Samsung LE23R41BX 23" Rome II LCD Television Best Buy

High Resolution, not HD - 06 Jun 2006

1 out of 1 found this review helpful.

Strictly speaking, this TV is not HD Ready.

However, it is High Resolution, and capable of displaying a 720p picture via the PC Input.

According to standards, 'HD Ready' indicates that a product can display an HD Picture (either 540p/1080i, 720p or 1080p lines) via a pure digital connection whilst retaining HDCP (high-definition copy protection, what Macrovision is to Scart) via DVI or HDMI. This TV has neither format, hence 4/5. It does, however, have a VGA connector to plug in to your computer/media centre so you can play HD media back on it.

To get the best picture on this from your DVD Player (for example), a good quality Component video cable (3 independent video signals with three connectors) is an absolute must ESPECIALLY if your player is capable of outputting progressive scanlines - Scart, SVideo or Component simply don't do the job well enough.

All in all, its a superb TV - Samsung make some of the best LCD displays in the business, and their TVs do not disappoint. The internal speakers are pretty lame, but the internal mute + phono RCA out make it nice and easy to run this into a regular hifi amplifier. The remote's a little clunky, but it doesn't have a ton of superfluous buttons which makes it nice and wife-friendly (sorry ladies). Viewable angle on this is amongst the best I've seen, and there's no noticeable ghosting on fast moving action scenes or gaming - if you get any then invest in better cables!

So, if you're thinking about purchasing a smaller High Definition tv, this is the one. Just remember, a TV is only as good as its cables - you should spend a good £20-£30+ on a component cable for your DVD player to get the best picture, and about the same on a good scart cable (if not more) from a Freeview/Cable/Sky box.

Samsung LE23R41B LCD TV - 09 Mar 2006

21 out of 22 found this review helpful.

This is a smart looking piece of kit, with a good picture and sound. It is disappointing to note that the PIP will only work with a PC input (one of the reasons for 4/5 stars). It has a lot of adjustment facilities to get the kind of picture you like with respect to colour, contrast, brightness etc. and good sound adjustments for different types of programmes. It is HD ready, but without any inputs especially for HD due to its high resolution.

Having two scarts is great, although it does not switch back to TV once an AV connection is switched off like most sets I have seen. I have a Freeview, VHS Video (yes they are still around) and a DVD all permanently connected to the unit, so there is no need to fiddle about. Since there is a built in tuner there is also an aerial connection. The connections are all easily reachable and clearly marked.

The unit is easily wall mountable, and I would suggest getting a flat wall mount to keep it close to the wall, unless you really need swivel and tilt, as it then seems to stick out more than needed. It does however come with a table stand.

Not too happy about the design of the remote, (another reason for 4/5 stars). It is chunky, and buttons close together, and not easy to find in the dark like with some remotes. Final thing not too happy about (the final reason for 4/5 stars), is that is always stays in a standby mode when not used. To turn the power completely off means disconnection from the wall socket, which is a pain if the socket is behind a unit or something.

Overall, a good size of screen and picture though, with auto wide selcetion, with good pic and sound and features, but shop around as it is immediately available at better prices.