LG 50PK550 50-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV Review

If you are concerned with the design, love sports, or both, and others, PK550 is a plasma tv that will make you impressed. With the TruSlim Frame, and 600Hz refresh rate that makes it perfect. Full HD 1080p resolution gives you the sensation of a different eye than the other HDTV and will make your eyes very uncomfortable when watching. Intelligent sensor also makes LG 50PK550 automatically adjusts the picture to the lighting conditions and the color of your room. Do not hesitate to buy this TV before others who feel the sensation.


Key Features
Full HD 1080p resolution
600Hz Sub Field Driving
3,000,000:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio
Intelligent Sensor
AV Mode
Picture Wizard
Dual XD Engines for Superior video
24P Real Cinema
Clear Voice II
Dolby Digital
USB 2.0
HDMI V.1.3 with Deep Color
SimpLink
Smart Energy Saving

Specification
• Screen size: 50-inch class (50 inches diagonal)
• Resolution: 1920 x 1080 (1080p Full HD)
• Dynamic contrast ratio: 3,000,000:1
• Brightness: 1500 cd/m2 (candela per square meter)
• 600Hz Sub Field Driving: Yes
• Built-in tuner: ATSC/NTSC/Clear QAM
• Audio output: 20 watts (10W x 2)
• Speaker system: 2-way, 4 speakers
• Dolby Digital decoder: Yes
• Surround system: Infinite Sound
• Input labeling: Yes
• Swivel stand: ±20 degrees
• VESA compliance: 400mm x 400mm
• Warranty: 1 year parts and labor; 2 years on the panel
Connections
• HDMI (version 1.3, HDCP): 2 rear, 1 side
• Component: 2 rear
• Composite A/V: 1 rear, 1 side
• RF: 1 rear
• PC input (15-pin, D-Sub): 1 rear
• PC audio input: 1 rear
• Digital audio output: 1 optical, rear
• USB: 1 side
• RS-232c input: 1 rear
Dimensions
• TV without stand: 46.1 x 28.5 x 2.2 inches (WxHxD); 63.1 pounds
• TV with stand: 46.1 x 31 x 12.2 inches (WxHxD); 68.3 pounds

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Samsung LN52B750 Compare

 


Samsung LN52B750

Compare

Sony KDL-52XBR9

Feature
The Bottom Line Sound Effects		The Samsung LNB750 series can't beat the picture quality of the best plasmas and LED-based LCDs, but for a conventional LCD, it's one of the best we've tested. SRS TruSurround HD			Sony's high-end KDL-XBR9 series of LCD TV offers a bundle of extras and solid picture quality, but the price will turn off most buyers. S-FORCE Front Surround Sound
Input Video Formats		Info unavailable			480/60i 480/60p 720/60p 1080/24p 1080/60i 1080/60p
USB Port		Yes			Yes
Multi-channel Preview		Picture-in-picture (PIP)			Info unavailable
Analog TV Tuner		NTSC			NTSC
Weight		67.5 lbs			57.1 lbs
Image Aspect Ratio		Info unavailable			16:9
Digital TV Tuner		QAM ATSC			QAM ATSC
Resolution		1920 x 1080			1920 x 1080
Sound Output Mode		Stereo			Surround Sound
Speaker System		2 speakers			Info unavailable
Built-in Decoders		Info unavailable			Dolby Digital
Enclosure Color		Piano black			Info unavailable
Radio		None			Info unavailable
Environmental Standards		Yes			Yes
TV Tuner		1x analog 1x digital			1x analog/digital combo
Stereo Reception System		MTS			MTS
DVD		None			None
Dimensions (WxDxH)		49.6 in x 12 in x 33.8 in - With stand			48.8 in x 3.3 in x 29.3 in - Without stand
Power		Info unavailable			AC 120/230 V
Remote Control		Remote control - Infrared			Remote control - Infrared
VCR		None			Info unavailable
Technology		TFT active matrix			TFT active matrix
Manufacturer Warranty		1 year warranty			1 year warranty
Diagonal Size		52 in - Widescreen			52 in - Widescreen
Digital Television Certification		HDTV			HDTV
Progressive Scan		Progressive scanning (line doubling)			Progressive scanning (line doubling)
HDCP Compatible		Yes			Yes
Additional Features		Ultra clear panel			Info unavailable
Display Format		1080p (FullHD)			1080p (FullHD)
LCD Backlight		Wide Color Gamut-CCFL			Wide Color Gamut-CCFL
PC Interface		VGA (HD-15)			VGA (HD-15)
DVR		Info unavailable			None
Video Interface		HDMI Component Composite			HDMI S-Video Component Composite
Product Description		Samsung LN52B750 - 52 in LCD TV			Sony KDL-52XBR9 - 52 in LCD TV
Product Type		LCD TV			LCD TV

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Samsung LN46B650

Samsung LN46B650

46-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV with Red Touch of Color

The BEST Review!

Excellent Picture Quality (Unless you need a matte screen), April 30, 2009

**May 1, 2009 Updates at the bottom
**May 8, 2009 Updates at the bottom
**May 14, 2009 -- I've updated my final calibration

I just received my LN46B650 today so I may update this review in time. Feel free to comment with questions and I'll try to respond to them in later updates.


UNBOXING
The box for the LN46B650 comes is not too much larger than the TV dimensions itself. Sometimes you'll see a 32" TV come in a box that could easily fit one much larger. I wouldn't exactly call it environmentally friendly, but the box easily fit through doorways and into the elevator of my apartment building. The box is fitted with Styrofoam at the corners to keep the TV in its place and inflated plastic bags filling in all the empty space. There is the typical screen protective plastic in place and I found that the TV came in excellent condition with no noticeable shipping damage. I used Amazon.com's shipping company, the handling of other shippers may vary.

In the box is the stand (which comes with assembly instructions, though mine was already assembled), remote, 2 x AA batteries, a USB flash drive containing multimedia content and the TV instruction manual, a cover for the bottom of the TV in case you wish to mount it on a wall, a cleaning cover,screws for securing the stand to the TV, a power cord and a software CD for connecting the TV to a Windows Vista or XP computer via ethernet connections.

Moving the box by myself was a bit difficult as it is still quite larger, once I got it out of the box though, the TV is very light for a 23 year old male and getting it on the stand was very easy. Once on the stand it snaps in place, you can (optionally) insert screws to keep it locked into the stand.

Inserting the power cord and connecting my components to the TV was easy, but the cable management system for the TV is pretty much non existent -- cables pretty much dangle behind the TV.


DESIGN
There is a lot of debate about whether the Touch of Color Red Design is a good thing or bad thing. Also, you'll see on last year's models that some people claim it's barely noticeable while some people claim it's a major game changer. My TV sits on a black TV stand in a spot in the room that sits in the shade -- I can barely see the red color. However, I feel that if you were to shine a lot of light on it, it would quickly become very noticeable.

The bezel is not quite as thick as I thought it looked in the Amazon.com pictures (which are Samsung's official PR shots). There is a somewhat "fat" pointed chin which I don't think looks too terrible. If you look at the pictures you'll notice that the glass of the bezel extends about half an inch beyond the actual TV bezel, I kind of like it. The neck of the stand is a glass pillar and very nice looking. The stand itself is surprisingly deep compared to the TV stand, but, again, not a bad thing, it's just hard to see in the pictures.

The built in TV controls sit on the bottom right hand corner of the bezel and are impossible to see from more than a foot away. It's a good thing for watching movies, but when I told somebody how to lower the volume on the TV, they couldn't find the buttons. I should also note that the buttons are touch sensitive there's no tactile way to find them or get feedback when pressing them. To the right of the buttons is a red light that turns on when the remote is pressed or the TV controls are pressed. It is otherwise always off unless the TV is in standby.

I should point out that the TV is very glossy and during very dark scenes it is absolutely necessary to shade your windows. Even when the not in dark scenes, I found that the bezel reflects what the screen does not. When I closed my blinds, the TV looks absolutely superb. The bezel is no longer noticeable, dark scenes are fantastic.

The remote is fairly straight forward. The design is just a tiny bit red like the TV bezel, buttons are nice and large and easy to memorize. The backlight button for the remote sits in the top right corner of it and when pressed illuminates the keys fairly well.

There are a good number of connectivity options which are thoroughly explained on the Amazon.com specs or on Samsung's website.


MENUS/SETTINGS
Turning the TV sent me through a few welcome menus that I didn't particularly want. The first thing the TV did was begin scanning for channels -- but I have my cable box connected via HDMI so there was nothing to scan. Stopping the channel scan process was easy, though, and when I got out of the welcome menus and switched to the HDMI 1 source, the TV was easy to use.

The menu layout is not atypical of other HDTVs you may have had the chance to use. Pushing the menu button brings up a series of menus indicated by pictograms for picture, audio, antenna setup, general TV setup, input setup, Application (media/internet functions) and Help. One thing I don't like, is that one feature that I like to be able to adjust on the fly, automotion plus (or refresh rate), is buried in menu -> picture -> picture options -> Auto Motion Plus. It's a pain to get to if you're just trying to adjust the setting for one channel.

The menu gives you very simple descriptions for each setting that you're adjusting. Sometimes they're fairly obvious but I imagine for some people it clears up some ambiguity. For an example, when I highlight "color" the bottom of the menu reads, "Adjusts the color saturation of the picture using the bar on the screen. The closer to 100, the more saturated the color."

I connected my TV directly to my computer network via ethernet cable. I had absolutely no issue in setting this up, the TV detected my network settings without any problems.

One nice feature is that you can rename the sources on your TV to pre-designated alternates. For an example, I named HDMI1 "Cable Set Top Box" and HDMI2 "Game" and Component1 "DVD." It makes things easier for non-technical people. Picture settings are always retained based on the source, if you keep your HDMI source on "movie" mode and adjust the picture settings, every time you watch HDMI these settings will be restored.

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Samsung LN46B650 Lowest Price

It should be noted that I have not purchased this TV. I did spend several hours comparing the two versions at Best Buy and this is what I found:
The B650 has a MUCH clearer picture. And by "clearer", I mean more defined with a sharper contrast, brighter whites and darker darks.

I attribute this to the doubling of the contrast ratio. The A650 has a 50,000:1 whereas the B650 has 100,000:1. For those that do not know about contrast, the contrast ratio measures how many stages there are between the darkest dark to the whitest white a crystal can do. The problem is that the manufacturers do NOT use the same standard for what "dark" really is. Additionally, their darkest dark is measured when the tv is OFF - not very helpful since you're not seeing how dark the crystal can actually get. The B650 looked like a HD set while the A650 looked like a regular flatscreen.

I had the salesman put both tvs with the same settings to compare the two realistically. I also looked for the motion and "ghosting" that occurs when action is moving. For this test, I looked closely at a soccer game being displayed on the two tvs. Again the B650 did not show quite as much "trailing" that the A650 did. Although both sets were 120hz, the B650 out shown the A650 hands down. The response time (how long the crystal takes to go from white, to dark, back to white again) for both of these sets is 4ms; but the B650 seemed to have a much more fluid motion - much like if you were watching real life.

I am going to hold out some more to see if the price of these go down, but I am definitely going to purchase the B650 instead of the A650. Honestly, the best way is to go to Best Buy and see for yourself. Don't be afraid to ask the sales people to adjust the color and contrast for you.

Hope this helps someone decide which version you go with.

It should be noted that not all TVs, although the same model are not created equal. If you can, get two TVs and keep the best out of the two.

By ebay8503
Amazon.com

Samsung LN46B650 Price COMPARE!!

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Samsung Widget TV

Samsung Internet TV

Samsung’s new online trickery is called Internet@TV. Press a remote button and your favoured widgets appear along the bottom of the screen. Once online there’s no denying that it’s a compelling way to access the web. There’s no need to boot up a PC, just choose your widgets from the TV’s gallery and personalise them to show local weather or news feeds and your own Flickr gallery. The widgets open in a panel on the left, which does eat up your screen, but the size of the TV feed can be adjusted to suit.

Internet features in Samsung TV is not all that great in 2009. With Widgets (small applications) you can link to some city to find weather conditions and forecasts for 5 days. With the stock widget you can enter your stock or mutual funds and get quotes. There is an image widget that lets you upload your photos and review. There is a widget to receive the news and most important news. Widgets are a little slow to boot but you can leave them open on the side of the TV and shrink the TV picture to be full image beside the widget or have the widget overlay the TV with the push of a button.

I have not seen the ability to download a movie and I hope that someone will write a widget to do it soon. You can go to Yahoo Widgets and download any number of interesting new applications shortly. I use a box (Voodoo) for downloading and streaming movies. Someday soon, you will not need a separate box.

The wireless connection requires a Samsung USB connected to a USB port available. It sells for $ 80 and is back ordered for 4 weeks. Use a wired connection, but I will go wireless when there is a good reason.

---

Samsung Widget TV

Widget it up

Your widgets sit at the bottom of the screen. Hit a remote control button to call them up, then scroll to select



Coming soon

Are Flickr, news and weather widgets perhaps not enough? Among others to appear soon are YouTube and Ebay apps according to Yahoo


Samsung TV with Widgets Feature...

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Sharp Aquos Review

Model: Sharp LC-52E77U
Description:  1920 X 1080 HD LCD TV
Reviewer: Robert Wiley
Date: Fall 2009
Test and Optimum Viewing Distance: 15 feet

Calibration Notes: The LC-52E77U contains fairly easy to use calibration tools including white balance settings controls without having to access the service menu. The E77U contains a BLUE push that we found difficult to reduce
Below are are final picture settings to bring the user close to D6500 without accessing the service menu:

Picture Settings
Picture Mode	User
Color Temp	Low
Brightness	-12
Contrast	+36
Color	+1
Tint	+1
Sharpness	-1
Backlight	+6
OPC	Off

480i DVD and Broadcast Viewing: As difficult and unpredictable as the E77U series is with calibration, the same applies to the picture experience. At times the LC-52E77U had ultra saturated looking blacks and great contrast. At others the picture appeared washed out during dark scenes. There is a lot of processing going on with this TV at many different levels. The internal picture doctor is hard at work. Therefore we viewed a lot of source material on it to try to get a clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses. There are motion artifacts of varieties – swimmy effects with side to side jerky motion. At times there is flicker and background noise. In other scenes the presentation looked fantastic, clear, vivid and colorful. The 3D-Y/C feature is available for analog signals and is intended to minimize dot crawl and cross color noise.

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