It has been months since the Korean introduced its M8 integrated digital TV or iDTV in Asia and it's still the only one of its kind so far until now. Replacing it is the latest F8-series, a stepped-up model combining the stylish shell of its premium F9 LED-driven TV with all the familiar features of the original iDTV plus Motion Plus function. The latter is its first and much-belated attempt at the highly sought-after 100Hz motion enhancements.

Pros

If you are drooling over the beautifully crafted Samsung LA70F91B, the LA46F81B is about the closest you can get without forking out a whopping S$88,888 (US$58,478.09). To start off, there is the glossy black bezel with smooth sensuous soft corners. This is flanked by a pair of titanium trimmings which house its unique touch-sensitive TV controls. Speaking of which, the bottom center blue lighting also doubles as a similarly designed power button. And if you are wondering where the speakers are, these are stealthily lined along the sides and fired through an extremely narrow slit.

The timely appearance overhaul aside, the F8 is no pushover in technical specifications. Its full-HD panel is now upgraded to deliver a 25,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio. That's more than a 66 percent leap over its predecessor and about the highest in the market, second only to the Bravia X's 18:000:1 rating. Furthermore, Samsung has made a slight improvement over response time now to 6ms rather than the usual 8ms. Speaking of motion reproduction, this is the first LCD TV from its flat-panel stable with 100Hz frame rate-doubling technology dubbed Motion Plus.

Although there is an integrated DVB-T tuner and HD-ready MPEG-4/AVC decoder, this TV still packs quite a punch in terms of connectivity options. At the top of the echelon are three digital HDMI 1.3 terminals. One of these is located by the side for impromptu hookup with the latest HDMIed HD camcorders and laptops. That's besides two sets of analog component-video sockets to go with your older equipment such as DVRs and settop boxes. Another notable jack is the high-speed USB port which has a Wiselink function to directly playback MP3 and JPEG files.

Cons

We were hoping for Samsung to implement film-centric 1080p24 input signal handling, but it seems like a tall order for the Korean as usual. While there may not be a visible advantage going 24Hz, this theoretically offers judder-free pictures and eliminates unnecessary frame rate conversion. After all, most movies are shot in film at 24Hz per second and that’s as original as we can get to the real thing. Lastly, there are the usual issues of fingerprint stains and scratch marks on a glossy treatment, something which can't be helped and applies to all brands using such chassis.

Bottomline

What better way to end the year than to launch a killer product, with the Samsung LA46F81BDX looking like a promising all-rounder in the making? It has the looks and features that set it apart from the competition. Best of all, it's also priced very competitively at S$7,399 (US$4,867.22). For consumers lucky enough to have DVB-T broadcast in their countries, this is definitely an LCD TV worth checking out. We will be bringing one of these beauties into our Lab, so check back this space for an indepth review.