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SINGAPORE : Do our television sets really need to do more than display movies, TV shows or games? Samsung obviously thinks so, and its latest portfolio of TVs, ranging from the Series 7 to 9, lets you play simple games, view recipes and catch the latest news headlines.
The 40-inch Samsung LCD 750 Series (S$3,299) that we reviewed is a classy-looking number, with a red-tinted glossy bezel framing the screen like an art piece.
It touts two unique features - InfoLive and Content Library. InfoLive pulls the latest news feeds from Yahoo! via the Internet, letting you view weather forecasts, stock prices and news on top of whatever you’re viewing, just like a news widget in Mac OS X or a gadget in Windows Vista.
Information is channelled via an ethernet cable hooked up to your router or modem. Samsung provided us with a USB Wi-Fi accessory, so make sure you get one, too, if you prefer going wireless.
The various information channels are easy to navigate and scrolling through news feeds with the remote is a breeze. However, you can’t customise the channels to suit your needs.
Content Library offers a selection of content in categories such as Cooking, Fitness and Children. It also provides an interactive games category and a gallery that displays slideshows of art or photos accompanied by music.You can follow the onscreen demonstration of exercises, such as stretching routines, in the Fitness section.
Content Library is an interesting feature, but content could be improved. Maybe Samsung could create more compelling content featuring big names in cooking or fitness. I, for one, wouldn’t mind cooking tips from domestic goddess Nigella Lawson or celebrity chef Jamie Oliver on Content Library.
Another gripe we had was that updates for the Content Library could only be done by first downloading content to a USB memory stick on a computer, then plugging it into the LCD. Why can’t we use the ethernet port or the Wi-Fi accessory to get updates directly?
The built-in speakers on the TV can stand on their own, with little audio distortion when we crank up the volume to the max, but the higher end of the audio range gets muddled at times.
The TV has four HDMI inputs, a VGA input and two sets of component inputs. It includes a digital television receiver that makes the TV future-proof when we make the jump to digital broadcasts.
It’s hard to be disappointed by the visual performance of this 1080p-capable LCD. It has a contrast ratio of 70,000:1 and the 100Hz Motion Plus feature reduces jitter during frenetic scenes in sports or action flicks. High-definition footage on a Blu-ray movie and gameplay in 1080p from an Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 look crisp, with vibrant colours. Upscaled DVD movies on the Series 7 fared well, too.
Its visual prowess is especially evident when you view artwork from the gallery in Content Library. Showing works from greats like Vincent van Gogh, Paul Cezanne and Claude Monet, the glossy display make colours “pop” and you can almost feel the texture of the brush strokes.
We now understand why Samsung eschewed the curvesof its earlier TVs for a design that could frame visuals well.
- TODAYrose
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