Samsung LNT4061F 40-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV
- 1080P (Full HD)
- 10,000:1 Contrast Ratio
- 16×9 Aspectr Ratio w/ PIP
- (3) HDMI, (2) Component Inputs
- Swivel Stand
40″ Widescreen 1080p LCD TV with Integrated ATSC TunerFor people looking to step up to full 1080p resolution in a 40-inch flat-panel LCD, Samsung’s 2007 model LNT4061FF is a good choice. Besides offering full 1080p resolution the LNT4061F also features a 10,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio for rich blacks and subltle texture display, an 8ms response time panel for smooth motion, hidden side speakers, an NTSC tuner, and 3 HDMI ports. Compared to other Samsung Models
The primary differences between Samsung’s LNT4061F and the LNT4065F LCD HDTV is in the contrast ratio and video processing power. The pricier LNT4065F offers a 15,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio compared to this model’s 10,000:1 ratio, and also offers full 10bit video processing over this model’s 8 bit system. The more expensive model should display finer gradients of shading making for more detail in darker scenes. The video processing difference should ensure smoother motion in fast moving scenes for the LNT4065F. Video
List Price: $ 1,699.99
Price: $ 1,699.99
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Comments
2 comments
fluffy
September 5, 2011
A great picture, with only minor drawbacks,
I have been putting this television through its paces since I got it a few weeks ago, and it is by far the best TV I have ever owned, and very difficult to beat. The image quality is really good, with bright, vivid colors and wonderful detail, especially for 1080i/p content, but even lower-resolution 720p content, which is what’s more commonly-available on OTA HD broadcast, looks phenomenal. I also have an Apple TV hooked up to it, and even though most of my content is encoded at either 360p, 480p, or 720p, it still looks quite good.
It does take some time to get the image tuned to perfection, and the default settings are way too bright with too much color saturation boost, and the DNIe processing system actually seems to make some motion effects worse. However, it’s very easy to change the settings and see immediately what effect they have.
Like all LCDs it does have some slight black point problems; these aren’t noticeable for fullscreen 16:9 content, but for older 4:3 content it’s pretty obvious that the black isn’t pure black. However, this is again tunable.
The only thing I really notice which is pretty annoying is that it doesn’t do a very good job of upscaling 480i content, such as the output from most video game systems, and for DVDs to look good you really need an upconverting player since even with a progressive-scan player there is a lot of visible pixelation when the 480p content is scaled up. It’s really more a sad reflection on how the previous “next-generation” video looks downright primitive by today’s standards.
The other noticeable issue is that unlike many televisions with digital tuners, it doesn’t have an on-screen program guide. My previous TV (also a Samsung) had an on-screen program guide, but it was rather cumbersome to use and took several minutes of scanning every channel to see what was on, and most local channels are pretty inconsistent about providing the EPG information anyway, so it’s not really that big of a deal. You can still see the detailed information for the program that’s currently showing, so it makes use of EPG, just not as much as it could.
This television’s tuner is also quite phenomenal. My previous TV required a very carefully-positioned powered antenna which was very sensitive to every little nearby fluctuation, while with this one I only have a piece of wire jammed into the antenna port and I get perfect reception of every local digital station.
Another nice improvement over Samsung’s older HDTVs is that it has a wide variety of zoom modes which allow you to counteract some of the stupider things that TV stations do (for example, pillboxing a letterboxed 16:9 show, which is very common for widescreen non-HD programming). Also, analog TV stations and source inputs get their audio signals upconverted to digital, so you only need to run a single optical audio connection to your stereo (while previous Samsungs required running both analog and digital cables and switching between the two inputs based on source material).
As a PC monitor this is also quite nice. I have a Mac mini hooked up via SVGA cable, and even with an analog signal it looks perfectly sharp and crystal-clear, and of course you can hook it up via HDMI (with a DVI to HDMI adaptor) as well. The only gripe there is that the supported resolutions are a bit quaint – at least on analog SVGA the only 16:9 resolution it supports is 1920×1080, which can be difficult for some older systems to handle. However, on HDMI it should support all the standard HD resolutions.
This television may be more expensive than others in its size class, but it also far outshines every other TV I have seen, aside from the newer LN-T4065, which is nearly identical aside from providing a higher dynamic contrast ratio. If you want to only buy one TV which will last for a long time, it would be hard to go wrong with this one.
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|Scott Hilleque
September 5, 2011
Exceptional,
I’ve had the LN-T4061 for a week now and am still very impressed. The picture quality is excellent, build quality is solid, and ease-of-use is very good too. I am using it with an HD cable box, a Media Center PC, and a home theater receiver. In all cases, connecting and configuring the various inputs was completely obvious and pain free.
General Image: The colors are absolutely amazing. I’ve looked at a LOT of LCDs over the past few months and I can’t recall any of them looking this vibrant. The 10,000-to-1 contrast ratio really makes for a stunning image. The black level is very good for an LCD too, but not quite pitch-black. Since I like to watch movies at night in a dark room, I can pick out a tiny amount of dark grey if I’m looking for it. Still, it’s much better than most LCDs and the high contrast ratio makes dark scenes look much better. If you look at LCDs in a store, you’ll notice they always play bright, contrasty video. That’s because most LCDs have a problem showing the difference between dark colors, like in shadows and night scenes. The Samsung isn’t perfect, but it doesn’t wash out nearly as bad as the others I sampled.
Image Settings: You can fine tune picture settings (Color, Contract, Brightness, etc.) or use one of the built-in presets. The default setting was a little “over driven” for my eyes, so I stepped it back to the next level and haven’t had to touch it since. All settings are stored per-input, which is how it should be.
High Definition: Both of my sources output in HD, the cable box at 1080i and the HTPC at 1080p. I give it 5 stars each in image quality, color fidelity, lack of pixilation, and lack of motion tear.
Standard Definition: I don’t really have an SD source anymore as my cable box and HTPC up-convert the content to HD. I did connect an S-Video cable just to try it out though, and was generally satisfied with the picture. There were definitely artifacts of scaling and de-interlacing, but they mostly disappeared to my eye at couch distance (about 12 feet). I didn’t give it the close scrutiny I did with the HDMI and component connections though.
HDMI Inputs: I am using only one of the three HDMI jacks, and that for connecting the cable box. In the past I would leave the TV volume at 100% and use the PVR’s internal volume control to set the final level. Over HDMI though, you always have full volume going to the TV. The easy work-around for this was to train the cable remote to use the TV codes for volume. This works great and the picture quality is excellent. I also read a forum post about the TV “handshaking” intermittently over an HDMI connection, but I haven’t experienced it. Also, on a side note, do NOT buy expensive HDMI cables. The signal is 100% digital and doesn’t benefit in any significant way from a $150 “OFC” or “directional” cable. If you need a run of 50′ or more it’s a different story, but at 6′ it’s a non-issue.
Component Inputs: Before I got the HDMI cable, I used the component jacks for a few days and I can’t say that I noticed any difference when I went to HDMI. It’s nice having a single cable instead of the 5 for component, but I couldn’t tell one way or another.
Audio: The built in 10-watt speakers are not enough for immersive movie watching, but they do just fine for regular TV shows. Coupled with a home theater sound system, you’ve got the best of both worlds; easy operation for normal stuff and theater sound for movies.
On-Screen Menus: It has a nicely polished translucent on-screen menu system. The layout is simple, features that don’t apply are grayed out, and the hierarchy is logical. What more can you ask for.
Remote Control: I use the cable PVR’s remote most of the time, and had no trouble adding Samsung’s codes to it. The Samsung remote is actually quite nice, but there are enough special features built into the cable remote (PVR, guide, A B & C buttons, etc) that I prefer to make that the normal clicker. I still keep the TV remote handy though as there are a few features the other remote won’t do when watching movies. I wish I could do it all with just one, but I guess that’s where remotes like the Logitech Harmony come in.
Cabinet: Personally, I don’t like “shiny” media equipment; they just cause glare and distract from what you are really watching. The frame is somewhat shiny but the screen it totally matte. In my opinion, it’s a nice mix and looks quite professional. I was worried about the WAF, but the first words out of her mouth were “wow, its pretty”. That’s good enough for me.
Other: I played around with the “digital picture frame” mode some and it is kind of neat. You plug a USB stick into the side and it does a slide show of the photos and music on it. I probably won’t use it as I have a media center PC, but those that don’t might find it useful…
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