Those who love movies, usually love them LARGE. In other words, the true movie-lover would only be happy in front of a big screen, be that in a cinema or, increasingly, a home-theatre. With the full-range, high-impact sound that is part of the package.
But when space or finances dictate a more modest approach in the home, the film-enthusiast has to compromise. Anything less than a 40-inch screen CANNOT replicate a cinematic experience!
But, thanks to modern technology, some come close.really close. Case in point: the new Samsung B480 LCD series. The largest model in the series is 32 inches; and this is a review of the 26-inch, which I purchased to replace an old Sony Kirara Basso(top-of-the-line in its day) 25-inch colour TV, because it fit exactly into the space occupied by the latter, on a swivel-shelf, in my hall. And because its MRP of Rs.30000 was reasonable.
Clad in a classy piano-black finish(including the remote!) the Samsung certainly looks elegant. And has connectivity for up to three HDMI sources, plus Component and Composite inputs. Even a USB connection.
In other words, you can hook-up pretty much anything and everything to this TV.which also carries a radio-tuner!
But for me, being a film(and opera) buff, I needed something that would not be a huge come-down from the high-end performance I am used-to in my dedicated home-theatre. My old Sony KB-25 had acquitted itself rather well through countless TV-dinners and the occasional movie; and I was worried that an LCD, with its stretched image and slim cabinet, would not satisfy visually and aurally.
I am happy to say I was wrong. Although the Samsung(like most others) does stretch a standard TV image unnaturally in the horizontal plane, it also has a "wide-zoom" option to stretch it vertically as well, making the image more or less proportional.at the(small) expense of cutting-off the extreme top and bottom bands. So TV becomes watchable, instead of faces looking stuffed with cheek-pads!
As for image QUALITY, the same rules that apply to other display-devices are valid here too: if you try and soup it up, you will get an overblown picture that will ultimately tire your eyes and irritate you. It is sad that the default settings on so many machines seem calculated to "impress" customers in a shop.and this Samsung is no exception. But bring all the parameters down individually to their midpoint; and then take each one up, gradually and carefully, and you will end-up with an image that is vibrant, natural and immensely satisfying.
But the best thing about this LCD is its sound. Thanks to extra front-firing speakers and SRS Tru-Surround, it has both clarity and weight, detail and dynamics. Especially when judiciously adjusted via the built-in equalizer. In other words, it has the required clout for an action-flick; but is also capable of conveying subtle nuances in dialogue; and "musical" enough to make music enjoyable!
But nothing is this world is perfect; and the Samsung just misses that pinnacle by not supporting true High Definition resolution of 1080p. Which may be important to those who crave the ultimate performance from DVDs and Blu-Ray discs.though on a 26-inch screen(or even a 32-inch) any "improvement" over the 720p/1080i that the Samsung B480 provides would be merely theoretical.or negligible.
It is sobering to note that almost all large-screen LCDs require a separate sound-system to back-up their stunning images. In a small TV this becomes less important- however, it does not mean the user should suffer the tinny, fatiguing screech offered by most! Which is where this baby defeats almost all its direct competitors because, with it, you can live without add-on audio.
Though it obviously cannot duplicate ALL the thrill of a 70mm cinema or high-end home-theatre; the Samsung B480 series, available in 22, 26 and 32 inch sizes, will ensure that even the most die-hard cinephile gets his money’s worth.in a small, affordable package!