- 40-inch LCD HDTV with full HD 1080p resolution for the sharpest picture possible and red Touch of Color design
- Auto Motion Plus 120Hz for amazingly fluid motion, 80,000:1
dynamic contrast ratio, 4ms response time, Wide Color Enhancer 3 for
more vivid colors
- InfoLink RSS feeds of news, weather and sports via Ethernet; ;
side-mounted USB port for displaying JPEG/MPEG files and listening to
MP3 audio
- Inputs: 4 HDMI-CEC, 2 component, 2 composite, 1 PC, 2 USB, 1 Ethernet, 1 optical digital audio output
- Includes removable stand; measures 39.2 x 27.8 x 10.3 inches with stand
- Brand Name: Samsung
- Model: LN40B630
- Display Technology: LCD
- Display Size: 40 inches
- Image Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Being the first to review the 2009 Samsung LN40B630 on Amazon was purely
an accident in that I actually bought the new Sony KDL-40V5100 on April
2nd. At that time, the Samsung B650 had just come out, but its high
gloss panel would not have performed well in my brightly lit room. My
high definition projection TV had kicked the bucket after 8-years, but I
rarely enjoyed watching HD because the daylight glare would wash out
the picture. The Sony's non-glare screen performed well except when the
picture would black out during dark movie scenes. I discovered that
many of the V5100 series have had this glitch and Sony had no fix for it
at that time. To Best Buy's credit, they cheerfully exchanged the Sony
under their 30-day return policy and delivered the Samsung B630 model
which has a non-glare screen and is similar to the popular B650.
My
expectations of the new Samsung were that it would perform much like
the Sony. I could not have been more wrong. The B630 was like viewing
another huge leap in a television experience, while the Sony seemed to
be of past technology. The depth and breadth of Samsung's visual color
tones are astounding and mesmerizing. A perfect example of that came
from viewing scenes of the Caribbean Sea. The Sony could not match the
Samsung's Wide Color Enhancer 3 processor with its three dimensional
qualities and vibrant tones of turquoise, sea green, cobalt blue, coral
pink and white sand clearly seen under the sea. It literally was like
being there.
The Samsung's dynamic contrast of 80,000-1 was
visibly superior to the Sony's 50,000-1 and convinced me that Samsung's
contrast rating was more than a marketing numbers game. The viewing
angle of the Sony was horrific when moving away from center by seeing
flesh tones morph into green. Samsung's viewing angle was far better by
maintaining the proper color tones, but it did lose contrast and
brightness. Of course, a slight turn of its swivel base helped to
alleviate Samsung's viewing angle issue.
The downside to
Samsung's advanced technology was that every movie appeared as video and
lost its magical cinema quality. Sony was superior in dealing with
this issue. To address that problem, the backlight and contrast
settings have to be toned down to soften the picture and to preserve a
film's attributes. Most importantly, an adjustment to the 120 Hz Motion
Plus feature must be done in order to keep movies from appearing
surreal. While some recommend turning the 120 Hz off, I found video
blurring far too annoying and placed the Auto Motion Plus to a custom
setting of 6 for blur and judder reduction. That seemed like a good
compromise without losing much of the film's realistic movement.
Experiment with every adjustment to find your best settings and
calibration instructions are easily found on [...]. It all came
together beautifully for me and hopefully this information can be
helpful to you.
One bad design feature was the power and channel
functions on the TV itself. You cannot see where they are unless you
have light shining directly on them. As long as you use only the remote
control, it may be a non-issue. By-the-way, in case you were wondering
how effective the non-glare screen was on the Samsung B630; it was
perfect. I experienced crystal clear high definition TV -- Day or
Night.
I recently purchased this item locally but am so impressed by the TV
that I felt I should post my impression for others trying to decide
where to spend their hard earned money, especially these days.
First,
I would recommend that you to your local electronics store and look
around and see which sets grab your attention as what is best to my eyes
may not work for you. In my case I was somewhat limited in selection
since the TV must fit into a TV cabinet that we own, so 40" was my
absolute max. This criteria limited me to Sony, Samsung, and Vizio (in
order of price point). A local warehouse club had the Vizio and a
comparable Samsung (ln40b610 vs. ln40b630) for side by side comparison,
and simply put there was no comparison what-so-ever. The Samsung wins
hands down in terms of picture clarity, overall brightness, and
contrast. The 80,000:1 contrast on this TV really shines. The Samsung
to Sony comparison was a bit tighter as both units offered incredible
picture quality and features but again the contrast ratio on the Samsung
just made everything appear more pleasing to my eye. Given this, we
purchased the Samsung and haven't looked back. Every time my wife and I
watch a Blu-ray movie we are even more impressed with the picture
quality! Seriously, this is a great TV at any price. The only TV I
looked at that had better contrast was the Samsung LED (3,000,000:1)
model but the price difference was just too much to justify.
I do
have to agree with other reviewers regarding the "Auto Motion" settings
producing images that are almost surreal. I have found that setting
this on the middle setting produces the best results for me, but I have
not played much with the custom adjustment mode yet, so I will hold off
on a final review until I have had more time to tweak.
My old RCA 27" tube finally died, so it was time to enter into the world
of HDTV's. After a ton of research and price hunting, I settled in on
this 40" model for the full 1080, 120hZ experience (plus a smokin' deal
from Amazon helped seal the deal).
First one arrived shattered,
so that was a bit of a buzz kill. Fortunately the delivery includes set
up & power up, so we immediately saw that the thing was destroyed.
The delivery crew took it back with them and Amazon got another one out.
The 2nd one arrived in perfect condition, and after getting DirecTV out
to install the HD dish, I've been on HD for about a week now. I know
this is not part of the product review, but Amazon's customer service
was excellent in this matter.
All I can say is that the picture
is more than I anticipated, having never owned an HDTV before. The
clarity is unreal, the colors and images just pop off the screen.
Sports
and movies are incredible to watch. I do see how some folks are a bit
taken aback by how crisp movies appear (as if in 3d), and they have to
get used to the look of cinema based stuff. It doesn't really bother me
that much, as I know that's the byproduct of HD. It's crisp. It's clear.
But I set the 120Hz option to standard, and I find that works well
enough for my eyes. There are certain scenes in some movies that just
look surreal, but not in a bad way (at least to me).
The amount
of control that this TV gives you to adjust the picture is great -- you
can stick with one of their built in "modes" (dynamic, standard, natural
or movie) and then customize every aspect of the picture as much as you
wish. I spent a couple of days just playing with the settings &
calibrating. The dynamic mode is way too bright, and gives results that
are just not natural. I've found that the "natural" mode works best for
me, with additional adjustments in contrast & brightness to enhance
the blacks as much as possible. The "standard" mode allows you to push
the blacks even more deep, so I've been going back & forth between
both that & "natural". If desired, you can adjust for gamma, white
balance, flesh tones, so you can go pretty deep.
I do have to say
that at this point, the 120Hz feature doesn't really appear to add that
much. I did read in a number of reviews that it is not easy to discern
the difference between 60 and 120Hz in most viewing situations. A fast
millisecond response rate is where you want to be, and with this TV's
4ms response time, there's no issues. And for me, I don't mind having a
little blur on fast moving scenes.
I have watched movies &
sports on my dad's samsung 37" HDTV (LN37A450), which is a 60Hz model,
and have to say that the picture looks just as incredible as on this
40". So if you're looking to save a couple hundred bucks, don't get too
hung up on the 60Hz/120Hz issue. Go with the 60Hz, and you'll be plenty
satisfied. But if you can get a deal for a 120Hz Samsung for under $1k,
it's worth it. Always nice to have extra options, as long as you're not
breaking the bank to do it. I just have not seen a major difference
between the two. Having said that, I've not watched any blu-ray movies
yet, but have watched a couple of HD movies from DirecTV. But most of
the complaints about the 120Hz are with people who think it makes movies
look weird -- so again, 60Hz won't kill you there. If you're a gamer,
you may want to do some more research on it. I don't own an Xbox,
Playstation or Wii, so I can't speak to that.
Many complain about
the sound on this TV as well, but I found that with the surround turned
on, the TV gives off a pretty decent output. I hooked up the stereo to
the tv, so usually have the audio coming through the full stereo. But on
it's own, the TV isn't too bad, especially for such a slim profile.
The
touch of color is a really nice feature as well -- it does give the TV a
very sophisticated look. I was concerned that the red may be
distracting, but it's tastefully done and very subtle.
Overall, I
don't regret purchasing this TV - I could've saved some $$$ by going
with the B550 model and sticking with 60Hz, but for the price that
Amazon had at the time($999), I felt that I'd just get the extra
options.
For what it's worth, I believe that this TV is also an
'A' panel. I'm not even sure if there are 'S' panels being made anymore.
If the last letter of the serial number is how this is determined, then
I don't see 'S' panels on any of their models. But whatever type panel
it has, it doesn't matter. It looks fantastic, and even more so after
being adjusted/calibrated best to display in my living room. There is a
review out there (hi Matt!!) that gave the tv one star because of this
panel issue...but said little to nothing else on how the tv actually was
performing. One of the complaints about 'A' panels was that the 'off
angle' viewing was very poor. First of all, I don't know why you'd want
to view these TV's from too severe of an "off angle" -- you want to be
in front of it as much as possible -- maybe 45 degrees off...but I've
also inspected it from severe angles (pushing 160-170 degrees) and the
picture holds up just fine.
This model is fantastic. I still
can't believe my eyes when watching some stuff...there was a show about
the Grand Canyon on National Geographic channel this weekend. All I can
say is, wow. Unbelievable. The epic Wimbledon final between Federer and
Roddick was also fun to watch.
No regrets here at all. Great TV. Brilliant picture, with plenty of options to tweak to your preference.
Delivery was great. Arrived on time and set up the TV for me.
I
couln't get the HDMI ports to work. Had the cable company come. They
tried three HD boxes and two HDMI cables. Said the problem was the TV.
I
called Samsung. They arranged for a new board to be shipped and
arranged a repair time. The repair person had the same problem after he
replaced the board. No HDMI ports worked. Said that they would have
to send a new main board. After the next board was installed, they
decided that the TV was not repairable. They gave me a number to call
at Samsung to arrange a replacement.
Samsung did not have the
same TV available. They said I could get a lesser model in exchange.
If I want at least all the options I had before I would have to pay an
additional $198.00. This is ridiculous.
I couldn't decide between a plasma and an LCD, so I bought both (with
the intention of returning one) and set them up side by side, my cable
hookup going to both. The plasma was a Panasonic TC-P42S1, the LCD was a
Samsung LN40B630. I did my comparison channel-by-channel with lots of
different programming, ranging from talk shows to cartoons to action
movies to football games, in both high def and standard def.
Both
are very good 40-42 inch TVs, in my opinion. Once I had adjusted the
settings to my liking, I was hard-pressed to say that one looked notably
better or worse than the other, though each had its strengths and
weaknesses.
The Panasonic plasma had slightly more vibrant colors
than the Samsung LCD. Blacks were noticably blacker and dark blues and
purples looked deeper. The off-angle viewing was fantastic on the
plasma, too. With the LCD, a smidge of color was lost when you shifted
from 0 to 45 degrees. From deeper side angles, the picture was still
watchable, but definitely shifted towards gray.
However, the
Samsung LCD had a brighter, crisper image. In a dark room, details stood
out better, and any programming that wasn't dark looked a little
sharper. During the day, with the sun shining in, the LCD's image held
up a bit better, too.
Motion is supposedly better on plasmas, but
I couldn't really tell when comparing to a 120Hz LCD. Both TVs did
equally well with typical television, and what blurs I saw seemed to be
in the source material. I watched a football game for a while, but if
the plasma gave a better viewing experience, it wasn't terribly obvious
to me. Then again, I'm not a big sports fan, so maybe my eye isn't
discerning enough. (Update: see below)
Color accuracy seemed
great on both TVs, but the Panasonic needed some adjusting to get there.
The picture is too green with the default settings.
Both TVs did a near-equal job with standard def programming (aside from the differences above).
Sound: adequate on both. I have a surround-sound system, so I didn't really care.
Hardware
failures: I've read complaints about both brands -- seems like it's a
roll of the dice either way. I went with a 4 year warranty.
Other
stuff: the Samsung had a better remote, a nicer menu system, and more
fine adjustments available. I also like the swivel stand and the fact
it's a lot lighter than the Panasonic. I didn't try the internet
features on either TV.
Overall, both are very good TVs, and all
but the most picky videophiles would be happy with either. In 2009, both
plasma and LCD have come a long way and which technology is "better"
really boils down to your wallet, viewing conditions, and personal
preference. It was a tough choice for me, but, in the end, the bright,
crisp picture of the Samsung won out. I can live with marginally less
vibrant colors, weaker blacks, and imperfect off-angle viewing (if I
watch from the other room, I'll swivel the screen).
Turns
out the Samsung has a demo mode that lets you split the screen and see
one half with de-blur processing turned on and one half with it off. I
did a little testing by hooking up my laptop and scrolling images and
text around. Without the processing, there is a noticeable blur on
high-contrast moving objects, though it wasn't significant enough to
really bother me. _WITH_ the processing, moving text was more crisp, but
there seemed to be a slight delay, which I imagine would make this mode
unusable for serious videogamers. People who are highly sensitive to
motion blurring might prefer a plasma.
I admit that I'm not a videophile and for years I got along well with a
conventional TV, so I'm not sure if my review will be of much use to
readers. And anyone that is getting their first HDTV will usually love
it, no matter who the manufacturer is, so it's probably better to read
reviews from those that have (or had) several HDTVs (especially from
different manufacturers).
That being said, here is my opinion.
It's a nice looking HDTV (but isn't really any nicer looking than many
others). It plays high quality hi-def expertly, but as this video
novice has found out, not all hi-def is the same (nor is std-def). The
first blu-ray movie I played was 2001. It brought out tremendous detail
and rich texture, so I was extremely impressed (yes, it had a "wow"
effect). Hi-def sporting events (such as a baseball game) also looked
very rich and detailed. Simply put, if the source material is high
quality, this set seems to have the capability of bringing this out in
full ... which is what it is all about.
And if the source isn't
high quality? That's another story. Playing standard dvds on a regular
dvd player doesn't make me sit up and take notice, but that's why I
opted for the Oppo blu-ray / dvd up-converting player. Up-converting
does indeed make a difference (but that's another story and another
review). Also, std-def can be okay (at best) or very poor, but I didn't
really buy this set for its std-def capability. Then again, the hi-def
coming from DirecTV can be hit and miss because of limitations of that
media source. Some programs are impressive, while others, not so much.
Plus DirecTV's HD content can be jumpy with some mysterious audio
burps, which is very distracting. This is NOT the fault of this, or any
other, TV (it's a source problem), but I thought I'd mention it for all
the DirecTV users out there.
The default settings are
surprisingly good (I made only a few very minor adjustments to the
sharpness, brightness and contrast using the "Spears & Munsil"
benchmark blu-ray disk that was supplied with the Oppo player). The
menus seemed well designed and I haven't had a problem going through
them (just a problem of understanding what some of these settings really
mean).
Since this set is in a very bright room (lots of
windows), I needed a screen with a matt finish. It does a good job, but
one will still see reflections (it does diffuse them well, thankfully).
The viewing angle is decent, but not great. There is definitely a
fairly narrow "sweet spot" (within about 30 degrees or so), but that's
okay by me (I can figure out where I should sit). BTW, your mileage may
vary (my girlfriend bought the identical set and her viewing angle is
superior to mine ... could be different panel manufacturers).
As far as what I do not like, there are several items that I'll mention, but all are rather minor complaints:
1.
The default AMP (auto motion plus) setting of "standard" (120 Hz),
gives most programs the soap opera effect. Talk about weird!
Fortunately, there are menu settings to adjust this, especially the
ability to customize the setting via a slide bar menu option. The
various AMP settings (clear = min; standard = medium; smooth = max),
don't tell me much. Do any of these settings lower the 120 Hz rate? It
was aggravating that Samsung doesn't explain this is.
2. As has
been mentioned in other reviews, the front panel touch controls on the
TV are difficult to see, and impossible in a dimly-lit room, which makes
them useless. Then again, I haven't often used these controls in the
past on my TVs, so this isn't really that big of a deal to me. I just
found this to be a bad design choice.
3. Since I'm more of an
audiophile, I found the sound coming from this set to be pretty bad ...
to put it mildly (yes, I adjusted the equalizer and turned on SRS, which
helped, but audio is an afterthought on TVs and always has been). I
use a separate sound system (as I did with my older CRT TV) and
recommend that most people should do the same.
4. Because this
HDTV does so much, there is a huge amount of information to process and
the manual is a bit difficult to read. The diagrams are too small (as
well as the print) and many are too dark. This set has a slew of
options and not all are given their just due. Explanations are often
brief and some confusing (does the HDMI/DMI port work with a standard
HDMI cable, or must one use that port only with a DMI to HDMI adapter?).
Basically, I found the manual just okay (after rereading it a few
times, but YMMV).
Since it is impossible to make a judgement of
picture quality in stores (I don't have the foggiest idea of how they
have been set up), picking the Samsung was a crapshoot. And unless I
tested several brands in my home, I have no way of knowing which is the
best ... for me. Would I be just as happy with another brand?
Probably. Still, I give this Samsung a solid 8 out of 10 (or a 4-star
rating). It seems to be a reasonably priced set and can reproduce a
quality source in fine, and at times, extremely impressive detail, but
don't ask me which manufacturer has the best HDTV, because I simply
don't have a clue.
Well, this is my first HDTV, so obviously I'm blown away by the visuals.
Even playing regular old DVD's look 10x better than they did on my old
CRT TV. I won't bore you with the same raving reviews that others have
already given this fantastic TV (though they are all correct - this TV
is AMAZING). Instead, I have a few things I'd like to point out that
maybe contradict what others have said or offer a different point of
view:
The sound. Coming from a standard def TV and having never
used external speakers, I have absolutely no problem with the sound
output of this TV. At max volume it's way louder than you'd ever want it
to be, and I find the clarity to be on par with what I'm used to. In
the world of music I consider myself an audiophile (all mp3's at 320kbps
or greater, as I can easily hear the differences in it vs 128kbps -
just so you know my ears are still good). However, in the world of TVs I
guess I'm not. I found it to be loud and crystal clear, so if you're
like me and never used an external speaker setup then this set should be
fine.
The Red Touch of Color. I didn't notice too many reviewers
of this model complaining about it, but on others in the Samsung series
some people HATED it. I even read one or two of people RETURNING THEIR
TV because of it. Just wanted to say that's assinine. When the TV is on
you can't even see it unless you are actively looking for it. When the
TV is off it's subtle enough that it's either not noticed or perceived
as a nice touch to the set.
The matte screen. The matte screen is
great at removing glare from ambient lighting. My fiance and I usually
have a lamp turned on while watching TV and I've never noticed a glare
at all from it. Sunlight through the windows can be seen sometimes, but I
suppose that is all based off of where you are sitting, the position of
the window to the TV, etc. It does a good job with ambient lighting,
but don't think it'll magically remove all glares all the time.
The
buttons on the display. Yep, everybody's right. They're difficult to
find. Don't lose your remote because Samsung really dropped the ball on
this one. Oh well, life goes on, and all in all it's not that big of a
deal.
Infolink. Pretty useless at the moment. Gives a broad
weather forecast and some news highlights, but nothing special. What I'm
excited about is what they do with it in the future. Having an ethernet
port on a TV opens up so many posibilities. I can't wait to see what
they bring to the table in future models (maybe some Amazon VoD? Netflix
streaming? Or how about an internal HDD that automatically fetches the
latest edition of podcasts you watch on a weekly basis? Or even a web
browser!) I already do these things via my Xbox 360 or using an external
HDD connected to the USB port, but it would be nice if this was all
integrated into the TV in a future model. I'm very excited to see where
the industry goes with this.
Overall, this TV is just plain
awesome. And if you're lucky enough to get it under $1000 like I did,
then you're getting one heck of a deal. I've been looking for a TV that
meets my high standards for about the last 8 or 9 months, and I stumbled
upon this one at a price hundreds below what I was willing to spend.
Fantastic deal, fantastic TV. You're gonna love it.
And now for
my review of CEVA (which in no way will reflect the score I give this
PRODUCT. This is a place to rate PRODUCTS, not the service you get from
Amazon or other sellers!!).
CEVA was quite simply the most
unprofessional service I've ever been given. He did arrive at my place
on time, at which point he said he needed my help getting the TV from
his van to my living room. Bring a dolly? A cart? So I give him a hand
with that, and when he starts unboxing it and tells me "Okay, now you
grab that end and we'll lift it straight up...." Oh, ok, so I guess now
I'll be setting it up with him, even though it's his job that he's paid
to do.
We get it unwrapped and he needs to install the the stand
that came with it. The instructions he was reading for it (4 simple
pictures in total) indicated he needed to use 8 screws, but the TV came
with 12! Oh no! Not 12! What does this mean?! He was completely
dumbfounded about why they would send 12 screws if the instructions only
called for 8. I had to convince him that it was ok and we could install
the stand the way the instructions said. He stayed confused for about
the next 5 minutes and finally gave in. He looks at me and says "Ok,
well where's your screwdriver? Gonna need a philips head." Are you
kidding me? This is your job and you don't bring your own tools?! I
don't mind letting people use my tools or anything, but I just can't
believe this guy does this on a daily basis and doesn't bring his own
equipment. Ridiculous.
Eventually we got the TV set up. Before I
had a chance to plug the power cable in he was handing me a piece of
paper to sign for delivery. At this point I was getting a bit
frustrated, so I politely but firmly told him to wait while I make sure
the TV turns on, gets a signal, and there are no signs of defects upon
delivery. He obviously didn't like waiting, so I took my time :) Maybe
that was my mistake because I then signed for delivery, at which point
he assumes job complete. I looked over at the box and packing material
and he tells me "Now I am supposed to take the box and everything away
if you wish, but I strongly recommend not doing so because if that TV
goes bad in a week or so they're gonna want the box it came in for
returns." Not wanting to put up with him anymore, I told him to have a
nice day. He didn't bother picking up the packing material or anything
either. Pretty much left my living room a complete disaster.I needed a TV to replace an old 27" CRT in the bedroom, and after lots
of shopping and comparing and reading my wife and I chose this one - we
got a heck of a package deal on the TV, an 8' HDMI cable, and a Sylvania
Blu-Ray player all for $999 (thank you AMAZON!!! - what a great
purchasing experience from start to finish - including CEVA
shipping/delivery!). The TV just arrived today (10 days from first
placing the order), we got it set up within minutes, and the picture
right out of the box looks fantastic - truly stunning. The 120Hz makes a
noticeable difference in reducing motion-blur, and improves the overall
clarity and crispness of the picture in my opinion. I love the fact
that there are so many ways to adjust/tweak different settings to your
own tastes - so if you don't like the de-judder effects but want the
blur reduction, you can adjust them independent of one another -
something the A series from last year doesn't allow.
Sound was a
little thin initially, but some adjustments using the EQ and turning
surround sound "on" made it sound much better. I plan on calibrating the
picture later this week and can't wait to watch Blu-Ray movies on it,
but believe me when I say that the picture will not disappoint.
Chose
the Samsung b630 over the b650 series because a) it was significantly
cheaper at the time we ordered, b) doesn't have the extra "widgets" that
are useless to us, and c) has a semi-matte screen instead of the "ultra
clear" screen of the 650s, which works great for us as we have some
windows/lights to contend with. Chose the Samsung brand over other
brands because of the price/performance ratio and all the positive
reviews that these TV's consistently get. Finally, we chose LCD over
other technologies because at this size (40"), LCD gives the best
price/performance and doesn't use as much power as some of the other TVs
(e.g., plasma).
This TV (as well as the bigger sizes) would be
perfect as a primary TV - being able to use it as a secondary TV in the
bedroom makes it seem like I really splurged - but it was a great
bargain in my opinion and definitely MONEY WELL SPENT.
I am a compulsive investigator. I shopped and studied - I originally
intended to get the 37" Samsung, but the price on this one decided me. I
went to Best Buy to check out the picture and decided that the 630 was
preferable to the 650 because of the matte screen.
I had the box
open and the set working within 20 minutes. Just great with factory
settings, but I like a more subtle color. I am sure that the numbers on
the contrast levels are valid only in comparison with other Samsung
models, but however you scale it, this thing has an incredible contrast
ratio. If you use the Menu and reduce the contrast and backlighting bit,
then play with the color intensity, you will have a picture equal to
sitting aross the room from the person on screen.
By the way, I
found that HGTV (Home & Garden) and Macy's commercials have the most
consistently perfect images for judging color and contrast. What was
unexpected was the nearly 3D effect of the picture.
To protect my
investment I bought a constant voltage transformer (voltage regulator)
that also functions as a surge protector. This also lessens the
likelihood of power surge damage (nothing will save you from a direct
lightning strike) but it also maintains a constant voltage level so
there are no fluctuations in picture color.UPDATE: I had this TV a few weeks and was becoming disappointed with the
picture quality (ghosting, pic not punchy)but found by adjusting the NR
(Noise reduction- found in the menu under Picture Options - Digital NR)
to High for a bad cable signal it significantly improved -so much that
it is like a different TV ! WOW! Just a tip to help others. Also - if
you get a Samsung DVD player with Anynet coordination be sure and turn
on the BD Wise (on TV menu) and your movies will be great.
Original
Review: Delivery: (Am emphasizing this because some reviewers had an
issue with delivery) When I purchased the TV and checked out there was
an option for Standard Delivery or Scheduled Delivery (for large and
heavy items). I chose Scheduled and it was a snap. I picked my delivery
date & time - it was 7 days later which I would expect. They called
me that day to ask me if they could deliver the TV an hour early. The
delivery person was aces. He set the TV up, put the batteries in the
remote and even set up the channel scan and waited to see the picture
come up and that all was working well. (And he even moved my old TV
upstairs.) The only thing he could have done better was if he made the
popcorn and got me a cold drink. I tipped him and rated him A+ - very
nice man, also.
Now - the TV - the picture is great. I do
love the non-glare screen as I have a lot of windows. The shiny frame
practically disappears when you are watching it. To my relief the red
hardly shows at all. The sound is good- the "Clear Voice" feature is
excellent for my slight hearing loss. I have a sound system, but use the
TV's sound. I am still learning about the advanced net features. A nice
little thing is that on most TV's the idiot light (power on or off lt.)
is on when you are watching it. I always taped this up as it was
distracting. With this set the little red light is off when the set is
on and shows when the set is off. I don't find the obscurity of the
controls a problem, cause who doesn't use a remote?! There is a pleasant
chiming sound for power on and off. A nice user friendly perk on the
menu is that when you highlight an item it tells you at the bottom of
the screen what that function does.
A problem solved for me:
when Time Warner Cable updated their software my old TV (Panasonic and a
nice TV) would not keep the screen aspect consistently. Every time I
changed channels I would have to reset the aspect to fill the screen.
But this Samsung LN40B630 is such an improvement - if you choose to set
the screen size (eg. full screen) it maintains it even if you turn off
the set and turn it back on. (That is the way it should be!) Now every
channel fills up the screen. A nice bonus is the optional backlight in
the remote. Even non-hd channels are much better than my other HD TV.
The pic is clear and bright. I use the Natural setting and tweaked it.
For the lady with artifact problems - I had that too until I turned
down the sharpness. Watching Nemo on the Dynamic setting was
awesome...such beautiful colors. This set is hard to find sometimes. I
had a nightmare with BestBuy...they told me they had when they didn't
and kept my money until it cleared days later.
