Flat Screen Prices: Samsung appears to be well-received as a top producer of quality HDTVs and certainly compares favorably in the picture department . . . but why do their models sell for List Price?
289926
I was wondering the same thing. The LN40B550, at $935, has a reasonable discount. I noticed that it took longer for Amazon to start shipping the B530, and BestBuy and Sears appear to often run out of that model, so maybe there is a shortage right now. (Perhaps Samsung is busy pumping out B550s instead?)
1339543
There are no doubt better TV's on the market, but for the price and size I wanted the HD picture more than suffices. The settings to need some adjustments to get the best picture possible. I would suggest you read some of the official reviews out there as some of the criticisms are valid. Still I am satisfied with my purchase.
1257330
I can vouch that the built in speakers on Samsung's 550 series are pretty disappointing. They fire down and back instead of forward, giving a muffled sound. IMHO Samsung's picture quality is marginally better, and I'm unsure if Sony's L line has a problem with the white "sparkles" that the W and V lines have with programming shown through HDMI, but I know on the W and V series sets that the built in sound is much better. If prices are comparable I'd go with the Sony.
1563043
Visually the Samsung is better with higher grade components which makes TVs last longer but cost and screen size the Vizio wins. I chose the Samsung based on quality and longevity and paid more. I've owned vizio Tv's but was floored by the Samsung when it was in my home. I also have a friend that owns the 60 inch vizio and he even says the picture is better on mine but he liked the price of the vizio but you get what you pay for.
717526
It's not the Panasonic, it's the Samsung. Many people go out and buy these LCD's with 120 refresh rates only to find themselves with the same thing you are talking about a nearly "too clear" or "soap opera" looking picture. Go out and read the reviews for the 120 refresh sets. Many people find themselves preferring a little extra judder from the 60 refresh than the picture being almost too realistic as you stated; others say it's worth the trade off, it all personal perference. I know for sure the Samsung LCD 600 series are 120 refresh for sure. Being you feed it such a nice clean 1080P signal with the panny and you get the result. Bottom line is that effect is not from your DVD player.
217585
James Friel, nice price on the 46 inch 1080p Samsung. That sounds like a great deal.
1473819
The one Amazon sold me was a Samsung panel going by the code used in the serial number. Samsung for some reason uses more than one manufacturer to build their panels. Perhaps it is to produce less expensive versions of this model for people who live in poorer countries. From what I understand from reading the official HU8550 forum on AVSForum, there are other dealers who are undercutting retailers like Amazon and Best Buy selling the cheaper non-Samsung panel versions, but Amazon was not one of them. This is likely why Amazon does not price match some electronics stores as what they sell is not a direct match in quality to Amazon's products despite using the same model name to describe the TV.
355164
I'm not really a techie person. I've seen it on display at Costco and it looks really good to me. Definitley as good or better then the Samsung units they also have on display.
1381746
I own the Samsung LN40B650 now and my previous was also a Samsung. My current Samsung has a brilliant picture and my experience is that it is a solid reliable brand. I have a friend who purchased an LG (don't know specific model #) and it stopped working three weeks after the one year warranty expired. (about two months ago now) She decided to get it repaired and its costing her about $400.
1371392
Honestly, these comparisons depend on the taste of each one of us. A few years ago I had plasma TV from Sony, after it came time to buy the new Sony's xbr and now I'm preferring the new more expensive models from Samsung.
1960663
I faced the same choice in December after several weeks of researching aided by multiple reviews and Consumer Reports evaluations. In the end it came down to the superior picture on the Samsung including the 120hz feature which results in smooth, sharp action in sports programming. Added Samsung's dedicated BlueRay disc player (1500 model), popped in the first segment of BBC's Planet Earth, and nearly got vertigo following the opening river shot over the falls. Bottom line: the 630 delivers a great A/V experience at a reasonable price with no distracting high gloss glare. Picture superior to nearly everything else on display store after store.
548186
My subjective opinion is based on a pretty simple observation. I've looked at and compared both sets at Sears and at Best Buy and the Samsung had the best picture quality by far. In fact at as little as 5 feet away I had a difficult time seeing any difference between the model in question and several other 1080p models hanging next to it. I know a lot depends upon the quality of video feed the stores are using for the demo models on display. This is only my opinion and I know that can vary greatly for the person to person. So, take it for what its worth. Hopefully others can add their observations to the discussion.
864097
4K TVs by contrast are resolution enhanced but rely on the same LCD front panel (twisting crystals) with a backlight source (LED). While there have been incredible improvements in LED TV black levels, they still don't match the best plasma TVs, which is one of the biggest factors in a superior picture. Plasma TVs have a big enthusiast following. Look up articles about the Pioneer Kuro. Look up how a lot of those Pioneer engineers moved to Panasonic. And the disappointment when Panasonic decided to stop making plasma TVs. There's a reason why these TVs are up in price... but it's more so nostalgia. I agree with you, it's NOT worth the price. If you want a plasma TV, get the Samsung 8500 for half the price. But I would also say that right now is a bad time to buy ANY expensive TV since the industry is in-between technologies. What TV channels feed 4k? I would wait if you're in that price range. Prices are going to drop quite fast.
1265192
I agree, don't let brighter mean better. If you read some of the "expert" reviews they tend to state that standard settings are more true to life. C-Net and other sights rate the Samsung picture as good as any. The sound on both TV's is adequate for everyday viewing. If you are looking for a "cinema experience" no TV sound system on its own will be great. I compared both and went with the Samsung but that is my personal taste.
881193
Samsung has its own special 'clear motion rate' that they use to determine the hz level. Other companys do it to with their own wording. Basically in short its like saying....samsungs proprietary image processor provides a smoother and cleaner image than the general old school version or knockoff brand and that being said lends the image to look like its 120hz. When combined with the led backlit technology and the panels 60hz refresh rate its basically equivalent to the modern day 120hz models. I have 4 HDTVs and I can tell you that there is a huge difference between samsung and other brands. This particular tv I have hooked up straight to the cable so I don't even get the luxury's of having crystal clear HDTV you get from having a cable box with HDTV features. I have the brightness turned down all the way to 0 as well lol since its in a bedroom with blacked out curtains. The TV is solid the apps are solid and the fact that samsung is working on an adapter to constantly update the smart features is awesome. The only down side is that this is the start of a new erra. OLED is going to be the norm. Google it for more info but basically your going to get deeper blacks with it because your turning LEDs off not hiding them. For what its worth its an awesome low end smart TV with solid features, images, HDMI! hello-3 i think thats more than my 65" samsung has. Keeping it at 40 inches is a good small-med sized room TV, my recommendation is to get a 46" if you want it for a medium sized room and is you want a living room TV go 55". I regret my 65" purchase - to big. Streatches pixels and makes mediocre cable look terrible because you see every flaw. Hope this helps, if not feel free to ask another question I have no problem providing info/answers to any questions.
2279928
Deb,,I've had our Seiki TV now for a little over a year now and so far so good. Of course it doesn't have all the bells and whistles like a Samsung TV but then again, a 40" Samsung is like $300 more than what I paid. As I said into review, I got a great deal on a Black Friday apecial at Brandsmart that was muck lower than any deals I've seen on Amazon. It even has 3 HDMI connections that is more than some of the more expensive models. Hope that answeed your question.
672679
When looking at pricing, double check the model number as there are several model series of the same size tv. Samsung has recently come out with a C630 line at a lower price point but it has less features than the B630.