Samsung has long been a force in the improvement of HDTV flat panel sets; it is one of the leading brands on the market. Their newest sets employ LED back-lighting technology, which eliminates the cold-cathode fluorescent lighting systems that were included in the first generation of LCD TV sets. The use of this LED technique has made it possible for them to produce sets that are thinner, and lighter than earlier sets, yet they produce significantly higher picture quality. The Samsung UN46D6420U LED 3D HDTV is a good example of this technical superiority.

One of the outstanding features of this set is its 3D capability. Samsung has adopted the Active 3D method for creating the 3D images on their HDTV sets. The key to achieving the 3D effect is to make sure that each of the two stereo images is seen only by the proper eye. This is done by one of two methods, which are termed “active” and “passive”. Passive systems utilize glasses with polarized lenses that work in tandem with polarizing filters that are built in to the TV screen.
These filters polarize two sets of alternating horizontal lines on the screen in one of two different patterns. Each eye then sees only the set of lines displayed on the screen (and therefore sees an image that has only half the full-screen resolution!) that matches the polarization of the lens on the right or left side in the glasses, insuring that each eye sees only one image.
With an Active system, the glasses “actively” alternate between being transparent, then opaque, by activating the LCDs in the lenses. Each eye is blocked sequentially, as the stereo image for the right or left eye is displayed on the screen. The synchronization is accomplished using a bluetooth signal provided by the TV set. These alternating images are shown at the rate of 120 HZ, so that each eye will see 60 images per second. Because each eye sees a full-screen image, there is no reduction of resolution in the 3D picture.
As mentioned previously, Samsung’s 3D HDTVs use the Active 3D system. They have two types of glassed that work with these TVs. One set requires batteries, the other is rechargeable, using any USB connection. The rechargeable glasses are extremely light, weighing just one ounce, and go for tens of hours of use on one charge.
The Active 3D system in the UN46D6420U also makes it possible to “up-convert” regular 2D content and programming to “near 3D” appearance. This means that the 2D program, whether network broadcasts, DVDs, or home movies can be given an appearance of depth that was not otherwise present in the original material.
The size of the screen is important when evaluating a 3D TV purchase. The recommended viewing distance, to help prevent eye strain is a minimum 3x the height of the TV screen. According to that, for a 46″ diagonal screen (which has a vertical dimension of about 23″), the closest viewing distance should be about 67″, or around 5.5 feet. For a 55″ screen, the minimum distance would be slightly less than seven feet.
While the Active 3D is probably the most impressive feature of the UN46D6420U, it is just the starting point of a long list of great features. This Samsung HDTV set is loaded with what Samsung calls “Smart Apps” – applications that are form the basis of their “Smart TV” platform. These “Apps” allow you to use the TV to interface with the Internet, and download Web content from sites like Hulu Plus, Netflix, Pandora, and others.
Although some of the “Apps” must be purchased for a dollar or two (much like iPhone apps), there is a broad list of free Apps, such as children’s material and games. Apps categories cover areas such as Videos, Sports, Games, Lifestyle, Information, and Education.
Another great feature of this UN46D6420U TV is “Allshare DLNA Technology”. DLNA is an abbreviation for “Digital Living Network Alliance”. It represents a technical standard that makes it possible for a variety of electronic appliances to link to each other, in order to make possible file sharing and data transmission. Samsung’s “Allshare” makes it simple to synch up various DLNA-enabled devices with your Samsung TV set, which means that you can enjoy all the media files on your computer, iPhone, and other devices on your new HDTV set . Add the available LinkStick from Samsung, and you will have wireless access too.
Get all the details, and learn lots more about the other great features of Samsung’s UN46D6420U LED 3D HDTV here. These include The Eco Sensor, the Wide Color Enhancer Plus, and others. You will also find the full specs for the set. You can learn lots more about other great 3D LED HDTV sets here.