Customer Reviews

Samsung LNS3251D 32-Inch LCD HDTV

5 star:		(171)
4 star:		(48)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

I just got this TV yesterday from amazon's vendor JR.com. Though I had initial problems like delayed delivery and bad order processing between Amazon and Jr.com but i am glad that they got it delivered finally:). I was looking to buy either Sony Bravia or LNS3251D but after doing extensive research and visiting bestbuy/circuitCity etc., I and my wife decided to buy this TV.

Here are some pros and cons,

Pros:

-Good picture quality

-Good contrast ratio/resolution..better than Sony

-Black Colour

-Blazing Fast ~8ms response time which is what even sony has.

-2 HDMI connections, though they support only version 1.0 and currently HDMI specs version 1.2a are out in the market

-Lots other useful connections like 2 composite A/V (1 side), 2 S-Video (1 side), 1 component (Y/Pb/Pr), 2 HDMI, 2 RF, 1 USB, 1 RS232

-PIP

Cons:

- Till now i only found one i.e. its HDMI connections still support version 1.0 and I cannot connect my Toshiba DVD player which supports Ver1.1 HDMI specs.

This is what I liked/disliked till now.. I will update this review, if required, after playing a little bit more with its functions/features.

If you are in the market for a 32 inch LCD, this set is for you. I bought my set at Best Buy the first week it was out. The main differences with this generation set is the built in HD tuner, an amazing 4000 to 1 contrast ratio, dual HDMI connections which means you can enjoy best quality video from two sources. It also has an optical connection so you can transfer audio from the TV to your Home theatre. At the store I compared this set to 4-5 other similar sets, all by major manufacturers and found the color and quality to be superior than most and as good as the Sony XBR Bravia that retails for $900 more. At home I have it installed with an HDMI coming out of my Scientific Atlanta and Time Warner DVR with their HD service and a Samsung upconvert DVD with HDMI connection capability... The Samsung TV and remote is very easy intuitive and user friendly to set-up. I like that it comes with 3 different preset modes for picture quality depending on viewing habits and allows for a fouth that you can customize to your own preferences. All of the settings including the preset modes can be easily adjusted and if necessary brought back to default settings. The HD picture from cable is awesomeas is the DVD quality...even with a non-progressive unit which I switched out with the Samsung up convert unit. Utilizing the remote its easy to stretch the picture to fit the screen. The black laquor cabinet is great looking, but can be a bit distracting as it reflects when light sources hit it. Samsung also does things a bit different, when the set is on there is virtually no tell-tale sign like on other sets where you may see a small blue light or redlight to indicate the set is on..instead Samsung utilizes a red light in the middle of their symbol to indicate the set is off or on standby, and when turned on or off their is a unique audible chirp... on another LCD I had I found the little blue light distracting during viewing.

Of note Samsung also came out this year with a second integrated model that costs about $200 less. The cabinet is done in a flat black, the contrast ratio is only 3000 to 1, the speakers are mounted on the side instead of hidden along the bottom on this model and the stand does not swivel... outside of that the unit is pretty comprable in features and should be considered by those looking for an even better bargain.

I agree with the other positive reviews for this TV. I've had it for about 3 weeks now and just about everything looks good. DVD video looks great, especially Superbit or other DVDs where the extra features are on different DVD. XBOX360 games look amazing in well lit scenes and there is a bit of trouble seeing things in dark scenes in the default settings. I don't notice much blurring with games or movies. I do not have HD cable and regular cable feels like it looks worse than an old SD Sony CRT for 16:9 and 4:3 mode but I have played HD content using the VGA connection and my XBOX and those look great too. The only thing that I do not like about this TV is the speakers. They are hidden which is a good thing but they do not sound very good (and understandable for a small/thin LCD). Do not run this without a proper stereo system.

VS Vizio L32. Both have the same resolution and pictures in well lit scenes look great in both. The Samsung blows the Vizio away in DVD playback from the XBOX360. Dark scenes are impossible to see on the Vizio but look good on the Samsung. Of course, the Samsung cost 800 or so dollars more but the Vizio is the only other LCD I've owned for comparison.

Cliffs: Great looking and performing TV where my only complaint is the speakers which leave much to be desired.

I knew that once I opened the box and signed off on delivery the Samsung LNS3251D would be mine and I wouldn't be able to return it, but I didn't expect that Samsung would not assist in having my set's dead pixel issue resolved. Although there are only a few dead pixels in a cluster, they are in the viewing area of the screen. What is strange to me is that I viewed at least 10 display models and none had any dead pixels. (Are the problem screens being "reserved" for Amazon purchasers?) So you need to keep this in mind when purchasing TV's from Amazon.

UPDATE:

Could not get either Amazon or Samsung to rectify problem.

let me first start by saying I did ALOT of research before purchasing this TV. I am very anal when it comes to buying high-priced electronics. I want to know I am getting the best value for my dollar.

That said, I will just say that if you are looking for a 32" LCD HDTV then this is the one for you. The 4000:1 contrast ratio is superb and the two HDMI hookups are very useful. I play some video games, so that part was important. They look great with so much detail I never noticed on other TV sets. I will warn you that analog signals do not look very good on this TV, but I don't think they look good on any LCD/Plasma. If you have DirectTv or some other all digital signal then you will be impressed. Especially HD. I can't stop watching ESPN in HD. It is amazing.

I am so spoiled and will never be able to go back to regular TV again. BUY THIS TELEVISION!!!

Saw this TV in brick and mortar stores, but for $1,699, which means Amazon had it for $350 less, plus no tax. But I was very suspect about shipping methods after reading/hearing horror stories about on-line stores--problems with shipping damage, returns, and customer service. Convinced myself to trust Amazon, and I'm thrilled. While the vendor never sent shipping info, Amazon's on-line tracking did. TV arrived UPS without incident BEFORE the date promised on Amazon and on the exact date UPS projected. Set-up was a breeze, and within 10 minutes I'm watching HD-TV with the most amazing picture. The savings you'll get from Amazon are well worth the [now unnecessary] anxiety you might feel about on-line ordering with such a large dollar investment. I'd do it again in an instant.

I spent probably two weeks researching different HDTVs on the web, then about an hour and a half at an electronics store watching different TVs to see which has the best picture quality.

This Samsung 32" Wide LCD HDTV beat them all by far. All the different functions and connectivity features make it easy to utilize with other equipment.

One thing that makes a huge difference in picture quality is the contrast ratio, which on this TV is 4000:1. When watching my first HD programming, it seemed like the people on TV were sharper than reality. It is absolutely amazing.

The only draw-back of this TV is that it has one tuner, which means the PIP function is available only when used between certain connections. I couldn't, for example watch one cable program and have another channel on in the PIP. But I can use it as a PC screen and watch cable in the PIP, which I find very cool.

This was definitely a great choice for me, especially with Amazon's amazing price - about $400 cheaper than anywhere else.

I rely heavily on word-of-mouth and Amazon's customer reviews are a great place to find out the real deal about a product. We chose this TV after looking at hundreds of options. We even went into the stores to look at them and kept coming back to the Samsung.

The HDTV with our cable box is awesome! I also kept in mind the many reviews here. The black on the TV is sharp. The colors are great. And the setup was a breeze.

Now comes the shipping part. Eagle is a terrible shipper and if you get them, you might have to wait 2-3 weeks to get your TV. We were so fed up that we drove 15 miles to their facility and picked up the TV. I hope I don't have to deal with them ever again because it was a painful process.

You will be glued to this TV! I just got my Monster Ultra800 HDMI cable yesterday and even though I'm a Monster skeptic, I got a great deal and the picture is a little better than the components I had hooked up. Whites are awesome, blacks are stunning and the best I've seen...the 4000:1 contrast ratio is one the of the best out there. SD is surprisingly good and HD is as close to perfect as you're gonna get, to the point where I find myself watching random shows on HD such as "Carribean Escapes" because the picture is so amazing. I have seen the Sony XBR's and I have to say that I can't notice any difference...the Samsung is just as good for much less $$. I can't comment on DVD or XBOX because I haven't used either with this TV yet....but this is one of the best LCD sets I have ever seen. I bought the lns3241d at Circuit City initially then saw the top of the line version lns3251d for less $$ so I took it back and exchanged it for the 51. If you do buy from a Circuit City, Best Buy, etc. make sure you talk them down. This was selling for 1700 at CC and when I took my first set back they didn't want to lose my business and gave me the better one for around 1350-at cost (supposedly). Take in some comparison prices from Amazon and Pricegrabber and save yourself $400 or so...although the price right now on Amazon is unbeatable.

I was going to buy a sony, but was talked into this Samsung instead. Boy am I glad that happened. The picture quality is stunning. I'm running though a DVI-D to HDMI cable by monster and both HDTV picture and regular cable are awesome.

This thing reproduces black extremely well for a LCD TV. Its well priced, simple to set up and in almost every way perfect. Better speakers would have been nice, but it is a LCD so what can you expect. The sound quality is more than acceptable with a Dolby Digital in, but running it thought a quality sound system will really bring the whole thing home.