# Samsung 40-inch Widescreen Full HD - opinions please



## sunnyV5

Samsung LE40B650T2 40-inch Widescreen Full HD 1080p: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo

Hi guys

I am looking at buying a new tv, but I don't know a lot about this sort of tech. I heard LCD is better than plasma, and a few searches have led to the samsung linked to above.

Please let me know what you think, and whether there is something better I should go for, for that sort of money.

thanks :thumb:


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## Scotty Pro

OK
I'm going to chip in here since no one else has.
First off, who told you LCD was the best ?????
If you want a bright, dare I say un-natural picture then LCD is for you (bit like a computer screen)

If you want a more natural looking picture with real deep blacks, then a plasma is what you want. The LCD is poor for fast moving pictures, take football as an instance, the lines on the pitch tend to have jaggies when viewed from 45 degrees, even with all the electronics going on in the background you can still see them.

The problem with LCD is the screen is not fast enough in terms of refresh rate, the Plasma on the other hand does not have this problem.

Pop over to AVFORUMS.com and see what others have to say, its a bit like this place, loads of info and tips but for TV's, Amps, Blurays etc.

for the money you are going to spend I would get one of these Panasonics they are superb, Pannys are the best Plasmas you can get, thats why I bought one.


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## Avanti

sunnyV5 said:


> Samsung LE40B650T2 40-inch Widescreen Full HD 1080p: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo
> 
> Hi guys
> 
> I am looking at buying a new tv, but I don't know a lot about this sort of tech. I heard LCD is better than plasma, and a few searches have led to the samsung linked to above.
> 
> Please let me know what you think, and whether there is something better I should go for, for that sort of money.
> 
> thanks :thumb:


The best thing to do is visit a shop and see them live, there was a big push on Samsung and looking at them in the shop I was far from impressed, LCD/full HD etc etc, didn't matter, also just come back from hols and there was a samsung tv in the room, was not a patch on my chosen LG, LCD screens have improved with time so the shortcomings have almost totally been erradicated even on supermarket models.
There is far more to TV and pictures than just raw data on paper :thumb:


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## blurb

:wave:
As Avanti said, I would suggest visiting a shop and seeing for yourself. Have a good old fiddle with the settings, as shops are notorious for having them adjusted to the most “vivid” settings to make them stand out in the harshly lit environments of most retail stores. I would view various kinds of material, DVD, BluRay, Freeview. I watch mainly Freeview, so when I chose my TV I concentrated on that source. 

IMO Freeview is the one that really shows how good the internal electronics are at handling low quality images. High quality sources like BluRay will look pretty damn good on most screens.

AVForums is a great resource for info, but it can get quite confusing, ending up much like the “which wax is best” discussions here when trying to decide .

I think the LCD/Plasma discussion is pretty moot as the manufacturers/market is basically moving away from plasma for one reason or another, but that’s a discussion for another thread.

Good Luck


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## Stu-pot

To answer the question the Samsung you linked to is a good TV and well regarded, but also consider the Philips PFL-7404 which I snapped up from M&S when they were on offer recently (just checked their website and I think they have sold out but might come back). Very pleased with it.

Also the Sony W5500 is a very good TV going cheap at M&S. The good thing being M&S do 5yr Warranty for free.

If your going to play xbox/PS3 steer clear of plasma. I also find they flicker but I think I'm in a minority sensitive to it.

Best advice would be go and see a few in the flesh


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## Grizzle

Avoid Samsung like the plague!

I seen a rather tasty Panasonic in Comet last week.

http://www.comet.co.uk/shopcomet/product/535486/PANASONIC-TX-P42S11B


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## brinks

I've got that Samsung, had it a few months now and really like it.
Tellys are a very personal thing, you really need to go and look at a load and see which you like best. Richer Sounds are really good for viewing if you pick a quiet time of week and most have a viewing room where they will set up the telly for you and offer good advice.

Whatever you do, don't buy a particular type/model of TV just on reviews on the net or opinions on the forums. What some people rave about you might find you really don't like the look of yourself.

I love my Samsung but it does have its faults, occasional motion blur is the main one but it's something I barely notice.

I like the advice about AV Forums but it tends to be full of conflicting opinions and hundreds of geeks with a Phd in model codes and found it a minefield when looking for my new telly.

Go and view as many as possible in a decent shop is the best advice I can give.

p.s. The net features on the Samsung are very slow to load and of little daily use but the media player PC link works fantastically well and lets me stream movies directly from my PC. I also had a Samsung Bluray player which was another choosing point for me as it integrates with the telly very well.


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## Stu-pot

Samsung make excellent screens in-fact they share the same screens as Sony!

My bedroom TV which was in the lounge until I got the philips is a Samsung and its an excellent mid range TV (5 series as opposed to the 6 series you linked to earlier)

Advice - don't be a brand snob either go with what you like. You'll find Samsung and Philips, LG making TVs better than Sony and Panasonic at the moment which is reflected consistently in reviews regardless of who they are (individuals, Magazines, Forums etc etc).


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## stonejedi

Stu-pot said:


> Samsung make excellent screens in-fact they share the same screens as Sony!
> 
> My bedroom TV which was in the lounge until I got the philips is a Samsung and its an excellent mid range TV (5 series as opposed to the 6 series you linked to earlier)
> 
> Advice - don't be a brand snob either go with what you like. You'll find Samsung and Philips, LG making TVs better than Sony and Panasonic at the moment which is reflected consistently in reviews regardless of who they are (individuals, Magazines, Forums etc etc).


i 100% agree, i went to a sony shop about two years ago and a mate of mine that i had not seen for years was working for sony he told me not to pay the extra money for the sony model tv that i wanted,he said pay half the price of this tv and buy a samsung as they make sony's tv screens which i did and have never looked back brilliant tv's.


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## Prism Detailing

I just got given an 42" LG LCD Full HD for my birthday yesterday, for the price in Dixon's/Currey's really good and i have tested it against all my fast moving films and has performed fantastically


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## Matt.

Prism, was it this one? The inlaws are looking at that at the minute.

OP, I bought this one 2 weeks agon. Its fantastic. The black is black and the picture is brilliant. Well worth it. I thought it was going to be too big, but i am used to it now. So if you have room go for bigger :thumb: Its not the latest model, but i dont need Freesat or Freeview HD, as i have Sky HD.  Works well paired with this

Be carefull with Samsung, if paired with Home Theatre Systems then tend to get lip-sync problems


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## Prism Detailing

No i got the 42LH3000, but that one is an excellent price for the spec....


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## Matt.

Thanks, just spoke to him, after seeing mine, he is thinking about getting the Panny 50" now


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## Morph3ous

I have the 40B650, had it for 6 months. I'd buy it again in a heartbeat. (well, maybe i'd get the 46" one!) Really, really pleased with it.

I spent a lot of time researching and walked into my nearest Richer Sounds with the money in my pocket to buy the Panasonic plasma G10. Looked at the one they had in store and was stunned at the poor quality picture. Fellas in the shop said they had no end of people going in to buy it based on the rave reviews only to buy something else. The 'plasma blacks' just weren't there and LCD's nearby blew it away.
(I even went to a Comet nearby to makesure their Panny wasnt faulty, and no, it wasnt)

Reason? This particular store was very bright and sunny, which is no good for plasma. My lounge is also bright and sunny and my Sammy copes perfectly. In a dark room in the middle of the night, yeah the Plasma would look better, but i'm more than pleased with the LCD results, and thats what counts.

I run Virgin HD/PS3 BluRay through it and it still impresses me. Even SD signals are very good. I know there is a bit of lag, but my COD games dont seem to be affected too badly.

So i agree that buying a TV is a personal thing. Have a list of your favourites and then go out and see for yourself. If you do go for Sony over Samsung, be aware of their clouding issues. 5 mins on AVForums and you'll see exactly what i mean.

Hope this helps


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## p3asa

Samsung for me as well, after a lot of research and visiting various shops to see TV's side by side. (I found Costco a good place to view them all)

Bought mine from John Lewis who will price match within an 8 mile radius and also offer a free 5 year warranty. Very happy with the Samsung.

I thought most HD TV's would be the same with Blu Ray attached but not so. My son has taken his PS3 to both his grans and the quality across the 3 TV's varies dramatically, although it could be how the others are set up as I took a few hours setting ours up to the optimum settings for our living room.

I'm due to change the old CRT in the dining room and although I'll look at other brands again, I would have no qualms about getting another Samsung.


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## markonline1

As said before, whoever said LCD is better than plasma is barking up the wrong tree. Having said that, these days the differences in picture aren't huge. For me, Samsung do some of the best LCDs out there. I'm biased though, I have a Samsung. That said, when I bought it just over a year ago, I did my research and the model I bought was regarded as one of the best on the market at the time. Going to a shop to see the picture is not really much use. They will be on the shop setting which will mean high contrast and over bright colours. This is fine in a brightly lit shop, but I find it doesn't really give any sort of reflection of the true picture. I think AV forums is definately a good rescource for finding out if a model is any good or not. Personally, if your going after a Samsung screen, I don't think you can go far wrong. I do hav the occasional lip sync problem when the 5.1 is on as someone previously mentioned, but this is down to my sky HD box, which is well documented, not my samsung set.


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## Top_Gun

brinks said:


> Whatever you do, don't buy a particular type/model of TV just on reviews on the net or opinions on the forums. What some people rave about you might find you really don't like the look of yourself.


Quite right - we have a similar forum in germany, and they rave about feature-names which are not really comparable (and which even the manufacturer won't explain), and like discussions on the different panel-manufacturers which Samsung et al build into their chassis.

However, I watched my favourite Philips-device in two shops and didn't like the drowning shadows, nobody could really help me how to change this within the settings. So I went for a Samsung of which I liked the picture (and still do). It's right that the depth of black is not perfect on LCDs, but they have improved a lot. The quality of fast scenes has improved years ago and doesn't hinder at all - it's like LCD-screens for computers which have gone from 30ms to 2ms, and so have the TVs.

Best regards,

Detlev


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## sunnyV5

Hi guys,

Thanks for all the replies.

Today, I went round a few stores to see some TVs for real. Samsung plasma's were rather disappointing. I think I viewed the 5 series plasmas - they did not seem sharp, and image was blurred.

I found the 32 inch version of the TV I linked to in the original post, and it looked nice and sharp and very clear.

I also found the LED version of the TV I linked to, which was around £800, and to be honest I couldn't see the difference between the LED and LCD versions. The screen was thinner, but visually I couldn't spot the difference.

40 inch didn't look as massive as I hoped. I think I may look for 46 inch TVs. 

But, as you have suggested, I will find my local Richersounds and ask for their advice and see more TVs for real.


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## John757

We've had the Samsung 40"B650 for a week now and its brilliant. Very good picture quality, plenty of connections, Media Play and DLNA is awesome for streaming movies from the PC to the TV (use Serviio to stream video to the B650). 

Can't knock it 

Oh and you say 40" doesn't look too big...remember that it's surrounded by bigger screens making it look smaller. A 40" TV in your living room is quite large!


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## p3asa

Our Samsung is 46" and at the time we bought it, it appeared absolutely massive. My Mrs was moaning constantly about the size. Now however that we will be looking to change the CRT in the dining room to an LCD, she wants nothing less than a 46"


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## p1tse

i don't have a clue, but my first and only flat screen i brought a few years back is samsung and like it's design compared to others. 

saw a 40" samsung at sainsbury for £500 on sale


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## markonline1

If tv is for the living room, I say go for at least 46" :thumb:. That's what I have on my wall and to be honest, I now want bigger. Mind you, I'm quite happy with my tv being the centre piece of the living room.


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