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  • Tour & Design

  • Performance Features

  • Connectivity & Media

  • Controls, Menu & Remote

  • Conclusion

  • Series Comparison

  • Tour & Design
  • Performance Features
  • Connectivity & Media
  • Controls, Menu & Remote
  • Conclusion
  • Series Comparison

Tour & Design


From the front the Samsung UN46B7000 looks very similar to its B6000 series mates. There is a glass-like glossy bezel that transitions from black to a subtle red and finally to a clear edging. Along the bottom edge of the bezel you'll find the on-tv controls.

Back


On the back of the Samsung UN46B7000 you'll find all of the ports arraanged on the right side of the HDTV when facing the back.

Sides


There are no features on either side of the Samsung UN46B7000, but you can admire the impressive 1.25 inch thickness of the HDTV from this vantage point.

Stand/Mount

 


The Samsung UN46B7000's mirrors its bezel, with a glossy black finish that has red highlights and fades to clear at the edges. The stand does rotate on what looks like a glass pillar, although it's more likely made of plastic. You can also mount the HDTV on the wall.

Aesthetics


The subtle red finish of the Samsung UN46B7000 along with the smooth lines, easy curves and glossy finish make for an attractive HDTV.

Performance Features

Display Size & Technology


The Samsung UN46B7000 is a 46-inch LCD HDTV that uses LED backlights instead of the more traditional Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamps (CCFL). LED backlighting offers several benefits, including lower power consumption and potentially more accurate colors. We say potentially because we have not had the opportunity to review an LED backlit HDTV yet, so we'll reserve judgement until we get the UN46B7000 into our labs.

In order to achieve the 1.25-inc thickness of the UN46B7000 Samsung used edge LED backlighting. This involves lining the LEDs along the edge of the display and then bouncing the light off of reflective surfaces behind the display.

Formats & Resolution


The Samsung UN46B7000 natively supports 1080p content, with a resolution fo 1920 x 1080. This means it will be able to display the highest quality HD content available without any additional processing necessary.

Brightness, Blacks and Contrast Ratio


Samsung hasn't made any numbers available regarding black level, brightness and contrast ratio. We look forward to getting the Samsung UN46B7000 into our labs to see how it performs in these areas.

Color


On the show floor we noticed that colors on the Samsung UN46B7000 were a bit oversaturated, but without actually calibrating the HDTV and testing it we can't make any definitive conclusions about color performance. Once again this will have to wait until we see the television in our labs.

Motion & Refresh Rate


The Samsung UN46B7000 supports a 120Hz refresh rate, which should provide for better motion performance than the more standard 60Hz refresh rate seen on most HDTVs.

Viewing Angle


On the show floor we were quite pleased with the viewing angle we saw from the Samsung UN46B7000. Colors and blacks both stayed solid throughout a wide range of angles. We looking forward to finding out if this impression is borne out in our testing.

Connectivity & Media

Audio & Video Ports


The Samsung UN46B7000 offers a good range of connectivity options, including 4 HDMI ports, 1 component input, 1 analog audio input, 1 3.5mm headphone jack and 1 3.5mm audio input that provides audio from a PC connected to the VGA port and an optical audio outpu.

We did notice that the UN46B7000 lacks some legacy ports like an analog video input, analog audio out or S-video input. This may be a sign of the times, but there are still plenty of people out there with equipment that requires these types of ports so that's something to consider if you're interested in purchasing the UN46B7000.

Media & Other Connectivity


In addition to the ports above the Samsung UN46B7000 sports two USB ports and an ethernet port for internet connectivity. You can view music, videos from connected USB devices. The ethernet port allows you to access both Samsung's Infolink service as well as a wider array of content via Yahoo Widgets. In addition there is 2GB of internal flash on the HDTV so you can download content, although Samsung did make clear that as of this writing this does not include premium content like movies or television shows.

Placement


The Samsung UN46B7000 are placed on the back of the HDTV towards the right side when facing the back. They are arrayed in a reverse L shape, with ports facing either the right side or down, depending on which leg they are on. Samsung told us this was necessary to keep the HDTVs profile to its slim 2.5-inches. The placement is close to the edge, but we still worry that they may be a bit of a chore to access, especially if the HDTV is mounted on a wall.

Audio


The Samsung UN46B7000 has two downward facing speakers with an output of 10 watts each.

Controls, Menu & Remote

Remote


We were not able to access the Samsung UN46B7000's remote control.

Controls


The Samsung UN46B7000's controls are touch sensitive and embedded into the lower part of the bezel on the front of the HDTV. We worry about the lack of tactile feedback with the controls and also found them difficult to locate, which doesn't help. On top of that the power button is located at the center of the front bezel, separate from the other controls. There is a glowing semi-circle sitting beneath it that you touch to turn the HDTV on or off. This all makes the on-tv controls a bit confusing, thankfully few people ever  use them.

Menu


We didn't get a close look at the Samsung UN46B7000's menu, but at first glance it looks very similar to what we've seen from Samsung in the past.

Conclusion

 

Series Comparison

Samsung B7000 Series


Samsungs B7000 series of LED backlit LCD HDTVs are the mid range of their LED backlit lineups. Improvements over their B6000 series cousins include support for Samsungs Media 2.0 internet connectivity, which includes access to Yahoo Widgets. Aside from that the two series are very similar, with the same connectivity options and a similar design.

Meet the tester

Alfredo Padilla

Alfredo Padilla

Editor

Alfredo Padilla is a valued contributor to the Reviewed.com family of sites.

See all of Alfredo Padilla's reviews

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