Samsung LE19R86 LCD TV Review

Samsung is one of the biggest and most respected names in the LCD TV industry, and it sells its LCD panel technologies to many different third party companies because it has developed a few unique features that set it apart from the competition. The Samsung LE19R86 LCD TV is part of the replacement line up that supersedes the most popular range of LCD televisions, the R7. But why should you choose the Samsung LE19R86 over other similarly priced and sized LCD TVs?

Samsung LE19R86 Performance

The first thing to remark upon is that the LE19R86 is HD ready, which is a feature that some of the competition in the 19 inch LCD TV marketplace lack. What this means is that you can connect your HD Blu-Ray Player to watch movies in 720p HD resolution on the LE19R86 or plug in your current generation games console and play your games in HD as well. This is all thanks to the LE19R86’s HDMI port which is the gateway to viewing most HD sources. It also features component input which also allows for certain HD sources, such as the arcade version of the Xbox 360, to be displayed through your LE19R86.

The second great thing about the LE19R86 is the built in digital TV decoder that allows you to watch over 40 free to air digital TV stations as well as receiving digital radio stations as well. This is doubly convenient as it removes the need for having a separate Freeview box plugged in, freeing up plug sockets and space and saving you on your electricity bill.

The LE19R86 also has a PC input via D-SUB connection, allowing you to connect your PC or Laptop provided you have a compatible video card and cable. This is great because it means that you can use the LE19R86 as a monitor for your PC that can display at a native resolution of 1440×900 and also have it plugged into your aerial via an RF cable so that you can watch TV just by switching inputs. The LE19R86 has such versatile applications and isn’t too big for use as a PC monitor either. The 16:9 aspect ratio of the screen is also a bonus as it is the native resolution of many digital TV broadcasts and allows you to watch all your widescreen DVDs in a more suitable way than on an older TV with the square 4:3 aspect ratio. In terms of the picture quality of the LE19R86 Samsung have done a great job and haven’t neglected its performance just because it is a smaller screen.

Click Here to Buy the Samsung LE19R86 LCD TV

The whole of the R8 range comes with a special ‘game mode’ which at the touch of the button enhances certain aspects of the LE19R86’s display to the ideal gaming settings. What this does in effect is increase the sharpness settings and the response time so that you get a pixel perfect image without any ghosting or blurring of colours and image. Samsung knows the market that it is selling to, and highlighting the gaming performance of their LCD TVs has been quite successful for them. Not only does the LE19R86 have a game mode but the panel also features ‘wide colour enhancer’ allowing for four times as many colour gradients even in bright areas of the screen where colours can be washed out, or in dark areas where colours can be muddy and vague. This means that the all round performance of the screen is great, and because of the many inputs it offers on the back you would expect it to be, and it is also helped by the generous contrast ratio of 2000:1 which really makes a difference.

The sound performance of the LE19R86 is pretty good considering the small size and power of the speakers. It supports Nicam stereo through two 3 watt speakers located below the screen, and for most peoples’ purposes these will be fine. The most important thing to remember when looking at the LE19R86 is that its best performance will be had if you are hooking it up to an HD source.

HD TV services are offered by a couple of companies in the UK by subscription, or you can get the new Freesat HD service which is available without subscription. The sleek, stylish design of the LE19R86 allows it to fit into most modern home environments, and if you’re not going to be using it as a PC monitor it is most suited for use as a television for the kitchen or bedroom rather than as your primary living room TV.

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Click Here to Buy the Samsung LE19R86 LCD TV

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