edge-mounted LED-backlit (and even most CCFL-backlit) LCD televisions. However, a number of swanky touches does elevate the TV above the ordinary.

Immediately noticeable is the reflective sheet of glass (dubbed “Full Crystal Panel” by Toshiba) that overlies the screen and the bezel, giving the illusion that these two elements are flush against one another. This single level of fascia is in turn framed by a thin strip of silver metal.

The outer part of the bezel transitions from grey to the glossy black of the inner portion. Upon closer inspection, the grey area is actually stippled with grids of minuscule squares, which then curves backwards behind a suspended layer of black to achieve the fade-to-black effect which Toshiba calls “Deep Lagoon“. An illuminated Toshiba logo (which can be switched off) and a matching swivelling pedestal stand (that is pre-attached within the shipping box) complete the lush appearance of the Toshiba 46SV685D.

Connections

Rear: 3 x HDMI, VGA, component, 2 x Scarts, aerial, LAN, digital & analogue audio outs

Side: CI slot, USB, HDMI, Svideo, comp, headphone	Control buttons & SD slot

Operation

The Toshiba 46SV685’s on-screen menu is well laid-out, responsive, and sprinkled with thoughtful touches. Every picture adjustment control we could ever want (and more) is available in the [Picture] submenu. One (minor) gripe though: we wished that the sliding adjustment bar would hold for longer instead of returning to its parent submenu (hence obscuring the centre of the screen where our measurement device is placed) after a couple of seconds.

[Picture] submenu

The [Advanced Picture Settings] submenu houses a comprehensive array of – as the name suggests – advanced picture adjustment controls.

[Advanced Picture Settings] submenu

Enabling [LED Backlight Control] switches on local dimming on the Toshiba 46SV685D to achieve the deepest blacks the set is capable of. [Black/White Level] modifies the shape of the gamma curve, whereas [Static Gamma] raises or lowers the gamma value. [Active Vision M200] controls Toshiba’s motion-compensated frame interpolation (MCFI) engine to reduce motion blur. [Film Stabilization] relates to the set’s film-mode deinterlacing: the “Standard” setting activates 3:2 (and some 2:2) cadence detection; while “Smooth” adds a whiff of 24p dejuddering to introduce a video-like effect to movies.

[Base Colour Adjustment] submenu	[Colour Temperature] submenu

Engaging [3D Colour Management] grants you access to the [Base Colour Adjustment] submenu where you can tweak the primary and secondary colours to your heart’s content. In the [Colour Temperature] submenu, you’ll find no less than 11 colour temperature presets, each equipped with its own independent RGB offset and gain controls for further greyscale finetuning.

[Noise Reduction] submenu	[Resolution +] submenu

The [Noise Reduction] submenu contains the [MPEG NR] and [DNR] options. The former utilises a spatial filter (intended to cut out MPEG noise) which can truncate the finer picture details; the latter uses a slightly more advanced temporal averaging approach which – while reasonably effective without softening the picture – can potentially bring about some low-grade motion smearing. Both of these options should be left off unless absolutely necessary.

[Resolution +] is Toshiba’s much-touted video processing which upscales standard-def content to fit on their HD panels, though to our eyes it’s simply another edge enhancement algorithm. Engaging [Resolution +] allows you to select from five levels of intensity. In the event that you wish to use [Resolution +] to beef up the sharpness of your SD images, we recommend sticking to the lowest setting of “1“, since ringing would become quite obvious at higher settings.

[Expert Mode] submenu	[Preference] submenu

For users without the equipment or knowledge to measure light output from their TVs, the usual way to adjust colour and tint is to use colour filters but these can be unreliable due to light scatter and inherent inaccuracy. Fortunately the Toshiba 46SV685D provides us with an [Expert Mode] submenu where we can turn off individual or a combination of the red, green and blue colour guns, and then adjust the colour and tint using an appropriate test pattern.

When switching between 1080 content, we discovered that the Toshiba 46SV685D would default to “Wide” aspect ratio, making it necessary for us to change it to “Native” (which is critical to 1:1 pixel mapping without overscan for 1080 source) again and again. To get the “Native” aspect ratio to stick, turn off [Auto Format] in the [Preference] submenu.

Calibration

Greyscale

Out of the box, [Movie] mode – with its [Colour Temperature] setting changed from the default value of “2” to “3” – yielded the greyscale closest to D65 industry standard on the Toshiba 46SV685D:

Pre-calibration CCT in [Movie] mode & [Colour Temperature] “3″

Pre-calibration RGB tracking & delta errors

Of course, the RGB offset and gain controls that are available in the [Colour Temperature] submenu allowed us to improve the already respectable greyscale, and reduce delta errors (dEs) to below 4 from 20% stimulus onwards:

Post-calibration CCT in [Movie] mode & [Colour Temperature] “3″

Post-calibration RGB tracking & delta errors

Colours

Considering that the Toshiba 46SV685D HDTV offers a full-fledged – on paper at least – colour management system (CMS) that lets you adjust the hue, saturation and brightness of all 6 primary and secondary colours, one would expect to achieve near-perfect colours on the television set.

Unfortunately things were not so straightforward when it came to actually using the CMS. First off, the saturation and brightness controls were not fully independent of one another, meaning that altering one element would invariably affect the other.

And while we found the CMS controls quite good for mapping the secondary colours to reference coordinates, they were less effective on the primary colours due to limited range of the controls, and also an increase in noise and posterization visible in darker areas of real-world content. So we decided to leave the primary colours largely untouched.

Pre-calibration CIE chart	Post-calibration CIE chart

However, even given these CMS drawbacks, there wasn’t much to complain about the colours on the Toshiba 46SV685D after calibration. Other than a green primary that was slightly oversaturated and tilted towards blue, we attained generally accurate secondary colours, and very good colour decoding without any significant errors.

Benchmark Test Results

Power Consumption

Picture Performance

Black Level

No owner with a sane mind should switch [LED Backlight Control] off on the Toshiba 46SV685D, because if you’re not going to take advantage of its local-dimming LED backlight technology you might as well save your money and buy a much cheaper LCD TV.

Indeed, with [LED Backlight Control] engaged, calibrated black level on the Toshiba 46SV685D measured less than 0.01 cd/m², i.e. below the lowest specified limit of our light-measuring instrument. A subsidiary benefit of local dimming was that the baseline luminance was lowered so much that any blemishes in screen uniformity were completely obscured.

Earlier generations of local-dimming LED-backlit LCD televisions can suffer from circumferential flaring/ blooming/ halos around brighter objects on a dark background due to the limited number of dimming zones. It’s a testament to how much things have improved that we seldom noticed this phenomenon on the Toshiba 46SV685D HDTV (unless when viewed off-axis). Also, despite the necessarily dynamic nature of local dimming LED backlight, we saw practically no fluctuation in black level retention in test patterns and real-life material.

Motion Resolution

The [Active Vision M200] motion-compensated frame interpolation engine on the Toshiba 46SV685D LED-based LCD TV is – in actual fact – a combination of their existing 100Hz technology and a new backlight scanning system to create a pseudo-200Hz effect.

The result was a mixed bag to be honest. Although the Toshiba 46SV685D managed to achieve a motion resolution of 950 in our reference test pattern (Chapter 31 of the “FPD Benchmark Software For Professional“) with [Active Vision M200] engaged, we also witnessed some wierd shimmering and smudging in the 250 to 500-line regions. What this meant was that on certain content, the Toshiba 46SV685D would exhibit more motion blurring than competing 200Hz and even some 100Hz HDTVs.

Motion resolution test pattern. Red circles indicate areas of shimmering/ smudging.

Standard Definition

The Toshiba 46SV685D LED-backlit LCD television smoothened jagged edges quite effectively for video-based material, according to the rotating wheel, bouncing bars and waving flag patterns found in the HQV Benchmark test DVD.

With [Film Stabilization] engaged, the Toshiba 46SV685D successfully detected and processed 3:2 cadence albeit sluggishly (taking 1 to 2 seconds to lock on). The set failed the 2:2 pulldown tests in the PAL version of HQV Benchmark, but fared better with real-life material – it managed to completely remove the moiré from the red Coca Cola sign saying “Go Bridget Go” in the PAL DVD of Bridget Jones: The Edge Of Reason.

Even without enabling [Resolution +], the quality of upconversion/scaling was above average. Sufficiently sharp detail (either off-air or from DVDs) were captured, but we did observe some ringing around high-contrast edges. Engaging [Resolution +] would add appreciable crispness to standard-definition images, but unfortunately also aggravate the ringing… we certainly wouldn’t recommend going any higher than the lowest [Level] setting of “1“.

Although its standard-def video processing was competent rather than outstanding, the Toshiba 46SV685D’s exceptional black-level and contrast performance – together with natural-looking colours – made SD programmes immensely watchable as long as a sensible viewing distance was adopted.

High Definition

Blessed with local-dimming LED backlight, black-level performance on the Toshiba 46SV685D was typically superb, virtually matching the reference-level blacks seen on the now-discontinued Pioneer Kuro plasmas. Perhaps even more surprising and impressive was the clarity of shadow detail in the midst of such inky blacks.

In addition to injecting depth and dimensionality to the image on screen, the exemplary blacks and contrast also had a positive effect on the Toshiba 46SV685D’s palette. High-definition colours looked suitably rich yet natural, with flesh tones in daytime particularly convincing due to the accurate secondary colours, absence of red push, and D65 greyscale that were achieved through calibration. Measurement-wise green was oversaturated and off-hue, but foliage never really looked out of place… most people probably wouldn’t be able to spot the inaccurate green outside of a side-by-side comparison with a reference display anyway.

We watched some high-def broadcast of live football to check out the real-world benefits of [Active Vision M200], Toshiba’s pseudo-200Hz MCFI implementation on the 46SV685D. Although engaging [Active Vision M200] did improve the clarity and definition of moving objects (compared to when it’s off), in general we observed more motion blur than on true 200Hz systems (and even some 100Hz TVs). On the upside, we did not notice any significant interpolation artefacts.

The way the Toshiba 46SV685D HDTV handles 1080p/24 video signal is strongly linked to its [Film Stabilization] control. [Film Stabilization] “Standard” is the optimal setting, allowing for proper display of 24p material without telecine judder. The “Off” setting caused telecine judder to emerge, whereas the “Smooth” setting introduced a video-like effect to movies, though to be fair this was subtler than most other manufacturers’ implementations that we’ve seen thus far.

Console Gaming

[Game Mode] was necessary to achieve the lowest input lag on the Toshiba 46SV685D HDTV. Out of 10 consecutive runs, the 46SV685D’s input lag was measured to be on par with our resident Samsung F96 LED-based LCD television twice, and 16ms slower 8 times. Any other picture mode other than [Game] would produce an input lag of around 47ms vs the F96.

With [Game Mode] engaged, Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 felt fluid and responsive enough on the Toshiba 46SV685D to not hinder our online multiplayer experience. That said, whether or not your gaming performance is going to be affected by this amount of input lag depends on your own individual sensitivity, and the reflexes demanded by the particular game.

Note: Our resident Samsung LE52F96BD with [Game Mode] engaged has about 30ms of latent input lag vs a CRT.

Audio Performance

To be honest, most of the time we’re tempted to just skip writing about the acoustic performance of the HDTVs we review (because more often than not they sound dire), but the speaker system on the Toshiba 46SV685D deserves some commendation. Taking full advantage of the physical room afforded by the set’s hefty chassis, the Toshiba 46SV685D’s on-board speakers were extremely listenable, delivering respectable audio resolution, volume and low-end bass extension that would put most other flat panels to shame.

We did not hear any significant background noise from our Toshiba 46SV685D review sample both in use and in standby.

Conclusion

The 46SV685D is without doubt the best HDTV we’ve seen from Toshiba to date when it comes to picture and sound quality. The TV set is let down somewhat by subpar motion processing, limited viewing angles, inaccurate greens, and a relative lack of internet connectivity – its high price isn’t easy to swallow either – but these should not detract from the Toshiba 46SV685D’s ability to deliver class-leading blacks and contrast that few current flat screen displays (including plasmas) can match let alone top.

Design

The LCD screen of the Philips 32PFL8404H is framed by a relatively thin, glossy black bezel which sports elegantly curved corners, and is fringed by an outer strip of translucent plastic. While understated, these refined lines still give the Philips 32PFL8404H flat-screen LCD television an undeniably stylish appearance.

Turning our attention to the rear, a pair of light panels (which constitutes Philips’ trademark Ambilight technology) is embedded at the sides of the panel. The Philips 32PFL8404H comes with a swivelling pedestal stand that is packaged separately inside the shipping box.

Connections

Rear: 3 x HDMI, VGA, component, 2 x Scarts, aerial, LAN, digital & analogue audio outs

Side: HDMI, USB, CI slot, headphone, Svideo, comp	Panel buttons & Ambilight

Operation

Pressing the [Home] button on the remote control summons a 3-column array of large icons which allow you to access your connected devices, and most importantly adjust the TV’s picture settings.

Main menu	Setup menu

After selecting the [Setup] icon, you are presented with a cascading on-screen user menu that can be a touch sluggish to navigate at times. Perhaps more of an issue is how the user menu occupies the entire screen for the most parts (though some parameters obscure only half the screen), making it somewhat difficult to tweak certain elements that require measuring/ eyeballing the underlying picture.

The Philips 32PFL8404H offers 5 picture presets: “Vivid“, “Natural“, “Cinema“, “Game” and “Standard“. Adjusting any of the options would save the values into the “Personal” settings for that particular input; selecting any of the 5 picture presets again would erase your settings, and reset them to the select preset.

[Picture] submenu

Located under the [Picture] > [Pixel Precise HD] submenu are a host of picture processing options, though most of these should be disabled during critical viewing. [HD Natural Motion] interpolates frames to reduce film-based judder, therefore making movies look like video. [100Hz Clear LCD] (which is greyed out unless [HD Natural Motion] is engaged) reduces motion blurring through scanning backlight and possibly frame interpolation.

[PC Mode] in the [Picture] submenu of the Philips 32PFL8404H LCD TV is the equivalent of [Game Mode] on other televisions: engaging it would reduce input lag (particularly important for reflex-dependent video games) by doing away with any superfluous video processing.

[Custom Tint] submenu

The [Custom Tint] submenu on the Philips 32PFL8404H HDTV allows you to tweak the white balance for greyscale calibration, although the option to set blue bias/ cut remains absent (just like previous Philips HDTVs we’ve tested to date). You start off by selecting one of the “Normal“, “Warm” or “Cool” presets to give you the base values, and then take it from there. Be careful: accidentally navigating to the presets again would erase your current settings, and restore them to the original base values.

[Ambilight] submenu

By default the Ambilight on the Philips 32PFL8404H changes colour and intensity according to the on-screen content, but the [Custom Colour] option under the [Ambilight] submenu lets you maintain the colour and brightness at a constant level as per SMPTE’s recommendations on ambient lighting. The [Palette] and [Saturation] options affect the Ambilight’s hue and saturation respectively (and so can be used to bring the Ambilight’s colour closer to 6500K grey), whereas the [Brightness] option allows you to adjust the level to within 10% of the on-screen peak-white for optimal viewing.

Calibration

Greyscale

Out of the box, [Cinema] mode – with its default [Tint] setting of “Warm” – yielded the greyscale closest to D65 industry standard on the Philips 32PFL8404H:

Pre-calibration CCT in [Cinema] mode & “Warm” [Tint]

Pre-calibration RGB tracking & delta errors

Using the white balance controls (minus blue bias) in the [Custom Tint] submenu, we calibrated the greyscale on the Philips 32PFL8404H LCD television:

Post-calibration CCT with [Custom Tint]

Post-calibration RGB tracking & delta errors

A satisfactory result was obtained, with delta errors curbed below 4 from 20% stimulus onwards.

Colour

Because the Philips 32PFL8404H is not equipped with a Colour Management System (CMS), we only have a limited number of controls at our disposal to tweak the colours on the television. [Colour] affects the saturation and intensity for all colours; [Hue] is greyed out for non-NTSC source; and [Colour Enhancement] alters the colour gamut slightly by skewing green towards blue.

CIE chart with ref. to Rec. 709	CIE with [Colour Enhancement] engaged

Even without [Colour Enhancement] engaged, green primary remained slightly tilted towards blue, but by and large the primary and secondary colour points were not far off their respective reference coordinates for Rec. 709, the high-definition colour space standard. Colour decoding was very good without any discernible push.

Benchmark Test Results

Power Consumption

Picture Performance

Black Level

This is where we found the biggest area of improvement compared to older Philips flat-screen HDTVs that we’ve reviewed before. Even without engaging any dynamic dimming gimmickry such as [Dynamic Contrast] or [Dynamic Backlight], calibrated black level on the Philips 32PFL8404H was measured at a very respectable 0.09 cd/m². While not as deep as those found on the latest Samsung and Sony offerings, the blacks on the Philips 32PFL8404H LCD TV are more than adequate in furnishing depth and contrast to the image on screen (especially with the help of Ambilight which improves perceived contrast).

Motion Resolution

The highest motion resolution on the Philips 32PFL8404H HDTV was achieved when we activated [100Hz Clear LCD], reaching about 550 according to our reference test pattern (Chapter 31 of the “FPD Benchmark Software For Professional“). Disabling [100Hz Clear LCD] would drop motion resolution to 300 which is the level expected from a vanilla LCD panel.

Standard Definition

To be honest, after witnessing the standard-def masterclass served up by the latest Samsungs, all else looked a bit ordinary really. Nevertheless, thanks to some decent video processing and image contrast, SD programmes were still quite watchable on the Philips 32PFL8404H LCD television.

For video-based material, the Philips 32PFL8404H cleaned up jaggies effectively (as judged from the rotating wheel, bouncing bars and waving flag HQV Benchmark test patterns). For film-based content, the Philips 32PFL8404H successfully detected 3:2 cadence over 480i (albeit sluggishly), but failed to lock onto 2:2 cadence over 576i most of the time. Scaling/ upconversion was above average, but nothing spectacular. And whilst still largely acceptable, the 32PFL8404H’s noise reduction algorithm wasn’t as effective as other TVs in removing crawling noise from low-quality images.

Note: These SD processing findings hold true with [PC Mode] engaged as well.

High Definition

HD images looked lush and convincing on the Philips 32PFL8404H HDTV, thanks to respectable black-level performance, calibrated near-D65 greyscale and well-saturated colour palette. And although we still question the practicality of fitting 1920×1080 pixels on a 32-inch screen (because theoretically our human eyes would find it difficult to differentiate between a full HD resolution and a HD-ready resolution of 1366×768 on this screen size), the end result is an exquisitely sharp and alluringly seamless picture.

Engaging [HD Natural Motion] – even at its “Minimum” setting – would cause 24p movies to look like camcorder-shot videos. This is a real shame, because if you want to avoid this undesirable (to our eyes anyway) video-like effect, then you wouldn’t be able to take advantage of the higher motion resolution provided by [100Hz Clear LCD] (which is greyed out unless [HD Natural Motion] is enabled).

Of course, video-based content, for example fast-action sports, benefited immensely from [100Hz Clear LCD]. When watching the live FA Cup football broadcast on ITV HD, the running players and the moving ball simply held their definition and clarity better with [100Hz Clear LCD] engaged, made all the more impressive by the absence of any significant interpolation artefacts.

Curiously, the Philips 32PFL8404H exhibited some patches of strobing within the single-pixel height stripped regions in both the “HD Video Resolution Loss Test” and “Film Resolution Loss Test” on HD HQV Benchmark disc, indicating a slight loss of resolution (though it’s debatable whether this can be appreciated on a 32-inch screen). Enabling [PC Mode] immediately cleared up these patches of strobing, suggesting that the culprit was one of the video processing elements are disabled by [PC Mode].

Engaging [PC Mode] closed off access to [HD Natural Motion] and [100Hz Clear LCD], but surprisingly the Philips 32PFL8404H HDTV was still able to handle 1080p/24 video signals properly without any hint of telecine judder. We therefore recommend using [PC Mode] for all viewing bar video-based material that would benefit from [100Hz Clear LCD] such as sport programmes.

HD Console Gaming

With [PC Mode] engaged, input lag on the Philips 32PFL8404H was measured to be on par with our resident Samsung F96 LED-backlit LCD TV, which was perfectly fine for high-def console gaming. Disabling [PC Mode] and turning on various picture-processing options (in particular [HD Natural Motion]) would bump up input lag significantly (up to 200ms vs. the F96), making reflex-dependent video games such as Modern Warfare 2 nigh-on unplayable.

Note: Our resident Samsung LE52F96BD with [Game Mode] engaged has about 30ms of latent input lag vs a CRT.

Conclusion

The Philips 32PFL8404H LCD HDTV represents a vast improvement over other Philips flat-screen TV we’ve tested previously, not least because of its deeper blacks and reduced input lag in [PC Mode]. While relatively expensive, the 32PFL8404H offers sufficiently good picture quality – not to mention an Ambilight bias lighting system that is unique to Philips – that should appeal to viewers looking for a viable alternative to the swarm of Samsungs and Sonys out there.

Of course, the Samsung UE40B8000 justifies its flagship status (and higher price tag) by offering 200Hz motion-compensated frame interpolation (MCFI) technology instead of the 100Hz found on the B7000. Is it worth paying more for 200Hz motion? Let’s find out.

Note: The specific model we tested was the Samsung UE40B8000XW, which may also be sold as UE40B8000 by high-street stores like John Lewis, Comet and Currys, or online retailers such as Amazon or Dixons. While we did not test the 46-inch Samsung UE46B8000, there is no reason to believe that there will be any drastic difference in picture performance.

Update 26 February 2010: The Samsung UE40B8000 will be replaced by the new 2010 model Samsung UE40C7000 which is also 3D-capable.

Design

Even though this isn’t the first time we’ve laid eyes on a wafer-thin Samsung edge-lit LED panel, the size-zero slenderness of the UE40B8000 still takes our breath away. Its polished black bezel is encased by a thin strip of translucent plastic extending beyond the borders. And when you take into account the sturdy table-top stand sporting a brushed metallic surface, the see-through pedestal stem, and the “deactivatable” (it would still blink in response to any remote keypress even if you elected to switch it off in the user menu) blue LED indicator light peeking from the bottom of the panel, it’s hard not to fall in love with the Samsung UE40B8000’s exquisite design which befits a flagship TV.

Operation

The connection ports (including breakout cables), on-screen user menu, EPG and multimedia interactive functionalities (such as [Internet@TV], [Media Play] and [Content Library]) on the Samsung UE40B8000 LED-based LCD television are essentially the same as those found on the UE40B7000 we’ve reviewed before, so please refer to the relevant sections if you need more detail.

Remote Control(s)

As was the case with the B7000 series, two remote controls are included with the Samsung UE40B8000 edge-lit LED TV. Although the main remote – with its fingerprint-attracting glossy finish, large backlit buttons, and a hook-shaped appendage – looks similar to that bundled with the B7000, there have been a couple of freshly-implemented features.

Firstly, the main remote for Samsung UE40B8000 sends RF signals instead of the usual infrared. Once “paired” with the UE40B8000, the RF remote control allows you to operate the TV without you having to aim the clicker at the television, or even be in the same room. Neat!

Samsung has also put a clickable scroll wheel that can be physically rotated (like those found on the first generation of Apple Ipods) on the main remote. Unfortunately this turned out to be more hindrance than help: the slight on-screen navigational delay made it difficult for us to judge how far we’ve scrolled along the menu options; yet when we reverted to clicking for manoeuvring the menu, the scroll wheel was still sensitive enough to draw us into making the occasional mistake (e.g. accidentally scrolling one step extra).

The second, smaller remote looks like a supersized key fob, and lets you power the Samsung UE40B8000 on and off, as well as change volume and channels. We doubt this baby remote will be used much, if at all.

Calibration

Greyscale

Out of the box, switching to [Movie] mode – with its default [Colour Tone] setting of “Warm2” – yielded the greyscale closest to D65 standard on the Samsung UE40B8000 HDTV:

Pre-calibration CCT with “Movie” [Mode] & “Warm2″ [Colour Tone]

Pre-calibration RGB tracking and delta errors (dEs)

The pre-calibration image still exhibited some blue overcast, as the overall colour temperature hovered above 7000K. By adjusting the RGB offset and gain controls in the [White Balance] submenu, we brought the CCT closer to D65:

CCT after greyscale calibration in “Movie” [Mode]

RGB tracking and delta errors (dEs) after greyscale calibration

Even though there was a slight dip in blue channel around 50% to 60% stimulus, the overall result was more than acceptable.

However, just like the B7000 series, the Samsung UE40B8000 edge-lit LED-based LCD television is blighted by low-APL auto-dimming (i.e. the TV light output would drop when the Average Picture Level of the on-screen content falls below a pre-determined threshold). Since engaging [Game Mode] and then disabling [Dynamic Contrast] is the only way to defeat the auto-dimming, we performed another round of calibration in [Game Mode] free of any low-APL greyscale and gamma fluctuation:

CCT after greyscale calibration in [Game Mode]

RGB tracking and dEs after greyscale calibration in [Game Mode]

Astute readers will notice that we failed to suppress the blue predominance from 50% stimulus onwards. This is because [Game Mode] limits us to [Picture Mode] “Standard” and [Colour Tone] “Normal” (which yielded a pre-calibration colour temperature in excess of 8500K), and the RGB offset and gain controls in the [White Balance] submenu only afford us 30 clicks up or down. Once we hit the bottom limit of “0” for [B-Gain], there was no further way to dial down the high-end blue channel unless we accessed the TV’s service menu (which we did not have expressed permission from our review sample supplier to do).

Gamma

In [Game Mode], point gamma was not too far off the 2.2 ideal across the entire luminance range:

Gamma tracking in [Game Mode]

Colour

[Colour Space] “Auto” was very close to HD Rec. 709 specifications, but [Colour Space] “Native” resulted in oversaturated green primary with consequent off-hue magenta:

[Colour Space] “Auto”	[Colour Space] “Native”

Although the Samsung UE40B8000 offers a fully functional colour management system (CMS), we advise you not to bother with it unless you’re in [Game Mode]… simply stick to [Colour Space] “Auto“. We witnessed some subtle shifts in hue and saturation due to the aforementioned APL-dependent auto-dimming even after we’d calibrated the colours (including decoding) to spec using the CMS.

In [Game Mode] where the auto-dimming is disabled however, the CMS can be tweaked to achieve extremely accurate colour hue, saturation and intensity/ decoding on the Samsung UE40B8000:

Post-calibration CIE chart in [Game Mode] with reference to HD Rec. 709

Benchmark Test Results

Power Consumption

Picture Performance

Black Level

With the help of auto-dimming, calibrated black level on a totally black screen (video black) reached an awesome 0.01 cm/m² on the Samsung UE40B8000 LED-edgelit LCD TV. Even in [Game Mode] where auto-dimming is defeated by switching off [Dynamic Contrast], calibrated black level was still an excellent 0.05 cd/m².

Screen/ Backlight Uniformity

Perhaps an unavoidable side effect of its super-slim build and edge-mounted LED backlighting, the Samsung UE40B8000 flat-panel television evinced slightly worse screen/ backlight uniformity than the latest conventional CCFL-backlit LCD TVs. Even after calibration – and with the aid of auto-dimming – we observed some backlight bleed and clouding particularly on the darker (below 20% stimulus) full-field grey test patterns.

In real-life viewing, these screen uniformity issues were not really that noticeable (especially in brighter ambient lighting conditions), but if you’re looking for a large-sized flat panel display with near-perfect screen uniformity (and wide viewing angles), plasma television remains the only viable choice to date.

Motion Resolution

Setting [200Hz Motion Plus] to its lowest/ least aggressive setting of “Clear” was enough to deliver a motion resolution of 1080 on the Samsung UE40B8000 according to our reference test pattern (Chapter 31 of the “FPD Benchmark Software For Professional“). With [200Hz Motion Plus] disabled, baseline motion resolution was 300.

Standard Definition

When every aspect of standard-def video processing is taken into account, the Samsungs have outperformed every other brand of HDTVs we’ve tested this year, and this holds true for the UE40B8000 as well. The quality of upconversion/scaling was good, capturing sufficiently sharp detail either off-air or from DVDs without any sign of excessive ringing.

Jaggies in video-based material were smoothened so effectively that we practically saw no jagged edges either in test patterns or real-world content. And with [Film Mode] engaged, the Samsung UE40B8000 LED-based LCD television successfully detected and processed the 3:2 cadence tests in 480i and 1080i, and the 2:2 cadence tests in 576i (though some moiré was still visible on the red Coca Cola sign saying “Go Bridget Go” in the notorious test scene from the PAL DVD of Bridget Jones: The Edge Of Reason).

Coupled with wonderfully rich blacks and accurate colours (the green of the snooker table cloth just looked so right), SD viewing was a treat on the Samsung UE40B8000. Auto-dimming did rear its ugly head while switching channels, but otherwise the majority of TV programmes should deliver sufficiently high APL (Average Picture Level) to keep the light output fluctuations at bay.

Note: [Game Mode] is greyed out and therefore cannot be engaged when watching TV programmes through the internal tuner. For external sources, engaging [Game Mode] would impair standard-definition video processing in the following manner:

• Slightly worse video-mode deinterlacing (more jaggies seen);
• Absent film-mode deinterlacing (despite [Film Mode] engaged in the user menu);
• Worse digital noise suppression at baseline; and
• [200Hz Motion Plus] greyed out and hence cannot be activated.

High Definition

To assess the benefits of [200Hz Motion Plus] on the Samsung UE40B8000 HDTV, we watched Arsenal’s young guns’ defeat against Olympiakos in a largely meaningless UEFA Champions League final group match on ITV HD streamed from the excellent Panasonic DMR-BS850 Freesat/ Blu-ray recorder.

Sure enough, with [200Hz Motion Plus] engaged, the definition of the running players, the individual figures in the crowd, and the words on the advertising boards were significantly less blurry. We found that the [200Hz Motion Plus] “Clear” setting was adequate to achieve satisfactory motion clarity; higher and more aggressive settings would only introduce more undesirable interpolation artefacts such as shimmering distortions in the background around the football, and an increase in tearing instances as the ball went past the crowd.

Now the crunch question: is there an improvement compared to the 100Hz on the B7000 range? We’d say yes. Is the difference night and day? Probably not.

As far as 1080p/24 Blu-ray movies are concerned, we preferred the calibrated [Game Mode] over [Movie Mode] for the following reasons:

• Eradication of light output fluctuations caused by low-APL auto-dimming;
• Punchier image with a more realistic rise from dark to bright in the picture (thanks to circa-2.2 gamma); and
• More accurate colours free of subtle shifts in hue, saturation and intensity.

Nevertheless, using [Game Mode] for critical viewing does have its shortcomings. MCFI is disabled so you cannot reap the motion resolution benefits of [200Hz Motion Plus]. Also, a subtle telecine judder showed up in slow panning shots, though whether or not you will be bothered by it depends on whether you recognise it in the first place, and your individual sensitivity to such judder (to us, it was largely tolerable).

HD Console Gaming

Reflex-dependent first-person shooters like Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (online multiplayer mode) felt sluggish and “heavy” on the Samsung UE40B8000 HDTV because high-ish input lag. In most picture modes, we measured the input lag on the UE40B8000 to be around 70ms to 80ms slower than our resident Samsung F96 LED-backlit LCD TV (which had [Game Mode] enabled).

There are 2 methods to reduce the UE40B8000’s input lag down to between 20ms and 30ms (vs the F96): engaging [Game Mode]; or using VGA connection which of course is not a feasible option for the PS3. While this amount of input lag is still higher than the latest offerings from Panasonic and Sharp, whether or not you will be affected depends on your individual sensitivity, and the reflexes demanded by the particular game.

Note: Our resident Samsung LE52F96BD with [Game Mode] engaged has about 30ms of latent input lag vs a CRT.

Audio Performance

Potential owners of the Samsung UE40B8000 shouldn’t expect much from the TV in the sound department: the physical limitations imposed by the sheer slenderness of the chassis meant that the internal speakers couldn’t muster sufficient bass nor audio resolution for critical viewing. It does pass (just barely) for day-to-day TV viewing though, as it can go fairly loud with reasonably clear dialogue.

We did not notice any significant background noise from our Samsung UE40B8000 review sample both in use and in standby.

Conclusion

The Samsung UE40B8000 LED-edgelit LCD television shares the same pros (superb blacks, accurate colours, impressive standard-def processing, stunning design) and cons (low-APL auto-dimming, screen uniformity issues, high-ish input lag, lacklustre sound) as the B7000 series. While its [200Hz Motion Plus] delivered higher motion resolution compared to the 100Hz on the B7000, any improvement was subtle rather than obvious in subjective viewing.