72 of 72 people found the following review helpful:
Better Than The 650's! See For Yourself!
I have had the LN52A630 for a week now and I have to tell you that it is clearly the best overall choice for an LCD TV with 120hz. I recently wrote a similar review for the LN46A630. I chose to replace it with the 52" only because our livingroom is too large for the 46".
I'm not sure why more people are not going for the 630's over the 650's just for the...
Not as good as my last year model
The Good: Viewing Blu-ray movies on this set look incredible. Games also take great advantage of the response time and 120 hz.
The Bad : Off-angle picture is "washed out" looking. Screen DOES HAVE glare, it just looks more "muddy" compared to the glossy Samsungs. Blacks look "gray" at times.
I am a loyal Samsung owner. I own LNT4665, a 2007 46"...
I have had the LN52A630 for a week now and I have to tell you that it is clearly the best overall choice for an LCD TV with 120hz. I recently wrote a similar review for the LN46A630. I chose to replace it with the 52" only because our livingroom is too large for the 46".
I'm not sure why more people are not going for the 630's over the 650's just for the glare issue alone. My friend has an A650 and in my opinion the reflections are just as bad in his living room as they were in the showroom of the big box stores with the 650. I have two windows directly opposite the TV and a large bow window to the right. My concern was how little control I would have with that much natural light hitting the TV. So far, my 630 has past the evening lighting test with flying colors. With all of the possible lights on in this large room, there is absolutely no reflecting light visible on the TV. During the day with the Sunlight filtering directly into the back windows hitting the TV, there is no reflections to speak of. Awesome, consistent picture on the "matte" screen.
Thanks to the reviews of the 650's about the reflections, I took a chance with the 630 with the "matte" screen and am I ever glad that I did. The difference is significant and because of this reason, I truly believe that the 630 has a better overall picture. It's all about personal preference. Sure it's got one less HDMI and slightly less contrast ratio because of the screen but there are more than enough settings to compensate for this.
I am still making adjustments and learning just what this TV is capable of, but I got to tell you that the Celtics/Hawks game in HD was nothing less than orgasmic. I was in awe switching between that and the Hockey game in HD. Unbelievable!
This TV is the way to go if you want all of the features of the 6 series but not all of the reflections. Get this TV, you will be happy that you did!
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For a long while I couldn't decide between the A630 or the A650. I finally went with the A630 because I tend to notice the glare on really glossy screens.
I'm the one with the customer image of the crazy "monitor" setup... I've had this TV for about a month, use it quite a bit every day. Every day I'm changing between source inputs... I use this Samsung for TV (not much), some movie watching (DVDs), a lot of xbox 360 and quite a bit as the secondary monitor on a dual computer monitor setup.
I'm quite happy with this purchase. The clarity is awesome, and the glossiness of the screen is just right for me ~ it's not totally "matte", I'd call it semi-gloss. The contrast is excellent, colors vibrant, and I would highly recommend this TV for any of the purposes I currently use it for (TV, movies, video games, computer monitor).
As for the "touch of color"... I'm actually not sure what that means for my set... I don't see any red or any other color for that matter.
The 120Hz is... interesting. I think it really helps TV and movies. I can't quite explain it... it's almost like it's so fluid that it just looks abnormal, I don't know. Some people say they don't like it, or it makes the video footage look like poorer quality... but I actually like it and use it except for fast paced video games (when every millisecond of video processing delay counts). You can adjust how much of the 120Hz processing you want, including turning it off.
I bought straight from Amazon and the delivery was extremely quick and painless. Overall I couldn't be happier with this purchase.
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Just bought this television from Amazon after months of research and visits to the typical retailers. With the western sun beating into my house I decided the matte finish was the way to go. While doing picture comparisons with the Sony KDL-52W4100 and the Samsung LNa52650 in Circuit City I noticed the 630 looked kind of dull. A nice salesperson saw the same thing and changed the 630 picture from "standard" to "dynamic". The other two sets had been set this way and looked much more "vivid". Holy cow. It made all the difference. I purchased the 630 that night.
Just an update. I've had the TV for a couple weeks now and love it. I took advice from other posters and bought the cheap HDMI cables via Amazon. Best Buy charges $75+ and I paid ~$5 per cable. Picture looks great to me. Can't imagine the expensive Monster Cable is worth the extra money.
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One thing that always helped me make a decision between plasma and LCD sets was the fact that LCD's used a matte screen to reduce or eliminate reflections and glare. When I began shopping for a 2nd LCD for the home I wanted to go with Samsung as we had excellent experience with our 40" LCD. I was surprised and disappointed when the Samsung models I was interested in had a "new" glossy screen. The LN52A650 and LN46A650 were both sets I was looking at. I really wanted a bigger screen than the 46" but didn't want to spend too much money.
Our TV room has windows on every wall and a gloss screen was just not an option. After an obsessive amount of research I found reviews for the Samsung 630 line. I bought our first set at Ultimate Electronics in Minneapolis and thought I would go again. They didn't even carry the 630 line. Its seems the 650 line is being pushed by most retailers. Had it not been for the reviews on this site and others I would not have known the 630 line was out or that it had a matte screen.
Onto the set. The picture is one of the best I've seen on any TV. Just fantastic. There are a lot of adjustments that can be made to tweak the picture. Many sites I've seen on tweaks actually recommend using standard settings and backing down back lighting and brightness. The idea being real life isn't viewed in dynamic or sport settings on the TV. That's up to the viewer and I haven't found the perfect setting yet though I'm getting closer.
The HD channels are beautiful, crisp, clear and sharp. Most of us still have to deal with some of the standard DEF channels. These channels are OK but a lot depends on the signal you get from your service. We have some that are better than others. If you watch HD channels and switch to standard, you will notice how good HD is. But the standard channels are still good and look good on this TV. Hopefully HD will become the norm soon. Movies are excellent both standard and of course B/R.
The 120 HZ is great. The "auto motion plus" is great for sports. Its a matter of personal taste for movies. It gives a somewhat 3-D appearance to movies, making them look like video instead of film in certain situations. Some cinema experts would say the Auto Motion Plus detracts from the film feel. I turn it it off for movies because I don't like it, but again this is personal taste. NOTE: 120HZ is NOT the same as Auto Motion Plus. The TV will always run at 120HZ. There are a lot of sites where 120HZ is explained. Just remember this TV is 120HZ no matter what and Auto Motion Plus is an anti judder feature that can be turned on or off or set at different levels. The reason the display usually says 60HZ, is because its the signal coming in, but the TV process rate is 120HZ. It up-converts to 120HZ. "Mr. Samsung" on C-net explains a lot about the two. This link shows the set processes 120HZ with AMP turned off. http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=997138&page=9
I also confirmed this on a "Live chat" with a Samsung tech on their web page.
Some reviews really slam the sound of this TV. In general TV's alone don't usually have concert hall sound. That being said I think the sound on this set is very good with some adjustments. We are hooked up to a big sound system but for every day use the set's own sound works very well. If you look at the slim depth of the TV you really shouldn't expect punchy, deep bass. If you are looking for cinema sound, you really should consider a system to enhance the experience and not depend on this or any flat screen set to take the sound beyond what's normal for most sets. Bottom line here is that for basic viewing the set is just fine and the sound is good.
Set up is easy, the remote is nice and lights up at night. The "Touch of Red" they talk about is hardly noticeable. I had to look hard to see it in the right lighting. Its not like the 650's. The color does appear if there is some backlighting behind the TV. I personally like it but its very hard to notice. It is there though.
We have the set of our dreams. Big but not too big, nice looking and well,,,, the picture is unreal! After reading a number of reviews, this set specs out nearly identical to the 650 line. The dynamic contrast ratio is slightly lower 40,000 to 1 compared to the 650's 50,000 to 1, but that is said to be related to the 650's glossy screen in part. C-Net reviews rated the 650 as a "similar product" to the 630 and the 650's picture received an outstanding review. The 630 costs less too. The picture is on par with some of the best plasmas and as good as any other LCD out there according to the review and from what I've seen. The Samsungs have been getting high marks on picture quality and the LN52A630 is at the top. Again don't sweat the contrast ratio in comparison with the 650. The matte screen of the 630 is PERFECT for bright rooms! I stood in the store comparing reflections off of the 2 sets and found that we needed the matte screen. Don't let people tell you the 650's gloss isn't noticeable it is very reflective, As far as features go, I found them to be adequate. The series 7 and 8 seem to have more inputs and outputs and some other things that don't deal with picture quality. The price jumps and to me is not worth it, but they are very nice. The key to the 630 is the matte screen. Though I should say its not a completely "sandpaper flat" matte finish like some of the older models. It has some gloss that doesn't reflect and by no means is a glossy screen. Side by side with the 650 the picture of the 630 is about equal. Add sunlight or in house lights and any advantage of the 650 is lost.
Some of this review has been updated since our purchase. I hope it helps people decide between models within in the Samsung line, they are all nice, or between Samsung and another brand.
If you need a matte screen but still want the 120HZ and new technology the Samsung 630 line is the way to go. Its one of the nicest pictures amongst ALL flat screens to date.
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I reviewed and studied this whole flatscreen tv jungle for over a year and this was the TV I chose. I am obsessive over buying the BEST for what I can afford. So, first I researched the difference between plasma and LCD. Down to the end I just had to choose LCD though if the price was right I would have taken a Pioneer Kuro Elite plasma. That was a big hurdle but allowed me to focus on brand, quality and price. Brand came down to Sony, Samsung and Panasonic. I wasn't going to go with Samsung until I came across the 630 for the one defining feature... the matte screen. All other Samsungs have the "Plasma shiny screen" which is AWESOME if your family room is a movie theater, but I have windows and therefore pointless and actually hurts the quality of your picture. I then saw the 630 (which only came out like in late July or August), which is essentially the 650 with the matte screen and one less HDMI outlet and a few hundred bucks cheaper. No brainer. My mind was made. I've owned it since early October and haven't looked back. Love my purchase and I got a great deal for a little over $1900. At the price I see it now on Amazon (just under 1900), I think it's an EXCELLENT deal.
ooh, if I were to add one thing that I don't care as much about, it's the 120HZ. Cool if on sports or nature shows, but for regular TV or movies I don't like it and leave it on the 'low' setting.
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I bought this tv about 2 weeks ago through Amazon.com. Got free shipping with it. The shipping company was a bit late in delivering it to me as they did not have my phone number and the agent who took my call got confused about the time zone. A freight company that gets confused about time zones is not good! However the TV did finally get to me in perfect condition. The delivery folks do not unpack it for you, but if you get "white glove" delivery apparently they do that and set it up for you. I chose the 630 model as the face of the tv is non reflective--a big difference when you watch tv in the daytime or at night with some lights on. Picture quality is excellent, set up was very easy. I bought a Bello TV stand ( ON amazonBell'O PVS-4218HG Flat Panel Audio Video System (Gloss Black $216))and it is the PERFECT stand for it, I connected my new PS3 to it via an HDMI cable I also bought on Amazon (Cables To Go - 40315 - 2M (6.5ft) Velocity HDMI Digital Video Cable (Blue) $9.99!! )and the games AND blu ray movies are simply amazing. I've heard that the PS3 also up-converts regular DVDs, not sure if true or fable, but they look fantastic as well. Very happy with purchase and overall service!
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Bought the A630 just before Christmas, and unveiled it for the family on Christmas Day -- fantastic TV! Main reason for writing this review is to validate the comments on glare vs. the A650. We have a huge wall of east-facing windows directly behind the open TV-viewing area (den), and with the sun coming in the windows dark scenes will still have a bit of reflection (though I would not characterize it as a harsh "glare" -- it's still a matte effect). I never had the A650 in my house, but I did do a side-by-side comparison at Best Buy. There, the TVs are sequestered in a dark end of the store, with screens tilted slightly downward. But if you squat down and look up at the TVs, you can see the reflection of the gymnasium-style overhead lights elsewhere in the store, and the difference between the A630 and the A650 was striking: I knew I would forever be bugged by the A650's reflections, despite its slightly higher contrast ratio. If I had a home theater with controllable external light, I'd probably do the A650, but we don't have that option in our house.
The A630's amazing. Tons of menu options for the compulsive tweakers among us, but the default settings have worked well for us so far (and I don't think the default settings are the blast-you-into-buying big-box-store bright ones; for example the brightness defaults to 45%).
Zero-hassle setup: Christmas day, I pulled the old TV, put up the A630, hooked HDMI direct from the new (Panasonic) Blu-Ray player, ran the audio to my receiver, and dropped in the Polar Express Blu-Ray. Absolutely stunning out of the box with no problems, and we sat captivated by this near-theatre experience. Almost ran out of popcorn -- we were ON that train, holding onto the couch arms during the roller-coaster ride!
I need to give a thanks to all who have provided reviews of like models in Amazon -- the A630, A650, and the competitive models to those. These reviews were a significant source of research in my decision-making, and a huge help in addition to some others (like CNET). I'm grateful for those who took the time to provide thoughts on HDTVs; my research was made much shorter than my normal obsessive traits, and I'm extremely happy with the results.
If you're on the fence about the Samsung models, and you have any concern about the glare, grab the A630 and be done with it!
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I have purchased this TV and it is splendid. Unfortunately, the Amazon product description is wrong: the TV does not have an ethernet port and will not connect to the Internet. Photos of the connectors that have been posted to this page by consumers show no ethernet port. There is no mention in the product manual about an ethernet port and Samsung customer service tells me that it has none. This is a minor loss and doesn't detract from the worthiness of the product. (I spent 20 minutes on hold with Amazon after writing the foregoing. They agree that the product description is wrong and should be corrected. So, if you read this review but find no mention in the description of an ethernet port you will understand why.)
Update: Four days after Amazon agreed that the description is wrong it is still not corrected. Let's see how long it takes them to put it right.
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LN52A630
In searching for an LCD or plasma TV my main focus was an accurate and excellent picture at a somewhat reasonable price, and for LCD, a 120 hz refresh rate. I checked Consumer Reports and CNet for highly rated LCD's and plasmas and narrowed it down to 5 models from Samsung and Panasonic. The LN52A650 was very highly rated by both CR and CNet and one of my considerations, while the LN52A630 was not rated by either but it is a very similar model. I went to a store and saw all of the models I was interested in. All displayed excellent pictures and the plasmas were a pinch better but their screens were like mirrors and in a normally lit room reflective glare was very distracting. Some of the LCD models were almost as bad. The 630 and 650 were side by side making it easy to compare video on the 2 models and it was hard to notice any picture quality difference as both were excellent, except that when the screen went white, grey, or black the difference in glare was very noticeable. Since all of the models I was interested in displayed an excellent picture, screen glare became more of an important factor for me and the A630 was clearly a winner in that category. At home, I noticed it had noticeably less glare than with my old tube TV, and the picture was superb for both cable standard and HD broadcasts.
It came out of the box very easy, set up was very easy, and picture out of the box was excellent. For me, some minor tweaking such as contrast 94, brightness 55, sharpness 0, color 54, tint G46/R54, and backlight depending on how dim or bright your viewing room is, slightly improved the picture as well in my opinion. Sound quality is good. I have had this for 2 weeks and am very happy with it.
This TV is supposed to have TOC - the slightly red edge around the TV frame, which is pretty subtle when seen in person. On mine however, it is not red. Possibly a defect but one that I don't mind.
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Price, Dealer, Location, Time:
I purchased this TV about one month ago, from Abt Electronics in Glenview Illinois for $1800 (including tax and free shipping). At the time, this was the price on Amazon, which the sales person agreed to match. If Abt did not agree to match Amazons price, I would have purchased the TV from Amazon instead. Two of my friends have gotten their TVs from Amazon without any problems at all. It's a great way to avoid sales tax, and they include free shipping most of the time.
Delivery:
They dropped off the box in my living room.
120Hz:
One of the most touted features on this TV is the 120Hz refresh rate. Most LCDs which run at 120 Hz are going to cost about $300-$400 more than comparable models that run at 60Hz. Here is a good article to start with if you are unfamiliar with the 120hz feature, and what supposed problem it supposedly helps fix. http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6449_7-6792632-1.html . In summary, the low 60 Hz refresh rate of most LCDs supposedly cause a 'motion blur' effect during fast action sequences. I truly don't know if I have ever been able to see this effect.
The 120Hz feature can actually be broken down into two different features: 120Hz and 'Motion Enhancement'. The 'Motion Enhancement' feature is called different names by different manufactures. Sony (Motion Flow), Samsung (Auto Motion Plus), LG (TruMotion), Sharp (Fine Motion Enhanced). These are all the same thing on different TVs. All 120hz TVs will have a some type of 'Motion Enhancement' feature. A 120Hz TV will ALWAYS be operating at 120Hz, but you have the option to turn the Motion feature to off/low/medium/high.
120Hz with Motion Enhancement off - Negligible. Perhaps there is am improvement over a 60Hz LCD, but I just can't say that for sure. If you sat me down in front of a TV and asked me to determine if it was running at 120Hz, I couldn't do it. If you put a 60Hz TV next to a 120Hz TV and asked me which was which, I probably couldn't do it. I wasn't able to do any direct side-by-side comparisons of comparable 60Hz and 120Hz models, which were both showing a high quality blue-ray or HD signal of the same movie/show/event at the same time. Good luck getting that setup in a show room. The only give away is that scrolling text (sports scores) look a tiny bit clearer.
120Hz with Motion Enhancement on - I cannot tell if it is on or off while watching Planet Earth. I cannot tell if it is on or off while watching football. I have not tested it while watching baseball or basketball. I have not tested it while playing video games. However, if you turn it on during a movie, prepare to have your mind blown. I watch a lot of movies, and I find that it completely ruins any cinematography that the director has intended. It makes the movie look amateurish. It looks like the picture has been sped up. It looks like video instead of film. It is somehow more clear, but in a bad way. Even on the low setting, it is intolerable. I can instantly tell if Motion Enhancement is on/off while watching a movie. Even at the lowest setting, there is no mistaking it. But, there are some people, who swear by it, who love it, who can no longer watch movies without it. I'm obviously not one of them.
In conclusion, I would not recommend spending the extra $300-$400 dollars for a 120Hz TV. So why did I do it? And why would I do it again? Piece of mind. Maybe there is a difference I just haven't noticed. It's a once every 10 year purchase and I want the best. It's probably a dumb move.
TOC (Touch of Color Red):
There is a subtle red line, about 1cm thick, running across the top of the frame. On the Samsung 650, it is more noticeable. On the 630, people complain that they can't even see it. I can see the line, but I have to have my face about 5 inches from the frame. This is just a gimmick. It supposedly gives the frame more style. So, if you're buying a TV, because you want to see a pretty, but subtle, red line, running across the top of the frame, then don't buy this one.
Matte Finish:
Works like a charm. It still might be hard to watch a very dark movie (ie The Dark Knight), in a room full of windows, at the brightest part of the day, with all the blinds and curtains open. But other than that, it's great. Compared to the Samsung 650, the difference is literally night and day. The 650 has better contrast and color, but not by much. So, get the 650 if your room does not have any glare issues, and you're not going to move anytime soon.
View Type:
This picture setting can be set to Dynamic, Standard or Movie. Dynamic is what most of the TVs are set to in stores. It's the brightest setting, with the highest contrast, and it is supposed to make the picture really pop and catch everyone's attention. I do not recommend leaving it on this setting once you get the TV in your home, especially if you watch movies in dark. It just ends up hurting your eyes and giving you a headache. Turn it to standard at the very least. I watch it in Movie mode, but have increased the Color setting from 50 to 55. This is all just personal preference.
52":
I would not recommend buying a 52" TV, if you don't plan on buying a blue-ray player or paying for HD channels. DVDs still look great, but only when played by a decent DVD player, which outputs in RGB. I played a DVD from my ps2 and it looked like crap. I played the same DVD from my ps3 and it looked great. Standard definition TV is bearable, but sloppy. I upgraded from a 36" tube TV and I would prefer watching standard definition on the 36" any day of the week. I also recommend having at least 9 feet of viewing distance. I sit just at 8-9 feet away, and I feel like I could use an extra foot or two.
Input Signal:
From what I have seen, the source of input to the TV is much more important than the difference between any manufacturer, model, setting or feature. A standard definition signal looks pretty terrible. A HD signal from a cheap cable channel like AMC, can be noticeably worse than an HD signal from HBO, Showtime or Stars. Blue-ray is the best.
Comparable 120Hz Models:
Samsung ln52a650
Sony KDL-52W4100
Sharp LC52D85U
LG 52lg60
LG 52lg70
Comparable 60Hz Models:
Samsung ln52a550
Sony KDL-52V4100
Sharp Aquos LC52D65U
LG 52lg50
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