 Great for mini home theater |
| Review Date: May 17, 2009 |
| Reviewer: EarlyMon, New Mexico, USA |
I've been an HDTV owner for six years and during that time, I've assisted about two dozen friends in their HDTV home theater setups. I've just upgraded to the Samsung LN52B750 and I couldn't be happier. For reference, I'm upgrading from a Samsung DLP and I own another Samsung LCD HDTV.
There's a lot that's misunderstood about this TV, so rather than the usual Pros and Cons, I'd like to share how I'm getting viewing value from this set.
First, if you're reading this, you're either already an LCD owner or have read about them - and have read about this new breed and if you're like I was, you're wondering what's what.
Color swirls - you never read about this, but if you've watched TV on an LCD set in the past, especially with standard def (SD) stations, you've seen it. The backgrounds look like compressed colors from jpg photo files. My earlier LCD HDTV (8ms response time) had it - this one simply does not. (I did have trouble watching compression artifacts in a movie from 1930 on TCM on this TV - but that movie was so hosed, I can't blame the TV only.)
Contrast - you've read by now that all LCD set makers lie about this. If you're confused and remember the old audio days, that works like this: You'd have a 35 watt RMS/channel amp (into 8 ohms). Some would lie and call it a 70 watt amp. Then lie some more and call it a 140 watt amp (how about 4 ohm speakers?). Then lie some more and refer to peak instead of RMS - and suddenly a 35 watt amp is legally lied about as a 200 watt amp. Now - I don't know the ins and outs of legal contrast lying, but I believe what I've read - it exists in this industry. This set is rated at a contrast of 150,000:1 - with every stretch of legal lying possible - the contrast on this set is amazing. I still cannot believe that it's an LCD. It's simply that good in terms of contrast. One plasma-owning friend insisted for a half hour that I was wrong, and had gotten a top line plasma.
Blur/response/lag - LCDs are noted for this weakness. Not this TV. Read on.
Quality of SD programs - some controversy exists. Not a problem on this TV. Read on.
240 Hz AMP - this is the most misunderstood feature I've read about on this TV. Nothing I've read in any review prepared me for what to expect. I was buying the TV partially for this feature, noting that depending upon whom you believe, you turn this feature on, off, on for movies but not sports, on for sports but not movies.
It's none of those on/off things. It's adjustable. Here are my simple recommendations based on my setup:
1. DirecTV.
I use a Dayton HDMI cable, also bought on Amazon (amazingly good cable - buy it), from my DirecTV HR20. I have the HR20 set up to display all resolutions in Native mode. The LN52B750 switches resolution so quickly that this is not a problem. Unlike earlier sets I've owned, the HDMI input on this TV accepts 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i and 1080p - the HR20 outputs all of those on HDMI. In DirecTV circles, it's well-known to set your TV and your HR20 to the TV's native resolution and turn Native output off on the HR20. This is because the HR20 is purportedly better at 3:2 pulldown processing than the top of the line chipsets/firmware used only a few years ago, in that the pulldown is done between the steps of converting the satellite signal to TV frames - and my own experience agreed with that.
However, I offer this simple advice - set your HR20 output to Native, all resolutions, and set the B750's 240Hz processing to: Blur=5, Judder=3 - and you'll be exceptionally happy with the results from all program input. My Boston Legal reruns have never looked so good and they appear on some of the poorest-signal (highly compressed) stations in my lineup. So, with this setting, SD as well as satellite 720p and 1080i programs look great - not fake at all. (And all you have to do to see the controversy on this feature is to "turn it on" without customizing its adjustment - and wait for your eyes and stomach to turn.)
I played baseball as a kid - loved it. Still remember what a ball looks like going through the air. When you're at the right angle, you see a stobe of blur and clear, red stitches. With the Blur=5,Judder=3 adjustment, I have finally seen just that watching a dropping curve ball (720p source). Any higher or lower, the ball looks wrong - oh, yes, very exciting - but wrong.
So I strongly recommend this set for its 240 Hz processing - providing you are willing to change those two parameters slowly and study a lot of source material to dial in what's right. I contend that if you're a DirecTV HR20 owner, I've just given you the key to really great SD and HD viewing.
And don't fear about those great blurs being missed from movies that wanted it there - Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire looked really great in that regard.
BTW - resolution switching on this set is FAST - you'll experience little or NO extra delay when switching resolutions. (Not true on my older HDTVs.)
2. HTPC (Home Theater PC)
I use a Mac mini. I know, people hate them, you pay too much for Macs, yadda, yadda, yadda. The Mac mini is THE correct form-factor for a HTPC. You can find duplicates of this form-factor - and directly comparable features - in the Windows world for **exactly** the same price as a Mac mini - so, 'nuff said on price.
But - so far as a I know, only the built-in Apple DVD Player plays movies at 24 frames/second. Last I checked (and this may have changed by now), all other software (Win) does playback at TV rates: 60 frames/sec, with progressive scanning, etc.
Now - I'm not explaining all of this to brag about Macs - this is all about Blu-Ray vs. DVDs.
The de-judder tech being targeted by the 240 Hz processing is all about reconciling Blu-Ray 24 fps (read: real theater) vs. 30/60 fps (read: TV signals).
I don't own a Blu-Ray player - my gut, after all of these years, is still telling me to wait for the right features and prices.
But, I do use a Mac mini for my HTPC and if you do - or are considering one - here is my recommendation (based on Leopard 10.5.7): set the DVD Player to Best Quality Deinterlacing, set the Mac Display preferences to 1920x1080 at 24 Hz (it's progressive by default), and feed that into your LN52B750 with the 240 Hz options set to Blur=5 or 6, Judder=6 or 7 - and your jaw will drop. If you have a copy of Moulin Rouge - use it as your reference for the settings. I particularly recommend noting that you'll actually see the dust kitties on the floor in the Tango Roxanne chapter (among other things) and also suggest that you'll really love the depth and details of the stars, lace and glitter in Your Song.
With those settings you'll not only get a great HTPC, but you'll get possibly the best standard DVD player you've ever owned. Before the LN52B750, it was very good - now it's really incredible. Ghost Dog and Moulin Rouge on DVD are now completely three dimensional (not exaggerated foreground fakey - actually 3-D looking) - I didn't even know that this sort of picture was possible from a DVD.
I think my setup shows how well this TV works with a 1080p/24 fps source - I can only imagine that Blu-ray looks even better.
(edited 5-26-09)
3. Sound
People complain about the sound quality of the LN52B750. I don't know. I haven't used a TV for sound in 8 years. I don't wish to sound snobbish, but really - you're spending a boatload on your TV and input sources, why listen to TV speakers?
I don't go for surround sound. I'm an audio purest that prefers the highest fidelity stereo. To each his own, but if you're like me, here's the secret on that: route the optical audio out from the LN52B750 into the Mac mini, not from the DirecTV's optical port. This routing is surprisingly better. Use Rogue Amoeba's free LineIn software, set all buffers to default values except for output - use a buffer size of 2048 - convert the optical to copper stereo and pipe that into your stereo system. This is the best TV-to-stereo sound I've gotten in 8 years.
I'm using large electrostatic panels, driven by a 400 watt (peak)/channel amp and a 2 kW servo-controlled subwoofer. You hear sound from all over the room and the depth and spacial qualities are great. I recommend more money into a better stereo and less room wiring over surround sound, but that's just me. To each, his own.
4. Miscellaneous Adjustments
Next, some words on clouding, screen adjustment and glare.
Glare - I don't have any. Yeah - I can see some reflection in the screen at various times of the day. The picture quality is so deep - as is the contrast - that I don't even notice glare, if it is there. And the screen is neither glossy nor matte. It feels glossy, but is low-glare like matte, but sharp and clear like glossy. They're telling the truth on that improvement.
Clouding - let the set burn in for a few days before looking. This is great advice for any large LCD, by the way. Clouding - I don't have any.
Adjustments: Go. Very. Slow. I'd recommend not touching a thing for a full 24 hours of viewing. So far, I've turned down the backlight and the contrast and turned up the brightness. I'm not going to suggest numbers here, though - there are too many factors, such as your room, that will dictate what's right. I will say that out of the box, the contrast is too high, as is the backlight (but not the brightness) - so, as I said: Adjust. Each. Parameter. Slowly. You'll be pleased.
5-26-09: Three things - absolutely *turn off* Dynamic Contrast and Edge Enhancement!! Also, Digital Noise Reduction (NR) defaults to auto - certainly on DVDs, this causes an electric sort of look to things like paper; better at Medium or High.
Color - I read a review that favored Auto over Native - I agree.
Film mode - It defaults to Auto2 (optimized for scrolling text). Use Auto1 (film optimized) - text looks just fine.
5. Internet
This is not a worthless feature. I thought it would be - but it isn't. If you're using a Mac mini and getting the net wirelessly, go to System Prefs->Network->Ethernet, and set DHCP with manual IP - set IP to 192.168.2.1 - then go to Sharing and share your Airport connection through the Ethernet. Run an Ethernet cable 100/1000BaseT type (looks like a big phone connector) from the Mac to the TV. Set the TV internet as follows: IP=192.168.2.2, mask=255.255.255.0, and BOTH Gateway and DNS Servers to 192.168.2.1 - and you're all set.
Note - this doesn't support your DLNA features into the TV - and if you have a HTPC, especially a Mac, you don't want that anyway. Your music files will all have to transcode to support the feature - stick with your native music format, and simply switch to Mac Front Row for your music listening. You'll get higher quality and you've already made those music import decisions - and I suspect the same is true if you're a Vista/Home Media user and that's your HTPC. (Update - with [...] software, this config does support DLNA features from Mac to TV - if you need that sort of thing.)
BUT - and this is a big BUT - if it's easy, hook up your Mac or other HTPC to share its internet connection. You already get your OS upgrades via the net, regardless of whether you prefer OS X or Windows. Well, guess what? This TV is at its heart, a whole lot of computing technology. Out of the box, my LN52B750 firmware was marked from 3-30-2009 - and last week (in May 2009), Samsung already had a firmware upgrade for this set. What did Samsung upgrade? I don't know and I don't care. I let my Windows XP and Mac OS X computers upgrade themselves all the time. These guys want to fix things for free, I don't argue - I take the fix.
Get it connected to the internet and you'll never have to sweat getting an upgrade or remember how to transfer it to your TV via a USB stick. For upwards of US$2k, I like not sweating things. BTW, please note that at this point, the TV doesn't seem to support automatic updates - so you still have to go over to that menu option. Not bad. (10-13-2009 update: firmware updates are now automatic if hooked to the net.)
Having gotten that far, I tried out the Yahoo widgets. This is an underrated feature by far. I'm now set up to get the quick 5-day forecasts here, back where Mom is, and out where my company's other locations are. It puts the TV show being watched into its own shadowbox while viewing the widget. This is insanely faster and easier than using my Mac Dashboard or the DirecTV widget for the same thing - and I never lost track of my show and I never picked up a mouse.
Oh - I also used Yahoo News and Video to get the latest web video of the Hubble repairs during a long commercial break. Sure, it was low-res. But I did it with my remote, and not a mouse, and didn't lose track of time on the web looking at Hubble stuff during a commercial break.
So - I strongly recommend the internet connection option for this TV, too.
6. Heat
LCD sets get hot, the longer they're on. I burned out my first LCD HDTV from days-long ontime. I left this TV on for 50 hours straight. It is summer (here in the desert), and I do have my swamp cooler on - but this TV screen is still barely warm to the touch.
7. Trusting commercial reviewers
Anyone who publishes that they've tested the X-inch model of this set, but this one is the same - don't read them, don't believe them. Quality control for manufacturing LCD sets increases almost exponentially as you go up in size. Only trust reviews on the actual set you're looking at - not the next one over, not last year's model.
8. LCD response time
This set is rated at 2 ms. I've heard that's a lie in a review of 120 Hz sets - although the reviewer wouldn't mention manufacturers. That reviewer said that they were simply taking 8 ms panels, and rating them at 4 ms when doing 120 Hz processing - and so, while my TV was in transit, I rightly wondered if the 2 ms is simply the same math applied to an 8 ms screen at 240 Hz (4 time as fast as 60 Hz, four times as fast as 8 ms).
I have no earthly idea. All that I can say for a certain fact is that this thing is razor sharp and lacks the motion artifacts (and swirls) I've seen on my other 8 ms LCD HDTVs. I hope this helps, some, with that confusion.
9. Actual Size
I don't why it does this but it does: it sees my Mac via the DVI-HDMI connection and gives me a Fit Screen size adjustment. No more lost pixels, no more need for SwitchResX or DisplayConfigX. No such option from the DirecTV HDMI input. I don't know why.
But I do know this: for years, HDTV makers were hiding a bit of the edges from their input sources - causing no end of grief for HTPC owners. This set does away with all of those woes.
(**** UPDATE, May 23 - The Screen Fit option works with any HD source - DirecTV or HTPC. Switch to 480i input, and the screen fit option goes away. Also - when you get the typical HistoryHD show where they just stretch the letterbox picture horizontally, giving everyone that Pillsbury Doughboy face, you can fix that by quickly switching the TV to 4:3 mode. You end up with an HD in letterbox - not as good as full-screen HD, but way better than watching the Pillsbury Doughboy.)
10. Correct Adjustment.
They tell us that the only way to do this is with a TV tech, and to pay for it professionally. Believe them. This TV has no less than 9 adjustments for red, green and blue - add in brightness, gamma, etc and you have over a dozen adjustments there.
Think: 12-sided Rubic's cube - now you've got the idea.
So, I'm just adjusting the brightness/backlight/contrast myself. Independent reviewers all claim that the Samsung brand rocks right out of the box for color correctness. That wasn't true of my older Samsungs - it most certainly is for this one. The color just looks great.
13. The Remote
I had things down to just my Mac remote and my DirecTV remote. Now I've got that third remote happening again, to use some of this TV's cooler features. Just like most people use surround sound while I use stereo, it seems most people get integrated remotes instead of using several.
OK - I'm a Luddite or something. We use multiple remotes. (This one for music, sound, photos and DVD control, this one for DirecTV and now this one for switching source inputs and checking out my Yahoo widgets.) My wife and I just find this easier. So, if you're like us in that regard:
This is a great remote. It feels comfy in the hands like you wouldn't believe, it has backlighting, the buttons are big enough to read. What more can I say than that?
14. Viewing Distance
I watch mine at 12.5 feet from the screen. This is well within reason for this size TV. If you watch at a showroom, be prepared to pace off what your viewing distance will be. I often go through stores and see people judging HDTVs by being 8 feet in front of one, 12 feet in front of another. Don't ever do that. I cannot overstate the importance of judging TVs from the distance consistent with your own use.
15. Pilot Delivery
I got my LN52B750 via Amazon's supplied Pilot Delivery. These guys were great. Others have had issues, many haven't. Pilot seems to employ local guys for their white glove delivery. My local guys were great - 'nuff said.
16. 6/13/2009 edit - If you register your TV on the Samsung website, they give you an additional 3 months on your warranty.
Well - that's it. Thanks for reading. Hope I've helped. |
Excellent Pictures !!!!
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| Review Date: September 15, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Songhai, Yakima, WA |
A caution about this LCD before the praises.....
1. It is wide...you need a second pair of hands to help you get it out of the box and mount it, if you are like me who was eager to mount it all by myself, you will end up with acute low back pain..oooh.
2. Do not dispose of the large box it came in,it will be hard to find a box this large just in case you got a faulty set and have to send it back.
3.Prices are coming down, shop around and buy from a retailer that will price match for you.
4.Samsung has an awful customer service buy from a retailer with a reliable warranty history.
Now to the review.......
Like most reviewers, I had spent months researching into LCDS and came out impressed with Sony V100, XBR6, XBR8(LED),Samsung B750 and B8000(LED).The Samsung B750 came out tops in all categories combininig the strengths from each one into one beautiful TV ....
I will not go into much technicalities as one of the reviewers here "EarlyMon" did a fantastic job and is more techsavvy.I will only say that I am more than happy with my purchase.
However, I shall add that the future of HDTV will be either LED or OLED.The technology on LED/OLED TV has not been perfected and will not be until 3 to 5 years down the road.So, why did I go for a SAMSUNG B750 CCRT LCD TV rather than for a LED TV?
Very simple.It is the best LCD in the market as of today Sept14th,2009 and might be for a long time to come.A point supported by both professional reviewers and users.
The Samsung B750 beats the LED Sony XBR8 (too pricey) and Samsung B8000 (uneven pixation). It compares very well with black scenes in both LED TVs, the white may not be as white as the LED TVs, but IT does not give the unnatural blue hue the LED TVs add to white color, perhaps that is why they seem to produce a whiter white.Just like the LED tv, the Samsung LN52B750 does not produce harsh pictures nor are the pictures scrabby.
The B750 has a practical wider viewing angle than both LED TVs mentioned above. It also has a better uniformity of colours.Do not get me wrong the LED TVs give very impressive pictures but since they are still in what I shall call beta stages, the prices on them are rather high for their current performances compared to what they are capable of doing.Just Like when Plasmas came out some years back, they were pricey, average cost was $4000.00 for the low end models.Inspite of their high prices then, yesterday's Plasmas in terms of performance are not as good as today's Plasmas which cost far less. They went through a period of fine tuning during which time their prices came down.Could you imagine buying a 46in Plasma for $900:00 in 2004.Yet today you could get one for that amount with little issue of burn in and better performance. A similar scenario will be played out with the LED TVs of today. So while waiting for LED technology to be perfected, it makes reasonable sense to buy an excellent TV at a "reasonable cost" to enjoy for the next 5 or so many years before the LED TVs get perfected or near "perfection".
To be honest, as much as Samsung tried to eliminate glare, this TV does have a minimum of glare compared to older Samsung LCDs but it is very minimal.If you have not noticed the glare on your laptop, desktop or your old CRT tv, then you will not be bothered by glare on this TV with the improved anti-glare technology.
If you are an enthusiast of Nature,fast action movies or sports, this is the TV for you. This TV shows leaves in a tree distinctively not just a bunch or cluster of green like most TVs do.You see clearly the individual droplets of water, as a wave breaks not just a splash of whitishblue.With fast movies or sports, no blurr or motion artifacts are seen.Colors are naturally vivid.No leaking of colors.
Do you need calibration? Yes, you do. Out of the box, the picture it gives is very impressive.Bear in mind that the manufacturers do not know anything about your living room light condition but they have a fairly good knowledge of what the light condition of a retailer's electronic dept is like.An since, the manufacturers do not know which of their TVs will be displayed by a particular retailer, they adjust the settings on all of their TVs coming out of the production line to meet the light conditions of a retailer which most time is a very bright light condition.They want their TV to look brighter,sharper and more crisp than their competitors'. This might mean less than an optimal picture quality for your room and more energy cost for you. Calibration has also been touted to prolong the life of the pixels.So if you can afford the 2 grand on this TV why can't you pick up a calibrating disc for $30.00 or less, to get an optimal performance, lower energy cost and prolong the life span of your TV?
If you decide to calibrate your TV,it is adviced to let your new TV break in, like a new car before making the adjustment.Some suggest as few as 24 hrs of regular TV watching others have suggested 1 month.I calibrated mine after 45 hrs of regular TV watching.The difference in picture quality after calibration is like NIGHT and DAY.
There are quite some good calibrating discs out there but the best for video is "High Deifinition Benchamrk by Spears & Munsil". This is very simple to use, the instructions are very elementary.I recommend the Blu-ray edition, if you have a Blu-ray player. For audiophiles, "AIX RECORDS" audio calibration disc is a winner. It has HD music sampler.For those with surround system, it will test the output and locate the positions of each of your speakers one by one for you.Both discs can be purchased online and for those who purchase the OPPO-BD 83 Blu-ray player,it is an added bonus.
However, for those who do not want to buy a calibration disc or pay for a professionl calibration service, here is an ABC of do it yourself calibration.
The primary features involved in calibration are, brightness,contrast,sharpness,color and hue.
Brightness:
This controls the depth of the blackness.Slot in a DVD movie into your DVD player and look for a night scene with someone wearing a black suit.Adjust the brightness control until you can make out clearly the edges of the suit lapel and the breast pocket of the black suit.
Contrast:
Controls the white. Look for a scene of someone wearing a white shirt.Adjust the contrast control until you can make out clearly the white buttons on the white shirt.
Sharpness:
Slot in a sports DVD e.g football,athletes meet, lawn tennis match etc.Look for a scene with line markings.Play with the adjust control from minimum to maximum and watch the line markings as you do so, the lines will have doubles or ghost images.Adjust the control slowly until the double or triple lines become one line or the ghost images of the line dissappears, leaving you with a single line.
Color:
Hopefully, you are not color blind.If you are,ask a friend to help you with this adjustment.This adjustment depends on what you appreciate of skin tone.Focus on the color of the skin of the actors, usually the face.Play with the control up and down and see how the skin color changes.Adjust the control more slowly until you get a match close to what the person's color would look like to you,were the person standing close to you.Hopefully, you are not in the habit of looking for aliens or martians.
Hue:
Also refers to color.Look for a color like red, blue or green and adjust the control to get the nearest match of that color in real life.
These tips are to help you make a decision between the best available HDTV to date.And if you are like me who was debating between a CCRT LCD OR LED LCD, I hope that I have provided sufficient reasons why I went for a CCRT LCD rather than a LED LCD for now. I might upgrade to a LED TV in five years from now.
Happy viewing on your new TV. You can not go wrong on Samsung LN52B750 !
Addendum (01/29/2010):
AESTHETICS:We have had this TV for about 5 months now. No problems with it.And we have never been bored looking at it, either when it is turned ON or OFF.It is a beautiful piece and blends very well with other pieces of furniture in our family room.The black screen overlaps beautifully with the black frame.The design remains ever sleek and unobtrusive.
SOUND:I have often wondered at the comments people have made about the sound quality not being loud enough. We have our TV hooked up to a Phillips 6 piece surround system that was already in place before the TV arrived.But without the surround system the TV Sound is fine.Our son prefers to play his game without the surround system and finds the inbuilt TV speakers more than adequate for him and neither have his friends complained when they come arround.For a TV this size and varying on the size of your room, a soundbar or an external surround system should be a fitting addition to the TV.Caution, if you do use an external speaker source with the TV remember to turn off the TV volume so that you do not get an echoing effect. Happy listening! |
Great LCD TV!
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| Review Date: May 13, 2009 |
| Reviewer: G. Arteaga, Chicago, IL |
I just received my LN52B750 this week and have to say it is simply an amazing display of the high definition experience. For the price, this LCD is a great value IMO - and not just because I purchased it, I shopped around for about 1.5 months and could not find a better LCD with the features this set offers.
A friend has last years LN52A750 and I can honestly tell the differences and upgrades to the 'B' model - such as the increased contrasts ratio, 240Hz refresh rate and the improved Media 2.0 USB functionality.
If you are looking for a decently priced LCD (with higher end features), this is the TV for you!
Pros:
-Picture quality is stunning- need to see it in person to appreciate it.
-Functionality of Media 2.0 (USB) port is improved and very useful for looking at picture/movie files and music.
-Swivel stand is convenient.
-Charcoal TOC is far more subtle than the red on other models.
-Shipping and delivery was spot on through Amazon.
Cons:
-Sound quality (honestly isn't THAT bad; get a nice surround sound or sound bar and the issue will be moot). |
Great Television
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| Review Date: June 30, 2009 |
| Reviewer: MM, USA |
I've had this TV for just over a month and I really love it. I honestly have nothing to complain about. The main thing I was concerned about with this TV was the glossy screen because my living room is pretty bright during the day, but this baby is so bright that it isn't an issue. Plus, the glossy screen makes the picture look so much better than the matte screens, especially when the room is dark.
The picture quality is amazing and the TV simply looks good, even when it isn't turned on. I use it mostly to play FIFA '09 on PS3 and to watch Blueray's, and it does a stellar job with both. My friends are impressed too.
Another thing I love is the Touch of Color. What I mean to say is that I love that this TV doesn't really have one. I was so happy that Samsung got rid of the Red Touch of color on this model. It is a matter of personal taste, but I think the red accented TVs are ugly, so much so that I probably wouldn't have bought this if it had those red accents. This TV is a nice piano black and makes my living room a more beautiful place.
I've seen a lot of people complaining about the sound and even giving it 4 stars solely because the sound supposedly isn't very good. I personally couldn't disagree more. I mean, it's not comparable to a $[...] surround system, but the sound quality and volume is fantastic for people like me who live in an apartment and think it's important to be on good terms with one's neighbors. The sound quality and volume is certainly better than the CRT TV this Samsung replaced, and that CRT wasn't even 4 years old and was one of the best in it's class.
I bought this TV from Amazon and am so happy I did. Their service is truly impeccable and the delivery was a breeze. Amazon's price was fantastic too, and it is always great to avoid sales tax when it's 9.25% in your county.
As silly as it will surely sound to some, I really wouldn't change anything about this TV. It is pretty much perfect, so if the price is right and you're in the market for a really awesome LCD TV, then go for it. I highly doubt you'll be sorry. |
This LCD really is great!
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| Review Date: May 1, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Jarod D. Makowski, Columbia, NJ USA |
I know a lot of you are looking at a lot of hdtvs. Let me tell I looked at all the t.vs in best buy to see how they look. I saw the ln46b650 as it stood out from the rest with clarity. So i decided to take a gamble and pre order this one. I even owned a pn50a760 plasma and sent it back because it had poor clearity. This t.v has an extra setting for the upscaling which makes it ajust to the size making it a little clearer for normal dvds then the regular upscaling.
PROs for this t.v: Clearest picture i've seen so far for LCD. No artifacts on 240hz settings. The colors are bright and stunning. For you video game addicts. I have a ps3 and a xbox360 hooked up to it and let me tell you the game looks crisp and has no lag whats so ever.
Cons:The internet capabilities and media stuff arent exciting. Only thing its good for is maybe knowing the weather and uploading pictures on the tv when having family events. When people speak while playing video games they seem a little quiet other then that they sound pretty decent. The blacks are probally the best you can get for lcd but its still not as black as plasmas can get. Only other thing is its viewing angles, its best to sit at a centerish seat.
THe cons are very very minor overall this t.v I will recommend to anyone looking for something great in all area's for the price. Regular Dvds look nice a sharp and blue rays look even better. Even my girlfriend that knows nothing about t.vs says WOW thats a lot better then the other one we sent back. YOu could also see the jealousy in my friends eyes.
I hope my technical comments help you decide if this is the t.v for you. |
Very Impressive LCD TV from Samsung!
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| Review Date: June 29, 2009 |
| Reviewer: D. A. Herd, Texas |
It was time to upgrade from analog so this is our first HDTV. After six months of research, we knew we wanted a Samsung. And with the recent Amazon rebate, we were able to snag this for only a couple hundred more than last year's model.
The size is perfect for our room and the sofa is about 12 feet away. We have the Samsung LN52B750, Samsung HT-BD1250 Blu-ray Home Theater System and DirecTv HD DVR. The set has a very quality look and feel to it. The set had a minor flaw on the edge of the bezel out of the box and Samsung sent out a tech to replace it with no problem.
This LCD TV has a wonderful picture and is perfect for our living room layout. All settings seemed perfect right out of the box. With the ability to choose different picture modes (dynamic, standard, natural and movie) we have not had any need to change any color settings. The TV sound alone is quite adequate, but the Home Theater System is a great investment if it is in your budget, as it gives movie viewing a true theater feel.
The TV comes pre-loaded with a content library. We found that to be a neat extra, but don't really use the content library. The content library contains a beautiful, classical artwork slideshow that would be great to silently play when you have company but don't need the television. Pandora is a great, free, internet music service that is preloaded. You set up your account online and run an ethernet cable to your internet wireless router or pick up a Samsung WIS09ABGN LinkStick Wireless LAN Adapter. We ordered the LinkStick and it has worked great. The TV also has Netflix preloaded and the LinkStick will work with that, as well. You have to go to Netflix online to setup and purchase service to stream movies. We plan to do this soon.
Ordered Mediabridge - 6ft Ultra High Speed HDMI Cable - Version 1.3 Category 2 - 1080p - PS3 - Blu-Ray and found the six foot length to be fine with the set unmounted but will have to order longer cables if we decide to mount the unit on the wall. We also ordered the Sanus Systems Low Profile Universal Flat Panel Mount 32" to 60" Displays. We found that the low-profile wall-mount would not work with the cables coming out of the back as there was not enough wall clearance so we sent that back and will order a tilting or articulating mount later. However, we were impressed with the quality of the Sanus and will choose that brand when it is time to purchase.
We were stuck with our regular DirecTv receiver and antenna until they could get out to install the HD service. The picture was not very clear and was worse than our analog--plan to get HD service along with this awesome television. |
Can't go wrong with this TV.
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| Review Date: May 14, 2009 |
| Reviewer: B. Franklin, Texas |
| I actually had a Samsung UN55B6000 edge lit LED tv and returned it for this one. In my opinion, the only LED lit tv you might even consider waiting for would be the high end models that will feature local dimming. I'd expect them to cost about twice as much as this set. Anyway - I'm totally satisfied with my LN52B750. It has none of the issues my edge lit LED model had (such as dark spots in the corners and more noticeable light bleed through on dark scenes) and in my opinion the PQ is every bit as good, if not better. My LN52B750 produces a very even black screen with no noticeable "clouding" or "flashlighting". Blu ray movies look fantastic. Xbox 360 games look and play fantastic as well. I'd say if you're considering a TV in this size and price range - you'd be hard pressed to find a better set than the LN52B750. |
Gamers!! 360 and Blu-ray
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| Review Date: November 30, 2009 |
| Reviewer: ebay8503, Ohio |
As technology expands, consumers need to know more and more about the technology they're purchasing. Check out AVSForum, Forums Tab, LCD Flat panel displays, then LNxxB750. Can't rely on the Geek Squad or sales people to steer you right. Monster HDMI Cables Anyone? For the record, in HDMI, it's a digital signal. It's either there or it's not. You can get cables from Amazon or monoprice (see top of AVS Forum) for $3 that will do just the same job as Monster and leave you feeling good.
I've seen a lot of reviews that cover picture quality and features ect. but nothing that really covers gaming on a 360. I use my tv for 90% gaming and 10% Tv and Blu-ray. Onto the Gaming.
Input Lag:
This probably the biggest concern most often vocalized by gamers and the biggest overall concern TV manufacturers have when trying to reach the ever-growing gaming audience. Input lag is defined as the time it takes for an input given on a controller/device to be registered on the tv. In other words, input lag is how fast after you press the melee button that you actually see your character melee on your screen. This TV has some of this, but there are work around for it. It's actually important to know where this input lag comes from and what steps one can take for this tv.
Consumers want the best picture quality, with the greatest clarity, sharpness, brightness, definition, and smoothness possible. People want to turn on their tv and be shocked off their chairs at how beautiful the coral reef is and how fast Sidney Crosby actually is at Hockey. In order to provide this, tv manufacturers have added crap loads of processing and enhancements to the tv. By doing this, they have been able to create almost life-like images and please the ever-quality hungry consumers. Is this good news or bad news for gamers? IT'S BAD NEWS!!!!
All of this added processing and enhancements hurt the gamer because this is extra "work" that needs to be done BEFORE the picture is displayed on the screen; and that "work" takes time - therein lies the Catch 22. Here's the breakdown: When viewing Blu-ray or watching tv, the tv is only concerned with displaying the picture. The tv plays by it's own rules and does not have to operate in real time. Hypothetically, say you start playing a movie at time 0 by pressing the play button. The movie starts displaying at time 2 seconds and goes on without a hitch. In that 2 seconds the tv does its processing/enhancements/conversions and the viewer feels like he's watching the tv in real time; but actually he's 2 seconds behind - but it doesn't matter. (The TV has a 2 second window to buffer data) In GAMING, the inputs are constantly changing and split second decisions are necessary for the win. For each button press on the controller, the processing starts all over since it's technically a new feed and the ensuing image must be processed. Add these button presses and the following processing and you get lag.
CRTs (Cathode Ray Tubes - the old school tvs) did not have this problem since there wasn't any processing to be done. They simply displayed what was sent. I had a 32in RCA that I played on before I got the B750. This is what I'll use to make my comparisons.
2ms Response Time:
A very common misconception is that the the response time of 2ms takes care of this lag issue. This is simply not the case as response time is the time that it takes a crystal to go from black to white to black again. This does not aid lag at all but does aid in fast moving sports. I'll mention it here, but many people like Plasma tvs since they seem to have less input lag than LCDs and have great blacks (I haven't really noticed this to be true but the mass consensus leans differently). However, the Image Retention (IR) and threats of Burn In cause people to shy away from plasmas. How'd you like to have the outline of a HUD or status bar still be visible when you're watching tv?
Out of the Box Lag:
Right out of the box, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 was completely unplayable. To illustrate, I would move to look and there would be a noticeable 1/2 second delay - Really sucks when you're trying to scope someone. Each move was accompanied by this delay.
Lag Fixes - Game Mode:
This is Samsung's solution to the processing problems associated with their LCDs. What it does is pretty much disables a lot of the internal processing as well as disabling some user settings that affect this processing. What's compromised (to my naked eye) is color vibrancy, motion control, and edge enhancements. Game Mode really does help the lag. I've noticed a definite improvement in zoomed in scoping adjustments. The only thing that I had to do is adjust the sensitivity in the game itself. Coming from a CRT with no lag, I can tell a difference (Very SLIGHT) between the CRT and the B750. I did however play several games and did very well, but noticed that something was "off". I found that game mode was not enabled - it was my sensitivity to lag that alerted me.
Lag Fixes - PC Rename
Another, quite popular fix is to rename DVI/HDMI1 as PC. What people realized is that due to the VGA cable capabilities and nature of internet content, the processing had to be taken down some and other enhancements made because viewing text on the tv was hard and cumbersome. This fix is a "middle of the road" correction since it does not affect the true heart and cause of input lag. It does tend to keep color vitality though. When I tried this fix, I found that it was better than having Game Mode Off, but not better than Game Mode On from an Input Lag standpoint.
Lag Fixes - Enhancements Off
In another attempt, I turned off the AMP (Auto Motion Plus), Dynamic Contrast, Edge Enhancements, and all other non-essential PQ (Picture Quality) adjustments. It was worse than PC rename but better than no adjustments. Picture quality was fine, but I'm not to care how much detail there is, just so that I can play to win.
Lag Fixes - My Set-up and Component VS HDMI
What I settled on was using HDMI from my Elite, turning off Enhancements, and putting Game Mode On. This seems to be the best for me and gives the greatest response. I did use component cables for a little bit. The reason being is that with component, the signal tends to send an over saturation of colors (Colors are really deep). This tended to fix the sub-prime PQ and restored some color vibrancy. I did end up replacing this with HDMI since I started to notice a bit of Lag. I've also read that HDMI tends to be faster than component. From reading the forums above, most people who have timed their system using Rock Band or Guitar Hero have reported input lag of around 30 to 35 milliseconds (some rare cases .65 milliseconds). That equates to .03 to .035 seconds. Not bad, but still not great - most people will not notice it.
Other Comments and Reviews:
The customer images of Megan Fox from Transformers 2 and the football game with Tom Brady are from my tv. Great Picture Quality and detail.
Menus -
Decently fast and animated. Takes a bit to get used to but you'll soon be whipping around the selections. One nice feature is that when you're making an adjustment, there's some text that shows up and explains/defines what you're adjusting - quite helpful.
Energy Saver -
Nothing ticks me off more than people saying something is "green" or "eco-friendly" and therefore a great buy. I have no qualms about being smart with the environment and being responsible with what I'm given - China's Industry regulations anyone? I do have a problem with compromising quality on the basis that it's better and greener and a must use. Case and Point - those energy saver light bulbs with the cylindrical curves. Samsung jumped on board the "green" wagon, misguided though it is, and came up with CE Dimming to earn the energy saver seal. In it's simplest form, CE Dimming darkens the screen when the screen is dark and darkens the screen when there's bright light on the screen. This is rather annoying especially since it's not timed right and you can notice it get darker. To turn it off:
Turn the power off. On the remote, press Mute followed by 1, 8, 2, Power in sequence. The TV will turn on and you should now see the service menu. Down arrow to Advanced. Press 0000. Then down arrow (not right arrow!) until you get to CE Dimming. Hit Enter. Down arrow to Standard or Movie and right arrow to switch it off. Hit Power to exit the service menu.
YOUR SETTINGS WILL BE RESET REGARDLESS IF YOU CHANGE ANYTHING IN THE SERVICE MENU OR NOT!
DO NOT TOUCH ANYTHING ELSE IN THE SERVICE MENU UNLESS YOU ACTUALLY KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING. YOU'LL BRICK YOUR TV!
Widgets:
Pretty much these suck! Slow load times on multiple levels. Some say that firmware updates have fixed the load times; but others say that the FW updates have actually messed with their settings. Since Samsung does not post what the FW updates actually fix, it's impossible to know what you're actually updating. I wouldn't update unless you had to.
Remote Control Infrared:
The remote is a bit picky about where it's being pointed. It has to be pointed at the right bottom by the red light in order to be recognized. It's a bit of a problem if you're not used to it. The other thing is that if you have a Samsung Blu-ray player, you'll probably get interference like I did between the two of them.
Movie Mode, Standard, Dynamic Modes:
Most people use Movie Mode for their mode of choice since it tends to open up more picture options. I found that movie mode is a bit too dark (could be my set). Dynamic mode is what Best Buy uses to show how bright the set can be. It tends to be too vibrant and will no doubt shorten your backlight lifespan. I use Standard for my viewing. It's a good middle ground if you will and I feel that it provides a more natural feel than the other two. I am going to try some more settings in Movie Mode and see what I get - to be posted later.
Closing:
As I said in the beginning, Most people have already done a pretty good job of reviewing this. I just didn't find anything about gaming. Most of what I've written can also be applied to PS3 since from the forums that I've read, they seem to be similar. I do Play on Xbox Live a lot as well as in-game. Hope this helps people. At the time of writing this, I just watched the Steelers play the Ravens on NBC through the air. It was amazing. |
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