New Samsung LCD HDTV Review

HDMI Issues
Before buying this model (or any model for that matter), I would suggest that you check with your cable company to see if they have had any problems associated with this model. After setting it up I began to have immediate and intermittent problems with loss of picture and sound. This was supposed to be fixed with a down load from Samsung and I was aware of it before purchasing. I down loaded it but the problem persisted. Samsung set approved warranty service at my home which took about seven days to arrange. I had to take part of the day off to wait for the repair service. The main board was replaced but the problems persisted. Samsung approved a second visit which was to replace the screen and power supply. Samsung and perhaps others who produce these TV's have "compatibility" problems from time to time with companies that provide the cable services (all of them). After a lot of persistence and before the second visit I was able to determine from Surewest my cable provider that they had an internal memo about Samsung TV and their HDMI issues with the "HDMI handshake" that goes on between the cable service and the TV. I was told that Samsung had this problem previously with the major cable companies and that they were able to straighten them our working with the companies to correct the code. Surewest told me it was the TV and not their fault so I am stuck with a TV that can't be hooked up to the cable provider via HDMI. Instead I am using a Surewest provided component cable and the problem has not reappeared since I switched away from HDMI.

Simply OUTSTANDING! (Samsung LN52A650)
What a outstanding picture, clarity, color and shear SCREEN SIZE! This is what Blu-Ray movies are meant to be seen on and you can actually get the tru clarity and in some movies see a huge difference over standard DVD's. That said just watching TV whether standard or even better HD channels are wonderful, enjoyable day or night.

I went with the 650 over the 750 and 850 one for cost, two for "Auto Volume Control". That is where you have an option of two settings that will keep the volume almost uniform between tv shows and commercials. Why is that important to me. I hate LOUD noises or commercials and let me tell you ALL commercials on TV are set at a higher volume to force you to listen or notice a product or service. Of course I often would just mute or have to lower the volume in btwn. This set does it for me and I don't have ringing in my ears or have to jump to get the remote. For me that was a clincher.

The 750 and 850 models are thinner and lighter in weight but basically all have the same functions but if weight or space are an issue you can spend more on the 750/850 models. I have noticed now after the holidays that all of them of course are lower in price as that is always the case. They have to make room for the latest models that are usually out in late February or early March.

As for glare, I virtually notice none, if you have the TV near bright lights or windows, one close the blinds/shades and two you have a Dynamic, Standard, and Movie settings which has to do with day and night time watching on the Samsungs. Everyone has different likes and such with brightness, color etc, so it is easy to play with the settings to tune the visual just as you like it or your family.

I recommend this TV or any of the Bravias in this size, LG, Panasonic, and even Sharp Aquos I thought was not as good as this Samsung. This is my second Samsung and once again a hands down winner.

Key things you must do is go to the Best Buy, Circuit City or wherever you have a wide selection of brands and look at them all side by side. Do your reading of reviews on the store sites, Amazon and look for pro reviews too. When you are going to spend B001413DF8,500, ,000, ,500 on an item do your reseach and get what YOU personally like and what looks best to your eyes.

This TV at 50000 to 1 a 4MS response time and true 120Hz is outstanding. Remember 99% of cable companies broadcast at 60Hz and this TV will tell you onscreen what the Hz is when you change channels and such. The only thing I have had at true 120Hz have ben blu-ray movies via my Playstation. I look at it as I have the latest technology but the industry hasn't caught up yet. for example I am on Time Warner Cable and there HD boxes only output at 1080i at 60Hz that won't be changing anytime soon for them. Regardless the movies, the TV the games are simply WOW by anyone who has been to my home and seen any of the games, movies or TV programs. My TV is connected via the net and I pipe music from my PC through the receiver and look at all my thousands of photos using this awesome huge screen.

As for the touch of red around the TV itself, I read people complaining about it. I virtually don't notice it unless I am dusting off the TV, otherwise it is very minimal and just such a non issue, or it should be. It certainly won't clash with any decor being it is so subtle. Here is a more detailed list of the abundant features and I have a proline Onkyo TX-NR906 Receiver running everything with the desktop computer for optimal performance and control.

TV FEATURES:

**ToC (Touch of Color): Samsung's new Touch of Color design features a hint of amber color naturally blended into the traditional piano black frame of the Samsung 650 Series LCD television.

**HDTV Tuner: The TV has built-in over-the-air HDTV (ATSC) and Digital Cable (QAM) tuners, so you don't need a separate set-top box to receive and decode over-the-air HDTV/SDTV or unencrypted Digital Cable signals.

**Native Resolution: The television has a display resolution of 1920 x 1080. The HDMI and component video inputs will accept 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480p, and 480i (component only) signals and will display them as 1920 x 1080. The television features a full HD 1920 x 1080p digital format converter for all inputs.

**Ultra Clear Panel: Samsung's Ultra Clear panel provides a bright, clear, colorful and overall more vibrant picture. The Ultra Clear Panel technology enhances contrast and reduces reflection so you can enjoy an overall outstanding viewing experience

**Contrast Ratio: This TV has an 50,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, giving you brilliant brightness and contrast for superior picture and detail from both PC and TV images.

**Auto Motion Plus 120Hz: Auto Motion Plus 120Hz technology virtually eliminates any motion blur and creates smooth transitions between frames. Auto Motion Plus calculates the image between frames and inserts it, creating a non-repetitive transition from one to the next. The result is a clearer picture than ever before.

**4ms Response Time: One of the most important features for an LCD panel is the pixel response time. Response time refers to the amount of time it takes a pixel to "refresh" itself-to go from being active to being inactive, (ready to be re-activated). The lower the milliseconds, the faster the response time. A television's very fast 4ms response time virtually eliminates any blurring and gives you smooth-motion action scenes

**Digital Natural Image Engine (DNIe): Samsung's DNIe makes input signals sharper, clearer, and more lifelike. It's advanced image processors and six-times density enhancer help to create true-to-life colors and high contrast, while virtually eliminating digital artifacts. DNIe is made up of a Motion Optimizer, a Contrast Enhancer, a Color Optimizer and a Detail Enhancer to produce life-like images that rival reality.

**Picture Sizes: You can choose one of the following picture sizes:

--Wide Fit: Enlarges the aspect ratio of the picture to fit the entire screen
--16:9:Sets the picture to 16:9 wide mode
--Zoom 1: Magnifies the size of the picture and allows you to move the enlarged picture using the arrows on the remote
--Zoom 2: Magnifies the size of the picture more than Zoom 1 and allows you to move the enlarged picture using the arrows on the remote
--4:3:Sets the picture to 4:3 normal mode, with black bars on both sides
--Just Scan: To see the full image without any cutoff when HDMI 720p/1080i signals are input

**Automatic Picture Settings: You can choose one of the following picture settings, each input stores its own setting:

--Standard: Uses the standard factory settings
--Dynamic: For viewing the TV during the day, or when there is bright light in the room
--Movie: For viewing the TV in low light

Note: You can adjust and store the following settings for each picture setting: contrast, brightness, sharpness, color, tint, and backlight.

**Detailed Picture Settings: The Samsung LCD TV allows you to make the following precise picture settings.

--Black Adjust: directly select the black level on the screen from Off, Low, Medium or High to adjust the screen depth

--Dynamic Contrast: adjust the screen contrast from Off, Low, Medium, or High so that the optimal contrast is provided

--Gamma: adjusts the primary color (red, green, blue) intensity from -3 to +3.

--Color Space: color space is a color matrix composed of red, green and blue colors, you can select your favorite color space to experience the most natural color; you can choose from Auto, Native, or Custom (Red/Green/Blue)

--White Balance: adjusts the color temperature for more natural picture colors

--Flesh Tone: emphasizes the pink flesh tone in the picture
Edge Enhancement: emphasizes object boundaries; can be turned either On or Off

--xvYCC: provides a wider color space when used with xvYCC-compatible video components and content; using HDMI or component video connections; you can turn this feature On or Off; Picture Mode must be set to Movie to use this feature

--Color Tone: choose from the following Color Tones - Cool2, Cool1, Normal, Warm1 or Warm2

**Blue Only Mode: This function displays the blue signal only by removing the red and green signals from the video signal so as to provide a Blue Filter effect that is used to adjust the Color and Tint of video equipment such as DVD players and Home Theaters. Using this function, you can adjust the Color and Tint to preferred values appropriated to the signal level of each video device using the Red/Green/Blue/Cyan/Magenta/Yellow Color Bar Patterns, without using a additional Blue Filter.

**Film Mode: The TV can be set to automatically sense and process film signals from all sources and adjust the picture from optimum quality.

**Digital Noise Reduction: If the broadcast signal received by your TV is weak, you can activate the Digital Noise Reduction feature to help reduce any static and ghosting that may appear on the screen.

**Auto Volume: Auto volume automatically adjusts the volume of the desired channel, lowering the sound output when the modulation signal is high or raising the sound output when the modulation signal is low. This reduces the difference in volume when changing channels.

**EQ: You can adjust the 5-band EQ, which includes the following frequencies: 100 Hz, 300 Hz, 1 kHz, 3 kHz, and 10 kHz. You can also set the balance between the left and right channels.

**Automatic Sound Settings: You can choose from the following sound settings:

--Standard: Uses the standard factory settings
--Music: For watching music videos and concerts
--Movie: For watching movies
--Speech: For watching a show that is mostly dialogue
--Custom: Recalls your personal EQ settings

**SRS TruSurround XT: TruSurround is a patented SRS technology that solves the problem of playing 5.1 multi-channel content using only two speakers. TruSurround delivers a compelling, virtual surround sound experience through the two speaker internal playback system. It is fully compatible with all multi-channel formats.

**Wiselink: A side-panel USB 2.0 type-A port allows you to connect a USB mass storage device to view JPEG files and play MP3 audio files. Wiselink only supports the FAT16/32 file system. You have access to the following functions:

**Photo (JPEG) List: This menu shows JPEG files and folders saved on the USB device and allows you to do the following:
--Sort: You can sort photos by month, time, color, composition or folder so you are only viewing images you want to see.
--Slide Show: You can play files on the USB device in a slide show. You can adjust the slide show speed to Slow, Normal, or Fast. You can also choose an MP3 file on the USB device to play as background music during the slide show. The repeat function allows you to play the slide show again and again.
--Rotate: This feature allows you to rotate the selected image by 90°, 180°, or 270°.
--Zoom: You can enlarge a picture 2x or 4x. Once the image is enlarged, you can pan through the image.

**MP3 List: This menu shows MP3 files saved on the USB device and allows you to play them back. You can choose from the following play-modes.
--Sort: You can sort the music files by Title, Artist, Mood, Genre Folder or Preference.
--Once: The music file is played once.
--Repeat: The music file played repeatedly.

**Firmware Upgrades: Samsung may offer upgrades for the TV's firmware in the future. These firmware upgrades will be possible by connecting a USB drive to the TV's USB port.

**PC-Capable: This unit has a 15-pin D-Sub (RGB) input that allows you to use it as a high-resolution computer monitor. The HDMI input can also be used for connecting the PC. The TV can be set to automatically adjust to the video signals received, or you can use the setup menu to adjust the screen quality and position. No cables are supplied for connecting the TV to a PC.

**InfoLink RSS: The Samsung 650 Series LCD TV features an Ethernet port which allows you to connect the television to your home PC's network through a router so you can use the InfoLink RSS function of the television. The InfoLink RSS feature gathers up-to-the-minute content from USA Today and displays it on the television screen so you can always stay connected to the News, Weather and Stock Reports while watching TV at home.

**1-Tuner PIP: This TV has one built-in tuner, which does not allow PIP to function in the same mode. You can only watch an analog TV broadcast in the sub picture window while watching a different video source from the Component, HDMI or PC input on the TV's main window. You can change the size of the PIP window and even view the two pictures as a 4:3 or 16:9 split screen. You can also move the PIP window to each corner of the screen. In addition, you can switch the audio over to sub PIP picture window.

Note: While the V-chip is in operation, the PIP function cannot be used.

**Digital Signal Strength Meter: The digital signal strength meter can be used to help you find the antenna position that delivers the highest HDTV digital signal strength.

**Analog Channel Fine Tuning: The fine tuning feature allows you to manually adjust analog channels for optimal reception. A separate fine tuning setting may be put into the TV's memory for each analog channel.

**Input Source Names: You can assign a name for the component connected to each of the inputs. When input naming is completed, you will no longer have to remember which component is connected to each input when selecting a source to watch. Source names you can choose from include: VCR, DVD, Cable STB, Satellite STB, PVR STB, AV Receiver, Game, Camcorder, PC, TV, IPTV, Blue-Ray, and HD DVD.

**Channel Labels: Each analog channel programmed into memory can be labeled with a name up to 5 characters. Digital channel names are already assigned and cannot be edited.

**Favorite Channel: You can create a list of your favorite channels and recall the list using the FAV.CH button on the remote.

**Program Reserve: The television allows you to reserve a program you want to watch at a later time which changes the channel automatically to the reserved program at the selected time while you are watching another channel.

**V-Chip:The V-Chip automatically locks out programs that are deemed inappropriate for children. You can set up the parameters for the V-Chip using the TV Parental Guidelines, MPAA (movie) ratings, Canadian French, or Canadian English ratings systems. The V-Chip function is protected by a 4-digit PIN.

**Energy Saver: This feature adjust the brightness of the TV in order to reduce power consumption. When watching TV at night, set the Energy Saver feature to High to reduce eye fatigue as well as power consumption. You can set this feature to High, Medium, Low or Off.

**Sleep Timer: The sleep timer switches the television off after a specified amount of time. The sleep timer can be set to 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, or 180 minutes.

**On/Off Timers: The three On/Off timers allow you to program the television to turn itself on and off by selecting a specific on time and a specific off time. You also choose the On Timer's channel and Volume. The on and off timers work independently of one another.

**On/Off Melody: A unique melody plays when the TV is turned on and off. You can turn this feature off if you prefer

INPUT/OUTPUT:

**Quad HDMI Inputs: The Samsung LCD television features three HDMI inputs on the rear-panel and one HDMI input on the side-panel. The HDMI 2 input can also be used to connect a device with a DVI output (a DVI-to-HDMI adapter cable is necessary). If a DVI-equipped device is used, separate audio cables will also be needed from the device to the "DVI In" RCA stereo audio jacks. No audio cables are needed for an HDMI-equipped device. The HDMI inputs can also be used to connect a PC to this TV. The HDMI jacks will accept 1080p, 1080i, 720p, and 480p signals.

**Dual Component Video: The two Component Video jacks will accept 1080i, 720p, 480p, and 480i signals. Separate RCA stereo audio inputs are provided for each Component Video input. The Component Video 1 input can also be used as a composite video input.

**Digital Audio: The optical digital output (with plastic cover) on the rear panel will output Dolby Digital (when available) or 2 channel PCM.

**PC: This input consists of a stereo mini-jack and an analog RGB (D-Sub 15-pin) jack. This jack allows you to connect a personal computer with a D-Sub 15-pin output. When using the RGB (D-Sub 15-pin) jack, you must use the PC Audio 3.5mm input for your audio connection.

**LAN (Ethernet): The television's rear-panel Ethernet port allows you to connect an Ethernet cable from the TV to your home PC's Network to obtain Samsung's InfoLink Service.

**EX-LINK:The EX-LINK port connects to an optional Samsung wall mount bracket which allows you to adjust the TV viewing angle using the provide remote control.

**Wise-Link: This side-panel USB port allows you to connect a USB mass storage device to the television so you can view photo files and play audio files through the TV.

**Side Panel A/V Input: The television features a side-panel A/V input that consists of a composite video or s-video connection and a stereo audio connection.

**Headphone Jack: Also on the side-panel is a 3.5mm headphone jack for connecting an optional set of headphones. The TV's speakers automatically mute when a pair of headphones are connected to this jack.

Great TV, but watch out for scratching
Great picture on this but something odd happened with mine. About two days after owning it, I noticed that the TOC frame was scratching from dusting. I used only the blue rag that came with the TV, then tried the Monster cloth after Samsung recommended it. Scratches are very fine, but long, and in the direction that would indicate they were caused by dusting. Problem in a room with enough light to show. I am returning it (sadly b/c of the picture) and going with the Sony XBR 6.

Best LCD TV in its class
I did extensive research for a 50"+, 120hz, best picture, and all around great LCD TV. My research led me to this Samsung. Consumer Reports also gave it Top Pick.

Beautiful TV
This TV is a work of art, it is very well constructed and a beautiful design. It looks nice just hanging on the wall turned off! And of course The picture is amazing!

That being said..For my situation the glare on the TV was a bit much..It is much better then many plasmas and other TV's I looked at..but enough to not work in my very bright living room. In the end I returned this TV and got the Sony Bravia XBR 52..I love that TV as well, but I really liked the look of this TV much better.