SOYO MT-SYXRT4791AB HDTV

Don't let anyone have you believe that High Definition Televisions are the future. A more correct statement is that HDTV's are the present, the here and now, and have already been around for a few years. Unfortunately, not everyone is up to speed, and some are going to be very surprised by the changes in store ahead. You see, by the time this article is published there will be exactly one year remaining until D-Day hits and the transition to an all-digital terrestrial broadcast begins. In past articles Benchmark Reviews gave you specific instructions on how to survive this digital transition, which offered a guide on how to smartly buy your first HDTV. However, in this article we test one of the better alternatives for step-up consumers who want to enjoy full high-definition content without falling into the money pit. Benchmark Reviews has cleared a space atop the entertainment center to inspect the SOYO MT-SYXRT4791AB 47-Inch LCD 1080p Widescreen HDTV in this performance review.

Now that analog televisions are finally a page in the history books (with or without a transition looming), consumers almost have no real choice in the matter except to get onboard the digital revolution. It would make good sense to know what you should be shopping for. Just as it is with computers, the difference between buying obsolete from cutting edge has nothing to do with looks. There are a few very basic items that should be considered a "given" in HDTV technology, and these are the basic rules I mentioned in our how-to guide. Benchmark Reviews will explore what the SOYO MT-SYXRT4791AB has to offer, and we will decide if this 47" LCD 1080p widescreen HDTV is going to be worth the money for those people caught in the middle of this era of technology upgrade.

SOYO's flat-panel, 47" LCD HDTV delivers stunning picture quality to home entertainment and adds an elegant touch to any decor. The entire family can enjoy a wide range of multimedia entertainment options, including broadcast, cable and satellite television programming, as well DVD and VHS movies, video and online gaming, and surfing the Internet. Built-in surround sound speakers complete your home entertainment experience.

Incorporating advanced imaging technology features such as 3:2 pull down, progressive scan and digital 3D comb filter that bring you larger, clearer pictures, the 47" MT-SYXRT4791AB LCD TV features two powerful, built-in 10-watt speakers that deliver stereo surround sound to complete your home entertainment experience. This multifunctional television can also be used as a large-screen computer display for surfing the Internet, working on office or school projects, any playing online or video games.

About the company: SOYO Group, Inc.

EDITORS NOTE: SOYO has filed for bankruptcy and is no longer in business.

A visit to the SOYO website (https://www.soyo.com/) will teach you this about the company:

The SOYO brand name is synonymous with quality, performance and value. Established in 1999 with headquarters in Ontario, California, SOYO Group, Inc. (OTCBB: SOYO) is a leading global provider of computer motherboards, computer peripheral devices, consumer electronics, networking, portable storage and broadband telecommunications products and services that meet the needs of all markets - from the end-user to the enterprise.

Best known as a manufacturer of designer motherboards, SOYO's line of high-performance DRAGONsingle-processor boards support both the Intel and AMD platforms. Recognizing demand for cost-effective, reliable and high-quality peripherals that provide universally compatible solutions, SOYO has expanded its line of products and services to meet the needs of the consumer, SOHO, SMB, enterprise and gaming markets.

Over the years, SOYO has established strategic relationships with major global manufacturers, and through our extensive sales channels, we deliver a wide range of cutting-edge, cost-effective products. With sales offices in California and Sao Palo, Brazil, SOYO sells its products through an extensive network of authorized distributors, resellers, system integrators, VARs, retailers, mail-order catalogs and e-tailers.

SOYO 47-Inch LCD 1080p Features

Featuring a stylish, light weight slim design, 47" LCD TV can be wall-mounted to add floor space and update any room in the house, and the widescreen viewing angles let you to enjoy the picture from almost anywhere in the room.

• 1080p Full High-Definition Quality Picture
• Built-in Analog/Digital Tuner (NTSC/ATSC)
• 3 HDMI Inputs
• Includes Tabletop Stand
• One year limited warranty

MT-SYXRT4791AB Specifications

• 1920 X 1080 Pixel Resolution
• 16.7 Million display colors
• 1800:1 Contrast Ratio
• 500 Nits (typical)
• 16:9 Aspect Ratio
• 8ms Response Time
• 178h/178v Viewing Angle
• 46 1/8" W X 34 1/2" W X 13 13/16" D

Closer Look: SOYO 47" HDTV

If you've made it this far, then chances are good you have accepted the inevitable future. HDTV's are already a big part of the home entertainment lifestyle, and with so much improvement over standard definition there comes an added demand for high quality. At first appearance the SOYO MT-SYXRT4791AB looks like any other 47-Inch 1080p LCD widescreen HDTV you've seem. The unit arrived in a nice big white and blue box, representative of the SOYO color scheme. Safely packaged inside was the the already-assembled panel and stand.

One of the characteristics which immediately caught my eye was the flat black frame on the SYXRT4791AB. Most HDTV's are trying to catch your attention with gloss and shimmer, but here in Nevada the air constantly carries fine dust which collects on practically everything. So it comes as a comfort for me that when I dust and vacuum every week that this 47-Inch widescreen HDTV won't always need attention.

The stand included on the SOYO MT-SYXRT4791AB is very suitable for most entertainment centers. If you are more interested in mounting the 47" widescreen LCD onto a wall, the stand is easily removed from the panel by a set of bolts. With the stand, this 1080p HDTV keeps a modest profile of 45" wide x 30.5" tall.

Around the backside of the SYXRT4791AB you'll find ventilation openings all around the back panel. Additionally, this 47" HDTV offers 4 mounting holes (M6 screw type) on the back for an aftermarket wall-mount VESA mounting bracket. The spacing of the mounting holes is VESA 200 (200mm vertical x 200mm horizontal), in accordance with the industry standards set by the Video Electronics Standards Association. If a VESA standard mounting bracket is not available, a universal wall-mount bracket that can accommodate a screw spacing of 7.874" (W) x 7.874" (H) can be used.

At the lower end of the LCD panel is a perforated speaker cabinet which houses two 10W speakers and are capable of simulated surround sound. While SOYO has done well with the integrated speakers, primarily because they are powerful enough to fill the room with average-quality sound, most people are like myself and have an audio/video receiver powering several surround sound speakers.

Along the right-hand side of the SOYO MT-SYXRT4791AB widescreen 47" LCD are the menu buttons. While almost everything can be managed with these buttons alone, there were still a few items which required the use of the included remote control.

In our next section, this HDTV goes under the magnifying glass as we inspect the detailed features.

MT-SYXRT4791AB Detailed Features

Now that we've covered the basics, it's time to dig deeper into the SOYO MT-SYXRT4791AB and find out what makes this 47" widescreen 1080p LCD so special. While SOYO markets this HDTV as an entry-level upgrade, there are more than enough premium features to make this a desirable product for any level of consumer.

In the image above and below you will again notice the speaker grill, but within it you might also notice a small silver "button". This is the IR receiver window, which must have a line-of-sight view to the remote control in order to respond to signal commands. On other HDTV's we have reviewed, this window was offset to the side of the panel, and until I tested the SYXRT4791AB it didn't occur to me that it would make a difference.

So long as you don't obstruct the remotes view of this window, everything worked out well. However when I decided to return my center channel speaker to it's regular position in front of the unit, I was a bit annoyed at how the remote became useless. To remedy this I simply moved the speakers off to the side of the HDTV, but this was an otherwise undesirable position for a center channel. You'll want to keep this in mind for your own entertainment center arrangement.

Along the right side of the panel you will find several silver menu buttons with beveled ring surrounds. These buttons operate the volume, channel selection, menu, source, and power. There was one particular drawback to this menu which we will reveal in the next section that prevented us from managing digitally tuned channels on the MT-SYXRT4791AB.

The SOYO MT-SYXRT4791AB is a fairly big unit. The entire connection interface spans the rear panel of this 47-inch widescreen HDTV. On the left half of the interface, there is a controlled power receptacle with its own master power switch. The master power switch isn't a feature most other manufacturers offer, but in many cases I have found it to be invaluable. Beside the power receptacle is a female "B" USB port, which is labeled "Update". This is most likely a technician connection for updating system firmware and running diagnostics.

There are also several video input interfaces, as well. Three HDMI inputs are available, which is more than we have seen in other popular HDTV's, along with a single D-SUB analog video connection. The VGA connection works well for older HTPC's and computer workstations, and just to the right is a PC audio input which rounds out the functionality.

There are two component video inputs sets, both with stereo audio beneath them, for equipment without HDMI. Additionally, a single S-Video and composite video input are available for older equipment. For output, another set of composite video connections join a single mini-DIN 3.5mm headphone jack. Finally, the coaxial ATSC/NTSC tuner connection finishes out the SYXRT4791AB interface. It's also worth noting that all of these connections are identically available on the entire SOYO 91-series of HDTV products; from 29" up to this 47" model.

Included with the SOYO 47" HDTV is a black full-function remote control. Make special note of the lower boxed-in section for digital functionality. As I had to learn the hard way, this is the only area which can control the digital ATSC tuner.

SOYO MT-SYXRT4791AB Functionality

Some products fit into your hands so well, they require very little additional effort to master. Most television sets I have experienced over the years have all had a relatively intuitive menu system which makes transitioning from one product to another very easy. Perhaps I have been spoiled for all these years, because the SOYO MT-SYXRT4791AB certainly required a peek into the owners manual to get up to speed. I find myself rather keen towards most every electronic device that comes my way, as it is practically part of my job as a product analyst. Yet when I first sat down to get comfortable with the SYXRT4791AB, it became clear to me that I might have met my match. Before I dive into the details of my experience, I should preface this section by noting that my picture sources included standard and high-definition terrestrial TV and a 1080p HDMI DVD video source (which shall remain brand-nameless).

To begin with, I think that it is fitting to extol the virtues of convenience. When most of us shop for products, regardless of how technically proficient we are, we want our products to work well with very little effort. However, I found myself less than pleased by SOYO's decision to utilize separate ATSC and NTSC tuner components. Because of this, there is an independent section at the bottom end of the remote control devoted to digital television tuning. This also means that surfing analog and digital channels together would not be possible, and that changing to and from the digital TV tuner would be an extra step.

If you're one of the many people who don't even own an antenna, or make use of terrestrial (over-the-air) broadcasts, you'll be fine. Subscription-based television connections (cable, satellite, etc.) won't require the digital TV tuner, and you'll never need to worry about this inconvenient extra step. But if you're like me, and refuse to pay the extra charge every month for local HD channels, you'll probably have an HDTV antenna somewhere. After all, I get a dozen channels (all worth watching) free of charge with it.

But what about the rest of the experience? I may have opened this section with the only functionality downside for the entire SOYO MT-SYXRT4791AB HDTV, because otherwise the performance seems to be very well focused on user experience. Even after the extra step of switching to the digital tuner, I was pleasantly surprised by the helpful information displayed at the top of the screen for each channel. There aren't too many other HDTV's which offer this extra functionality in one location, and this was among the most comprehensive info bar I had seen thus far.

Over the past year I have grown comfortable with the array of HDTV's that I use at home and work. However, it comes as a disappointment that they don't always offer the fine-tuning features that would be a must-have for serious home theater experts. Surprised again by SOYO's effort to please the upper-level crowd with an entry-level product, I discovered premium features like picture-in-picture (PIP) and split-screen picture-by-picture (PBP) displays were both standard equipment on the SYXRT4791AB. Parallel displays allow you to choose the ideal display for your needs: The four-position PIP windows made it easy to wait out a commercial or scan a different video source without leaving my main feature. Split-screen functionality will serve a smaller scope of purpose, as the panels are not kept to ratio because of the reduced width and so they become less desirable for long term viewing.

Some of the other features which were not pictured, but still worth mentioning are the premium functionality of picture-on-picture (POP), 3:2/2:2 video frame pull down, and a 3D video comb filter. Picture-on-picture (POP) places a smaller video frame next to the full-screen video frame; this allows two separate signals to be processed simultaneously. 3:2/2:2 Pull down is a processor-driven correction to the frame difference on certain media.

After weeks of testing, I found myself very familiar with the various nuances of the SOYO MT-SYXRT4791AB, and certain inconvenient steps became a second nature. In the next section, Benchmark Reviews uncovers the power consumption and temperature output for this 47" 1080p HDTV.

Power Consumption

There's an old saying that "money buys power". Originally this was something most people associated with political power or power of influence; however we now live in a world where development outpaces resource sustenance. So as our planet struggles to meet the demands we place on it, power companies have made this saying a much more literal one than before. Now, more than ever, money really does buy power. The only problem is that everything we use consumes it faster than it can be produced.

I promised myself not to make this section into a platform for world conservation (even though it would be the right thing to do), so that I could remain on point and express how important it is that we demand excellence from the manufacturers who produce our popular consumer products. During the past year, I have tested many products which set themselves apart from the pack by offering the same performance with the added benefit of efficiency. Why not then have this same expectation put on all products which consume natural resources?

Throughout my testing, I wanted to keep everything as relative and even as possible. So for power consumption testing I compared the SOYO MT-SYXRT4791AB 47" widescreen LCD 1080p HDTV with the Sharp AQUOS LC-52D62U 52" LCD 1080P HDTV. I will agree that comparing a smaller LCD to a slightly larger one isn't completely fair, but I think you might be surprised by the results. In the scene pictured above, there are colors of every shade used to reproduce the image onto the screen. To measure power consumption I used the Kill A Watt EZ (model P4460) made by P3 and tested each unit under three conditions.

The tests began with a "standby" reading, in which power was connected but the unit was not on. In the "cold" tests I powered on the HDTV for only one minute before taking power measurements. After a full ten minutes displaying the test image, I returned to take a "warm" reading. The results are displayed below:

Based on these findings, its surprising that an older HDTV could be more energy efficient that the new-for-2008 SOYO MT-SYXRT4791AB. This HDTV actually showed some level of power consumption at standby, when the Sharp 52" HDTV showed none at all. The most impressive result was the warm readings, which showed a nearly 100W improvement over this 47-Inch LCD HDTV. SOYO states the power consumption to be at 300W, which makes our test item accurate to their specification.

After all of the power consumption tests were complete, I began recording results for the next section: thermal management.

Thermal Management

Most people are not completely aware of how LCD technology works. Believe it or not, LCD's use a bulb to back-light the color-charged liquid crystals. Because of this, cooler isn't particularly better, because in most cases the bulb requires a certain operating temperature to create the brightness necessary for desirable picture quality. But the important factor here is how efficient the bulb is, and what kind of heat byproduct it produces.

The SOYO MT-SYXRT4791AB was allowed to operate for fifteen minutes prior to recording temperatures with an Extech 450 IR non-contact thermometer. The room temperature was a cool and constant 18.5°C (65.3°F) for the duration of the testing period. The collected temperature results are shown in the image below:

Most of the heat produced from the SYXRT4791AB came from the bulb vents, which indicate that this unit should not be placed flat against a wall. Conversely, the top panel LCD vent showed very little heat exhaust, and indicates that a tall clearing above this unit may not be entirely critical. The front panel recorded average temperature results.

So what does all of this information mean? How does it effect your decision to purchase the SOYO MT-SYXRT4791AB? The answers aren't that far away, because I give my full conclusion in the next section.

SOYO HDTV Final Thoughts

Reviewing the SOYO MT-SYXRT4791AB 47-Inch LCD 1080p Widescreen HDTV was more of a challenge for me than I initially thought. Because the past year has been spent using three other HDTV's of similar size, I have grown very used to certain conveniences, and initially found myself unwilling to let them go. Later after a few weeks of testing, the separate NTSC and ATSC tuners didn't make as much of a difference to me and I had already become quite comfortable with picture-in-picture; something I hadn't had in an HDTV previous to now.

As with any product, the good comes with the bad. SOYO has a good product on their hands, and first-time HDTV buyers who are transitioning from an analog CRT to a digital HDTV should be pleased with this model. However, finer features aside, there are a few basic component designs that require fine tuning before high-end enthusiasts will appreciate the SYXRT4791AB.

MT-SYXRT4791AB Conclusion

Although I won't be included presentation in the overall results, it seemed necessary to include the stand-out effort in this summary. Most companies wouldn't have spent the money, nor the design effort, to package a large 47" HDTV into an attractive package; yet SOYO did. I remember the feeling I had when my first HDTV arrived a year ago in a plain brown cardboard box with black lettering. Sure the product inside was great, just like this one, but the anticipation and anxiety were all built up only to be let down when the freight company arrive. The SOYO MT-SYXRT4791AB certainly helped to heal that emotional scare, because when I saw the nicely presented blue and white box come off the truck I was giddy like a child at Christmas.

The overall appearance is very pleasing, and the satin finish makes cleaning very easy for someone like me who lives in such a dusty environment. There is a little more cabinet trim around the LCD panel than I would normally like, but it's barely more than the other similarly-sized HDTV's I've used. The SOYO 47" widescreen LCD 1080p HDTV is a perfect fit for nearly all entertainment center and office environments.

Construction is solid, like you would expect of most products making it onto retail shelves these days since it's difficult to market something that falls apart in your hands. SOYO offers a limited one-year warranty on the SYXRT4791AB, which I suspect will be more than adequate for this HDTV. With some much cabinet reinforcing along the back, and little to no unit flex, the primary cause of failure is less likely to be in the physical construction.

During my functionality testing, I discovered two flaws: a poorly positioned IR remote control receiver window which makes a center channel speaker impossible to position in front of the unit, and a separate ATSC and NTSC tuner mechanism. The IR receiver windows isn't much of an issue once you plan around it, since the center channel speaker can be relocated in most cases. However the non-integrated digital TV tuner can become a hassle for over-the-air HDTV users who move between broadcast and component/HDMI input, as an extra step is added. On the other hand, parallel picture technologies like PIP, POP, and PBP were all very nice to have, especially during a commercial or channel surfing. Probably my favorite of the entire feature set was the highly-detailed channel guide display which shows everything from show summary and program duration to signal reception power.

When price shopping for the SOYO SYXRT4791AB, it's important to note freight delivery costs. Presentlu there are several online retailers which offer this 47" 1080p HDTV for under $1100. Considering that this product is just becoming available to market, that price is more likely to drop in the next few months of distribution.

In conclusion, SOYO's Crystal Series 47" widescreen 1080p HDTV is going to be an excellent addition to the high-definition environment. While I wan't particularly thrilled about the independent digital TV tuner, not everyone is going to be using an antenna to receive HD broadcasts. And with so many additional features, primarily PIP and three HDMI inputs, the MT-SYXRT4791AB could easily outfit even the most robust home theater setup. With a reasonable price tag and premium-level features, the SOYO SYXRT4791AB comes recommended for home theaters ready to supply 1080p content via HDMI or subscription based programming.

Pros:

+ Full High-Definition 1080p HDTV
+ Informative ATSC tuner channel guide
+ Excellent parallel picture performance
+ (3) HDMI & (2) Component Inputs
+ Convenient stand included
+ Superior viewing angle (178º H x 178º V)
+ Good response time (8ms)
+ Brilliant contrast ratio (1800:1)
+ Attractive design and dust-free satin finish

Cons:

- Separate ATSC and NTSC tuner controls
- No optical/digital audio outputs available
- Remote control IR receiver position
- Above average power consumption

EDITORS NOTE: SOYO has filed for bankruptcy and is no longer in business.

Questions? Comments? Benchmark Reviews really wants your feedback. We invite you to leave your remarks in our Discussion Forum.

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