Samsung LE40A656 Review

[bobbycat]

I've been checking for a new flatscreen for a while and the reviews for this sammy seem very good. However people who are thinking of connecting a computer or HTPC to this set via dvi should note that this has to be via the HDMI2 connector, and in this mode the TV will only accept 50 or 60hz input. Thats right, and confirmed by samsung via Email, you can't send it 24fps to get judder free HD films via dvi !!!  Anyone know of a graphics card with hd decoding and a HDMI connector?

[indiebands]

Hi All,

Thanks again Vincent for a great review.  I look forward to your reaction to the settings issue above.  I bought the TV and have been very pleased.  Here is my question and discussion of two other issues.  Thanks in advance.

1. Universal Remote Programming - Question

Does anyone know if there is a way to progam a code for the TV to switch to a specific source, rather than cycle through sources in order?  That would be very handy for macro programming purposes.  I am going to get the Logitech Harmony One remote.

2. AppleTV - HDMI connection problems

I connected my 160GB AppleTV to the LE40A656 using HDMI, only to discover that Apple and Samsung don't like to work together - there is apparently an issue with the HDMI handshaking that goes on to establish the connection.  After much angst, I resorted to using Component Video cables for the connection.  While I am now limited to 1080i output from the AppleTV, that's not such a big deal since the max resolution from iTunes HD content is 720p.  There is a way to use an HDMI cable, but it involves a $200+ device which analyzes and corrects the HDMI signals.  I am content with a $70 cable instead.

3. Optical Output - Stereo only

Here is the response from Samsung to my question below.  This seems like a design flaw, but it is what it is:

"Regarding your query on the Optical Audio out, the TV audio is limited to stereo as this is the specification of the TV. This cannot be changed by firmware upgrades. We hope this information will be useful."

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 LE40A656 Optical Audio Out issue with HDMI-in source
Hello,
I read in the manual and online that the Optical Audio Out signal is limited to stereo when using HDMI-in sources. Is this something that can be fixed by firmware or is this a permanent (and significant) deficiency of the product? This seems like a serious design flaw. Thank you in advance for your assistance with this question.

[bobbycat]

Hi Indiebands.

This stereo out limitation affects any equipment that can process HD sound. Basically the high-def content protection system specification limits maximum sound quality to Dolby digital or DTS for any non-HDMI connection, so Samsung are in compliance. If you want to hear HD uncompressed audio in all its glory you will have to invest in an amplifier that has a HDMI input.  Unfortunately many equipment manufacturers have in the past adopted a safety first principle and disabled the stereo output completely when processing HD audio, although not Samsung.

Hope that helps.

Bobbycat.

[satrmml]

Hi friends, its my first post, but i read this forum for a long time ago

Hi Vicent, can you give me a answer:

I buy this week a Samsung LE 40A616

In Samsung UK site there are not mutch info about this model, and on My country(Portugal) Samsung web page even this model is not listed, Why??

40A616 is a new Series 6 Samsung, I am amazing with it, superb, but not mutch info and no reviews on web...
Can you explain me if 40A616 is a good LCD TV, and what Diferences are between my 40A616 and the 40A656??

Thanks at all, and sorry about my poor english language...

P.S. - To vicent: if you can please make a 40A616 review..  i love have you "calibration" tips of my 40A616

Thanks

[KakimotoRift]

Hi Sir,

       Hello~ What is the Calibrated Setting for the 32" A656 (A650?) I have the 32". The graph shows that the calibrated settings to be very very accurate ,may I have the settings for my TV? Thank you~

[KakimotoRift]

I don't think so, if you do calibration, you know that the original one is towards the blue so HDTVtest is upping the red to move towards the red instead of the original which is leaning towards the blue.

Hi vincent, just entered in your hd settings but i get a weird green push / haze when i have a white background. does this happen to anyone else when they try the settings?

Hello,

without testing i think that the problem comes from the settings : a bad copy / paste :

The green is a priary coor and in the original settings i think that you had for the 3 primary color (blue + green + red) approximately the same value for ONLY ONE parameter AND the 2 others values at 0. The Yellow, Cyan and magenta are secondary colors so they need 2 parameters different from zero and one at zero...

So, i think that the green settings are not : 33    |    38    |    0
But it should be:                                       0    |    38    |    0

I think you are right "shirushi" - I used the published HD settings and everything looked very good except I thought things looked a little yellowy (the whites weren't quite bright white enough)  but I made the change you suggested above and I'm very happy with the settings.  I used a backlight of 7 though, 3 just looked dull!

The SD settings make torrents from my mac mini loook amazing too.  Better than ever, even the blockiness is reduced!  Top stuff HDTVTEST!

[Nige]

I too have found the HDTV test green setting to give a greenish tinge. Setting the green value as per shirushi's recommendation solved the problem.

I also noticed that the "Warm2" option for the HD settings made Blu-Ray and (upscaled) DVD films have a yellowish tinge all over, whereas this setting was fine for SD and HD content from a V+ box. I find that the "Normal" profile for Blu-Ray/DVD works better for me than the Warm2 as suggested by the otherwise excellent Calibration settings given here.

Having stuck quite rigidly to the Calibration settings for a few weeks, I've found that tweaking them here and there gives the better result for my particular set-up, which I guess is understandable given the widely different conditions that each tv will be installed in. Maybe a calibration machine will tell me that my colour values are wrong, but they look great to me, and that's the most important thing!

The calibration settings given here are a great starting point, and I'm immensely grateful for them, but if they're not right for you then you shouldn't be afraid to tweak them!

[Observador]

Hi

Vincent nice review, i just got one of these babies and a love it. I put thouse settings you said but the image seems to very dark with a few miss color, itīs because the new firmware? Can you put new settings for the new firmware??

[mray]

Hi Vincent.
Thanks for the review and calibrated settings.

Can you tell me if the comments that were accessible on the LE40A656 review are still available to read please? I can't see them anywhere on the the site.

Thanks.

[Tirppa]

I bought the TV because of this review and I can tell you I wasn't disappointed. Now just few guestions about the settings:

- What settings do I set in PS3 for Bluray and video outputs
- What settings to use when watching DVD's? The HD-settings look good but should I increase the sharpness or something?
- What settings to use when playing PS3 games. 

[KakimotoRift]

Still trying to get as perfect as possible.....so far these are my results

2008/10/08 KakiColorŪ_ver.081008 Results (A650)

CIE Graph HD REC.709


Gamma Graph @ 2.22


RGB Levels


D65 Balance


Luminance Graph

[KakimotoRift]

KakiColorŪ Calibration ver.081012 Results

[daved2424]

Hi everyone.

I have a question related to the settings. Suppose i have a ps3 and this samsung, if i put an SD movie on the ps3, and the ps3 is configured to output for example 1080p, which i believe would upscale the movie, wouldn't the settings to consider be the HD ones?   Because as far the tv is concerned the signal on the input would be 1080p...
I don't own any of these equipments, yet  , so i'm not sure if these assumptions are correct. Please tell if i'm wrong or not.

Best regards to everyone

Viper. My interpretation would be that if you are upscaling SD material, use the SD settings. HD settings are for HD source material such as Blu-Ray discs (hence a lower sharpness setting needed).

I am not so sure about this, it would depend on what exactly the PS3 does in terms of conversion.

I work with SD/HD broadcast studios so encounter standards conversion a lot. In a broadcast environment you not only upscale, you also change the colourimitry of the picture as HD uses a different colour space to HD. (Colour difference equations: SD: 0.299 R’ + 0.587 G' + 0.114 B'  HD: 0.2126 R' + 0.7152 G' + 0.0722 B' (SMPTE274M))

If the PS3 does a proper standards conversion and changes the colour-space then you should be applying HD settings even if you are using SD source matterial. However, if the PS3 just crudely adds more lines then you are still using the SD colour space so should be using SD settings.

Without knowing exactly what the PS3 is doing it is hard to say for sure, but my hunch would be that you should be using HD settings.

Edit: This post on avforum suggests that the PS3 does convert from SD to HD colour space. (ITU 601 to 709 for the initiated). http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14913514#post14913514

[pipios]

This Input Lag issue is being blown out of all proportion and nearly put me off buying my TV.

However, in avforums, people have commented that since the firmware update, the input lag is 30ms in normal (non -game) mode. Since the w4000 is supposed to be 30ms better than the F86 (F96?) reference, I would assume that the firmware upgrade brings it in line with the F86. You also have the option of renaming the HDMI2 input to PC which further reduces Lag to completely normal levels.

I luckily went ahead and made my purchase despite my fears. I am very sensitive to missing syncs and I have not noticed anything above what I used to experience with the CRT this TV is replacing.

If I were you I would look at the inclusion of a decent 100hz MCFI setting as a bigger attraction for games than the detraction of the 30ms lag, which can be massively reduced in PC mode.

Do U notice difference between HDMI2 PC mode and regular game mode ?  In lag

[kurkosdr]

--> The review doesn't mention the most important thing:

This TV has an "image processing" feature (I think these guys at Samsung have given it the silly name "DNIe"). Which, in plain english, screws up on purpose the color accuracy and naturallity of the picture in order to make it more "vivid" and "impressive" to the uneducated eyes of Joe Consumer. In more plain english, the images this set produces are overcooked, with lost detail and garish colors and way different from what the studio that filmed/broadcasted the source material intended you to see!

To be more precise, from the tests I have performed (in a LE52A656 a friend of mine has in his workplace, and in the LE22A656 I have in my bedroom), I noticed that these TVs:

1) make the dark tones of the picture go completely black, something people refer to as "black crush"  (from what I can tell, the DNIe simply replaces the dark tones of the picture with 0% black). As a result, even if you have the brightness set up as high as possible, you will still lose black detail, which is visible when people are wearing tuxedos or the when viewing the black tires of a car.

2) The blue is way to bright. Loses detail on blue parts of the picture. A bright sky appears as a blue patch! Also, in game shows that use dark studios with lots of blue neon light, you can barely make out anything (see 1 again)

3) More vivid red (red sports cars have a strange glow like they are made out of neon)

Getting into the settings and switching the picture mode from "typical" to "movie" slightly reduces the effects of the DNIe feature, but not completely.

As you can see, this TV may be good for making sports events look bright and shiny, but if you want to have cinematic pictures that are accurate in color and not artificially "enchanced" and also spend most of the time watching movies than sports events, this is a very bad TV.

And why on earth someone would want to spend a truckload of money for a TV that's good only for sports events and awful in movies?

Why didn't this review mentioned any of these?