9 out of 9 people found this review helpful.
Stunning Picture Quality
Date of Review: Nov 18, 2008
The Bottom Line: Give this TV a look before you decide. You might want to try to find a local retailer to work with you instead of a big box store.
I bought this TV about 1 week ago from a local retailer (who did not charge me for delivery, setup, moving another TV to the 2nd floor & hauling another out) after doing about 4 months of research. I have a SONY rear projection LCD, which was moved upstairs. That's still a good TV. I also considered a SONY XBR6, but IMO, the Samsung has better PQ, specifically, black levels and shades of gray. On the SONY, dark scenes are too dark. No so on the Samsung. I've found that if you dial the brightness down on the Samsung, you get an even better picture, as the colors become saturated & the picture gains depth. I was concerned that I would be bothered by reflections on the glossy screen, but this has not been the case. The unit is on a swivel, so this helps.
I like the way the various menus are displayed better than the SONY. There are a ton of settings, which is great if you like to tweek. I have an HD Comcast cable box & Panasonic upconverting DVD player. I'll eventually go Blue Ray. The PQ from both the cable box & the DVD are great.
On the downside, this has a click wheel remote that is a pain. The remote itself is a nice size with big buttons & is backlit. For some reason, when I turn the TV on, my Comcast remote freezes up for about 2 minutes. This TV may give off some sort of signal that interferes with my Comcast remote. I'm trying to find a solution to this. If there is none, this still would not be a deal breaker for me as I can get the remote to work immediately if I'm within 3 ft. of the box or it will work normally if I give it about 2 minutes. Sound quality is OK, but not great. My SONY has better sound, as it has 2 large speakers off to the side. I'm probably going to get a surrond sound system. Other than that, no complaints. I've noticed some motion blur on some material, but adjusting the motion control in the settings has taken care of it. I watch a lot of hockey, and motion blur has not been a problem.
I have had one minor repair to my SONY that was covered under an extended warranty. I've had that TV about 5 years. Consumer Reports claims that Samsung LCD's are nearly as reliable as Sony's, but we will see.
Bottom line, I really did not want to leave the SONY family, but this TV has such a stunning picture. No regrets!
