- Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 38 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
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9 out of 10 people found this review helpful
3.5 stars
"Outstanding price/performance - but beware!"
Pros: Excellent picture quality for the price. It handles 480i/p resolution sources very well, and HD sources even better (with cables of corresponding quality). You will have to pay quite a bit more to find a better picture.
Cons: There is no excuse for such miserable speakers on a product costing hundreds of $. You will definitely want to use external speakers. I would give it a solid four-star rating if the speakers were of the same quality as the screen.
Summary: At this size and price level (and point in time), you will not find another TV that is overall superior to the A450. Everything about it is very good to excellent (except the internal speakers). In the store, I thought maybe 32" was a bit small, but in my living room, I find it entirely sufficient. 37" would also be fine, but 40" would be overkill IMHO. I only sit 8' from the TV and am glad I didn't spend more for a larger screen. If you also don't sit very far from the TV, save yourself the money for a larger screen and spend it on high quality cables. You will not be disappointed! HOWEVER, this TV only excels with the Samsung screen. Samsung is also using cheaper quality screens from two other manufactures in at least the A450 and A550 and selling them as the same model for the same price, although there is a huge difference in screen quality! Look for the S, A, or C at the beginning of the version# on the back of the panel (please refer to my response to a user review of the 46A550 for more info). Only the S panels are made by Samsung. The A and C panels made by AU Optronics and Chi Mei Optoelectronics respectively are not worth the money. Buyer beware!
- 5 replies to this review
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You say "Only the S panels are made by Samsung. The A and C panels made by AU Optronics and Chi Mei Optoelectronics respectively are not worth the money. Buyer beware! " But how do you know? Have you personally compared the picture quality on all 3 versions? Moreover, are you not surprised that if this was a genuine issue, CNET didn't mention it? Thanks.
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Just want to let people know that the comment, "save yourself the money for a larger screen and spend it on high quality cables." is a pretty crazy notion. I use monoprice.com for my cable purchases and spend less than $10 on HDMI cables. Monster cable sat a retail store are jacked up to over $60 for 3 ft. While the monster cables are nice cables, they are not that nice. For the cost of one cable you can buy 6 from monoprice. I have 6ft. Hdmi cables with ferrite cores that I use on my HD TV at home and they perform beautifully. IMHO spending more than $10 on nearly any cable is crazy.
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How to see Version # if trying to order on-line?
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April, I've copied this from mengley's previous comment:
"The panel manufacturer is designated in two places on the back of the panel. On the side where the connections are, there is a sticker showing the model#, serial#, and version#. The first letter of the version# will be an S, A, or C, and it corresponds to an identical letter about 1/8" tall which can be found in the middle of the panel in the top right corner of another info sticker, set apart from the rest of the text. There is no version# printed on the box, and thus no way of knowing without opening it."
You've got to open the box (I will!)--hope this helps. -
Please give us an example of version number for 'S' panels...we are very concerned about picture quality within this price range. Thanx, April
Samsung LN32A450:
