Customer Reviews

Samsung LN32A450 32-Inch 720p LCD HDTV

5 star:		(285)
4 star:		(65)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(35)

 

 

Pros: Outstanding, crisp HD picture; excllent color contrast; solid response time
Cons: Slight pixelation with poor quality SD signal

"After doing a huge amount of research, I finally settled on this set. I was actually interested in the slightly lower-priced Toshiba Regza, but every store in my area was out. While shopping around, I noticed that this Samsung in particular seemed to have a top-notch picture. Finally I decided to take the plunge 3 days ago, and I have not been disappointed at all. In the past I have had several issues with LCD TVs, which is why I had been hesitating up to now. I know these issues are on many people's minds, and so I will address each one:
.
Motion Response
-----
First, and most important, is response time with fast motion. I am driven absolutely nuts if the TV can't "hold" the motion (that is, if the image smears, or fractures, when high speed elements are zooming across the screen). The element you are looking for in an LCD monitor that tells you about this is "response time", and you want something 8ms or below. I believe this TV is 6ms (the specs say this on Sammy's website, but several stores have it listed as 8ms). In any case, this TV "holds" the motion of even fast images extremely well. In the store, it held motion best of all comparably priced models, including the Sony Bravias around $1k, and the Sharps around the same price. When I got it home, I tested it out with Star Wars ep. 1 and the battle sequence from Narnia. Both looked outstanding using a regular DVD player with HDMI upconvert to 720p. You will not see ghosting issues with high def images.
.
Color and contrast
------------
Color fidelity and contrast are also important to me, and LCDs have been known to have issues producing deep blacks and bright whites. This is not a problem for this set. It produces excellent color, and did so right out of the box with the factory pre-sets. I have not had to fiddle with it at all. I did try switching to "Cinema" mode, which has some nice characteristics, but even without that, everything looked amazing.
.
Standard Def rendition
----------
Another major issue with LCDTVs and monitors is that anything not displayed at the native resolution tends to look blurred or "fractured". I was very concerned about this because I have lots of old DVDs of shows like Seinfeld and the Simpsons, which I know were never broadcast in HD. Also many TV stations have not yet made the switch (though most have). Here the TV was about as good as I have seen, though it is not perfect. The good news is that upconverted SD sources like the Seinfeld DVDs look excellent -- every bit as good as on a regular TV, if not better. The bad news is that your VHS tapes are going to look blurry and pixelated on a set like this. I don't have a lot of VHS tapes left, and so this isn't a huge deal. Regular SD sources with this set vary in quality. For example, the SD version of Animal Planet had a special on the other night that almost looked HD. At the same time, flip channels to CNN, and it looks terrible. I suspect this is the broadcast quality and NOT the set... otherwise all channels would look awful in SD. So when you get a nice SD source being broadcast, it looks fine.
.
I would highly recommend this set. After connecting my HD cable box today and watching things like CSI:Miami, Vegas, and Miss Congeniality, all in widescreen HD, I can say that I am totally blown away by this set's HD performance. I don't think you'll be able to find a better HD TV set for the price."

Good image quality watching local HDTV stations, DVD movies and video games. This 32" LCD HDTV has 3 HDMI inputs, S video, composite video in, component video in and optical audio out.

The HDTV is easy to set up, with an automated feature that finds all the HDTV channels on air or your local cable. The black levels and contrast are quite good. This screen features 720P progressive scan.

The remote and menu software are well designed, so that you don't have to go too deep into the menu to adjust settings. The prices in Atlanta area ranged from $800 at Fryes Electronics to $712 at HH Gregg. Prices online appear to range from $700 to $1000.

Since the Samsung 400 series was launched in March 2008 this is quite a range of prices. The Samsung 4 series is intended as Samsung's value line, compared to the more upmarket Samsung 5 series. However, this monitor seems to have better picture quality than some of the other 32" LCD TV's we reviewed in the $800-900 range. This price and quality makes the Samsung 4 series a good value for the dollar.

Bought this model a few days ago from H&H Gregg for $807 "on sale." Not clear why they would be discounting a model that just came out this month by $92 off list price when last year's model was still selling for more than that, since the new model boasts better technical specs in several important respects.

Bought Samsung because many reviews indicated Samsung was worth the extra money in picture quality over cheaper 32" models. The picture is excellent. The documentation is good as far as it goes. However, there are a myriad of picture controls that are probably great for the afficianado, but bewildering to any neophyte. Unfortunately, the documentation doesn't give you any real insight into when you would want to deviate significantly from the default settings. You just have to keep experiementing until you find what you like. There are several "automatic" settings that supposedly make adjustments to the picture based on the input source and material, but frankly I couldn't tell whether and how this was working.

Likewise, there is a special feature that is supposed to enhance picture quality to the highest level (precisely how is a little unclear), but that feature may be toggled on or off, and is available in only the "dynamic" mode, not the "regular" or "movie" mode. Again, why this is so is not in any way explained in the manual.

Nevertheless, the picture if excellent under most conditions and probably just a little tweaking of the default settings is sufficient most of the time. I did notice a little shadowing in the action scenes from a PBS drama. There was also some weird flickering in an HD broadcast of an NHL hockey game, perhaps because the white ice is on the screen so much of the time. This did not occur in any of the other sporting events - NCAA basketball, golf, NASCAR etc - all of which looked awesome.

On this model, the speakers are hidden below the picture and the sound quality is a bit weak. But then for any sound that matters much to you, output can be sent to your external speaker system.

Set up was easy. The set looks great, so much sharper than the clunky CRT set that it replaced. Only problem was that the first effort to automatically detect local over the air HD stations failed to find a couple, which turned up on a second try. The "Favorite" channel designation feature is a nice way to focus on the few stations you may want to consistently view.

First of all I'd like to say that Amazon provides absolutely spectacular service.
I ordered this TV late on Thursday night and was already watching it on Monday. Amazing Amazon! The delivery company that they've used was CEVA, and I'd like to say "thank you" for the stellar and courteous service.

This TV is truly a gem. Number and variety of connections is very versatile and conveniently located. PC connection and USB port is a cherry on top. Picture is magnificent right out of the box, gorgeous deep blacks. Color accuracy is commanding, as well as video processing.
I was also pleasantly surprised by its performance on Standard Definition channels.

Remote control is feature rich and among other things has a hot key for 4 available aspect ratios.
I am very impressed with the speakers (which you can hardly see) that produce very respectable and clear sound.

Initial setup is a breeze, no need for late night TV Manual reading, just turn the TV on and follow simple screens.

TV and the tabletop mount come separately. Putting it together takes under 10 minutes, you'll need a long thin philips screwdriver and 4 provided screws. The single leg mount is very slick and easily swivels side to side.
For wall mounting - the back of the TV is a standard VESA 200x200mm, so it is compatible with a vast majority of mounts.
So far I am very impressed and would recommend both the product and the seller (Amazon) to anyone.
Thank you!

The Samsung LN32A450 delivers on its promises of brightness, color depth and accuracy, wide viewing angles, flexible connection options, and more. When you read the manual, and look through the setup screens, you'll find an amazing range of adjustments to the picture quality, operation, and features that should suit any application or personal taste.

I chose this model instead of the entry-level LN32A330, which has lower contrast and speed specs, and fewer connection options, but costs nearly as much (at the current Amazon price, anyway). What a great decision this has turned out to be.

I'll get to the viewing experience, but I have to comment on the Amazon "white glove" delivery via CEVA logistics, because I felt it was a big unknown factor when I ordered. Well, it was relatively painless to schedule -- and like other reviewers, the package moved much faster than originally predicted. On the appointed day, the delivery guy came to our home, carried the box inside, unpacked it and set it up. He'd have done all the work of hooking it up, if I had let him. Wow.

Speaking of hooking it up, I am very glad to have 3 HDMI inputs, since I've already got two of them in use and may want expansion options in the future. It has a full range of connection options on the side of the set, as well as the main bank of connectors on the back panel. I've already found the side connectors handy for plugging in a camcorder, etc.

You can connect legacy devices via regular RCA or S-video jacks, or even by the coax connector (whose main purpose would be for a cable box or over-the-air antenna). Other reviewers here have discussed the over-air reception of regular or HDTV; I haven't tried it yet.

I have an upconverting DVD player that puts out 720p from a conventional DVD, and when hooked up to this set, with a widescreen movie, the result is fantastic. Watching HD channels on cable TV is good -- I'm still getting over the "Wow" effect after upgrading from an old TV, so I'm slowly becoming pickier. But not about the TV.

My concern now is whether the cable signal is really giving me everything the set can handle. There are motion artifacts on cable TV shows that I do *not* see from DVDs, for example, which is why I blame the signal source, and not this set.

I have to say, the built-in speakers are pretty wimpy compared to our old TV, but it's not enough of a factor, for my purposes, to take off points for that. I generally watch movies through the stereo, and for regular TV shows the internal speakers are adequate. The set can feed other devices through audio-out connectors, including external amplifiers and speakers. This is just one more example of the amazing connectivity of this set.

Thanks to Amazon's 30-day price guarantee, I'm pretty sure that I could not have bought this elsewhere for less money, and certainly not with the level of confidence and customer support that I get here.

One last issue that is often overlooked. This TV comes with a one-year warranty on everything, not just parts. On the 32-inch model, the service is *in your home*, not carry-in. And if you use the right credit card, you can double that warranty to two full years. Many/most competing TV sets do not offer that kind of confidence in their products.

The engineering and picture quality on this is amazing. Quite Frankly, however, Samsung has the worst customer service I have ever witnessed. The base of the unit was broken upon arrival. Samsung informed me that they don't cover any physical defects, even though it was boxed at the Manufacturer and the box was defective. They were rude and obnoxious to me on the phone.

The seller through Amazon replaced the TV for me, thankfully. The TV is really a great device, but if you are bothered by rude corporate beaurocracy when it comes to customer service, buy something else.

I purchased this TV and when it was delivered, set it up, plugged it in, and it didn't work. Contacted Amazon, who informed me that since their delivery service had not performed the 'White Glove' set up for me, I was not entitled to a replacement. I now got to deal with Samsung, whose policy is to repair. 1 month after purchase, I finally received my TV back from the repair company. Samsung states they have 21 business days to repair your set - and their policy is to repair, NOT replace a defective set. The repair service said I had a faulty power supply - that's why the set would not even turn on. Hope the next 11 months of my warranty are better.

We bought this to replace our 27", 20 year old, 125 lb Sony in our bedroom. While the Sony still had great color, we have just purchased a bedroom wall unit with an "entertainment top" that needed a television that was around 33" wide and not very deep, not to mention the desire to upgrade to HD.

The first joy is the Samsung weighs less than 40 pounds in its packing box, about the same as the cat litter I haul home. Out of the box it's under 30 lbs and very easy to move around. The stand was easy to put on and holds the unit very stable.

Per the performance, absolutely agree with the descriptions in the other reviews (We've hooked it up to a DirecTV HD DVR via an HDMI cable). Great viewing and since we are less than 10' away from the screen 720p is fine. One of the advantages of the 450 series (32" and 37") over the 330 when it comes to the entertainment center is the speakers on the 330 are on the sides of the monitor and make the unit wider. The 450 has the speaker under the unit. We could have gone for the 37" in the entertainment unit, but since this is a secondary TV and the 32" was on sale (Best Buy for $750) we went smaller.

Great little television (our primary unit is a 56" Samsumg 1080p), especially where space is a consideration.

I bought this Samsung LN32A450 32" TV about 2 weeks ago or a bit more after some researching of several sets. I'd been eyeing LCD TV's for several months now once we knew of the tax rebates. I was replacing an old Mitsubishi 26" CRT TV that was purchased new in 1986, making it 22 years old that I got from family friends a bit over 4 years ago to put in the living room for it was larger than my Toshiba 20" set I bought new in 1996. The Mitsubishi had issues with discolorations in 2 corners and the remote sensor I think had stopped working for even a universal remote eventually got to where it would not work with it at all. So, the time had come to do something about it and that's where the Samsung comes in.

Just for the record, I still have my 20" set as it's been the bedroom set the past 4 years and is still very much fine. May well get a digital tuner box for it soon, but definitely in time for the changeover next Feb.

First of all, I ordered the Samsung via the white glove service here on Amazon and have to say that I had a very good experience with CEVA, their shipping contractor. The set came on time, (well, it actually arrived 15 minutes later than they said they'd be here, but in my mind, close enough) and in good condition and works very well with little to no pixel defects that I've noticed.

Setting it up is really simple. When you open the box, you first of all have to lay it down to do so, right side up to unpack it and the first thing you will notice is the bottom side of the base, carefully lift it out and turn it right side up onto the surface you are placing the set onto (that's assuming you won't be hanging it), in one of the Styrofoam packing ends, you will see a black plastic collar, that goes onto the neck of the stand - and only in one direction, snap it into place, there is a bag with screws, 2 kinds and a mount. Slip the mount into the base per instructions and use 3 pointed screws, provided to secure it, then remove the rest of the parts, that includes the instruction manual, the remote and all that and remove the top parts of the Styrofoam packing and then carefully lift out the main unit and carefully take it out of it's bag. Notice on the bottom a rectangular opening, that's to slip over the mount, carefully place the TV on that mount and use the 4 blunt end screws, also provided to secure it and the set is assembled. Plug in the power cord and your a/v cables and antenna/cable/satellite and voila, you are ready to go.

The first thing I noticed upon firing the set up is that it's much brighter than my old set ever could be in large part due to it's age. CRT's will dim over time due to age and the guns inside getting weaker from use. The next thing I noticed was how easy it is to setup to accept channels, adjust audio and video without really having to consult the manual first. The remote for this set isn't the most fancy for it isn't universal, nor back lit, but is very nicely designed and comfortable to hold and to use. Overall, it's a fairly intuitive set to figure out and when I was researching sets, I had gone into Circuit City to check Samsung and other brands out to see how they work, how I liked the menu system, the feature sets Vs price, image quality etc and further research revealed that the Samsungs have had a very good reliability history, second only to the Panasonic and from further research and reviews lead me to note it's image quality and my tryouts in the store were no different, true, the store is not the best place to do this, but it can give you an idea of what you are getting though. Ultimately, it came down to the Samsung 3 series or the 4 series and ultimately, I chose the 4 series over the 3 for it had the extra connectors on the side of the set, the 3 does not, I liked it's overall trim profile w/ the speakers mounted on the bottom, facing down, rather than on the sides, facing forward. Also, if this set were to become a secondary set where the built in speakers may be needed, the 4 series was a bit clearer despite not being as loud as the 3 series due in large part to the speaker's placement. Plus, the 4 series had a plethora of connections, both composite, component and digital DVI/HDMI and has a USB service port, geared strictly for updating firmware when necessary by downloading the updates to a thumb drive, along with the optical audio for home theater.

Currently, the set gets it's material from a non up converting SD Panasonic DVD recorder and a VCR connected to it (for dubbing primarily to DVD) and over the air digital broadcasts. My analog channels don't come in well at all, in fact, are virtually unusable (and have never been that great to begin with) and I am amazed at the quality of the image on this set, the colors are brighter, livelier, SD images tend to be clearer when the source is very clean, be it over the air or DVD. Now I realize that not all movies are meant to have a crisp clear look so I do take that into consideration when viewing material. However, this set does exacerbate the grainy tendency of some films shot on grainy film stock and there really isn't much you can do, but to try and minimize it some so it's not so obvious. "Tales of the City" is one good example of this, shot to film, but for TV in the early 1990's so it's all SD material and even on the old TV, I could detect the grainy film, especially in dark interior or night scenes. Otherwise, in brightly lit scenes, details become more apparent than ever before with the Samsung.

One thing to note, in the information pane at the upper left when you call it up, all DVD sources are shown as 720x480. Don't know if it's being up converted by the TV or not and I am running the component cable w/ the deck set at 480P (progressive scan) and widescreen and I do think it helps to have the DVD player output progressive scan whenever possible and when sources are clean and crisp, it really shows up nicely.

VHS is VHS and no matter what, it'll always look so, so though it might be a touch crisper with this set. For programs originally shot on video tape will often look reasonably good, given the condition/quality of the original source and of course, its age. The older the material, the less the lines of resolution in general so bear that in mind, but overall, from what I've been able to see, it fairs quite well overall even though the set can render more than what the source can provide so one will see the flaws, such as they are where they exist.

Overall, I really love this set for it renders details like nothing I've had before, dust from the cells during original production in a fully restored Looney Tunes cartoon now really show up and I've noted it quite well on the old set so consider it a part and parcel of the cartoons themselves. Well restored cartoons really do look fantastic on this set. When viewing HD sources, you can REALLY see the details like the imperfections of an actor's skin for example, or the texture of an insect shot in macro mode on a nature program, just stunning.

If there is one potential con, and that is the blacks, out of the box are too deep, so much so that you get no details at all. Navy blue, black, dark brown, charcoal all look the same so some tweaking is necessary to render those colors enough to tell what they actually are and in some cases, I could not discern the lapels of a dark suit and barely could see a button of the suit jacket, tweaked, the suit was actually dark gray.

That is a testament to how good Samsung has got the blacks on this set, perhaps a bit too good IMO. And it's this deep, deep blacks are what allow the colors to just pop but without being garish. Avoid the dynamic setting; it WILL render your image in a garish manner color wise, but your blacks will look great. One thing I would suggest is get a calibration DVD and set the set up that way for I think you may get a much better color and etc for YOUR viewing situation, rather than the presets Samsung gives you and they can be used as a reference, but with the wide choice of settings available for adjusting your picture manually, why not take advantage of that and this set does offer the blue only setting, which is necessary when using color bars on a calibration disc and that will ensure color accuracy amongst other things.

Overall, I'm very pleased with this set for its ease of use and setup and for its superb image quality and for it's breadth of features for the price.

Like many other reviews of this set, I did a lot of research on 32" HDTV's and was convinced that the Samsung was the way to go. I am happy to report that I am thrilled with my first HDTV. The picture is spectacular and it is very easy to do the tweaking you would like to do, although the preset picture is lovely in and of itself. One of the sources I looked at wondered if using an HDMI cable improved the picture and sound. For me it did, but don't spend a lot of money on the cable as the experts say it is not worth it.

I could not believe how terrific the nature shows look in high definition. Also when watching a baseball game, you can really see the ball a lot better.

My set was delivered by a contactor for CEVA logistics which is the shipping company Amazon apparently uses for HD tv's. I was initially told that the shipping would be delayed about 7 days, but then was contacted by a representative from CEVA only three days after I ordered the set. They told me they could deliver it the next day. I was well pleased by their service.

It is a bit of a shock paying this much for a TV, but it sure is a nice one. I think you would be well pleased with this gen from Samsung.Samsung LN32A450 32-inch 720p LCD HDTV