Customer Reviews

Samsung LNS5296D 52-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV

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

 

 

This television looks great. However there is a technological limitation to LCD televisions of this size, and that's "clouding"... I've had to go through three of these sets because of this, on black screens (especially at night) there are white clouds over the screen which pretty much ruin any dark horror movie with the lights off. The Sony XBR series which is made at the same plant has a similar problem. Sharps have something called "banding" which is the same thing only with a shutter look to it. Just be prepared for some AWFUL looking blacks when you get this TV, but besides that it's a gorgeous picture. I hope Samsung fixes this soon or else it's back to the Pioneer Plamsa for me.

WOW!!! This is one beautiful 52" 1080p LCD HDTV!!

I received this tv from AMAZON by way of EAGLE TRUCKING thru CURTIS transport Co. The tv arrived on time as stated at the time of purchase in PERFECT condition. I had the tv box placed in the garage until I got the family room ready to mount it on the wall myself. The tv in the box was very light and it set in my garage for almost a month(waiting for my 4 HD players to arrive-the Toshiba A2(1),XA1(1)and the Samsung BD-P1000(2).

Why so many hd players?? (see my other post on these players)

The answer: I wanted BOTH formats for upstairs(M.bedroom)and downstairs(family room). I have no sides in this format 'war'! I don't waste time with stupid debates about one or the other,or who has the most backing. I simply don't care who wins,and for now I can enjoy both sides. BOTH have a beautiful hd picture that I can see and seeing is what counts.

Now,

Once everything arrived and was set up,I tested it for bad pixels by setting up the internal 'blue Screen mode'. There was no dead pixels,no damage of any kind. This tv is simply awesome to view. I viewed it thru both hd players by way of the 2 hdmi connections and 2 component ones on the tv. Also, the tv is connected to COMCAST CABLE here in California and the picture will 'blow your socks off'. All of the HD channels on COMCAST CABLE:Inhd,Inhd2,espn,local,tbs,universal,usa,fsn,etc.,all of them are fanastic to behold.

As a gamer first and early adopter, this tv also has a game mode. It's really a 52" GIANT computer monitor! It's native resolution is 1920x1080, which is great for computer games,not to mention the PS3 and the hd XBOX360, which I haven't connected yet(don't have the PS3).

I connected,viewed and played many of my old games like, EAsports:Madden'07,NBA live'07,MVP'05 and NHL'07 thru a DELL XPS Extreme dual core2 computer. I have never saw my games look so clear and detailed before. I install the game INDEPENCENCE WAR 2 and was stunned at the color and smooth movement of all the space ships,starfield background,laser fire,and explosions of the old game. It was like watching a HD XBOX 360 game or a DVD movie on my computer. Everything was crystal clear on the Samsung LNS5296D. And AOL,EXPLORER and WINDOWS XP resolution at 1920x1080 is what browsing the web is all about. Man! What a tv this is.

All of the hookups are very simple, but nothing is perfect, right? There are 2 MINOR negatives about this tv that I want to mention.

FIRST: The rear connections are located on the BACK of the tv and NOT the BOTTOM of the set as they are with most other FPD. The bottom hook-up is easier for cable/wire routing thru the wall. Here's what I did and you could do.

After locating and mounting your tv bracket to the wall 'studs',and behind where the tv will be positioned, CUT 2 opening, between the wall studs at the top and at the bottom base of the wall, RUN(snake) all your cable connections(hdmi,component,Svideo,vga,cable tv,audio,EEE1394,usb,etc.) thru the wall to the rear tv connection panel.Once lifted onto the brackets, the Samsung LNS5296D with the connections at the rear of the tv doesn't leave room (depending on your mount) to manuver all the cables needed once the tv is mounted on the wall. The solution I chose was to connect all the cables BEFORE lifting the tv onto the wall bracket,which is what I did with help. It took a little time,but we were able to snake all the cables thru and connect them properly.

Second: The beautiful piano black beveled finished that outlines the tv is VERY,VERY,VERY susceptible to the slightest scratches. Samsung warns you on how to "dust" off the tv, which I didn't read at first. I went to take off a little dust spot with my finger and scratched the beautiful black finished. It's not noticeble, but I know it's mared.

But all that aside, WOW! What a HDTV-the Samsung LNS5296D is. AMAZON had the best price when I bought it and you can't go wrong if you get it.

After months of research, I finally pulled the trigger on this baby in early Jan 07 (wanted to have the Superbowl in HD). Like most out there looking for a TV with these specs, I had it down to the Sharp and the Sony. What killed me was that out of every 10 reviews I read about those 2 brands, 3 were horror stories. Sharp with banding issues, sony with clouding issues... what to do? I suppose its true that any manufacturer can have lemons but id heard precious little going wrong with the Samsungs.

I have to say Im very happy with the set. Picture (I have HD DTV) is truly spectacular. (I cant beleive what I was watching before compared to this).

Now although I realize I cant compare this tv to my previous due to them being apples and oranges, Im very happy with both the picture quality and sound. The look of the tv doesnt hurt either (very slick).

Im very pleased that I did not get a lemon (although I did by the warranty just in case)... I bought it through Amazon for 3500$ with delivery and had it in 3 business days delivered by Fed Ex freight. I was shocked at how fast I got it... its taken weeks for me to gets books but here a 100+ lb tv gets to me on Wed and I ordered it online the previous Sat night.

Overall very pleased with Amazon and Electronics express and Samsung. Would recommend this tv and vendor.

Good luck.

J

I purchased this set back in December. The day I got it I noticed clouds that become very apparent when watching dark scenes in movies. It was very patchy and distracting. These clouds are the result of too much light leaking through the screen on certain parts of it and they really stick out when you turn the lights off and watch dark movies like "Batman Begins."

More technically, this clouding-effect is known as "mura."

Some websites suggest that massaging the screen with a cloth will help clear up the problem. I tried that and the problem got worse. This is a solution not found on Samsung's website or in their manual. They have not acknowledged this problem and they do not have any solution for it.

I called Samsung about the mura. They sent a tech out and the tech said it was a problem with the screen. I had the set exchanged. I got it last week and it also has a problem with clouds, and it was worse than the last set.

I made the decision yesterday to take the set back and I got it exchanged with a Pioneer plasma display and, so far, I am VERY happy with it.

I am not the only one who experienced this problem. If you check out the forums on [...] you will discover personal accounts of people who also own this set who are experiencing mura. These people also post pictures of this problem so you can see it for yourself. In my view, this is an unacceptable defect for a TV of this price.

This TV could have been a good one. It produces an outstanding high-definition picture that made me very happy, it has lots of useful inputs, and it is aesthetically pleasing. It's too bad that this defect with the screen ruined the entire purchase. It amazes me that Samsung is still ignoring the problem.

On a sidenote, Sony has a line of Bravia TVs that use the same panels that Samsung put in their 96D line and customers of those sets have also reported problems with mura. Please be advised that this is a widespread problem, yet Sony & Samsung are not acknowledging it.

Hopefully, if you buy this set, you will have better luck than I did. To be honest though, it's not worth the risk. If you get this set, and you notice these clouds, you will have to go through the headache of either returning it or trying to get a replacement set that does not have this problem. Either get another set or wait for LED LCD which is coming in five months.

LCD TV is great for smaller screens, but it has not yet reached the level of quality for big screens that Plasma is enjoying. If you want a big-screen flat-panel that is 42" or more, then go plasma.

This has been a great purchase for me. After, scanning the net for reviews and visiting at least 10 stores I settled in on this LCD over similar LCD's and Plasmas. The Plasmas simply are not as sharp and the difference is highly noticeable. The only 50" 1080p LCD that competes with this set is the Sony 52" which is $2k more. The Sony is beautiful, however, for me the cost increase is not justified. I am no videophile, but the clouding is minimal on my set in the dark. Certainly not enough to change my mind.

What a great picture! We have a 42" LG plasma that we love and we were worried that an LCD picture might not hold up to our standards. We were wrong, this TV is awesome. Gaming mode (xbox360) looks awesome, although both Ps3 and xbox don't have any games that truly take advantage of the 1920x1080 resolution. We hooked up our Mac mini to this thing and now have a complete entertainment system. Really excellent value for the money, Samsung got it right this time.

the tv is sharp looking and picture is very good, plenty of inputs and mounted easy on wall, good overall value, the only negatives I see are high-end plasmas have richer colors and handle fast moving frames better (I have a pioneer elite plasma from which I'm referencing from)

We initially purchased a 50" Samsung plasma. We live in Denver and could not stand the buzzing the TV constantly made. After the Samsung repairman came out and told us that's just how it's going ot be, we took it back to the store and exchanged it for the Samsung LCD. This TV is simiply amazing. I have not noticed any clouding and I watched The Matrix the other night. Also, we have it above the fireplace with a large sliding-glass door about 6 feet away; there is no glare at all. I'd recommend this TV for sure, you shouldn't be disappointed.