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Buyer's Guide: The Best Monitors 
Samsung LE40A856
| Caractéristiques | |||
| Screen size | 40 inches | ||
| Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | ||
| HD compatibility (1080i/720p) | Yes | ||
| HD Ready certification | Oui | ||
| Brightness | N.C. | ||
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| Contrast ratio | 70000:1 |
| Viewing angles (H+V) | 178 ° / 178 ° |
| Response time | 4 ms |
| Sound level | 2 x 10 Watt RMS |
| Connectivity | VGA • HDMI (x4) • SCART (x2) <br> RGB • S-Video • Composite |
| Dimensions (LxHxW) | 987 x 669 x 265 mm |
| Weight | 19 kg |
| Type | LCD |
| 3D | no |
 Hide specifications | |
Vincent Lheur
Test date: September 16, 2008
Test date: September 16, 2008
The Multimedia Age
Two little ports on the back of this line of TVs offer access to a whole range of new features: Ethernet allows content from the Internet to be superimposed with your viewing, as you can see in this screenshot. USB storage devices can also be attached to profit from the TV's decoding capabilities, which stretch to reading DivX, MPEG and H.264 video files.
See the box in the original test for more about how all of this works.
See the box in the original test for more about how all of this works.
This model is the 40 inch version of the 46 inch TV that we tested in our labs, the LE46A856. Everything we said in the original article holds true - the only thing that's different is the size!
The components, both physical and electronic are all identical to those found in the model we tested. The only factor which could be prone to slight variation is the brightness, producing slightly different contrast. According to our own tests, and the assurances of manufacturers, the results of one TV can be applied to others in the range which come in different sizes.
Pluses
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Image quality and depth of black
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Mini remote along with backlit standard remote
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Thin frame
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HD Tuner
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Access to online content and decodes DivX, MPEG and H.264 files
Minuses
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Screen is too shiny
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Sneaky 'dynamic contrast' that's impossible to deactivate
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Sometimes slow to sync with HD sources
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Decoding of HD files can be buggy
The LE866 has an amazing image quality and several brand new features that herald the future of TVs. Its biggest fault is that its screen is often prone to reflection - and that is easily solved by choosing its location carefully.
