Samsung's 2007 versions of the SlimFit CRT Widescreen HDTVs

Max O'Reilly

Standard Member
Joined
Oct 26, 2006
Messages
47
Reaction score
7
Points
6
Does anyone have a clue when the new versions of Samsung's Slimfit CTR HDTV range will be reaching our shores?

The USA got them in April this year.

Surely it can't be long now before we get them as I've noticed the existing Samsung Slimfit TVs have became a bit hard to come by recently.

From reviews I've read it seems that all the geometry problems etc. that have been reported here on the exisiting models appear to have have been rectified.

Not only that the picture is supposed to be even better as well.

Here are the specs of the TXT-3093 (although it says 30", I believe I'm correct when I say that we measure screen size differently in the UK so this would be a 32" here. Correct me if I'm wrong.).

They also have another model (TXT-3092) which is almost identical to the TXT-3093 except it has the speakers at the bottom instead of the side to make the set slightly narrower:

Samsung SlimFit 30" CRT HDTV TXT-3093

30" CRT TV
Series SlimFit
Digital Television Certification: HDTV
TV Tuner: 1x analog, 1x digital
Width: 35.5 in
Depth: 16.3 in
Height: 22.4 in
Weight: 116.8 lbs
(TXT-3092 is the same as the TXT-3093 except for
Dimensions & Weight
Width: 31.3"
Depth: 16.3"
Height: 23.1"
Weight: 119.1 Lbs)

Diagonal Size: 30" widescreen
Technology: CRT
Image Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Progressive Scan: Progressive scanning (line doubling)
Display Menu Language: English, French, Spanish
Comb Filter: 3D-Y/C digital
Invar Shadow Mask: Yes
Color Temperature Control: Yes (Warm1/Warm2/Normal/Cool1/Cool2)
Picture Adjustment: Standard/Dynamic/Movie/Custom
Additional Features: On-screen menu, 3:2 pulldown compensation, channel labeling
Analog TV Tuner: NTSC
Channel Coverage: VHF:2-13, UHF:14-69, Cable:1-125
Digital TV Tuner: ATSC DTV
HDTV Ready: Yes
Analog Video Input Signals: NTSC
Input Video Formats: 480p, 720p, 1080i, 480i
Remote Control Type: infrared
Supported Devices: VCR, cable box, DVD player
Sound Output Mode: Stereo
Surround Mode: Yes
Sound Effects: SRS TruSurround XT
Audio Controls: Equalizer
Equalizer: Yes (5-band)
Speakers Included: 2 speakers
Output Power / Total: 20 Watt
Speaker(s): 2 x right/left channel speaker - built-in - 10 Watt
Connector Type: 2 x HDMI ( 19 pin HDMI Type A ) 1 x composite video/audio input ( RCA phono x 3 ) - rear 1 x composite video/audio input ( RCA phono x 3 ) - side 1 x S-Video input ( 4 pin mini-DIN ) - side 1 x monitor output - rear 2 x component video input
Compliant Standards: Plug and Play
Power Device: Power supply - internal
Voltage Required: AC 120 V ( 60 Hz )
Manufacturer Warranty
Service & Support: 1 year warranty
Service & Support Details: Limited warranty - parts and labor - 1 year

Also here are various links to stuff I've found elsewhere on the web about this set:

Samsung USA

Amazon (US) reviews of TXT-3093

news item

Anyone know anything else?
 
— As an Amazon Associate, AVForums earns from qualifying purchases —
hi, i have had the 32" 419 model in black with the dvb digital tuner for six
weeks now, and can report no problems picture wise or build quality. the
built in freeview tuner gives a rock solid picture, i have a panasonic dvd s97
player connected via component and a panasonic dmr-ez27 dvd recorder
via the hdmi port set at 720p and am well pleased with the results.
i have a televes tgx high gain with bicc rg6+ downlead and a flylead made
from the same cable.
 
There hasn't been any sign of the new models coming into the UK nor has a date been set.
 
Plus the new model in the US although has had most of the problems fixed, it is now fixed 1080i resolution. So everything is converted, much like an LCD but with less motion blur and artefacts.

The UK model (if they do one) may actually be different, but with the 429 being phased out and with no replacement on the horizon, it's looking unlikely it will arrive.

Worse thing is Amazon had some new 409's in a couple of weeks ago. Sadly, because I had to wait an extra week for my holiday for it to be delivered, I missed out, and not likely to get another opportunity again.

Left with just my 21" 4:3 Sony Trinitron CRT still.
 
Hi,

In case this helps anyone, I emailed Samsung UK with regards to any new HD CTR models, and also the availability of the old 409/419/420's. I did ask if the old models were still in production, but they didn't really touch on that...

Unfortunately, we have no information on future launches at the moment.
We know that therewill be a new launch in October this year but we have
not been informed of the full extent yet.

We hope that this information will be published on the website as soon
as possible.

You can still buy the old CRT TVs when you want to purchase them from
the internet.

I guess we don't have too long to wait until we find out then!
 
Hi,

In case this helps anyone, I emailed Samsung UK with regards to any new HD CTR models, and also the availability of the old 409/419/420's. I did ask if the old models were still in production, but they didn't really touch on that...

Unfortunately, we have no information on future launches at the moment.
We know that therewill be a new launch in October this year but we have
not been informed of the full extent yet.

We hope that this information will be published on the website as soon
as possible.

You can still buy the old CRT TVs when you want to purchase them from
the internet.

I guess we don't have too long to wait until we find out then!

Samsung UK seem to be able to keep information about themselves secret better than the CIA!

Thanks for the info, I'll await October with baited breath then...:D
 
Well it would make sense for Samsung to release a new lineup of CRT HDTVs in the UK.

It would also explain the lack of 409/419 stock anywhere.

Similiarly, Sony are phasing out the 60GB version of the PS3 in America so once stocks are gone the 60GB ver. is gone. That's probably what Samsung did with the 409/419's.

I want atleast one of the new UK models to look like the US model TX-T3092WH but with the blujay chip that fixes the geometry.

TV_TX-T3092WH_large.jpg


The new model in the US looks exactly like the 409 and 419's we had here.
 
I really want a HD-CRT, I have seen my mates HD LCD and I am not convinced. Normal Sky looks awful on it. My £200 CRT looks better
 
I wish Samsung would hurry up with this tv - is it still October for release?
I agree CRT is still best.

Well Samsung really need to iron out all of the problems the public has with their SlimFit TVs.

Using the BluJay coprocessor is one step in that direction. They really shouldn't have removed 480p from the newer model (now all sources are scaled to 1080i) but the reason may be the BluJay chip itself or as usual, cost cutting measures :mad:


I'm in no rush to buy a HDTV just yet, my Toshiba 32ZP48 CRT is just fine even though it supports max. 480p though I would like Samsung to release their new lineup in October.
 
A while back I posted a link to the new slimfit models that wer shown for Europe at a trade show in Portugal, they are slimmer and now support 1080p, they are totally different to the US model and support 480p and 720p , as well as supporting 480i, as europe has to have the lower resolutions for Pal TV, Most of the US has Hi def, hence the reason they wernt for the 1080i solution there.

I also know that the newer euro model's have a totally different bluejay chip on them and it only work's by making the corners of the screen brighter, they have solved the geometry problem's by getting the set slimmer and totally remodelling the way the tube is made. The set's have been shown in Korea too. They are Ultra Slimfit, but that is just a prottype name at the moment. The set's though are meant o be totallly mindblowing and far superior to the original slimfit, as well as the US hack in chip model.

It's a complete redesign.

European unveiling of the model

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ef8yS2xcxKg

The ultra slim model is in the middle and the one with the shiny front.

New series ultra slimfit released in South asia already, advert here:

http://technorati.com/videos/youtube.com%2Fwatch?v=HQhMvUvO8og

If you ever need the up to date infoo on HDCRT, I'm the man, I keep tabs on it all the time.

The set's in South East Asia, are Ultra Slimfit but only 21 and 29 inch.

The euro model, will be 32 and 36 inch and released in October, apparently, though there could be a delay due to the fact that the tube is still being perfected in mass production according to my sources.

Apparently they are going to do very small production run's to keep the set's geo tight, and engineer's will then spend time on them fixing any fault's. This is going to be a full on assault from Samsung on the LCD market, this is going to be full HD TV@s at a really cheap price with outstanding picture quality and will gain them a huge market share if it succeeds.

Trust me, slimfit will live on, they are just phasing out the Z40 tv's in pre for the relaunch of the brand, the z40 series were plagued by geometry and picture uniformity, and convergence problems.

Several issue's were identified by Samsung for causing this, innsufficient power supply, poor tube design, no use of a digital chip to ensure the picture's brightness and contrast remained stable and the same across the whole ascreen including the corners.

They have totally redesigned the brand and trust me, it's going to be a big push once it's released.
 
You say that the new sets 'support' 480p, do you mean they display it naitively (same for 720p via deflection) or are these resolutions upcaled?

The US upscales all to 1080i, where as the old US model did not do this.

I'm hoping that 480p/720p/1080p are all displyed naitively using high-frequency deflection and the newly designed tube. Would be the best thing ever!
 
Thats some very interesting information Mofoman. Samsung have let me down too many times though so I'll hold off on any excitement. The new black-gloss looks good though. Lets just hope the screen performs on-par with the design.

l-z57.jpg


Z57 product page: http://www.samsung.com/vn/products/tv/slimfittv/cs_29z57he.asp

Doesn't state it supports HDMI. Any info on that Mofoman?
 
CRT's are the best at SD thats for shire. Not sure about HD as the colors don't look as nice as LCD.

I may get one of these tough.
 
Oh yes, I want.
Lovely looking telly & beautiful CRT images. Yes please.

......and 36", yum yum.

The even slimmer-fit is fine but I was hardly complaining about my 419d (what else am I going to do with the window bay or that corner in the front room?) and nice to see all the niggles will be properly sorted everytime.

I'm not completely convinced about 1080p on a 36" set but it can hardly hurt.

Really looking forward to getting a look at these.

Oct can't come soon enough for me.
:thumbsup:
 
I'm not completely convinced about 1080p on a 36" set but it can hardly hurt.

I would imagine the TVs tube can't resolve 1080p's detail, it probably accepts a 1080p signal and downscales it to 1080i.
 
A while back I posted a link to the new slimfit models that wer shown for Europe at a trade show in Portugal, they are slimmer and now support 1080p, they are totally different to the US model and support 480p and 720p , as well as supporting 480i, as europe has to have the lower resolutions for Pal TV, Most of the US has Hi def, hence the reason they wernt for the 1080i solution there.

I also know that the newer euro model's have a totally different bluejay chip on them and it only work's by making the corners of the screen brighter, they have solved the geometry problem's by getting the set slimmer and totally remodelling the way the tube is made. The set's have been shown in Korea too. They are Ultra Slimfit, but that is just a prottype name at the moment. The set's though are meant o be totallly mindblowing and far superior to the original slimfit, as well as the US hack in chip model.

It's a complete redesign.

European unveiling of the model

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ef8yS2xcxKg

The ultra slim model is in the middle and the one with the shiny front.

New series ultra slimfit released in South asia already, advert here:

http://technorati.com/videos/youtube.com/watch?v=HQhMvUvO8og

If you ever need the up to date infoo on HDCRT, I'm the man, I keep tabs on it all the time.

The set's in South East Asia, are Ultra Slimfit but only 21 and 29 inch.

The euro model, will be 32 and 36 inch and released in October, apparently, though there could be a delay due to the fact that the tube is still being perfected in mass production according to my sources.

Apparently they are going to do very small production run's to keep the set's geo tight, and engineer's will then spend time on them fixing any fault's. This is going to be a full on assault from Samsung on the LCD market, this is going to be full HD TV@s at a really cheap price with outstanding picture quality and will gain them a huge market share if it succeeds.

Trust me, slimfit will live on, they are just phasing out the Z40 tv's in pre for the relaunch of the brand, the z40 series were plagued by geometry and picture uniformity, and convergence problems.

Several issue's were identified by Samsung for causing this, innsufficient power supply, poor tube design, no use of a digital chip to ensure the picture's brightness and contrast remained stable and the same across the whole ascreen including the corners.

They have totally redesigned the brand and trust me, it's going to be a big push once it's released.

Thanks for all that info Mofoman!

I think I might just be getting a new TV soon after reading that.
 
I would imagine the TVs tube can't resolve 1080p's detail, it probably accepts a 1080p signal and downscales it to 1080i.

I would be surprised - pleasantly - if the display could resolve 1080p effectively - and also if it could run at that high a scan rate and still be bright enough without the CRT spot-size getting too big. (In fact I'd be surprised if it resolved 1080i fully - very few CRT TVs made fully resolve 1080i. A couple of Sony models sold in Japan and the US do/did)

My understanding of the new Samsung CRTs is that they HAVEN'T fixed the geometry issues inherent in their low-cost and slimline tube/EHT system, but instead they now pre-process the picture to compensate for the geometry errors - they effectively pre-distort the picture using a digital processor in a totally opposite manner to the way the tube does, so that the two distortions cancel each other out? (So if your tube bends the top half of the picture to the right, the processor bends it an equal and opposite amount to the left)

As a result of this processing - they can only run at a single resolution (though potentially different field/frame rates) - as this warping would be different at different line and field/frame scan rates. As a result all inputs - 480i/p, 576i/p, 720p and 1080i (potentially 1080p) are scaled and converted to a single format (not sure if this is 1080p or i internally) for display at a single format (1080i AFAIK)

It will be interesting to see how good the processing is - as it is unlikely to be defeatable - and whether the other major issue (poor focus/resolution and larger phosphor dot pitch at the left and right of frame) has been addressed.

I so wanted the Samsungs to be a viable CRT HD option when they originally launched and was sadly disappointed by the limitations they exhibited. It will be interesting to see how things have changed.
 
Very interesting , Steve.
I would never have thought of using predistortion to overcome this - seen it commonly in some RF amplifiers for cellular basestations though (overcoming PA nonlinearities).
Interesting way to get 1.5 pints from a pint pot though.

Chris Muriel, Manchester
 
Trust me, slimfit will live on, they are just phasing out the Z40 tv's in pre for the relaunch of the brand, the z40 series were plagued by geometry and picture uniformity, and convergence problems.

Several issue's were identified by Samsung for causing this, innsufficient power supply, poor tube design, no use of a digital chip to ensure the picture's brightness and contrast remained stable and the same across the whole ascreen including the corners.

They have totally redesigned the brand and trust me, it's going to be a big push once it's released.

lol CRT has gone the way of the dodo and nothing is going to reverse that. The public have had "flatscreen" shouted at them for the last 5 years and there's no going back now. You have to remember that the vast majority of people don't care about picture quality, you could put a Trinitron next to some Aldi £40 special and most people won't be able to tell the difference. CRT is dead, get over it.
 
lol CRT has gone the way of the dodo and nothing is going to reverse that. The public have had "flatscreen" shouted at them for the last 5 years and there's no going back now. You have to remember that the vast majority of people don't care about picture quality, you could put a Trinitron next to some Aldi £40 special and most people won't be able to tell the difference. CRT is dead, get over it.

If this TV is all they say it is then I will quite happily move back from LCD. I couldn't care less if it is several inches thicker than an LCD as unless you're actually wall mounting an LCD (or plasma) then you are not really gaining any space as most LCDs that I have seen are just sitting on the exact same TV stand/cabinet that the good old CRT was before.

I also have a 13+ year old Sony Trinitron (that is now mainly used for retro console systems) and everyone that I know is able to tell the difference between that and their own CRT TV (and LCDs). Looking at freeview and other SD sources on a good sony trinitron means that I will never claim that the SD source on an LCD is "as good as CRT" because it simply isn't.

Would I be right in thinking that this TV and most recent CRT TVs are also "Flatscreen." Even if it did not have the perfect geometry of an LCD, so long as the bowing in pictures of Samsungs previous effort are sorted, then I am sold on this one.

I like the picture frame look of the TV, it looks pretty smart. There is still life in CRT TVs yet.
 
lol CRT has gone the way of the dodo and nothing is going to reverse that. .................you could put a Trinitron next to some Aldi £40 special and most people won't be able to tell the difference. CRT is dead, get over it.

a) CRT is not dead.... CRT is still used as Monitors at all top film studios etc

b) CRT TV is not dead, JVC and a few other brands still make them, and Samsung are still evolving the slimfit range.... if this is as dead as a dodo, well, it simpy isnt ....

c) ANYONE can tell the difference between a CRT and a LCD etc.... whether they choose the ignore the difference, for the sake of being fashionable, is another matter..........

its like saying girls cant tell the difference in comfort between Stiletto heels, and trainiers.......... they can, but tolerate the discomfort of the heels, cos they look good........... for 90% of people, being seen looking good, counts for more than anything else.....

give the masses a choice between a 100 year old Victorian house, ( Classic architecture, high ceilings, big windows, quality build, thick walls, etc ) or a modern new build ( style-less house, low ceilings, crap build quality, paper thin walls, no character ) for the same price, and 90% will take the modern crappy house instead........... Im not an estate agent, but know someone who is, and again, the masses are just frightening.....

just cos 90% of people are clueless, doesnt mean that lcd /plasma is better than crt......
 
a) Studios have got nothing to do with it. Studios also used betamax a long time after they died a death since they were better quality, still dead though.

b) A couple of brands still producing their old models and ONE still "developing". Let's face it, Samsung must have spent millions developing the Slimfit HD CRTs and what a disaster they turned out to be. Firmware bugs, poor picture, bad geometry, buzzing, ridiculous weight. They hardly set the world on fire did they? Against the dozens producing flatscreens, not looking very hopeful is it? They are now desperately trying to cover their losses by bodging the same flawed concept into something vaguely sellable.

c) You're kidding yourself if you think people are choosing flatscreens because of fashion. More like no 36" (34" visible!) size limit, low weight, many more possible room positions, low energy use, lack of radiation output, superior HD picture, perfect geometry... need I go on?

just cos 90% of people are clueless, doesnt mean that lcd /plasma is better than crt......

I never said anything in my first post about which is better.
 
It's perfectly obvious that CRT is far from "dead".

Fair enough it may not be the dominant form of TV being bought brand new right now but if so then the change is only very very recent.
They remain a large segment of the market, both as a (enormous) 'installed base' and in new sales.

IIRC there was a stat going about that around 50% of new TVs are HD - presumably some of the Samsung HD CRTs are included in that figure - and that in the UK penetration of the entire market by HD TV is only around the 10% level.
In short there are a hell of a lot of CRTs still being bought and there is a very respectable market for them.

If Samsung continue with the HD CRT as they are doing I am pretty certain that I will be far from alone in sticking with CRT.
Plasma & LCD have a long way to go yet before I am convinced.......in fact I may skip them entirely and they might never happen for me - I'll happily wait for better & just see how OLED or SED go as replacement technology.
I see and feel no loss. Sorry, but I really don't.

LCD/Plasma have their flaws too (particularly with 'regular' non-HD TV) and the HD quality I get from my HD CRT on my Sky HD box and via my HD DVD player is a very enjoyable step up as far as I'm concerned......whatever might be claimed about LCD/Plasma at HD I'm happy to trade a little PQ @ HD for the substantial gain of PQ with SD material (which I watch far far more of more of the time).
I'll happily trade a little sharpness at the edges for a non-smearing/motion trailed CRT image thanks.

I have been deeply underwhelmed by the LCD/Plasma options and can genuinely say (still) that I find their performance/cost a poor 2nd best to the HD CRT (and that's comparing my existing Samsung WS32z419d).
I'm not convinced by this size argument either......HD (esp 1080p) really makes most sense at 50" plus so a dig about 34"/36" isn't really meaning much to me.

I for one am really looking forward to updating either later this year or early next with the 36" new HD CRTs.

......and why is it the LCD/Plasma fans seem so threatened by CRTs still being the considered & preferred choice of so many of us?
 
lol who's threatened? I used to own a Trinitron, followed by a Samsung HD Slimfit and now I own a Samsung LCD, which puts me in a lot more informed position than most.

It's great that you feel no loss or whatever but that doesn't change the fact that CRTs are never going to make a comeback and this whole HD CRT affair is incredibly misguided. The problem is this: Samsung CRT picture quality sucks. Whether it's better than a flat panel is completely irrelevant, but compared to other CRTs it really is the pits. When I turned my Slimfit on next to my Trinitron I nearly sent the thing back there and then. The SD is poor and the HD is nothing compared to a flat panel.

If you want SD, get a Trinitron, if you want HD, get a flat panel. The Samsung does a bad job at both.

Also HD only makes sense at 50"? You're blind or mad.
 

The latest video from AVForums

TV Buying Guide - Which TV Is Best For You?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom