Tech Blog

Svelte. Sexy. Samsung.
Yes, it's thin. Incredibly thin. It's amazing that Samsung has been able to pack so much technology into such a slim package. It's even more amazing that the overall quality of the display is equal to or greater than that of some its equally expensive and much thicker brethren. On top of stellar visual quality Samsung has stacked integrated DLNA networking and impressive internet features. The Samsung 7000 and 7100 series LED display has a whole lot going for it. Let's break it down.

Hardware
At just over 1" (2.9cm) thin the Samsung 7000 / 7100 is remarkably thin. It's also relatively light, weighing in at just 22.5kg with the stand and 17.7kg without. I was able to easily move the panel around to assemble it with the stand on my own. It should be noted that the stand is a slightly flawed design; there are three plastic tabs on the stand that slide into the unit to help lock it in place. If you repeatedly place these tabs under stress (the type of stress suffered by removing and replacing the stand more than a few times) it's clear that they can weaken and break. The demo unit sent to me by Samsung only had one tab remaining and I'm sad to say that it didn't survive being attached again. That said, it didn't affect the strength of the stand when assembled, so it's a minor quibble. If you're like most out there, you'll want to wall-mount the 7000 or 7100 series LED. It's an elegant look; at just over an inch thick it strikes a sophisticated silhouette on the wall. The wall mount has an unique look of its own; like the 7000 and 7100 series LED it's got a thin profile. You can rest assured that if you've got one of these displays on your wall it'll turn heads. The wall mount is sold separately. The most noticeable thing about mounting it on the stand is that it's not noticeable. It's a subtle, thin stand that swivels quietly and carries the Touch of Colour motif, giving it a unified look. The stand is included. The Touch of Colour design is gorgeous. On the 7000 series you'll find a lovely ruby red tinge to the polished display, offering an elegance that's rarely found in home electronics. The 7100 series features a slate gray high light - it's a nice touch that would fit into almost any decor.  Both models are exclusive to Future Shop in Canada. The red power LED can be turned off while the unit is in standby or off altogether. I didn't find it terribly distracting while I was watching, but it's nice to know that it can be shut off. Connections If you're connecting the Samsung 7000  or 7100 through HDMI you'll find four ports recessed into the left hand side of the unit. Two USB ports and a digital optical port are placed above the HDMI ports. Analog ports include a single component input (it can double as a composite input in a pinch) as well as an RF jack for coaxial cable. A PC input (HD-15 VGA) sits next to the component video and can be used with a stereo mini audio jack on the side. A network jack is available, and the USB ports are spaced far enough apart to facilitate the optional Wireless Adapter.

Connection via HDMI is simple. The ports are recessed enough to ensure that your cables don't show whether it's stand or wall-mounted. The HDMI 1 input is compatible with HDMI-DVI cables with the PC audio input providing sound. The majority of my testing was done over HDMI at 24p watching Blu-ray discs; the connection is fast and reliable. HDMI-CEC (Samsung calls it AnyNet+) works well, even when connected through a receiver.

Video Quality
The picture quality of the Samsung 7000 and 7100 series is among the best I've seen in an LCD television. Colours are vivid and the display is exceptionally bright. I tested the 7000 with the recent release of the Public Enemies Blu-ray and I was particularly impressed with the contrast and the distinct details available across scenes of all brightness levels. When properly calibrated the unit also produced deep blacks and detailed grays. Whites are pure, and when set to auto the colour space is rich. Avoid the Native colour setting, it saturates the green to an unwanted level.

The LEDs lighting the unit are side mounted; this is one of the reasons the display is so thin. A series of reflective plates is used to project light into the centre of the display - it's a technological achievement that deserves kudos. This does mean, however,  that there's some slight light bleeding at the corners of the unit. Due to the global dynamic lighting this can only be seen in brighter scenes where the picture does not fill the display (wider aspect ratio films will show some bleed in the black bars in bright scenes). The 7000 / 7100 is incredibly responsive; in 120Hz mode the video is crisp and clean. As I've mentioned in my earlier reviews it's my personal opinion that 120Hz mode should be restricted to sports and live events; the slick, video "too real" feel ruins the shot pacing of filmed material and television - everything seems a little off. Conversely, the 24p mode on supporting Blu-ray discs is excellent, the picture is appropriately clean and feels good to watch. There's very little judder to be seen (the only time I was able to detect anything resembling jitter was watching the white-on-black credits roll). Natural film motion looks fantastic. Gaming in HD produces a picture that's beautiful to see. Much like Blu-ray, the colours you'll see from a PlayStation 3 or the Xbox 360 are rich and detailed. I tested both Uncharted 2: Among Thieves and Assassin's Creed II and was wowed by what I saw. Game mode disengages much of the video processing, as well as shutting off the auto-brightness - crucial for the fast lighting changes you'll see in many modern games.

Watching SD television is good, but not great. The noise reduction and video processing helps, but there's only so much you can do with an SD signal. HDTV, on the other hand, looks pretty spectacular. HD sports really pop, and HD action programming looks almost 3D. The Samsung 7000 / 7100 series is an all-around performer.

Audio performance
Sound performance is good - especially impressive given the slight frame that the display has to work with. Volume is good and the sound is pure up to a very loud level, but the speakers product a slightly empty sound that doesn't do much to establish a 3D sound stage. Dialog is clear and it's easy to hear, but for if you're going to be using the 7000 or 7100 for home theatre or gaming I'd suggest connecting it to a home theatre system or surround sound audio projector.

Network and content features
Whether you're connecting via wired network cable or through the optional wireless adapter, you'll find that the networking on the Samsung 7000 / 7100 series is fast. The Internet@TV features take you beyond TV with handy Internet enabled widgets from the Yahoo Widget Engine. You can connect with weather, news, photos streamed from Flickr, stock prices, and more. The overlay on the Samsung 7000 / 7100 series is more responsive than other displays I've tested, and there's no drop in video quality when it's displayed over TV.

The DLNA streaming features are good; I was especially pleased with the ability to browse to DLNA sources directly from the input menu (all of my DLNA media drives showed up there instantly). I was able to browse to pictures and music without a problem. Some of my video worked well, but most (XviD videos) did not. Samsung provides a DLNA program that you can use to turn your PC into a DLNA server. I didn't demo this as my media resides on one of my Macs and the program, sadly, is Windows only. The integrated Content Library is a fascinating feature. Samsung has taken the time to build a host of content options into the display (along with their other displays). The gallery features photos and art that you can use to turn your new TV into a picture frame; it's a subtle way of making the display blend into your decor. Recipes and exercise videos can teach you some skills that you might enjoy, and there are basic games that both adults and children will enjoy. There is over 500MB of space available for content and currently 83MB are used. The content download function implies that there will be more content to download in the future. If I could suggest one polite thing it would be: get new music. The cheerful muzak that's featured on most of the content will make you thankful for the mute key on the remote. Conclusions The Samsung 7000 / 7100 series is a unique type of display. Blending high quality video with exceptional industrial design, and excellent added features makes this TV a solid choice. The deep black levels, rich contrast, and 24p mode makes it a worthy choice as the centre of your home theatre. 120Hz mode and the wide colour gamut make it a great display for the sports fan and Game mode is perfect for gamers (you'll enjoy the faster response time and most likely won't miss the video processing if you're playing with a receiver that can do the work for you). Aesthetically speaking, it's a beautiful piece of design. The Touch of Colour (whether you choose red or gray) is subtle and charming. There are enough connections to fill the needs of most consumers. I feel confident recommending the 7000 / 7100 series. If you're looking for a display that really stands out in terms of form and picture quality, I think you'll be pleased with this display. Despite the minor quibbles with the stand and with some slight light bleeding, the experience with this unit has been favourable and I enjoyed the time I spent watching it.