Customer Reviews

Samsung LNT4665F 46" 1080p LCD HDTV

5 star:		(304)
4 star:		(50)
3 star:		(21)
2 star:		(23)
1 star:		(48)

 

 

I searched for a flat-screen tv for a couple of months, and finally chose the 4665. I chose the size of the TV based on my room, and decided 50 was too big and 42 too small. This left me without a decision on plasma vs lcd, which was ok with me. Plasma has more basic issues, and going LCD was not a sacrifice - except I had yet to see a LCD with black blacks, so I was not sure what I would see in the 46" range.

As for price range, I decided that I was going to buy the tv that I was happiest with. It was not that I have unlimited budget, just that I wanted to make sure that I would going to be completely satisfied with a 2-3k purchase. I really only knew about the plasma tv's in 42" 720p, so I had a lot of research to do to understand what to buy.

After reading hundreds of reviews and going to several stores to comparison shop, I was basically down to three Samsung models. I was considering the LN-T4665F, LN-T4661F and the LNS4696. Going straight by the specs, the 4665 looked to be the best because of the 15000:1 dynamic contrast ratio. With this in mind, I was confused to see that BestBuy has the 4696 in their Magnolia section and not the 4665 - my only guess is that it is because the 4665 does not have a cableCard slot.

After lots of playing I was more than happy with each of the TVs, and my choices were narrowed down by wanting more hdmi's right on the set, wanting the best possible contrast, and the glossy screen on the 4665. I have seen several complaints about the glossy screen, however this was a selling feature for me - for the same reason that I ordered a MacBook Pro with the glossy screen - I just think that it makes moves look better. I can deal with reflection during the day to get a picture that I am happier with when watching a movie at night.

I must say that I am extremely impressed so far. I have not had a single image problem yet, and the setup was clearly the worst part of this tv. All-in-all, I am 100% satisfied with this purchase.

So here's my brief summary of the high/low points:

Pros:
1. (3) HDMI inputs
2. Excellent contrast - forget the numbers, as they are fiction - the blacks are black
3. Glossy screen - movies spectacular - Toy Story is mind-blowing!
4. Weight - This is one of the newer, lighter sets
5. Price - Not that this set was cheap, but I liked this over the Sony and would have spent another $1,000 to get a comparable Sony - and I hate the glass around the Sony's

Cons:
1. No cableCard slot - really only matters if you want to mount it on the wall

That's how I see it. I give this TV my highest endorsement.

I'm the guy everyone in my family comes to for product advice, so hopefully my story will help people if they're on the fence. Most of the decision points are the same as other reviews, but here's how I came to my conclusion, and the unbelievable bonus that makes the purchase even better than I could have hoped.

Do I pay extra for 1080p? In the end I voted yes for this. Why? Because at my core I'm a tech guy. I may cheap out when buying certain clothes or pack my own lunch, but when it comes to technology, I want to be ahead of the curve. I buy extra ram for my computer so it will take longer to become obsolete, and the same goes for getting the newer technology for my TV.

LCD vs. Plasma: I'm a huge sports guy so this one was tough for me. But in the end, I decided that the blurring on fast sports was probably imperceptible (I was right), I read some real stories about burn in, and I wanted the option to hook up my laptop if I wanted.

Brand: Sony is too expensive, and I eliminated the lower models like Philips, LG, etc, and went between Samsung and Sanyo. For this, I looked at them side by side in the store, and the Samsungs were just brighter and crisper.

4665 vs. 4661: Because I had been leaning somewhat toward a plasma, I went with the 4665 because it was brighter, more "glass-like" in appearance, and well, performed more like a plasma. I live in a small NYC studio apartment with only 1 window. So while this sucks for natural light, it's a perfect scenario for this TV. Glare is non-existent.

40" TV vs. 46" TV: I went back and forth on this, and to be honest, if Samsung had made a 42" like every other brand, I would have probably settled on that. But the guy in the apartment before me had a 47" Vizio in here. What was I supposed to do, go with 40" after that? So even though my last TV was a 30" Toshiba tube HDTV, and the 46" looks somewhat ginormous in my studio, I said what the hell and went with bigger is better. I think the quote that got me was, "I've never met anyone that wished they had gotten a smaller TV, but I know several that regretted not going with a bigger model."

Buy local or through Amazon: Well, we tried. My friend and I went to a local retailer here and said if he could come close to the Amazon price, factoring in shipping and tax, we would buy from him (both my buddy and I were buying TVs at the same time). They couldn't come close. Read on for the money factor...

Bonus: Here is the tip that you probably didn't know. So not only was the initial price ($2049) lower than the local retailer. And not only was shipping free. And not only was the tax free. And not only did I get multiple $25 gift cards because I used my Amazon credit card.

But Amazon has a policy that you can call up unlimited times and get a price reduction if you see a lower price on the product. So I bought my TV for $2049 on Nov 1. A week or so later, it had dropped to $1999 and I called and they credited my account. I set a reminder in my work Outlook to check every day at lunch. It dropped again to $1949. Call. Refund. I definitely made sure to check on Black Friday. And Black Monday. And again. Call. Refund. And again.

So in the end for me the price has dropped from $2049 to $1799, saving me $250 off my original price. Oh, and my friend's TV dropped $50, my HD DVD player dropped $10, and even my wall bracket dropped $20.

But wait you say, I don't have time to sit on hold all that time. Well, you don't. If you go to Amazon's help page, there is a feature called "Call me now." You type in your phone number and literally 5 seconds later, your phone rings with a live person on the other end, and 2 minutes later you have your savings. And no, I don't work for Amazon. Like I said, I'm the bargain guy, and I know every trick to get a good price. And if one end of the spectrum is creepy commissioned salespeople in Manhattan and the other is a flawless customer experience, it's a no brainer.

All this would be irrelevant if the performance didn't live up to the hype. Well, it does. In a word, the TV is stunning. End of story.

I don't normally write reviews without owning a product, however.. I have ordered (the 4661) based off the following:

If you've never been to avsforum .com, it is a purely message board/forum style website where every manner of A/V is discussed. There are entire forums dedicated to discussing the various technical aspects of LCDs to Plasmas to projectors. Long story short, there is a month old, mile long thread that has nothing but glowing things to say about Samsung's LNTXX61 and LNTXX65/66 series of TVs -- how it's refreshing to have a TV that doesn't have clouding/banding issues. AVSForum is pretty much the site for technophiles, and the positivity is consistent, so it's not just one or two jokers from Samsung trying to make their product look good.

THAT is the reason I placed the order for this. It has been a long time since a product line has received that much positive review on that site.

Most have said the detail improvement by bumping up to the XX65/6 over the XX61 is subtle. The 4661 has more of a matte finish around the edge whereas the XX65 has a shinier edge -- which most have said is not bothersome when watching a show (some were concerned at first because they could see themselves while watching TV but have said overall it doesn't bother them).

DO NOT get wrapped up in the whole "15000:1 versus 10000:1 contrast ratio" marketing difference. The differences are again much more subtle than manufacturers would have you believe. There are whole articles about how anything over 500:1 in anything but a _completely dark_ room is not noticeable to the naked eye.

Probably the main reason to perhaps go with the XX65 series is due to the apparently "lacking" speakers on the XX61 series. If you do NOT plan to hook this TV to an external sound system, then it may be worth considering the XX65 for the improved built-in speakers. The 65 has them on the sides, the XX61 has them underneath facing downwards and apparently the sound isn't ideal. Although one might say for the 300 price difference between the two, buy the 61 series and apply that 300 towards a nice stereo receiver like a Yamaha.

I hope this information is helpful, I will add once I receive one myself. But if you're on the fence, rest assured you are buying the latest and greatest at a great price (come on.. <2500 for a 46" LCD! Just a year ago that was unheard of) and will NOT be disappointed.

If you need more reassurance, head to AVSForum and read the forum on this TV, but let me save you the trouble, I've summarized everything of interest in the above and you'll find pages and pages of "What a relief it is to have a TV that doesn't have the problems that plagued the last generation of LCD panels". The technology has definitely matured with this release.

Take a look at Sony's V462500, which is a year old. It was a great model from Sony, but at a year old it's still several hundred more than this set. So the point I'm trying to make is you can feel good about this price.

I purchased this set after much research 4 weeks ago after returning my 46" Sharp due to serious and annoying banding issues. When we finally got it and hooked it up it was amazing- great picture, color, contrast... everything! I was in HD heaven until a week and a half later when it just stopped working. It would only make a clicking sound when turned on but no picture or audio. Never hearing about a problem of this type with these new sets, I called Samsung, who sent out a local "factory authorized shop" to repair it. After a replaced main board and an hour of re-calibrating, the set looked absolutely horrible and the panel looked like it lost half of it's brighness. After a second hour-long service the tech gave up saying that it was the best he could do but the picture is still nowhere near the quality of what it was before the service. The screen is still extremely dim and the user adjustments do not make it any better. Samsung says that the tech has to write the set off as irrepairable in order for them to do anything about it- talk about poor service!

Even though I am sure this is just a fluke with my particular set- I am disappointed with the lack of service received from Samsung and the inability of some of the techs in their "service network" to repair their new LCD's. Make sure you know who is certified to repair these things in your area before you buy one. My assigned "tech" insisted that my dim, lifeless and washed out picture is normal and that I should just be happy with his work. I'm not- and I'm sending it back! Even with all the great reviews, Samsung has lost me as a customer. Note to Samsung: Send out technicians that actually know how to repair your products and provide better service to the people who purchase them.

Let me get to the point. It is 4.9 stars because there could be better gradients of color (but this is also dependent on the source) and I haven't been able to get bright solid yellows to be as bright on some plasma displays (which the CNET review aludes to) despite guided setup and tweeking using Smpte color bars. And there's the whold LCD off axis viewing thing that washes out the blacks from an angle. But the Cost-benefit ratio is perfect and the Picture in the $2-3K range is the best I've seen.

Personally tested TVs:
Philips 42PFL7432D 42" 1080p LCD
Panasonic TH-42PX75U 42" 720p Plasma
Sony Bravia KDL-40V2500 40" 1080p LCD
Panasonic TH-50PZ700U 50" 1080p Plasma
Samsung plasma 42" EDTV

This TV is far better than any of the other TVs I tested (slightly better than the 50" plasma, see below). The Black levels are comparable or better than the Panasonic plasmas, which was completely unexpected from an LCD. Samsung's True black technology really shines.

My Soap Box:
3-10 years ago laptop screens had anti-glare. Now they are all smooth, glaring screens because the color is that much better. Why are we back tracking in TV technology by adding non-glare coating? Do not listen to CNET when they applaud anti-glare technology. The samsung has a glassy glaring screen that does not defract light. Look at the science and you'll see that defracting light to get non-glare lowers the quality of the picture. It's not just science, it's an obvious fault of anti-glare screens when you compare them side by side (or even one after another). I have my TV in my basement where the lighting is customized and the TV looks incredible.

Soap box #2:
Why do people care about sound quality on a TV like this? I've never once used the speakers on the TV. Why have a TV like this and not use a comparable Home Theater system? I got a TV where the speakers are hidden (since you can't find one without speakers very easily). The speakers on the samsung are sleek and the silver fin-like sides that they are inset in are a beautiful design. This TV has real aesthetic appeal.


Final Remarks:
LCD power comsumption and weight are both 60% less than plasma. A 50" Plasma burns at about 600 Watts and you have to also worry about burn in. An LCD does not burn in (but can get dead pixels) and uses between 80-250 watts. The result: You don't mind leaving the TV on if it's LCD. The Samsung only falls behind plasma in off-axis viewing. It has better white levels (because of inherent LCD technology), better energy usage (for the environmentally conscious consumer), and a few hundred dollars less. I estimate that the 50" Plasma puts out as much light to fill a room and captivate its audience as the 46" samsung, which is why I compare the two sizes. When I weighed all the factors the Samsung LN-T4665F was a clear choice.

I have the forty inch version of this TV. Outstanding picture. These have the best black level of any LCD on the market IMO. However, Ive had my tv for a few weeks and have had several HDMI video dropouts and green flashes. The video even dropped out once and didn't come back until I did a power cycle on the tv. This is an HDMI handshaking issue which plagues the entire line of 2007 Samsung LCDs. There are also people who are experiencing uneven back lighting on video sources through HDMI. Which I've noticed, but can be adjusted to the point where its not bad. These are HDMI 1.3 sets, but 1.3 is supposed to be backwards compatible. So the reason for the drop outs is unknown. So just be aware of this if you do buy this tv. Who knows, maybe Samsung will release a firmware update to fix the issue. But they have to acknowledge the problem first.

Stop by avsforum dot com to see what everyone is talking about in regards to the HDMI issues.

Like many HD consumers I have been researching for months the various options out there right now. The wait and research were worth it when my Samsung 46' LNT4665F arrived this week. Not available when I first started looking during the holidays, this new model is a real "WOW". You can plug and play right out of the box until you have time to explore all of the features of this TV. Colors are vibrant, the picture is crisp, even on non-HD programming and all the menus and set ups are intuitive. My 10 year old had everything figured out long before I had finished reading the manual.

Amazon's pricing was unmatched and their choice of shipping companies was first rate. While I was initially hesitant to purchase such a high ticket item online, I would do it again through Amazon with confidence.

If you are ready to take the HD plunge, you won't be sorry with this Samsung.

For me, buying an LCD is a simple contest: Sony, Panasonic, Samsung--with apologies to other manufacturers. Sony's Bravia series is very extensively advertised with bursts of colorful balls, which explains why they cost the extra nickel, because there truly isn't a huge deal of difference in the screen quality or anything else apart from the warm fuzzy glow you get from owning a Sony. Panasonic is better value for money, and has been high on my agenda thanks to my unhealthy belief in Japanese manufacturing.

Until I came across this Samsung. The price point was fantastic (4665 is now nearly the same as 4661, if you must know) and the most aggressive of the three. Both the colors and blacks were rich in a head-to-head comparison, subtle nuances popping on this one. All these picture based paeans aside, there are three things that make the LNT4665F the market trailblazer in my mind:

1. The screen on this baby is the *only* LCD screen I have seen so far that looks almost like regular TVs in its scene transition -- almost no flicker, almost no pixelation. It could perhaps be the 8ms response time.

2. The sound is stunning, a bit like Bang & Olufsen's subtle bass and perfect clarity, although they're in a different price league. The secret is the "SRS TruSurround XT" sound from hidden side speakers plus "premium audio sound" of 2.2 channel dome speakers.

3. And this for me tops it all--each channel can store a volume level of its own. Let's face it: we may dislike it, but in reality, different TV channels have different audio tuning so as you navigate from channel to channel, you often find yourself upping and lowering the volume. Not with this thing. It'll remember your last setting for *each* channel!

In other departments where it doesn't utterly trump the competition, it at least offers top of the line features, such as with the connectivity to digital devices. You get 3 HDMI ports and a full complement of inputs. And the handy HMDI-CEC feature lets you control all your CEC-enabled peripherals using just one remote.

To cut to the chase, if you're reading this and Samsung is in your consideration set, let me make it simple for you -- it deserves to be the gold standard against which other contenders need to measure up. This is the cat's whiskers, the cat's pajamas, maybe even the entire wardrobe of the feline community.

It's hard to know where to begin with this review b/c I'm just so pleased with so many things about this tv...
Like most buyers, I researched for almost a week, reading countless reviews on tech forums and videophile websites and of course all the reviews on here. My husband and I recently got married and he's been wanting a flat screen LCD the entire relationship. We agreed to wait until after the wedding and we bought our house, before jumping on the tv purchase. We wanted to do it smart and make a wise investment. Although no tv is flawless, this model comes darn near close.

A note regarding what the previous review mentioned about the "White Glove Service".. it states it very clearly in the description of their service that "delivery experts will place the carton in a room of your choice on the ground floor, unpack the product, and remove all packing materials from the residence. If you find signs of damage to your product, simply refuse delivery and you will receive a refund. Our white-glove delivery experts DO NOT perform installation services."

We ordered our tv on a Friday night..and it was delivered the following Friday. And that was only b/c it wasn't processed until the Monday after we ordered it, since we ordered it afterhours on Friday. Anyhow, it arrived quicker than we could have imagined. And the delivery guy from Eagle was very sweet and called me when he was within an hour of delivery. It's a good thing he did too b/c Direct TV cable was on their way to install the HD dish and I didn't want the two bumping heads. The eagle guy lugged the tv inside the house for me and proceeded to remove it and set it up on the tv stand. We mainly inspected the screen/etc for signs of scratches or damages and made sure the remote was inside. It was a beautiful thing to look at, all glossy and black and a gleaming screen. And all this before it was even turned on.

After Direct Tv set up the dish and got me running, I turned on the tv and watched in awe. We had scrolled to Discovery Channel HD. Holy cow. I mean I rememembered the feeling I had got when I saw the glossy vivid tv in the store but it was ten-fold when I got it into my living room..

The most amazing black and vivid shades of color I have ever seen. It really doesnt compare to others I've seen. When we saw it on the wall at CC, there was no contest...my eye just kept being dragged back to it. Even though there was a huge 60" tv nearby, my eye just wanted to focus on the Samsung 4665F. Now that the tv is mine, I get to enjoy the awesome picture anytime I want! We had a housewarming party and our guests were swarming around the tv..in total awe. Several ppl commented they had never seen a better picture. And the glossy screen is not really too much of a problem...my lamp is across the room and I just draw the curtains or blinds a tad and I don't have any reflection problems. And the glossy screen is what allows for such an amazing resolution and contrast. Those colors just jump off the screen!

We watched Monsters Inc the first night we got it and it was heaven, pure heaven. It was like Sully was directly in front of us. Even the SD channels look unbelievable. With a bit of tinkering of the settings, you can get near-HD quality on everything you watch. Love love love love it!

This has been by far the best investment that we have made. And we've had no issues whatsoever with lsoing the picture, banding, clouding, etc. MY hubby has played the playstation 2 and loved every moment of it. I think it's all in the HDMI cables that you have so make sure you invest in a good pair.

Amazon beats the price of all those big-box stores and they have wonderful service. I would recommend them and the Samsung to anyone! Run, don't walk, to your nearest CC to check it out in person for yourself. Then order it through Amazon!!

I am a long-time broadcaster and a perfectionist so I spent an inordinate amount of time researching the best 46 inch LCD. Among my professional group, there can be no doubt the Sony XBR series sets the standard for LCD but the additional price - not insignificant - and the issue of "clouding" did not justify purchasing one after waiting for the XBR 3 to become available. I haved owned many XBRs over the years, and have come to expect that if you can't afford a broadcast reference monitor (I can't), then XBR is next best (won't go into all the engineering reasons they differ from your normal set).

I can't wait to see how the XBR-4 fares, which I'm sure was made to fix the notoriety of "clouding", but the price will take forever to drop to an affordable level.

So, I've been following the Samsung LN-T4665 for months and reading the reviews. I had a great experience once before with Amazon when it flawlessly delivered a defect-free Samsung 408 40 inch model.

When Amazon dropped the price on this model ever so slightly after trending up for a week, I made the purchase and it was delivered today. So far, so good. It's beautiful, bright and was delivered via Eagle with no problems at all, and in factory new condition. (Fortunately, from reading the AVS Forum website, I knew how to read the serial number on the box to determine if I had a model with upgraded firmware to solve sudden HDMI drop-outs. Fortunately, models now shipping at least have an early upgrade version.

B&H Photo Video had this model for more and charged a shipping charge.

Here are reasons I didn't give it 5 stars.

The complaints that reflections off the highly polished screen (as opposed to a satin finished surface of the 408) and piano glossy back bezel could be a distraction in a room full of windows are true. It is, in my case, but after dark, it's gorgeous, so the day time issue is one of placement and not worth nullifying my interest in a great set. The other issue is one that has been mentioned. When you up-size from a 40 inch 720 resolution model to full 1080, lower NTSC signal channels really look soft and unsharp. This too will resolve when in 2009, all stations will be transmitting only in Hi-def.

So, I'm still experiencing this set, but so far, hats-off to Amazon for keeping prices low and offering free shipping - and for selecting a shipping company that obviously cares about Amazon's satisfaction. In a day where there is no shopping loyalty, I always check Amazon first for electronics. Work hard, Amazon, to continually earn this rating as you can't win it back easily if you lose it by becoming lax or indifferent to your customers.