Size Up Your Screen.

Size up your tv screen

After you have your budget squared away, you need to decide how large of a screen you want. Usually, the largest screens cost the most, but regardless, the TV should deliver the right-size picture for where you'll sit relative to the screen. Sitting closer to a smaller TV means you won't have to spend as much on a big screen. But if you sit too close, the picture will look poor.


Wide-screen TV-viewing distances
Nearly every TV sold these days is a wide-screen HDTV, so the chart below only applies to those sets. If you have a regular TV that's not wide screen, the rule of thumb is that you should sit no closer than twice the diagonal measurement in inches. Wide-screen televisions showing high-resolution DVD and HDTV look better than regular sets, allowing you to sit closer and experience a more immersive, theater-like picture.

With wide-screen sets showing DVD or HDTV, you can sit as close as 1.5 times the screen's diagonal measurement and still not notice much of a loss in quality, while sitting farther away than three times the screen size means you're likely to miss out on the immersive feel. Here's a rundown of minimum and maximum recommended viewing distances for wide-screen sets.

	16:9 TV diagonal screen size		Min. viewing distance (in feet)		Max. viewing distance (in feet)
	26		3.3		6.5
	30		3.8		7.6
	34		4.3		8.5
	42		5.3		10.5
	47		5.9		11.8
	50		6.3		12.5
	55		6.9		12.8
	60		7.5		15
	65		8.1		16.2

Size and your room
Generally, 30-inch and smaller sets are great for bedrooms or guest rooms but too small for the main living room. Sets with bigger screens are large enough for the whole family to enjoy and will probably be too much for most small bedrooms.

If you're mounting the set inside an entertainment center, be sure it fits in every dimension; also, leave a couple inches on all sides so that the TV has enough ventilation. If you're getting a bigger set, you may want to consider a dedicated stand. Many such stands also include space for your TV-related components, like cable boxes and DVD players.


Screen sizes and display types
CRT tube televisions are a dying breed, and new ones you'll see generally max out at 27 inches. Flat-panel LCDs can range anywhere from 5 inches to more than 100 inches diagonal; plasmas are between 32 and 103 inches; and rear-projection sets start at about 50 inches and go to as large as 73. These different TV types have their own strengths and drawbacks, which we detail in "Four styles of HDTV."

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Samsung LN37B650 Lowest Price

Read below Reviews before BUY!!


The most helpful favorable review :
Amazing picture quality!! Thrilled with my purchase!, May 3, 2009

I was hesitant to buy an LCD TV because so often they seem to have such poor contrast, have lot's of visual artifacts and look horrible with fast moving scenes. However, Plasma technology is all but dead and there are no 37" Plasmas anyway. So I decided to look at high end LCD's.

I saw the Samsung LN37B650 at a local electronics store (for $300 more than the price on Amazon) and side-by-side it looked head and shoulders above all the other 37" LCD's in the store. After doing more research online and comparing specs, I decided upon this TV.

Amazon delivered to my home in Los Angeles in 5 business days through a delivery company called "Pilot". The delivery arrived exactly within the appointment window I scheduled with Pilot, and the box and merchandise were in perfect condition.

I connected the TV to my HD cable box with an HDMI cable. HD picture quality is immaculate. I never could see the picture quality in SD at the local store, so I was surprised and thrilled to see that in SD the picture is every bit as good as my reliable CRT that this TV replaced. The SD picture on my 50" Sony KDS-50A2000 does not compare to the excellent SD picture on the Samsung.

My only complaint is the lack of a printed manual. At these prices, Samsung shouldn't have gone cheap by neglecting to add a paper manual. Having to review the manual on the TV is a pain.

I could've spent ½ the price on a cheap 37" LCD, but would've hated the picture. I think in this case, the saying "you get what you pay for" holds true. I am glad that I spent more to get what may be the best possible picture quality in a 37" LCD TV.
The most helpful critical review :
 Excellent picture, AutoMotion settings annoying, May 18, 2009

Purchased this a few weeks ago. The image quality is excellent. The 120Hz eliminates the 3:2 pull down you'll see when watching movies. However, there is an interpolation mode that generates the extra frames, attempting to reduce motion blur artifacts.

The irony is that while it looks great in many instances, it can generate artifacts in fast paced sporting events (though most of the time this is fine). Also, if you watch movies, the film tends to look like a soap opera video quality until this is switched Off (eliminating the motion blur makes the image really clear and strangely too much like video).

You can set this Off but it is nested under three menus and I cannot seem to save this setting. Very annoying when it kicks in during a movie. This setting does not appear to save correctly so I find I have to switch it Off as a go back and forth between HDMI sources. I am hoping a firmware fix can correct this in the future.

Some other annoyances:
*lack of headphone jack (you will need to get an adapter)
*if you want to use the "buttons" on the set itself, they are solid state and hard to find on the surface of the TV
*no physical manual; digital copy on USB key that is included

Pros:
*excellent picture quality (when the correct settings are chosen)
*lots of ports
*nicely designed frame

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LCD HDTV - Video Gaming & Computer Tips

Video gaming and computer tips

DVD and Blu-ray movies aren't the only non-TV content that's likely to be shown on the television. Here are a few other pointers on what to look for in a set that'll do multimedia duty.

Game consoles
The sweet graphics of the Xbox, the PlayStation, and the GameCube, not to mention  the , and the, can take full advantage of high-end televisions, but even inexpensive sets do best with a few added features in the mix.

Front-panel inputs. A set of A/V inputs on the front or side panel of a TV makes hooking up and disconnecting a game console--or a camcorder--much easier.

Picture preset. Many TVs come with picture presets that affect the contrast, brightness, and other controls. Some presets crank those values sky-high to provide a more intense picture. If you like that bright image, check out sets with Game, Vivid, or Sports presets.

Component video inputs. For a big improvement in gaming video quality, step up to a TV with component video inputs. The downside is that you might have to buy a special adapter for your game console. Some of these adapters also include connections for digital sound, but you'll need a home-theater system or a surround-sound setup with an optical digital connection and support for Dolby Digital sound to take advantage of the superior sonics.

HDMI inputs: All PlayStation 3s and newer Xbox 360s have HDMI outputs, providing the best-quality video connection to compatible HDTVs. In reality though, most people have a difficult time telling the difference between a picture delivered over component video and one that comes via HDMI.

Burn-in. Some high-end TVs, namely plasmas, can become permanently scarred by very bright, stationary images that remain on the screen for a long time; think of a paused game or that constant score/life-bar/ammo-count graphic. However, we consider the danger of burn-in to be greatly exaggerated and plasmas and the like can be fine candidates for all but the heaviest gaming situations. Check out Plasma burn-in: Seven things you need to know for more information.

Computers
Today's televisions have plenty of connections and capabilities, and plasma, LCD, and most rear-projection HDTVs usually make excellent big-screen computer monitors. If you want to use your TV as a monitor for games, Web surfing, and other tasks, here are a few tips:


Don't bother with standard-def TVs. CRT-based direct-view and rear-projection televisions, as well as smaller 640x480 LCDs, don't make very good computer monitors. They display only low resolution, and often lack the proper inputs.

VGA input = good for computers. If you're serious about using your set as a big monitor for standard software, look for a VGA-style RGB input, just like the kind your computer monitor uses (see Inputs and outputs for more).

HDMI or DVI input = best for computers. The best types of inputs are digital, so if your TV has a spare HDMI or DVI input, you'll usually get the best performance by matching it to your PC's digital output. Often the PC has a DVI output and the TV has only HDMI, so you'll need an adapter cable to make the connection.

Match the native resolution. As with LCD computer monitors, you'll usually get the best PC picture by matching the native resolution of the TV to the output resolution of your PC. Some HDTVs can't accept PC sources, especially via VGA, at their native resolutions however, which makes them less -than- ideal for use as monitors.

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Amazon Hot Deal - HDMI Cable !

Mediabridge - 6ft Ultra-High Speed HDMI Cable

Amazon offers the hot deal of Mediabridge - 6ft Ultra-High Speed HDMI Cable - 120 Hz - Version 1.3 Category 2 - 1080p - PS3 - Blu-Ray







Product Description

Mediabridge HDMI Cables are high quality cables that will do exactly what you need an HDMI cable to do. Simply put, they will cleanly transport the signal from your Blu-Ray player, PS3 or X-Box to your  without degrading the picture. And if your Blu-Ray player or game console happens to transmit 120hz, they will not get in the way of that either.

Mediabridge HDMI cables are CERTIFIED Category 2 by HDMI testing labs to meet or exceed todays most advanced HDMI standard. Unlike category 1 cables, which are only guaranteed to throughput 1080i resolution, Mediabridge HDMI cables are certified category 2, which means they are guaranteed to throughput

Please visit the HDMI.org website to learn more about the advantages of high speed category 2 cables. Category 2 cables offer the most advanced performance to date and are a technological step up from Category 1 cables. Offering support for 120Hz refresh rates, 48-bit Deep Color, and Ultra-High Speed 10.2gbps transfer rates, Version 1.3b Category 2 cables will support the most advanced features of todays equipment. Perfect for Playstation 3 and Blu-Ray equipment. Mediabridge utilizes 28 gauge premium cable and 24K gold plated connectors. This premium HDMI cable will enable and gaming equipment to perform at its highest level possible.

Credit

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Samsung LN46B650 or LN46B750

Samsung LN46B650 or Samsung LN46B750


The B750 is a hands down choice over the B650. I just wanted to note that the B750 probably is a superior model to this one, but it comes at a higher price.


There are three key changes to the B750 model: 240hz refresh rate, a matte screen, 150,000:1 contrast ratio. This all costs about an additional $250-$300 depending on when/where you buy. For some people, that isn't much of a difference when you're already spending nearly $2000 on a TV, and if that's the case, I see no reason not to buy the b750 model.


I think it's also worth note, however, that cnet and other reviewers have argued that the benefits of 240hz refresh rates over 120hz is fairly insignificant and difficult to notice (see their reviews for the Sony XBR9 series and last year's Sony KDL-52XBR7). Their chief TV critic argues in separate article in 2008 that 240hz was not worth waiting for. But, I still think it's worth going into a store and taking a look at the differences between 240hz and 120hz before making a final decision.


The matte screen is really a matter of preference and your room. I've already noted in this review that the B650 screen is very glossy and, in dark scenes, may reflect ambient light in the room. A matte screen should reduce these problems (though it's unlikely it will completely eliminate them). At the same time, a glossy screen can make colors "pop" more and sometimes make blacks look even deeper.


As far as dynamic contrast ratio is concerned, there is a lot of debate in the A/V community about how these measurements are taken and how well they can be used to judge actual quality. The dynamic contrast ratio is a measure of the difference between the screen's whitest white and blackest black. That means they measure the white with the TV screen brightness at maximum and the black with the brightness at its darkest. These measurements can further be thwarted by the coating on the screen (a matte screen vs a glossy screen on top of the same panel will yield different results). Also, there are absolutely no standards in how these measurements are taken. That means that Samsung can use different methods to measure the contrast ratio on different models. Likewise, Sony likely uses a very different measurement system than Samsung. That's not to say the B750 contrast ratio is the same (or worse) than the B650, I'm just saying that it may not be discernible to your eye. You need to judge it yourself.


As I've said, the best way to evaluate these differences are to see the models in person. If you do, make sure that you are watching an HD source (preferably a 1080p blu ray player) and that each TV is connected to the HD source in the same way and are showing the same movie. I bought this TV because I needed one before the b750 was scheduled to be released, otherwise I might have given the b750 much greater consideration.

M. Joachim "Matt"

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