| Samsung Tantus HCL473W 47" Rear Projection HDTV |  |
Remember when you
were a kid and all fun you had playing around with discarded refrigerator
boxes? Well, the Samsung HCL473W certainly comes in a huge box that will make
an excellent fort for the kiddies, but this time, what's inside is much
more exciting than corrugated cardboard ever was - a 47" rear projection HDTV
capable of 1080i/480p!
Pipe in component
output from a trusty Progressive Scan DVD player to this bad boy and movie
nights will have a whole new meaning. Or if you're like us and X-Box does it for
you, try playing a few rounds of multi player Halo on this $2,150
USD 47" wide screen
HDTV. With a 16.9 aspect
ratio, letter box films fill the screen in full glory, and two player split
screen games like the oh-so-addictive Halo are really in their
element.
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| Silver HCL473W model shown above. |
Samsung make the HCL473W for the
home theatre crowd and there are more than a few touches which make
it very easy to live with.
For
instance there is an integrated console deck underfoot, enabling
the HCL473W to easily store a DVD player, VCR, a handful of remotes
and a few DVD's within itself.
The console deck is shielded with a fold down
door to keep dust at bay, and a window lets those Infrared signals pass right
to the equipment behind.
| Features & Specs |
Samsung
HCL473W:
Released under the Tantus home theatre brand, the
HCL473W is a high end rear
projection HDTV.
Features:
Auto Convergence Adjustment
- Auto Perfect Focus: Auto
Convergence
- Multi Digital Convergence
(Manual
Adjustment)
Realflect System
- Bright Focus CRT
- New HD Lens
- HD
Fine Pitch Screen
(0.52mm)
Anti Glare Protection Screen
First Surface Mirror
Dolby Prologic Sound
2T PiP & Double Screen
Color Temperature control : Cool /Normal/ Warm
Auto Volume Leveler
Center Speaker
Integrated Cabinet
Technical
Specs:
47" Screen
7"
R/G/B CRT's
1080i
/480p DTV
16:9 Aspect Ratio
3D Y/C Comb
Filter
1000 Lines
Resolution
15W, 3 Channel Audio
Dimensions:
44.6"x52.2"x23.1"
(w x h x
d)
Weight:
167.5 Lbs
Approximate
Price:
$2150.00 USD
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Remote: |
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Large openings at the rear make it easy to thread
out cables but the deck opening is only large enough to accept devices 11.7cm
tall. Measure first, or risk scratching those expensive components!
Media Inputs
With HDTV slated to be become the
de facto standard in the next year to two, any large screen display
should come with support for Component Input.
Unlike regular RCA video cables,
Component Input cables separate the video signal into three separate colours
(Red, Green and Blue) which result in richer tones (colour saturation) than if
they are simply sent as one signal.
Be wary of how much you pay for your
own set of component input cables however because the HCL473W does not ship with
any. Most retailers will try to make a hefty markup on the cables which tend
to sell between $35 and $60 each.
Usually, the flashier, and more
gold plated the cables are, the more you will be paying. Whatever you decide to
pay, just ensure that all three cables are joined in one strip, and that each
wire is well shielded. The three individual wires should be at least 6mm in
diameter and have "component" labeled on the side of the cable. Older RCA cable
(L/R Audio and Video) sets are not shielded properly to deliver the same kind of
picture signal, and should not be used.
In addition to the
inputs on the rear of the display there is a set of side panel jacks which are
easier to get at, and make connecting a camcorder, or other local device much less of
a hassle. Hidden under a small side flat are RCA jacks for video, left/right audio,
and an SVidio input.
| Rear Panel Jacks |
Side Panel Jacks |
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Antenna Terminals: Two independent antenna signals can be
connected, and the signal from one can be sent out to another component
with the third antenna out jack. Also shown are a single SVideo input, two
pairs of RCA Video Left/Right Audio inputs and one set of RCA Video
Left/Right Audio outputs. On the Component Input front there are two sets
of jacks for Y/Pb/Pr and Left/Right Audio. The first set is for 480i/480p
and the second for 480p/1080i.
- 480i, 480p: Connects to a source with Y, Pb, Pr signals like a DVD
player.
- 480p, 1080i: Connects to a source such as DTV (Digital TV) with Y,
Pb, Pr signals.
The last set of RCA jacks on the rear of the unit are for surround
sound speakers (center, surround left, surround right). On the side panel
there a set of RCA Video Left/Right audio jacks, a SVideo input, and a
"perfect focus" button. |
The Remote Control
With high
end consumer electronics the quality of the remote is more
than just a passing observation. Good remotes are the interface of importance, and
a poorly designed interface may affect how well you enjoy a TV, DVD
player or stereo. The HCL473W comes with a rather standard Samsung styled remote with a small
joystick for DVD and menu navigation. The remote also supports several 'universal remote'
options. 
The
remote is laid out well and most buttons
are intuitive and easy to reach. There are codes for each particular manufacturer in
the back of the HCL473W guide book if you want to enable the universal feature,
but lacking any devices to test this on we can't really say how well
the universal remote option works.
In most cases only
the most basic of functions are supported by standard universal remotes, but if you were
using an entire set up of Samsung DVD players, VCR's and the like things
could work out very well.
In general I think
Samsung could improve on the remote quality as the joystick feels a bit rough,
and none of the buttons are back lit. The mode switch uses four separate LED
colours to identify which setting the remote is on (TV, VCR, Cable, DVD) but
otherwise the remote is unlit. A small flap hides
an assortment of other control buttons for the VCR and TV
functions.
Up next, giving the speakers a little run through
at maximum volume...
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