Customer Reviews

Samsung LNT3253H 32-Inch LCD HDTV

5 star:		(103)
4 star:		(39)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(16)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

I'm not an expert reviewer but a reasonably knowledgeable electronics consumer. Here are my observations from a week's use of the LNT3253H. I won't repeat the specifications and the like that you can find most anywhere. I suspect that some of what I say is applicable to other panel sizes in the 2007 53 series.

A successor to last year's popular 51 series, the 53 is really more of an updated version of 2006's highly rated LNS3296 with a little more contrast and one more HDMI port and a USB port. (I was told by Samsung customer service, 1-800-726-7864, that the successors to the latter line will be 1080p.)

PROS
Sharp picture with vibrant color in HD. Subjectively: when viewing HD feeds in the showroom, the 2006 version of the Sony Bravia XBR has better picture processing than this model, and the 2007 Toshiba Regza is comparable to the LNT3253.

Very high quality panel with no dead pixels. It is said that Sony and Samsung LCD panels come from the same Samsung plant. My set was manufactured (probably assembled) in Mexico.

Uses the desirable Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp (CCFL) according to Samsung customer service.

Nice contrast; I was told by many people, though, that dynamic contrast has a bit of marketing hype to it so just don't buy an LCD model because the dynamic contrast is slightly better than a competitor's. Sony avoids talking about it and their Bravia sets produce excellent pictures.

2 RF inputs, one for antenna and the other for cable/satellite. Competitors I've seen don't have that feature in their 2007 32" sets.

Digital tuner is high quality; very sensitive. Let me clarify that the digital ATSC tuner will receive analog NTSC signals. That's not entirely clear from the product specs, and competitors usually indicate their tuners are ATSC/NTSC/QAM. This HDTV does all of that.

Remote is logical and easy to use; better than the 2007 Regza's (I didn't compare it to the Sony's). Nice that the Samsung recognizes input sources and allows one button scrolling through connected ones rather than having to go to a menu. Don't know if source labeling or picture settings by source are available.

Audio: pretty typical, meaning not superb but adequate.

For the most part, a well-engineered and elegant set with nice touches, like unobtrusive function buttons in the front (some other manufacturers like Sharp and Toshiba just don't get it that some sets will go into tight spaces like cabinets; they put the on-board function buttons on the top or side of the unit--how inconvenient).

CONS
The single pedestal stand is a nice piece of engineering but could not be securely fastened to the set I purchased, so it was wobbly and, worse, made the set noticeably sag to one side. I checked two other display units in electronics stores and discovered that they did wobble. Other 32" sets from Sony, Sharp, and Toshiba, while not capable of turning on their pedestals, are solidly anchored. I don't know whether it's a design or manufacturing flaw -- or both.

720p resolution, 8 ms response time, and 10-bit processing. Most experts seem to think there's really no discernable difference in 32" sets between 720p and 1080p at typical viewing distances of 8 to 10 feet. I disagree; there is a difference to my eyes. Eight ms response is good, but 6 ms is better for action scenes. Samsung touts 10-bit processing on last year's 96 series models, but not on this one (which Samsung customer service confirmed to me it has). Perhaps that's because competitors are upping the ante with 14-bit and better processing.

Blacks are not as black as they should be on this set, and most annoying, there is some residual image on occasion. The test: MGM's lion logo goes immediately to black for about a second before a program begins. On my 19" Samsung Synchmaster LCD, the black stays black after the logo disappears. Same thing on my 12 year-old Panasonic direct-view (CRT) 32" set. Not so on this set; a residual reverse image of the MGM logo lingers on the black screen.

Legacy analog from over-the-air analog broadcasting and VCR is substantially lower quality than on my analog set. I know that Samsung claims its engine helps make analog pictures look sharper, and they do when DNIe is turned on, but they're still disappointing when compared to a quality analog set. (Digital broadcasts and DVDs are fine; I use the excellent Sony DVP-NS75H upscaling DVD player.)

An audio nit: My old Panasonic TV allowed control of the sound level output and muting of the home theater receiver from its remote. This set's remote does not do that, requiring the use of the receiver's remote for volume control and muting. The Samsung's is supposed to be universal, though, and might be programmed to do so. Another nit: Muting is not 100% complete. There was slight sound leakage in all muting situations (both from the remote and "internal muting") on my set. It seemed like Lilliputians had taken up residence inside the set.

NOTES
You can turn off the obtrusive (to me) bottom blue light if desired from the menu.

Samsung has some info on their website about the unit, including the product manual (very nice--why can't competitors do something this simple and helpful?).

The power cord is detachable from the set (yes!). It's three-pronged, with a grounding prong (reflects Samsung's monitor heritage?).

A brief note about size for those of you changing from old-style analog direct-view sets to an LCD like this. A 32" analog set is a 4:3 ratio set; while a 32" HDTV LCD set is "widescreen" at the theater-like 16:9 ratio. What this means in practice is: on your old analog set some DVDs and broadcast HDTV programs are centered on the set with black bars at the top and bottom (some DVD players will allow you to "zoom" and crop the picture to fill up the set, but you lose program's side action). They should fit just fine in your new LCD, though. Analog content that fills up the screen of your old analog 32" set is centered with black bars at the sides on your new LCD set. In effect, with older content, it's like watching a program on a 26" set, not a 32" set, according to the experts. I hope this isn't too confusing. The bottom line for me: when replacing a 32" analog set, think about going to a larger 37" or 40" LCD set if your budget and shelving can manage it.

I discovered that my AmEx and Master Charge extend the in-home parts and labor service warranty for an additional year; my Visa does not, so it might be a good idea to check with your credit card company prior to purchase.

There were a few issues with the LNT3253H that surfaced during the week that I owned it. I strongly recommend thoroughly previewing (kicking the tires, as it were and checking your preferences) this or any other large screen TV before buying it from any online retailer (BTW, it seems that most of them will not accept returns). You may wish to check with Amazon customer service to find out exactly what the return and refusal policies are, since, as many of you know, once you hit the "buy" button you may get the dreaded "your order is being processed, you can't make any changes" message if you change your mind.

The set and box are not heavy and can be handled reasonably well by one person.

I bought this set a week ago, after our 11-year-old, 32-inch, JVC tube TV shorted out. I'd had plenty of experience with LCD computer screens but I'd never really experienced anything but tube TV before. So, although I did plenty of homework before buying the Samsung, it's been a week of learning a LOT of new stuff. Here's what this newbie has learned so far, which will probably be helpful mostly for those who have yet to venture into the land of LCD and HDTV.

THE TV ITSELF:

Although the Samsung was my among my top picks after doing the research, when I saw it on the wall at Best Buy, the decision was pretty much made. Although I know the stores crank up the brightness and contrast, I figure if they do it for all the sets they have, then you're still on a relatively level playing field. And the picture on the Samsung stood out from the others like a diamond in a mound of charcoal. Rich contrast, sharp resolution, bright without being glaring. (We settled on the 32-inch because our family room is tiny and we are not more than five or six feet away from the screen. Standing that close to the larger sets was kind of overwhelming.)

When I got it home I wasn't disappointed, and found the same qualities in the set I purchased as the store model. It was fairly simple to hook up to my cable box and DVD player, and I was watching TV within half an hour. Everything was pretty intuitive, which is good because I am NOT a read-the-directions kind of guy. And the piano-black casing is stunning, although, as another reviewer mentioned, the stand can be a bit wobbly. Be very careful if you have little ones who like to mount furniture.

There is a variety of settings for picture and sound quality (including an equalizer mode). The sound is adequate but not dazzling. However, for movies and concerts, I usually channel the sound through my DVD player anyway. I was especially happy to find effective settings to adjust screen brightness for ambient room light, because our family room has a huge wall of windows that make the room extremely bright, so much so that on brilliant sunny days, our old tube TV was almost unwatchable. So far, I've yet to see any conditions in which I can't see the LCD screen perfectly.

Overall, the Samsung seems to deliver well on its promises, but what impressed me most (again, keep in mind I'm a newbie here) was the picture on HD channels. It's simply amazing. I was watching a baseball game in HD the other day and they showed a slow-motion replay of a player sliding into second base. You could see every grain of dirt on the base path. The definition is mind-boggling. However...

THE LCD/HD EXPERIENCE...

Though I was most impressed with the HD picture, I was also disappointed in the non-HD resolution. I guess the most important thing I can impart to other newbies is this... LCD/HD sets are really made for high-definition broadcasting. On those channels (which now make up maybe five percent of my cable company's offerings) the picture is superb. On all the other channels broadcasting in standard format, however, the image appears in a standard-format square on your new wide screen, and the resolution (which used to be great on the tube TV) is actually pretty poor, depending on what you're watching. Additionally, keep in mind that the full-screen image on your tube TV will be much smaller on a wide-screen TV of the same size. Both the Samsung and my cable box have options for changing the picture size, so that you can expand the square image to fit the wide-screen format. But this only distorts the image and can make it even blurrier while cutting off a significant portion of the picture. Also, there's not a lot of standardization in the way different stations format their picture: most are just in 4:3; some are in "wide screen/letter box" but it doesn't fill the whole TV screen, it just appears as a rectangle picture surrounded by a larger black rectangle; and some that are in full-wide-screen mode still leave a black strip at the top and bottom of the screen. I'm considering getting the cable company's "HD Tier" package just so I'll have more HD channels to watch, even though the programming isn't all that spectacular.

So, if you're considering this Samsung as your first foray into the world of HD, I think you'll be impressed. But be prepared to sacrifice size and quality on your non-HD channels (and there are MANY), and don't think that when you bring the set home, suddenly those "I Love Lucy" reruns on TVLand will be in stunning wide-screen high-definition clarity. It doesn't work that way. In fact, it works the OTHER way. The HD capabilities just bring out the flaws in broadcasts that were never meant for HD.

Hope this helps.

This TV is capable of producing outstanding video, but it demands a very high quality video feed (HD source through an HDMI cable) to perform up to its full potential. The video adjustments also require considerable tweaking to achieve optimum performance.

I have owned my Samsung 32" HDTV (model LNT3253H) for about six weeks. The TV is connected to a Comcast HD Motorola cable box with an HDMI cable. The HD video quality is excellent and the standard definition TV video quality is surprisingly good. It is important to note that these results were achieved only after a good deal of tweaking with the video adjustments. I usually avoid looking at instructions, but I found that this is one product where reading the Owner's Instructions was very helpful. There are a large number of possible adjustments, including some that I had never heard of before. These include Gamma, Color Space, White Balance, Edge Enhancement and Digital Natural Image Engine (DNIe). The Instructions explain what each adjustment does and the on screen Menu permits you to see the effect of each adjustment on the fly, as the adjustments are made. There are also a large number of video source inputs, including 3 HDMIs, probably more than most people will ever need.

The TV audio is surprisingly good, especially considering the fact that the sound comes out of two small slits in the front bottom of the cabinet. TV audio is not a big issue for me, however, because I have a home theater system that I usually use when watching TV. But I have no hesitation in using the TV speakers on occasion. The TV sound does not approach home theater quality, but it is perfectly acceptable for watching many programs, especially those that do not involve music or are not broadcast in surround sound.

I have a very old outdoor analog rooftop antenna that was connected to my previous TV, a 27" Sony cathode ray tube set. The Sony pulled in about six local analog channels through this antenna. The new Samsung, connected to this old antenna, receives nothing that is watchable. I have not tried an HDTV antenna with the new Samsung.

The DVD video quality, using a standard definition progressive scan DVD player that did not perform upconverting (a JVC XV-N44SL) was only fair to good -- nothing special. I was disappointed with these results and purchased a new Sony upconverting DVD player (a DVP-NS90V). The Sony DVD player connected to this TV with an HDMI cable produced a dramatic improvement in video quality. I have not deducted from my 5 star rating for this product because of the lackluster non-upconverting DVD player video and poor antenna performance. I did not buy the TV to watch analog over the air TV broadcasts and I assume the antenna performance would improve if I were to use a new antenna designed for HD reception. Also, the DVD picture quality did improve significantly with an upconverting DVD player.

UPDATE 11/13/2007: I recently purchased an HDTV indoor antenna (a Terk HDTVa.) With the Terk antenna connected, the TV pulled in 18 local over the air channels and 5 of these were in high defintion. The high definition reception was crystal clear. Also, those local HDTV stations broadcast in Dolby 5.1 audio were received in 5.1. My five star rating for this product remains unchanged.

UPDATE 1/26/2008: As stated above, I usually did not use the TV speakers while watching this TV. But, about 6 weeks ago while watching two back to back NFL football games on a Sunday afternoon with the TV speakers on, I experienced the "audio drop off problem" several times. (This problem is discussed by some other reviewers and in an Amazon customer discussion thread.) The audio cut off completely. I could temporarily cure the problem by turning the TV off and then back on again or by using the remote to scroll through the input sources back to my football game (on an HDMI input) or by turning the cable box off and then on.

I called Samsung during that week and the service representative recommended "resetting" the TV which consisted unplugging the TV for 30 seconds. I told him I would do this, but added that I wanted the current firmware version for the TV. He then sent me an email, which led to a link on Samsung's website and I was able to download the new firmware to a USB flash drive. The email had complete instructions on how to obtain and install the firmware upgrade. The flash drive plugged into the left side of the TV and I had no problem installing the upgrade. After resetting the TV and installing the upgrade, I have had no problem with the TV audio and I have made heavy use of the TV speakers in the last six weeks to make certain the problem is resolved.

My TV was manufactured in Mexico in March, 2007 and it was shipped with firmware version 1006 and now has version 1022, with the recent upgrade. I should note that "resetting" the TV caused it to loose all the user adjustments I had made to the default settings, including adjustments to the TV video. I now write down and keep in a safe place the numerous adjustments I made to the default settings on this TV - if you loose power or unplug the TV, all of these adjustments will be gone.

I also note with some concern that a few Amazon reviewers who purchased recently manufactured versions of this TV continue to encounter audio problems. A TV that can not produce reliable audio is a serious problem. I, however, am not changing my 5 star rating for this product because I have to judge this TV based on my experience and not that of others - the audio problem I encountered was quickly resolved by "resetting" the TV and installing the firmware upgrade.

This Samsung TV is an excellent product. We bought it as a bedroom TV to replace a 26 inch conventional model. Understand that this TV is going to have a higher resolution than most of the signals you will send it. We have the system hooked up to DISH HD, a Playstation 2 and a Zenith DVD/VCR combo. The DISH HD output looks pretty good via HDMI. The Playstation 2 output is as good as you can get from a Playstation 2. The Zenith output is often pixelated and grainy. That's what happens when you mix and match old technology with new technology. I can live with it but consumers have a responsibility to understand that this TV will not make your old videotapes look better. In fact, they will look worse. So will DVDs unless you invest in progressive scan.

The TV itself is well designed with an excellent picture (depending on source quality). Blacks look pretty black and we have experienced none of the blurring some older LCD TV owners complain about. Only one thing about this unit irritates me - the control on the right side of the TV itself. They are very hard to read. If you'll be using a remote exclusively it won't be a problem.

Overall I look forward to years of happy ownership.

For a 32" LCD HDTV in this price range, i can't justify getting anything else. the TV is an absolute blast to use, the quality is amazing, it seems to be built well, and i'm immensely happy with it so far.

SD Quality - like almost every LCD HDTV out there, the SD quality on this unit leaves much to be desired. it may be the poor cabling in my apartment for my cable channels, but they look pretty bad. i'm guessing that if you had a good quality cable line run to the TV, it would look better, because the digital SD channels from my cable box look pretty good. also, it's not the fact that it's SD that is the problem... because SD DVDs and 480i digital over-the-air look great. it's just cable, and presumably analog over-the-air as well. so make sure you have a good quality cable line run to your TV/cable box and maybe even an amplifier.

HD Quality - outstanding. 1080i looks indistinguishable from 720p, as this is a 720p TV with a good 1080i deinterlacer. i don't know why someone tagged this as 1080p, since it clearly doesn't support it. but the quality is amazing, especially with the contrast as high as it is. I have not tried anything over HDMI, since i don't have any HDMI devices. but analog component looks great.

Contrast - i have found some of the "Dynamic" settings can be a bit extreme... i actually had to tone down the contrast a little, and i turned the dynamic contrast to Low. Also, this is a very BRIGHT TV, but luckily you can adjust the backlight. on the backlight adjustment that goes to 10, i have mine set at 7, and it's still very bright.

Games - i have a Nintendo Wii hooked up via component and it looks great. it's also nice since it supports 480p and 16:9 mode, so in the games, such as Wii Sports, you can have vertical split screen that is actually useful. There is also a "game mode" to enhance how games look on the screen, but i have not yet used this.

Over-the-air - This TV does include an OTA tuner for HD and SD digital. I hooked up a cheap little unpowered antenna and i was able to pick up in-town 480i digital stations fine, and they looked AMAZING compared to their cable counterparts. I wasn't able to get any HD channels without a powered antenna, since all the broadcast towers are out of town, but i'd imagine you'd get a much better quality (assuming you can get a good signal) than from digital cable, which suffers from severe compression artifacts in my area.

Inputs and Outputs - there are PLENTY to go around, but considering i have 6 component devices, it would be nice to have more component inputs. there are 3 HDMI inputs, one on the side, and two component sets. In addition there are 2 composite inputs for SD, one on the side, and a PC input. DVI is supported in the HDMI port with an adapter.

Remote - the remote is easy to use and comfortable. There is a handy P.Size button at the bottom (blue button) that allows you to change between 16:9 stretched, Zoom 1 (cropped), Zoom 2 (i think an even tighter crop), and 4:3 pillarboxed for SD programs, which is very handy. For example, when a widescreen letterboxed program comes on an SD channel, you can go to Zoom 1 with a push of a button and it completely fills the screen, unletterboxed and unstretched. The volume and channel controls are also backlit with the touch of a button.

Sound - the sound is a good and bad thing about this TV. it has a cool virtual surround feature that actually sounds pretty neat, especially while watching concerts and programs that make good use of stereo sound, and it has optical output to run to a 5.1 unit for audio from OTA HD or HDMI. The downside is that bass is lacking, but considering how thin the TV is, this is not surprising, and i'd posit that the sound on ths TV is better than other LCD HDTVs i've heard in stores. There is an equalizer as well to fine tune your sound. Another cool feature is that the speakers are under the TV, so the bezel is significantly smaller than other competing units.

Appearance - the unit is a piano black, plastic finish, and there is a glowing blue LED at the bottom. the LED is not distracting at all, and you can program it to be on when the TV is on or off, whichever you prefer. The whole unit is very customizable, you can adjust many tiny details of the image quality, sound quality, channels, and settings for the TV. The controls on the TV itself are touch sensitive and on the side of the unit. The only downside is you can't really see what they are unless you're in a brightly lit room, so i end up relying on the remote more than the controls on the unit. The upside of this is that you wouldn't know they're there upon looking at it, and it makes the bezel very attractive.

I bought this TV a few months ago. Menu randomly popped up on screen repeatedly so you couldn't watch anything. Samsung required it be shipped to them (my expense) despite warranty stating in-home repair service. Samsung denied receipt initially even though I had a UPS delivery confirmation. Refused to replace with refurbished unit despite exercising this option. Now stating up to 21 more business days from now before I might get TV returned. Horrible anti-consumer experience dealing with them.

***EDIT: Please read, as this is quite important new information***

I wrote a review about a week ago praising the set. However, I came to notice a major issue. While displaying video over component or HDMI, most commonly in progressive scan resolutions (480p, 720p), my set has a "tearing" issue. This is a small horizontal line that moves up the screen from the bottom. It happens randomly. I did some research and found on the AVS forums that half the posters reported to have this problem with their set. Luckily, it can be fixed. You must call Samsung support, tell them you have the "tearing" issue and that you want the newest firmware, which remedies the problem. They will either send you a USB thumb drive in the mail with the firmware or they will provide you with a download link. This problem was quite bad for me when playing Xbox 360 in 720p over component video.

So, to get the best performance, be sure to get this updated firmware, version 1020. You can read about this problem by searching "tearing" in Samsung's FAQ for the LN-T3253H.

***********

I've had my Samsung for about 2 weeks now and am throughly satisfied. I did an enormous amount of research before purchasing this, and consider myself to be very knowledgeable regarding technology. I was also considering the 32" Sharp Aquos 1080p model and the Sony Bravia 32" model. I ended up choosing the Samsung because the Sharp was significantly more expensive (due to its 1080p capability) and because the Sony didn't look good enough to justify its higher price tag. I use this set in my dorm room.

It's hard to judge any LCD, however, in the store because they generally turn the brightness and contrast to their maximum values to make the TVs stand out. I learned a very valuable lesson: calibrating your television truly does bring out the best picture. Even if you don't buy a calibration DVD (like Avia or DVE), look up CNET's picture settings for this model. While it won't look as "good" at first, your eyes adjust to it and notice more detail and a more lifelike picture.

After calibration, my Samsung set produces a stunning image. I have an Xbox 360 (Component), a Playstation 3 (HDMI), broadcast TV, and my Macbook Pro (VGA) all hooked up. Picture from all sources is amazing. What really surprised me, though, is how great my Mac looks on this TV. It acts as a 1333x768 LCD monitor and the image is superb. I used to have a 42" DLP with my Mac connected via a DVI -> HDMI cable and the picture was just OK. Now with the LCD, I plan on browsing the internet from my couch.

Both DVDs and Blu-Rays look wonderful. The speakers are underpowered and inadqueate. If you're spending this much on a TV, it's only logical to get great sound as well. Right now, I have audio sent to 2.1 channel Logitech THX speakers which sound leaps and bounds better than the built in ones. (I'll be upgrading to 5.1 channel surround soon) The stand is not wobbly like other reviews have said, perhaps they just overlooked something. There is a ziploc of screws that comes in the box. Be sure to screw them into the back of the set after you snap the stand on, it makes it much more secure.

Bottom line, if you're in the market for a 32" LCD, you've found it. The image is excellent and it is truly the best deal.

I meandered and debated for a long, long time before biting the bullet and getting a new HD TV. The 32" Samsung LNT3253H has been an excellent choice.

The tv is connected to a Dish Network HD box and an OPPO DV-970HD Up-Converting Universal DVD Player. The picture quality from both is excellent.

The tv is next to a sliding glass window, and the brightness of the tv is great, the is not problems with glare or anything from the light next to the tv.

Tons of connections to and from the stereo, I'm using hdmi connections for the dish and dvd.

Very satisfied, shipping and delivery was fast & excellent. The price on amazon when I got it was $300 less than any local, big box store. Great deal & tv, I would do it again in a heartbeat.

I was very apprehensive at first to buy this tv after all the bad press in regards to the sound card. After looking at the other options availablke in tv's I was continually drawn back to the LNT3253H. Once it arrived I registered it immediately to check on the manufacture date, held my breath and found it was July 27th 2007 which gave me enormous relief. Like the 40" LNT4065F I purchased just two months before, the LNT3253H has lived up to its quality expectance by far. The set is now a month old, the color incredible, the sound outstanding, the HD 1080 color and depth of picture phenominal.

Apparently Samsung realized they had a problem, and must have resolved it. Hopefully everyone else is happy with this product on all the recent shipments.

Norm

Chicago

I bought the Samsung LNT3253 on Monday. I bought an HDMI cable yesterday. It didn't take long for the audio to cut out and start stuttering. I'm not talking about a split second but cutting in and out continuously. I also have digital audio running into my stereo receiver and switched to that and it was fine. So the problem in that case was isolated to the HDMI source. I had to unplug the TV and let it reset to get the sound back to normal. Then the audio was fine. I must say that kind of thing only happened once so far. Since, there have been very short sound and picture dropouts but they might have just been some kind of digital glitch from the cable company. I called up Samsung and they sent me a firmware update via email link. It turns out its the same as whats already on the TV. They could have saved me the effort by telling me how to check the firmware and confirmed that way it was already up to date. From what I read a new motherboard with its soundboard as part of it should solve the problem so I called Samsung and they setup up an appointment with an independent service center not Samsung to come work on the TV in a few days. The manager at the service center said they will replace the motherboard. The service manager said he's already changed six boards. For the gentleman with the wobbly stand. Try screwing the stand to the screen and that should solve your wobble. If you just drop it on and don't screw it yes it will wobble and list to the side if its unbalanced. A great picture, beautiful styling and great features, hopefully the sound problem was not a reoccurring problem and the board change will fix if it is was anyway. Well the service company came and changed the board and I watched the ballgame last night using the straight HDMI input and the sound was cutting out constantly. I'll watch TV again tonight on a different channel and see if the problem continues. If so I will return the TV and unfortunately have to purchase a Sony equivalent at a much higher price.