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Samsung LN46A650 46-Inch 1080p 120 Hz LCD HDTV with Red Touch of Color
Product Description
Product Details
Video Reviews
Customer Reviews
On to my review:
I spent over a year and a half researching flat panels. I came close to purchasing a Samsung 71F series, but when the salesman told me that new 2008 models were coming out in March, I decided to hold and do more research on those models. I almost purchased the 5 series, but when I found out that it does not have 120hz refresher rate, I decided to research the 6 series and ended buying the 46A650.
I briefly looked at the 7 series, but when I found out the only difference between the two was that the 7 series has a USB port for your MP3 player and 1 GB of cache, I figured it was not for me. I use a dock connected to my receiver when I play my MP3, so to me that was a useless function to fork over extra $$$ for. In addition, I have a PS3 so I don't really need the 1GB of cache to use the TV as a multimedia center. If you don't have a PS3 and plan to use your TV to view pictures and play music then the 7 series might be for you.
Pros:
I have the 46" and I was amazed at how light it was. I was able to pick it up by myself and put it on the stand. The red is absolutely amazing. That's the favorite thing my Fiancée likes about this TV. Personally, I like the red because it is very subtle and goes great with our family room.
The first night we got it we watched the movie Ratatouille on Blu-Ray Disc. Let me tell you after watching the movie my jaw was sore because I think I spent more than 3/4ths of the movie with my jaw open from the amazing picture. The picture was so clear and concise that we paused it and we were able to even see the little freckles on the mice throughout the movie, including the separate hairs.
As I said earlier I play video games with my PS3, so the 120 hz refresher rate was critical to have. MLB the Show 08 is insane. Just looking at the players faces and even the fans blew me away. My brother has a 46" inch Vizio 1080P and he recommended it to me saying that there is not much difference from the two so I am better off saving. Let me tell you, he is absolutely wrong. I've watched his Vizio and to be honest, it can't even hold the jockstrap of the 46A650 if it was a male. There is a big difference believe me. The only TV that could probably match-up to this one is the XBR Bravia with 120HZ. That would've been what I would have purchased if I had not gotten this one. Up until now, I have absolutely no regrets.
The reason I researched for over a year and a half is because I wanted to get a TV that if something new came on the market a few months later, I would not regret my purchase. I feel very strongly that I will not regret this purchase down the line.
I love having 4 HDMI inputs. This was very important for my purchase also, since I have separate HDMI components. The TV also has an ethernet port, so I have it plugged into the internet. I can get weather, news and stock quotes through it. I'll admit, I haven't used it much, but it's nice to know, I can check the temperature at the touch of the button.
The blacks on this TV are awesome and I can have my curtain open on my huge family room window and I can see the tv clearly during the day. I love the TruSurround feature, since right now I only have two speakers and a subwoofer. This feature is meant to improve the sound quality for people who use two speaker systems. I plan to get a surround sound system eventually, but it's going to be a while. That's where this tool comes in handy
The screen is glossy, but I don't have an issue with it. I like the glossy look and besides, it is meant to make the colors more vibrant and intense. I've played with the different viewing modes, but actually, I like standard the best. The movie mode is a little too dark for me and the game one is a little too bright. Standard mode is my desired preference.
The remote is oddly shaped and takes a while to get used to. It also has an ipod like scroll. Some people complain that it is an ugly remote. This is ridiculous; I'm sorry, but I did not purchase this TV for its remote. Anyway, I'm planning on upgrading to an RF Logitech remote this summer anyway.
Cons:
The TV is so good that on the tv stations with weak signals, you can see the weakness of the signal. On some you could see the lines and imperfections, due to having a weak signal. That is only a with a few channels. It's a negative, but that's what you get when the picture is very detailed; You will not only get the good qualities, but the bad also, if the signal is not strong. Regardless, that issue will be moot next year when the tv stations will be required to broadcast by digital signal.
Another issue is, that when you turn it on it takes about 3-4 seconds to pick up my digital cable signal from my DVR box. In addition when you switch between sources it takes around the same amount of time to pick up the signal. I'm impatient, which is a negative quality of mine. In our household, it seems like it is an issue only with me, since it does not bother my fiancee at all or any of our friends. Maybe it would not be a con if I was not so stupidly impatient.
Those are really the only two issues I have with the TV and to me they are very minor ones. I just pray I don't start getting the issues, the first reviewer experienced.
Overall:
I am very happy with my purchase. I am very satisfied and do not feel guilty or have any regrets about making this purchase. Up until now, I feel this TV is worth every penny I paid for it. I'll be updating my review as I learn more about this TV. I hope my review helped you, even if it was only a tad bit helpful, before making your investment on a flat panel television. Good luck with your search.
Prior to picking this TV up I had 2 of the 71 series televisions. Both of them had problems concerning a flicker as well as a some dim pixel clusters under the screen. I still had my last 71 under the 30 day policy so i returned it for this years new model: the 650A.
The Tv itself is beautiful. The hint of red is very subdued yet adds a nice touch when you get up close. A warning about the screen, it is glossy. If your room is well lit and you get distracted by reflections, this is not for you. The benefit of the glossy screen is more vibrant colors and contrast. SO for most its worth the glare to have a beautiful picture when you close the blinds. Though in daylight I don't have a problem at all watching it, but its optimal in dark.
The remote is interesting. It has an Ipod inspired turn wheel in the middle of the remote that is super touchy. It takes some getting used to but its kind of cool. The source input is now a drop down menu where you directly choose the input rather than cycling through them one by one. It also has a motion sensor in it, when activated, auto turns the light on in the remote when its moved. People complain that its an ugly remote, but seriously, its a remote. You dont stare at it like the TV's picture.
Speaking of which the picture is where the tv truly shines. Vibrant colors, amazing detail, inky blacks. This is the LCD I have been waiting for. Bluray= amazing.
So the TV is very similar to the 71 except 3 new modes which are called "Entertainment Modes" These are Pre-calibrated from the factory and you cannot adjust the picture at all.
1. Sports mode: For high speed sports. This mode is a lot brighter than the others and is designed for faced paced imagery.
2.Game: This is for games obviously. The AMP feature is toned down but the Video Processor is turned up for a smoother game play. Colors are less vibrant than sports, but just a tad.
3. Cinema Mode: Intended for film and is a darker more film like picture. AMP is functioning at normal capacity. Some think this is to dark but I really think its Ideal.
The best part about the Entertainment modes: No judder or stutter and TBE is fairly gone from the 71 series. These modes are amazing and should be the only modes used on the tv for smooth performance.
You can read about more of the features but So far this TV has been exactly what I have been waiting for. There have been quite a few reports of random restarts, I have yet to have any. If this is a widespread problem it will be patched on the older models and will come out of the factory with the fix installed. Samsung tvs have had this problem before and it was fixed last time. I have no worries. (And it just restarted, hooray)
I agree with the other reviewers that the picture is AMAZING. I am also happy to see that Samsung has added a 4th HDMI port. I was initially concerned that the "Touch Of Color" might clash with my decor, but it is very subtle especially if you mount the TV inside a cabinet. The "Infolink" feature is cute and easy to set up, but I don't see it as being extremely useful.
Now for some caveats. I purchased this TV right after setting up an LNT4661F for my inlaws, and I was quite surprised to realize that the A650 is missing several features from the 4661F, despite the A650 costing $650 more. For starters, the A650 does not have a rear S-video port (only one S-vide port on the side). This is probably not a big deal for most people, but if you are using a VCR or older cable box, etc. you will have a cable plugged into the side of the TV. Also there is only one composite port on the back of the TV, plus one more on the side. If you want to switch between three composite input surveillance cams, etc. you're out of luck. More of a concern to me was that the A650 has only 1 antenna input versus 2 on the 4661F. That means with the A650 you can't plug in both an antenna and a cable input. I guess Samsung figures everyone is using a set top box so they cut corners there.
By far my biggest complaint is with the Remote control. Again unlike the 4661F, the A650 does NOT have a universal remote! It's essentially a TV-only remote, although it CAN control Samsung "Anynet+" components connected via HDMI. This seems like a big step backwards and bothers me more than the other features that were removed. Also the remote is not described on the Samsung website so I had no way of knowing that the remote had been "de-improved". I agree with other reviewers that the navigation wheel is horrible ... it spins freely which makes it practically useless ... you spin the dial to make your selection, then as you move your finger to press the enter button inside the scroll wheel, the wheel moves and you select the wrong value. You have to wonder "what were they thinking?". I've seen Happy Meal toys with better tactile feedback!
Despite my criticisms and annoyance that some features have been removed, I still rated this TV as 5 stars because in my book, picture quality is by far the biggest consideration and it looks great to me. Also the aesthetics are very nice and the new features such as 4th HDMI and Infolink make up for the removed features and poor remote control.
Like many people I did a lot of research before dropping this kind of money on a new TV and, also like many people, it eventually came down to the Samsung TV or one of the Sony XBRs. IMO these are the only competitive mid-range/high end flatscreens to consider for purchase. Because of the Burn in issue (which is not as bad as it was in earlier generation Plasmas) I never considered a plasma TV, though they are a little more inexpensive and often have at least as good a picture as the LCD TVs.
As you've probably read outside of the several hundred dollar premimum for the Sony brand, the primary difference is that the Samsungs have a shiny screen so in high light rooms there can be some reflection vs the matte XBR screens. I generally can control the light levels while I'm viewing the TV so the vibrancy of the Samsung in mid/low light conditions made the choice easier.
I was originally going to go with a 4671f until I saw the "new" 46A650 model and decided to get the new version instead. There have been some visual quality improvements with the second generation of the motion tracking technology which goes a long way to eliminating the blurring and object duplication (the "Triple Ball Effect" or TBE). It isn't entirely gone but for a "normal" person who isn't examining the visuals in minute detail; it is effectively a non-issue now. I've seen a couple sutters where the image seems to "jump" but in my opinion this is more related to the media/movie than a problem with the TV.
If you ask someone who says that the TV has a stuttering problem they will usually only be able to point to one scene in a movie or two where the stuttering occurs ("Check the intro sequenece in Blue Planet from 00:01:23 to 00:01:24! This TV stutters like mad!").
I contend that normal people can handle a 1 second stutter every 100 hours of viewing :)
*VISUALS*
The visuals on blu-ray content are often jaw dropping. This is to be expected with something like "Planet Earth" which is built around its lush visuals, even in non-HD, but even some scenes in movies that I wouldn't consider prime HD material I am often very impressed (there are some garden scenes in "Walk Hard" that are eye-popping!).
Of course the non-HD experience isn't incredible, but I'm happy that it is at least on par with my old TV. Eventually I may decided to upgrade to HD cable and Tivo but my main focus is improving my movie watching, not necessarly making CSI or American Idol look better.
Finally, I have three spots in my TV room where people watch TV from. With some LCDs if you get too far off center from the set then the screen dims and the vitality of the colors bleeds down. That is not a problem at all with this LCD.
*PHYSICAL*
On the hardware end there are plenty of inputs for HDMI and any other connection type you can think of. I have a full set of components and everything plugs right in and works well.
I was a little wary of the "Touch of Color", but in a darker room it is not very obtrusive since it fades quickly to deep red which looks black in lower light. I think the red highlight actually looks really cool! It is much more pleasing to my eye then just a plain black or silver.
I am so pleased with this TV I can barely describe it! Physically it looks stunning, visually it is one of the best out there.
*CONS*
Not everything is rosy though.
There was a problem with some of the original models where the TV would randomly shutoff (mine included, though I did not encounter it often). This is easily fixed with a firmware update available off Samsungs site and is, presumably, pre-loaded on all the new sets being manufactured.
The remote is not great. It has the buttons you want to do everything but the jog/shuttle wheel implementation they used is too sloppy and leads to a lot of inaccuracy. I over came this by purchasing a Logitech Harmony One remote but for using the PS3 I still have to resort to the included remote (the PS3 remote is bluetooth and doesn't work with the Harmony remote).
One of the biggest problems that I have is that the TV is meant to be best viewed in lower light settings, however the labels for the controls on the TV itself can't be seen except if bright light.
Even worse they are very sensitive touch controls so when I want to turn the TV off manually I often end up changing the channel instead because I miss the "off" touch region by a little. Then I either have to turn on a bunch of lights to change the channel again and then turn it off or I have to dig out the remote to change the channel and turn the set off. This is so annoying that I've resorted to keeping a small keychain flashlight beside the TV just so I can see these stupidly subdued labels.
Finally, the software/interface for adjusting the settings on the TV is slow and unresponsive. This is excrabited by the crappy remote. It seems that moving through the menus and selecting settings is very laggy, and I found that I often ended up selecting items I didn't want because of the three second lag between pressing the button and actual acceptance of the setting selection. This is also pretty minor but frustrating non-the-less during the first few days when you're tweaking settings.
The problems I have with the set are so small I think I can fully justify the 5 star rating but the labeling on the controls is VERY frustrating and the remote feels all but useless if you have to rely on the Jog wheel.
EDIT: One last thing:
*SHIPPING*
I was VERY VERY VERY disappointed in the shipping company (Eagle/CAVA) used to ship my TV. When the driver got to my home he proceeded to DRAG my brand new $2600 TV (after tax) by the banding straps. Bouncing it off the back of the truck onto the street, then DRAGGING it onto the curb, BOUNCING it again, then dragging up my driveway, BOUNCING it UP the three stairs to my door and finally dragging into the living room.
I had thought that I was getting white glove delivery but the driver turned to leave as soon as he bounced the TV into my viewing room. I asked him to help me at least lift it out of the box. So he tears indacriminately into the box with his knife and starts trying to lift the TV out by pressing on the corner of the screen itself, not the bezal!
I was shocked. I will NEVER do business with a company that employs this shipping company again. The callous attitude of the driver and the lack of respect for my package was horrid.
Samsung issued a firmware update, via their website on 4/3/08, that fixes the random shut off problem. You will need a USB flash drive to apply the update via the Wiselink USB port on the TV. This firmware update also enhances the AMP effect on all sets.
In layman's terms (the only I can speak) I love the deep colors, the versatility (you can very easily switch viewing modes depending on the room's brightness) and the high refresh rates that make it great for sports (no trailing images of hockey pucks, etc).
Anyway, buy it, be happy, and forget all the high tech junk you've been cramming in your head for the past 6 months while you've been dreaming of the new TV.
Deep blacks - this LCD rivals plasmas for its black levels. Black levels are extremely important in an HD set, arguably one the most important features in determining its overall picture quality. This thing puts out absolutely gorgeous black levels, very deep and "inky". My old set had very poor black levels, never really going below a dark grey color. As soon as I powered this Samsung set on, the difference (even right out of the box at factory settings) was drastic. The 50,000:1 contrast ratio and 4ms response times add to the quality as well. For a nice review detailing the picture, Google for CNET's review of the LN52A650 (the 52" version, same TV). They called the picture one of the best LCDs they have ever reviewed.
The 120hz mode works well, if you like the effect. Personally, I do not like it at all. It detracts from the film feel of a movie, and feels fake and processed. When watching Discovery HD, HD sports or something like that, I could see how you may want to use it, but I prefer watching HD content as delivered.
I have it paired with both a Toshiba HD-DVD player as well as a PS3. Both pictures are just phenomenal, especially the PS3. The 1080p resolution, combined with the 1080p/24 mode the PS3 outputs, is striking (yes, this TV does 1080p/24, Google it to learn more about why 1080p/24 is important).
Overall, I cannot say that I have found much wrong with this TV. During high motion camera pans or intense action I have notices some very minor "judder", but nothing that would prevent me from recommending this TV to everyone.
As other reviewers have stated, this TV does have a red tint around the bezel (dubbed "Touch of Color" by Samsung). I worried about this initially, as I prefer a single, black color to a bezel. Don't let it fool you, the red is VERY subdued in the frame, really just more of a highlight than anything (and only apparent if you are looking for it, or if the light hits it just right). I think it does make the TV look distinguished, and is something I started liking about 5 minutes after I saw it. The best way to sum up the color is like a very, very deep red wine in a clear wine glass. It looks black for the most part, with just a tinge of red when viewed at the right angle. Being a wine fan (especially reds!) this makes it even more pleasing
The sound is standard for an HDTV. If you are watching TV, it works just fine. Not the best sound from a TV, but nothing bad either. Let's be honest - the sound is not why you would buy this set anyways. Hook it up to a 5.1 receiver to match the great picture.
The price has come down on this model considerably, with the announcement of Samsung's new line of HDTVs. If you are trying to decide between this model and the a750, go for this one. The 750 has the same specs, with more built in networking potential, recipes, etc. Personally, I think those are just overkill and not needed anyways. This TV does have an Ethernet port for getting live information from the Internet, though I haven't even tried it out, and may never.
This set is just a pleasure to watch and you can configure it all day long. Some sets suffer from being too "basic" when it comes to customizing the picture (brightness, contrast, color and not much else). Not this one. You can really tweak it all you want and change the picture to suit your palate. I REALLY like the amount of choices you have when being able to adjust the picture.
The remote does look kind of "kiddy" looking, but if you have a universal remote, you won't use it anyways. The remote is never a deal breaker for me on TVs, and this one is no exception. Some don't like the scroll wheel, which I can understand, but even if you don't want to use the scroll, it still functions like a standard remote by pressing up, down, left, right on the wheel anyways.
As for connections, my old TV had two HDMI ports, which is just not enough. This baby had 4 HDMI ports, 2 component inputs, VGA (for computer connections), a USB port, and Ethernet port - everything you'd need to connect it to pretty much anything you want.
So overall, this TV has exceeded my expectations. The picture quality looked even better at home than in the store. If you are in the market for an HDTV that is a joy to watch, look no further. I recommend this set highly. I hope you will too!
The blu-ray picture is fantastic and 1080i HD cable telecasts look great as well.
Another great thing is Amazon's 30 day price guarantee. I've called in twice after price drops and gotten two sizable refunds in the two weeks since it was shipped.
I like the higher level of contrast this model has over the 550 model so I'm glad I got this 650 model but the other touted difference between the models is confusing/disappointing and that's the 120hz feature. I've tried numerous ways viewing different sources with all sorts of settings and I can't see much, if any, difference with the 120hz turned on or off. I don't even see a difference when the demo function is running and you're supposedly seeing 120hz on the left and 60hz on the right. There might be the slightest difference but I might just be thinking that because I've been told there should be. So I'm not disappointed I got this one instead of the 550 because the higher contrast makes the blacks very deep but don't let the 120hz be the decisive factor in whether you get this set.
First, ordering & delivery were great. I ordered the set on June 3 (a Tuesday) at night, it shipped the next day, and was delivered on Friday, June 6. Several folks had convinced me that Amazon would take 1-2 weeks to get it here, but 2 days seems pretty good to me.
Friday morning began with a trip to Ikea for some of their lovely Besta line. 2 of the 15" shelf benches, stacked vertically, flanked by a pair of the double-wide 75" high shelf units. Loads of storage, and looked pretty nice too. But I digress... Back to the TV.
I first noticed the box had a sticker noting that the updated firmware for the now notorious random shutoff issue was already loaded on the set. Yay, now I didn't need to spend the few minutes to download, put it on a usb stick, etc. Score 1 for the home team. The packaging was simply magnificent. Not sure if it's the norm for such TVs, but I liked the fact that I just had to cut 2 plastic shipping straps, pull out 2 little insert things in the side of the box, and the whole top lifted off. Out came the TV, off with the protective bag and plastic on the base, and up it went, perched atop our newly constructed Ikea stand.
The various connections are well-marked and easy to follow. I love the fact that it's got 4 HDMI inputs. I'm already using 2. One for the connection to our AV receiver (a Yamaha, if anyone cares) that only supports HDMI 1.1 (so no 1080p from it), and another to a Toshiba SD-6100 Upscaling DVD player. Also connected to the receiver is a DirecTiVo receiver (an SD model) soon to be replaced by a TiVo Series 3 with FiosTV and our Wii. I ran a calibration wizard DVD, and found that I only needed to adjust the defaults slightly in 1 or 2 places to suit our living room. The defaults were pretty good, but needed slight adjustment for black level and brightness - something that can be largely room-dependent.
The TV is very responsive, turning on almost instantly, a welcome change compared with many other HD sets I've seen. I'm not seeing spotlighting or those funky random patterns that some claim to see on this set either. I can't speak to the quality of the sound that comes from the TV, since I've turned off the TV speaker (all our audio runs to the receiver).
If I could find nits to pick, there would be 2. The stand and bezel seem to be dust magnets. Hopefully this will get better as its been installed longer. This may be due to the complete and utter disruption caused to the immediately surrounding environment. :) The other is the remote only seems to control Samsung devices. Not really a concern for us, as I included a Harmony One in the budget for this project. The remote happily lives below the TV, in a drawer along with the Yamaha receiver's remote and the Toshiba DVD player's remote. We still occasionally use the TiVo remote, but mostly the Harmony now.
Unless you simply must have a Blu-Ray player now, save your pennies, and get an upscaling DVD player for now. I'm waiting on $200 BR 2.0 players, which I expect to see in Q1 2009.
The long & the short of it - a fantastic TV, great picture. Better at displaying SD content than any other HDTV I've seen to date. On the fence? Get off and buy this...
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