And yet again it looks like I have fallen into the "still waiting for the perfect lcdtv" category. Am I being a perfectionist to expect a tv which ships with good picture, good sound AND good factory settings? At £1750 I really dont expect to have to tweak settings depending on what I am using the tv for. 5 years after purchasing my excellent Sharp LC26-GA4E and Im still waiting for a worthy replacement.
Does the 200hz processing make any discernible difference over the 100hz used in the B7000 and B6000 (or any other 100hz sets). Is more detailed retained during fast motion? I'm asking this as many reviews of the Sony's 200hz Z4500 stated that there wasn't a major difference between it and Sony's 100hz sets.
At the risk of being laughed at by other TristedReviews members in the playground at breaktime, is it possible to store the various settings (for games, films, etc.) for selection as and when, or does the set 'remember' them once the relevant source is detected? Or do they have to be entered every time?
The threat of burn-in rules the Kuros (or any other plasmas) out for many buyers, and the Sony X series is still quite expensive. Samsung, for most of the time, tend to produce good sets at a relatively reasonable price. I suspect their latest edge-lit LED models will sell buy the ton compared to many other brands.
Just thought I'd post a quick response to the first four comments on my review.
Regarding james1000's comment, I have to say that I feel you're rather cutting off your nose to spite your face here. If you actually compared a 46B8000 with your beloved Sharp, you would be astonished by how much better the new Samsung is.
I'm not saying you should definitely buy a 46B8000 - there are a lot of good TVs out there right now. But clinging on to a now thorougly outdated screen while waiting for a dream of perfection that will probably never happen (especially as the 'perfection' goalposts seem to shift with every new flat TV generation!) just doesn't seem to make much sense to me.
I also think that you're placing a bit too much emphasis on the 46B8000's factory preset concerns. This is probably my fault for being so clearly narked by them in my review. But the fact is that while shipping a flagship TV with rubbish factory settings is undoubtedly irritating, unhelpful and even pretty stupid on Samsung's part, getting pictures looking excellent on the 46B8000 really is only a matter of a few minutes fairly easy work - especially if you follow the guidelines note in the review.
In fact, although I didn't say so in the review, if you simply choose the TV's Cinema preset you'll immediately get a good improvement in images - although the results are still no match for an image you've set up yourself.
Anyway, the bottom line for me is that in 'punishing' Samsung for not doing good presets by not buying a 46B8000, you might actually be harming yourself more than Samsung!
Turning to smx, his suggestion that you buy a KURO is well made to some extent - so long as he meant KURO plasma, not KURO LCD. Though I would also say that smx may be surprised by just how close the Samsung's image quality - when correctly calibrated - gets to the KURO.
As for the Sony X4500s, these too are superb sets - but only, again, after you've invested time in calibrating them properly. They tend to push green way too much and look overbright, for instance, if you just stick with their presets. Plus they don't look nearly as nice as the Samsung - if that sort of thing bothers you! - and cost hundreds of pounds more.
As for PS3, I'm afraid I'm not in a position to comment definitively on his excellent question, as I haven't yet seen a B7000 or B6000. But based on previous Samsung 100Hz incarnations, my gut instinct is that the B8000's 200Hz system actually does make an appreciable difference. I'll try and remember to make some mention of this when I finally do review a B7000 or B6000.
Finally, I can tell Ripsnorter that you can save settings on a 'per input' basis. So you don't have to recalibrate things every time you switch sources.
Hope this is all helpful to you in some limited way!
Thanks for the reply John. I took a chance and ordered a 46B8000 a few weeks ago. I based this decision on my viewing of the B7000 (which I thought very good indeed), but wished to opt for a 200hz set as I watch a lot of football. The B7000 would probably have been fine, but I thought I may as well go the extra step. Hopefully I won't have to wait that long to find out!
I really would like to know just how well the set compares with others in terms of 'gaming' - which is something far too many reviews concentrate too little on it seems. I understand that all sets have a "gaming" mode - but we need to know the exact effect this has in terms when the using our beloved console. In terms of giving motion problems, judder, etc. Naturally we would like to lose as little quality as possible - and then there is the issue of input-lag which is a concern for the hard-core gamer. It's one of the reasons I have been leaning towards the Panasonic Plasma G10 .. but I hate to worry about burn-in or image-retention.. so a lovely LCD with as little input-lag as possible, and good design is what I am after..
Please give some further indication on the input-lag, gaming concerns.
Thanks for tackling my points, if somewhat arrogantly. Please could you explain how Im cutting off my nose to spite my face? If my "beloved Sharp?" had packed in and I was without a tv then fair enough, but it still does its job well enough. Yes it may not be cutting edge anymore but Im not the sort to upgrade for the sake of it. As far as Im concerned there IS an issue with image quality if you have to tweak settings individually for high def content, xbox 360, blueray and sky receiver. A good portion of your review is taking up explaining all necessary adjustments which may be helpful but wont win any prizes in this tvs marketing campaign. I dont mind a little tweaking but one setting is all I need with my outdated Sharp so its intriguing why a model 5 years newer cant match that. Viewing angles arent the best and im sorry but a tv which needs "the right room conditions" is ridiculous. Audio is poor too with 6/10. Finally, I fail to see how Im punishing Samsung. This is a strange thing to say simply because Im disappointed with how the tv fairs in your review. If anything being disappointed shows I like Samsung. Until a tv is released which scores well with picture, audio and a generic setting I think Ill "cling on to my thoroughly outdated screen" thankyou very much.
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