By Peter Ly "pdot" (Ventura, CA United States)
This is the first TV I've ever purchased and it's a great buy. I was hoping to read some professional reviews before I bought this, but with the Amazon $300 coupon being a limited time offer and my 6x points (basically a 6% cash back) on my Amazon card ending at the end of this month, I had to take advantage of this opportunity now. I think I made a good choice. Up until I got this TV, I've been using a Dell 24" 2405FPW LCD monitor (really a Samsung screen that still gets more positive reviews than new cheaper 24" Dell LCD monitors).
I don't want/need to repeat most of the positive comments other reviewers have already mentioned, so I'll talk about topics not well covered.
240 Hz Auto Motion Plus: The default setting is "standard." I don't have regular TV, so I connected my PS3 and popped in my Iron Man Blu-Ray disc. I quickly noticed the high quality resolution of my
HDTV, but after some moments, I realize how the movie had a TV soap opera look and how some things just didn't seem right. The lighting was more sterile and bright instead of dramatic and when there was a scene where the camera moved, it felt like I was watching a 4:3 formatted pan & scan movie instead of a modern wide-screen movie. After checking out the TV settings (not having a paper manual was a little annoying, but quite a bit of paper was saved, since the PDF version is about 290 pages due to the multi-language versions), I realize that it's the 240Hz AMP that was making my movie experience more TV-like. I tried all the different preset AMP settings (i.e., Off; Clear; Standard; Smooth; Demo, which shows AMP off next to AMP on at the same time), I came to find that I like the "Clear" setting, which is the minimum setting with 240Hz on, the most. The lighting then looked like what I remember from the theater and the scenes still seem smooth and clear. AMP not only gives the appearance of more frames/second, but also more clarity. You'll notice a big difference when you take the time to watch the same scene over and over again with different settings. My guess is that it will probably work best with TV shows that have fast moving scenes and bright lighting like sports programs.
Computer Files: This feature is so cool. Video files which were originally computer-only can now be watched on my TV without any additional hardware. I think this TV can play more versions of MPEG and DIVX than my PS3 can (it says it in the Samsung manual, but I didn't do a side-by-side comparison). I can take an AVI file from my computer, copy it to a USB compact flash disk, then plug it into my HDTV and watch it in the full 46" glory. The remote offers some simple fast forward and rewind capability (the longer you hold down the buttons, the greater it moves forward and backward, respectively) and rewinding doesn't jump as smoothly as forwarding, but it's bearable.
Ethernet Connection: My FiOS modem/router is in my bedroom and my HDTV is in the living room. I couldn't test it, but considering that the wireless module for the Samsung TV is $80, I think I'm going to relocate my router. I wonder if there's a cheaper workaround or if the Samsung USB WiFi module is proprietary.
Remote Control: It is a long controller which makes it a little uncomfortable to use without sliding your hand to reach some buttons and it has an unconventional wing at the bottom of the controller that's there for weight balance. It also feels fragile because it looks shiny and lightweight. More negatives is that the buttons require me to either push them down at a different angle or just with more force. I hope that once I use the controller a little more, the buttons will be more sensitive. Right now, some of the buttons take me two or three times before they register because I am apparently not doing it right.
Delivery Service: I got the usual call about setting up my delivery date and time. They gave me a 4 hour delivery window and the 2 guys came around the end of the first hour, so it wasn't a long wait. There was something on the form I signed about a blue screen test, but they didn't test that for me (maybe it works only with TV reception?) and I didn't see it when I skimmed through the manual either. Basically, they physically set it up, turned it on, and tested some menu options. Not a very scientific test, but I guess they completed their tasks. They didn't stick around to get tipped either. I did stop them to hand them one though.
Ultra Clear Panel: I don't know why the Samsung.com website says that it doesn't have an UCP when it obviously does. The reflection is quite strong and I have very good daylighting in my living room from the windows, so the reflection can be annoying. However, the good viewing angle comes in handy, so I just sit at an angle from the screen (probably 20 degrees), and the reflection from my window goes away. I don't notice any drop in contrast or color quality, so it's not that big of a deal. Also, if you compare this to some of the reflection problems from older CRTs, it seems about the same. The big difference is that there may appear to be more reflection problems b/c this screen is just a lot bigger than most CRTs.
Overall, I am happy with my
HDTV. I was very tempted to buy the 52" version, but with the 30% premium over the 46" (currently, the 52" costs 21% more with the most recent limited-time coupon), I rather save the money for when I get a bigger apartment and when 60+" screens are in the best value range.
