Samsung HL-R4266W 42-Inch Widescreen HDTV DLP TV

by Samsung

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 13 x 39.3 x 29.7 inches ; 62 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 76 pounds
• Shipping: This item can only be shipped to the 48 contiguous states. We regret it cannot be shipped to APO/FPO, Hawaii, Alaska, or Puerto Rico.
• ASIN: B0009EXVIA
• Item model number: HLR4266W
• Batteries: 2 AA batteries required. (included)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #112,681 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description Get the sharpest and clearest images possible from HD and standard TV and your favorite DVD movies with the 42-inch Samsung HL-R4266W DLP projection TV. This relatively lightweight TV weighs less than 62 pounds and measures just 13 inches deep, helping you to avoid sacrificing precious real estate in your home. It has a built-in analog/digital (NTSC/ATSC) tuner that will receive free over-the-air HDTV signals and is Digital Cable Ready, so you can enjoy digital cable without an additional box or remote. It also offers a good range of connections for DVD, DTV, PC, HDTV sources.

Samsung's DNIe™ Samsung's revolutionary DNle™ (click for demo) technology offers digital perfection in naturally presented, crystal-clear images that uncover even the most minute detail.

Motion Optimizer Fast-moving images are optimized to produce more natural-looking motion, thus reducing video noise or blurring.

Contrast Enhancer Brightness and contrast levels are enhanced for deeper, richer blacks with greater detail and more natural whites.

Color Optimizer Colors are reproduced with a more lifelike realism, whites are more accurate, and skin tones are given a more natural hue.

Detail Enhancer DNIe analyzes video signal elements to produce sharper detail, clearer image separation, and more natural edge transition.

DLP (which stands for Digital Light Processing) uses an optical semiconductor to recreate source material with a fidelity analog systems can't match. While other technologies lose a certain amount of light in transit, the microscopic mirrors in a DLP projection system bring more light from lamp to screen. It also features better color uniformity over time--no burn-in, screen aging or color-shifting possible. It's the leading display technology for products like small portable conference room projectors and professional venue entertainment systems.

This DLP set employs the latest Digital Micromirror Devices (DMD), which have switching speeds twice as fast as previous generation microdisplays and up to 1,000 times faster than competing technologies. When combined with Samsung's new Cinema Smooth 720p light engine, the result is a crisp, bright picture with deep, rich colors that are closer to film.

The HL-R4266W features a widescreen picture aspect ratio (16:9; standard TVs have a 4:3 aspect ratio), which is the ideal screen format for viewing widescreen video from DVD players and the growing availability of broadcast programming off digital HDTV tuners (HD content is always widescreen), cable boxes and satellite receivers.

The HL-R4266W's 3D Y/C digital comb filter constantly analyzes the three dimensions of picture height, picture width, and picture changes-over-time, to reduce dramatically edge image artifacts while improving transition detail. Powered by SamsungÕs Cinema Smooth technology, the 3:2 pulldown cinema video processing feature detects and compensates film--which is shot at 24 frames per second (fps) compared with video's 30 fps rate--to video for a smooth theater-like experience at home.

The Samsung Digital Natural Image engine (DNIe) Video Enhancer refines all analog NTSC and wideband video inputs for an overall improvement in picture quality. DNIe improves contrast, white level, picture detail and incorporates digital noise reduction to improve lower quality video inputs. The Automatic Digital Format Conversion System is compatible with 1080i and 720p HDTV formats, 480p EDTV and 480i SDTV formats. This system will accept any DTV, analog TV, or XGA computer RGB input. All video signals are converted to a 16:9 wide-screen pixel count (1280 x 720) progressive display for flicker-free images.

The 30-watt stereo audio system (two 15-watt speakers) delivers ample sound for sports and movies. It features the following video and audio connections:

• AV in (RCA): 3 (1 side, 2 rear)
• S-Video In: 3 (1 side, 2 rear)
• RF In: 2
• Monitor and Sound Out (RCA): 1 rear
• Component Video Input (Smart Input): 2 rear (480i,480p,720p,1080i)
• DVI Audio In: 1 rear
• HDMI: 1 rear
• POD Slot (CableCARD): 1 rear
• AnyNet (Mini Jack): 1 rear

Other features include:

• Watch two sources at once with 2-Tuner Picture-in-Picture. You can select from a small, movable, re-sizeable window in the corner of the screen, or share the screen with Side-by-Side Split Screen.
• TV Guide On Screen interactive program guide provides listings for cable-ready, cable box, digital cable and over-the-air broadcasts directly on your TV.
• Five pre-set aspect ratio modes--Normal, Wide, Panorama, Zoom 1 and Zoom 2--stretch your image to fill the screen naturally and with less distortion.
• For the times when digital cable features require a set-top box, such as Video-On-Demand, you can connect that box to a second input.
• 1-year warranty for parts and labor

What's in the Box
Samsung HL-R4266W DLP TV, remote control, two AAA batteries, printed instruction book.

Product Description

Samsung HLR4266 has a 42 Inch Widescreen and is ready for HDTV viewing. It uses Texas Instruments' latest DLP technology, considered the most reliable widescreen technology available. Cinema Smooth 720p Light Engine Single Panel Design-Crystal-Clear Picture Without any Possibility of Convergence Errors Smooth, Film-Like Images Up to 2500 - 1 Contrast Ratio with Outstanding Colors and Deep Black Levels Whisper-Quiet Operation 1280 x 720p Digital Format Converter for All Inputs Latest Generation DNIe Video Enhancer Cinema Smooth Film-Mode 3 - 2 Pull Down No Burn-In or Screen Aging 30-Watt Audio System with Built-In Speakers HDMI, Component Video, S-Video Inputs and more Optional TR4266X/XAA Stand Dimensions (WxHxD) 39.33 x 13.03 x 30.53 inches / Weight - 61.72 lbs

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

232 of 241 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent value for the money!, November 22, 2005

By 

R. Ocampo "Artisan" (North America) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Samsung HL-R4266W 42-Inch Widescreen HDTV DLP TV (Electronics)

Plasma technology is still the best in terms of brightness, contrast and physical dimensions. You can hang it on a wall and cramp it in tighter spaces.

The other option would be an LCD screen, but the picture quality (artifacts) and price factor would make it an odd decision to go for when you could shell out a little more for a Plasma display. Also beware there are two types of LCD screens - LCD and LCD projection. LCD is the same as the computer monitors. Although it has greatly improved since it's introduction, it's still slow and expensive. LCD projection I would shy away from at the moment because it doesn't compare to DLP. Although Sony came out with a so-called "3LCD" technology to rival the high-end DLP 3-chip systems. Know that DLP was first for the 3-chip technology (for their high-end applications like major movie houses), it's not who's first as time will tell how each fare.

Yet a good rival that has been hitting the market is LCoS (Liquid Crystal on Silicon). JVC has renamed this HD-ILA and Sony came out with their own name branding - but they are all LCoS technology. Prices have yet to come down and is said to have none of the "cons" of LCD and DLP projection TV by exhibiting good blacks, great speed in drawing the picture and no rainbow effect. Until prices drop to competitive levels with the rest of the other products, this won't be on my list until next year.

The next best option behind Plasma, IMO, is DLP by Texas Instruments. It gives the best blacks and color rendition among it's class of projection televisions.

How good is DLP? It was the first and no-brainer choice for commercial theaters that project digital movies (i.e. the first digital screening of Star Wars prequels). These are front-projection units that need a reasonably dark room to refrain from washing out the colors it projects to the screen. For personal viewing in bedrooms and living rooms, you need a rear-projection DLP. This encases the whole unit like a regular projection television, and is more kind to ambient light.

A. The downside to DLP rear-projection monitors is:

The amount of moving parts it entails to create the picture -
1. A digital micromirror device (DMD) to reflect light in 1,024 different shades of gray. Because these tiny mirrors each move independently, there is a risk of failure.

2. A color wheel that spins in thousands of revolutions per minute to help create the color. The wheel bearing will eventually wear out and will need to be replaced by a technician over time. Furthermore, the noise created as it spins to speed is evident when you power up the monitor. Although any minimal audio volume will drown this sound out.

3. The lamp (light bulb) that projects the image onto the screen, just like any other light bulb, has a usable life. Each manufacturer states how long their bulbs will last before it needs to be replaced. A typical life span for 4 hours of viewing each day will last around 4 years. The good news: it only takes to replace the bulb in order to bring the picture quality back to like new just as when you bought the TV. This is versus Plasma and LCD which lose their brightness over time (LCD rear projection also takes replacing the bulb).

4. The amount of heat created by the lamp is enormous that you can't box the unit in a cabinet nor stick it's back side too near to the wall unless you want to increase wear on the monitor or create a melt-down.

B. The upside is the picture quality you get. In fact the price you would have paid to get this kind of quality and usability over time is unfathomable you would be glad you didn't have to pay for Plasma (of course if you can afford a Plasma or need to hang it on a wall, then this is your only option). Just replace the bulb and you're good to go for another 4 years or so. You can't do that with a Plasma and re-charge the gasses. Unlike Plasma, it's brightness virtually stays constant throughout the usable life of the lamp. Samsung will warn the user when it is nearing the end.

C. Physical dimensions enable you to lift the monitor alone. Try doing that to a CRT. Samsung's "floating screen" design enables the picture to give a good impression that the picture is on it's own space. However, the silver accent below the screen (although very elegant) does not fully take the effect into what they are marketing it to be as any light falling on the silver accent reveals the screen is not floating.

With all being said, four stars for this monitor because Samsung gives us a lame manual that leaves the technical savvy people out of the loop and questioning for more information - despite the TV having one of the best picture quality and Samsung technology loaded into the monitor (enhanced picture processing and the abillity to fine tune the colors based on ambient light surrounding).

Four stars because despite all the technology loaded, they give us one HDMI in socket that doubles as the old DVI socket care of your own ability to buy an HDMI to DVI cable. No FireWire audio input/output unlike other manufacturers. And only one digital audio output courtesty of an optical Toslink connection.

The good part is Samsung's strict policy for defective mirror devices, strict manufacturing tolerance and elegant design which helps you trust buying their products more than other manufacturers.

A word of caution to shoppers and owners of DLP and other technology that enable true high definition output: the reason for most bad reviews is their disappointment when watching with various low quality sources. They are mislead into thinking their picture quality will improve with these kinds of monitors. On the contrary a monitor of this caliber will show even more imperfections and reveal the low quality output that is being fed into it - garbage in, garbage out. Subscribing to digital cable/satellite isn't enough. You have to subscribe to HDTV and be viewing HDTV sources in order to see it's full potential. MTV isn't HDTV. Know which channels air in high definition. Discovery Channel HD (not simply Discovery Channel) is the perfect viewing sample.

You want to maximize the input of sources by using HDMI/DVI cables. Don't use RCA or S-video jacks for this monitor. The least video cable you should use is component cable. Even that I wouldn't recommend because that would mean transmitting analog video signal from source (cable box, DVD player) to TV. Keep the signal pure and clean as possible by keeping it digital until the last minute.

Lastly, this monitor's standard output is 720p (progressive) output. Other lower or higher sources fed into the unit will make it convert to 720p. This is helpful info into putting less strain or digital conversion and artifacting to the monitor - feed it 720p signal already so all the monitor has to do is output directly rather than do further processing.

If you want the latest technology, this "old" technology isn't for you as there are already a handful of 1080p monitors in the market including monitors made by Samsung. If you're on a budget and want a bang for your buck, you won't make a mistake with this purchase and handing it down the line when you're ready to make a step up into the future (for the same price you purchased this unit).

56 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Samsung 42" DLP TV, July 8, 2005

By 

Dandy Don "techboy" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Samsung HL-R4266W 42-Inch Widescreen HDTV DLP TV (Electronics)

The performance of the Samaung 42" lived up to my expectations. I comparison shopped SONY, SHARP, HITACHI and DELL before selecting the SAMSUNG. The luminosity (aided by the picture mode settings) is adequate for viewing in a well lit room. The picture quality is exceptional for HD channels and DVDs in the 480p mode(as good as any of the LCD TVs). Performance on normal analog channels is fair to good compared to direct view TV performance on the same channels (both HD and analog are off cable). Digital audio sound is excellent. The setup and custom adjustment menus are easy to use but sometimes annoying as the menus have 4 to 5 layers. The TV fits in a very small space for its screen size (width and depth are the smallest available for this size). The manual is good but assumes you understand HD terminology and doesn't explain the difference in performance when choosing many of the settings. I highly recommend this TV based on its price to performance delivery.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great TV, August 2, 2005

By 

James E. Holthaus (Wisconsin, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Samsung HL-R4266W 42-Inch Widescreen HDTV DLP TV (Electronics)

I had a problem. I had a bright room that I wanted a TV in and I wanted a larger TV. I thought that rear projection would not be bright enough for the room, but this I can view this samsung TV better then the tude TV I had in the space before. Also, this TV is so light. I replaced a 32 inch tube that was 170lbs with this TV that weighs less then 70.

I do have to admit that I have seen the rainbow effect on this TV once in the month that I owned it, but to see if you have to jerk your head and blink at just the right time. Otherwise the picture on this set is stunning with the blackest blacks I've ever seen on a TV and true to life color.