Samsung LN46A650
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- Touch of Color Bezel
- Full HD 1080p Resolution
- 120Hz Auto Motion Plus
- 4 HDMI Inputs
- Super Clear Panel
 Simply Amazing |
| Review Date: March 26, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Winston Kzoo, MI, Kalamazoo, MI |
| I just got my TV last Friday and it is everything that I have expected. Unlike the first reviewer on this site, I have not experienced the overheating issues (fingers crossed). If you read his review he did admit the TV was great until that started happening. I just hope I don't get the same issue.
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. |
| About time, Or so I thought. |
| Review Date: March 25, 2008 |
| Reviewer: J. Sparks, California |
| :: It seems the Shut off Issue has been corrected on my set!!::
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) |
| Amazing picture, but surprised by some missing features |
| Review Date: April 3, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Daniel Eskenazi, Chapel Hill, NC USA |
| I want to say first off that I also experienced the bug where the TV unexpectedly turns itself off, but after I installed the firmware upgrade that Samsung posted on 4/5 the problem has gone away.
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. |
Samsung LN46A650 Now on Sale at Amazon.com
Features
- 46-Inch Full HD 1080p HDTV
- Auto Motion Plus 120Hz
- 50,000:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio
- 4ms Response Time
- InfoLink RSS feeds of stock quotes, weather and news
- ENERGY STAR compliant
Specifications
- Screen Size Class : 46”
- Native Resolution : 1920 x 1080
- Aspect Ratio : 16:9
- Viewing Angles : 178º H x 178º V
- Picture-in-Picture : Yes
- Built-in Tuner : ATSC / Clear QAM
- HDMI Input : 4
- HD Component Input : 2
- PC input : 1 (D-sub)
- Composite Video Input : 1
- Dimensions: 44.5″W x 28.1″H x 3.7″D
- Weight (w/out Stand) : 49.2 lbs
Source : Samsung USA
