Affordable 1080p (50" plus)
Pros:
Bright picture, beautiful bezel, 1080p, awesome value, sharp picture quality, VGA output
Cons:
Dark room viewing not the greatest, LCD light leakage, black crush
The Bottom Line:
Awesome game and bright room viewing panel. Not the greatest for dark scenes and night viewing.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
Full user opinion
For $4100 shipped I have to say this is a great deal for a TV first and foremost. I was looking at the plasma pro model by pioneer PRO-FHD1 but decided to save $1000 and go with the LCD due to my game playing tendencies. I'll be honest, I wish I would have spent the extra $1500 for the Pioneer - the addition of a high quality video processor gives the Pioneer the edge. I'm now looking to get a VP for this unit (5296D) and it is going to cost me roughly $1000-$1500 for a solid one.
Getting back to the actual review - the S5296D creates a stunning picture on 1080p content from an Xbox 360 HD-DVD player. The addition of a 3:2 pull down would have been nice to get full screen HD-DVD movies w/o the bars, however, the picture looks great! When watching during the day you'll be hard pressed to find a sharper, crisper, and brighter picture. The whites are absolutely fantastic like most LCDs. The blacks are a bit... lacking when compared to a plasma screen television. I've calibrated this television with the Spyder TV Pro. The picture is good, however, I found the settings available at AVSforum to be far superior. So in terms of picture quality of blacks in a dark room I'd give this TV a 6-7 (out of 10).
There's some LCD light leakage and some ghosting that tends to be horrible at night. Credit to some advised tactics given by AVSforum I have massaged the pixels and over time the light leakage has improved. Color is accurate - not quite as good as Sony then again, the 52" Sony is a boat load more expensive ($1000+) for essentially the same exact LCD (Sony and Samsung share LCD manufacturing facilities).
I get absolutely no pixel break up or motion blur on sporting events (there's a slight amount which is typical for LCDs compared to plasma). It's sharp and clear. A VP (video processor) will definitely help to upscale all HD to 72hz which will create an even more appeasing picture. The FHD1 from Pioneer is one of the only 50" + 1080p monitors or TVs that allows you to upconvert 27hz video to 72hz HD - great picture quality - superior in all regards. Of coruse you get what you pay for - the unit retails at more then double the cost.
This is THE 50+ 1080p TV for bright rooms. There is no better for the price. For darker movies and viewing a plasma is a better choice.
Where this TV shines is Xbox 360 integration. I bought this TV because VGA output works great with the 360 and HD-DVD drive. HD-DVD's looks absolutely awesome on a 1080p tele... is it a huge difference between a 1080i or 1080p tele? DEBATEABLE... but damn it looks good. Pretty soon all flat panels (LCD first) will be 1080p. Again, noticeable difference - huge difference? Not quite sure about that but definitely a difference.
The bezel on this TV is QUITE impressive. It's a stylish black much like the Pioneer except the stand comes free (PRO-FHD1's stand is sold separately and will cost you a wopping $500+). It really gives this tele a clean, and crisp looking look both on and off the wall.
If you are a gamer, have a pretty bright room, and do not watch many movies in a pure dark room this LCD is by far the most affordable and best performing choice.
