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ln46a650

It’s been a while since we did a HDTV review so we thought we’d jump back up on the horse and bring out our rusty review pen on the Samsung LN46A650. If you haven’t seen the advert for the LG Scarlett by now go look it up on YouTube. Why do we mentioned it? Because at first glance the Samsung LN46A650 is its spitting image but if you look a little closer you’ll see that it has a whole lot more to offer under the bonnet.

We’re not going to bore you with all the technical spec you can get that from the sales pitch and if you’ve reached this page through a search engine you’re most probably looking for a straight forward review and that’s what we’re going to give.

The Samsung LN46A650 has 5 major plus points:

1). If you didn’t know already, it looks fantastic. The subtle red highlight gives it a high-quality finish that you will be hard pressed to find elsewhere. You may be thinking that it may look gaudy or tacky in you’re front room but if you see the LN46A650 up close, all those fears will dissappear, it’s a sexy beast.

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2). 120Hz Refresh rate. If you have a games console than this is a perk you will definitely enjoy. the higher the refresh rate the smoother your games will play and on a HDTV this size you will definitely notices the difference between this and a set with a lower refresh rate.

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3). 4 HDMI ports. That’s right ladies and gentlemen 4. There are other HDTV’s with 4 ports but not at this price. With 4 ports there is no need to constantly unplug and switch your games console, HD-DVD player, SKY Plus box etc. You can have everything you need attached to the LN46A650 and let them stay plugged in.

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4.) TruSurround. Now I know in this day and age most people who shell out big bugs for a television also have surround sound speaker systems. Most not all. This is where the Samsung LN46A650’s TruSurround feature comes into it’s own. It gives a surround sound feel even if you only use the default speakers on the TV. More than good enough until you invest in a real surround system (if you even want to after hearing this).

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5.) Gloss. That’s right gloss. The Samsung LN46A650 has an extremely glossy screen. Now some of you many see this as a negative (and we can see your point - see cons section) but this gloss makes the colors and contrast even more vibrant and with the blinds drawn or light off the picture really stands out.

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Now for the cons…

If you’ve rad any other reviews you will have heard the complaints about the remote control. To be frank, it’s just weird. It has a scroll wheel that is out of control and extremely sensitive making it seem like a cheap iPod knock-off and it is also a TV-only remote (i.e. not universal) which is a bizarre decision by Samsung and a step back.

Bugs. The Samsung LN46A650 has a nasty habit of suddenly switching itself off. This is a firmware bug and the problem should be largely resolved by a firmware upgrade but can still happen.

Gloss. Yes we know we mentioned it as a pro just a few paragraphs ago but when the light is shining on the screen it can really get on your nerves and impair your viewing pleasure. The thing is just so shiny it hurts.

Only a single antennae input. Now most people use a set-top-box these days but not all and with only a single antennae input on the Samsung LN46A650 you have to make a choice between an antennae and cable input rather than having them both plugged in at the same time.

No USB port. The Samsung LN46A650 bigger brother the 7 series Samsung LN46A750, has a USB port for your MP3 player (or whatever else) and 1GB of inbuilt cache. That is literally the only difference between the two (and about $600) but if USB functionality is your thing, then you’re out of luck with the LN46A650.

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Well 19 inches isn’t exactly mini but in the world of HD Televisions it definitely has a size complex. The Samsung LE19R86 is a decent enough little number with ‘little’ being the operative word. We have nothing against small televisions but in order to really benefit from HD technology (in our humble opinion) you need to be looking at a 32inch television at least.

The Samsung LE19R86 needs quite a bit of tweaking in order to get the best out of it. The three settings (akin to most Samsung TV’s) are Standard, Dynamic and Movie with an extra ‘Game Mode’ for all us Playstation 3 and xBox 260 heads. Read the full story

Remember our review of the Samsung LE37R87BD? Well we’ve just uploaded a video review of the Samsung LE37R88BD, it’s sister set, which you can check out on or Video Review page! Happy viewing from Gadgetheat.

If you’ve read my report on 720p vs 1080p HD TV’s (and why haven’t you??) you’ll know that I really don’t give 2 figs about the difference between the them.

We’re going HDTV Review the 1080p Samsung LE40M87BDX (or LE40M87BDXEU depending on your territory) which is ‘Full HD‘ in that it can display 1080p signals as they are rather than having to up scale them as opposed to 720p HD TV’s.

Despite this step up, this Samsung has the usual HD TV drawback in the SD (Standard) TV images can appear blocky and not fluid. Upon reviewing this TV we’ve decided to push the motto that if you have a HDTV, you should really invest in a HD source for it’s main use in order to reap the full benefits. The Samsung LE40M87BDX/XEU will show up any poor source glaringly and you’ll be saying to yourself ‘HD my ass…’.

Straight out of the box the picture can be a little disappointing as the blacks are less than perfect on even after you spend some time fiddling with the contrast and other picture options.

Another let down is that the sound on this box is a real let down. For such a big shiny machine the sound is more of a whimper than a roar. Plug it into your home cinema and you’ll be better of.

The Samsung LE40M87BDX/XEU has a trio of picture modes (note you will have to set these for each input device you have):

Dynamic - for brightly lit rooms with lots of light

Standard - for your regular lit rooms which is most of us

Movie - for darkened rooms (and those who can’t change a light bulb)

If you want an out the box, ready to use TV then this probably isn’t for you. You virtually have to have a degree in engineering to understand and set all your inputs and modes perfectly.

It’s an excellent TV once it’s all spanked and tweaked but you could save yourself a job and get another 40 inch which requires lesser set-up time and has better sound than the Samsung LE40M87BDX.

At the time of writing there is a known fault in that the optical audio out will drop from time to time. Now I know that nothing is perfect but why release a product with a known fault? Samsung LE40M87BDX/XEU must have been pressed for some 4th quarter results….Look out for my video review coming soon….in the meantime you can check out the store for some bargains.

Straight out of the box the Samsung LE37R87 can be a little bright for some users but, saying that, the clarity of this latest Samsung can’t really be knocked but at HDTV Reviews, we’re all for knocking….

Yes it will take you a while to fiddle with all the options (especially since you will probably have to switch from the default ‘dynamic’ mode to ’standard’ in order to get the picture pitch you want) but once it is done, this high definition television will perform as good if not better than those which cost up to £200 more….For HD signals.

For Freeview and SD signals reviewers have been given conflicting reports. Some claim that the SD picture is upgraded whilst others claim that it can be fuzzy or deteriorate from scene to scene. It looks like it mostly depends on how you set your viewing options (colour, contrast etc.) so as mentioned, take the time to get it right.

Although the Samsung LE37R87 looks the part, this HDTV is a bit too slick… It’s like a dust magnet so if you’ve got kids, keep them away because you are definitely going to be able to see every sticky little fingerprint they leave behind (not exactly a modern look).

Again on the downside the Samsung LE37R87 does not come with surround sound and it outputs in 720p rather than 1080p (you can read our report on the 720 v 1080 debate here).

Don’t forget to browse our own stock for some HDTV deals.

If you’ve read the HDTV reviews anywhere you should know by now that the real competition between the HD ready TV’s is between the Sony Bravia and the Samsung HDTV’s. This particular Samsung however, would be seen of by almost any SONY Bravia without much of a fight. It does however have several major good points and if you are not searching for the impossible nirvana of TV perfection read on…..

The Samsung LE32R87BD is not a 1080p HD TV but with that in mind, it still beats 7 out of 10 (non SONY Bravia) HD ready TV’s hands down. No contest (of course we are excluding the 100Hz TV’s from that cheer leading statement). With the Samsung LE32R87BD coupled with the Samsung DVD HD-Upscaler player you really shouldn’t want a better picture and if you do you need to seek medical help or failing that, go to the cinema.

The drawback to all this drooling is that if you do not use a HDMI cable the picture quality is not all that (meaning skewed and distorted). Your really need to be using a HD source (Sky HD, HD DVD, Blu-Ray etc.) to get the best out of this TV. The Samsung LE32R87BD HDTV can also come unstuck with fast moving scenes (races, chases and quick movements) in that the picture can become pixilated and that’s a big turn off after spending £400 + on a so called state of the art machine for your viewing pleasure.

You will also need to spend more time fiddling with the Samsung LE32R87BD than you would with the SONY KDL32S3000 for example rather than plug-n-play straight out of the box. The vibrancy of the colours may be a tad too vibrant for some which means tweaking the numerous colour and contrast options to get the pitch that suites you (although some may love the intensity of the default settings).

The 3 HDMI ports are a definite plus as this makes the Samsung LE32R87BD relatively future proof as more and more manufactures move to onto the HD platform and require HDMI ports in order for the consumer to get the best out of their products. By the end of the year, I’ll be surprised if all new DVD players are not HD and Blue-Ray ready.

This leads us on to the ‘game-mode’ which for those of us with xBox 360’s or ps3’s (smug grin) is a fantastic little addition that takes using your console with the Samsung LE32R87BD via HDMI a treat.

Another niggle (or a massive flaw depending on how important it is to you) of the Samsung LE32R87BD is the sound. Turn up the volume too loudly and the sound quality rapidly deteriorates. You’ll do well to invest in a surround sound speaker set up to compliment the TV if you want the best experience.

Now if you think back to 2004, a TV of this calibre would have cost about £2000 for a bargain and the Samsung LE32R87BD is one of the biggest selling TV’s on-line right now (no doubt because it’s a couple of hundred pounds cheaper than some high street prices). With Amazon selling the Samsung LE32R87BD for about £400 you’re definitely getting a good price and the criticisms I’ve mentioned are really for the picture purists amongst us but I would advise that you also look at other similar priced HD ready TV’s before you part with your cash, you can browse through our HDTV Shop for some great prices.