Samsung - 40" Class / 1080p / 120Hz / LCD HDTV

At first glance it looks nice and masks its shortcomings nicely. Upon closer inspection with an image calibration tool the colors are quite a long way off, especially the blue. On top of that, once it gets down to a certain darkness i just chops off the image into 0 blackness so that it appears like the TV has great black levels but in reality is it providing fake levels and has almost no shadow detail. Once calibrated the picture looks good, however it still doesn't have great shadow detail. Also when I hook my PC up to the TV via HDMI, the TV will not work in 120Hz mode. No matter what I do the TV will not use 120Hz. Even making custom resolutions it says the TV does not allow 120Hz. My guess would be that this might be a 60Hz TV only and the "120Hz" it advertises is only with a special interpolation setting done in the TVs processing chip and not a true 120Hz Here is a link to the proper color calibration lines in RGB. I also added the picture to this review: http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/3355/colorsn.png

I've had this t.v. for 3 weeks now; I wanted to wait before writing a review to get over the just-out-of-the-box awe. I'm really happy with this t.v. I did tons of research for quite some time before singling out a few models before even walking into a store. When I did go to the store, this one stood out clearly and decisively from the LG's, Sonys and Sharps I'd had on my list. Only a few of the LED's looked slightly better, but the difference was not enough to warrant how much more expensive LED's are (to be clear, LED's ARE LCD's, just backlit differently). For the price range I was looking at (no more than $800, $900 tops for a 40"), this t.v. was clear and away the winner. There are several picture modes, and tons of ways to tweak them. Each source can have its own settings, which is good. I'm impressed by the blacks and bright colors, and HDTV, for sports or anything else, looks great. SDTV looks better than I've seen on some other LCDs and HDTVs, and there are several options for fitting the screen image. Everyone is right about that "soap opera" effect when using the "Standard" or "Smooth" "Auto Motion" for the 120hz; I use Clear without having that problem or introducing noticeable blur. I've since switched to "Custom" even and turned the dejudder all the way down to 1 or 0, and the blur reduction all the way up to 10. The demo mode shows the difference between the 120hz on and off, but, aside from the quick moving text in the demo, I can't see too much difference. In fact, some buyers might be satisfied with the 60hz C530. I looked at that one in the store, too, and the picture looked decent enough (though I don't know how it differs in other features and adjustments). Sound from the TV itself actually isn't that bad, from what I expected, since sound on these TV's is notoriously bad. The audio from my cable box source, though, is actually really good, and when my A.C. is off I actually have to turn the volume level down to "10" or below (out of like 100). Downside is that from other sources, like my PS3 or a blu-ray, the audio is way way softer, and watching movies it can be harder to hear. I have a standard audio out into a shelf stereo system I've had hooked up to my t.v. for years, until I can get a real sound system. But, the TV does not output 5.1 channel audio through its audio outs; so if I wanted that from my PS3, for example, I would have to take the audio out from the PS3 (or whatever other source you're trying to use) itself, as opposed to out from the TV. That's kind of annoying, cause I actually don't know if the PS3 HAS a digital audio out; I'll have to check. Still, this can vary. Movies I've watched in blu-ray have had lower audio; LOST on blu-ray, though, is much better. The TV looks good, sleek. It has a swivel stand, not that I've made too much use of it for watching, but it's helpful if you need to get to the back of the t.v. Set up was so so simple. The diagram for mounting the set on the stand can be a little confusing, but once you really look at it it's easy. I don't care about internet connectivity for a TV, and like I said, LED's don't look so much better to warrant the hundreds of extra dollars, so if you don't need or want those things, I really don't think you can do better than this TV. An LG I was looking at looked close in the store, but now that I have this one I feel I made the right choice. I love this TV!

Ok, so I bought a Toshiba Regza two years ago, a 52 incher which I feel doesn't even compare to this (ie the toshiba is not as good). I was going to go cheap and buy a 37 inch Toshiba, but after going over the pros and cons with the best buy salesman, my girlfriend and I decided to go with this one. My main reason was because of the 120 hz. I have a gaming laptop which I wanted to connect to this lcd and I didn't want any ghosting of images. Well when we first got home and turned it on..I was really surprised by how big it is in our apartment. It's easy to forget how big an lcd is when you are at best buy because there are bigger models also on display. I'm glad we didn't get a 46 incher as that would have been too big. Sitting about 8 feet away it is perfect. Here's the thing..if you haven't experienced it yet..when you first watch something on one of these guys..something seems off. It seemed TOO CLEAR...movies looked like soap operas. It looked to real, as if you are actually on the set with the actors and someone was filming them with a hd camera. Pretty much..it RUINS the 'movie' effect. If you have ever watch Dr. Who from the bbc you would know what I am talking about...like masterpiece theater. We thought it was because it was 120 hz and were really ready to return it. However I looked online and saw that other people were experiencing the same feeling about the look. It's not because of the 120 hz, it's because of AUTO MOTION PLUS. This lcd has the option to turn it off, which we did, and now movies look like MOVIES. Problem solved. I also hooked up the gaming laptop via hdmi, and it looks incredible. The lcd has the option for gaming mode which shuts off stuff like auto motion plus amongst other things which would slow down the rendering of the image on the tv. Yep, I played left for dead 2 on the lcd with no issues whatsoever at 1080p. If you are interested in 3d vision from nvidia you have to have a 120hz lcd to use it. Ok now for the plus which I didn't even know about until we got home and played around with it for awhile. This lcd has two usb ports. If you have an external drive with movies on it or videos (as well as pictures and music) and you hook it up via a usb cable to the lcd, the lcd can and will read and play all these media files. It has played all of the movies and videos that we had(despite different formats..divx avi wmv etc). The only thing you should note is that if the hard drive is formatted with fat32, you can pause and ff and rev the movie. If it is formatted with ntfs, you don't have these functions (but it will still play). This has the same capability as a western digital media player or anyone of those other media players that cost $100 or more. It has a lan port as well in case you want to hook it up to the internet for whatever reason...but it is wireless capable if you attach the samsung usb wireless adapter. I really can't explain enough how many more features this lcd has over my toshiba regza, but it does, and to think I paid less than half what I did for the toshiba. I'm really glad we got this lcd rather than the cheaper one we were looking at. The only thing I might get in the future is a soundbar with a subwoofer (to immerse ourselves even more).

I'm an everyday user, i.e. NOT a technophile. I did some research before buying, but at the end of the day, I wanted something I could enjoy without spending a fortune, and I'm happy with what we got. Some tips on buying your TV, whether this one or another: 1) 120 Hz refresh rate -- great for future-proofing, but realize that your cable box may not yet transmit in anything faster than 60 Hz. I don't know if this is different for satellite or antenna transmissions. Also, make sure you buy an appropriate HDMI cable that supports 120 Hz...this should be listed on the package. (Although it may not be needed now, it will be when the cable boxes update again.) 2) 1080p -- crystal-clear picture when watching 720p or 1080i programming (nothing on cable is shot in 1080p yet) or 1080p Blu-Ray video. The picture is almost kind of eerie at first, sort of like a soap opera-type appearance, which can be unusual if you're not used to it. I adjusted to it quickly, but it took my wife some time. In the store, ask them to show you something on the airwaves in full HD, or have them run a standard DVD if you think you'll be watching that some via your Blu-Ray player. It is definitely an adjustment. 3) Sound -- always a knock on TVs, though for my purposes, it's fine (it's in our living room, not our media room). I really like the "night" option for the sound; it keeps the sounds from ebbing-and-flowing as dramatically, i.e. from conversation to a car chase, which is nice when you have kids in bed. 4) Computer connectivity -- I have a laptop with HDMI output, so we have connected that the TV and watched something streaming from websites. You can pay extra for "internet connectivity" applications like Netflix, Blockbuster, etc., though since we already had that with our Blu-Ray, we didn't duplicate with the TV. The easy computer connectivity is a nice feature.

In the store, I thought this TV was by far the best 40" LCD under $1000. I am biased to Sony or Samsung and since Sony offers their competition model at the exact same price, those were the two I looked at closely. I thought this Samsung TV had much more brilliant colors and deeper blacks. Other than that I couldn't really tell much of a difference. I understand people's complaints about the speakers being on the back of this TV (Sony has their's on the front), but I've had it for a month now with absolutely no sound complaints. The picture motion if phenomenal if you have it set up correctly and with a good source. For instance, my Directv box needs to be set to display each channel in its native resolution. Without this, it tries to upconvert 720p or lower to 1080i and I think that's where the negative reviewers are getting their picture blur. If you really want to test 1080p 120hz, I think the only things capable right now are PS3 or maybe Planet Earth and other high def shows on bluray that are truly filmed in the highest video quality. Older movies and lower quality TV shows can sometimes look a little funny, but that's because they weren't made for today's TVs. In my opinion the negative reviews are either being too picky or not operating the TV properly. I waited a month to write this and truly could not be happier with my purchase. March Madness and blurays look amazing. Also, a bonus that I didn't even realize this TV has is the ethernet port in the back that can be hooked to a router and any video from your computer can be played with a few easy clicks of the remote. This is also possible from a usb flash drive or ipod plugged directly into the side.

This is my 5th Samsung TV/monitor purchase over the past 5 yrs for the sole reason that Samsung TV's & monitors are consistently the best. This 40" LCD model has excellent picture quality and brightness when connected to an HD source. Jittering effect is noticeable on a few channels, but I assume it is due to the signal strength. The remote control has a backlight and is simple to use. AnyNet feature allows the Samsung remote to control other devices and automatically switches to BluRay after inserting a DVD. Even the sound quality is superb for TV speakers! Multiple screen settings for 16:9, widescreen, standard, etc. Quick set up right out of the box eliminates having to read the owner's manual. No disappointments!

The most important thing I've learned in the last month is not to settle on a TV JUST BECAUSE YOU BOUGHT IT! I first bought a Vizio LED from Sam's and took it back due to horrible light bleeding in the corners and at an angle. Then I bought the Samsung 670 series LCD from BB which looked really good but I couldn't get passed the Glossy screen so I took it back. Picked up this 630 series model and it was having a light bleeding issue similar to the "cheap" Vizio set. I had to sit absolutely dead center with this Samsung and if I just leaned in one direction then the picture would fade enough to notice. It was bad in black scenes or even watching football. I fought with myself thinking "well LCD's have bad off axis vewing" and "maybe I just recieved a bad set"... Well I'm writing this for all those people who are unsatisfied with off centered viewing and light bleeding on a TV because after swaping the 630 out with yet another 630... the results are like "Day and Knight". I can sit ANYWHERE on my couch now and enjoy the picture as if I'm sitting right in front of it. Even deep angles don't wash out as bad as any TV I've put in my house. I'm glad I made the decision to do a same TV exchange and I'm thankfull that BB has such a lenient Return/Exchange Policy.

I bought this TV about a month ago after returning Insignia LED and Toshiba LCD TVs. TV has a great picture. I like very bright, vivid color and it gives me that on its dynamic setting. Probably would on its other modes too, after “tweaking” the settings to my liking. It has excellent black levels for an LCD TV, and a crystal clear picture. It has lots of ways to adjust the picture, but as I mentioned before, I favor the dynamic mode. Sound is very good for an LCD TV too. Much better than other LCD TVs I’ve used. It was easy to set up, and the stand is not hard to put on the TV, once you’re able to figure out the diagram. It has several modes to reduce picture “judder” when viewing blu-rays. I generally leave it on the “Clear” setting, though it has a couple settings that reduce it more than that. However those settings can give you that “soap opera, 70s Doctor Who effect”, that I’m sure you’ve read about. But, the “Clear” setting seems to work fine for me on blu-rays and sports. All in all, this is just a wonderful high quality TV with a great picture. And, that’s the main thing I want from a TV – a great picture! After being very disappointed with an Insignia LED TV and the Toshiba 40E200U, this TV was just what I was looking for!