Samsung LT-P326W 32 HD-Ready Flat-Screen LCD TV

by Samsung

Product Details

Data Sheet [166kb PDF]

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Supplementary Guide [4.59mb PDF]

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Product Manual [9.06mb PDF]

• Shipping Weight: 69 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B0002423YU
• Item model number: LTP326W
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #264,835 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Samsung's versatile, big-screen LT-P326W offers a stunning picture--crisp and clear from corner to corner, with 1,280 x 768 native pixel resolution. The 32-inch set is perfect for use with a DTV set-top box, high-definition satellite receiver, or progressive-scan DVD player, accepting standard-definition 480i inputs, enhanced-definition 480p signals, and full high-definition 720p and 1080i as well. An onboard digital comb filter separates the color signals to minimize dot crawl and blurred edges so you can enjoy sharp, focused images that look great regardless of their source.

The LT-P326W uses Samsung's DNIe (Digital Natural Image engine) picture-enhancement circuitry, which improves contrast, detail, color, and video motion. Its impressive 600:1 contrast ratio makes it capable of rendering extremely deep blacks, while its high brightness (500 cd/m2) produces vivid images even in bright rooms. And, with its speedy 16-milisecond pixel-response time, the LT-P326W is nothing if not ready to handle the fastest-moving video sequences, from video games to action films. Horizontal and vertical viewing angles each extend up to 170 degrees, making sure everyone has the best seat in the room.

LCD screens offer a number of benefits over CRT monitors and televisions, including general ease of use, freedom from eye strain (no screen flickering or radiation emissions), quiet operation (no high-pitch "flyback" noise, an issue with CRT TVs), accurate image geometry (no curvature distortion or susceptibility to magnetic interference from, say, speakers), long screen life (with no risk of image burn-in), space savings, and light weight/easy positioning. (Perched atop its round swivel base, the set weighs in at barely more than 50 pounds.) LCDs also tend to be cheaper and, to some eyes, slightly more natural looking than their plasma flat-panel counterparts, which usually "spec" higher (higher brightness, higher contrast ratio).

The set connects to a personal computer through its RGB (15-pin D-Sub) input, letting you surf the Web, check e-mail, or play QuickTime movies right on your television. Use the split-screen/PIP option to view multiple sources simultaneously.

To connect the monitor to devices such as DTV set-top boxes, satellite receivers, DVD players, game consoles, or camcorders, use either of the set's digital-video inputs--DVI (Digital Visual Interface) or HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface)--for a direct digital connection, or take advantage of its dual high-definition component-video inputs. Other inputs consist of 1 each composite- and S-video inputs, 1 RF input, and the above-mentioned PC input, each with its attendant audio jacks.

The DVI-HDTV interface (with HDCP copy protection) enables an all-digital rendering of video without the losses associated with an analog interface. DVI supports up to 24-bit digital RGB data for each pixel. Like DVI, HDMI is a lossless, uncompressed, digital audio/video interface to link the set with any compatible AV source. HDMI supports standard-definition (SD), enhanced definition (ED), or high-definition (HD) video, plus multi-channel digital audio--all using a single cable.

Choose one of several preset sound modes (standard, music, movie, speech, and custom) for broadcast through the built-in 10-watts-per-channel x 2 speaker system. SRS TruSurround technology simulates surround sound from the set's 2 speakers, while the television's MTS multichannel decoding separates audio signals for stereo reception and broadcasts a second audio program (SAP) when available for multilingual or other applications.

As with many high-quality TVs, the LT-P326W makes flexibility a top priority, giving you several preset picture and sound modes, including custom settings for each. The TV also provides color temperature adjustment for warm, cool, or neutral tones, along with a trilingual onscreen menu.

What's in the Box
TV, detachable speakers, remote control, remote batteries, swivel base, a user's manual, an AC power cord, and warranty information.

Product Description

HDTV monitor (compatible with HDTV/SDTV formats -- when connected to a separate HDTV tuner -- and displays all signals at 768p) * 32" flat TFT LCD panel * widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio * 1280 x 768 pixels *

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Thing Going, January 24, 2005

By 

J. Chen (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Samsung LT-P326W 32 HD-Ready Flat-Screen LCD TV (Electronics)

I purchased this set from Amazon through Crutchfield in September, 2004 (I waited as long as possible to review this item), and use it in my tv room.

I'm pleased with this purchase:

1. Video is superb. I watched this model at J&R (they had a running loop on a DVD player) one month before buying, and color and pixel acuity are as good as any CRT and SO MUCH better than any Plasma screens. What you'll hear and discover are that LCD black levels are much lower than plasma televisions. I am not a professional video editor, but as a graphic designer, I look for acuteness. Since I set up this LCD for a viewing distance of less than ten feet with medium-ambient lit environment, I chose acuteness over black-levels. It's on-screen selection offers DNIe (Digital Natural Image engine)--it does makes a big improvement to black-levels. I knew getting this LCD requires better cables; Time Warner Cable provides, in my opinion, low-quality cables. I got Monster cables (about $300) for component video-in. I compared these cables and the results are obvious--invest in some better cables if you spend this much on your television.

2. Audio is decent. I'm not an avid audiophile, and so even at level 20, this LCD is booming. I got Monster cable (about $150) for audio as well. If I do want to view more DVDs, I may get a simple surround sound system (which I plan to get and may update this review). The fan in the LCD set emits no sounds to my untrained ears.

3. DVDs look good on my two-year-old player. I am using component input. If you didn't know already, top/bottom letterboxing occurs since most movie directors choose varying anamorphic lens to shoot. I have yet to upgrade to progressive-scan DVD recorder/player later this year. So, I may again need to edit my review here.

4. Beautiful metal/glass exterior looks great with my media setup, black or silver finish components. Since most places (TigerDirect) do not stock these LCDs locally, prepare to wait at least two to three weeks for delivery. The sturdy LCD set comes with just a crescent-shaped base, so get a wall-mount attachement if you like to hang it. It requires two people to unpack and mount. There is a learning-curve for the on-screen menu, but if you can navigate a DVD menu, it should not be too difficult. Cleaning is easy because it does not attract dark matter like a CRT set--no harsh chemical, just a Swiffer will do.

5. Content is vital. Most people forget that this technology is still young. What you get from your cable company is about ten High Definition channels while there are hundreds of standard-definition channels. Standard low-quality signals, which show blotchy, fragments of color where digital compression takes place, look washed out. Left/right letterboxing occurs with broadcast signals since most people have televisions with a 4:3 ratio. So you just deal with it; local cable providers still have a long way to go. I find myself always switching to nature shows on Discovery HD or Public Television 13 for full screen quality.

There are tons of information out on LCD versus Plasma televisions if you do internet searches or read users groups. It reminds me of VHS versus BETA. Most information appears to be marketing promotionals, so be aware. Also, proponents of both televisions will tell you why one is better than the other. The real answer comes from: how you are setting up this television (though bigger is better, your view distance is relative), what level ambient light (if it is high, then black level is more important), picture detail (which is as important as color & black levels), and price (since we can only afford so much).

I hope this review helps you decide--this television is a good thing going.

3 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, January 6, 2005

By 

M. Bell (Midwest) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Samsung LT-P326W 32 HD-Ready Flat-Screen LCD TV (Electronics)

I was set to buy a rear-projection TV when I saw this model in a show-room. It had a near photograph quality picture, and I could not pass it up.

I got Voom Satellite this week, and now I can say that the picture quality on this TV is excellent. The High-Definition stations look like photographs.

10 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars It was superb, until disaster struck, September 19, 2005

By 

lansharked "lansharked" (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Samsung LT-P326W 32 HD-Ready Flat-Screen LCD TV (Electronics)

I bought this Samsung LCD TV from Circuit City in December 2004 and soon upgraded my signal quality (in Massachusetts) to Adelphia HDTV Cable via a Scientific Atlanta Explorer 8300 HD (with DVR). It was a wonderful image and I hooked in every source you could imagine at the highest quality each could offer: HDTV cable via HDMI, DVD via component video, even my computer into the DVI input. As a matter of fact, I custom ordered a bookcase-like, retracting-door wooden cabinet for the TV that surrounded it like a protective shield, while the TV itself was wall-mounted with Samsung's proprietary mounting hardware.

Everything was going great until last week when my three-year-old son accidentally struck the TV with a wooden block, immediately causing a multi-line hairline crack about 5 inches wide and accompanying pixel washout to the right and to the bottom of the crack, all the way to the edges of the screen. [...]

I had purchased a nearly $500 extended warranty from Circuit City called the Cityadvantage Protection Plan, which the salesperson presented as just the ting to get, if I was planning to do the wall-mount installation myself (which I was), implying that it would protect the purchase in case of accidental damage.
Lo and behold calls to the Cityadvantage Protection Plan support line and the CC store where I bought the TV (Burlington) revealed that the salesperson who sold me the TV no longer worked there and that accidental damage was expressly NOT covered by this 'protection plan'. Suffice it to say I will never purchase anything from Circuit City again. Other calls to Samsung and my insurance company also left me without recourse, as the possible repair/replacement of the screen "probably costs more than the TV is worth".

My advice: If you have small children or anything in the neighborhood of the remotest possibility that an object could possibly strike the screen, don't buy this or any other unprotected lcd tv. I would buy it again, but would place it behind a crystal safety-glass frame over the front. You should know that the soft plastic screen is much more delicate than any conventional glass CRT or TV tube, probably something on the order of 10x less shatter-resistant. If anyone from Samsung reads this I'd like to say that I have faithfully purchased 7 durable Samsung electronics products over the last 10 years and I now feel deceived and betrayed to have been left holding the bag for what I believe is an inherently defective product with an unacceptable level of fragility. I would not be surprised if newer generations of these products include a thick glass screen cover, but not in time to rescue the brand loyalty of 'burned' early-adopters like myself.