Projectors Reviews, price and comparision

Currently, the 8000 series stands tall at the top of Samsung's line of plasma TVs - and well it should.

The 50" PN50C8000 that I am reviewing is filled full of features like 3D playback and an ever expanding basket of apps like Netflix, Hulu and ESPN.

Of course, all the features fall flat if the TV doesn't deliver the performance. And this 8000 series definitely packs the punch that you would expect from a high-end plasma.

Not only is the 2D picture quality excellent, but I am also impressed by how well the TV renders 3D content. And I'm not a huge 3D fan. (3D viewing on this Samsung requires active shutter glasses, which I will discuss later.)

Is it a perfect TV? None of them are. Do I wish it were a little less expensive? I always do.

But if you are in the market for a superior 3D capable plasma HDTV, I would highly recommend the Samsung 8000 series.

(Editor's note: Samsung offers two other sizes of this series, the 58" PN58C8000 and the 63" PN63C8000. Since their specifications are similar, this review can be applied to all three.

Of course, if you have the room and the cash, and you want to impress the crowd at your Super Bowl party, I would suggest the 63".)

Performance: 5.0 Under the theory that there may be a better performing TV out there, I could give the PN50C8000 a half star less. But why quibble? If this TV does not have the best PQ of the current crop, then it's very close. And I'm even pleased with the audio quality emanating from the integrated speakers.Features: 5.0 About the only feature missing from this HDTV is a built-in wireless adapter. You will need to purchase a separate Samsung LinkStick adapter. Other than that, it's all stuffed in there, 3D, DNLA, DivX, and apps, apps, and more apps.Ease of Use: 4.5 If the PN50C8000 is your first full featured TV, then expect a small learning curve. Even if you are an old grizzled vet, it will still take a couple of days to explore all the apps. And 3D can even throw a pro for an occasional loop. To Samsung's credit, they do offer good on-screen instructions and an informative manual.Value: 4.0 The retail price of $2300 is about what you would expect for the MSRP of a top end 3D 50" plasma. As a consumer, you can be thankful that MSRPs quickly melt in the steam heat of today's cutthroat marketplace. A quick search online finds the PN50C8000 priced at least $600 below retail, which is much more inline with its competition. If you can snag it for even less than I would rate that value at 4.5.Ratings are relative to when the review was written. The obvious example is Value, what you could purchase for $2000 two years ago or even two months ago would seem like a bad value for that price now. We have given only a precious few 5 Star ratings, which we reserve for truly outstanding accomplishment.Bookmark:   Digg     del.icio.us     Reddit     Google

10/29/11 - 02:40 AM PST | ©1999-2011 HDTVSolutions.com

I say this with all due respect to you, dear readers. The Samsung PN50B860 may be too much for you to handle. And I mean no disrespect to this wonderful 50" plasma HDTV that I would be delighted to have in my man cave.

Simply, this Series 8 1080p beauty is overflowing with features, like Internet widgets, a Content Flash Library and DLNA connectivity, that many of you traditionalists would never use, especially if you don't plan on hooking your TV into your home network.

With that said, I don't wish to deter you from considering Samsung's 2009 top of the line model. The picture quality of the PN50B860 reaffirms the golden reputation that plasmas have earned over the years.

If you are worried that the TV is too complicated to operate, the designers have done an admirable job of stowing away all the bells and whistles so that you will never encounter them if you just want to sit back and enjoy the Olympics or the last season of LOST.

Please note that for all of its state of the art components, the PN50B860 came out last year and is not 3D capable. We won't be seeing 3D TVs available to buy in the U.S. for at least another month or two.

(Editor's Note: Samsung also makes a 58" version of the 860 series, the PN58B860. Since it has similar specifications, this review of the PN50B860 can apply to it also.)

Performance: 4.5 I have no qualms giving the PN50B860 five stars for its superior picture quality. If only the audio from the built-in 15W speakers even approached that level. Oh, they're good enough for everyday TV, but if you are thinking home theater, buy a separate sound system. Features: 5.0 This Samsung is chock full of features, Internet content, streaming media partners, two USB ports for accessing photo, music and video files, DNLA connectivity to your home network, even Picture-in-Picture. Ease of Use: 5.0 The default picture modes are consistently good, making setup easy. Samsung provides on-screen guides for organizing your Internet widgets. For such a feature-rich TV, its operation is remarkably straightforward. Value: 4.5 On their website, Samsung lists the PN50B860 for $2199. A quick search online and I'm finding it for at least $500 less. When we approach that level for a high-end 50" plasma, now we're talking. I am basing my value rating on this reduced price. Remember that if you don't need or want all of the connectivity features, you should be able to find other great plasma bargains elsewhere. Ratings are relative to when the review was written. The obvious example is Value, what you could purchase for $2000 two years ago or even two months ago would seem like a bad value for that price now. We have given only a precious few 5 Star ratings, which we reserve for truly outstanding accomplishment.

In the HDTV family tree, plasmas have been considered the chunky monkeys when compared to their skinny minnie LCD cousins. But in the last couple of years plasmas have become much more diet conscious.

As a prime example of a Biggest Loser, this 50" plasma measures only 1.2" (30mm) deep and weighs only 57.5 pounds without the stand. The brushed stainless steel surface stand adds another 14 pounds, but it allows you to swivel the TV left or right about 30 degrees.

This TV sports Samsung's Touch of Color design. Though in a dimly lit room, I have a hard time finding the "stylish gray tone" inside the clear border around the frame. It's just too subtle. The same can't be said about the neon blue light that illuminates the clear acrylic neck of the stand. If it's too disco for you, go into the Setup menu and turn off the Light Effect.

When the TV is turned off, the black screen is reflective, but Samsung touts an "Ultra FilterBright Plus" technology, which does effectively negate most glare problems when the TV is on.

Being only an inch thick doesn't leave a lot of room for connectors, but Samsung indents the left side of the back of the TV with two sets of plugs.

The layout can make attaching bulky

HDMI supports standard, enhanced, or high-definition video, plus multi-channel digital audio, and interactive controls on a single cable. It transmits all ATSC (Advanced Television Systems Committe) HDTV standards and supports 8-channel digital audio. First product releases using HDMI occurred in 2003.">HDMI cables difficult, if not impossible. The manual designates that the maximum thickness of the HDMI cable cannot be over .55" or 14mm.

Running vertically, the first panel contains four HDMI inputs, two USB ports (for uploading JPEG photos, MP3 songs or MPEG videos), an analog Audio Out (stereo minijack), an SPDIF (optical) digital Audio Out, an Audio In (stereo minijack), and an Ex-Link (for Service).

Next to this panel on the back, running horizontally with the connectors facing down, a second panel holds one VGA PC input and one Component video (YPbPr) In (with matching stereo Audio In).

You could also use the Y plug to input Composite video. (Though it eludes me why in the world you would want to sully this pristine screen with Composite dreck.)

The one RF antenna connector links to integrated ATSC/QAM tuners. Since the tuner system is Clear QAM compatible, you can attach your cable TV signal directly into the RF connector and tune in unscrambled cable stations.

For those concerned about the DTV transition, the ATSC tuner is the key. With the proper antenna, you will be able to tune in digital signals broadcast over-the-air.

Also supplied is a LAN port for directly connecting to the Internet and your home network. Since this TV does not come with any sort of keyboard - only a couple of TVs do - access to Internet content comes through widgets, little icons that appear on-screen.

Samsung's widget gallery is constantly expanding beyond the standard news, weather, finance, and sports choices supplied by Yahoo.

As I browse the options on this TV, I find widgets for TV Guide, Funspot (games like Texas Hold'Em), Blockbuster, YouTube, flickr, Amazon Video on Demand, eBay, and Twitter.

Remember that without a keyboard, don't expect the same experience as surfing the web on your computer. The responsiveness of the remote is often glacier-like, painfully slow.

Also, if you plan on streaming TV shows or movies from sites like Blockbuster or Amazon and you are serious about obtaining good picture quality, you will need fairly fast and robust bandwidth from your Internet provider, ideally around 10Mbps.

I know some sites suggest as low as 2.5Mbps, but if anyone else in your house is accessing the network, the video playback will deteriorate. At least try to have around 5Mbps.

In addition to the widgets, Samsung has built into the TV 500Mb of memory which holds a Content Flash Library of preloaded programs. Press the Content button on the remote control, and you can choose from four categories, Gallery, Cooking, Children and Wellness.

The programs are in a slide show format. For example, the recipe for Caesar Salad in the Cooking section starts on the first page with a colorful close-up image with the ingredients listed on top. The next page is the first step in the recipe.

Browsing through the choices I was impressed with the production level and the utility of the information. Samsung even offers more content that you can download directly from their website into the TV's internal memory.

You can transfer photos, music and video to the TV from a flash drive plugged into one of the USB ports. But if the files are on your computer, a more efficient method is to hook up your TV through the LAN port into your home network. You can then tap into the folders on your computer directly from the TV menu.

The setup is fairly straightforward, but a passing familiarity with DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) configurations would be helpful.

Whichever method you employ to view your photos on this TV, I can't oversell the thrill of seeing your images illuminated on this 50" display. The Slideshow interface is pretty good. You only have three speeds, but nine transitions from simple Fades to dizzying Spirals. You can also add music. I especially appreciate the ability to adjust the Picture Settings while looking at the images.

The PN50B860 does supply Picture-in-Picture. But like most TVs that do, you are limited in your picture combinations. One of the sources always must be from the internal TV tuner. For example, you cannot pair two HDMI sources.

Once again, the Samsung designers have curved the handle of the quick draw remote control so that it fits into your palm more comfortably. Which is good because this long glossy black remote is a handful, jam-packed with buttons for specific tasks like opening the Media Player or summoning the Internet widgets.

The black titles stenciled on the white buttons are easy to read and the backlight turns on behind every button when any one of them is pushed.

One fun feature is the Light button on the remote. It turns a gyro function on and off. When it's On, the remote will light up when you pick it up or otherwise move it, good for late night channel surfing. When the function is off, the remote only lights up when you press a button.

As I mentioned most of the fancier features don't clutter up your basic TV watching screen. But when you are ready to experiment with extras like widgets, (which Samsung labels Internet@TV), then both on-screen and written materials are provided to guide you through the setup process.

The EPA is now publishing a list of ENERGY STAR qualified TVs. (You can find it here.) The Samsung PN50B860 is on the list.

The EPA states that this Samsung's On Mode Power is 247W and Standby Power Consumption is .22W. Based on the formula that the TV is on five hours a day and in Standby for the other 19, the Estimated Annual Energy Use is 452 kWh/year.

You need to check your electric bill to see how much you are paying for a kWh. The rate that I have been using in previous reviews is 10.4 cents. Doing the multiplication, at that rate, the yearly energy cost is $47.01.

Since manufacturers are not attaching those yellow ENERGY STAR tags that you find on air conditioners and refrigerators, you will have to study the ENERGY STAR list to see how the PN50B860 compares to other 50" TVs.

Just glancing at other Samsung models on the list, I see that some of the 55" LCDs consume less that half the power that this smaller plasma does.

The difference between paying about $2 a month for the more power efficient LCD compared to $4 for this plasma might not seem that significant to your pocketbook. But when you consider that there are millions of TVs in America, the extra energy consumption adds up quickly.

To calibrate the TV, we use two discs, the Blu-ray version of the Digital Video Essentials DVD called HD Basics and the Spears & Munsil High Definition Benchmark Blu-ray DVD. We are playing the DVDs on the OPPO BDP-83 Blu-ray player connected to the HDTV with an HDMI cable.

We use the test patterns to adjust black level, white level, and color bias. The player is set to output a 1080p signal, which is the Maximum Resolution.'>native resolution of the PN50B860.

To begin, I followed my usual pre-calibration routine. First, I choose a Picture Mode. On the PN50B860, Samsung provides four choices: Dynamic (Vivid), Standard, Eco and Movie.

When reviewing other Samsungs, I was told by one of their technical representatives that the "Movie mode is geared towards providing the most accurate image. The Warm2 color tone is calibrated to be closest to D6500, the most accurate color temp."

If you want to make your life easier, put on your favorite program and set the mode to Movie. It might not look right at first, but give yourself a few minutes to adjust. If you still feel antsy, try the Standard mode.

The majority of people fall in one of those two camps or somewhere in between. Usually, you can find your comfort zone with a few minor tweaks.

Of course, if you want to satisfy an urge to push all the buttons before you settle in - and the PN50B860 gives you a pile of settings to play with - then follow along. Though I'll wager that by the time you are finished futzing, you'll be very close to one of these two presets. I wouldn't make that bet with every brand of TV, but Samsungs are pretty consistent.

Off we go then. For reference, I leave Movie mode untouched and fiddle with Standard. With this TV, that choice has an immediate consequence because my next step is to pick a Color Temperature.

On the PN50B860, it's called Color Tone, which is found in the Picture Options sub-menu. In Standard mode, the only choices are Cool and Normal. The Warm choices are grayed out. Warm1, Warm2, and Warm3 are only available if you picked Movie mode.

Therefore if you favor the reddish, yellowish Warmish look, then you should be tweaking Movie mode. I picked Standard originally because the Movie preset is just a little too warm for me. I'm sticking with Standard and choosing Normal for Color Tone.

With that settled, I usually start by turning down the Backlight to about halfway. But this is a plasma and Backlight is normally a term used for LCDs. On this plasma there is a Cell Light setting.

I quote from a setup document that I received from Samsung Tech Support, Cell Light "lowers the power usage of the TV. Lowering the Cell Light setting will decrease the set's APL limiting threshold, which essentially reduces the peak light output on high-APL (full-field) content. This will have no effect on the black level, and ultimately has little effect on the picture. We suggest increasing the backlight to 10 and leaving it there."

Being a bit of a rebel and a tree hugger, I left the Cell Light at 5. The choice is yours.

Next, I go into the Advanced Settings sub-menu and turn everything off, like Black Tone, Dynamic Contrast, Gamma, Flesh Tone, and Edge Enhancement. Once you work through the basic picture settings, you can return to this menu and experiment.

Going back to the main Picture Settings menu, according to the test patterns, I pushed Brightness up a few notches from the default of 45. I left Picture (Contrast) at 95. Color (Saturation) was lowered to 47 I'll talk about Tint in a second.

The Sharpness scale runs from 0 (Min) to 100 (Max). When looking at a Safe Zone test pattern, I noticed the beginning of fringing above 20. i don't like artificially sharp images, therefore I dropped it to 15. You can adjust Sharpness higher if you prefer living on the edge.

I then played some of the reference scenes and the picture looked dandy except for skin tones being a little too red for my eye. I've come to realize that a TV set up according to test patterns often is too red for me.

The question then becomes, which setting do I tweak? Flesh Tone would seem like a good place to start, but it didn't give me the result I was looking for. I tried sliding Tint towards Green and away from Red, but I'm even less of a fan of greenish tints. I finally settled on lowering the Red saturation a bit in the Color Space menu after picking Custom.

If you feel that you need to fiddle further, there are plenty of Advanced Settings to try. As always, I suggest that you tune one control at a time. The Tech Support document states that for Black Tone and Dynamic Contrast, "Off is the most accurate setting." And Auto is the most accurate default color space. If you get too far afield, you can always Reset to default settings.

One last point, if you look in the Picture Options sub-menu, under Film Mode, you'll find a Cinema Smooth setting. It's only applicable if you are feeding your PN50B860 a 1080p 24Hz HDMI signal, the type you would receive from a Blu-ray player. If you turn on Cinema Smooth, then the TV multiplies the 24p content four times to create a 96 Hz output with no 3-2 judder or flicker. Next time you are watching a Blu-ray movie, try it and see what you think.

The Samsung PN50B860 reinforces why I love plasmas. The picture quality is top notch. Blacks are deep and silky smooth, the colors flow like satin. The visual experience is almost tactile as if you can feel the texture of the reds and blues.

If you have been caught in the 240Hz whirlpool of hype that is surrounding LCDs, I watched the Super Bowl on this plasma and the PN50B860 handled every fast motion scene thrown at it, even when Tracy Porter flew down the field with his interception.

I wish I could be as enthusiastic about the audio performance of the pair of integrated 15W speakers. A perfect example of the disparity between audio and video is revealed when I spun the K.D. Lang Live in London Blu-ray concert.

The staging with the volumetric lighting was gorgeous as K.D. glided around barefooted. Hallelujah! The sound coming from the TV was a disconnect as it couldn't capture her dulcet voice backed by the BBC Concert Orchestra. Constant Craving!

I have the TV hooked up to a sound bar, but to really match the picture quality of this plasma, you should invest in a more worthy 5.1 or 7.1 surround system.

The PN50B860, Samsung's 2009 top of the line, 1.2" thin, plasma HDTV supplies superior picture quality and a multitude of connectivity features that make it a great choice as the centerpiece of a home media network.

Bang & Olufsen BeoVision 9 Review50" 1080p Plasma HDTV, $19,900

La Belle et la Bête. Beauty and the Beast.

The Bang & Olufsen BV9 combines those two characters into one elegantly imposing beautiful beast. Perhaps they should title this beastly beauty, BB9.

With a price tag just south of $20,000, you would hope that this HDTV is like no other and in every aspect of design and performance, you would be correct. This 50" 1080p plasma BeoVision 9 is a rara avis, a unique animal.

Performance: 5.0 Both the video and audio performance of the BeoVision 9 set very high standards rarely matched by other HDTVs.Features: 5.0 I would usually take off a half of point for the lack of a USB port, but the over abundance of connections and other features overshadow that omission. If there was any doubt, the Automatic Color Management feature alone is worth five points. Ease of Use: 4.5 Since the installers and the TV itself take care of all of the setup headaches, this BV9 cannot be much easier to use. But Bang & Olufsen has their own way of designing components, therefore the first time B & O owner may face a bit of a learning curve with items like the remote control.Value: 4.0 I can't stick my head in the sand, especially in this economic turmoil, and blithely give a high rating to a $20,000 HDTV. I know that you can find top notch 50" plasmas for a fraction of the cost. But you won't encounter such a singular combination of design, performance, and features as the BeoVision 9.Ratings are relative to when the review was written. The obvious example is Value, what you could purchase for $2000 two years ago or even two months ago would seem like a bad value for that price now. We have given only a precious few 5 Star ratings, which we reserve for truly outstanding accomplishment.

The BV9 manual states, "We expect your Bang & Olufsen retailer to deliver, install and setup your product."

And indeed, instead of the normal routine of a review unit box being dropped at my door, two B & O installers arrived to unbox the TV and set it up in our testing facility.

To the relief of my aging back, I simply observed from a distance as the two strong armed young men coaxed this 271 pound, (with stand), curvilinear monolithic TV to its final resting place.

Unlike the sprightly 32" BeoVision 8, which B & O suggests that you can carry from room to room, the BeoVision 9 is not portable. I recommend that you have a clear idea where to locate it before the installers arrive.

Also, as you can see, this square bezeled HDTV leans back on its motorized base and makes a strong visual statement, even when it is switched off. Beyond considering the best viewing angles when placing it, think of it as a four foot tall sculpture.

And if the 3" bezel's brushed aluminum clashes with the rest of your art, you can opt for another of the five finishes.

The TV sits on its base about two inches off the ground. With a touch of a button on the remote, the whole frame will rotate about 30 degrees right or left. You cannot change the top to bottom lean.

But in the TV menu, you can determine at what angle the TV rests when turned off and then which direction it swivels when you switch it on. This is one of those "wow" features that will make your friends and in-laws appreciate your new purchase. It's also a practical design element for which this Danish company is known.

When you take a close look at the BeoVision 9's front, you will notice that the TV screen actually occupies only a bit more than half of the area inside the bezel.

Just below the display, the Acoustic Lens, (one of B & O's audio technologies), juts out as part of the integrated center loudspeaker, which is based on the BeoLab 7-4 speaker.

On the back and attached to the TV's base is a BeoSystem 3, the video processing brains, that also provides a whole host of inputs, (including four HDMIs), and outputs, including seven PowerLink sockets for connecting B & O speakers and subwoofers. Though it does not includes an Ethernet port for Internet access.

If you wish to expand to a full blown surround sound setup, your friendly B & O dealer will be happy to customize a system to your environment.

The BV9 does provide a Picture and Picture (Dual Screen) feature. Unlike most TVs which require that one of the sources be from the antenna input, the BV9 can display side by side content from two different

HDMI supports standard, enhanced, or high-definition video, plus multi-channel digital audio, and interactive controls on a single cable. It transmits all ATSC (Advanced Television Systems Committe) HDTV standards and supports 8-channel digital audio. First product releases using HDMI occurred in 2003.">HDMI inputs.

B & O offers two choices of remote controls, the flashier Beo5 and the more reserved Beo4. Both can control a range of functions and should be setup by your installer who will give you a short tutorial on its use. Neither is difficult to operate, but they are a bit idiosyncratic. Not all the buttons are where you might think they should be.

If after the installers leave, you have questions about the remote or any of the TV's features, B & O's customer service is quite good, as is their manual.

Our process of measuring the power consumption of our review units is straightforward. We plug the TV into a watt meter, called Watts up? Pro, and take a simple sampling of readings during the playback of a full screen video clip.

The first measurement is at the TV's default picture settings, which are often some form of Vivid. If you have been following the theme of this review, Bang & Olufsen does not follow the norm.

The BV9 only has one picture mode and it definitely is not the overly bright, pupil searing Vivid. The TV is calibrated at the factory in Denmark to display an eye pleasing image.

With the BV9, the big variable in power consumption is the amount of light in the room. On the upper right corner of the TV is a light sensor that adjusts the brightness of the screen according to the illumination in the room. A brighter image consumes more power.

For example, with the lights on in the room, the reading varied between 350 and 640 watts. When I turned off the lights, the range dropped to 160 to 300 watts, mostly in the 220 to 235 neighborhood. Bang & Olufsen states power consumption is "typically 355W."

We also turn off the TV and measure how much power it is using. The BV9 reading was about 1.4W. B & O states standby consumption at 29W.

The start up time from Standby was a relatively poky 13 seconds.

Here is a statement that I can't make about any other TV that I have reviewed. With the BeoVision 9, you can enjoy years of watching a perfectly calibrated TV without ever touching a picture control.

First, as I already mentioned, the TV out of the box has been fine tuned. And all the video processing muscle in the BeoSystem 3 constantly adjusts the picture according to the content it is playing.

Second, if you can afford this $20,000 plasma, you can pay a professional to make any special adjustments, which only can be done by accessing the Service Menu.

But the main reason that you could go years without calling a professional calibrator is the BV9's Auto Color Management, which has to be this TV's coolest feature.

After every 120 hours of TV use, a little sensor arm rotates out from the center of the bezel at the top. The screen displays a graduated gray scale test pattern. The sensor measures the color temperature of the white and black points and compares it to the factory calibration. If there is a difference, the TV is adjusted automagically.

During the process, the screen blinks to black a few times. After about 30 seconds, the adjustment is finished and you are good for another 120 hours. No muss, no fuss. No looking through blue filters at test patterns on a DVD. Every TV should supply this feature.

Of course, if you feel the need to spot check the settings before the big game, you can activate Color Management from the Picture Menu. Though I would wait until the gang's all here and then I would amaze them with the little swing out sensor.

And to repeat, the picture quality looked great out of the box. I know because the installers discovered that the remote control was not in the original packing, so they couldn't even turn on the TV before they left. When the remote arrived two days later, I viewed the TV untouched since it left the Danish factory. All this gee whiz technology really does deliver the jaw inspiring drops.

To see if my eye matched more objective standards, I did go through our traditional setup procedure. I played the Blu-ray version of the Digital Video Essentials DVD called HD Basics on a Pioneer BDP-94HD Blu-ray player connected to the BeoVision 9 with an HDMI cable.

The test patterns were right on, which is fortunate because the picture adjustment controls are limited to Brightness, Contrast, and Color (Saturation). If the source is an NTSC signal, then Tint (Hue) is also activated.

You really can't do any fine tuning. There's not even a Sharpness control. Then again, who needs them? Only the severely afflicted tweakaholic would feel deprived. The rest of us can quietly rejoice.

Beyond the TLC that B & O has taken to produce a well calibrated image, the BeoVision 9 is a plasma, which is still my favorite display medium because of the deep black levels that this technology can create. (I'm withholding my judgment of OLEDs until I see a production model larger than 30".)

Experiencing the luscious, creamy images emanating from the BeoVision 9, I felt my eye sockets were lined with rich velvet.

Colors are true, blacks are bottomless, gradations are smooth. And at 50", you can appreciate all the details like noticing the shadows of clouds floating over the landscaped English garden in Pride and Prejudice or the guitar string ends flapping to the beat in Once.

If I had one complaint, the Sharpness on my review unit may be turned up a notch or two too much. I saw occasional fringing. As I said, there is no Sharpness control. Customer Support told me that Sharpness can only be adjusted in the Service Menu.

With Bang & Olufsen TVs, it's not just your eyes that are pampered. Your ears benefit from the years of devotion that B & O designers have paid to audio quality.

Even with the solitary center loudspeaker, the sound produced from the BV9 is the best that I have heard from an integrated TV audio system.

This one speaker does an admirable job of recreating a full bodied sound. In Once, listening to Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová discover their way through "Falling Slowly" was exhilarating.

And the sheer brawn of the system was evident when I wasn't willing to raise the Volume above 75 for fear of raising the dead when Mick was strutting through "Sympathy for the Devil" on the Shine a Light Blu-ray.

If you are so lucky to already own a set of BeoLab speakers, they will plug right into the BV9's BeoSystem. And in the Audio Menu, you can adjust them to match various seating and viewing arrangements. At CES, we have reveled in the delight of listening to a full B & O surround system. Imagine your ear canals lined in silk.

I connected my laptop through the VGA Out to the BV9's VGA In. The highest resolution compatible with the VGA In is 1280 x 720. The computer output to the TV looked great, but I would suggest that if your video card has a It can also carry an analog signal and comes as DVI-I (integrated - analog and digital), DVI-D (digital only) and DVI-A (analog only). Dual link DVI connections add additional resolution capabilities. Digital cable lengths should not exceed 15 feet. Specifications on DVI are available at www.ddwg.org. Click for more details on DVI.">DVI or HDMI output, use it. Then you can plug into the HDMI in and set your resolution to the TV's native 1920 x 1080.

Bang & Olufsen's BeoVision 9 wraps uncompromising picture and audio quality in a distinctive sculptural design. The bow on top of this plasma package is its ease of use.

Mitsubishi 40" MDT402S LCD Monitor Review
Dick De Jong
July 24, 2006
HDTV Solutions

I rarely wear a coat and cravat, but I am donning the proverbial blue blazer and red power tie to review the Mitsubishi 40" MDT402S Commercial LCD Monitor Display - the key descriptor here being commercial. This product, (with a WXGA [1366 x 768] resolution in a 16:9 video format), is designed and built for heavy-duty business uses such as digital signage; so, it needs a more button-down analysis.

For many of you who are building home theaters, monitors (meaning TVs without tuners) are a great solution when your primary video source derives from satellite or cable set top boxes. But let me reiterate, the MDT402S is a commercial monitor (with a corresponding price tag of $5995) and is not for the home videophile unless you are considering constructing a multiple screen video wall in your rumpus room.

With that said, if you are in the market for a monitor for your boardroom or classroom, read on. (Of course, if you are just curious about what features make a monitor commercial-class, you are more than welcome to tag along.)

Mitsubishi 40" MDT402S LCD Monitor

Out of the Box
When the trucking company delivered the shipment to my office in Texas, my first impression was that this cardboard box wouldn't withstand the torments of tradeshow travel. After toting it upstairs to the office and opening it, I discovered it was not the industrial 40" monitor I expected. So I resealed the box, called the shipping company and sent a wayward Mitsubishi Photo Kiosk off to its rightful home, a pharmacy in Indiana. A few days later, a stout black shipping container with a metal reinforced exoskeleton, four handles and four caster wheels, rolled up to my door. This was more like it. (Though, I have been informed that this formidable container is a separate expense and has a street price around $1200.)

The crate was impressive, but its bulk was not especially conducive to mounting a flight of stairs. (The wheels could also use a locking mechanism to prevent it from wandering away unattended.) So, out of the box, I was relieved to discover one of the MDT402S monitor's commercial features. It has two solid handles screwed into the back top of the frame. At 64 pounds (with stand), the monitor was definitely one-person luggable - though the Mitsubishi manual cautions that moving or installing the monitor must be done with two or more people. So for those installations where husky Teamsters are not available, you may want to bring a pocketful of tip money. And to ease engineering concerns, the metal frame back contains two lines of mounting screw holes that should accommodate almost any wall mount configuration.

The red/green power indicator, (which also acts as the remote control sensor), provides the only spot of color on the otherwise unassuming thin (about two inches) black bezel front. The Control Panel buttons are facing down and out of sight on the bottom right side of the monitor. This clean, minimalist look may not win any beauty contests; but for tasks like digital signage, you want the customers to be watching to the message, not admiring the messenger.

Setup
As is painfully common in the HDTV realm, the audio and video connectors are located on the lower part of the monitor's back, facing downward. To my eternal bane, I find this arrangement awkward to access when plugging in cables. Though with this monitor, it may not be as important since, in some installations, the unit would be wall mounted vertically, which would make those cloistered connectors easier to see and reach.

Showing its industrial pedigree, the MDT402S has three RGB inputs: a It can also carry an analog signal and comes as DVI-I (integrated - analog and digital), DVI-D (digital only) and DVI-A (analog only). Dual link DVI connections add additional resolution capabilities. Digital cable lengths should not exceed 15 feet. Specifications on DVI are available at www.ddwg.org. Click for more details on DVI.">DVI-D (HDCP), a mini D-Sub 15 pin, and a five Input BNC combo (R, G, B, H, and V). For looping video, there's also a mirror five Output BNC group.

Next in line is what Mitsubishi calls a DVD/HD connector. Labeled Y, CbPb, CrPr, again they are BNC types. Rounding out the video inputs are an S-Video, 2 composite connectors (BNC and RCA), and a BNC composite video out. For audio, the monitor provides three stereo inputs (2 RCA and 1 mini) and one stereo output (RCA). The MDT402S does not include speakers but it does have stereo speaker terminals (with an output impedance rating of 7W x 7W [8 Ohm]). For this reason, I did not test the monitor's audio capabilities.

Finally, and most importantly - if you plan to network this unit with others - on the side are two mini D-Sub 9 pin connectors (1 In and 1 Out). With a daisy chain setup, one computer with the right 3rd party software could control numerous monitors. At InfoComm, some vendors were touting programs that could handle up to at least 1000 TVs at once. Mama Mia! Alas, since Mitsubishi did not offer to send enough monitors to muster a video array, I could not test any of their networking capabilities.

Hooking up to the MDT402S was fairly straightforward. The DVI enabled OPPO DVD player was plugged into the DVI input.

Once again, when making video adjustments, different inputs allow you access to varying ranges of controls. For example, with the monitor set to the DVI connection, I was presented with a full menu of video tweaks (which are also available for the other two RGB inputs): Brightness, Contrast, Sharpness, Black Level, Color Control, and Color Temperature. Of note, the Color Control menu offers seven sliders for R, Y, G, C, B, M and Saturation.

To calibrate the monitor, I played the Digital Video Essentials DVD in the Oppo. I found that the Black Level control was particularly influential. At its factory setting of 50, I had to turn down Contrast and Brightness almost to 0 to obtain a satisfactory result. But by turning the Black Level to 46, I could bring back Brightness and Contrast to around 50, which allowed much more latitude for finer adjustments.

The remote control could not be described as svelte and it was more comfortable in my hand when it was turned upside down. However, it is easy to navigate around the remote because it isn't overpopulated with buttons. Most of the fine-tuning controls are located in the extensive On Screen Display (OSD) menus, which you can move off to the side of the screen to facilitate adjusting test patterns.

After sliding around the Color Controls, the colors were on the mark and consistent across the screen. Next, I wanted to test the monitor in a real world situation. Here's a hint from my real world, don't try to judge the color of a monitor from watching the first half hour of the Master and Commander DVD, which seems to take place mostly at night, or inside the ship, or during a storm, or all three at once. Though the shadowy scenes do furnish a true test of a monitor's contrast and the MDT402S, which is rated at 1000:1 Full On/Off contrast measures the ratio of the light output of an all white image (full on) and the light output of an all black (full off) image. 2) ANSI contrast is measured with a pattern of 16 alternating black and white rectangles. The average light output from the white rectangles is divided by the average light output of the black rectangles to determine the ANSI contrast ratio. When comparing the contrast ratio of video devices make sure you are comparing the same type of contrast. Full On/Off contrast will always be a larger number than ANSI contrast for the same video device.">Contrast Ratio, performed quite adequately but not Admiralably. (For appraising the perky color world, you might try a polychromatic pic like Legally Blonde.)

For my color gauge, I hooked up a Dish Network HD receiver to the monitor. The images on ESPNHD from the replay of the Germany vs. Portugal World Cup match were stunning. The colors were rich, saturated and true. The sharpness of the picture almost induced that 3D Nirvana that incites HD enthusiasts to wax poetic. Of course, if you switch to the non-HD broadcast, you swear that you have just crossed over the video equivalent of the River Styx. That is no strike against the MDT402S. Remember the chant, "HD programming for HDTVs."

Lest we forget, the MDT402S is a commercial product, so the next step was to see how it handled computer images. Since Mitsubishi is considerate enough to include a mini D-Sub 15 pin to mini D-Sub 15 pin cable in the MDT402S package, making the connection with a Dell Inspiron E1505 laptop was fairly painless. The only hiccup I encountered was that the monitor did not read the resolution of the computer output. After a bit of fiddling with both the laptop and the monitor, the best match was to set the computer to 1280 x 768 and the MDT402S to 1500 x 768, which cut off only about two pixels from the top and bottom of the laptop output.

The image quality from the computer source was clean, bright and sharp. The MDT402S handled Internet text handsomely. Photoshop images were true. One could get spoiled using this as a computer monitor. As an added touch, the enclosed CD included an ICC color profile for the monitor, which allows you to soft proof content in Photoshop that you are preparing to display on this unit.

Professional Driver on a Closed Course
If all those BNC connectors don't convince you that the MDT402S is a breed apart from the consumer models, digging deep into the Configuration menus should seal the deal. For example, among other tweaks in the Long Cable Manual submenu, (to compensate for image degradation caused by using a long cable), you can adjust the SOG Peak (Sync on Green). In the less arcane categories, tools exist for setting up video arrays like Tiling, Image Flip, and Monitor ID.

The rigors of digital signage applications can sometimes cause image persistence, where a ghost image lingers. To mitigate the problem, a Screen Saver function slightly expands and moves the image in four directions at a time interval that you can set. You also can program a schedule for turning on and off the monitor as well as picking which input source to play.

The manual, (which has its share of Asia-speak: "Display by the inputed signal aspect ratio by PC signal"), describes a host of other features that I won't cover here like PIP, POP, Black Level Expansion, Clock Phase and Gamma Selection. Needless to say, the MDT402S offers enough tweaks to keep the most dedicated video grease monkey jumping for joy.

Conclusion
On the surface, the MDT402S delivers a rich, clean image. Under the hood, it contains all the connections and controls that you would expect from a top class industrial monitor. To sweeten the deal, the MDT402S comes packaged with the MEMOS (Mitsubishi Express Monitor Onsite Service) Program, which includes a 24/7 technical support line, onsite repairs arranged within 48 hours, and a three-year limited warranty on parts and labor.

If you are in the market for a commercial grade monitor, you should definitely check out the MDT402S.