There's been significant buzz on the LCD HDTV front lately, much of it surrounding models with 120-Hz scanning, a feature designed to combat picture lag in fast-motion images. But the arrival of panels that do away with the standard CCFL (cold cathode fluorescent light) backlight in favor of LED lamp arrays is another development that tech-savvy shoppers have been anticipating. Both Samsung and Sony rolled out mega-size versions of such sets in 2007 — and, at $30,000-plus, with mega-size price tags to match. But Samsung's new LN-T4681F 46-inch model, priced at $3,999, represents a more real-world implementation.
The LED backlight allows Samsung's 81 Series LCDs (also available with 40-, 52-, and 57-inch screens) to pack a number of notable features. First and foremost is LED SmartLighting, also known as "local dimming." When active, this feature divides the TV's LED array into zones that can be turned off in areas where dark shadows are being displayed. By selectively shutting off sections in this manner, the TV can achieve deeper blacks than those on models with a CCFL backlight, which is always turned on. Another useful feature of the Samsung is LED Motion Plus, which effectively reduces motion lag in fast-motion images by cycling the eight individual rows in the LED array, sequentially turning each row off and on every eighth of a second.
Like many other recent TVs I've tested, the LN-T4681F has a glossy all-black front. But the Samsung differs from other LCDs, most of which have a nonreflective screen surface, in that the glossy façade extends to the screen itself: A fair amount of reflected light can pool up on the screen during daytime viewing, making careful control of ambient room light a serious matter with this TV.
Beyond that, a few nice design touches help the Samsung stand out from the crowd. Virtual buttons with LED indicators on the front let you power the TV on and off, switch sources, and browse menus. Speakers are embedded into the set's back and sides, with slim plastic columns that line the screen's left and right edges acting as sound diffusers. And the swiveling stand can be used to pivot the display 30° in either direction.
The congested keypad on the slim remote control means you'll probably have trouble finding buttons in a dark room (I did). On the plus side, the remote has backlit volume and channel keys, although those rarely get used in home theater setups.
Setup
The Movie preset on the LN-T4681F delivered fairly natural-looking, unenhanced images from the get-go. Both this and the TV's other two presets, Standard and Dynamic, can be modified independently for each input, and the set stores your changes. To get things looking good, I first selected Movie mode and then dialed in the Warm 2 Color Temperature and Auto Color Space settings. The variable Backlight worked best when left at midpoint; other settings, like Edge Enhancement and My Color Control, I ignored entirely.
