Twenty-seven inches may be a standard TV screen size, but the Premiere Series TXN2771HF's splendid picture quality is anything but standard. This sleek and surprisingly compact set offers everything from high-definition resolution (1080i/480p) to a multitude of inputs and picture enhancements, as well as stylish and--dare we say it--fun Light-Touch front-panel controls. The Light-Touch keys illuminate when you touch an icon, letting you access TV menu settings without having to use the supplied remote control. For the screen, Samsung's proprietary DynaFlat technology delivers a perfectly flat viewing surface with none of the curvature, image distortion, or detrimental glare that accompany traditional TV screens. Hook the set up with any DTV set-top box or progressive-scan DVD player to take full advantage of its high resolution and picture-enhancing technologies.
This particular 800-line screen brings higher resolution than that achieved by earlier-generation sets because the individual phosphor color spots (or pixels) are smaller and closer together in this configuration. The set's multiple-focus electron gun illuminates finer spots for a more detailed picture, edge-to-edge, and it's assisted in this job by a three-line digital comb filter and velocity-scan modulation circuitry.
Velocity-scan modulation improves the definition at picture edges, creating sharper images by slowing the CRT (cathode-ray tube) beam's horizontal scanning during demanding work--say, when rendering transitions from light to dark parts of an image--and speeding it up when scanning easily rendered sections, like broad dark areas.
Another set of image improvements is wrapped into Samsung's Pro Picture three-stage video correction: Total DSP (Digital Signal Processing), Pro Chip Plus (converts all interlaced analog signals to superior, flicker-free progressive scan images), and the above-mentioned three-line digital comb filter (which analyzes multiple lines of picture information to better minimize edge image artifacts while improving transition detail).
A shadow mask is a thin sheet of perforated metal behind the screen that restricts electron flow, each hole in the sheet corresponding to a single pixel. An Invar mask uses an alloy that's especially resistant to the high temperatures generated by the electron beam, allowing in a brighter, clearer picture.
The TXN2771HF performs 3:2 pulldown detection, a handy feature for watching progressive-scan movie programs in their native 24-frame format. Digital video mastering introduces a common distortion when adjusting 24-frames-per-second movies to 30 fps video; 3:2 pulldown digitally corrects this distortion, removing the redundant information to display a film-frame-accurate picture.
Connections include a component-video input, an S-video input, a trio of composite-video inputs (with accompanying stereo analog RCA audio inputs), an RF input (for VCR or cable box), and a set of audio/video outputs for feeding a DVR or VCR. Convenient side-panel audio/video inputs foster hookups with camcorders and gaming consoles while preserving the set's uncluttered silver front panel.
A zoom screen-filling option lets you customize the view of letter-boxed DVDs from the supplied remote control, while screen-capture picture freezing lets you view still images, even with broadcast television. Convenient side-panel buttons let you configure the set and access its menus without having to use the remote.
The TXN2771HF's 15 watts per channel (x 2) ensures sonic clarity and an ability to play loudly. Several sound modes offer dynamic audio settings for whatever you're watching; choose from standard, music, movie, speech, or custom. Surround-sound mode simulates an exciting surround effect from any two speakers, and a side-panel headphone jack allows private listening (headphones not included).
What's in the Box
TV, universal remote control, remote batteries, and user's manual.
