The television market is one place where brand innovation does not stand still. About twice a year the major television manufacturers are releasing new models that improve upon the previous in many respects. If you have been scouting around the net and are looking for a quick and easy guide to 3 of the better models available at the moment then read on – we have chosen these based mainly on affordability, since there is nothing more galling than buying an expensive TV only to see it half in price in the space of two months. Only one out of these three sets comes without 3D, and unsurprisingly it is the cheapest of the lot. The jury is still out on whether or not this technology is a must have features instead of a novelty and our choices reflect that.
1) Samsung D6000 1080p 46”TV – 120Hz Refresh Rate – Slimline TV
Pros: Samsung have a good track record for producing high quality TV’s and the D6000 is their deluxe model that comes without 3D. There are a wide range of modes and picture settings built in to the box and like most modern TV’s it should ideally be calibrated to get the best out of it but the default settings are very good with a bright, clear image. The colors and contrast levels are exceptional and the blacks are very good with no flashlighting that we could notice.
Appearance wise, the D6000 is an eye catcher with its ultra thin display – at just over an inch thick it boggles the mind as to how technology has moved on in the last decade. The faintly colored bezel is a nice touch and adds a bit of character that other 46” TV’s lack.
As usual for a Samsung, it comes loaded with extra connectivity options such as the ability to stream movies from a media centre or you can just plug a USB pen drive into the side. Codec options are impressive and a step up from previous Samsung models that sometimes struggled.
Cons: The audio quality is pretty good out of the box, but you will probably want to connect it up to an amp to get full surround sound – every TV suffers from this problem but in fairness the audio is a lot better than something like a Samsung A550. The 3D pseudo audio effect is ok but no substitute for the real thing.
The Auto Motion Plus feature is great for certain types of programs, and not so great for others. For sports or other high speed video where the frame can change substantially from moment to moment it does a good job of filling in the in-between frames, but for movies or even basic television it could be argued that this feature should be turned off. It takes 3 seconds to do so – a minor issue.
Overall:
If you are like most people and not too bothered about 3D then the Samsung D6000 46” TV is one of the top televisions out there. It is also extremely affordable when compared to other televisions, and the range of features are unmatched, and will most likely be upgraded with newer firmware as time goes on making this a top purchase. The picture quality is top notch, and the minor downsides of this set still don’t detract from what must be the best value for money deluxe 46”TV set out there at the moment. Recommended.
2) Sony Bravia 46” TV EX720 (KDL46EX720) – 240Hz Refresh Rate – 1080p – 3D
This Sony TV is their upper-middle tier model, packed full of features such as 3D, wireless internet streaming from Hulu and other websites (with a USB adapter), and it also somes with a 240Hz crystal clear 1080p display. Sony televisions have a reputation for being a bit on the pricey side but this model is probably the most affordable for its featureset.
Pros: The picture quality on this model is excellent. Sony attribute this to their new side-lit LED which lights the screen from the side rather from behind like a traditional backlight. This is part of the reason as to why the set is so thin, at 1.6 inches, thicker than the Samsung but still impressive. The quality of the blacks is very good and a good improvement over previous models.
The 3D is pretty good, although you will need a few sets of 3D glasses if you want the entire family to be able to view the screen at once.. Darts and sports are particularly impressive on the 1080p display when viewed in 3D. Since this TV has double the refresh rate of the Samsung, the screen is silky smooth with MotionFlow turned on, which is Sony’s take on high speed interpolation, and the algorithm seems to produce better results than the Samsung’s “Auto Motion Plus” when watching television normally.
Cons: Out of all 3 sets listed here, the Sony has the worst audio of the bunch. The speakers point downwards from the bottom of the casing, and while this keeps the speakers hidden from view the audio seems to be slighty off. As usual, a separate audio amp for 7.1 surround sound is recommended. The other thing that works against the Sony is the price of the 3D glasses (around $100!).
Overall:
The Sony EX720 46” TV is a terrific high quality 3D television, but the chances are that most people will skip this feature after a few uses. Luckily the picture quality in 2D is among the best out there , and it is a terrific range of applications built into the TV too. It’s a pity about the sound, but if you can afford this TV you will no doubt also connect it up to a separate amp. One of the best 46” TV’s you can find for this price.
3) Toshiba WX800 (46WX800U) – 240 Hz Refresh Rate – 1080p – 3D
Finally, the 46” TV model of the Toshiba WX800 is another prime contender for one of the best 46” LCD TV’s on the market. It has all of the features of the Sony, but it benefits from built in wifi, whereas the Sony requires an extra dongle that can be hard to find online. If you are one of those people who likes to connect your TV up to the internet the built in Tosh apps offer ways to check your favourite apps such as YouTube. This is another 3D tv, and the Toshiba implementation is very good, although perhaps not quite as good as Sony’s.
Pros: 3D performance is fantastic on this set, with images literally jumping out of the screen. It is a little better than the Sony in this respect. Moving onto the overall design of the TV, the thin casing is achieved thanks to another edge-lit LED system. The automatic brightness system, dubbed AutoView, is unusual in that it actually works, and the chances are that you will keep it turned on unlike with most TV’s.
The audio side of things are pretty good for a TV too, and the noise levels managed to fill the room despite the small size of the speakers.
Cons: The 2D image on this set is not quite as good as the other sets. You need to do a lot of calibration to get the colors to look just right. The image quality is amazing, however when in motion the image appears to lose a lot of this clarity – this is hardly noticeable, but it is apparent when compared to other high end TV’s in the 46 inch bracket.
Overall:
The Toshiba WX800 is a fantastic TV that has arguably the best 3D output over the Sony. If 3D is a big deal to you, then this set may be worth consideration. However, there are better sets out there with more vivid 2D output.
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