Customer Reviews

Samsung LN-R328W 32-Inch Widescreen HDTV-Ready Flat-Panel LCD TV

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I purchased the Samsung 32 inch widescreen LDC HDTV monitor from Circuit City last year and have been using it daily. Overall I am very satisfied with the purchase. I use it to watch Television and DVDs, and play Xbox on. Here's the quick version of who I think this TV is good for: this HDTV is a good choice for someone who wants to watch regular and High definition televisions, DVDs, and/or play Xbox. It is best watched from about 3 - 7 feet away from the screen. Good for when one or two people want to watch. Its built-in speakers are rather weak, so you really need to supplement it with a sound system. This is a good choice for viewers concerned more with crisper/sharper images than with overall size of the picture. I live in an apartment, so this was great for me. Also, I previously owned a larger HDTV and found that I prefer playing games on this 32 inch HDTV. Larger televisions can stretch the game?s image out and actually make it look worse. This 32 inch is really good for someone who plays games by themselves.

This system is not ideal for anyone who wants to sit farther than 7 feet away. It is not the best choice for a main family TV because you have to sit closer and the viewing angle is not as good as a larger TV or a plasma TV. (My parents have a Plasma and the viewing angle on their TV is better than my LCD.) You really need to be in front or at a slight angle to view it. Looking at a 45 degree angle or more will cause some eye strain and doesn't look right. It is not a good choice if you want to do a lot of split-screen multiplayer gaming because the split images would be too small.

May I offer a small piece of advice? Picture quality is only as good as the source you plug into your TV. I cannot stress this enough. HDTV's have a certain native resolution (a fixed resolution), this Samsung HDTV having 760 vertical lines approximately. If the source coming into you HDTV is at a lower resolution than the HDTV, the HDTV will up-convert the picture to the HDTV?s native resolution. Thus, regular television shows that are broadcast at lower resolutions (like 400-something vertical lines), will be shown on your TV with at 760 vertical lines (the native resolution of the TV). This may make the image better or worse (because the HDTV can magnify the picture's imperfections). So, what is my advice? If you?re gonna get an HDTV, make sure you also get a High Definition cable box. And get a DVD player that can display images at higher resolutions (often times called progressive scan DVD players) like 720p or 1080i. If you cannot afford these input devices, then you are wasting you money buying an HDTV in the first place.

I spent hours researching, and focused on the lineup of the 32 inch HDTV monitors. I narrowed my choices to four: the Panasonic, the Sony, the Sharp Aquos, and the Samsung. All had positive reviews and had pros and cons to each. At the store, I could not notice a significant difference in picture quality between these 4, and all offer the same native resolution. So, I chose Samsung because I had owned Samsungs previously. The other TV?s seem like fine choices as well. And I know someone who owns the 32? Sharp and he feels the same way. So it seems to me that picture quality is not really the deciding factor here between different brands of 32 inch LDC HDTV?s. In my opinion, your deciding factor should be based more on inputs and function.

For Inputs: all HDTV?s offer a good amount of the old inputs (like Composite inputs, and S-video), so look to the number of high definition (component, DVI-D, or HDMI) inputs to help you decide. HDMI is a pure digital input and seems to be the wave of the future for high definition devices. So, IMO, having an HDTV with HDMI is important. (I think the Sharp HDTV may have two HDMI inputs, but the Samsung has only one.) And having two (or preferably more) component video inputs is very important. Many devices you will plug into your HDTV will use the component plugs, and you don?t want to be stuck with only one component input to your TV. This Samsung HDTV offers 3 inputs for High definition: two component inputs, and one HDMI. I wish it had more, but it seems to be enough for most people. For me, I plug the cable box and Xbox in with component and my DVD player in with HDMI. Plan ahead what devices you want to plug in and what connections you will use.

For features: this Samsung HDTV has good features overall. It makes the TV very user friendly. It allows you to fine-tune all aspects of the picture. This can be tricky. But, it also has several preset modes to pick a good all-around picture for you. The TV also has a brightness sensor and can adjust the picture?s brightness for you dynamically, to match the amount of light in your room. It also has a dynamic contrast setting where the TV will automatically pick what it thinks is the best contrast. You can also save your picture settings to a ?Custom? mode, which can be recalled at any time. The TV will remember the last picture ratio that you have it set on (widescreen 16:9, normal 4:3, panorama, or zoomed) for each input and will automatically display that ratio when you turn the TV back on or cycle back to that input. Very handy since I view my Xbox in 4:3 mode but my television in 16:9 mode. Also, when tapping the ?Source? button on your remote, the TV will only cycle though the inputs that have plugs in them (except the ?Air? input from the coaxle cable jack will always be in the cycle). Please note that the TV?s picture-in-picture feature allows you to watch video from two different SOURCES, not two different television stations. To get picture-in-picture with two different stations, your cable box will need to support that feature.

The overall picture (when using a high definition source) on this Samsung is very crisp and detailed. It takes a while to play around with the picture settings to get what you like. Although I can adjust the brightness, contrast, and color qualities to make the picture look relatively ?bright?, I cannot achieve the overall ?vibrance? or ?brilliance? that my parent?s plasma TV can give. There?s tradeoff here. LCDs can display a higher resolution (more horizontal lines) than plasma, but Plasmas gives a slightly more ?brilliant? picture.

Normal TV looks either equal to or slightly better than viewing it on a regular definition television. It will take a bit of getting used to, if you haven?t watched regular television on an LDC. Only the high definition channels and your DVD player will provide dramatically improved images.

The Sound features are just as nice as the picture ones. You can select from different preset sound presentations or use the equalizer to fine tune. The nice feature of this Samsung is that the speakers are along the bottom of the TV and thus don?t add width to the television itself. But this is all a mood point because the internal speakers are rather weak and the sound quality is only mediocre. Internal speakers on all 32 inch HDTVs are gonna be weak. Only the larger HDTVs will have quality internal speakers. You?re really gonna need a sound system to supplement your 32 inch HDTV. And yes, there is an option to turn off the internal speakers if you have a sound system. There is also a sterio output to plug your TV?s sound into a receiver.

The Samsung LN-R238W HDTV has a good feature set, with a wide range of inputs and outputs for connection to home theater, and it doubles as a computer monitor if you connect a standard VGA cable. But there are a few misssing pieces. HDTV uses a 16:9 forwat, and standard TV uses 4:3. When you change from a channel broadcasting in HDTV to standard TV, the TV doesn't change sense the format automatically, so you have to make the change in screen format manually, using the remote control. To do that, you have to go through a couple of levels of the on-screen menu, instead of being able to simply press a button on the remote to toggle through the format choices. That's not good design. But... the quality of HDTV broadcasts is outstanding -- Wow! Quality from standard digital cables varies from good to only so-so, probably because some digital channels are really just analog output converted to digital. That will be less of an issue in the future as more broadcasters go to HD. The manual is well-written with good illustrations and setup is easy. Because the speakers are at the bottom, the set is relatively narrow for a 32" model, so it fits into a tighter space than competing models like Sharp and Sony. (Panasonic has a 32" model that's like the Samsung in this regard.) Despite the missing button on the remote, this set is a good value and the HD picture is every bit as spectacular as it's advertised to be.

I've had this television for approximately one week and from the moment I opened the box I've been happy with it. To begin, I will admit that I was a bit concerned about purchasing an LCD television online due to the multitude of things that could go wrong. But the price was right and avoiding paying sales tax on something this expensive isn't trivial.

So I ordered it and a week layer the delivery folks brought the TV in. Because the box looked a bit dinged up I decided not to sign until I observed that the television was functioning properly. Setup took no more than five minutes and everything checked out ok. I have to comment on Amazon's "special packing" - it doesn't exist. Unless by special packing materials they mean the box that Samsung sends the TV in...which I don't think they do. But everything checked out ok so no worries.

I'm quite impressed with Samsung's LCD screens - not a single dead pixel on the screen which was a huge sigh of relief. The picture itself is beautiful. I've found myself noticing fine details such a stray hair on an actors head that I've never been able to see before. I watched the re-mastered version of The Wizard of Oz on an upconverting DVD player (with a twenty dollar HDMI cable...don't get suckered into buying a hundred dollar cable) and I can safely say that it was like watching it for the first time - the color, resolution, and utter beauty were amazing. Moreover, I see no evidence of image blurring in high speed DVD's (Both Mr. and Mrs. Smith looked amazing).

I actually think the sound is nearly perfect without an additional sound system - but I can see why it would be nice to have a few additional speakers in a larger room.

The remote layout, menu functions, etc. have all been very straightforward.

The screen contrast is great and I especially enjoy the auto contrast feature that senses the amount of light in the room and adjusts the screen contrast to the most ideal settings. Very nice.

But the real reason why the Samsung beats the 32" Sharp is the multitude of inputs on the Samsung. Specifically, a PC in without going through the pain of switching from DVI to HDMI and then losing the only HDMI on the TV. Sharp loses big time on this one.

In the end it's a great TV and I got it at a great price. If you're in the market for a LCD TV Samsung should be at the top.

Having worked for a few days with this product, I am very impressed so far. I want to highlight its special quality -- its dedicated 15 pin VGA input. I am typing this on the screen itself from about six feet away, having enjoyed very much its utility as a very clear, crisp computer monitor for the past day after purchasing a high quality svga cable. For those of you who enjoy multimedia, this product's dedicated computer input will allow you through PIP to surf the net while watching television, or just as a computer monitor for all of your computer functions.

I have not had an LCD before so have no basis for comparison. But the picture is quite clear and the colors very pleasing for the television. It compared favorably to the two dozen or so other televisons, including CRT, LCD, DLP, that I compared it to at various stores. There are multiple viewing options and plenty of controls to tweak to taste.

I was concerned that the size was a little too small for our medium-sized den, but find it fllls the room nicely. Between this and a larger television, such as a rear projection at about the same price, we decided on this model because we anticipate that the interplay between computer and television will increase over time. For example, we are now able to download films from online services and watch on screen without ever leaving the couch. More than one person can surf the web together. Digital photograph files are easily displayed, etc., etc.

I'd like a few more high quality input options, but it has a number consistent with other models in this price range -- AND the dedigated VGA input, which I understand is superior to such things as s video inputs. Again, excellent television AND an excellent and very large computer monitor.

I purchased this hdtv after a lot of research of a few major brands. I have owned it for around 6 months and I still can't help but grin everytime I see the picture quality when I play a dvd. I have this hooked up to a Bose 321 system and it works great. Decent priced, high quality picture and sound. I couldn't be happier. The gave this tv 4 stars only because I wish the controls were a little more user friendly. You have to burough down pretty deep into the menu to get to some commonly used features. A customized quick start kind of menu would have been nice. All in all, I love this tv, and I suggest anyone willing to pay a bit more for quality but without breaking the bank do the same.

I picked this TV up a few days ago and am very pleased with it.

I recommend the first thing you do once you get this set is to optimize the picture, which will be helped greatly with the use of the THX optimizer found on many DVD's such as Signs, Finding Nemo, or Star Wars DVD's. Also, make sure the auto brightness and auto contrast settings are disabled. The picture out of the box can be pretty bad on non-hd cable TV channels and quite disappointing on some DVD's.

Also, make sure you enable progressive scan on your DVD player.

For the new XBOX 360, this set is incredible. Apparently, this is the TV Microsoft uses to demonstrate the new console.

This set beats other brands at the similar pricepoint. One thing that makes a difference is that it supports HDMI and has 2 component inputs, plus VGA input.

I just bought this last week and am very pleased with the product. Others have covered that ground.

I was concerned because Amazon sourced this through OneCall and am apprehensive about using other Internet vendors. No need to worry. OneCall answered my questions professionally. They delivered it 3 days from order date. The Samsung box was packed in another with padding. I've never had a better Internet experience. Bring on the bowl games!

I had originaly gone the cheap route buying a Westinghouse 27" LCD. I was so dissapointed by the terrible black levels that I was ready to give up on LCD's altoghether. Then I came across this gem from Samsung. I hooked it up and after adjusting the picture and sound to my taste was blown away. The black levels are fantastic on this set. I use the dynamic mode on picture with dynamic contrast and the blacks are just that...black. The sound is also very good on this set if you understand how to set the levels. I maxed out the bass and adjusted everything through the equalizer and menus. The sound is very good for an LCD type display. I am thrilled with this set and know now not to go with something just because its cheaper. You can find very good deals on this LCD just shop around. Buy online to avoid the in state sales tax. Enjoy.

This TV is fantastic: great picture and great esthetics. The black boarder and silver stand make it look as though it's just hanging there in space. Amazingly, the brightness & vividness of the display put our 6-month old laptop to shame as it looks so dull & lackluster in comparison.

Sound quality is OK for a small room, you shouldn't expect big rumbling bass sounds out of these small speakers, but the SRS processing does deliver a noticeable stereo image.

My only gripe: it's a pity that the stand doesn't rotate allowing you to angle the screen from left to right depending on where you're sitting on the sofa! :o)

I would definitely highly recommend this LCD TV, and the price is nice.

I bought this TV in January 2006 after months and months of looking and comparing. Bottomline is this LCD is truly awesome as a computer monitor; I use UXGA cable to connect to my tower and at 1360x768 it looks better then HDTV. When I play Madden 06 I feel like I'm in the game because lets face it, A great graphics card blows away any console.

For DVD movies it is great just hooking up through component but if you buy one of those new Samsung HDMI DVD Players that look real sexy with the TV (I'm talking about the HD860, HD960, and HD1080) then you get some awesome quality at 720p or 1080i.

PS2 needs to be hooked up through component or it looks really bad but with component its pretty sweet. In GTA you can CLEARLY read the health and all that stuff in the corner. When PS3 comes out with HDMI, now thats gonna be freakin awesome.

Now for just watching television, you have to get one of those high def cable boxes with an HDMI output because lets face it, if you hook it up from the wall to the TV, it looks like crap. That s the same on all flat-panel so if you're gonna get one, get the darn HDMI or at least component cable box. As for the speakers, there not bad, just standard quality, if you need blasting sound buy the BOSE or something for a thousand bucks but for me, the regular speakers are more then fine.

In the end this TV is awesome, blows away anything else out there. The only thing I would do if I was buying one right now is I would wait for the new Samsung LCDs to come out with Dual HDMIs because in a few years everything is gonna need HDMI so I wish I had gotten one of those but at the time I just couldn't wait.