A full review and demo of the Samsung HT-D550 surround sound system
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Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Acer Aspire 5542g Review
The Acer 5542G is the company's replacement model for it's very popular 5536/5536G series. The new model comes with an improved processor and a whole new Tigris platform. It was after more than a week's wait and phone calls that I got hold of one Acer Aspire 5542G. From the moment I read the specification sheet, I have been very thrilled to get the machine in my hands. The specs boasts about a AMD Turion II 2.2 Ghz, 3GB DDR2 Memory, ATI 4570 Dedicated graphics card with a 512MB DDR3 memory and a quite generous 320GB Hard disk drive for a price tag of less than RS 34000, which is quite a tempting deal.
In this detailed review we will see how these specs meet the real performance needs.
Key features:
In this section, we will look in detail at the key components that makes up this laptop. I will also try to include as much specifications and details as available from the manufacturer's source.
Processor:
Acer Aspire 5542G comes with the second generation AMD Turion Processor (AMD Turion II M500) clocked at 2.2Ghz which houses a 1MB L2 Cache. The Turion II M500 is fabricated using the 45nm technology. It belongs to the Caspian generation of processors and supports HyperTransport 3.0 and hardware virtualization.
The Turion is AMDs answer to mobile processors, which provides excellent performance while keeping the power consumption at the minimum. The Turion processors generates less heat compared to AMD's desktop work horses that have a bad reputation in heat emission department. The Turion II being the next version of the decent performer Turion, it sets high expectations in terms of competing with the Core 2 Duos in the market. We will see how it scores in real performance when we benchmark it down the road.
Graphics Card: ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4570 512MB DDR3
One of the main attractions of this laptop is the graphics engine that lies beneath the hood. The Acer 5542G comes with a dedicated ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4570 with 512 MB of DDR3 memory.
For those of you who are not clear about the difference between an integrated and a dedicated graphics solution, I'm adding a few words. An Integrated graphics solution (eg: the Intel's X4500) doesn't come with dedicated video memory; it eats up your system memory for graphics processing and thus the slower path between the system memory and the graphics engine causes the biggest bottle-neck when it comes to performance. Also the integrated graphics processor would be less powerful than a mainstream dedicated one in raw processing power. On the other hand, a dedicated graphics card will usually have a high speed dedicated video memory (eg: DDR3) which is coupled to the graphics processor. This removes the bottle neck and gives the card superior performance. The graphics processor on a dedicated card would usually support high-end effects provided by the latest DirectX and OpenGL APIs which gives the realism and visual-candy in the latest games.
The HD 4570 is a faster clocked version of the Mobility Radeon 4530/4330. It has a 64 Bit memory bus and comes with a 512MB DDR3 VRAM. The 512MB should be adequate for most gaming and graphics needs, unless you play in the craziest resolutions. (As rendering resolution increases, the more memory it needs). The DDR3 memory will meet the needs for the fastest and huge volume texture processing that modern games demand. However the 64 bit bus stands inferior to the 128 bit bus that most mainstream cards offer.
The ATI Mobility Radeon 4570 is based on the RV710 chip and it provides 80 stream processors. The Mobility Radeon also provides the video technology called Avivo HD that provides an on board 7.1 sound chip. The graphics solution also features a 2nd generation Unified Video Decoder that supports full bitstream decoding of H.264/MPEG-4 AVC and VC-1 streams. The 4570 graphics unit is capable of handling all video tasks including HD video decoding.
Display:
The Acer 5542G comes with a 15.6" High Definition LED backlit TFT LCD display that provides 220-nit high brightness and Acer's Cinecrystal display technology. The pure widescreen (16:9) display supports a maximum resolution of 1366X768 and provides a 60% color gamut. It has a high-def response time of 8ms.
Memory: There is nothing much to boast about a 3GB DDR2 800Mhz memory that comes with the Acer Aspire 5542G when compared to the current line of laptops many of which sports a 4GB under the hood. The 3GB is sufficient for most of the computing needs which can later be upgraded to 4GB. However the 3GB deal would appear reasonable when we keep the price tag of the Acer 5542G in mind.
Hard Disk Drive: Again there's nothing jaw dropping in this department. But I would say that the 320GB that comes with the Acer 5542G is generous for most of your storage needs.
Processor performance and benchmark:
I was initially reluctant to switch from the Intel's proven workhorse Core 2 Duo to the AMD's Turion family of processors. It is a widely accepted fact that the Intel's processor outperforms the AMD counter part, provided that both runs on the same clock speed; the main culprit being the lower L2 cache in AMDs. But my reluctance to move on to the AMD Turion II was swept away by the performance benchmarks. The AMD Turion II M500 2.2 Ghz outperforms the Intel Core 2 Duo 6670 2.2 Ghz. When AMD Turion II M500 scores a decent score of 1426, the Intel Core2 Duo 6670 managed to get only 1379, though the margin is not huge.
The Turion II M500 also scored higher in the Windows 7 performance rating with a score of 5.7 against the score of 5.5 of the Intel's Core 2 Duo 6600.
The Turion II without doubt has improved it's architecture dramatically compared to the previous generation Turion, which helps it to achieve a higher performance benchmark, while competing head-on with the Intel's counterpart, even though AMD Turion II M500 houses only 1MB L2 cache compared to the 2MB offered by the Intel's variants.
The AMD Turion II M500 is doubtlessly an excellent performer and is commendable for being the first AMD processor model overtaking the Intel Core 2 Duo along the performance lines, both of which are clocked at the same speed. Though the Turion II has only 1MB L2 Cache it brings excellent performance and computing power on a budget. The Turion II M500 processor gives the Acer 5542G with great number crunching efficiency, that was much noticeable when we ran tests involving compressing/extracting, Gaming and Video rendering using 3D graphics tools. The Acer 5542G showed brisk performance during daily computing, and the Windows responsiveness and multi-tasking were significantly quick.
Graphics card performance:
The Acer 5542G with the ATI Mobility Radeon 4570 with 512MB Dedicated DDR3 VRAM is not an exceptional performer in terms of the latest gaming standards. But very few laptops comes with a high end graphics card that meets the high-end gamer's needs and those machines will burn a hole in your wallet for sure. The HD 4570 in the Acer 5542G is a decent graphics card to play a little older game titles in full detail whereas when it comes to the most recent games, you might have to tweak the detail level to a medium to get reasonable frame rates.
The Acer 5542G is an excellent choice for gamer's on a budget as well as 3D Graphics designers and Animators.
I found the Acer 5542G delivering very smooth frame rates on Test Drive Unlimited even at the highest settings, though a video review of the Dell Studio 15 housing the same graphics card showed significantly lower frame rates in YouTube. May be the performance boost is due to the DDR3 Video Memory as well as the better number-crunching done by the AMD Turion II M500. The card fared really well in older titles like Need For Speed Most Wanted, Need For Speed UnderCover, Unreal Tournament 2003, and Crysis Warhead even at the highest detail settings with 1024X768 resolution and FSAA turned on. The Acer 5542G also delivered consistently playable frame rates in Microsoft Flight Simulator which is a quite resource hungry game, due to the presence of huge textures and extensive terrain.
Display performance:
The 220-nit high brightness display of the Acer 5542G, gives excellent display quality with good sharpness and contrast. It also delivers very good and accurate color reproduction (60% gamut). The viewability from sides is not exceptional, but is adequate. The only major disadvantage of the display is that it's high glossy finish attracts glare. Hence it is not suitable while viewing against any direct light source.
Audio Performance:
The Acer 5542G sports a Dolby certified audio system. The Realtek chip provides 32bit audio decoding and provides SP-DIF and Dolby Digital output. It also supports Dolby Headphone and Dolby Virtual Surround modes. It means you will be in audio bliss, if you connect the Acer 5542G to a nice home theatre or high-end headphones.
The built-in speakers of the Acer 5542G clearly lacks the bass and was a disappointment during our tests. The sound clearly lacks the thump element in it. It doesn't mean that the speakers are worthless. The speakers give you very nice high and medium range frequencies quite well. The audio volume levels were loud enough and will be adequate if you are not in the middle of a very noisy environment.
Battery:
The Acer 5542G comes with a 6-cell battery pack. It would probably disappoint you, if you are looking for a laptop with 3+ hours battery backup. The lower battery backup can be attributed to the modestly big 15.6" display paired with the dedicated graphics card that can drain out quite a lot of battery power. With the screen brightness at low, I was able to obtain a 2 hours 50 minutes backup with no audio, video or games turned on. At highest performance setting, you can expect roughly two hours of battery backup.
Heating:
Being an AMD based laptop most of us who have used an AMD based sytem would have concerns about over-heating. Stay cool. The Acer 5542G handles heat well. When you use it for extended hours for your daily computing needs, it doesn't generate any significant heat. I found the heat near the palm rest regions less compared to some other Intel based competing laptop models. The Acer 5542G has adequate ventilation at the bottom and has a vent at the back, that blows the hot air out. The fan steps into high speed the instant things start getting hot.
It doesn't mean that the Acer 5542G won't generate heat at all. The moment you start playing games, the rosy picture changes. Though the Acer 5542G's body remained just warm, the vent at the rear end was blowing out really hot air, which obviously means heavy heat generation, though it gets displaced well. Though the Acer 5542G gets away with the heat quite well, it would be a good choice to get an efficient laptop cooling pad if you are into serious gaming.
Other components:
The Acer 5542G comes with a good DVD Writer, Bluetooth, Wireless LAN etc. These devices performs quite well and doesn't seem to have any specific points worth mentioning.
Accessories:
The laptop comes with a nice backpack from Targus with Acer logo on it. The backpack has adequate space to carry some extra stuff in it while you are on the move. It's build quality is good and provides adequate cushioning for the laptop compartment.
Conclusion:
Acer 5542G is a laptop that brings great value to those on a budget, who need excellent processing and graphics performance. I highly recommend it for all gaming enthusiasts and graphics designers, owing to the excellent performance of the processor and the graphics solution built-in. It's powerful processor can meet most of the extreme computing needs unless your needs target the ultra-high-end like an i7. The Acer 5542G equipped with it's Turion II processor competes really well with the Core2 Duos out there; no need for the 'Will AMD perform equally well?' question anymore. It delivers brutal processing power.
If you are an audiophile who would play music through the laptop's built-in speakers round the clock, Acer 5542G may not be the best suit for you. If that is not a top-priority for you or if you have a nice home theatre/headphone, then the Acer 5542G gives you great joy in the audio department too, through it's Dolby processing and digital outputs. It all depends on your needs.
The battery suits the home computing / gaming / designing needs. It's 2+ hours backup can handle your presentation, on-the-go needs too, though a 3+ hours backup would have been more recommendable.
The laptop model I purchased comes loaded with Linpus linux operating system (command prompt only) and eliminates the Windows dependency, which helps the Acer 5542G keep its price down. You might also get a version with Windows pre-loaded but for a higher price tag.
Pros:
Excellent processor
Excellent graphics for designers and budget gamers
Good Looks
Quite sturdy design
Good Audio processing and digital out
HDMI
Cons:
Built-in speakers do not match the good audio processing and lacks bass completely
Glossy screen difficult to work with in direct light
Volume control keys could have been softer to touch
Arrow keys needs refinement
Pricing and final words:
This laptop is available in India in many online shopping websites at a sub RS 35k price tag. I got hold of one for RS 33700/- (approximately 717 USD) through a local dealer. With such reasonable price tag and compelling set of features, I strongly recommend the Acer 5542G.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Bose Lifestyle V35 - Premium Home Theater System
If you are in market for a premium home entertainment system that will undoubtedly satisfy you as a music aficionado, it's highly recommended that you start researching the Bose Lifestyle V35!
It's true that there are various home entertainment system that you can choose from in the market. However, some of them deliver better performance compared to others. In fact, not all home entertainment system deliver the same level of musical satisfaction as Bose Lifestyle V35 does. This state-of-the-art system truly delivers uncompromising excellent surround sound.
There are several features that make this device a premium home theater system and some of them will be briefly explained below. However, due to the limitation of space, there's no way that all the benefits can be explained here. At the bottom of this article, there will be a link to a site that provides nice Bose Lifestyle V35 review for your perusal. Without any further adieu, here are the premium features of this music device:
Jewel Cube Speakers
The proprietary premium Jewel Cube speakers from Bose will produce wonderful sound in both low notes (deep bass) and high notes. Everybody have their own music preferences such as jazz, classic, pop, hip-hop, etc. However, all will love Bose V35 since it delivers excellent sound for all types of music.
Surround Sound
If you combine this system with a Full HDTV, you can expect to have cinema-like experience at the comfort of your own house. Thanks to the patented accoustimass module, this system will deliver full range of theater sound every time you turn on the menu.
Other Excellent Features
There are some other excellent features such as onscreen setup guidance and auto room configuration that really differentiate Bose Lifestyle V35 as the premium one. Moreover the design is quite exquisite that really give you the feel of a premium system.
As you can see, there are multiple reasons which prove that Bose V35 is a premium home theater system that was created to meet the requirements of a music aficionado! Everything from the design to the features is beautiful and designed to deliver excellent performance of a premium home theater system.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Samsung UE40D7000 Review
Samsung offers one of its newest models in LED televisions which is the Samsung 40D7000. The Samsung UE40D7000 strives to make its first great impact with its modernized and elegant design that it carries. The spectacular construction of the ultra slim design has made this LED TV an appealing visual treat for the eye. An ultra clear panel accompanies the wonderfully features of the back-lights this LED television offers. The 40-inch display of the Samsung UE40D7000YU gives you that nice, subtle, yet intriguing picture when watching movies.
The video quality that the Samsung UE40D7000 delivers will blow you away. A High Def resolution of 1080p capability brings you the crisp and clean picture quality into your living room like never before. Choose from the many HD resolutions which are 480p, 720p, 1080i and 1080p. The wide color plus enhancer on the Samsung UE40D7000YUXXU TV only adds to the movie watching experience like never before. You can have the ability to have the preset picture modes ready for whatever you will be watching, such as sports, movies, live broadcasting or for that great gaming experience.
Along with the great high def picture resolution the Samsung 40D7000 gives you, enjoy the highest quality of 3D available in the market today. An amazing 3D picture is made possible with the 3D hyper-real engine giving you the best picture quality. The clear motion refresh rate is at a phenomenal speed of 800 hertz which gives it that extra added high quality realistic picture. The audio rendition of the Samsung UE40D7000 is one that will help to complement the 3D and high def quality features this LED TV offers.
One the first great features of the Samsung 40D7000 is its Dolby Digital surround sound audio features that will complement the High Def quality of this Samsung LED TV. To further enhance this you can take advantage of the SRS Theater Sound High Def that takes the surround sound system to a whole different level. The DTS 2.0 carries a digital out along with a sound output of 10W x 2 which emphasizes your surround sound with a great quality of amplification. The Samsung 40D7000 LED television also includes a remote control, batteries, an ultra slim wall mount support, power cable and a pedestal stand support.
The Samsung UE40D7000 also offers the capability of wireless networking - perfect for browsing the internet. However for best results have your internet connection hard-wired with the Ethernet cable input for a faster connectivity onto the internet. You can have your favorite TV shows and movies streaming at just a few clicks of a button with the internet capabilities of this Samsung television offers. You can also connect your headphones or PC mini jack audio input and a PC in D-sub connection input that comes with your Samsung 40D7000 LED television.
The Samsung 40D7000 has a great assortment of inputs and outputs to enhance the way you watch television. The Samsung UE40D7000 carries component input and there is also the digital optical out that will give you that flawless cinematic experience. You will also find a DVI in, which is commonly used for your PC inputs. The 4 HDMI inputs that come with the Samsung will be able to give you the HD quality you have always wanted.
With all of the features the Samsung UE40D7000 carries, it will surely give you the best cinematic experience you and your family will be able to enjoy.
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Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Understanding Flat Panel TV Technology and The Reasons For Getting a Samsung Ln46A950 LCD TV
Both have enormous thin screens and notable image and picture quality. But those may appear to be generic descriptions for the two rivals in home viewing technology. They are now two competing technologies and they both keep catching up with each other. But then again, there should only be one victor. Which one is it? Find out here.
Their sizes range from 32 to 70 inches. Another brand, which is Panasonic, made a huge 103 inches screen but for a special case only and not available for consumer us. Samsung, on the other hand, made their LCD TV screens bigger up to 70 inches. Both Plasma and Liquid Crystal Display televisions have flat screens and thin silhouette as compared to the traditional bulky Cathode Ray Tube or CRT televisions. Both flat screen televisions end their similarities with the exterior factor.
Their technologies are different since Plasma screens make use of plasma or gas cells to create images. LCDs on the other hand make use of liquid crystals sandwiched between two glass plates. Does this explain the difference in the detailed quality of the images produced? The answer is yes.
Most experts say that Plasma televisions are better for simple home theater usage. It will function just like your ordinary TV but in a large screen format in a thin profile. However, if you want more than just a "watching" screen, a Samsung Ln 46A950 LCD TV may be the best choice for you. The latter can be used as a computer monitor and is great for video game playing compared to the former.
Plasma televisions are believed to have better viewing angles. The latest models were also made to have improved contrast ratios. This kind of television is also noted for its superb color reproduction. However, they are seen to be extremely susceptible to burn-ins. The black levels are also not that good and cannot produce exact true blacks. Another disadvantage is that it consumes more power thus creating an increase in your electric consumption.
Meanwhile, LCD televisions are believed to have good color reproduction. Some experts review Samsung LCD TVs to have perfect sharpness and there will absolutely not suffer from burn-in effects. They last longer than Plasma TVs with a lifespan of 60,000 to 80,000 hours. But some reviews claim that some LCD TVs have poor contrast ratio. But research tells that the leading brands, like Samsung, are now creating improved models. Older models were reviewed to have poor viewing angles as well. Refresh rates are now getting better with the latest models released.
In deciding which technology to support, the answer would mainly rely on the budget you have. Prices may be a little more expensive for LCD televisions. But because of the demand and the competition, you can easily find a great bargain. Nonetheless, because both are relatively good when used for their best function, whatever you choose, you still get to experience the latest home viewing technology.
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