Samsung - 52" Class / 1080p / 120Hz / LCD HDTV

I've had this TV since very early March. I've watched HD, SD and Blu-Ray and can not find a flaw. The 650 handles motion extremely well to where blurring and other artifacts are vitually non-existant. The AMP is a very cool feature that brings a realism to film making it seem more life-like, or as if it were originally shot on HD Video. Some have said this gives off a "soap opera" effect. I can see that description, but to me it makes film based DVD's and movies look more like your watching a real-life play, viewing it through a window. It's a very cool effect! ********** I understand people's concern's with the glossy screens found on plasma and some LCD's. This screen is slightly less reflective than Samsung's 71 series but can still be a problem for some. It would be nice if there was an easy solution for this but there's not. Sony and other makers use a matte type of screen that certainly helps or eliminates the problem but introduces other negatives. I find colors and blacks just don't "pop" on matte screens and tend to wash out more for off-angle viewing. The 650 has a picture with great depth and color from any angle, greatly adding to the immersion effect. ********* Much talk has been about the TOC bezel. I think Samsung has hit it out of the park with this. I absolutely love the red. I think it adds just a touch of class. It sets this tv apart from all others(though the picture quality already does this) while still being very subtle and retaining the ability to blend in with any decor. Most people who've come to my home do not even notice the red until I point it out. I'm a little tired of every set looking the same with either a piano black bezel or flat black. This is a very welcome change. *********** I like many other suffered the shut-off issue. As has been mentioned on other sites it appears Samsung has fixed the issue with a firmware update. I've updated the FW and so far so good. It was annoying but not a huge deal to me. Samsung should be commended for how quickly they addressed the issue. I received several calls from upper level officials that were very concerned with my problem. I've never had this level of service from any other manufacturer. Well done Samsung! A side effect of the FW update is that the AMP processing received a boost. Before the FW update I usually had AMP on low at all times and would occasionally put it on High. Now, I still use it at the low setting most times but will put it on Medium occasionaly, and find the High setting a bit much for me. I can put it on High without most of the annoying artifacts people have desribed the 71 series has, which is nice, nut the actual effect is bit much for me. ************ Overall, this is best the LCD on the market. I can't see Sony or any of the other manufactures making a better TV this year. They may match it perhaps, but certainly won't surpass it. For those that were on the fence waiting to buy until the shut-off issue was fixed, your wait is over. Buy with complete confidence and enjoy one of the best TV's out there!

I'm one of those geek types who has to research research research before buying a sourdough bagel, so you can only imagine what went into my buying this amazing TV. Over on the avsforum.com this Samsung is very highly regarded, preferred slightly over the Sony 120hz LCD equivalent. The main argument seemed to be about the glare from the shiny Samsung screen vs the matted Sony. Shiny = reflection, matted = less vibrant picture. But almost everyone who had compared the two side by side (people actually buy two TVs and then return one! I know!) sided with the Samsung as the much better picture with much darker blacks (the contrast ratio of this TV is much higher than the current competition). I considered the 750 model also, but was a little concerned about the so called 'halo' effect where people had complained about light leaking from the screen, through the frame and making little light patterns on the outer edge of the frame. I never actually saw this in the store, and it apparently depends on how dark your room is and how bright the scene on the TV, but as the only other meaningful feature of the 750 was the built in subwoofer (which I didn't need as I play sound through my awesome Denon 889 amp), I decided to stick with the 650. The 9 series is incredible, but way too expensive for me, the 8 series is thin but doesn't seem to have a better picture than the 6/7 series. So, we got the TV home, got it set up, and spent the next few days saying OMG, this thing is HUGE. We had been used to our 32" tube for so long, this TV seemed to take up the whole room. It's two weeks later now and oh how naive we were; we now look at it and say, yes it's huge, but huger would be even better! The moral of this part of the story is there's no such thing as too big when it comes to TV. Now, about that glossy screen issue. I was worried about the shiny because my living room is fairly well lit, with lights that reflect on the TV screen, but in reality I never see any reflection unless I try really hard to gaze through the screen (like you would with those 3D puzzle pictures). What we do see is the most incredible picture; bright, stunningly sharp, stunning clarity, stunning color, stunning blacks. Did I mention STUNNING? One setting we changed early on was to turn off the 'auto motion plus 120hz', although setting it to 'low' is also tolerable. I know it seems counter-intuitive to turn off a 'feature', but it doesn't seem to need it. Don't confuse this with the 120hz of the TV panel, that is always on, it's part of the TV. The motion feature is supposed to remove the jerkiness of fast action (like sports and action films), but what it also does is make the so called 'soap opera effect' where everything looks like it was filmed with a hand held camera doing close ups; it really does make everything look like you are watching a soap or a documentary. The 120hz of the TV handles the motion so well on its own, I don't think you'll be needing this motion feature much. I could nitpick about not being able to rename digital channels (yet oddly it lets you rename analog channels), but really there is nothing not to love about this TV. HD channels are unbelievable, digital channels are great, and even lowly analog looks pretty good. Other than the 9 series, I think this is THE best LCD TV currently available. If you've been putting off your purchase for 5 years like I did waiting for the latest technology and low prices, it's time to give in, just do it, right now! You can thank me later.

"I tend to put alot of weight to the Consumer Reports ratings on alot of products I buy. In particular, the 52A650 was top rated by CR in 2008 within the 52" LCD class. At 1080p with Auto Motion Plus 120hz processing, the picture is one of the best I've seen with an LCD. Great for sports viewing! Even the picture presets are right on the money, I wouldn't recommend changing them. At this point, I'm only using component video connections, which only delivers 720p picture quality and its still fantastic. I'll upgrade to HDMi soon! The 'touch of color' red pigment in the TV frame is barely noticeable in a dark room, the set looks great in my living room. This set has an abundance of connections (HDMi, Component Video, Composite Video/Audio, TosLink, PC Input, S-Video and headphone jack). Plenty to choose from. This TV is very energy efficient compared to most similiar LCD's at this size (Enery Star Compliant). Its also pretty lite at about 76 pounds (97 pounds with stand). The Remote is pretty simple and easy to use. Although the iPod like track wheel is a little unresponsive, it could use some improvement. The remote also lights up at night. This set does have a night sleep timer, but I have not tried that yet. I know some people have complained about glare on the screens of many Samsungs, which CR left out of its review on this set. It's true, it does have a little, but that can easily be compensated for by careful placement within the room and/or covering any bright window sources. Near flawless picture during night viewing! 'The Dark Knight' was amazing on this set! I also did not purchase any extended service warranties. CR and other similiar magazines do not recommend these overpriced warranties due to the good maintenance track record thus far on LCD sets. Most wanted as much as $250 to $350 (Best Buy) for a 3 year extended warranty. No thanks! The only review I cannot give on this set is durability. My last set (Sony) worked for 27 years...that's a pretty tall order to live up to. I'd be happy with 10 or 15 years of solid operation! I also know you can combine remote functions when buying Samsung equipment (TV, A/V system, DVD/BlueRay Player, etc.) May be worth a try! I highly recommend this set to anyone looking for an LCD TV. Samsung is top rated in almost every LCD size catagory according to CR in late 2008. Only LG and Sony seem to compare in quality. Sony however is a little over priced! Best Buy does put this set on sale periodically. Good Luck!"

I've had this TV since very early March. I've watched HD, SD and Blu-Ray and can not find a flaw. The 650 handles motion extremely well to where blurring and other artifacts are vitually non-existant. The AMP is a very cool feature that brings a realism to film making it seem more life-like, or as if it were originally shot on HD Video. Some have said this gives off a "soap opera" effect. I can see that description, but to me it makes film based DVD's and movies look more like your watching a real-life play, viewing it through a window. It's a very cool effect! I understand people's concern's with the glossy screens found on plasma and some LCD's. This screen is slightly less reflective than Samsung's 71 series but can still be a problem for some. It would be nice if there was an easy solution for this but there's not. Sony and other makers use a matte type of screen that certainly helps or eliminates the problem but introduces other negatives. I find colors and blacks just don't "pop" on matte screens and tend to wash out more for off-angle viewing. The 650 has a picture with great depth and color from any angle, greatly adding to the immersion effect. Much talk has been about the TOC bezel. I think Samsung has hit it out of the park with this. I absolutely love the red. I think it adds just a touch of class. It sets this tv apart from all others(though the picture quality already does this) while still being very subtle and retaining the ability to blend in with any decor. Most people who've come to my home do not even notice the red until I point it out. I'm a little tired of every set looking the same with either a piano black bezel or flat black. This is a very welcome change. I like many other suffered the shut-off issue. As has been mentioned it appears Samsung has fixed the issue with a firmware update. I've updated the FW and so far so good. It was annoying but not a huge deal to me. Samsung should be commended for how quickly they addressed the issue. I received several calls from upper level officials that were very concerned with my problem. I've never had this level of service from any other manufacturer. Well done Samsung! A side effect of the FW update is that the AMP processing received a boost. Before the FW update I usually had AMP on low at all times and would occasionally put it on High. Now, I still use it at the low setting most times but will put it on Medium occasionaly, and find the High setting a bit much for me. I can put it on High without most of the annoying artifacts people have desribed the 71 series has, which is nice, nut the actual effect is bit much for me. Overall, this is best the LCD on the market. I can't see Sony or any of the other manufactures making a better TV this year. They may match it perhaps, but certainly won't surpass it. For those that were on the fence waiting to buy until the shut-off issue was fixed, your wait is over. Buy with complete confidence and enjoy one of the best TV's out there!

I have never written a review before, but, relied heavily on them to make my purchase that I wanted to help others decide if I could. I originally bought the Samsung 46" A550 model but the sound was so horrible we had to take it back. I was so reluctant to get another Samsung after this experience but we just couldn't find another brand that had the same excellent picture. And we looked at them ALL! So, we decided to get the Boston Sound Bar to help out with the sound. That is when we also decided to get a bigger screen and went for the 52" A650. After reading this sites reviews and others, including Consumer's Report's #1 choice we thought we couldn't go wrong with Best Buy's 30 day return policy. Turns out it wasn't needed. After hooking the new one up, we realized that the 46" A550 speakers were defective since the speakers on this one was much better. Better, but not at all what a $2,300 tv should sound like! That is why I won't ever be giving this tv a five star rating. What a shame since it should really deserve it with everything else it has to offer. I know that most people think that a person should have a surround sound system with these tv's, but, for those of us that just don't want the many boxes and wires, the sound should at least be as good as my previous tube tv! Even though we really wouldn't have had to get it, we did purchase the Boston Sound Bar. It's not as intrusive as a surround system and makes everything sound better. I also recommend going with the 120hz rather than the 60hz on any tv. It does make a difference. I also would like to mention that we don't get HD and still think that the colors are to die for! The screen on this is glossy, and we have it in a room FULL of windows! You can notice the windows, but I would never give up the picture quality it has. The original Samsung we bought that I mentioned previously had a matte finish and we didn't notice the windows at all. That was nice, but, wasn't worth losing the exceptional picture quality in the end. We just close the blinds if we feel it's needed. That's just a personal decision if you want to put up with window glare. If you really think the glare would bother you, get a matte, but know that you also give up a little picture quality. I also worried about the touch of red since it would have clashed with my color decor. But, it is so not noticeable and is actually kind of nice when you do look for it. I love this tv. My husband and I are constantly saying "Wow, look at those colors" while watching a program! We also got the Samsung Blu-Ray player with it. Wow! I don't need to say more than that. Don't bother buying an upconvert dvd player! The remote control on this one has a "wheel", not a bad thing, just takes a little getting used to. I would buy this tv again in a milisecond!

I debated about as long on whether or not to write a review as I did in picking out this TV. I wasn't sure there was much more I could say about this TV, but there were a couple of points I wanted to hit. I bought this TV to replace a Toshiba Rear Projection Tv. I had the Service plan and Best Buy gave me a no lemon on the Toshiba, so I set out on trying to find the perfect TV. I was looking at and had my heart set on the Mits. with the sound bar. After reading reviews on this TV, I realized that I should concentrate on finding the right picture, because they make surround sound for sound. There is about a $1000 difference between this TV and the Mits, so I could get a really good sound system for that price. I set the TV up and man was I blown away. The picture quality outstanding. My wife commented on the fact that she felt like she was there watching it and not watching it on TV. I have it hooked up to Dish Nework HD with Monster 800 HDMI cable. I only have the Samsung UpConvert DVD player also hooked up with HDMI, but picture quality is excellent. I bought a power bar, and my wife didn't understand why, but when she saw the difference in picture quality with and without it she understood. Plus it gives you a little added protection from surge. I have read many reviews about the sound. It really isn't that bad for TV sound. I wouldn't say it is any worse then any other TV I have seen, besides the Mits. I think one of the problems is the picture is so amazing that people think the sound should match it, but the only way to do that is a surround sound system. I don't find the remote that bad either. I don't like the fact that it isn't universal, but that is why I have the Harmony. Trust me the Harmony is well worth the money. My 5 year old know that if he wants to watch a DVD he can just pick up the remote and press movie and it turns everything on for him. Now for what I believe is a very important part. The Black Tie Protection Plan. I understand that Consumer Reports for the most part discourages them, but are the going to pay for repairs if something happens to your TV. The plan is $299 on this TV if you are lucky to buy it at the $1999 price. If you use it once it is paid for, but if you don't you had 4 years of peace of mind that it was protected. Like I said earlier I bought it on my projection. I had a problem with it right before it expired at 4 years, and they no lemoned it. They didn't have a comprable model so I got full purchase price for it. I ended up paying $200 for my Samsung. Not a bad deal. I don't work for Best Buy, but I do believe in there coverage. I too didn't believe in service plans, but bought one about 8 years ago, and it was the best thing I did. If something in my house breaks, my wife says lets call Best Buy we have the Service Plan. It takes away all the stress from having a problem. If you are having any doubt about buying this TV don't. Buy it with confidence that you are getting one of the best TVs on the market.

I never write reviews, but since everything I read allowed me to buy with confidence, and since I am not at all happy with a feature, I am compelled to write. First, this has the absolute best picture you can get. The black light is terrific, no more dark scences not allowing you to see what is taking place. Watch Dark Knight or any batman movie and you will see everything in every scene, crystal clear. Sports are fantastic to watch especially fast moving sports like hockey. Blu-Ray-forget about it..... it is so clear, and bright it looks better than realism!! (be careful- I thought a few actors were beautiful until I saw them on this TV) If you want the best picture the Samsung does it.. Forget about the Sony or anything else, they really don't compare!! Now the bad..... most of the reviews complain a little about the sound, but say its liveable...We'll I disagree, its awful. My wife told me to take it back because she couldn't stand it. Every sound stage, and changing of equilzation points make little to improve the sound. Virtually no bass, and everything sounds like it is in a tunnel. Bad echo sound, not the rich sound you would like or expect from a $2K plus investment. ----- I went back to Best Buy andI literally listened to every 50 and 52 in TV in the place, the Sony sounded a little better, but I thought they all sounded like garbage. So what to do.... yes run everything through the stereo...but does everyone want to turn everything on,, use every remote (if you can find them) ...NO!!! Here's the new's I have.... it is the only choice if you buy a 50" or larger LCD TV! So... to keep things as easy as possible but satisfy my sound issue, I have invested in a Harmony remote. If you don't care about being "high maintence," get the $100 Harmony it will run 5 componets. Yes this obviously allows everything to run through the remote, but more importantly, its just one touch of "Watch TV." That turns on the TV, DVR, and stereo. I turned the speakers off of the TV, and everything runs through the stereo for sound. The remote controls everything without having to constantly press additional buttons to switch between component sources. When your done, hit off, and everything turns off. It is a lot of effort to get set up...it seriously is... but it is worth it. I would strongly recommend this TV to everyone...In fact, after heated debate with the Best Buy guy-who was a die hard Sony guy, he now agrees it is the best picture out there,,,, Especially for the money. I got mine on sale for $1999, plus $200 toward calibration...which out of the box is awesome so it will be even better then.... But I strongly suggest you listen to this thing before you buy it.. if you don't you will be very disappointed in its sound quality... If I didn't have a stereo running through this, I would have returned it and just kept my 42 Panasonic Plasma... Plan to spend an additional $100-$250 on the Harmony remote ....you probably won't be happy otherwise!!

As many of the reviews indicate, this an outstanding set. You will likely not be disappointed with a series 6 ("6"50) or higher Samsung purchase. HDMI input with bluray impeccable. Alright, here are some things, in my opinion, that could use improvement: DTV tuner: 1. Picture fade in and out of scenes during football playoffs showed pixellation weakness with 1080i and 720p OTA. Signal strength was medium, I have yet to see any set get better then medium either way. The showrooms just don't show you this, they feed the same signal to every display set via HDMI or component, this does not show the set's true capability unless you are using it just as a dumb monitor, that is, attached to your digital box via hdmi. 2. Channel changing could be processed faster. But don't give up picture quality for it. Picture Aspect Ratio Control: 3. More picture control would be great. How about drawing custom frame sizes so you don't get fat faces on older or independent station transmissions, currently, series 6 gives you either 4:3 (small picture no size distortion) or 16:9 (full viewable picture, however, with wide distortion "fat faces" on most standard definition transmissions) Other sets offer compact (squeezed with size distortion set to viewable perimeter) or auto format frame to optimize picture size to viewable area without distortion some loss of perimeter viewing. Don't get me wrong HD auto picture size format works great, but let's face the truth here, backwards compatibility capabilites without size distortion should have aleady been part of the pacakge for + $2K tv. in all fairness, Samsung does offer two fixed zoom features that change frame format to fill the entire viewable area but fell short since you can't control the amount of zoom, just two presets, one preset zooms on 16:9 (fat faces) the other zooms 4:3 (too much magnification perimeter is chopped off). A shift feature kind of helps, but i have difficulty watching a program with this much magnification. A user controllable zoom (magnification) should have been released here but was not part of final product. Picture display overide hdmi would be a plus. It would be kind of cool to easily zoom in on any of portion of viewable HD area with just a simple hot key from a programmable remote. Okay, enough with my feature wish list, it's a geat product right out of the box, again, you shouldn't be disappointed with the picture quality while viewing bluray. Bottom line: Samsung great product so far, i did buy the extended warranty.