Customer Reviews

Samsung LTP227W 22-Inch HD-Ready Flat-Panel LCD TV

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

 

 

This television is the best you can buy for the price ($1169 at Circuit City on sale) - I'll break it down by its possible uses:

Television:
With an analog television signal, the picture is mediocre - but that's true of most LCDs (and with how bad analog signals are getting, that might be true of all TVs these days). With an HDTV signal, the picture is crisp, clean, and static graphics don't waver like on most LCD televisions in this price range. Fast moving action doesn't blur or pixelate at all.

DVD playback:
When hooked up with component or S-video cables, DVDs are about as good as you'd get with a regular television. There may be some pixelation on static graphics and default color settings may not be to your liking, but playing with the settings will fix that for standard viewers. Using a DVI cable hook-up, you'll get an amazing picture that almost makes the cost of DVI cables worth it. The default widescreen picture may look pinched between two large black bars, but changing the picture settings will allow you to eliminate the typical widescreen black bars without sacrificing the edges of the picture.

Computer monitor:
*Note this television was hooked up to a NVIDIA GeForce FX 5600 Ultra graphics card*
This is an excellent computer monitor, but ONLY if you use a DVI cable (this will keep you from hooking up a DVD or cable box with a DVI cable). Using an S-video cable to hook this television up to a computer will probably leave you with a massive case of eye strain because text will be blurry and the S-video option doesn't allow you to alter the setting very much. With a DVI hook up, this television can act as an excellent (and huge) computer monitor. With some programs such as video games, you may need to alter the in-game resolution to make it fit with the monitor resolution (tested with World of Warcraft), otherwise the game action will look blurry. Again, changing the setting will fix this problem for most peoples' tastes.

You can have your computer running with the television picture-in-picture or side-by-side (or vice versa), allowing you to work and watch television or a DVD (S-video connection only).

As for points of criticism, this television only has 1 S-video connection, 2 component video connections, and 1 DVI connection. The S-video connection does not face downward like the other connections do so pressing this unit back against a wall isn't possible if you're planning on using an S-video connection. The remote is serviceable, but the picture-in-picture channel must be changed via the remote by going through the on screen menu. The picture-in-picture cannot be swapped without going through the menu as well. The sound is face-forward only, but with a standard surround hook up you won't feel like the TV is projecting sound straight at you.

With any LCD TV, you may find one or two dead pixels (visible on dark backgrounds), so you may want to check the picture before hooking everything up just in case.

For the money and the size, this television can't be beat. I compared this TV to a 20" Sharp Aquos LCD and this Samsung actually came out on top in practically every category, including price. If you're looking for a great LCD television that can also be used as a computer monitor, this is the way to go.

To clarify the title a bit, it's not that there's anything wrong with the TV without component inputs, just that it doesn't take real advantage of the Tv's strengths if you don't at least hook up your DVD player to it. :-)

My setup is relatively minimal: it's hooked up with my DVD player and to satellite TV (with antenna broadcast stations). I haven't hooked this up to any external speakers, and much of my TV viewing isn't HD.

Anyway, the picture is excellent, especially if you have a progressive scan DVD player and/or an HD receiver (obviously). The blacks aren't the blackest of the blacks, but the TV does have a few preset color and brightness settings, and offers a custom setting to the user. There's a fair amount of customization available to the user for the picture and sound, including fine tuning analog signals. My parents have a rear projection TV that isn't so great with NTSC (analog) signals, but this thing doesn't show the pixellated effect to anywhere near the degree that their TV does. The DNIe algorithm does a good job with boosting color and contrast too, and there's a nifty demo mode that does a split screen of DNIe on one side and no added effect on the other on top of the current signal. DNIe and some of the preset color settings do exaggerate colors a bit, but not to the point of a major color shift. If you're a purist with regard to color, you would want to leave DNIe off, set any presets to "Standard" or "Movie." It has two zoom modes for those rare occasions when you want to clip off the top and bottom of a 4:3 signal. The second zoom seems to strech things vertically I guess to fill the screen from wider cinema formats. (I never use it.) The sidebars when in 4:3 mode are black, but screen burn-in isn't a real issue with an LCD.

The sound from the internal speakers is good for what you get in one package, and while I'm generally skeptical of these whiz-bang features like WOW stereo (or DNIe above), it works well with the internal speakers at least. It's probably superfluous if you have a surround or better quality external speakers, but for me, it does somehow make ambient audio sound deeper and more peripheral. For example, sounds that happen offscreen sounds like they coming from way off to the right or left at a proper distance.

The design of the TV itself is nice, though some might not like the black border around the picture. Viewing at angles is not an issue at all -- the picture is great at pretty much any angle, and the frame doesn't block out the picture. The case is a lot of plastic painted a good metallic silver, with a heavy base (not too heavy -- the whole thing wieghs about 24 lbs.), and has a good level of fit and finish. It's not to the level of an Apple computer, but it's as good as the Sony and Philips I looked at.

Samsing makes a pretty big deal about using it as a PC monitor in tandem, with picture in picture (PIP), and a button in an important spot on the remote.

Setup is pretty easy. Cables in the back face down, but it's easy to remove the cover there and get them in place. There are a few extra outputs that are exposed on the back for quick access. Configuring the TV options is easy, and the menu system is clear. It has a quick setup mode when you first turn it on, and it's easy to find that option again later in the menus. Menus are big and easy to read with a semi-transparent background so you can see the effects on the picture behind.

The reason it gets 4 stars and not 5 is because of the average remote. It has all the stuff you need on it, obviously, and some nice and accessible options are on it like the picture mode, the picture size, the audio mode, component switching, etc. It has a covered panel that slides down to access some. It isn't really a complete universal remote, and I think Samsung expects users to buy a real one to replace the included one. The finish, the buttons, and the contours of the remote are OK, but not designed to the same level as the TV proper.

Did I miss anything? Probably, but overall it's a very good TV. I use mine in my living room, though I'm guessing a lot of people will use it in a den or bedroom because of the size. I sit about 6-8 feet from it and it looks and sounds great.

FYI: Be sure to let your DVD player know you're using a widescreen TV, or else it will stretch the picture in widescreen mode and still leave bars at the top and bottom. It took me a few minutes to figure that out.

I first saw this TV in Circuit City. The picture on it was as good or better than all the other flat-panels on display. I was ready to plop my money down right there when the salesman told me that it couldn't be wall mounted. My heart sank (who would make a flat panel that can't be wall mounted?). I went home and within a minute on the internet I found the wall mount for sale at J&R Music World. So don't let the uninformed folks at Cicuit City burst your bubble. Soon thereafter I found the TV on the internet at a substantial discount to the CC price. It promptly arrived about 3 weeks ago. The wall mount was easy to install, and I ran the wires into the wall behind it. Now my TV rests securely yet stately on the living room wall. On to performace...

Not only does the picture meet or beat any other flat-panel I've seen, it even beats my friends top of the line Samsung DLP HDTV. No real problems with fast moving action, and the blacks are black (some lCD's can only produce a dark gray). I currently use an LG Over-The-Air HD tuner, and the HD picture is fantastic using either the component or DVI connection. However, right now OTA HD content is limited to special events (monday night football for example) and primetime television. The regular analog signal is actually a little better picture than the non-HD digital picutre (confused yet?). So I leave it on analog unless true HD content is being broadcast. Now my biggest problem with this tv, and what keeps it from earning 5 stars, is the lack of quality audio when using the DVI source. In order to get audio with the DVI, I had to run regular RCA audio cables from the tuner to the tv, then use a PC stereo adapter (combines the two cables into one input), therefore the audio only plays out of one speaker. The TV has a digital video input, but no digital audio input! Now there are RCA audio inputs on the tv, but they only work when the Component source is selected. So I'm going to have to go back to using Component cables just so I can get sound out of both speakers on the TV.

I suspect they will come out with a model that has the newest HDCP(?) input that combines digital audio and video in one cable. If Samsung could just do that one simple thing, then this tv warrants 5 solid stars.


UPDATE: TV broke one year and six months after purchase. It is no longer under warranty. I'd change my rating to a 1 star if I could. I expect my electronics to last more than a year and a half. I'll see if someone can fix it...

I bought this after shopping for a PC monitor/DVD viewer and this is it's main purpose for me. Side by side comparison showed the picture as being noticeably richer looking than other similar brands with the same source being played. It seems to be the best value in it's size range for a widescreen, and is available online for considerably less than retail. Excellent picture with DVD playback. Analog OTA picture is O.K. but not as good as similar size CRT. Remote and menu is easy to learn and use. The only surprise I had was that the monitor resolution of 1024 x 720 prevents some PC programs that require a minimum monitor resolution of 1024 x 768 to work properly with this monitor because it will recognize it as an 800 x 600 monitor at best. Also when using the DVI input for PC, the PC resolution will be locked at 800 x 600. If you use the PC's analog monitor out and an adapter cable to the monitors DVI input, the resolution can be changed in the PC and as shown on the monitor, but it will still be recognized as an 800 X 600 monitor as far as program minimum requirements. The PC analog picture is also noticeably inferior to digital. The easiest solution, if the PC has an S-video out, is to connect that to the monitor since the PC S-video out will still show the proper graphics onscreen in a program that requires 1024 x 768 even though the graphics and mouse curser will not be shown correctly through the DVI input. Simply switch the monitor input to S-video when using a program that does not display graphics properly onscreen. I am also having a strange occurrence where the screen goes dark for a few seconds and then returns. This occurs even when using the built in Samsung screen saver and is not PC related since it occurs with any input source. It actually happened as I was typing this. I am starting to record the time when this occurs. It was exactly 2 hours since it last occurred. It is annoying when working as it gives the impression that a power failure occurred. Overall I am satisfied with this model.

This LCD TV has a very nice picture. It has a good range in the dark grays and the colors are very pleasing, especially with HD content. I have only used this TV with the DVI input direct from a Comcast (Motorola) cable box. It is on my desk about 36" away from my eyeballs. So, considering my extremely close viewing distance, this TV does have a far better than average picture. I can't rate the speakers, because I've never used them.

Ever since I first hooked up the TV, about once per month or so, the TV's picture would randomly go to black while watching TV. It wouldn't give the "No Signal" error message or anything...just a black screen. I would have to turn the set off and then turn it back on again to get the picture back (which takes about 10 seconds total). I had this same experience with two different cable boxes that each had no problems with other TV's I own that have a DVI input. By the way, the TV sounds a strange, descending electronic chime whenever you turn it off. And whenever you turn it on it plays a similar but ascending electronic chime. It's kind of annoying and unprecedented. I never really minded the chimes, but still find it to be very odd. Perhaps this behavior is more common for electronics in other continents(?). Anyway, exactly one year and 18 days after I purchased this set, two things have suddenly and inexplicably gone wrong with the TV. First, the DVI input will only show a picture for about two senconds and then invariably goes black. This now happens every time, consistently, without fail, making the DVI input essentially useless. Very sad. I tried switching to every standard resolution that the cable box could output (480i, 480p, 720p and 1080i), all with the same results. ALSO, whenever I now press the "Menu" button on the remote or the TV itself, the menu attempts to display, but the menu graphics are so garbled, slanted and messed up that the TV's internal menu is totally unusable. The component input still seems to work fine. And I use the cable box for tuning. I can still use this set with the component input and that still looks great. But I'm not feeling very secure in this panel's reliability. I paid about $90 per month to own this TV before it had these problems. And taking it somewhere to be repaired is probably not worth it for me.

So I, therefore would recommend that you look elsewhere for an LCD TV in this size. Even a different model Samsung with high ratings would be better than this one. Samsung does make some very, very good panels. I have 3 different Samsung computer monitors in my home (19", 21.3", and 24") and they all look and operate as well as the first day I bought them--the smaller ones years ago. My unscientific theory, based only on my own experiences, is that this particular model of LCD TV has some reliability and performance problems with its internal electronics. The panel itself is fine, but the "boards" that the inputs attach to are faulty somehow, especially where the digital (DVI) input is concerned.

Obviously this is an older product, and newer products have more and better features, nicer picture, and are cheaper. That being said, props to Samsung for delivering a product that has gotten used every day in my kitchen since I bought it 4 years ago, and is still working like the day I bought it. The newer TV's will outshine this old girl, but she runs strong and really has a great picture. We watch this TV more than any other in the house, and the picture is bright even in the sunniest room!

I spent a lot of time looking at different lcd tv models in the stores. The challenge, as always, was trying to find one in my price range that met my requirements. I was originally looking for a good quality, widescreen, HD-ready, lcd tv for around $1000. I soon found that it was hard to find a good widescreen below $1000. I looked at the off-brand models from Syntax and Apex and I just wasn't impressed with the picture quality. The brands that offered the best picture quality (at least to my untrained eyes) were Sharp, Sony, and this Samsung (some of the other Samsungs didn't look as good though). I am really happy with the picture quality and features of this model. It was easy to setup. I have never used component video inputs before now and it really makes a big difference. My only wish is that I could have gotten one with a larger screen.

At $650, there's hardly anything that comes close to what you get with this beautiful Samsung. Sleek design, beautiful picture quality, intuitive and powerful menus, good connectivity....(just make sure to pick up a VGA-DVI adapter if your video card doesn't support DVI. Changed my life. Buy. Buy. Buy.