Customer Reviews

Samsung LN32B540P TV.LCD.720p.3HDMI.USB.PC

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've had this TV for about 3-4 months and have been nothing but happy with it. This was my first HD TV and was happy with what I saw, it's great for watching movies and also a good TV to play video games on. The knock I have on this TV is the stock speakers it comes with, there just not that great, but there not horrorifyingly bad etheir. I just hooked up some PC speakers to them and sounds great, I used the headphone jack on the back of it. I read that other guys review and I don't understand how you can ignore a great picture and price over something as little as a time zone issue, which has not happend to me. But whatever some people get more fused over differnet things then others I guess.

Over all I'd highly recommend this TV to anyone that's on a budget but'd still like a great looking TV.

I bought a Samsung 46" LCD TV last year and loved the picture quality, so this year when I looked to purchase a computer monitor I decided to check out Samsung again. Finally I settled for this unit (Samsung LN32B540 32" 720p HDTV) at COSTCO for below $400 this past Thanksgiving weekend after I spent some time comparing its picture quality and price to similar products at both local COSTCO and Sam's Club as well as in Amazon.com.

Now I use this unit as both HDTV and my laptop's extra monitor. The setup is really easy, and the auto time setting was indeed wrong as others stated here (it's an hour faster), but the problem is easily fixed by using "manual" time setting. I didn't notice this issue until I read about it here...

After trying a few different video modes within Windows Control Panel, Display Settings, I was able to manually set the optimal resolution at 1360x768, and the text clarity, color, and size are just perfect. The 32" size is big enough for me as both a HDTV and computer monitor in my home office. With one click on the remote I can switch the "Source" between "TV" and "PC"; I can move windows freely between my laptop screen and this unit with a mouse, which really helps my productivity when I work with multiple EXCEL files and web pages.

Picture quality is not the best, but decent, when watching web TVs/videos, Netflix online movies, or DVDs using my laptop (my laptop has only a regular VGA video output). But for less than $400 I couldn't ask for more.

This unit fits my home office needs almost perfectly at a very reasonable price. I couldn't be happier for this purchase and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a two-in-one LCD TV and computer monitor combo!

I got this TV less than 6 months ago. Luckily for me I was still under warranty. One year with Samsung and an additional year with Costco. One minute I had picture and sound, the next only sound. The Samsung technician agreed immediately it was an issue and told me I had to ship to their repair center in New Jersey. I still had the box so shipping was not a big deal. If I had not kept the box, it would have been very inconvenient.

I don't know if this is true but I read that the Samsung LCD HDTV has a well know problem of faulty video board which causes the picture to go out. I was planning on purchasing another Samsung TV but I'll probably go with a Sony instead.

When it came time to replace the finally failing 27 yr old Sony in the bedroom,I looked of course back at Sony and others.After much research, I settled on Samsung,Panasonic, and Sony 32" sets.Each time I viewed the sets, the Panasonic and Samsung were the two favs. Side by side, the Samsung blew the Panasonic off the shelf with better blacks( though I'm sure the Panny plasmas would have been better) and color accruracy.Other purchase pushers were the better jack pack on the Samsung, more attractive design(love the clear/red lower panel) and it swivels on the stand.The set up was super easy and the reward has been hours of great picture.

I've used this set for about 3 weeks now and done some really critical viewing with SD/HD cable as well as DVD playback. I have been very impressed with the picture quailty of the higher def sources and especially the 720 and 1080 pictures.Yeah I know it's not really 1080 but watching NBC or CBS shows over the ABC(720) is an impressive difference.The picture simply pops with detail and color that is astounding. The DVD playback has also been a revelation and the blacks are I think rivaling the 36" XBR Sony in the home theater.The depth of field is no doubt better. The STD def TV is fine and simply reminds one how much the source does matter.That would be why I just purchased a DVR to finally retire the VCR and then I can use the HDMI connections. The most obvious weakness of this set(along with most flat screens) has to be the weak sound quailty which I knew about and was OK for the bedroom( also connected it to a stereo for movies).

What I would change are a few ergonomic issues. The remote feels great but is neither backlit or programmable ,real pain in a darkened bedroom.Going to another source cannot be directly accessed with one button but only thru a menu.The same is true for the sleep timer, a multibutton trek thru a menu, again not dark bedroom friendly.Oddly, while I love the turn on/off tone(reminds me of my Apple booting up), I wish I could lower it's volume so the set coming on doesn't disturb the sleeping partner.

Overall, I am very very happy with this first non Sony TV in the house and will look forward to another Samsung if this gives equally great service.

Since I don't do a lot of TV watching (except football), I didn't want to spend a lot of money on a TV, and since I do most of my TV watching in a small room, 32" was plenty big for me. I have had great luck with my other Samsung HDTV, so I had no qualms about buying another one.

I just got this, so I can't comment on the longevity of the unit, but the picture quality is excellent. It only took a few seconds to set up, since all I needed to do was plug in the HDMI cable, put the batteries in the remote, and turn it on. No adjustments were needed. When I take the time to see what adjustments I can make, I will likely be even more pleased. The sound is good, but not great. However, when I hook it up to my stereo, it sounds awesome.

I have owned this for about a year now. Unfortunately, this particular model is not made anymore. Samsung is replacing it with the LN32C540. That being said, this is a good LCDTV for anyone new to the HD field to start out with. I'm sure the next 540 will be as well. Despite being only 720p, the picture (using a Sony upconversion DVD player [DVP-NS710H] and a Media Bridge HDMI cable) is amazingly crisp thanks to the customized picture settings I've done. Samsung is known for their sharp, clear, vibrant picture quality and this series 5 isn't any different. What blows my mind is that this is only on a DVD player which upconverts to near HD. If I had a Blu-Ray player, I imagine it would be even better, not to mention the Blu-Ray quality.

Features are nice, as there's plenty of aforementioned picture setting choices, you can adjust everything from the standard sharpness and tint to the white balances. Sound adjustment options are piled fairly high, allowing for a truly customized experience. Considering these are TV speakers (and are mounted underneath the set, downfiring) the sound is decent. The amount of source hookups is delightful. 3 HDMI (with one on the side), two component, two A/V (one on the side), one PC and audio outlets for a home theater system. Plenty of means for entertainment. I have my old PS2 hooked up through component (A/V was blurry though not intolerable, but I still wanted a better picture) and while there's some ghosting and it can get a pixelish, it's pretty good. Much better than you can expect from an almost ten year old console viewing on a one year old, flat panel television. There's a USB plug too, allowing for software updates from the Samsung site. My only gripe about the set is how switching between sources is structured. There aren't buttons for each one, which is understandable since there's so many. You have to press the Source button on the remote until you reach the one you want. Tedious, but not torturous. It helps train me on having patience too.

Aesthetics are top notch. Samsung knows how to make an HDTV look great, as this was has their trademark piano black finish and the Touch of Color on the transparent bar underneath with the attractive red line. An overall great set. My next one will be a Samsung.

I have owned this TV for about 2 years now and if it is still available, don't hesitate to buy it. I have it in my bedroom and at first it seemed a little big for my room, but I now just LOVE it. I read reviews about the speakers not being good...must have been an isolated case....MY SPEAKERS get very loud....there is no way I could leave them on the highest level and the quality is very nice. Picture is great. I have another Samsung 23" and love both. The SWIVEL on the 32" is very nice and because my TV is in a TV cabinet, having the swivel comes in handy when I want to plug something into it because there is not a lot of room on each side between the tv and cabinet. I have actually used the swivel feature SEVERAL times. It has connections on the side which are great too. Wish I could get another one like this for the same price I paid at Costco two years ago!!

This is overall a 5 star review. Set picture and sound quality exceeded expectations. However, I deducted 1 due to the initial appearance of the set. Yes yes, it is refurbished, but I didn't expect it to arrive looking... well "used". There were scuff lines running around the edges of the set that I was able to gently scrub away (mostly. Of course, there were left over sticker -pieces- that I had to very carefully scrape off without scratching and adhesive residue on the back that was semi-easily removed with goo gone.

Aside from aesthetic flaws, the television has functioned like new so far and totally 1ups most of the sets I've seen on display at the many department stores I've scoured during my initial search for a HDtv.

Compared to what Sony, LG and Sharp offer, the Samsung LN32B540 32" 720p HDTV is a hair better when it comes to picture and sound quality, features and overall design. The features this unit has are amazing (when they work). Things like 6-12 hours advanced TV-Guide "type" listings, detailed program description, earphone output, fast channel switching and "turn-on".

But...as they say, nothing is perfect. Two negative things found in this unit are (1) a confusing warranty, and (2) defective time/time zone settings.

(1) The box the LN32B540 comes packed in has printed on both front and back panels and one of the side panels, the following warranty statement: "1 year In-Home Service Warranty that Includes Parts & Labor". HOWEVER, the warranty card included in the sealed envelope which also contains the User Manual states: "1 year "CARRY-IN" warranty service.

(2)In addition, this LN32B540 model (and reportedly other Samsung models including Plasma) have the following problem. After selecting your time-zone (ie: Pacific Daylight Time (PDT), then entering the MM/DD/YYYY and setting the time, aLL times displayed when you press the "INFO" button on the remote are WRONG (except the date/time shown next to MM/DD/YYYY in upper left corner.)

In addition, setting the system as directed, ALSO gives incorrect times in the advanced program feature when pushing "CHLIST" and "RIGHT >" on remote. This error also prevents use of the "TIMED CHANNEL SWITCHING" function. (Appears Samsung's software engineers "goofed" when compiling the firmware, or possibly the clock in their lab was wrong :) )

With a quick fix of these problems, this HDTV could earn a 4 Star rating. (However, from their past performance, it's doubtful Samsung plans to improve their product support, which IMHO carries a -5 stars rating.)

Before you buy ANY Samsung product .....check their support blog at CNET for buyer problems and how Samsung is handling (or NOT handling) them.