Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsGreat TV!
Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2006
After about 6 weeks of researching LCD TVs I decided on this model and I am very satisfied with it. I started out looking at 32" inchers but realized that 40" is significantly bigger for a marginal price increase. I also knew I wanted to go Samsung all the way because the are supposedly the best but I'd just like to mention most of the Westinghouses I saw looked just as good for significantly less money. So, yes, I bought the name. After all the time I spent looking into these it really came down to a few Samsungs the LNS4096D, LNS4095D, LNS4051D, and the one I bought.
There were 2 reasons that I ruled out the 3 that I ended up choosing against. Money wasn't one but I'll point out here that the 96D is about $800 more while the 95D is about $650 and the 51D around $200. All of these TVs have speakers on the bottom and the 95 & 96 have little panels that serve to reflect the sound out to the viewer. In my experience with adjusting the volume at pretty much every TV in best buy these TVs just didn't have the sound quality that this one has. Sound wasn't a very high priority of mine going in but once I heard what I did it did become a concern. I also like the look of the speakers on the front it makes the TV look bigger.
The biggest and ultimately overwhelming aspect that turned me off on the ones that I didn't pick is their gloss finish. I know that might sound bizarre but read the amazon reviews of these other TVs and you'll see the owners even mention that as the a negative (one even saying he would return the tv if shipping wouldn't be such a hassle). I had ultimately wanted the 96D because of the 1080p capability but having seen it in person I couldn't get over the gloss finish. It really makes these TV's look like [...].
I have mostly spoke about why I didn't take the others making it sound like I just settled on the wonderful LNS4041D by default but this isn't the case at all. 90% of the reason I wanted an HDTV is to play my xbox 360 in HD so visual performance is a top priority. This TV delivers. The picture looks incredible. It is every bit as good as the other TVs that I spend hours comparing in the stores. It has a 3000:1 contrast ratio (which means the difference in contrast between the brightest white and the darkest black for those of you who don't know). 3000:1 is very good it is surpassed by some of the other newer samsungs but TRUE 3000:1 is among the higher end of the market. The TVs that make outrageous claims like 10,000:1 are using slanted data based on certain modes that aren't practical for the everyday user. 2 HDMI inputs is a very definite convenience that we will appreciate more down the road as the cable companies and other devices use this as their main connection port. I don't have HD broadcasting from my cable company as of yet and this thing broadcasts the regular signal incredibly. Also this TV has a presence to it. When I round the corner from my kitchen to my living room it flies out at me - this thing commands attention. I wanna show it off to my friends. Let me also point out by ordering it on amazon I got it at about $380 cheaper than best buy. I used my amazon credit card for x3 the points which I will probably use toward a surround sound system. All with free shipping.
Lastly, let me comment on the shipping. I chose not to join amazon prime and get 2 day $3.99 shipping because I don't like to join things that I'm just going to have to cancel in a month. I got free super saver shipping that told me it would arrive in 5-9 business days. After the order completed I got an email that told me I could expect it between Nov.30 - Dec. 8th. 14 to 24 days after I ordered it! I was pretty upset. However, I got an email sometime during the next day saying that it had been shipped. There was a link to Eagle's website (the shipping company that amazon uses whom I'd never heard of before them). The link showed me just where the package was and it also had the expectation date of December 8th. The TV arrived in my area just 4 days after I had placed the order and was delivered 6 days after my order! It would have been a day sooner had I returned their first call in time. The delivery guys brought it up the stairs to my apartment and set it where it needed to go and I was good to go. I would also like to mention when deciding on what type of shipping to get you should check if there is an amazon distribution center near you before you order. I noticed after the fact that there was one just one state over in PA and that may be why I got my TV so soon and at times you'll notice people who've said with the super saver shipping their products didn't come for weeks.
