Digital Trends

Samsung HL-T5689S

November 19th, 2007 | by Dennis Barker

Testing and Use

In evaluating the Samsung HL-T5689S there were two primary high-definition sources employed: Dish Network’s new set-top box ViP722 HD DVR (480p, 720p & 1080i) and Samsung’s BD-P1200 Blu-ray Disc player (1080p). All connections to the video sources were accomplished via Tributaries new Series 9 HDMI cables that easily carry HDMI v. 1.3 signals.

Since our DishNetwork ViP 722 satellite box also includes an ATSC tuner, we were able to toggle back and forth between Cable HD, Satellite HD, and Over-the-Air HD signals quickly. So, we were also able to easily able compare ATSC vs. QAM vs. Satellite signals. We thought that the ASTC signals looked slightly cleaner and robust from our roof antenna than they did from either Cable HD or satellite HD signals. That said, however, both cable and satellite provided us with all of our local channels in HD. So, it’s a tradeoff.

Certainly, the HL-T5689S produced high definition images from our EchoStar Satellite HD set-top box via an HDMI connection in an exemplary manner. Certain HD channels do stand out, however, including: HDNet, DiscoveryHD Theater, HBO-HD, StrarzHD, and Showtime-HD. Colors are vibrant, life-like and quite natural looking. Watching original programming like Weeds or Brotherhood (shot in HD), for example, on Showtime makes it very apparent that you are watching HD as the program source as it has a more film-like appearance in HD than SD. This is especially true for DiscoveryHD Theater. Insects, and all of nature, never looked so realistic. Of course, sporting events in HD are the “crème de la crème” of HD images, as they need to be seen to be fully appreciated. For example, you can easily count the blades of grass or Astro Turf from football games or discern the rubble on asphalt on NBC-HD's NASCAR racing. Unbelievable! Standard definition NTSC signals looked as good as they could get at 480p from EchoStar esp. the SciFi Channel's Doctor Who or BBC’s Torchwood. Of course, re-runs of these shows in HD on Universal's HD channel look nothing short of spectacular! The colors displayed on the HL-T5689S were truly vibrant, bright and very life-life giving you the impression that you are part of the action. Amazing!

Of course, watching and listening to movies in standard definition is OK, but to get the real benefits of an HD set you have to watch content in high def and 1080p. While we had initially viewed Samsung's first BD offering late last Summer (2006), which we found unacceptable, we turned to Samsung's 2nd generation BDP-1200 that includes Silicon Optix’s Reon chipset as a terrific source for high-definition Blu-ray movies in screen resolutions of 1080p. We have watched numerous Blu-ray movies including Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, X-Men: The Last Stand, Kingdom of Heaven, and UNDERWORLD Evolution to name a few titles. This last title mentioned, however, was chosen because it is especially taxing on a DLP TV because there are so many dark scenes throughout the entire movie. Needless to say, the gradations of gray-to-black made the texture of the film appear very crisp and precise, and different shades of black were easily discernable.

Other more recent titles that were watched include: Disney/Pixar’s Cars, Disney/Pixar’s Ratatouille, Surf’s Up, and Walt Disney’s Meet The Robinsons that showed nothing short of spectacular animation reaching levels not even seen in most theaters. Recent live action titles included Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, The Day After Tomorrow, Casio Royale, and the 30th Anniversary Ultimate Edition of CLOSE ENCOUTNERS of the Third Kind. This is one of the first titles to include both Dolby TrueHD5.1 and DTS-HD Master Audio5.1, and, we have to say that Sony Pictures did a heck of job on the visuals and audio, which were off the scale. Of course, standard definition DVD fare also looked exceptional when played back on the BDP-1200 such as live music concert from Celtic Woman – A New Journey or Eagles – Hell Freezes Over, for example, and The Abyss – Special Edition.

Image Courtesy of Samsung