Customer Reviews

Largely excellent - could do better on some fronts though!
I was very apprehensive buying a LCD TV on the internet. I was bothered about dead pixels (though I hear these are no longer the kind of problem these used to be), getting an inferior quality/scratched unit etc. etc. And man I am glad the way it all turned out. The shipping may be a slight problem - these freight companies just like the movers are so hard to tame!!!

Features/results I liked:
1. Color/contrast are outstanding (yes it beats my friend’s much more expensive Sony ‘x’ series)
2. Back light can be made very bright indeed and the contrast holds up to these high levels just so well
3. Menus are iconic and rich text based and quite intuitive

Features I didn’t:
1. I find myself fumbling a lot trying to switch between the sources. I wish this was more intelligent. Why can’t this TV just identify the active sources and just play them all one by one and let me choose?
2. Why can’t I switch on the TV on with a source preselected? If my home theater can switch on on the Aux mode, why can’t this TV be switched on on HDMI1?
3. There are interdependencies between menu items. If one part of the menu is selected one way, certain other parts would appear disabled! This is outrageous (Strangely this applies to DNIe, one of Samsung’s hotly advertised features)
4. If I use component cable, the non HD channels actually look better than when I use the HDMI cable. Where are all the up-conversion algorithms?
5. The speakers are OK but by listening to them, I always get the feeling that these manufacturers force you to buy home theaters!

My overall view. Great buy looking at the competition it has!

Fantastic TV!!
After much research, I decided on this TV. I ordered from Amazon on 4/30 with an est delivery date of 5/9 and, CEVA delivered it on 5/7 (free white glove service). The TV has a fantastic picture, TV’s setup/config is very intuitive, and the sound is surprisingly good for a 10wx2 TV speaker system. There are plenty of connections, too. Currently the devices I’ve connected to the TV are a cable HD/DVR via HDMI, a progressive scan DVD player via component video, and a ReplayTV 5040 DVR via component video. I’ve routed the TV sound out to my Denon amp, even though it’s standard stereo. My only real criticism, and a minor one at that, is the size of the remote which initially seems *huge*! I’m quickly getting used to it though, as the layout is quite intuitive. The remote is also backlit, a real plus when watching in a dark room!

When researching HDTVs, I also considered the 650 and 750 series and compared all to Sony LCDs, but I found the picture on the Samsungs to be *much* better. Although I would have liked an ethernet connection (on the 750 series), I really didn’t want the high-gloss planels on the 650 and 750 series. (My viewing room is quite bright during the day, and although the glossy LCDs do seem to have an improved picture quality, the added glare turns that into a big negative for me.) Initially I intended to go for a 120Hz set, but as I did more research, I decided that was a feature I could forgo. The HD picture from the cable box is phenomenal. I notice no ghosting, graininess or pixelation. Even standard def (stretched) is fine to watch. I expect HDMI-CEC will be a very handy feature as I upgrade components down the road, but for now, I’m unable to make use of it.

In sum, I’m very, very pleased with this TV, with CEVA’s white glove delivery service, the price I paid, and the 12-month no interest deal I got using Amazon’s credit card. I would definitely buy this TV again and have already recommended it to friends who are currently HDTV shopping.

When the Price is Right…
At the point I’m writing this, just about all of these reviews are overwhelmingly positive. And that is for good reason! I bought and received this TV a good 3 weeks ago now and treat it like a newborn son. I’m always boasting its a ‘Samsung’ and its ‘full HD’ and it only cost ‘1170′ haha. I should really stop.

What I’m getting at is how really slick this TV is. It’s picture is crystal clear, deep and saturated to perfection. Its worth noting that like most everyone else I shopped around at the big box stores and came away impressed by the Samsung quality. But an interesting little side note is I had the TV delivered to my parent’s house and my father had just bought a Samsung 4065 in the Fall… I ran them next to each other and the 30,000:1 contrast and improved (10m -> 5m) response time is a huge difference!

Bottom line: The picture is excellent, the sound is plenty fine (for now), and the price was right. If you’re riddled with anxiety, looking for the right HDTV, look no further.

Also - the delivery was excellent - got it a week before schedule and the delivery man was extremely nice.

Never Buy it From Amazon LLC
I bought it on 4/30 and Amazon said it will be delivered on 5/9. Actually on the 2nd day it is already in the stock in Dallas ( I live in Dallas). 10 days passed and no delivered made yet! I called the service guy and CEVA several times and they still can not figure out when can I get my TV. So I tell Amazon I want to cancel the order. This kind of delivery makes me upset. Guess what? They said they need to charge me 9 to return the TV and refund! I never receive the TV and I need to pay for 9 to return the TV to cancel this order. I’ve lost my 1300 for 10 days and they want me to pay 109 for they to have had my money for 10 day. That’s an amazing good job Amazon provides!

Very Pleased
Picture is great only had one minor problem and Amazon addressed that at once! Delivery took a couple days longer than I expected but overall I am very satisfied with the end results.