 Great TV, Awesome price |
| Review Date: July 22, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Benjamin J. Krueger, Appleton, WI United States |
Very happy with this purchase. Picture quality is AWESOME!!! I do not have any problems with bowing or the smiley face effect that I have read about. The sound on this TV is HORRIBLE! If you are not hooking it up to a 5.1 or better sound system, this TV would not be a good purchase. The bezel around the edge of the TV is not made that well. If you push down on the top, it moves the picture, easy solution - dont press on the top of the bezel. The TV does give off a burning plastic smell but I heard that goes away after a short time. It is just cause it is new and the bulb gets very hot. I also bought the floor stand that matches the TV (TR500X3B). Very happy with that purchase as well.
The delivery company that Amazon uses (Eagle Global) was awesome. They called and scheduled a time to deliver it and had two people bring in the TV, unbox it, check for damage and make sure it worked. They also offered to dispose of the box, but I wanted to keep it incase I had any issues with the TV. It has only been 2 days but so far I am very happy with the whole experience!
UPDATE 10/16/07: I have now owned this TV for almost 3 months and I still am very happy with it. No complaints at all. The TV is so Slim and the best part is the picture quality. I have not had one issue with this awesome TV. Amazon still has it for much less than the big box stores. |
Best choice for a first HDTV
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| Review Date: October 15, 2007 |
| Reviewer: A. Goldberg, Austin, TX USA |
I won't go into technical details, but I just wanted to write a review in support of most of the things other people have said about this television. I wasn't really in the market for a new TV, but I saw a great bundle deal on another site for this set, an xbox 360, and Halo 3. I almost pulled the trigger until I saw the price that Amazon was offering. That was the catalyst that started my home theater spending frenzy. So far, I have no regrets.
Within 3 days of my order, the package was on the road. I followed its progress closely via the Eagle tracking notes (which aren't updated often enough for an anxious TV purchaser hoping to receive his HD set before the big game). It got from the warehouse in PA to the Eagle office in Austin, TX in 3 or 4 days. I immediately called their office (upon reading reviews here) and scheduled a delivery time for the following day. They called before they came, and showed up when they promised. Two guys brought it in, helped me move my previous TV (a 32" CRT that is much heavier than this new 50" set), unboxed the Samsung, and placed it on my stand. They offered to take the trash, but I kept it in case of a needed return. I have no complaints about the Eagle service; I got my TV on a Friday morning when the estimated delivery time wasn't until the following Tuesday.
Of course, this is supposed to be a review of the product, but I tend to ramble. So, in a word, the TV is spectacular. This is the first high-def set I have owned, and I am thoroughly impressed. I think the viewing environment is a very important thing to consider, though.
I have a small apartment. When I shut the blinds, it is very dark. I sit right at TV height, straight in front of the screen, about 8 feet back. The view is awesome. The screen image is bright and vivid. Out of the box, the settings are great; I think I turned down the brightness and contrast a bit to suit my viewing conditions. The adjustable display settings are intuitive (with on-screen descriptions) and comprehensive.
Setup was simple. Most people praise the side-panel connections, but the side of my TV is visible to the rest of the room (it's the right side of the TV as you view it), so you can see the wires. However, it does indeed make it simple to hook up additional devices for temporary use (cameras, computers, etc.). There are plenty of connections (including 3 HDMI inputs).
Aesthetically, the TV is very appealing. There is a thin, glossy bezel, and the button panel is on the right side, so there is little else visible from the front other than the screen. This is important to realize, because you'll definitely need a stand for this TV; it would be too low if you set it on the ground. It's also very thin compared to other projection TVs; I think there are even brackets on the back to allow for a wall mount. And, of course, it is unexpectedly light for an appliance of its size.
The two main things people complain about are the sound and the bowed screen image. I think the volume is fine--certainly better than expected after reading many reviews. As I mentioned, though, I have a small apartment. There is no ambient noise. There is no high ceiling or spacious room to lose the sound. At less than half-volume, it suits my needs perfectly. Of course, if you are buying this (or any other) large HD television, you should spend a few bucks extra and get a decent surround-sound home theater system to complement it.
As for bowing, I can attest to this problem, but I won't dock the rating because I knew about it before the purchase. Like everyone else says, I don't notice it at all until there is a straight line across the bottom of the screen (like a program guide). It kind of bows up at the bottom corners a bit, but not unacceptably so. I'm sure a small shim (a couple of pieces of paper) would resolve the issue.
I have had the TV for about 3 weeks. I use it with HD cable (1080i) and Xbox 360 (1080p), and everything looks great. Any complaints about cable likely result from the signal, because it's not always a problem, and the Xbox looks beautiful. My main complaint has to be viewing angle. I sit directly in front of the screen. If I stand up and look down at the screen, things get significantly darker. If I sit off to the side by 30 or 40 degrees, it starts to get fairly dark.
The one thing I have noticed is that most things aren't broadcast in HD. Standard definition broadcast looks fine on this TV--certainly better than I have seen on other HD sets. It's fuzzy, but not intolerable. But it's just annoying to turn on a football game and realize it's not broadcast in high-def.
And one last thing--I will never view digital photos on a 19" monitor again. I think the TV has a USB 1.1 (why not 2.0?) port, so you could do that, but I use a program called TVersity (I think) that will stream all of my pictures and movies over the network to my xbox 360, which in turn will display them on the TV. Viewing photos at their full size and resolution is amazing. They are crisp, clear, and colorful. I use a 5.0 MP Canon, and seeing them on a 50" high definition monitor is incomparable. I definitely suggest you try it.
All in all, I am very happy with this purchase. I didn't have a lot to spend, and I took a lot of time to compare different models. By far, this is the most bang for the buck in this price class (and the price should drop significantly in the coming weeks). I can't think of anything missing that I wish this TV did. It's nearly half the price of a comparable LCD or plasma, and I'm happy to buy a $150 replacement bulb every few years to maintain this display. If anything, just make sure you get the right size for your room. If you sit 10 feet away or more, step up to the 56" or even the 61" model. |
I'm as satisfied with this purchase as any I've ever made - truly a superb buy
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| Review Date: February 6, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Jonathan Appleseed, |
(Advice for using closed captioning on component and HDMI inputs at the end.)
I love this TV.
It replaced a Sony 46" rear video projector manufactured in 1995, which along with my animals and many other items of importance to me survived a flood back in 2000. I had stubbornly held on to that TV, mostly because it had a big (if not terribly clear) picture, but even more, didn't want to spend the money. Then it gave up the ghost, and I had no choice.
Quick research into large screen HDTVs left me a bit confused, and I'm still not sure I understand the differences between all of the available types beyond a cursory understanding. But the price was right on this one, so we bought it, with the help of carefully hoarded Amazon gift cards.
Having seen other reviewers concerns, such as poor delivery, out-of-the-box "bowing", a burning plastic odor, and poor sound quality, I crossed my fingers after placing the order, and am happy to report that I have not experienced a single problem.
DELIVERY
The delivery, by Eagle, couldn't have been smoother. I was a bit concerned when they called to set up a time and date for the delivery because the girl placing the call sounded as interested in her job as I might be in a gangrenous left foot, but two very friendly delivery people were right on time, and walked the TV up two flights of stairs, took it out of the box in a matter of seconds, hooked it up, tested it, and were out the door in under five minutes. All that without leaving me with the feeling of being rushed. I'd have to say this was the best delivery experience I've had.
BURNING PLASTIC ODOR
There was a slight odor of burning plastic, but I didn't let it worry me as others here have said that the odor went away over time. I found that to be true. I've had the TV for almost two months, and the odor is no longer there.
BOWING
I haven't experienced any bowing. The picture is absolutely perfect. I enjoyed watching my first Chicago Bulls game with the ability to recognize each player on the floor (before, numbers and bodies and faces were fuzzy, so even in the Jordan days, when everyone was larger than life, I wasn't always clear on who was who). Imagine my frustration that now, for the first time in a lifetime of being a Bulls fan, that I get a TV that enhances the experience of watching the game tenfold, and the Bulls absolutely rot this year. Kevin Garnett is in Boston, and Pau Gasol is in Los Angeles. *Sigh*. Moving on...The first boxing match was similarly striking. It wasn't like being ringside; rather, it was like being in the ring.
And the Super Bowl? Awesome. As was the trailer for Prince Caspian.
It took a few days to get used to the bright, vivid colors. After spending my life viewing colors duller than a Jay Leno monologue without his striking writing staff, it was almost jarring. THAT was green? Really? I had no idea.
SOUND
Some have complained about the sound. I can't speak to that, as I'm hearing impaired, and while I can hear well in controlled environments with the help of a hearing aid, I can't tell the difference between THX and Dolby. Or THX and "regular" sound. My roommate can, though, and he finds the sound to be perfect. Then again, neither of us are audiophiles, so all we can say is that the TV sounds great to us. For others worried about poor sound, I imagine you'll be disappointed only if you're an audiophile. Then again, if you are, I imagine this isn't the only piece of equipment you have in your entertainment system.
One customer/reviewer, when defending the sound, wondered why anyone would ever buy a HDTV without hooking it up to some grand A/V system. In other words, that person didn't care about sound quality because he was sending the sound to a system that would transform the sound into something spectacular. Well, to answer his question, we would. And there are dozens of reasons why people would buy a HDTV and not a full entertainment system. The biggest reason, I would imagine, is money, closely followed by space. I can't afford an entertainment system, and even if I could, my living room isn't big enough to house one. That I have a HD TiVo DVR to go along with this TV is huge for me. I'd love to have a Blu-Ray DVD player, but I've run out of gift cards, and they're too expensive right now anyway.
There are a number of options in the setup menu for adjusting sound quality, and I've found that I can tell the difference--barely, but `barely' for me is pretty huge--when I make the changes. So the sound can't be THAT bad.
MENU OPTIONS
The number of ways to adjust the picture and sound are truly impressive. And there are ports on the TV of which I've never heard. I'm certain that I won't use ¼ of the functions available.
HDMI cable
Buy this cable, if it's still available: HDMI 2M (6 Feet) Super High Resolution Cable by DVI Gear
It's dirt cheap, and works just as well as the HDMI cable I paid $40 for.
CAPTIONS FOR THE HEARING IMPAIRED
Captioning is my only complaint, and from what I've gathered doing research online, it's not the TVs fault. This TV will translate closed captioning for standard input only. That means closed captioning will work for you if:
* You are hooking it up to an antenna and use a standard coaxial cable as input for sound and video.
* You are hooking up a cable/satellite box using the standard red, white and yellow component audio/video cables. There are two separate inputs for those cables.
* That's it. Unless I'm forgetting something.
If you use the high resolution component cables, or HDMI cables, the TV will *not* provide captioning for those inputs.
The trick to getting captions is that you have to get them through your cable box. If you don't know how to do that, get in touch with your cable company, and they should be able to help you set it up. If phone support is no help, either request a company technician (not a contractor) to come to your house and set the box up (or have them do it when they install the HD cable box that you'll need to get the HD channels), or look for the box's manual online. Ours was Motorola, and it had a manual online. It's a little frustrating, in that you have to turn the cable box off to access the captioning menu, and you have to remember to turn the captions off when you're finished with it, because the TV handles standard (non digital) captions better than the cable box.
Still, that left me frustrated. We only had a standard Series 2 TiVo, and so weren't able to record any shows using the higher quality video/audio cables because of the captioning issue. When we upgraded to the TiVo HD DVR, I was delighted to find that the TiVo box was capable of displaying captions for standard and digital video. So now, captioning is turned off on the TV, and we rely on TiVo, unless we're watching a DVD that has captions but no subtitles. Frankly, I prefer TiVo's captions, so that's really a bonus. You have more choices as to foreground and background color, so if for some odd reason you like magenta text, you can have magenta captions. At first I thought we were stepping forward only to be knocked backwards. Think of it: upgrade to HD, and lose captions? Huh?
I don't know why the TV itself can't translate/handle captions on component or HDMI inputs; I only know that it can't, and to reiterate, what I found online is that this appears to be common amongst HD TVs, and not specific to this model.
If I'm wrong, I'd appreciate someone correcting me by way of Amazon's comment feature.
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Very Happy.....with one exception
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| Review Date: August 22, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Sheryl, Olympia, WA |
After much research, shopping, etc....we purchased this TV from Amazon at a fantastic price and are more than satisfied with the television itself. Our only complaint is with the shipping company (Eagle Global). Naturally we were excited and anxious once we ordered, so we began using the Amazon tracking feature frequently to see exactly where our TV was each day. Unfortunately, because of this, we could see that our television was in the the warehouse just a few miles away from us for almost a week before my husband called Eagle himself to set up a delivery time....5 days later!
So...if you order this television from Amazon...expect a great TV but don't be expect it to arrive at the projected delivery date. Still...for that price, it was worth the wait. I'm just being impatient, hmm? ;) |
Perfect For My Xbox 360 And HD DVD Player.
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| Review Date: September 7, 2007 |
| Reviewer: J. Winchester, Wildwood, MO United States |
I bought this TV with one thing in mind, my Xbox 360. I wanted: HDMI, 1080p, and a Widescreen TV. I got all that and more.
I've had the TV for about a week now, and I have to say the difference between this TV and even my 6 year old HDTV is like night and day. The picture on this TV is so bright and so sharp it's amazing. My gaming and movies look better than ever before, even my girlfriend who could careless about "HD" now hates to watch anything on our "standard def" TV in the bedroom.
For being a 50" DLP I was expecting this unit to be much deeper than it is, I guess "UltraSlim" in the title should have prepared me but it didn't. It's so thin, I could see some people hanging on the wall! Not only is it thin, but light as well, at only 62lbs I could (but I didn't) move it all by myself.
Overall, I am super happy with this TV. I bought it at BestBuy, and since BestBuy will beat any competitors price (Brick and mortar store mind you) plus 10% I've already saved $230 dollars in a week because Circuit City had it cheaper. Even better is the fact that BestBuy's price guarantee is good up to 60 days, so I still have 50 more days to wait for BestBuy or someone else to drop the price so I can save even more money.
My only negative thing to say is blacks are a little grainy... I was watching 300 on HD DVD, and that is when I first noticed it. So I tested it, it shows up on all HD DVD's that I watched, not on any games though... I have yet to thoroughly calibrate the TV, so it might just be due to default settings... Who knows.
Anyway, my only regret is not spending a couple more hundred dollars and get the 54", but I had to draw the line somewhere... |
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