Samsung bring us tulips from Suwon
May this year has seen an extrordinary number of new HDTV releases and amongst the most popular sellers are the Tulip ranges from Samsung. The new M86/M87 and N86/N87 series are set to rival the success of the Korean electronics gaint's Bordeaux range which has also seen new releases this month (R86/R87/R88). The cause of the excitment over the Tulip range is not hard to see. They offer Full HD resolution with 1080p input and exceptionally high contrast ratios of up to 15000:1.
Of the two versions of the series, the N8 sets have slightly inferior specifications when compared to the M8. Contrast ratios on the Ns "only" rate at 10000:1. They also have side mounted speakers where the M's have them neatly hidden away. It is good to see then that only the M series are being marketed actively in the UK. If you are wondering what is the difference between the M86 and M87 series the answer is cosmetic. The M87s have a chrome finish at the bottom of the screen whereas the M86s are all in black. The DSG retail group which includes Currys, Dixons and PC World are said to have an exclusive agreement with Samsung to sell the M86 series in the UK. Others are selling the M87s.
The Tulip range is available in five sizes; 32, 37, 40, 46 and 52 inches. The 32 inch versions are the odd ones out because instead of having Full HD resolution they have a 100 Hz frame rate. The higher frame rate is twice the norm for UK video and the extra alternate frames are not just repetitions of the previous ones. Samsung have introduced motion compnesated frame interpolation (MCFI) to generate the intermediate frames, so fast motion should be super clear. Similar technology is now available from all the major LCD HDTV makers but Samsung also use it to add interpolated frames when displaying movie video recorded at 24 fps. This "Movie Plus" feature is available on the 40, 46 and 52 inch Tulip sets.
Pioneer go back to black
For most HDTV buyers, the LCD market is easily the more attractive than plasma. Sony, Sharp and Samsung have ramped up mass production and large volume means low prices on a range of LCD TVs of all sizes. But if you still want the best large screen that money can buy, plasma is still king. For colour range, contrast levels and response time, LCD cannot yet match plasma, but quality comes at a price.
Pioneer have invested their TV future 100% into plasma and will be in trouble if the plasma market dies. Unlike Panasonic, LG, Philips and Sony, they do not have a range of LCD Tvs to fall back on. In the last year they have faced losses, but recent company reports put them back in the black. "Back to black" is also the theme of their new range of plasmas. To keep ahead they have given up the low to middle range market to their LCD competitors and will concentrate now on the high end of quality with a new range of plasmas hyped as "The World's best flat screen TV".