Customer Reviews

Samsung LN46A630 46-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV with Red Touch of Color

5 star:		(100)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

Background:
After doing extensive research across the board, I ended up deciding I would probably like the Samsung A650 series. I went into BB to try and take a look for myself, the Full Gloss screen threw reflections all over the place, and bothered me quite a bit.

Now take the guts of the A650 and put it into the same package, with a semi-matte screen. Now you have a killer combination that looks amazing on the eyes.

Don't take my word for it, More Reviews:
-Consumer Reports loves Samsung LCD's, which are ranked #1

-Go to http://www.avsforum.com/ , check out the Forums->LCD, you can waste your life on this site, I'd say go for the Pro reviews of the A650, and you'll see why people love this TV

-Check out the reviews for the A650's here on amazon, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001413D94/

-Cnet's review of the A650, you will notice the only drawbacks they listed were "relatively expensive" amazon helps here, and "shiny screen reflects ambient room lighting" and the A630's semi-matte screen works to solve that issue, http://reviews.cnet.com/flat-panel-tvs/samsung-ln52a650/4505-6482_7-32887597.html?tag=mncol;lst


Recommendation:
I'm very happy with the TV: the back light is even across the TV, the blacks are crisp, picture quality can't be beat, the 120hz+auto motion result in smooth images and the semi-matte screen doesn't act like a mirror for the room like the A650's do. Finally, the surrounding frame is leaner and not nearly as noticeable as the A650s.

Highly recommended. 5 Stars.

After reading reviews in Cnet and Consumer Reports, and feedback from owners on the AVS board, I knew I wanted to get a Samsung LCD. But which one? The 550, 630 and 650 are all highly rated, and all fell within my price range.

I first looked at the 550. Great TV and the lowest price. The picture quality was top-notch, but it did not have the 120hz technology and Samsung's smoothing system (called AMP) to reduce motion judder. In side-by-side viewing, I could see a difference in the picture with those features, and, since the price difference was not much, decided to move up to the 6-series.

Keep in mind that 120hz and AMP are two different things. You can turn AMP off (or set it to low, medium or high); you can't turn off 120hz unless you are in game mode. I like AMP set at low -- to my eye, that improves the picture without making it too smooth and video-like.

Both the 650 and 630 are fantastic TVs, and either one would be a great choice. The major difference between the two is the glassiness of the screen - the 650 has a high gloss screen; the 630 has a matte screen (basically the same as the 550, but with a tiny bit more gloss). I have a very bright living room with lots of windows. The 650 acted like a mirror, reflecting everything to the point of being seriously distracting -- you can see yourself in the screen in dark scenes. The 630 was the perfect compromise -- better quality picture than the 550, but far less gloss than the 650.

The advantage of the glossy screen is that it give more "pop" and saturation to the picture. Colors are deeper, blacks are richer, and the overall picture quality is a bit better. If I was using the TV in a darker environment (such as a basement), I'd go for the 650. But given the brightness of the room, the 630 was (for me) the better choice.

I've been told the sound quality in the 6-series is a bit better than the 5-series. That was not an issue for me since I turn off the TV speakers and run the sound through a receiver. If you plan on using the TV speakers you may want to listen to both sets to see if you hear a difference.

Very pleased with the set so far. You need to do a bit of tweaking to get the picture perfect, but the menus make it easy to do so. You can find configuration setups on several boards that will help point you in the right direction.

Other pluses of the 630 are the more muted Touch of Red in the bezel. I'm not a big fan of the red color, so having it less visible is a plus. Very nice remote with easy to find buttons.

I'm using the set with a Denon 1909 receiver, an Oppo 983H DVD player, and KEF 3000 series speakers. Everything works great together and I'm continually wowed by how great it looks and sounds.

I have been watching LCD prices for 2 years. 40 inch LCDs have been dropping $50 per month for the last 6 months and it seems to have reached a plateau and may drop only $25 a month for the next 6 months. 46 inch has been dropping $100 per month the past 6 months and will drop $50 to $70 per month for the next 6 months. With the recession, they may still drop $100 per month.

I just bought this one, but i recommend waiting 6 more months if 46 inch is "your size" because losing $50 to $70 per month is a lot just to have a bigger TV. Samsung and Sony are the best LCDs and this is (was?) the best price on a 46 inch Samsung and is as good as any other 46 inch LCD Samsung makes, but $800 less. The "better" 46 inch Samsungs are thinner, a little better contrast ("brighter"), about 8% less weight, and have something called "infolink" that brings in active content like sports scores and stock prices. The 60% increase in price for the other 46 inch Samsungs is too much difference for too little improvement. They will come down in price $100 per month until getting to this price. This 630 model is a smaller number than the 850 or 950, but the 630 is only 2 months old.

This 630 model is a "matte" screen. It's for our den where there is a lot of light everywhere, so i prefer the 630 matte. The 650 is a "glossy" screen which means it can be more of stunning contrast and sharpness, but with possibly more reflection off the screen.

This at $1370 is the lowest price on the internet right now, 10/6/2008 with free shipping and no tax. Circuit city is selling it for $1700 plus tax. Some are saying that the economic downturn is causing prices to drop faster than expected. I expect this model to be $1000 in less than 6 months. February might be the time to get a 46 inch LCD if that's the size and type of TV you've been waiting for.

I have turned off the Auto-Motion Plus 120 Hz feature because it makes it look like I'm watching a 50 Hz BBC program. I have "fast" eyes and i can see the flicker when there is movement due to the greater sharpness that Auto-Motion Plus gives. There's something fishy about the "120 Hz" spec because the flicker feels about like 70 to 80 Hz on an old computer CRT. I suspect that with AMP "on" it's not really 120 Hz in order to give it better sharpness. So with 120 Hz turned off, there is just a little more blur on movement, but at least it doesn't feel like I'm watching an old episode of Dr Who. In hindsight, i would have bought one of the older models that doesn't have the Auto-Motion Plus 120 Hz just to save a few bucks even if there was less contrast. Samsung is really pushing this new feature, but I prefer it off. Others prefer it set to "low".

The blur during movement on these new Samsungs (with or without the Auto-Motion Plus 120 Hz) is much better than the old LCDs, but it still is not as good as a CRT, plasma, or rear-projection.

The contrast ("birghtness") on this is way way more than we need. The brightness needs increasing during daytime because we have a lot of sunlight coming in, and then decreased again at night.

A 46 inch LCD uses 250 Watt verses 500 W for a plasma. This is the reason I choose LCD over plasma. A 500 watt plasma "heater" in the room is good for winter, but not cool for summer. 500 W costs 5 cents per hour for electricity.

Now that we're not even using it on a wall, I wonder if i should have got a rear-projection.

I recently saw a $1400 LCD 46 inch Sony at a target (new edit 10/12/2008). I was surprised to see Sony at a competitive price. These prices are still dropping fast.

=== UPDATE ===
I am a little less happy with LCD technology. In comparing the LCD to my CRT and home theatre, the LCD easily wins on sharpness and contrast (at least over the projector). But still there is something "sharper" about CRT and projection over LCD, and I prefer them over this LCD. What I have found out is this: the pixels in an LCD may be flashing at least as fast, but they do not have a "dark period" between frames so that our eyes see more blur even though in reality the screen is not blurring more. Apparently, our eyes really need the dark time between frames to eliminate the perception of a blur. Phillips ClearLCD fixes this and samsung and others are working on it. Here's more info on this:

http://hometheatermag.com/gearworks/707gear/

I have owned my LN46A630 for two weeks now and could not be happier, in fact I am watching it right now. Set-up was a breeze. I am not an audio/videophile and just wanted a good tv. I considered the 550, the 630 and the 650 series. I went with the 630 largely based on looks. I have several windows to the left of my tv and have had no glare problems whatsoever. Also, the frame has a much smaller profile and you get the added benefit of the 120hz. The Touch of Color seems much more muted compared to the 650 and I like that. I don't have bluray hooked up to it yet so I can't comment on how that looks.

Save yourself the hassle of having to buy HDMI cables by ordering them when you buy the tv. I bought a mid-priced cable set and have been pleased with the picture. I refuse to cough up $120 for a Monster HDMI cable.

I sit about 10' from the tv and the picture size is just right. However, I would recommend stepping up to the 52" if you were any farther than this.

The tv has varied by $20 on Amazon since I bought it. Since it is a new model you probably won't see any major price decreases for some time. Just but the darn thing and enjoy it, you won't be disappointed.

Original post:
The TV worked great for 2 days--the picture, features, functionality were just what I hoped for. But then after 2 days it turned itself off and went into an infinite loop of turning itself off and on again. I have a service request in to Samsung and will update this post when the issue is resolved. It seemed important to point out potential manufacturing problems with these very popular units.

Update:
I put in a repair request using Samsung's online system. Got a call back the next day and scheduled visit from a Samsung repairman (actual Samsung van showed up, so not a third party company). He opened it up and found which board was at fault. He had guessed the power supply board and had a replacement, but it was something else. So he had to leave, get the new part shipped over, and rescheduled 4 days later. He just finished the repair, and the TV seems to be working fine.

If I can find how to upgrade my rating, I will, because the TV itself is great. Works smoothly with my Tivo (via HDMI) and blu-ray DVD (via HDMI; both tivo and blu-ray send sound over to my stereo by optical digital audio).

The matte finish on the screen really does help against reflection: I no longer see a reflection of the lamps in my living room as I used to on my old TV. So if you are making the plasma (or any reflective coating) versus LCD decision, this particular unit does have a nice diffusive coating.

The "touch of red" on the plastic border around the LCD panel is very subtle, and I don't think my family even noticed---they never said anything. I personally like it, but usually you can't tell (or wouldn't notice) that it is not black.

I had waited until now to make the switch to HDTV, obsessing for nearly 2 years about plasma vs LCD vs DLP, size (40/42"? 46"? 50/52"?), and finding the right price-to-quality point. After focusing for a couple weeks on the LN46A630, I finally made the purchase. I'm 100% satisfied.

It has a stunning HD picture. Zero glare/reflection. Lots of settings, accessible from a fairly straight-forward menu. Just the right size for a viewing distance of 8 feet. And definitely the right price compared to others I was considering.

The first thing I watched on it was "Planet Earth" on blu-ray (I got a Sony BD player at the same time). Incredible!!!

I couldn't be happier with my purchase.

Chose this TV over the samsung LN46A650 because of the semi-matte finish and because it has less red around edge. The semi-matte is great, only see any reflection in extremely direct light. The red "Touch of Color" is almost non-existant on this model, you really have to get close to see that there's any red at all. Picture is amazing with HD, bluray, PS3, and even SD channels are better than I expected. Swiveling pedestal also a nice touch, makes it easy for me to get behind it and swap out connectors (HDMI, component, etc all work great). If I had one negative about the TV it would be that I have yet to find programming (HD or otherwise) that really benefits from the Auto Motion Plus 120hz feature. After a few minutes I turned it off, tried using it (low, medium, high, auto) again randomly with bluray, videogames and sports, but always end up turning it off again. It just can't seem to interpolate the frames to maintain consistent onscreen motion and is EXTREMELY annoying. It DOES do better with Bluray, but I still don't see any way that I would keep it turned on.
Still, this TV is incredible and deserves five stars (I didn't buy it because of the 120hz feature). Also, I recommend you buy cheap HDMI cable. I bought a couple $5 HDMI's online and there's no discernible difference between them and more expensive ones.

When researching LCD TVs, I narrowed my search to the Samsung 5- and 6-series, based on reviews of quality and overall value. I went to our local Best Buy several times to also let my eyes judge in person what I had been reading.

First, I'd like to say that all three of these TVs are quality units, but each has a different feature set and if you are in the same situation I was, hopefully this review will help you make an informed decision.

LN46A550 (Released March 2008): Great TV for those on a tight budget who still want one of best pictures available on any 46" LCD TV. Initially, this was my choice based on strong reviews and the savings it offered. The 550 has a matte screen, which reduces the reflection of ambient light and glare. I decided to narrow my search to the 6-series based on 120Hz processing (not available on the 550), which is a feature I wanted after seeing it in person, especially for Blu-ray movies and watching sports.

LN46A650 (Released March 2008): Offering Auto Motion Plus 120hz and 50,000:1 contrast ratio, I initially thought this was an excellent choice. However, the 650 suffers from the same problem as plasma TVs, in that they reflect ambient light and significantly increase glare. Samsung chose to use a super glossy surface for their higher end LCD TVs, which increases contrast ratio at the cost of heavy reflection. Personally, one of the main reasons I was buying an LCD over a plasma was to eliminate glare. Samsung offers the PN50A650 for nearly the same price as the LN46A650, and you get a larger screen with 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio.

LN46A630 (Released August 2008): The first thing you might notice is that Samsung released the 630 five months after the 550 and 650. The reason for this was consumers wanted a 120Hz Samsung LCD in a matte-finish screen. Also, people were quite mixed in their opinion of the red Touch of Color (ToC) frame and thick bezel. The 630 provides a thinner bezel and mutes the ToC. I much prefer this look, both when the TV is on and off, so I'm very happy with the adjustments. As mentioned, this LCD uses the matte-finish, which eliminates the reflection of ambient light and glare. It was interesting when I was in Best Buy, because they had a 650 and a 630 side-by-side. Both picture quality was very sharp (40,000:1 vs 50,000:1), although the 650 reflected light from several sources. I actually stood right in between the two screens and moved to the left and right. When I was in front of the 630, I could not see any reflections and the picture was extremely clear. As I slowly moved to the left in front of the 650, my face and body reflected off the screen like a mirror, as well as other light sources. During bright scenes this was not noticeable and the picture was very good, but during dark scenes the reflection was very distracting. The 630 had none of these issues, with the same advantages of excellent picture quality and 120 Hz processing.

I think this LCD is the best combination of quality and value available right now. Amazon.com has really separated themselves from all other retailers with no tax, free shipment and free white glove delivery. Speaking of which, delivery was excellent. Even without all of these features, Amazon.com is still cheaper than all stores by hundreds of dollars.

The sound of the 630 is average out of the box, so I have a home theater in a box (HTIB) hooked up to it. This is pretty common for most LCDs, except the very high end models.

Overall, I think the LN46A630 is the best choice among Samsung LCDs, in terms of price, picture quality and features. If you are trying to decide between the 550, 650 and 630, I highly recommend the LN46A630.

I really like this TV, actually. But I'm sending it back. It's not for me.

The allure of this TV was the fact that it's a matte-version of the 650... However, I recently found out, it isn't. This is a 120mhz version of the 550. This uses an older processor than the 650. I'm a bit disappointed by that, and the lack of an extra HDMI port. The PQ isn't as stunning as the 650, predominately because of the older processor, not because of the semi-matte finish.

However. Glossy does give you better blacks. This TV has pretty grey-colored blacks, which annoys me. It also suffers from clouding/flashlighting, unlike the 650 I've used.

I did buy this version because I wanted to avoid reflections... I also bought the 650 for my Mom. Her TV is just plain out nicer. The reflections? Not a big difference. You see the reflections on both TV's. This one just diffuses them with the semi-matte. But you can still see yourself during dark scenes! It's just not as clear.

Compared to the 650, the difference between glare is minimal. It's there, but minimal. You see yourself either way, might as well get the better picture!

My opinion? If you REALLY hate glare, then the 630 is for you. However, if you're just WORRIED about glare... Go with the 650. You will be much happier in the long run.

This TV, the 630, is a great TV. I just feel like, for the money, you're not getting the 'newest' tech. Samsung treats their matte-users like second-rate customers, and for good reason: People prefer glossy. Might as well go glossy, and have the best technology, rather than having something older with matte. I do believe matte can give an outstanding picture... Samsung just doesn't think it's worth their time.

Honestly: If this TV is for a living room with a large window, then godspeed. It's for you. If this TV is for any other situation, then the 650 is probably your choice.

Samsung LN46A630 46-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV with Red Touch of Color

[...] The condition of the unit is amazing considering the price I paid for it. There was no dust, no sticker residue, there is nothing that can be seen to be wrong with the unit. The only blemish on the unit is some very faint scratches on the console but you have to get right on top of it with a very bright light to make them out. The screen it self is perfect with no dead pixels. I was able to register the unit on the Samsung site and got an additional three months of warranty.

My initial choices came down between the 46" and 52" Samsung models of 650 and 850. Because I got defrauded om the auction site for $[...] I had that much less to work with so I decided on the 46". Between the three different models I ruled out the 850 since it was a bit pricey. I was going to get the 650 but after reading the glare issues and checking it out myself at a local retailer I ultimately decided on the 630. One of the uses of the unit is for PS3 gaming and if any you have the Eye of Judgement you know that room has to be pretty bright.

The picture of the 630 is outstanding. PS3 games look amazing. Blue-ray content is breathtaking. Standard DVDs are wonderful as well with upscaling. I use standard DirecTV over a component connection and while it is no where as good as even an upscale standard DVD it is suffice for viewing. I would upgrade to the DirecTV HD service but I do not like the idea of having to pay $[...] up front for a receiver PLUS a monthly lease fee on top of the HD service fee.
The unit has a crap load of features and more than enough connections. I currently run the DTV over component into my home theater, PS3 over HDMI 1, my PC over HDMI 2 and my home theater system over HDMI 3. Changing inputs is a breeze and adjusting the picture is just as easy.

The colors and picture quality is great. There are pre-set modes for your picture and sound but you can fully adjust both if you wish. The Standard and Movie modes are suffice for normal viewing but if you really have the need to burn out your eyes just turn on the dynamic mode. The only issue I have with any of these HD screens is the brightness of the whites. I have same issue with my LG computer monitor. The dynamic modes are great for gaming and 720/1080 movies but not so good for say web surfing or anything that has a white background or allot of white in general.

The black levels seem to be one of the biggest issues with any LCD display. While the 630 does not present the deep black levels of a high quality plasma the levels it does produce are more than suffice and of great quality. You are able to adjust your black level and really should have no issues unless you turn on the dynamic mode but even with it on the black levels are still very deep. Out of the many LCD models I looked into I have to say the 630 has some best black levels available for an LCD screen.

The audio quality of the 630 leaves a bit to be desired. It seems that Samsung can make great displays but are completely lost when it comes to audio; this can be seen (actually heard) in nearly all their TVs and audio systems. The audio from 630 should suffice for the majority of users but even a low priced non-Samsung audio system will make a huge difference. Because audio was not a factor in any of my display choices it will not be factored in my rating of this unit.

If you decide to hook your PC up to this display do not use the VGA connection. Go with a DVI to HDMI connector or a DVI to HDMI cable. The only reason to use the VGA connection is if your video card only supports VGA, and in that case it is definitely time to upgrade your video card. I am big RTS gamer and currently use two LG 22" in dual screen mode for most gaming. I have 4 DVI connections (2 video cards) so I decided to hook up the 630 more for a laugh than anything and I'll tell you that there is no way I am going to unhook it!! It is outstanding on games, streaming video and DVD/BD video since I have BD player in the PC as well as the PS3. If your a Supreme Commander player and get this display you will be in heaven. World in Conflict and PS3 End War look even better.

The 120hz is iffy for me. I am not big sports guy so I can't really comment on any motion blur as I have not seen any with or without the 120hz on. I have not noticed any motion blur in any fast paced FPS gaming either. I decided to keep the 120hz at the medium setting and there has been no issues. The 4ms of the unit only shows up when I get nuke happy in SupCom, WoC or go RPG crazy in GTA IV but it is minor.

In the end after taking everything into account I would highly recommend the Samsung series 6 to anyone who wants a great HD display. If more connections are needed and glare is not a factor go with the 650 but if glare is a factor than the 630 is the best choice. I will also mention that the ToC on the 650 is far more visible than on the 630. If you have the extra cash than the 850 is an even better choice over the 650. The one for sure is that Samsung makes a great display and because they mass produce them they can often be found for a much lower price than their competitors.