Customer Reviews

Samsung LN-S4095D 40-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV

5 star:		(101)
4 star:		(43)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Ordered this TV from Amazon on Sunday night October 22. It was delivered on Thursday, October 26. It came direct from Amazon and had free shipping. It's strange, sometimes Amazon has it, and sometimes it's available from a 3rd party. In any event, I paid $1,999 with free shipping. The delivery was prompt and arrived in excellent condition.

My son works with ESPN as a Technical Director and he helped me select the TV. He's a technical whiz at this stuff. We visited several stores and looked at various makes. He was trying to steer me to a DLP but I didn't like the narrow viewing angle and it would not have suited my room. I originally wanted a 42" plasma but discovered I had to stick to a 40" since my TV room is somewhat small. We finally narrowed it down to Toshiba, Sony, & Panasonic. Because I needed a 40", I had to go to an LCD or the Panny 37" plasma, which to me was too small.

Not sorry I went LCD. I has no screen glare or burn-in problems, although I understand the plasmas now have the burn-in under control. And, it seems I sacrificed nothing as far as the picture quality goes. We finally chose the Samsung. The Samsungs have it over the other TV's in the same price range both for features and picture quality. We were almost going to get the LN-S4092D, but then we saw this model which has 1080p capability. While not being used now, it is a feature for the future. Also, look for a unit with dual HDMI inputs. You may not need both now, but you will like it later.

When you go into a store, first thing is to tone down the TV's you're looking at. They have them cranked up to max contrast & brightness. Usually the sets will have a "movie" viewing mode. Change it to that. If they don't have that, cut the contrast and brightness to at least 60-75%, the sharpness to 10% or less, and the color temp to a "warm" setting. That will tone it down to a good level tha will allow you to see the TV's real capabilities. Then, have the salesman put a real SD signal through it. Not a pre-recorded looped signal that splits the screen HD/SD. On some of those they exagerate the SD bluriness to make the HD look better.

This Samsung has a great SD picture. Yes, it's not HD, but it's very acceptable and not much worse than my old CRT TV. The HD picture is fabulous. I am in NJ and we have Comcast Digital cable with a DVR. I was watching the World Series last night and when they had a close up of the pitcher, you could count his wiskers. The side-to-side viewing fades a little when you get too far, but it's not real noticable and who watches from that extreme angle anyway? The swivel stand helps.

The sound is good TV sound. It's not home-theater quality, but it's good. It has a built-in graphic equalizer so you can customize the sound you like. The other thing that I liked about this TV is the limited surround. It made the overall size a little smaller than the other 40" units which helped me out considerably as I mentioned earlier. And the gloss "piano black" gives it a classy look. Nicer than the silver. I didn't give it a 5 rating, because I just got it, and to me nothing is perfect. There is always room for improvement. But, I love it. A great choice.

I've had this HDTV for about two weeks and I love it. I toured various retailers looking at many models before I decided on this unit. To me it looked better than any other model than perhaps one higher-priced (by +$600) top of the line Sony which looked marginally better.

HD programming looks absolutely fantastic especially since I also got a Comcast HD DVR hooked up as well. Broadcast TV looks very good although occasionally certain ads, programs or channels may have more noise (relative to either bandwidth set by digital cable company or original video source settings). Interestingly, the one or two noisy channels (I believe the fault lies with the cable company, not this TV) look better if I switch my input from HDMI to the pass-through coaxial input--this gives a slight fuzz to the image, but largely gets rid of the noise.

Having worked with/ dealt with/ numerous plasma screens over the last 4 years at work, I am wary of claims that they have overcome burn-in issues. The models we bought last year showed significant burn-in from 5 minute video loops (after about 50 hours of pre-conditioning play of non-repeating video) in just a couple of weeks. While video loops are way worse than any normal viewing, I do play games that will have a speedometer, etc. on the screen for hours, so . . . LCD was the way for me.


Coudn't be happier with the TV, my wife is wowed and my 6 year old said it was like we were sitting next to the helicopter pilot during a Discovery HD program.

The price has fallen about $300 since I purchased the unit--so it's a real deal now. I used Amazon for shipping and, other than it taking a few weeks to wind its way here (saved $$), it arrived on schedule, undamadged and was quickly unpacked and set in place by their delivery crew. I had already run my cables and removed the old TV so in literally 5 minutes after they arrived (and I did a quick pixel check, etc.) they were on their way, along with the packing materials.

I'm totally happy with this marvelous device so far, but two tiny things and these may be common to other units but they aren't things that show up on the showroom floor: switching video sources is fairly quick, but it takes a second or two to tune in the HDMI source (maybe it has to wind up signal processing?) and it takes about 5 seconds from when you turn the TV on until it actually comes on (I turned off the little chime that lets you know its doing something)--but I think the in-laws got confused and kept turning it on and off before it finished.

I purchased this TV via Amazon a week or so ago and the purchase was made through Electronics Expo. All dealings with the purchase and delivery went smoothly.

I was originally planning to purchase the 46", but believe me, these TV's look smaller in the stores than they will in your home. I'm wholeheartedly happy with the size of this TV and glad I made the choice to buy the 40".

You wouldn't believe the picture on this TV. It's just as beautiful as it looks in the stores.

If you're not a huge sports fan, watching football on this TV will convert you! Any kind of sports are unbelievable because the TV's picture is so striking.

I agree with the last reviewer that the lacquer finish is disappointing, not necessarily because of the bling-bling effect (I do live in Atlanta after all ;)), but because it dulls the blacks that the TV produces a bit. Strangely enough, I never noticed that while I was researching which TV to purchase.

Some reviewers have mentioned that this TV makes a clicking noise when it's searching for sources. Mine does in fact do that, but it only lasts for a couple of seconds where two or three clicks will occur. This does not bother me at all, because honestly, I can only hear it if the rest of the house is quiet and the TV volume is turned very low. I wouldn't let that stop you from making a purchase.

As with any other expensive TV, I'd recommend purchasing the right cables for the best picture quality and also investing in an up-convert DVD player if you're avoiding the Blu-Ray/HD-DVD debacle as I am. That way you can enjoy your new TV and movies until the prices on the true HD DVD players come down.

Bottom line: I recommend this TV 100% if you're looking to purchase an LCD TV rather than a plasma as I was. The TV interface is also very sleek and user-friendly. A great option for you if you're in the market for a 1080p LCD TV!

This TV is equipped with a powerful LCD panel that allows you to exploit the full potential of a HD-DVD player. As a video professional I worked with different LCD monitors over the years. Both my wife and I are very happy with the purchase. The picture quality on this TV when it is displaying a HD-DVD movie in 1080p is unbelievable. Although I've seen 1080p movies almost everyday for work, I am still blown away and has become absessive to this TV like a kid.

I've read a lot of HDTV reviews on amazon and I do not agree with some of the opinions. Here's my thoughts:

1. 1080p vs 720p. If you're buying a TV greater than 37, get a 1080p. The next generation DVDs compression standards are optimized for 1080p. Bear in mind that 1920x1080 has 2.5 times the pixels of a 1280x720 TV, which makes a big difference on a big screen.

2. Many people seem to be confusing video compression quality with a TV's quality. Most of the artifacts we saw on standard definition TV (blocking, ringing, contouring, etc.) comes from the fact that the video signal is heavily compressed. A good monitor will let you see a lot more details than an inferior monitor and as a result, the compression artifact will be more visible. Therefore, it doesn't make a lot of sense to make a purchase decision by just looking at TVs in-store side-by-side. A worse visual quality does not necessarily mean a worse TV.

3. Another factor one should consider is that each TV comes with a lot of tuning options. The Circuit City guy told me they use the out-of-box setting for each TV. Since TVs from different manufacturers have different presets, you're bound to see different qualities. Comparing TV A and B, you may think you like the skin tones better on the more expensive TV A. However, maybe all you need is tune the color on B a little and you may find they look almost the same.

That said, I think a fair way to compare TVs is to have them hooked up to HD-DVD or BlueRay players -- these are the devices that can give you the best video quality nowadays, tune each monitor to make sure that you can't do any better, and then compare them. This may be difficult to do in many stores. So do your research before you go to a store. For those who consider standard definition quality important, do not forget that you can tune your TV. With a good TV, you can always lower the settings (brightness, constrast ratio, etc) to hide video compression artifacts.

On this particular TV, the Samsung 4095D comes with "Dynamic", "Standard", "Movie", "Custom" settings. Personally I think "Dynamic" gives you the sharpest picture, but i wouldn't recommend it for HD TV broadcasting that is in 720p or 1080i. You will be able to see color smears and blockings caused by video compression. "Movie" has lower contrast ratio but it does a real good job in imitating film's look and feel and hiding compression artifacts, which is what I use when watch HD movie channels. Plus it's easy on the eyes when watching TV at night.
When I hooked up the TV with an xbox 360 with HD-DVD drive and put in "Serenity", the picture is absolutely flawless. You can use "Dynamic" setting with HD-DVD movies and you will not be able to see any artifacts no matter how close you're to the TV. That's the beauty of 1080p TV and HD-DVD.

I'm mostly happy with my purchase but I was disappointed to discover that the built in cable tuner is not capable of decoding QAM signals. The TV's display of analog signals is not any better than a standard TV, nor would I expect it to be.

Without a QAM tuner, you will not be able to plug in your cable wire to the tv and expect any digital channels. You will be forced to rent the cable box (or buy it) from the cable provider and pay extra (usually) for the HD channels. Just when I thought I understood all the tecno-jargon that is dizzying with HDTVs, I missed this one crucial detail.

So if you're trying to avoid the extra cable costs here's a breakdown:

ATSC Tuner: Over the air digital TV, capable of transmiting HDTV broadcasts, FREE and available in most markets. This TV does have this tuner. In the Boston area there are about 13 stations you can get for free with a decent UHF antenna.

Analog Cable Tuner: The basic cable spectrum that you can watch on any TV without a cable box and with standard quality (i.e. not so great), NO HD or DIGITAL. This TV has this tuner built in.

Digital Cable Tuner (also called Clear QAM): The free, *required* by LAW signal that the cable company sends down the same cable wire, unscrambled. The channels are digital, HD capable, and do not require a set top box. THIS TV DOES NOT HAVE THIS TUNER.

If you plan on getting the HD cable box from your cable company, then none of what I've said above is of any importance to you. You'll still get your full HD experience. The box will be required for premium channels (HBO, Showtime, etc) and Pay-per-view.

So yes, it's a fantastic TV, it's just missing one little piece (for me). I'm a little surprised since cheaper HDTVs have this tuner built in. My only other gripe so far is that the remote control it comes with is a little sluggish on the uptake. It takes a while to change channels and I find that the signal often doesn't get picked up by the TV. Maybe the batteries I got were weak.

Before choosing the Samsung LN-S4095, I did tons of research and viewing in the stores. It came down between the Samsung and the Sony KDL-40XBR2 and the Panasonic TH-42PX600U. I eliminated the Panasonic because I didn't want to deal with an extended "break-in" period of a couple hundred hours and the possibility of burn-in later. The picture of the Sony appeared a little sharper and a little pushed to the red, both I believe to be artifacts of artificial edge enhancement and color preference on Sony's part. The Samsung's picture seemed more natural and true to life to my eye. Further, a big plus is that the SD channels look very good on the Samsung compared to just barely average on the Sony and until HD becomes universal, SD will be an annoying fact of life. Personal preference: I very much favor the piano-black finish of the Samsung and the thin screen surround compared to the glitzy glass edging of the Sony. Then there's the unmistakable price advantage also. Thus far, the Samsung has been everything I expected. The only "negative" is average-sounding TV speakers. BTW, the 4095 is almost identical to the 4096.

These reviews were a big help to me when I was researching my purchase, so I wanted to join the chorus of praise for the 4095. I've had my set for two weeks now, and am delighted with it - I firmly believe the 4095 offers the best value for a high-quality 1080p LCD. The picture quality is amazing with a good source - I've never been much of a nature show fan, but now I find myself an avid fan of the Discovery Channel and its incredible nature specials. I'm watching basketball for the first time in years, transfixed by the rich colors and dazzling details. Yet I was also surprised by how good standard-definition television looks on this set. Well-produced SD shows such as Survivor look great - just as good if not better than on my previous three-year-old Philips SDTV. And for those of you who have delved deep into the world of HD-forum research: no signs at all of "cloudiness" or any of the other picture problems found on some LCDs. Also, the difference between the 4095 and the 4096 is essentially the ability to use a cable card. I use a HD DVR box from the cable company, so this feature would have been useless to me; if you plan to do the same, save the couple hundred bucks and get the 4095 - you won't be missing out on anything.

As others have mentioned, the only "con" would be the sound quality. The lack of visible speakers make the display look sleek, modern, and classy in its "piano black" frame; but the sound suffers for it - hollow and at times tinny. Of course, a TV of this quality deserves a good surround sound system, so I've already begun researching my next big purchase! In sum, I HIGHLY recommend the Samsung 4095 - beautiful design, amazing picture, and a far better value than comparable sets.

Got this TV yesterday and so far so VERY GOOD! I have RCN Digitial with HD package. I usually watch only Hi-Def channels but tried this machine on non Hi-Def last night (Monk on USA Network) and it was awesome... This is an outstanding machine... setup was a snap... the swivel feature allows for easy access to cable ports in addition to viewing flexibility...
I highly recommend this TV, I have been researching the 1080p category for some time and knowing the industry I decided to buy either Samsung or Sony... Sony's look great but are way overpriced especially given the fact that the HDTV revolution is being led by Samsung, LG and Philips... with Sony using Samsung technology... logical conclusion why overpay for Sony when it's a Samsung product labeled Sony...
Highly Recommended... Amazon.com rocks with great service and great prices...

PURCHASE. I purchased the Samsung LN-S4095D 40" 1080p LCD HDTV during the holiday season for 100.00 less than today's price with the free supersaver shipping. The product was delivered 2 weeks later via regional carrier to my front door. I had them unpack (remove box) and plugged the unit into a power source to check for obvious damage. All seemed well and I signed the shipping document and off they went. You will be provided tracking information to track your purchase.

PREPARATION. I did my research prior to purchasing and went to the local cable provider (Comcast) in preparation for the arrival of the new set. I upgraded to digital cable, released the High Definition (HD) signal (9.95 per month for the HD signal and Digital Video Recorder)(DVR/Cable Box). I have signal!

UPGRADES. I went to the local Best Buy and struggled with the purchase of two High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) cables (99.00 each). I also upgraded my DVD player to a Samsung DVD/R-135 Recorder with HDMI connections. Now all we need is the LCD HDTV! Obviously, the connections via HDMI were a breeze. The Samsung has two HDMI ports. Connect one end of the LCD HDTV HDMI connection and the other end to the DVR/Cable box, and the same for the DVD player. I also attached a Monster Power surge protector that protects the inline cable connection from the wall to the Monster surge protector and then to the DVR/Cable box to receive the signal. All Monster cable connectors are 24 KT gold plated, hence the cost.

PICTURE. The Samsung LN-S4095D displays an amazing picture under HD broadcast! The Late Show with David Letterman is amazing! Sporting events, your favorite shows, anything broadcast in HD is absolutely great.

LESSONS LEARNED. HDTV requires many moving parts to get the picture you are expecting. Digital cable is not HDTV. You must pay for your Cable Company or Satellite provider to release the signal to your house or use the old fashion antenna. I can't tell you about that route. The Samsung LN-S4095D has a built in up converter and will convert all incoming signals to the highest possible resolution to better your viewing experience. I agree with the black shading comments. However, you will notice this on analog and digital signals and hardly ever notice with a true HD broadcast. There are not many HD channels out there today! Yes, they are coming, but don't expect your favorite show to be in HD.
In closing, I'm pleased with the Samsung LN-S4095D performance and price.

WOW...if I could only use one word for this hdtv this is it! We had this installed for us since it was going on the wall and was glad we did have it done by professional installers after we saw what all goes into doing it. I had shopped around for a couple of months to see the hdtv's in person and searched online for info and found the Samsung LCD hdtv's on display always looked great in any of the stores. In fact many of the stores were using Samsung hdtv's to display other devices. To me that there was already a hint they think the Samsung shows off the other devices like blu ray players and playstation3 the best. This particular Samsung hdtv gives you alot of "bang for the bucks" when comparing other brands features. We were glad we didn't go any smaller than the 40 inch for our living room set up and weren't too eager to pay $1,000 more for a 46 inch LCD Samsung just to get 6 more inches in size. Our antenna for the regular tv worked well picking up the local hd signals. We did go buy a new one since the old one was missing some tines and a wild tree has grown around it. Once we put in a new regular tv outdoor antenna we found a few more hd stations the old antenna didn't pick up. You don't need a hd antenna to get your local tv stations and the local hd stations, the regular antennas do pick them all up and look great. What amazed me is how much better our regular dvd movies look on this tv, it actually enhaunces them. I love the fact we can adjust the closed caption on the hd channels to the font style, font color, font size and background color that looks the best as I am nearly completly deaf and use CC all the time. For me the red font with black background is best and oddly for my husband he sees the green font with black background best.
I found a Z-Line hdtv stand that matched this particular Samsung perfectly as its black glass and the same color metal in the legs. Even though the box says its for up to a 36 inch hdtv it fits perfectly with this Samsung as the stand is 43 inches wide. I had seen it at Circuit City with this very same Samsung sitting on it, thats how I knew it was perfect for it and a great price to boot! This way too if we ever wanted to move the hdtv off the wall and into another room we have this stand it can be placed on top of. Since the hdtv is on the wall now we are using it to hold our surround sound unit and speakers, dvd/vhs player and cassette player and looks like there is room for a ps3 to sit on top of one of the units.
Another hint, to get blu ray for your hdtv you'd be better off buying a ps3 than a blu ray player alone since you get a game player, blu ray player, cd music player, dvd movie player all in one with a ps3 cheaper!

I'm very happy with this hdtv!