February 15th, 2008Review of Samsung Mosel LA46M81B
By reason of popular demand, after the Sony full HD review we’ve managed to obtain our hands on none other than a Samsung Mosel full-HD LCD TV. Sony and Samsung have become family names at the stable, so I don’t think a foreword is needed. However I’ll just mention that the Mosel series from Samsung include some high-end models that have received dangerous approval.
We called up Samung India, saying we want to add our bits, and they readily obliged with a brand new part from their M-series Mosel. The F-series models are a little more expensive and may be an improved option, but this 46-incher will have to do for now.
Features and Design
The TV is pure stylishness in terms of look. I can’t say much their lower-end models, but this has a smooth black finish that exudes self-assurance, and says ‘check me out’. It’s a piano-gloss finish, black all over, and the surface shine is not overkill. It’s in fact pretty rich and smooth.
The swivel stand is oval, and bears the same finish as the bezel, which adds to the uniform good looks of the unit. There were some tacky stickers that I summarily tore off – I wonder if they will notice? The typical Samsung ‘on’ button is present at the center of the bottom panel. The speaker too is a bit hidden and angled downwards, below the front panel. There’s an HDMI at the side along with the retro suite, and an easily accessible squarish rack at the back. No aerobics required.
Before I forget, the HDMI inputs are HDMI 1.3, so you have many more colors, and 1440p compatibility All expensive TVs these days have lots of features; some proprietary, others standard. For instance, the Samsung M8 be conventional to the xvYCC (via HDMI 1.3) or complete gamut color space, just like the Sony, which means the color pallete is quite huge. These days the TVs I get for review never seem to have bad color, so I guess LCD technology is receiving better.
Samsungs’s DNIe stuff is there, plus ‘Movie PLUS Mode’ for film cadence frames smoothening, and a few more minor tricks. The essential specs are in no way ordinary, as the difference ratio is a enormous 15000:1, no prizes for deduction the quantum. The reply time is faster than 8 ms, and the decree is 1920 x 1080p.
Performance
We plugged in a PS3 immediately, and also a PC for checking our newly downloaded HD videos. I also like to check analog performance, so I plugged in a Harman Kardon DVD player via part, and last but not the smallest amount, lots of chips. The DVE Test Disc went in first to strut its stuff, and here’s what we saw and heard.
Calibration took a few minutes, and in the end we received a polite picture. The contrast levels were nice and crisp, with no blooming anywhere, though deepest blacks still did not come out convincingly. No LCD does that yet; plasma still has an edge here. But color was quite awesome – it was really very satisfying to see such beauty. On to the Transformers HD video and the detail showed through brilliantly. Action scenes still had a bit of judder, and cartoon scenes especially acted slightly funny, with ghosting and a bit more judder. Full HD video at 24 FPS was much better in its motion. Besides this, stuff such as color, contrast, brightness etc. were very capable.
This is a very good choice for a high-end TV, but gamers and action enthusiasts might need more directness in their dynamic vision. At Rs 1,70,000 (MRP), its cost is a bit on the higher side, but then brand rank counts. There are cheaper alternatives in the market that perform almost as good, but for the brand conscious the Mosel LA46M81B is a natural choice.
