With the addition of 240Hz processing to the edge-lit LED based LCD TV, Samsung came out with its highest end thus far in the LCD TV arena. The UNB8000 series is one of the, if not THE, most expensive in the market as of this writing with the 55-inch version ranging anywhere from $2500 to $ 3000. There is also another member of this series which is the 46-inch TV which costs just a little bit cheaper, yet all the other features are the same.

Positive Justifications

With the Samsung UN55B8000’s high cost, consumers are definitely expecting a lot from this model. Fair enough, Samsung maintained its highest quality standard and gave buyers several reasons why they should take this baby home.

Just by merely looking at it, elegance and sophistication is already apparent. From the side, its thickest point is just 1.2 inches, which makes it one of the thinnest LCD TVs in the market. Its black exterior with transparent edge all around gives it a classy look. This Samsung series also comes with a brushed-metal base with a unique transparent cylindrical stand that holds the TV upright.

In terms of performance, the Samsung UN55B8000 exhibits great picture quality. The LED backlights allowed for more accurate colors and clearer display. Also, its deep black level is one of the best among all LCD TVs in the market, producing more realistic pictures and excellent contrast. The series showed significant improvement from its 7000 series counterpart. The main difference between the two is the firmware upgrade that was done for the UNB8000 series, and that, indeed, did its job of improving some of the flaws seen before on the 7000 series.

Another cool and unique feature of the Samsung UN55B8000 is its remote control. Unlike others that require line of sight for the remote control to work, the remote for this Samsung model works on the RF technology. This means that the user can be in another room, within the covered distance of RF, and still be able to use the remote control with the TV. The only requirement for it to work is for the remote to be “paired” first with the unit. Once it is done, the remote need not be pointed at the television anymore to change channels or settings.

Similar to earlier Samsung models, the menu screen is still one of the best among other LCD TVs. It has just the right size of text and the menu options are mostly useful, especially to entertainment freaks who know the ins and outs of the TV settings. Another new feature of the Samsung UN55B8000 is having the Yahoo widgets built-in, together with some other applications like games, weather, recipes, etc.

On the Other Side

Obviously, one of the reasons why most consumers will probably hesitate with this model is the price tag. Its major marketing point is the fact that it is able to process at 240Hz; however, for an average TV viewer, the increase in video processing is virtually unnoticeable. Hence, the 240Hz does not really justify the price that much.

Another noticeable downside of the Samsung UN55B8000 is its off-angle viewing. Yes, the transparent stalk allows swiveling on either side, but once the unit is moved, the picture significantly degrades. Also, its shiny exterior may produce reflections when watching in a bright room. Entertainment and tech savvy customers might not appreciate the lack of analog inputs that most other electronic devices still have at the moment.

Taking both sides into consideration, Samsung UN55B8000 is still a good buy, especially for those who do not mind spending more in these types of gadgets.

If you want to buy Samsung UN55B8000, go grab it at Amazon

The latest buzz in the HDTV industry right now is the release of LED-based TVs. Other than surpassing technology implementations of LCD and Plasma TVs, these LED-edged TVs also come in a very sleek and stylish design package.

Highly-improved Designs

The Samsung UN55B7000 is part of the complete line of LED-based TVs of Samsung. These units are actually LCD TVs still, but instead of using the standard fluorescent backlight, these new TVs make use of Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs). Because of this, manufacturers were able to also revamp the designs of the units especially in terms of thickness, or lack thereof. This UN55B7000 is only 1.2 inches on its thickest part. This is one of the extremely thin models among the LED-based TVs now available in the market.

Even at 55 inches, this model is lighter compared to other TVs of this size, mainly because of the thin structure. Also, because of the technology innovation, this Samsung model is one of the better performers in terms of energy efficiency.

Samsung still maintains its elegance with this model’s exterior design. The huge screen is surrounded by glossy black frame with a touch of red on the borders and further surrounded by see-through edges. The Samsung UN55B7000 looks suspended over a glass stand with cylindrical transparent stalk that allows swiveling to either side. Although the look exudes boldness, not everyone may appreciate the red frame. Unfortunately, it is not something that can be customized.

The UN55B7000’s remote control also has unique addition at the rear portion to keep it stable when lying on a flat surface. The buttons are also easily identified with the different shape and size. There is also a Tools button that allows easy access to the different controls available in this entertainment set.

Technology Advancement for Enhanced Viewing

As mentioned above, the Samsung UN55B7000 utilizes LEDs for its backlight instead of the normal fluorescent lights. This still remains to be an LCD, though, just with a different backlight technology. One of the major advantages of the use of LEDs is the local dimming effect which happens when a group of LEDs turn off to produce very deep black levels. However, this Samsung model does not have the local dimming effect which is one downside compared to other LED-based TVs.

To compensate for that, the UN55B7000 produces accurate colors and crystal clear images that make them stand out and look real. Even without the local dimming effect, the black levels in this model are sufficiently deep enough to show off excellent pictures. However, the black levels and color intensity are not uniform all throughout the screen in a few instances. Also, as the screen can be swiveled to the sides, the picture quality degradation at off-angles becomes more obvious.

The Samsung UN55B7000’s selling price may be quite a shock to many, averaging at about $3000 a piece. Samsung justifies that, though, with other good points such as having very good dejudder processing, numerous picture adjustments for the more savvy users, interactive options such as Yahoo widgets and some built-in contents.

UN55B7000 receives rating 3.5 out of 5.

Learn more about Samsung UN55B7000 HDTV

Plasma TVs are known for the superb entertainment experience due to the realistic images they are able to reproduce. Of course, the great features come with a price. Samsung has been one of the major players in the plasma television industry, and so far, they are still keeping up with the market. This could be attributed to the continuous improvement of their products and offering them at reasonable prices.

The Samsung PN50B650, in particular, is the latest offering of Samsung in the Plasma TV arena. As usual, this model is packed with remarkable features, yet the price can be less expensive than other LCD TVs or LED-based LCDs from the same brand. The PN50B650 is the 50-inch version of this series; a 58-inch model is also available and the features of both sizes are just the same.

The Looks

Those who are fond of red color will definitely love the Samsung PN50B650. This plasma TV series has glossy black frame with a subtle touch of red on top and bottom portion of the frame. Like other Samsung TVs, this model is surrounded by transparent border, and at the bottom, supported by a transparent cylindrical stand that allows the screen to swivel to either side. The base has glossy black top which adds to its overall sleek and stylish design. The glossy finish though, like most Samsung models, may not be much appreciated when watching in a brighter room because of the reflection it makes.

The red accentuation extends to the menu system having the same color for its borders. Samsung maintained its menu system layout with its large and legible text set on transparent background, as well as brief description of what the selections are about.

The Works

Color accuracy is where this Samsung PN50B650 is big at. The model’s color decoding functionality works perfectly which provides excellent colors saturation. Both the primary and secondary colors appear very much realistic, almost perfect. When it comes to black level, this Samsung model is not left behind. Black levels are deeper compared to other LCD TVs; however, comparing this to other Plasma TVs in the market like the Panasonic or Pioneer models, the B650’s black levels are not as impressive.

Despite the reflection this model makes, it still performs better than other plasmas in terms of preserving the deep black shade even under bright lights. When it comes to video processing, the Samsung PN50B650 worked well also with 1080p/24 sources. Samsung claims that this plasma model uses 600Hz video processing, which does not really get noticed by most viewers since there are only few who are sensitive enough to the blurring effects of the images.

Other Features

Other than the superb viewing experience, users can also enjoy the interactive features included in the Samsung PN50B650 such as Yahoo widgets that has news, weather, stocks, Twitter, and Flickr photos. There are also other built-in content such as games, recipes and slideshow of high-def photos. These are great diversions from regular TV viewing; however, these applications are quite sluggish.

The Samsung PN50B650 also abounds in connectivity ports with four HDMI ports, a couple of USB, PC input, Ethernet port, and the normal video and audio ports. The only thing missing, though, is the S-video which seems to be the trend now in most televisions.

Priced at around $1300, the Samsung PN50B650 Plasma TV may be quite pricey on that fact alone. But if this will be compared with the new LED-based LCDs and other standard LCDs of equal performance, PN50B650 can also be a good choice because it is less expensive than those, and one can buy it for even $1139 at Amazon.

There are quite a few LED-based TVs that are coming out in the market these days and the difference compared to a standard LCD TV is indeed noticeable in terms of picture quality. The price, however, of LED-based TVs can be too high. It is good news that Samsung came up with a standard LCD TV with picture quality that matches the LED-based counterparts; that is the Samsung LN52B750.

This huge – 52 inches – LCD TV has the standard fluorescent backlight and thickness just like the others. The LNB750 series comes in three sizes, 40-inch, 46-inch, and 52-inch TVs; all of them having the same features.

The Pluses

The major plus of the Samsung LN52B750 is the picture quality that it is able to produce. The B750 series has very deep black levels compared to other LCD TVs and even outperformed some LED-based TVs. On very dark scenes, objects indeed seem real and natural. In terms of color accuracy, this Samsung model is able to produce precise primary and secondary colors and has solid color saturation. Given that this is just a standard, fluorescent-based LCD TV, its performance is downright outstanding.

The Samsung LN52B750 also has twice the usual refresh rate of other LCD TVs. It is equipped with 240Hz refresh rate which reduces the blur without the usual dejudder effect that comes with it. This is another feature unique to Samsung because it is able to separate the two processes. Users can conveniently customize Blur Reduction and Judder Reduction separately without one affecting the other.

When it comes to its design, the LNB750 series comes in a classy package. Surrounding the screen is a glossy all-black edge that just emits a hint of blue color at the bottom when turned on. It has the usual 3-inch thickness when checked out from the sides. This model can be swiveled on either side with its transparent cylindrical stalk. Picture quality does not degrade that much even at off-angle.

Other great features of the Samsung LN52B750 include its built-in content and applications such as games, recipes, workout guides and some high-def slideshows; its integrated Yahoo and Twitter widgets; and its network streaming capability. This model also has a good amount of input and output connectivity ports for expanded use.

Few Deltas

Compared to other standard LCD TVs in the market of the same size, the Samsung LN52B750 is somewhat on the pricey side having a price range of $1750 to $2400. The major contributor to this price is the doubled refresh rate, which has great effects as mentioned above, but in reality, is not really noticeable especially by most viewers.

Just like other Samsung models that have glossy finish, this series still produces unwanted reflections when watching in a brighter room. Also, those who might be looking for complete connectivity might be a bit disappointed because this model is missing the S-video input.

Nevertheless, the Samsung LN52B750 still is a good value due to its overall performance that is at par with the LED-based LCD TVs and even with a few Plasma TVs.

Shop for Samsung LN52B750 at Amazon

For the practical ones who want to have an LCD TV, the Samsung LN26B360 is a good option. At 26-inches, this is a good model to start with while enjoying all the basic features of an LCD television. The LNB360 series also comes in other sizes – 19”, 22”, and 32”. All of them share the same features described below.

With a basic LCD TV like this Samsung model, do not expect to have high screen resolution as the LNB360 series only works at 720p resolution, which is not bad as it is still significantly better than the tube versions. Also, streaming videos, network capabilities and other interactive add-ons are things that this model will also not have. Anyway, with the price tag of not more than $400, it is reasonable enough to enjoy only the basic functionalities of an LCD television.

Color Accuracy. The Samsung LN26B360 has fairly good color accuracy, maintaining almost constant color temperature all throughout. However, some darker areas may have a bluish tint on them. Primary and secondary colors are smoothly rendered and almost accurate. Color saturation, on the other hand, is not consistent. Some shades of red may not appear as rich, whereas the blue and green hints may be overly saturated.

Black Levels. The LN26B360 is able to produce pretty good levels of black color. Although not as intensely black as that of the more expensive models, the B360 series have relatively deep black levels, as well as bright white color that produce rich and vibrant images. There is also a wide range of contrast that appeals to most viewers.

Video Processing. Since this is just a basic model, faster video processing such as 120Hz is not found in this model. The unit was able to produce smooth images for slow-moving objects. However, this fails significantly with fast-moving objects. Also, motion pictures in this model are not as sharp as when watched over one of the more expensive models.

Connectivity. The Samsung LN26B360 has adequate connectivity for a basic LCD TV. There are 2 HDMI ports and the usual digital and analog video and audio ports. All of them are located on a specific area at the back of the screen.

Power Consumption. This is a major plus of having just the basic LCD TV – it does not have extensive features that consume a lot of power. The LN26B360 only uses 59.5 watts on the average. And assuming that it is turned on (or on standby) for 5 hours a day, it will only cost around $11.82 per year.

If the only purpose of buying an LCD TV is to watch TV and enjoy the LCD viewing experience, the Samsung LN26B360 is a good choice. The basic functionalities are included at a very reasonable price. It is definitely a great value for money.

Learn more about Samsung LN26B360 HDTV

Samsung is one of the major players in the entertainment market. And now with the release of its A950 series in its line of LCD TVs, other brands will definitely try to match its fantastic features.

Excellent Features
Samsung LN46A950, which is the 46-inch model in this series, has almost all the features that an LCD TV can possibly have. The selling point of this series is the use of Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs) for its backlight. Only a few companies have already employed this technology in their product lines, with the possible reason of cost. This translates to the product being quite expensive for an average consumer.

However, the picture quality of the LN46A950 is unquestionably superb that one will be willing to pay a whopping $3,500 for this LCD television. For someone who wants to take home entertainment to the next level, this unit is worth the buck.

Using LEDs as backlight, this allows the A950 series to have outstanding deep black level which produces high color quality. Colors appear very rich and accurate that it makes the objects look almost real. When it comes to dark scenes, even when in bright surroundings, the black level is simply amazing.

In addition to the great image output, the Samsung LN46A950 also comes with more remarkable features. To name a few – refresh rate of 120Hz; showing of local weather, current news and stock ticker if an Ethernet cable is plugged in; built-in recipes, games, fitness instructions, children’s section and some artworks with music.

For those who are technically-savvy when it comes to picture settings, this Samsung model will definitely be one of the top in their list. There are several picture controls that can be adjusted including white-balance, noise reduction, contrast, gamma and black adjust.

In terms of connectivity, this model has almost all possible input/output ports one can think of. For high-definition fanatics, there are 3 HDMI ports at the back and 1 on the side. There are also 1 RF input for antenna or cable, component video inputs, LAN port for the Ethernet connection, VGA port for the PC, and S-Video port at the back, and on the side – headphone jack, a USB port and another set of AV input.

Not-so-nice Elements
The concept of LED technology is that specific backlight LEDs will turn off if black color is to be projected. This gives the deep black level of this model. However, in cases wherein an image has black and a bright color right next to each other, the LEDs in this area may either turn on or off. This produces a blooming effect which makes the color quality in this specific area inconsistent with the rest of the same color.

Another off trait of the LN46A950 is the fact that the color contrast and deep black level diminishes considerably when viewing from an off-angle. This, however, like the blooming effect, is just trivial compared to the excellent output of this model.

Overall, the Samsung LN46A950 topped most of the LCD TVs in the market with its use of the revolutionized LED technology and adding more features to the consumer’s delight. The price tag may be a roadblock, but with careful analysis and consideration, this product is definitely a good buy.

Learn more about Samsung LN46A950 HDTV at Amazon

Samsung released A750 series of HDTVs earlier in 2008, and now their prices are dropping. Current prices for this HDTV range from $2,899.99 to as low as $1,999.98 at Amazon.

LN52A750 is a representative of the new to-be-standard in home HDTVs – 52 inches. Compared to 46 inches the screen looks really big, who would have thought that six inches can make such a difference. More in the screen area, this model is also a 120Hz one, meaning that it doubles the standard 60Hz from the TV/HDTV. What does it mean? Well, the motion on the screen seams smoother, one can see it when looking at fast action sports or movies, it is really a must have feature for fans of such sports/movies, More over the response time of the panel is only 4ms further enhancing the experience of watching action on screen.

Next feature, common in other Samsung models is the Super Clear Panel, instead of the normal light-diffusing plastic used traditionally in LCD HDTVs, here we have natural black panel with an anti-glare shield. This replacement results in picture that has better contrasts and deeper blacks, that’s why LN52A750 has contrast ratio of 50,000 to 1.

Digital Natural Image Engine is another property of this TV, it is basically a specialized processor that takes care of improving clarity, contrast, details and white balance of the video input. Further more, the lamp used as the back light of this LCD is a more advanced than in other screens as it meets the National Television Systems Committee standard in 92%, while other HDTVs meet only 72% of it. Making brilliant colors even at the darkest parts of the display.

As for the connectivity options in 52A750, they consist of four HDMI ports, an ethernet port, components, s-video inputs, pc input and some other rarely used ones.

The unique feature of this screen is the integrated 1GB memory which has pre-loaded data like high quality artwork, children entertainment, cooking recipes and more. Adding to this we have the InfoLink which is a special RSS reader that retrieves news, weather and sports information onto the HDTV (using Ethernet port that is built in).

LN52A750 is another great 52 inch HDTV, it has a lot of new features compared to the A650 series and most of all it is not pricey (and even more it is $900 off at Amazon).

Find out more about Samsung LN52A750 52-Inch LCD HDTV

Samsung LN52A650 is one of the newest addition to the LCD HDTV family, it has 52 inch screen and is fully HD complaint. More over it is one of the best selling HDTVs, and has received great reviews all over the web. The current pricing is also nice, one can get it for just $2,327 with free shipping (27% less than in retail stores). Let’s look through the features that make this Samsung model such a great deal.

The extremely fast 4ms response time makes watching fast action movies (or music videos), adding to this the 120 Hz, which transforms usual 60 Hz signal by adding intermediate frames for smoother screen display, makes for a powerful home theater TV.
also the contract is quite good (50,000 to 1).

LN52A650 also has a black panel with anti-glare shield instead of traditional plastic face, it is much better in reducing the light reflection and allows watching movies in rooms with much sun light. The other effect of using the black panel is increased contrast in dark scenes and the colors are clearer than ever.

Another image enhancing feature of this model is the Samsungs DNI which stands for Digital Natural Image, it basically is a special image processing algorithm that further enhances the contrast, white balance and color representation on the screen. There is even one more technology used to increase the screen quality – Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp. It allows this LCD HDTV to meat the 92% of NTSC standard (while other LCDs meet at most 72%), which means that the screen colors seam more natural and vivid. And the cherry on top is 178 viewing angle.

As for the connectivity of Samsung LN52A650, the possibilities are extensive. There is the usual HDMI interface, but this time it has four connectors (including one from the front) instead of three. One of the coolest additions to this series is a ethernet port which allows displaying of RSS feeds right to the HDTV screen! There are also such usual connectors as component video, s-video, a/v inputs, pc input, headphones jack, HDMI-CEC.

This LCD HDTV is also compatible with DLNA, which is a kind of network for home devices such as computers, PDAs, HDTVs, camcorders, cameras etc. It allows seamless connectivity between DLNA capable devices, e.g. watching video recorded from camcorder (and transferred to the PC) on the HDTV, without the need of burning DVD.

The audio features of 52A650 are the usual SRS TruSurround XT, TruSurround XT, TruBass, SRS WOW. Nothing new here, but the sound is very good.

To wrap up this review, LN52A650 it is one of the best offerings in the 52 inch category, that are on the market. The screen is probably nothing you’ve seen before, combined with great connectivity, superb looks and affordable price make up a nice deal.

Learn more about Samsung LN52A650 52-inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV

Samsung LNT5271F is a more pricey solution for users that want bigger screen and smother movies. Although the better quality, size of the screen and great contrast comes at not so big price at some places one can get it for just $2,699.90 which is about 30% cheaper ($1,200 less) than the suggested price for this model.

It is a 1080p model (1920×1080 resolution), but that one could expect from the size of the screen (52 inches), the less expected feature gigantic contrast ration 25,000 to 1, it’s one of the biggest on the market, even though it is a dynamic contrast. The blacks are even blacker then on any other screen seen so far. Now watching dark movies is more exciting.

The second greatest feature of LNT5271F is the Auto Motion Plus 120Hz which gives the (surprise!) 120Hz refresh rate. Traditional TVs and most of the HDTVs have refresh rate of 60Hz (to be more precise it’s 25 half-frames per second), the traditional TV and almost all movies are made in 60Hz, so what’s the gain? Thanks to the Auto Motion Plus processor, two images are taken and the processor computes the middle image, as an effect the motions seams smoother than in other HDTVs.

This Samsung model has also a so called Super Clear Panel, which means that the panel is very dark almost black, this is one of the factors that make up the famous 25,000:1 contrast ratio.

Usually the green and blue ingredients of the color disappear from the screen when in more brighter areas, the Wide Color Enhancer of Samsung LNT5271F deals with this problem by increasing the intensity of those colors making the overall image crispier and colorful.

There are several standard connectors in this TV, such as three HDMIs (one on the side and two in the back), two component video, two S-Video inputs, two Audio/Video inputs, RF antenna, USB 2.0.

Samsung LNT5271F is a nice upgrade over the 61/65 series, it brings a glossy screen and 120Hz refresh rate and of course it uses the next generation of LCD panel with a great contrast ration (25k to 1) all of this for a very good price, one can read more about it at the link below.

Learn more about Samsung LNT5271F 52″ 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV

HLT5087SAX is a HDTV of the other generation, it doesn’t use LCD or Plasma fill the screen but LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes), which are common in other applications (e.g. to show when the HDD drive is reading or when the TV is on) but not until lately have been used more often in the HDTV industry. The pricing model for this rare technology is not that high, the Samsung HLT5087SAX one can get for $1,416.98 with free shipping, (about $583 lower than the list price) (see the update at the bottom).

DLP screens use a sophisticated microscopic mirrors chip (produced by Texas Instruments, the creator of DLP) and LEDs to produce the colors on the screen. In this model Samsung has used a new technology that allows the lamps to last as long as it is needed, previous models had to have the lamps replaced every few years, which resulted additional costs for the customer, but with HLT5087SAX this is no more and will last longer than any LCD or Plasma. As for the color, it is superb Samsung DLP exceed the NTSC color specification so movies look as never before. The Cinema Smooth feature makes the screen appear more like in the cinema, reducing the grid that was sometimes showing in the older DLP HDTVs, actually you could look at the screen from few inches and see no pixels!

As the title suggests this is a fully 1080p capable model, with a 10,000 to 1 dynamic contrast ratio. It is equipped with 3 HDMI connectors and also a PC connector which allows displaying up to 1920 x 1080 resolution of your desktop.

The overall design of the set is brilliant, it doesn’t have the thick frames known from flat panels, here we have a very thin bezel allowing the screen to fill almost the whole HDTV.

The sound is astonishingly good as for just two speakers. It gives a nice surround effect thanks to SRS TruSurround. Even using it to a regular broadcast user can feel the depth in the sound.

If you are not afraid of new technologies and want to have screen quality better than similarly priced LCD and Plasma screens then have a look at Samsung HLT5087SAX as it is one of the best in its class.

Update:
Unfortunately this model is no longer available, so if you would like a DLP HDTV you can consider: Mitsubishi WD-60737, Mitsubishi WD-65737 or have a look at our most popular HDTVs.