Samsung LE40R87 Review

40in LCD

Picture
Sound
Features
Usability
Value

Incredible value for the excellent all round performance.

HD Ready:

yes

Resolution:

1366 x 768

Rating:

92%

Reviewed: 23 June 2007

Design

While it may be a touch garish for some, the Samsung LE40R87BD like the rest of the R87 range is a real work of art. Glossy black finish, elegant bevelled undercarriage with hidden speakers and swivel stand will create an impressive centrepiece for any living space.

Features

The LE40R87 has excellent connectivity with 3 HDMI inputs along with 2 Scarts, Component and Composite video inputs, S-video input pc input and an Integrated Digital TV tuner (IDTV) for Freeview.

Screen: 40in 16:9

Tuner: Digital

Sound System: Nicam

Resolution: 1366 x 768

Contrast Ratio: 8,000:1 (dynamic)

Brightness: 450cd/m2

Other Features:DNIe Picture Processing, Wide Colour Enhancer, Movie Plus.

Sockets: 3 HDMI, 2 SCART, Component Video, Composite Video, PC input.

It may be part of Samsung's entry level LCD TV range, but the LE40R87 still packs a cutting edge technological punch.

Heading up an impressive feature list is Samsung's Digital Natural Image Engine (DNIe) which forms the picture processing heart of the LE40R87. The technology focuses on improving black levels, improving colour saturations and tone and sharpness and tone.

DNIe has four main feature areas, Motion Optimizer, Contrast Enhancer, Detail enhancer and Colour Optimizer, and has a track record of producing impressive results on previous Samsung screens.

Complementing DNIe is Samsung's Wide Colour Enhancer which has been designed to deliver more vibrant colours, especially around the edge of panels where they are more likely to appear washed out. By adding a full 27 per cent more of the real worlds colour gamut, Samsung claims a four times as many colour gradations than you would normally see from a PAL picture.

The LE40R87 sports a revolutionary backlight system from which Samsung claims a world beating 8,000:1 contrast ratio.

Movie Plus, another proprietary technology has been designed, by improving the video signal, to eliminate a bug bear of LCD TVs, motion judder, and to speed up response times and produce a sharper picture for gamers the LE40R87 sports something called 'Games Mode'.

HDMI-CEC technology enables a single remote control unit to operate, for example, a screen, a Blue-ray disc player, home theatre system or other HDMI-CEC compatible A/V product.

A video camera connected to the TV via HDMI for example would see the TV automatically switch to the camera's input displaying the content with the user now able to control the camera through the TVs remote, with no extra cabling.

Two 10-Watt speakers form the audio capability of the LE40R87 with SRS TruSurround XT technology promising simulated 3D effect enhanced dialog and powerful bass.

Performance

What immediately strikes us with Samsung's LE40R87 is the superb black level performance. To experience significantly better results in this area would require a substantial outlay on a top notch plasma. Dark scenes, so often the Achilles heal of LCD TV's retain their composure at all times with effective and subtle shadow detailing.

High Definition (HD) is the other area where the LE40R87 excels with a picture sharpness and detail that is as good as it gets for a sub £600 screen.

With 'Wide Colour Enhancer' the LE40R87 reaches a commendable level of colour performance. The depth and breadth of colour is excellent, and although colour presets appear a little garish, this was easily corrected with a little tweaking.

Standard Definition (SD) highlights a problem with the underlying technology rather than the screen itself. Samsung have done a fairly good job with SD noise suppression, but with terrestrial Freeview the noise is quite noticeable close up. Things get significantly better with Sky or Virgin however and this is testament to Samsungs black level and colour toning strengths and noise suppression technology.

The only frustrating aspect of the screens performance is the 'Movie Plus' feature which on the whole we feel works well. However, although the resolution of objects is noticeably enhanced with the feature turned on, there is a slight flickering on the edge of moving objects.

The acoustic performance of the LE40R87 is good rather than outstanding, with enough power and range to cope with all sound tracks.

Conclusion

The Samsung LE40R87 is a great all round performer in its own right, but considering that it can be sourced off the internet for around £600 it is something of a bargain.