Digital Trends

Samsung HL-T5689S

November 19th, 2007 | by Dennis Barker

Test grids from Digital Video Essentials and Silicon Optix’s HQV Benchmark Ver.1 for Blu-ray certainly confirmed what our eyes were telling me with regards to image clarity. The Silicon Optix disc adds various tests including those for “jaggies.” Essentially, “jaggies” are produced if a display cannot properly lock onto an image, and the image blurs slightly. Good examples are how the viewing stands look as a speeding race car drives by or the American flag blows in the breeze. We happy to report that the Samsung HL-T5689S passed with flying colors. Color bars, for example, were in perfect alignment with no coloring bleeding between colors. As well, the lines between colors were straight and true with no jagged edges either. Grayscale transformed itself from light to dark seamlessly. Test patterns clearly re-affirmed image clarity with image resolution! The bottom line: in each and every case, the Samsung HL-T5689S produced sparkling HD signals that were bright, clear, and robust.

Conclusion

As an official second-generation LED DLP HDTV, we are extremely pleased with the image quality produced by Samsung’s HL-T5689S. LED illumination is the way of the future, and is now being included in flat-panel TVs as well. The PhlatLight chipset from Luminus Devices does a heck of a job in producing very bright images – better than most stand-alone lamps. And the fact that you never have to change a bulb is certainly a plus. Now, instead of waiting for the set to warm up as in other DLP TVs, the PhlatLight chipset allows for “instant on,” which is as it should be – just like it was with those “old-fashioned” CRTs. And, once on, the images from all sources are extremely pleasing on the eye.

The displayed HD images from satellite (EchoStar), cable, and over-the-air broadcasts (via antenna) appear quite natural and life-like. Contrast and brightness is outstanding! 1080p images from Samsung’s Blu-ray player looked exceptional as well. Until something better comes along, this set is right up there with some of our all-time favorite HDTVs. The fact that it doesn’t have a color wheel or UHP lamp means that the images will never get dim nor will there be any rainbow effect. Also, if you want that big screen experience, you don’t need a flat-panel set unless you plan on hanging it on the wall. This set fills the bill quite nicely. At a depth of only 14-inches, it sits nicely on any TV base that is an excellent place to put all of your components anyway. And, at a price of $2,695 USD (list), this set is a bargain. If you’re in the market for a high-definition TV, and who isn’t these days, this is a set that is definitely worth considering.

Pros:

• 1080p DLP High-Output Light Engine with BrillantColor
• PhlatLight Technology
• Instant On
• 3 HDMI v. 1.3 inputs (side for easy attachment of HDMI-enabled devices)
• RS-232C
• Slim depth cabinetry 


Cons:

• Not well laid out remote with only 4 illuminated keys.