 Great TV, Awesome price |
| Review Date: July 22, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Benjamin J. Krueger, Appleton, WI United States |
Very happy with this purchase. Picture quality is AWESOME!!! I do not have any problems with bowing or the smiley face effect that I have read about. The sound on this TV is HORRIBLE! If you are not hooking it up to a 5.1 or better sound system, this TV would not be a good purchase. The bezel around the edge of the TV is not made that well. If you push down on the top, it moves the picture, easy solution - dont press on the top of the bezel. The TV does give off a burning plastic smell but I heard that goes away after a short time. It is just cause it is new and the bulb gets very hot. I also bought the floor stand that matches the TV (TR500X3B). Very happy with that purchase as well.
The delivery company that Amazon uses (Eagle Global) was awesome. They called and scheduled a time to deliver it and had two people bring in the TV, unbox it, check for damage and make sure it worked. They also offered to dispose of the box, but I wanted to keep it incase I had any issues with the TV. It has only been 2 days but so far I am very happy with the whole experience!
UPDATE 10/16/07: I have now owned this TV for almost 3 months and I still am very happy with it. No complaints at all. The TV is so Slim and the best part is the picture quality. I have not had one issue with this awesome TV. Amazon still has it for much less than the big box stores. |
Best choice for a first HDTV
|
| Review Date: October 15, 2007 |
| Reviewer: A. Goldberg, Austin, TX USA |
I won't go into technical details, but I just wanted to write a review in support of most of the things other people have said about this television. I wasn't really in the market for a new TV, but I saw a great bundle deal on another site for this set, an xbox 360, and Halo 3. I almost pulled the trigger until I saw the price that Amazon was offering. That was the catalyst that started my home theater spending frenzy. So far, I have no regrets.
Within 3 days of my order, the package was on the road. I followed its progress closely via the Eagle tracking notes (which aren't updated often enough for an anxious TV purchaser hoping to receive his HD set before the big game). It got from the warehouse in PA to the Eagle office in Austin, TX in 3 or 4 days. I immediately called their office (upon reading reviews here) and scheduled a delivery time for the following day. They called before they came, and showed up when they promised. Two guys brought it in, helped me move my previous TV (a 32" CRT that is much heavier than this new 50" set), unboxed the Samsung, and placed it on my stand. They offered to take the trash, but I kept it in case of a needed return. I have no complaints about the Eagle service; I got my TV on a Friday morning when the estimated delivery time wasn't until the following Tuesday.
Of course, this is supposed to be a review of the product, but I tend to ramble. So, in a word, the TV is spectacular. This is the first high-def set I have owned, and I am thoroughly impressed. I think the viewing environment is a very important thing to consider, though.
I have a small apartment. When I shut the blinds, it is very dark. I sit right at TV height, straight in front of the screen, about 8 feet back. The view is awesome. The screen image is bright and vivid. Out of the box, the settings are great; I think I turned down the brightness and contrast a bit to suit my viewing conditions. The adjustable display settings are intuitive (with on-screen descriptions) and comprehensive.
Setup was simple. Most people praise the side-panel connections, but the side of my TV is visible to the rest of the room (it's the right side of the TV as you view it), so you can see the wires. However, it does indeed make it simple to hook up additional devices for temporary use (cameras, computers, etc.). There are plenty of connections (including 3 HDMI inputs).
Aesthetically, the TV is very appealing. There is a thin, glossy bezel, and the button panel is on the right side, so there is little else visible from the front other than the screen. This is important to realize, because you'll definitely need a stand for this TV; it would be too low if you set it on the ground. It's also very thin compared to other projection TVs; I think there are even brackets on the back to allow for a wall mount. And, of course, it is unexpectedly light for an appliance of its size.
The two main things people complain about are the sound and the bowed screen image. I think the volume is fine--certainly better than expected after reading many reviews. As I mentioned, though, I have a small apartment. There is no ambient noise. There is no high ceiling or spacious room to lose the sound. At less than half-volume, it suits my needs perfectly. Of course, if you are buying this (or any other) large HD television, you should spend a few bucks extra and get a decent surround-sound home theater system to complement it.
As for bowing, I can attest to this problem, but I won't dock the rating because I knew about it before the purchase. Like everyone else says, I don't notice it at all until there is a straight line across the bottom of the screen (like a program guide). It kind of bows up at the bottom corners a bit, but not unacceptably so. I'm sure a small shim (a couple of pieces of paper) would resolve the issue.
I have had the TV for about 3 weeks. I use it with HD cable (1080i) and Xbox 360 (1080p), and everything looks great. Any complaints about cable likely result from the signal, because it's not always a problem, and the Xbox looks beautiful. My main complaint has to be viewing angle. I sit directly in front of the screen. If I stand up and look down at the screen, things get significantly darker. If I sit off to the side by 30 or 40 degrees, it starts to get fairly dark.
The one thing I have noticed is that most things aren't broadcast in HD. Standard definition broadcast looks fine on this TV--certainly better than I have seen on other HD sets. It's fuzzy, but not intolerable. But it's just annoying to turn on a football game and realize it's not broadcast in high-def.
And one last thing--I will never view digital photos on a 19" monitor again. I think the TV has a USB 1.1 (why not 2.0?) port, so you could do that, but I use a program called TVersity (I think) that will stream all of my pictures and movies over the network to my xbox 360, which in turn will display them on the TV. Viewing photos at their full size and resolution is amazing. They are crisp, clear, and colorful. I use a 5.0 MP Canon, and seeing them on a 50" high definition monitor is incomparable. I definitely suggest you try it.
All in all, I am very happy with this purchase. I didn't have a lot to spend, and I took a lot of time to compare different models. By far, this is the most bang for the buck in this price class (and the price should drop significantly in the coming weeks). I can't think of anything missing that I wish this TV did. It's nearly half the price of a comparable LCD or plasma, and I'm happy to buy a $150 replacement bulb every few years to maintain this display. If anything, just make sure you get the right size for your room. If you sit 10 feet away or more, step up to the 56" or even the 61" model. |
|
No customer reviews were found for this product.
