Great Picture and Sound - Port Selection was interesting

This is a new model (out March 2009) and is the just released 'B' version of the popular judging by the many reviews samsung 'A' version 32 inch TV. I wanted a TV with an excellent value for a 32 inch TV with a good 720p picture and sound. The picture is actually fantastic and looks good on the standard setting and really stunning at the dynamic setting (if the room is light enough) and in the store looked slightly better then Sony Bravia S-Series KDL-32S5100 32-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV Black even though that TV is a 1080p one. I did a visual comparison of the two for a while in the store becuase I was trying to justify going 1080p but couldnt since this picture seemed better even at 720p. If I could I would have gone for the Sony BRAVIA XBR KDL-32XBR9 32-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV which looked the best though for a 32 inch overall.



720p vs 1080p:

I couldn't understand why a 1080p TV would make a difference with this size of TV since I sit about nine feet away and at that distance I don't think you could tell - at least the PC input is small enough and sharp enough that I can read web pages comfortably from my couch but if it were any smaller it would be too small/detailed. I dont think I would use more than 720p detail unless I wanted to see more web page content on the screen and planned to sit about 4 feet away. The TV has exactly the same resolution asToshiba Satellite U305-S2804 13.3-inch Laptop (Intel Core 2 Duo T5450 Processor 2 GB RAM 160 GB Hard Drive Vista Premium) which is what I plugged into the PC input and looks identical to that screen. Also most Hi Def inputs to my TV aren't more than 720p anyway. I think one over the air station is 1080i.



Standard DEF Input Handling:

For 480i or standard def inputs at a non wide screen resolution such as those from my cable box it handles it extremely well. However I have a digital cable box (verizon QIP6416-2) with an HMDI component svideo and RCA even though the signal I get is only standard def. I didn't want to use up an HDMI port on the TV so I tried connecting the component but the color didn't work. This is an issue with the cable box not the TV. I had to use the HDMI in the end since there was no s-video (a small negative for this TV) and didnt want to use the RCA. On the plus side this TV has a great setting called wide fit/move that slightly streaches and zooms a 4/3 picture to fit the 16/9 widescreen. The move comes into play if you have channel that has scrolling text that becomes cut off at the bottom so you can nudge the picture up a bit (which chops off the top more but you need to make a comprimose somewhere).



Shines with HD inputs:

When I hooked the component connections up to an HD upscaling DVD player Samsung DVD-HD860 Up-Converting DVD Playerthough that worked perfectly with the component connection. My beloved Roku Roku Digital Video Player box is using the 2nd HDMI connector which looks great and the over the air antenna CLEARSTREAM2 Antenna brings in over the air free HD on about 20 HD channels. All the HD sources (laptop antenna roku upscaling DVD) really shine. Sound is good and I don't feel I need to get add on home theater sound since I dont turn the TV up loud. I guess an extra HDMI connection would have been nice especially since there was no S-video but I still give the TV 5 stars as it is a new model and is thus forward looking.More detail ...

Great little TV

I was tasked with getting a small TV to put in my parents' kitchen. After reading lots of online reviews and looking at some sets in local stores I finally decided to take the leap with this unit even though there were complaints of sound quality and small viewing angles. I have several friends with larger Samsung LCDs and they all have been very satisfied so I trusted the brand.



I'm rather glad I did. This TV now sits on a counter between the main kitchen and the dining area and while it's obviously not as clear from every angle as it is straight on its horizontal viewing angle is at least as good as other LCDs I've seen and better than many. We don't really test the vertical viewing angle much since it's waist to chest height but it seemed acceptable to me when I sat on the ground in front of it.



I was only marginally concerned about the sound since they have the option of passing the audio through to the kitchen zone of their distributed audio system but the speakers hold up well for what they are. Don't expect the same sound that comes out of the sound bar of a 42-62" TV since these speakers are appreciably smaller but they fill the fairly large kitchen/dining area just fine. Don't know if I got a great unit or it's just quieter in our place than other reviewers' but I don't see us having to turn it up much higher than 60 out of 100.



Can't really comment on the overall picture quality as they're just running standard definition to it at this point but the colors are great.



Very much recommend this model to anyone looking for a small basic set.



Pros

- Good colors

- Easy to set up

- Price: got it for $221 shipped during a special



Cons

- Muting the sound on the unit doesn't mute the pass-through sound signal



Neutral

- Sound isn't as good as larger TVs but this is to be expected with smaller speakers.More detail ...

Excellent TV

Bottom line this TV is currently ranked the 3rd best 32inch TV according to consumer reports only behind the much more costly Samsungs but ahead of the more costly Sonys. Tier one brand great price buy with confidence.



My TV situation: stood in the corner of formal living room designed not to dominate room used a few hours a day.

My TV viewing: general TV casual films (no gaming or surround sound serious cinema).

My TV source: digital antenna/OTA/ATSC (no cable or sat) via Tivo HD plus Netflix and Amazon video on demand.



I was shopping to replace my old 27inch CRT TV and a 32inch LCD is a perfect size for that. There is a bewildering choice out there. In a big box store I honestly could not tell the difference between the many manufacturers. Reading user reviews on line was ultimately a waste of time as someone always has a complaint or some unique need or set up.



I made my choice for this TV because of 1) the excellent professional reviews by consumer reports 2) brand quality reputation 3) great amazon price 4) clean case design 5) good number of inputs.



The picture by the way is excellent without modifications bright clear viewing angle is not an issue.



Considerations: I technically probably didn't need a 1080p TV 720p would have been fine as most TV signals are that and I would not see the benefit at my viewing distance at 10+ ft but this TV gives me flexibility to use with higher quality sources like HD downloads gaming consoles or as a PC monitor in future. This 1080p model was also not much more expensive than a 720p model.



I wasn't sold on on the added cost for 120Hz for my needs: 120Hz does not seem to matter for TV signals only 24fps movies and if you're into serious cinema you're probably not looking at 32inch :-)



Sound on this TV like most 32inch TVs is from 2x10w speakers and is absolutely fine for a living room and casual viewing I have not had to go above 50/100 on the volume level.More detail ...

Knockout TV set



We replaced an 18 year old 27" CRT set with this one and it's a beauty. I am a TV news cameraman with thirty years in the business so I look at a lot of high end monitors at work.

When I went to the store I didn't expect to get a great set in this size and frankly 720P didn't excite me much either.

After looking at top tier sets from Sony LG Samsung Toshiba and Mitsubishi I ended up on the Panasonic.

I was shocked at how good all the upper tier sets looked but the Panasonic seemed to have a little better detail down in the blacks and seemed to track highly detailed scenes with less digital noise than the others but it was close accross the board.

The off air ATSC tuner is excellent and the set has all the inputs you could reasonably need. I do not intend to plug in an iPod so that wasn't a factor in my choice.

My DVD player is older and does not pass audio through the HDMI output so I connected it to the set via the component outs and I feel no need at all to upgrade to a BlueRay player. At this size this is a wonderful combination.

My general feeling is that if you watch a lot of HDTV that is live or tape such as sports then Panasonic flat screens just seem to pull a little more quality out of the signal. For movies it is more of a level playing field.

This is pretty subjective but it's how I see it.

It's amazing how far your money goes in this stuff anymore.More detail ...

Making a case for LG; amazing tv.

LG does'nt get enough praise.



Just bought this TV for the sake of it being an IPS panel and for its apparent adjustability (and also 1080p). Plus this tv is so easy to calibrate; the 'picture wizard' is extremely helpful.



The amount of menu options is jaw-dropping as is the style of the set. The LH40 model looks neat with the plastic square along the bottom of the panel but I like the more minimalist look of the LH30 and I do not like the 120hz or the $100 price jump of the LH40.



I made a comparison to my sony 32M4000 (which I have now given to my father) and there are some interesting differences (many are polar opposites):



-The sound is far superior on the LG.



-Black levels are very close sony's is a bit deeper and maintains black colors better at angles.



-The whiteness of whites is slightly better on the sony but colors and mid tones definitely have more of a 'punchy' factor on the LG.



-Color is amazing; rich and saturated; best ive seen on any LCD period.



-Color does not wash out at all from different angles only very dark colors and black tend to become discolored (blue or red depending on the angle).



-Of course there are far far fewer picture options on the sony.



-My sony has a ghosting problem with dark colors not so on the LG; motion blur and lag is also reduced too.



-OTA HD channels look decent enough not as sharp as the sony but the better color makes up for it imo.



What was the main factor that made me get this LG?..its S-IPS panel.



Samsung is an excellent maker of lcds but I steered clear of them this time as buying a tv from them is like playing the lottery. They use 3 different panels with differing levels of color and contrast quality; you are not essentially getting what you pay for:



You may get Samsung's own S-PVA panel the best quality (if you're lucky).



An A-MVA panel from Taiwan's AUO (a notch worse than S-PVA).



Chinese company Chi Mei's S-MVA panel (worst of the three).



Panasonics IPS Alpha panels are decent but on some panels dark colors appear far too blue from different angles.



That narrows it down to LG's S-IPS panel; its color saturation vividness and response time are worth the slight sacrifice in contrast and black depth (at least in my opinion).



This tv is not perfect however; I spotted 3 dead pixels right out of the box (2 bright 1 dark) right around the middle of the screen. They are practically invisible without being a foot from the screen and looking hard for them however.



Viewing angles demonstrate some darkening of the picture but its not too bothersome (swivel stand helps).



No other flaws I can think of at the moment I recommend this tv!



My calibration settings use color adjustments from cnet.com along with some of my own tweaks try them out!





Picture menu:

Aspect ratio: Just Size

Energy Saving: Off

Picture Mode: Expert 2

Backlight: 60

Contrast: 88

Brightness: 58

H Sharpness: 60

V Sharpness: 60

Color: 50

Tint: 0



--Expert control menu

Dynamic contrast: Off

Noise reduction: Off

Gamma: Medium

Black level: Low

Real Cinema: On [grayed out]

Color Standard: HD [grayed out]

Color Gamut: Wide

Edge Enhancer: Off

xvYCC: Auto [grayed out]

OPC: Off

Expert Pattern: Off[grayed out]

Color Filter: Off



White balance: Medium

Method: 10 point IRE

Pattern: Outer

IRE: [see below]

Luminance: 137 (100 Luminance only 90 through 10 are preset)



-- 10 point IRE calibration

IRE: [Red Green Blue results respectively for each IRE point]

100 [-8 1 -40]

90 [-13 -5 -40]

80 [-20 -12 -40]

70 [-17 -14 -33]

60 [-17 -12 -31]

50 [-17 -13 -26]

40 [-13 -12 -19]

30 [-6 -4 -8]

20 [-6 -4 -10]

10 [2 3 -1]



Color management system

Red color: 2

Red tint: 0

Green color: -1

Green tint: -7

Blue color: 2

Blue tint: 7

Yellow color: 0

Yellow tint: 1

Cyan color: 0

Cyan tint: 0

Magenta color: 0

Magenta tint: -2

More detail ...