Customer Reviews

Samsung LN46A750 46-Inch 1080p DLNA LCD HDTV with RED Touch of Color

5 star:		(233)
4 star:		(33)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(17)

 

 

I have only had this TV for a few days, so this is not a complete review, but I wanted to warn others about some issues that they may find important.

Picture quality is great - I have not run a calibration or tested various known sources for difficult to reproduce scenes or motion. The blacks are so good that the image color looks over saturated at the factory default setting when placed next to a panel with lower contrast ratio. (It should be kept in mind that the eye has a logarithmic response to light, and a 50,000:1 contrast ratio may not be that much more than a 30,000:1 ratio.) In the store I was comparing this panel to a 46a550 and 46a530 all at their factory default settings. The 550's image was more natural looking at the factory default setting.

Watching SD analog content on digital TVs can be annoying with various artifacts visible in the conversion of the analog signal to the native digital of the TV. This TV does a very respectable job of this - with the SD images mostly just looking fuzzy and soft compared to digital content - pretty much what one might expect.

The TOC feature seems like a waste of time and may introduce some issues with light bleeding in from the environment. Not a problem for me in my home environment.

So, if I was happy with the image on the 550 why did I get a 750? Two reasons - Motion blur: the 650 and 750 panels have higher response times and higher refresh rates thus reducing LCD motion blur artifacts, and reason two: DLNA... DNLA is a very nice feature - super nice - I hope it takes off.

DLNA takes advantage of networking and media stored on a PC to provide viewable content through the TV. What's really going on here is that the TV designers are taking advantage of the computer they have inside the TV to enable them to do more digital media things with the TV. The TV has an Ethernet network interface - wireless or wired. We're computer geeks, we have a fairly robust network and my family has a strong interest in Internet downloads of various media content - in particular video. I have various foreign video content that I cannot get on a DVD. Netflix and others (Amazon, Apple, etc) have downloadable video content, although the DRM on much of this content is a problem. The rub is you have to watch this downloaded content on a PC, or a PC hooked directly up to a TV display or some other media PC kludge. DLNA helps get around some of these issues. The DLNA capability of this model is remarkable, not perfect, but still great. You have to install a piece of software on the computer that provides a way for the PC to share content on the PC through the network interface for the TV to "see". On the TV, you use the W.link feature to access the shared content on the PC. Music, Images and Videos stored on the PC are all accessible through the TV. Remarkably easy to access and view on the TV. Fantastic. There are a few glitches - The software on the PC was not able to handle all the media I threw at it in the first go around - I backed off (why would I play music through a TV?) and the software was able to complete it's build of it's database of content on the PC. I hope this problem will get cured in future versions of the DLNA server software that runs on the PC. Another small glitch was that when I decided to end my watching of these shows stored on the PC and I exited the w.link feature it appeared to crash the TV's OS. I had older firmware (1004), so I updated to 1007 and I hope this might cure the problem, although I have no evidence of this yet.

So DLNA looks very promising but it is not perfect. I have not tried viewing content that is locked with DRM of some kind, but I strongly suspect this is not going to work. Further proof that DRM is seriously flawed. Legitimate users (paying customers) should not be restricted in their reasonable use of the content.

The remote seems sufficiently user friendly - some lettering is large enough for older eyes to read easily and the back lighting feature works the way it should making it easier to _read_ the keys in the dark.

The manual's content seems complete and readable but the manual has a major and very annoying flaw. The manual is large with many many pages so being able to refer to page numbers is crucial. It does have page numbers but I defy you to read them in anything other than bright sunlight! They are black numbers printed on a gray field. Strangest printing setup I've ever seen. In the grand scheme of things this is only a minor detail but it is strange - the company knows about the importance of contrast. If I can download the manual as a searchable and linked pdf I won't care.

I have not yet discovered a way to edit the channel description in the channel list. A few digital channels have the information on what their station ID is, but many do not. I have not found a way to add or edit a description that tells me that, for instance, cable channel 117-25 is actually broadcast 33-1 or WBFS or some other more identifiable name.

I also am not yet aware if one can apply individual optimizations to each input. If one can this would be ideal.

Another minor point - I'm not too sure how "green" this TV is in it's energy use. I was quite surprised to discover it was noticeably warm when standing next to it while on.

Finally, my two major disappointments with this TV are:

1) PIP feature - which is quite limited, more like a cheesy cheap faux PIP. First, access to the PIP feature is not at all easy - one has to navigate various menus and sub menus to get at it. But the real problem is that the TV does not have a second tuner of any sort - you cannot watch two channels and swap between them without a second tuner connected through one of the external sources. In fact the PIP limits you to only being able to watch the built in Tuner content in the sub window of the main display which must be using an external source of a specific variety. Strange.... for a high end flagship product to have this kind of limited functionality... A little disturbing and makes you wonder what other cost cutting decisions one might discover with this product in the future.

2) The fixed base - the base does not swivel despite what the specifications at various sites say. I'll have to get a turntable.

Overall - where it matters most - the picture is spectacular. LCDs have come a long way. The picture makes me smile - it's just fun to watch.

I currently have a Sony KDL-40XBR2, and wanted an upgrade, and wasn't sure wether to purchase a KDL-46XBR4 model or this new Samsung LN46A750 model. After doing extensive research, I decided to go with the Samsung LN46A750. I purchased this TV a few days ago, and this tv is simply amazing. The picture quality is excellent, and I must admit, at least to me, is much better than the XBR2 I currently have.

Just a note...under one of the settings on the TV, the energy saver setting might be set to AUTO, and if that is the case the contrast will fluctuate. Once that feature is turned off, the TV will no longer "flicker".

I have been researching the best price versus value for Samsung and other brand LCD 720P & 1080P televisions for at least 2 years by reading the reviews. I was just about to purchase Samsung model LNT4665 (Highest Rated) when I noticed that this model LN46A750 was released in April. Samsung LCD TV's have a great track record for picture quality and reliability, so I purchased this model even though there were no reviews posted on Amazon yet.

The price is at least a $1000 lower than the retail chain stores and the FREE "White Glove" delivery is an added bonus. Amazon's white glove delivery means that the TV is brought into your home, carton removed and placed on your TV stand for no extra cost. At that point you can power it up and check for defects (dead pixels) before you sign the delivery receipt.

Now onto picture quality. This 1080P LCD TV's picture quality is simply astounding!. The contrast levels rival that of Plasma televisions. Up until recently, Plasma televisions had far superior contrast levels. This TV has 50,000:1 contrast ratio. You can also customize color, sharpness, contrast, picture, gama and brightness settings manually if you want; just like a computer monitor.

The sound quality is decent for my needs, but if you want true surround sound, you'll have to add an amplifier/receiver.

This is a great buy at $2140 and change, you can't beat it with a stick!

After doing a lot of research online, in stores and reading lots of reviews at various sites like Amazon, CNet etc. I bought this TV and got it 10 days ago.

A lot has been covered in the reviews here, so i will try to focus on some other points.

Summary: Buy it now and from Amazon and save money.

Pros:
- Excellent picture quality...really superb. Beats LG & Sony for sure. There are several different modes for viewing.
- Great sound. There are modes like movie, normal, music etc which are really very impressive. I decided to buy a home theater system later, since the TV itself has made a good impact on my pocket.
- Amazon delivery. Very good and timely. Came on specified date and time by CEVA. Guy opened it up connected the cable and scanned the channels and let me check for working condition.
- Not very heavy, so easy to mount yourself.
- Tilt wheel remote..a bit tricky initially, but you will love it once you get used to it.
- Contrast is excellent due toits highest contrast ratio in all the TVs in market. Check my pictures for detail.
- Warranty : Samsung provides 1 year in-home care warranty for this TV. If you register it online, you get 3 months of extended warranty free.
You can buy 3 years extended warranty either through Amazon (in first 60 days of purchase) or directly from Samsung (in fist 11 months of purchase). There is a significant price difference.
- USB port is good and it is so easy to view pictures or movie files.
I connected my iPod (after enabling disc usage in iTunes) and it works
perfect with the TV.

I am using a Monster Power Center to feed the power to TV, DVD & cable box and also for the cable signal to my cable box. It is said that it improves the picture quality esp in HD.

I have mounted this TV on Bell'O FP-4850HG High Gloss Black Flat Panel Mounting System.(Read my review on the mounting system too)

So far, I have not been able to take it online either with wireless or Ethernet (LAN) connection. The Wireless Key from Samsung is on nation-wide back order and TV couldn't detect my LAN settings. Need to figure this one out yet.

Some people have reported issues with RED Touch of Color and reflection. I don't see these as an issue. My TV is facing a big window and I put blinds down, if reflection gives a viewing problem. However, its not that huge. You can strategically place your TV to avoid that. And I have not observed any reflection issues from floor lamps or ceiling lights.

For those worried about the "halo effect" some have complained about, good news...Samsung is aware of the issue. Newer reviews of this tv have stated not even seeing the so-called Halo. That's because the latest models of the 750 (those made August on) have the new bezel that was created to defeat the Halo. For those who've already bought one....you can go on the Samsung website and they direct you on how to get a service technician to come to your home to fix the problem for free.

I won't repeat the praises of the TV quality of what others said, as I agree with most of them and don't need to repeat what is already said a dozen times. Now onto aspects that might affect buyers' decision.

DLNA:
I did a ton of research and find the lack of information on this feature so thought I would write a review mainly on this feature. This was the selling point why I chose this model over the 46A650. It was a mistake. This model present two options of video playback -- through USB and DLNA, both which failed horribly, in my opinion, because it isn't practical due to lack of codec support.

The DLNA server software included with the TV is very, very slow. I mean it! It feels as if the software has to warm-up before it can perform the function, for example opening a folder takes about 7 seconds. The folder had no files. That's a pretty badly written software, you feel as you are beta-testing the software. You can use other DLNA software such as TwonkyMedia, which is MUCH faster, to fill in the bridge but you'll run into another issue: "This codec is not supported", which means, for those not too computer savvy, basically means I can't play this files with this type of compression (note: compression type is not the same as file extension.). Then reading the manual you will also noticed that each codec it supports has a maximum resolution of a certain size, else if the file movies exceed the resolution, it will spit out another error message: "Resolution is not supported". Hopefully down the road Samsung will issue a firmware to add more codec support (MKV, RM, OGM, FLAC, WMV, and many others currently not supported!) Another alternative is wait for DLNA server softwares to add support for this TV series using transcoders, similar to how TVersity re-encodes files the PS3 cannot read to codec formats the PS3 can read right before before streaming it into the PS3. However, USB built-in video support won't ever be practical without a firmware upgrade...

But, in the meantime, the feature isn't worth taking up valuable ports in my 4 port router. Hook up your computer to your TV if you have the option, as that is still the best way to get all your movies to play.

Despite all the negatives, I highly recommend this TV. This TV deserves all the praises it gets from all other reviewers; however, don't expect it to be much different from the 46A750 in regards to feature due to the limitations. If your decision on this set lies solely on the DLNA, pass on this and grab a 46A650 and save yourself the premium you are being charged for a broken feature. Do note this set has built-in woofers that the 46A650 does not have. The built-in woofer was adequate for my needs.

Update:
I've encountered another issue: Touch of Color peeling. The Touch of Color peeling is when the touch of red around the TV starts to peel, revealing the color silver in my case. This is very disturbing...Can't update my review but to me the TV is about a 3. All the 750 potentially can have this issue so be warn if you buy this. Mines did not appear till 1 month later.

This Samsung LN46A750 is outstanding! We are amazed at the picture. (We stepped up from a 46" 780p DLP to this 1080p LCD) We have not been able to test it's full function at 120hz since we don't have blu-ray but with all HD sources we've tried (Directv HD, Upconverted DVDs, and XBOX 360 on 1080p) the picture is just spectacular.

We were concerned about the red color around the edge, but we find that it isn't really a factor for us either way. It sort of looks like a glass top table edge with the red just inside the edge all the way around.

The other issue we were concerned about from all the reviews is the glossy screen finish. This absolutely makes the picture seem sharper and the contrast higher. We have a room with many windows (not the prime setting during the daytime for screen placement but not much choice for us) and while you can see reflections with the screen off, once it is on it doesn't seem to be any problem. In very dark shots you might see a reflection during daylight due to windows but it isn't something that bothers us at all. In fact I really have to look for it. As for glare surprisingly this screen is much better than our DLP was. Glare isn't a problem at all for us.

Highly Recommend this HDTV.

Samsung LN46A750 46-Inch 1080p DLNA LCD HDTV with RED Touch of Color
Without a question this is a great TV.
However a significant major design flaw is very distracting.
The edge is a 3/8" thick x 3" glass frame and light is transmitted from the inside out through the glass (edge piece). Imagine seeing an aura around the TV on the outside edge where there is clear 1/4" clear class bezel. I have proven this being the problem by masking the inside edge with black electrical tape, which blocks the light transmission.
I which I could attach some pictures. I placed a service call with Samsung and pictures were sent to them. There response was that this effect was by design. Indeed flawly designed. This effect is more pronounced at night or in a dark room, or when located in an entertainment center.

Waited to write a review because I wanted the "honeymoon" phase to pass...over a month later and we are still in love with this TV and Amazon! We researched online and in person for a very long time before making our purchase and we couldn't be more thrilled. The picture quality and additional features on this Samsung TV are amazing. Our room is very bright with lots of windows & skylights and we have no problem with glare or picture fade on this unit. Was hesitant to purchase electronics over the internet instead of at a local store, but honestly this is one of the best purchases we have ever made with not a single moment of regret. Amazon shipped the TV very quickly, and the white glove delivery was incredible. They set up the TV in our wall unit, made all the connections so we could check it out before signing for it, and took all the packaging away. The purchase price was lower than the local stores, plus there was no sales tax and no shipping charges. HERE IS THE BEST PART...Amazon has a price guarantee for 30 days after the TV is shipped ! The price dropped 4 times and each time I contacted Amazon the difference was refunded to me without question, saving me almost an additional $250 off my already low purchase price !!! BTW, the price at the local stores has not changed a single penny :-) Even without the pricing bonus, I would still be 100% thrilled with this TV and Amazon.

Wow! Look at that picture. That is what I have been saying in the last 10 days whenever I watch TV, DVD or Blu-ray.

After many visits and online browsing, I was sure my next TV would be a Samsung. Sony was my brand of choice for TV for many years. I chose Samsung for picture quality and value. I was almost sure on the 46A650 until the price gap dropped to less than $100.00 and a chance to view both TV side by side on the same material at my local store. Despite many stated the different between 650 and 750 are extra woofer, saved materials in the 1GB and USB video capability on the 750, I noticed brighter picture, more contrast and more neutral coloring on the 750 compared to the 650. I am assuming both TVs had factory default setting, as in most large retail stores.

Let's get the imperfection out of the way first but those are minor and not deciding factors for most.

Yes, my TV was manufactured on 08/2008 and the "halo effect" is there. I noticed that even on a brightly lighted store. I have read on this and other sites stating Samsung is aware of this issue and fixes are in order. The halo doesn't really bother me. The clarity, life like quality of this TV won all my attention that I don't even notice the halo even at night with all light turn off. Samsung is great in customer service. I have already contacted service and a tech is going to come to my house to replace the bezel once he got the part. Even with the current bezel, I am still a happy customer.

Yes, it would be nice to have the swivel base as on the 650 but this TV is so light that I can easily move it aside when I needed to connect or disconnect from the back.

The transparency of this TV also may be mistakenly to be its' weakness. I noticed video signal trailing the audio signal (lip-synch) on a couple DVD but not HD or analog TV program. I contacted OPPO and found out there is a firmware update for that player. After installed the latest firmware, the issue went away. Others have reported audio signal trailing video signal. But I wonder if it is due to the other associates equipments. This TV is so transparent; it truly reproduces what feeds into it.

Here are the good parts.

Sounding of this TV is top notch. Of cause it cannot compares to any half decent home theater system but it beat out my two channel stereo speaker. When I first hooked up the Samsung Blue Ray BP1500, I assumed it would default to 5.1 audio with the optical connection as with Yamaha DVD and OPPO players. I end up watched Iron Man with TV speakers. After help from member of AVSFORUM, I found out the setting for sound and video on that player.

Picture quality is absolutely breath taking. It is like an excellent, well set up Hi-End two channels audio system. You can hear, in this case, see the depth, color, and detail so vividly, life like. Before I received Blu-ray discs, I was watching old DVD, original and back up copies with my OPPO player. All the movies were like watching the first time since I have never seen such outstanding picture quality. (I have Sony rear projection LCD and watched many times on my brothers' Philips and Mitsubishi 1080 LCD) I couldn't detect the big different between the back up and original DVD on the OPPO. It would partially due to the edge enhancement of the Faroudja's Directional Correlational Deinterlacing processing. The OPPO player would smooth out edges and enhance imperfection on DVD. Not so the BP1500. With the BP1500, a poorly recorded DVD would clearly detect on 24Fs setting but not on lower setting. With back up DVD, I actually prefer watching the good old OPPO player but the BP1500 would provide much better 3D like image and higher contrast and detail pictures with original DVD and Blu-ray discs. BP1500 is a good match and a winner from Samsung.

I am so happy with the TV. The choice on 750 over the 650 is validated again when guests and family members enjoyed those preinstalled programs on the content section. The sounding of the 750 over the 650 is easily worth the extra $50+ I would save if I purchased the 650. I haven't had a chance to use the USB or the DLNA yet.

The new 850 is thinner and the 950 is surely more advance. I don't even want to check spec and watching those TV since I just can't dump another few thousands to upgrade associated equipments.

With the current pricing and value provided by this 750, I would buy another one if any TV in my house needed replacement.