Samsung TVs & HDTVs Best Reviews

Beautiful TV! From the picture to the bezel, just perfect., March 30, 2008

I’ve had this TV since very early March. I’ve watched HD, SD and Blu-Ray and can not find a flaw. The 650 handles motion extremely well to where blurring and other artifacts are vitually non-existant. The AMP is a very cool feature that brings a realism to film making it seem more life-like, or as if it were originally shot on HD Video. Some have said this gives off a "soap opera" effect. I can see that description, but to me it makes film based DVD’s and movies look more like your watching a real-life play, viewing it through a window. It’s a very cool effect!

I understand people’s concern’s with the glossy screens found on plasma and some LCD’s. This screen is slightly less reflective than Samsung’s 71 series but can still be a problem for some. It would be nice if there was an easy solution for this but there’s not. Sony and other makers use a matte type of screen that certainly helps or eliminates the problem but introduces other negatives. I find colors and blacks just don’t "pop" on matte screens and tend to wash out more for off-angle viewing. The 650 has a picture with great depth and color from any angle, greatly adding to the immersion effect.

Much talk has been about the TOC bezel. I think Samsung has hit it out of the park with this. I absolutely love the red. I think it adds just a touch of class. It sets this tv apart from all others(though the picture quality already does this) while still being very subtle and retaining the ability to blend in with any decor. Most people who’ve come to my home do not even notice the red until I point it out. I’m a little tired of every set looking the same with either a piano black bezel or flat black. This is a very welcome change.

I like many other suffered the shut-off issue. As has been mentioned it appears Samsung has fixed the issue with a firmware update. I’ve updated the FW and so far so good. It was annoying but not a huge deal to me. Samsung should be commended for how quickly they addressed the issue. I received several calls from upper level officials that were very concerned with my problem. I’ve never had this level of service from any other manufacturer. Well done Samsung! A side effect of the FW update is that the AMP processing received a boost. Before the FW update I usually had AMP on low at all times and would occasionally put it on High. Now, I still use it at the low setting most times but will put it on Medium occasionaly, and find the High setting a bit much for me. I can put it on High without most of the annoying artifacts people have desribed the 71 series has, which is nice, nut the actual effect is bit much for me.

Overall, this is best the LCD on the market. I can’t see Sony or any of the other manufactures making a better TV this year. They may match it perhaps, but certainly won’t surpass it. For those that were on the fence waiting to buy until the shut-off issue was fixed, your wait is over. Buy with complete confidence and enjoy one of the best TV’s out there!

Nice but could be better, April 14, 2007

I’m not an expert reviewer but a reasonably knowledgeable electronics consumer. Here are my observations from a week’s use of the LNT3253H. I won’t repeat the specifications and the like that you can find most anywhere. I suspect that some of what I say is applicable to other panel sizes in the 2007 53 series.

A successor to last year’s popular 51 series, the 53 is really more of an updated version of 2006’s highly rated LNS3296 with a little more contrast and one more HDMI port and a USB port. (I was told by Samsung customer service, 1-800-726-7864, that the successors to the latter line will be 1080p.)

(more…)

As Always - SONY, No Baloney, November 25, 2007

I’ve been buying Sony TVs for more than 30 years, and they rarely disappoint. The 40" Bravia is no exception. Last year I bought the 70" SXRD model for my living room, and the 40" is for the bedroom. Many televisions are high quality and prices are dropping, so why get the Sony?

Picture quality is excellent, especially in high def.

Sound quality is very good without a home theater setup. Not always the case with flat panel TVs with small bezels.

(more…)

So Far, So Good., March 30, 2008

I ordered the Samsung LN46A550, sight unseen, from Electronics Expo based upon the price/performance ratio and the fact that Samsung HDTV’s have always struck me as having the best image quality. So far, I’ve not been disappointed. For a price just under $1600, this is undoubtedly an awful lot of TV for the money. First and foremost, the picture quality is superb. I have spent much time at the Best Buy, Circuit City, and the Electronics Expo for the past 18 months and so I’m not easily impressed. But I’d have to say that the A550 image quality easily rivals the best Pioneer plasmas costing many thousands more. The 30,000:1 contrast ratio helps put the Samsung among the very best of the best. With the `Black Mode’ and `dynamic contrast’ turned up, there’s that sense of looking through a window. The image clarity literally blows away my previous HDTV… which was a Philips.

(more…)

Works well as a computer monitor!, July 25, 2007

 Am I the only one who thinks the pixel size on typical computer monitors is way too small? Fortunately, one can buy HDTVs and essentially choose their pixel size, which is what I did with this 26" Sony Bravia. With my PC, I can run it at 1360 x 768 pixels, and the Bravia is smart enough not to scale it ("1:1 pixel mapping" is what it’s called). In fact, no matter what resolution I send to the Bravia via my computer (600x800, 768x1024), the Bravia shows it unscaled, and this results in a smaller, centered image with black borders. This applies to both the VGA (PC) input and also the HDMI (via a DVI adapter) input.

(more…)

Excellent TV for the money, but with some shortcomings. , January 22, 2008

So, you are thinking about buying a new TV, but what to choose? If you are wanting a flat panel TV, you can get either a plasma or an LCD. Plasma can be cheaper, and can give a better picture (at the same price point), but plasma weighs more, uses more power, generates more heat, and can burn images into the screen and ruin the TV (which matters if you view things without distorting and/or cropping the image to fit your screen; if you are spending all this money on a HDTV, do you really want distorted or cropped images?). So, I decided for an LCD.

(more…)