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Rating:  -
Bought this top rated LCD for the bedroom - very nice. LCD is the way to go if you want light weight, cool running television for a bright, sunlit room. OTHERWISE, I would still stick with the plasma technology.
We have an older Pioneer plasma (720p resolution) in the living room - this Samsung LCD can't touch the Pioneer plasma when it comes to picture quality. The plasma provides much more realistic "film" type picture. The real difference is in flesh tones and blacks (such as a man's black suit on a show like David Letterman, etc).
I know the LCD's look so much better when you see them in a huge, brightly lit store like Best Buy, but in real life there is no question that plasma provides the better, truer picture.
The VERY NEW and EXPENSIVE technology of LED seems to have the benefits of the LCD with the picture quality of a plasma....but it's pretty pricey right now. But just wait a few years, and the prices will come down.
Also, don't get hung up on the 1080p resolution - the human eye can only detect so much. A 720p resolution will look just as good as a 1080p (unless you stick your nose a few inches from the screen...which nobody does.) Sitting back in your easy chair, they're just the same.
We really do like this TV, especially the clean look when it is turned off. However for our next TV purchase (far in the future....) we will look to the new LED technology, or stick with Plasma.
Rating: -
Electrozone Service:
Pros: Television was packaged with tons of foam. No dead pixels. Excellent customer service and communication. CHEAP PRICE!
Cons:The shipping was delayed but Electrozone was able to compensate for it. Scuffs and scratches along the border of the t.v. Biggest issue was the "FIXED" writing that was etched permanently along the border of the television due to being a refurbished product( Luckily, Can only be seen at a glared angle and not a big enough issue to return but still COME ON GUYS please don't scratch up the refurbished televisions with "Fixed" writing, common sense).
Television itself:
Pros: Amazing 1080p picture. Best remote control, ever. Tons of extra settings and features.
Cons:Can get a bit too bright from time to time but nothing major. As expected, the sound it bad but replacement speakers or a sound system fix the problem.
Rating: -
I received this item as an early Christmas gift in Nov '08, and am extremely happy with it. The picture quality is excellent, buch better than my previous HD TV from TSHBA that was not 1080p. The viewing angle is excellent, the blacks are very black, and the brights are very bright. There is no banding, blooming, distortion, or pixallated edges. Samsung makes a high quality product that is frequently better than many of the higher priced products from their competitors.
I've seen a few reviewers complaining about a few things, here is my input on their issues as someone who is not only an A/V enthusiast for over 20 years, but also an IT technician:
Check for firmware updates, my S@NY BDP-350 Blu-Ray player (purchased in Dec) has had 3 Firmware updates for it so far. One of them solved an HDMI issue.
As with anything else in this world, it is possible to get a bad unit & this is true of ALL manufacturers (even S@NY). Electronics today are all produced by the lowest bidder. You can buy a TV today, and 3 months later I can buy the exact same model, and if we compare the internal parts, there will be differences... whatever chips were cheapest when they placed the parts order are what go into your set, and it is assembled in a factory by human beings being paid peanuts.
Picture quality: The source makes a huge difference. I switched from Cablevision to FiOs & the difference in picture quality is stunning (on both the standard & HD channels). I have not run satellite, so cannot comment on the quality of that source.
Audio quality: For the life of me, I can't determine why someone would be using the internal speakers on this TV. Why you would have an almost 40" TV and not run it through an audio system is beyond me...
Picture blacking out: This has A LOT to do with the HDMI outputs on the cheaply made set-top boxes that are used to receive Satellite/Cable/FiOs. They ALL have HDMI issues, and the issues will cause problems whether the box is turned on or off. Complain to you service provider, not Samsung. If you want to test this, unplug the HDMI running from your box to the TV & run component video at 720p instead (there will not be a discernable difference in picture quality on a TV of this size when running broadcast content). Then power off both the box & TV, and UNPLUG THEM FROM THE WALL as well, as todays equipment will never truly 'power off' (or else your remote couldn't turn it on). Wait 2-3 minutes, then plug the power back in. If your issues go away, then you can be 100% sure it is the set-top box & not your TV causing your woes.
AnyNet+ issues: These are software issues, and HDMI issues. Most likely, the culprit is one of your other devices and not the TV. Check for firmware.
Rating: -
The Samsung 37" LCD is great. Colors are excellent and sharp. The only complaint I have is the skimpy sound system. Everything sounded "echo-y" and tinny: I had to add a sound system. Now it's great and I wouldn't trade the Samsung TV with any other one.
Rating: -
Samsung LN37A550 37-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV
I recently bought a new Samsung 37in TV from Amazon. Make no mistake: this is a great product. But don't expect it to work like the sets on display in the Big Box stores. The reason is that the stores often have their own company made videos on display. They almost invariably emphasize jarring action shots, bright colors against white or blue backgrounds, and often have panoramic views of vast landscapes or colorful flowers. As one of the Big Box clerks told me: you will get this same picture at home if you play a Blue Ray disc on a quality Blue Ray DVD with a jacked up 120MHz version of your TV set. But, heh, most of us by a telly set to watch cable tv.
As for Amazon's promise that they will set up your set and carry away the debris, that is legit. Two men carefully unpacked the set and had it up and running in about seven minutes. But language was a problem, since one person could speak no english and the other was only marignally better. They also neglected to tell me that I had to use both remotes (one for the TV, the other for the cable box) to control the set, something that caused me great anxiety until I figured it out. Incidentally, it is possible to use only one remote, if you hook up the cable directly into the new TV, or if you turn in your Standard Definition cable box for a new HD cable box. And while they offered to carry away the rubbish, they told me I should keep the box and the packing materials in case I had to return the set. Fair enough, this was a sensible suggestion.
As for the set itself, it is great. In almost every respect it performs as outlined in the reviews of this product. On HD channels, it offers wonderful color,sharp contrasts, and an almost three dimensional experience. As for the sound, it is, as most reviewers have pointed out, god awful. It sounds "tinny" and lacking substance, and almost certainly I will have to improve it by a sound bar or modestly priced home theatre sound system. One of the great features is the remote, which is user friendly, and one of its best function is the picture-size button. One of the flaws of most HDTVs is that when they show a Standard Definition program on cable, the people and items depicted appear "squat," with people looking like fireplugs and Volkswagens looking like stretch limosines. But you can immediately get rid of this phenomena by changing from the usual 16:9 ratio to either a Zoom 1 or 4:3 ratio. (Sounds complicated, but is easy to learn and do in reality).
So, in general, it is a pleasant and easy experience dealing with Amazon, which delivers on on its promises. And the Samsung 37in 1080 HDTV is an excellent product, but just accept that you are unlikely to see the same quality of picture that are on the specially designed videos on display at the Big Box stores. But having said that, these new HDTVs are a modern marvel.
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