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"HDTV is as HDTV does" on by derobake
Pros: - crisp and sharp picture, 3 high definition inputs (2 component, 1 HDMI), user-friendly menu
Cons: weak speakers, not as brilliant as a plasma
Summary: I purchased the Samsung 32 inch widescreen LDC HDTV monitor from Circuit City about 3 weeks ago and have been using it daily. Overall I am very satisfied with the purchase. I use it to watch Television and DVDs, and play Xbox on. Here’s the quick version of who I think this TV is good for: this HDTV is a good choice for someone who wants to watch regular and High definition televisions, DVDs, and/or play Xbox. It is best watched from about 3 – 7 feet away from the screen. Good for when one or two people want to watch. Its built-in speakers are rather weak, so you really need to supplement it with a sound system. This is a good choice for viewers concerned more with crisper/sharper images than with overall size of the picture. I live in an apartment, so this was great for me. Also, I previously owned a larger HDTV and found that I prefer playing games on this 32 inch HDTV. Larger televisions can stretch the game’s image out and actually make it look worse. This 32 inch is really good for someone who plays games by themselves.
This system is not ideal for anyone who wants to sit farther than 7 feet away. It is not the best choice for a main family TV because you have to sit closer and the viewing angle is not as good as a larger TV or a plasma TV. (My parents have a Plasma and the viewing angle on their TV is better than my LDC.) You really need to be in front or at a slight angle to view it. Looking at a 45 degree angle or more will cause some eye strain and doesn’t look right. It is not a good choice if you want to do a lot of split-screen multiplayer gaming because the split images would be too small.
May I offer a small piece of advice? Picture quality is only as good as the source you plug into your TV. I cannot stress this enough. HDTV’s have a certain native resolution (a fixed resolution), this Samsung HDTV having 760 vertical lines approximately. If the source coming into you HDTV is at a lower resolution than the HDTV, the HDTV will “up-convert” the picture to the HDTV’s native resolution. Thus, regular television shows that are broadcast at lower resolutions (like 400-something vertical lines), will be shown on your TV with at 760 vertical lines (the native resolution of the TV). This may make the image better or worse (because the HDTV can “magnify” the picture’s imperfections). So, what is my advice? If you’re gonna get an HDTV, make sure you also get a High Definition cable box. And get a DVD player that can display images at higher resolutions (often times called “progressive scan DVD players) like 720p or 1080i. If you cannot afford these input devices, then you are wasting you money buying an HDTV in the first place.
I spent hours researching, and focused on the lineup of the 32 inch HDTV monitors. I narrowed my choices to four: the Panasonic, the Sony, the Sharp Aquos, and the Samsung. All had positive reviews and had pros and cons to each. At the store, I could not notice a significant difference in picture quality between these 4, and all offer the same native resolution. So, I chose Samsung because I had owned Samsungs previously. The other TV’s seem like fine choices as well. And I know someone who owns the 32” Sharp and he feels the same way. So it seems to me that picture quality is not really the deciding factor here between different brands of 32 inch LDC HDTV’s. In my opinion, your deciding factor should be based more on inputs and function.
For Inputs: all HDTV’s offer a good amount of the old inputs (like Composite inputs, and S-video), so look to the number of high definition (component, DVI-D, or HDMI) inputs to help you decide. HDMI is a pure digital input and seems to be the wave of the future for high definition devices. So, IMO, having an HDTV with HDMI is important. (I think the Sharp HDTV may have two HDMI inputs, but the Samsung has only one.) And having two (or preferably more) component video inputs is very important. Many devices you will plug into your HDTV will use the component plugs, and you don’t want to be stuck with only one component input to your TV. This Samsung HDTV offers 3 inputs for High definition: two component inputs, and one HDMI. I wish it had more, but it seems to be enough for most people. For me, I plug the cable box and Xbox in with component and my DVD player in with HDMI. Plan ahead what devices you want to plug in and what connections you will use.
For features: this Samsung HDTV has good features overall. It makes the TV very user friendly. It allows you to fine-tune all aspects of the picture. This can be tricky. But, it also has several preset modes to pick a good all-around picture for you. The TV also has a brightness sensor and can adjust the picture’s brightness for you dynamically, to match the amount of light in your room. It also has a dynamic contrast setting where the TV will automatically pick what it thinks is the best contrast. You can also save your picture settings to a “Custom” mode, which can be recalled at any time. The TV will remember the last picture ratio that you have it set on (widescreen 16:9, normal 4:3, panorama, or zoomed) for each input and will automatically display that ratio when you turn the TV back on or cycle back to that input. Very handy since I view my Xbox in 4:3 mode but my television in 16:9 mode. Also, when tapping the “Source” button on your remote, the TV will only cycle though the inputs that have plugs in them (except the “Air” input from the coaxle cable jack will always be in the cycle). Please note that the TV’s picture-in-picture feature allows you to watch video from two different SOURCES, not two different television stations. To get picture-in-picture with two different stations, your cable box will need to support that feature.
The overall picture (when using a high definition source) on this Samsung is very crisp and detailed. It takes a while to play around with the picture settings to get what you like. Although I can adjust the brightness, contrast, and color qualities to make the picture look relatively “bright”, I cannot achieve the overall “vibrance” or “brilliance” that my parent’s plasma TV can give. There’s tradeoff here. LCDs can display a higher resolution (more horizontal lines) than plasma, but Plasmas gives a slightly more “brilliant” picture.
Normal TV looks either equal to or slightly better than viewing it on a regular definition television. It will take a bit of getting used to, if you haven’t watched regular television on an LDC. Only the high definition channels and your DVD player will provide dramatically improved images.
The Sound features are just as nice as the picture ones. You can select from different preset sound presentations or use the equalizer to fine tune. The nice feature of this Samsung is that the speakers are along the bottom of the TV and thus don’t add width to the television itself. But this is all a mood point because the internal speakers are rather weak and the sound quality is only mediocre. Internal speakers on all 32 inch HDTVs are gonna be weak. Only the larger HDTVs will have quality internal speakers. You’re really gonna need a sound system to supplement your 32 inch HDTV. And yes, there is an option to turn off the internal speakers if you have a sound system. There is also a sterio output to plug your TV’s sound into a receiver.Updated
Please note: every time I used the acronym "LDC" in my review, I really meant LCD. Dyslexia perhaps?"A fantastic LCD, well worth the dough." on by psmith3
Pros: Great-looking LCD with great-looking picture.
Cons: Umm....I could have gotten the 40' (largest) version of this LCD. It doesn't have a 1080p native resolution.
Summary: First of all, let me say without hesitation that this one of the sleekest, most elegant looking TV's/LCD's I've seen. The picture is framed with shiny, jet-black borders, which are contoured with esthetics in mind. It is very thin and can be wall-mounted. This LCD comes in 23', 26', 32' and 40' - Although I'd love to have gotten the 40', money is a concern, and I found the cost of the 40' prohibitive. Nonetheless, the 32' is suprisingly large, without being an eye sore.
The TV holds up quite well with standard definition TV, as long as you are sitting about 6 feet away, or more. This, of course, is expected as the source (cable TV) is riddled with visual imperfections. Drawing upon an analogy with my high-end R2 Grado headphones, this LCD reveals the limitations of your source, as it's capable of so much more. Nonetheless, the Samsung does a good job of presenting any source.
The old concern about response time is dead with this LCD as it handles the most instense, face-paced, fast-moving action sequences with no trails or visual imperfections. With a 3000:1 contrast ratio, this LCD is capable of accurately displaying dark scenes, bright scenes, and everything in between. Oddly enough, although contrast is handled well with low-resolution formats, I noticed a decided improvement with HDTV DIVX material, and would say that contrast is handled superbly, with HD DIVX.
I hooked the Samsung up to my PC and found it very impressive. It was a unique experience surfing the web, viewing my photos, and using windows, on a 32' display. I downloaded some HD DIVX clips and was pleasantly surprised by the clarity of the picture, which was razor-sharp. HD DIVX is copmressed too - Blue-ray or HD DVD will be even better!
As touched upon above, one interesting thing I noted is when watching HD DIVX, the Samsung's handling of contrast is even better than with standard definition. As a matter of fact, the handling of contrast rivals CRT TV's or Plasma screens, when viewing HD DIVX! In other words, this LCD doese a very good job of handling contrast.
The sound is very good for 'TV' speakers and comes in different pre-sets (Movie, music, speech, etc). Naturally, you're going to want to hook this up to as good a pair (or set) of speakers possible, to round out your audio-video experience.
I'm very happy with my purchase and can't recommend it more.
Now, I am anxiously awaiting the release of the XBox 360, the PS3; and Blue-ray!"Terrific t.v. would recommend to everyone looking for a new hdtv." on by vtrekkie
Pros: very sharp and clear picture
Cons: highly recommend hdmi cables to get maximum hdtv clarity
Summary: I was looking for a new t.v. set to replace my 13 year old panasonic superflat 27". It had gone kind of dark and lost most of its contrast and brightness over the years. So I decided to look for a new t.v. to replace it. i almost bought the sharp 32" lcd being it was on sale at circuit city, and also considered a sony 32" non xbr lcd, as well as a panasonic 37" plasma hdtv. None of these were as good i thought as the samsung ln-r328w. It's choice of four default settings on picture was excellent. The DNie was also a feature that none of the others had. DNie stands for digital natural image enhancement. This sets the t.v. apart from the others. It gives it an unfair advantage in that it causes the pictures to come in more clearly without it looking fake or unnatural. I would highly recommend this set. You need at least a 32" if your room is at least 12'x12'. It makes the room look a lot better.
""ABSOLUTELY AMAZING" The best LCD in the market" on by mjimenez
Pros: Crisp clear picture, excellent volumes, elegant sleek and very thin body.
Cons: If you going to invest on this LCD you have to upgrade all your equipment; Cable/satellite receiver, DVD player to HD, pricey (but well worth your money).
Summary: ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! I purchased my 32 inch LCD Samsung last week at PC Richard after my 21/2yrs Philips broke. I carefully thought and made a lot of research before I make a new purchase on a TV. I decided not to get another Philips since my previous did not last long and I narrow down with four brands, Sony, Panasonic, Samsung and Sharp. When I arrive at PC Richard I went straight to the TV section. I already decided I wanted and LCD because it was easier to get it in my car and my apartment. They had all the brands that are in my list and all the different sizes of LCD too, before I left my apartment I had in mind to get a 26 inch LCD because they don’t offer a 27 inch which was my previous TV. I ended up instead getting the 32 inch instead and also I narrow down to two brands Sony and Samsung, both brands had a beautiful clear picture but I notice the Samsung had a more life like picture and it have an elegant black/silver body compare to Sony which was a plain and silver color only. Right there I decided on the Samsung and when the sales man told me they had an offer, If I purchase the Samsung I get a free DVD recorder by mail and decided to buy it, hey two item for the price of one that’s a deal to me.
The cons are if you purchase this TV you have to upgrade every single equipment to HD to get the highest crisp clear picture and also the best cable wire out there. Luckily I have my monster cable wire so I don’t have to spend more money but I have to upgrade my DirecTV receiver to a HD compatible and that’s an extra $599. In my opinion I glad I purchase the Samsung it was pricey all together tax and warranty it cost me $2,000.00 but it was a great investment and if you want the best LCD out there then Samsung LN328W is one of them."Amazing LCD for a reasonable price" on by chiphipoke
Pros: Sleek elegant design, 3000:1 contrast ratio, PC-in and PC Audio-in, HDMI, decent audio, good remote.
Cons: LCD base is kind of funky.
Summary: I bought this LCD in October from an online retailer. As a college student it was my little toy for the year. In the past I have been very skeptical about SAMSUNG because I have never owned anything from them and would have rather owned a SONY, JVC, PIONEER or PANASONIC. But I did my research before my purchase and read many reviews on this product. The LNR328W has blown my expectations out of the water. It is very clear with rich in depth colors. My room at my apartment looks amazing and everyone has complemented me on my TV. I love watching movies on here especially with all the lights out. My laptop is hooked to it to provide a giant monitor and I surf the internet via a wireless keyboard.
I am extremely satisfied by my purchase and can't understand my CNET has not reviewd this product?
