Samsung HL-S4666W 46-Inch DLP HDTV | 
| Brand: Samsung
This item is no longer available
Rating:  137 reviews
Sales Rank: 21017
Media: Electronics
Batteries Included: No
Display Size: 46
Shipping Weight (lbs): 66.8
Dimensions (in): 42.8 x 13.4 x 32
MPN: HLS4666WX/XAA
Model: HLS4666WX/XAA
UPC: 036725246669
EAN: 0036725246669
ASIN: B000F2P31E
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| Features:
| • | 46-inch Digital Light Projection (DLP) HDTV; measures 42.8 x 32 x 13.4 inches (WxHxD) | | • | Latest Texas Instruments DLP chip faster than any other HDTV technology | | • | 1280 x 720-pixel resolution; 2500:1 contrast ratio; 3-line digital comb filter; Cinema Smooth 3:2 pull-down film mode | | • | Connections: 3 composite A/V (1 front), 2 S-Video (1 front), 2 component (Y/Pb/Pr), 2 HDMI, 1 RF, 1 USB | | • | Two stereo speakers, 10 watts apiece (20 watts total); SRS TruSurround XT virtual surround |
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Product Description
Featuring a compact lightweight "floating screen" design, Samsung's 46" Widescreen DLP TV delivers the ultimate HDTV experience in true 1280 x 720 resolution. You'll enjoy life-like, razor-sharp pictures in stunning color, contrast and clarity, thanks to the ultra-fast DLP and Brilliant Color technology and the DLP chip from Texas instruments. A contrast ratio of up to 2500: 1 captures blacker blacks, crisper whites and images that burst into life.
Amazon.com Product Description
Get the sharpest and clearest images possible from HD and standard TV and your favorite DVD movies with the 46-inch Samsung HL-S4666W DLP projection TV. This relatively lightweight TV weighs less than 67 pounds and measures just 13.4 inches deep, helping you to avoid sacrificing precious real estate in your home. It has a built-in analog/digital (NTSC/ATSC) tuner, offers both HDMI and component video connections, . Samsung's DNIe™
Samsung's DNIe™ (click for demo) technology offers digital perfection in naturally presented, crystal-clear images that uncover even the most minute detail. | 
Motion Optimizer: The visual data are automatically broken down into signal and noise and adjusted through a combined spatial/temporal process to eliminate noise and blurring without the slightest damage to the original signal. This guarantees the viewer a picture of astounding sharpness, whether the scene is still or moving. | 
Contrast Enhancer: DNIe has done away with the unwanted side-effects that conventional contrast enhancement can produce, such as noise boost-up and flicker by developing an algorithm that recognizes over 1 million criteria for applying contrast. Its detail contrast enhancement technology can automatically analyze up to 70,000 local images within a frame, treating the viewer to a picture rich in contrast even in the tiniest details. | 
Color optimizer: For each scene the color optimizer calculates the saturation of red, green, and blue in the input signal and adjusts it to the shades that the human eye accepts as natural. Even a conventional process like white tone enhancement produces more striking results when when used with DNIe. The end result is a palette of vivid hues and pure white tones to satisfy the most discerning viewers eye. | 
Detail enhancer: Many viewers complain of the unnatural effect that conventional uniform detail enhancement produces by relying on artificial amplification of the input signal. In contrast, DNIe automatically analyzes the portion to be amplified, detecting and re-processing any noise or defect to bring the viewer a startlingly sharp and lifelike image. | 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 Samsung DLP television employs a Texas Instruments DLP chip that is comprised of millions of microscopic mirrors. The DLP chip is faster than any HDTV technology, with the mirrors switching on and off 15,000 times a second to deliver a razor-sharp picture for fast moving images. It also offers Samsung's Cinema Smooth 720p light engine, which creates an image with no visible pixel structure and accurate shading and better low-light detail for the most film-like picture. You'll get up to a 2500:1 contrast ratio with outstanding colors and deep black levels. 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 3-line digital comb filter constantly analyzes the three dimensions of picture height, picture width, and picture changes-over-time to dramatically reduce edge image artifacts while improving transition detail. Samsung's Cinema Smooth 3:2 pull-down film mode corrects for the artificial frames created when films are converted to DVDs. The result is a clearer image without the subtle motion artifacts caused by 24-to-30 frames per second video conversion. Samsung's 2.6-inch color wheel spins at 14,400 rpm for smooth, fast motion video, and has five color segments for more accurate colors. It achieves film-like transitions without pixel breakup found in slower color wheel designs and slower switching LCD microdisplays. Air Bearing technology also makes it whisper quiet. Samsung also worked closely with Microsoft to create a special Game Mode that optimizes image quality, sound and response time for more realistic video game play--with just a single touch of a button. The Game Mode enhances dark areas, sharpens the picture, speeds up the image processing response and enhances the sounds of your games. Other features include: - Picture format adjustment: Enjoy all your 4:3 aspect-ratio programming in smooth, wide-screen without black bars. Four pre-set aspect ratio modes--Normal, Wide, Zoom 1 and Zoom 2--stretch your image to fill the screen naturally.
- Color temperature adjustment: Selectable between Cool1, Cool2, Normal Warm1, and Warm2 with on-screen display.
- Auto volume leveler: Keeps audio volume consistent during channel changing to minimize static sound bursts.
- Discrete IR codes: This set is equipped with discrete IR codes for use with a macro/programmable remote.
- Closed caption: Displays dialog that can be read along with encoded broadcast TV programs and pre-recorded videos.
- V-Chip: Enables parental control for channel and program blocking of TV programs that incorporate the rating code signal.
High-quality virtual surround sound can be experienced with just the speakers built into the TV. SRS TruSurround XT technology delivers an amazing, simulated 3D effect with clear dialog and powerful bass. It produces 10 watts of power per channel (for 20 watts total). It offers the following connection options: - Component (Y/Pb/Pr): 2 inputs
- HDMI: 2 inputs
- Composite (RCA audio/video): 3 inputs (1 on the front)
- S-Video: 2 inputs
- PC: 1 D-Sub-15 input
- PC audio: 1 input
- RF: 1 input
- Sound monitor output: 1
- USB: 1
Tech Talk
HDMI is a lossless, uncompressed, all-digital audio/video interface to link any audio/video source (such as a set-top box, DVD player, or AV receiver) with your TV--all over a single cable. HDMI supports standard, enhanced or high definition video, plus multi-channel digital audio on a single cable. It supports all ATSC formats--standard (SDTV), enhanced (EDTV), and high (HDTV). SRS TruSurround XT audio adds three new audio enhancement technologies to produce an amazingly immersive sound experience. - Dialog Clarity brings movie dialog into OfocusO during the playback of any surround-encoded material to make speech much clearer and crisper.
- TruBass creates incredible deep rich bass allowing a person to perceive significantly deeper, richer low bass tones that are far beyond the physical low frequency capabilities of the speaker itself.
- The SRS WOW feature widens the soundstage by processing standard two-channel stereo material as well as multi-channel encoded material for a dramatic improvement in the playback of any stereo audio over a two-speaker system.
Component video (also called Y/Pb/Pr) features a three-jack video input, which provides separate connections for luminance (Y), blue color difference (PB) and red color difference (PR). This results in increased bandwidth for color information, resulting in a more accurate picture with clearer color reproduction and less bleeding than you would get with S-Video or composite (RCA yellow video plug) connections. You will need a separate RCA left/right audio cable for sound. What's in the Box
DLP TV, remote control (with batteries), power cord, printed operating instructions. Warranty
It's backed by a 1-year warrant on parts (including lamp) and laboe, with in-home service backed by Samsung toll-free support.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 132 more reviews...
 Excellent 720p DLP TV May 24, 2006
P. Satyaprakash (Martinez, GA USA)
154 out of 156 found this review helpful
Purchased this TV from Amazon and played around with it for a few days. It is an excellent 720p TV. The HLS series has much better color and contrast than the previous version (HLR series). The TV produces crisp and life-like images that are jaw dropping. I watched my first full length HD show last night (CSI: Miami season finale) and it was wonderful. My wife and I must have said "wow" at least half a dozen times during the show.
The set works best for us at 720p, as I couldn't tell much difference between that and 1080i. But 1080i breaks up during scenes with heavy movement, so 720p is best. We have a Comcast HD DVR hooked up to it via HDMI, which is superior to component input, in my opinion.
We've also got a Toshiba SD-4900 Progressive Scan DVD Player, which comes to the TV through component, and even that looks good on this TV.
PROS:
1. Superior Image Rendition with 2.6" 14K RPM color wheel - minimal rainbow effect - and I have fast eyes that usually get bothered by those types of things.
2. 2 HDMI, 2 Component, and PC Input (Game Mode)
3. Nice and easy to use remote
4. Easy to use setup and menu features
5. Clean black bezel
6. Great sound
7. Great instruction manual
8. Lightweight TV. Easily handled by two people.
CONS:
1. 1 Year Warranty
2. No DVI-D input (no biggie - you have to buy a DVI to HDMI converter cable).
3. No included cables
All in all, this has been an excellent and happy purchase for us. If you've become a little blah about watching TV, an upgrade to a HD DLP TV like this will really get you excited.
I would enthusiastically recommend this TV to anyone and best of all, Amazon had the best price when I bought it. Combined with free shipping, this was a great deal. I ordered this TV on Saturday and had it in my house on the following Friday.
My next move will to pair this TV with either a HD-DVD player, or with a superior up-converting DVD Player, such as the OPPO OPDV971H up-converting DVD player.
You Cannot Go Wrong With This Excellent TV June 21, 2006
Cliff Krauter (New York)
117 out of 119 found this review helpful
I am going to have to agree on this one. I was a bit nervous as this was my first purchase of this size through amazon, and also my first HDTV in general. However, after an incredible amount of research and visits to my local CC & BB, I learned that Samsung provides the best possible picture quality, brightness, and contrast than any other DLP television offered, with respect to the excellent price.
Speaking of which, ss of right now June 21st, 06 this exact model goes for $2000-$2200 in retail stores (look it up), which actually added to my skepticism about ordering this television online. At the time Amazon was offering free super saver shipping, which I decided on, however it turned out to be a bit longer than I had hoped. A simple call to Amazon customer service and they bumped up my shipping to standard ground, for no extra charge simply because I was a bit unhappy. In addition, I learn one week after receiving the television, the cost was somehow lowered even further, and I was given a credit on my card for the difference in cost which was $100, again Amazon is wonderful. I haven't much talked about the TV because I feel it is necessary to stress how painless, reassuring and helpful ordering an item of this scope can be on amazon.com
As far as the TV is concerned, it's just incredible, beautiful, and worth every last cent! We saved approximately $650 by going with amazon, and this TV is just mind blowing. So much so, I haven't completed much work at home recently because I've unfortunately been glued to it for the last 2 weeks.
I had my concerns about HD content which which is in limited fashion at the moment, however if you have a DVR, which most cable companies now offer, your all set. Basically everything you watch will be ready to go in full HD at your finger tips. In my opinion a DVR is definitely a must until HD signal is everywhere.
A bit more technical:
This is the newest model, just released in May 06', some of the upgrades from last years DLP make a major difference. I've personally seen the difference by viewing both models last years and this new one side by side in store. This model now has a faster color wheel which in turn helps in response time for fast moving imagery on screen. In reality, this TV is basically as fast as a glass screen, which I was extremely worried about. There is also 2 additional colors in the color wheel. Last years model had Red Green Blue to make up the full spectrum of colors you see on screen, Samsung added Cyan and Yellow to the wheel as well, (go to their website) to produce better variation of color and it looks more natural. This years model is also brighter, has better contrast and provides deeper blacks.
The other owner above included the specs, so I'll spare you, however I do want to mention that I noticed no difference between using HDMI or component video cables. I literally compared both signals by switching the input on the TV which watching various programs (on pause) to compare detail. Other than the HDMI picture being a bit darker, than component, there was no difference in quality that I was able to discern.
My advice to you is to continue researching this product and compared to other DLP TV's on the market right now. I think you will find nothing close to the performance vs. cost this HDTV offers. We are truly happy with our new purchase after a many weeks (6) of researching.
Here's my only gripe about DLP technology, basically there is a light bulb in the TV itself which will die in about 4 years or so depending on how much you use it. I'm not positive, but I think they last approximately 6000 hours. The bulbs are relatively easy to replace and can be purchased for $225-$400. At first, I was hesitant because of this fact, but after getting this TV, it's a small price to pay for a television that will not suffer from dead pixels or burn-in problems as other TV''s such as LCD/Plasma's Tv's suffer from. There is a new technology that just came out at the same time as this unit called LED DLP, essentially the light source now comes from LED lights which last longer than a typical bulb. This technology is available on much more expensive1080p televisions, which by the way we won't really have programming for some time. Again, the bulb is not a big deal, the real benefits of this HDTV are, brightness, contrast, sharpness, quality, and cost.
 A Very Solid Choice! August 9, 2006
Timothy Gengler (USA)
17 out of 17 found this review helpful
I researched this purchase for several weeks before finally choosing the Samsung HL-S4666W and have to say the the time spent paid off well. Here is the kind of rundown I was hoping to find while researching, in hope that it will help someone else in their decision...
(Previous TV: Strandard Def. 27" Sony WEGA CRT [4:3])
In General...
Black levels are not great. If you are watching a movie in the dark and there are black bars or dark scenes, it is very obvious that the screen is not displaying deep, rich blacks. This shortcoming is easy to get used to a few minutes into a movie, but is obviously not ideal. Since this is a DLP, the viewing area is more constricted, and if you are viewing from above the screen (i.e. standing up) or from an angle of around 20 degrees or more to either side, you will notice the image getteting grey and less clear. Still, it isn't hard to find a good seating position (for large groups even) and when you do, colors are very vivid and the image is quite impressive.
For DVDs (using a non-upconverting player and component cables)...
The first disc I put in was Monsters Inc. and the image was instantly stunning. In fact, I didn't notice until the third film I watched that the audio was out of sync by nearly a second (an easy fix). As mentioned, black levels are not perfect, but the image is still very rich and detailed, allowing you to see individual hairs and various other smaller details. I would say that the image was as good as that of all or most LCDs and plasmas I saw in-store for a price $1000 higher than this set has attached to it.
For Video Games (Playstation 2 via composite cables)...
I have heard that all HDTVs have a certain degree of "lag" associated with video games (as far as I know, it is due to the image having to be converted before being displayed on the TV and is likely similar to the problem I faced with the delay between my video display and the audio from my surround sound system with DVDs). I tested out my Playstation 2 using NBA Live 06 and was grossly disappointed. Having played on a regular TV the day before, the game felt as if the players were atop ice, sliding around. Although still playable, the game was made unnecessarily more dificult and free throws were nearly impossible to sink initially. I am sure that I could get used to this eventually, but would prefer not to and will stick to a regular SD CRT TV in the future. On top of this, the image was not very sharp or impressive. I think that a few of these problems would be bettered by the use of component rather than composite cables, and they would likely not be as noticable in games less based on timing. Likewise, a newer system like XBox 360 would probably face these problems better or even eliminate them.
For TV (via component cables, with sound hooked up to the television as well; cable connection from IO Digital Cable [HD])...
Picking a few examples out of a hat, watching a standard-definition broadcast of an older show like 'Golden Girls' produced an image that is "okay" but which makes you feel like you are wasting valuable bulb hours.
Moving on, FX shows 'Rescue Me' in widescreen, but at standard definition; having the cable box cut off the black bars and enlarge the image to fit the screen presents a good quality image. It isn't DVD-quality, but it works very well. Similarly, most newer shows (or even older ones with high production values) come off cleanly and look nice, especially as you further your distance from the set.
The real gem comes with high definition programming. Even shows presented in a 4:3 aspect ratio can look razor-sharp. Baseball games are amazingly detailed, down to the indivual beads of sweat being cleared off between pitches. I cannot imagine the image looking any better on any television, and have been increasingly tempted to upgrade to HD-DVD based on the amazing images found on a few of these shows.
For USB connect of images and music...
Selecting an individual image or setting up a slideshow is a breeze. One problem for me is the size of images. I would have liked the ability to have each image stretch (or "zoom") to fit the screen either vertically or horizontally, and the the manual zoom itself is a bit imprecise, only going by multiples of 2 rather than letting you zoom in exactly to manually let an image fill the screen. Colors do not exactly match those you might see from a computer monitor, but images do look very clean, the zoom works well for what it is, and overall this option is a nice extra that does its job. As a sidenote, while detaching from the USB connection, I almost felt as if the connection was going to break away from the television. This might have to do with me using the wrong angle, but it has happened each of the five times I have gone to disconnect the drive. Obviously the connection has not fallen out, but I felt this worth mentioning nonetheless.
Overall, if you actually took the time to read all of the above (and if so, I'm impressed!), then you are interested in this TV and I must say that it is worth it. Replacement bulbs seem to sell for around $150 and will probably be required every few years, but even with several replacements you are paying less than you would for an LCD or plasma of similar size and will get what I believe to be an equally satisfying picture, despite the imperfect black levels. Highly recommended [...].
 Already needs a new motherboard July 19, 2006
Robert S. Walsh
16 out of 19 found this review helpful
So my TV makes this popping noise with the sound and is especially aparent when the tv is in the srs surround sound mode. I was so amped for this tv but so far its been a huge bust. Maybe I one of the few, but so far samsung has had very mediocore service, from customer service to the repair technician. They arent going to let me send it back until the repair guy trys 3 times to fix it. It already needs a new mother board. I didnt even know tvs have monther boards. Also the S-video cable was very hard to install the prongs for my dvd player. Also for people that have the tv now. Do not use "Dynamic Mode" it comes this way and the picture looks great. But your contrast is set at 100 and will burn out your bulb real quick FYI. Move to around 85 to save the life of your bulb. So far some HD channels look great some mediocore. It might be my cable box. I dont know the espn baseball games look good and the FOX games look like garbage. As for videogames it works great on my 360 and there really is no lag problems. I have to miss time from work now and now I regret not buying a flat pannel.
Update: Its been almost 18 days now since I called Samsung and their technician keeps reschdueling with me. This has been a horrible experience. I also notice alot of motion blurr on hdtv channels when the camera moves really fast, like tracking a homerun leave the park. So mad I bought this thing.
Update. August 08 I need another motherboard. Samsung is hastling over whether or not they will replace my tv. My audio out does not work now. Way to go samsung. The part is on back order. So I take it this happens all the time. Terrible, terrible purchase. Do you know how much of a pain this is to take time off of work to meet a repair guy 3 times in a month? Samsung I need a new tv. NOW
Update: August 14th Samsung has been a nightmare to deal with. After calling on hours on end once a day for the past month they finally are replacing my tv. Good luck if anything ever goes wrong with your tv. This has been THE worst experience as far as purchasing a big ticket item.
An Insider Tip if you have to deal with their customer service dept. Immediately Ask for an ERC, they over see the customer service reps and have authority to solve your issues.
If I could give this tv 1 star I would. For some reason I cant change it. Anyways. I honestly think Samsung has posted the majority of these reviews so be careful.
Please be gentle -- my first HDTV September 24, 2006
Jeffrey Lemkin (Seattle, WA USA)
13 out of 14 found this review helpful
This large HDTV from a reputable manufacturer came in at a price that made me wonder -- what's wrong? Is the screen made of Saran Wrap? Does the remote control periodically burst into flames when you attempt to change the channel to Lost?? Was the user interface created by Franz the Designer of the "more is better" school of design?
Nope. Pas de problem. Well, except for the remote control that I'm fairly certain was indeed designed by Franz. So, basically, this is TV that delivers a very high quality viewing experience, but has a mildly klunky interface (managed from the remote) for selecting inputs, adjusting the picture, etc.etc. More on that later.
Keeping in mind this is my first personal HDTV, and I'm mesmerized by the picture quality, I'm quite pleased. Easy to set up, oh, a big thing -- it is deceptively *light*, for all its size and apparent heft. I was able to get it out of the box, move it around and set it on its stand pretty easily by myself. By the way, I installed it on the same stand that had previously held a 27" tube TV. Not only did it fit laterally, but it was so much shallower than the tube TV that I was able to make cable connections behind the set with the greatest of ease! Score.
The set is bountifully supplied with inputs. I was able to connect my DVD to one of the component inputs with a few random RCA cables I found in an old file cabinet -- nice! Seemed to work just as well as the rather expensive specialized cabling I returned to Best Buy the next day.
Samsung sez they use a *really* fast DLP chip,and a specialized digital signal processor that manages such things as motion, edge clarity, contrast and other visual elements.
After watching many different kinds of video, I believe them. There's very little artifacting or blurring with fast motion on screen. Hues and saturation seem very lifelike, and there's essentially no flicker (at a proper viewing distance). I have it set up in a room where viewers are approximately 9-12 feet away, and that appears to be about right. The picture is bright. As an experiment, I manually turned up the brightness and contrast to 100%, at which point, it took less than 2 minutes to toast a cheese sandwich held with kitchen tongs a few inches in front of the screen.
The screen does take a few seconds to spin up to full brightness, but I do mean a *few* seconds. I have seen a few HDTVs where the extreme clarity of the image appeared almost unnatural, overly optimized, somehow unreal. To my eye, this set doesn't have that problem.
My wife initially deemed this purchase a "grotesque and unnecessary acquisition", asking me to explain what was wrong with our old 13" tube set that had worked so loyally for us since 1936. Or so it seemed. Now, she actually watches TV. She basically *never* watched TV before except for Mariners games and public television pledge drives (don't ask), so I'm not sure whether this is a good thing, or whether I've somehow turned her to the dark side of passive entertainment.
Overall, I'm giving this set a four because of a minor issues, primarily related to the complexity of using the remote to manage image appearance, aspect ratio, enable/disable features, etc. It seems to take about 5 "clicks" of various oddly located remote buttons to accomplish almost any task. For example, if I'm watching a DVD on component input 2, when the DVD is done, the simple act of switching back to input 1 to watch cable takes, let me see, press menu, select inputs, press the right arrow twice, press the up arrow once, press return. That's six "clicks"! Bad Franz, bad designer. I have trained my cell so I can say things like "Text" or "Home" and the phone immediately performs the sequence of actions that lets me (in this example) send a text message or call home. Why can't I do that with my TV remote?? If somebody made a decent voice programmable TV remote, I'd buy it in a heartbeat.
OK, even with the bad ink I'm giving the interface, to me this isn't such a big deal. It's just that I'm a fan of good design and this remote is not good design. It makes it too complicated (and, thus, annoying!) to do things that are part and parcel of everyday viewing.
So -- a four. But -- I am still utterly mesmerized by the picture quality!! Oh, and the price.
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