Taking the LCD Plunge: Samsung LN46A650

[Starbuck1975]

This will be my first big screen TV purchase, and prices are at a point now where I am ready to take the plunge.

I did some research on a variety of LCD buying guide sites, so I know some of the basics. Viewing distance from couch to TV is about 9', but as I plan on purchasing a home in the next two years, want an LCD that can stand up to a farther viewing distance. I know 42" is suitable for this viewing distance, so does anyone see a problem with choosing 46" over 42" for this reason?

My questions are more on setup and installation. Was at a big box store this evening, and the clerk I spoke with recommended their calibration service...I believe it is simply a matter of changing the factory defaults from the menu screens, and I have found a few websites that offer calibration tips...the big box store actually had an LN46A650 set up with a before and after view of calibration using a Pixar movie...the calibration results were definitely noticeable, so something I want to explore...is this something I can do myself, or would you all recommend I have it done professionally?

Also worried about power protection. I have vanilla surge protectors, but I know Monster Cable and a few other companies have high end protectors for new home audio/video technologies. The clerk recommended purchasing one, but haven't seen anything posted in LCD TV buyer guides recommending the same. Something I should consider?

Any other tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[EvilYoda]

No problem with the size/distance. "using a Pixar movie" probably means that they used the THX Optimizer that's included in every movie that's "THX Certified". Usually it's "hidden" somewhere in the menus but it's still relatively obvious. It's very helpful and is a nice free way to get a basic calibration. Past that, you're looking at AVIA/DVE, etc.

Just starting off, as long as it's a decent surge protector and not some random one that you don't trust, don't worry about it.

Congrats on the TV, it's what I have.

 

[JackBurton]

DO NOT have the big box store do a calibration for you. First off, I'm 99% positive the demo video you saw was a sham. They screw up one display ("non calibrated") to make the other display ("calibrated") look better. Secondly, most big box stores either do a calibration equivalent to something you could do yourself for much cheaper (DVE), or just don't do a good ISF calibration. A true ISF calibration is done with pretty expensive equipment and a skilled professional. This is done in the service menu which most consumers don't have access to (you can royally screw things up in there if you don't know what you are doing), and should be done when you've reached 100-200hrs on your display (200hrs+ to be safe). For your LN46A650, that's something I'd hold off on. Dial in the picture the best you can with recommendations from others with the same type of set (avsforum is a good resource), or you can use something like DVE to calibrate it yourself. After that, if you are still not satisfied with the picture, see if you can get a recommended ISF calibrator to your home to properly calibrate your set. But just a little warning, although calibrating your set will give you a more accurate looking picture, some people prefer a more inaccurate slightly over saturated picture.

As for a surge protector, it's up to you, but a decent protector should be fine. No need for a Monster anything.

 

[s44]

(1) Don't buy Monster anything -- if you want a bulletproof surge protector, get this, but you probably don't need anything so expensive. The cheapest Panamax should be fine for most. Oh yeah, and buy all your cables from Monoprice.

(2) If you're someday going to watch from 10+ feet away, consider 52". Might be worth downgrading to the 550 for the extra real estate, unless you really like the interpolated frame thing (it really kills movies for me). Or consider the 50" Panny plasma. Heck, I'd say 46" is a *minimum* for 9'.

(3) What JackBurton said. When you buy the TV, find the recommended settings in the AVSforum owner thread for that set and apply them. This can make a huge difference. If you later want an even better picture, get a real, human-recommended, non-big-box ISF certified calibrator to do the job.

 

[RKS]

Hey OP I'm probably in the market for the Samsung LN46A550. Do you know if there is a big improvement in the 650 over the 550?

 

[s44]

I'm not the OP, but...

Pretty much the only difference in features is the 120hz thing. This definitely adds motion interpolation (to make action look smoother), if you like that, and may (it's not clear, although Samsung's Blu-Ray literature suggests it does) also add 5:5 pulldown for 1080p24 sources (that is, showing Blu-Ray movie frames for the exact same amount of time instead of showing every other frame slightly longer).

The other, unofficial difference is that people are reporting a "panel lottery" issue with recent 550 sets, with "C" (Chi Mei) panels being a bit less good than "S" (Samsung) or "A" (AUO, formerly Acer) panels. Of course, this is per the obsessive-compulsives at AVSforum, so I'm not sure how serious any difference is.

 

[cheesehead]

If you're worried about surges (which could be a definite problem if you live in an area with "dirty" power or frequent brownouts), how about an old-fashioned uninterruptable power supply? You can get a used one for not a lot of money.

 

[Aharami]

Originally posted by: s44
I'm not the OP, but...

Pretty much the only difference in features is the 120hz thing. This definitely adds motion interpolation (to make action look smoother), if you like that, and may (it's not clear, although Samsung's Blu-Ray literature suggests it does) also add 5:5 pulldown for 1080p24 sources (that is, showing Blu-Ray movie frames for the exact same amount of time instead of showing every other frame slightly longer).

The other, unofficial difference is that people are reporting a "panel lottery" issue with recent 550 sets, with "C" (Chi Mei) panels being a bit less good than "S" (Samsung) or "A" (AUO, formerly Acer) panels. Of course, this is per the obsessive-compulsives at AVSforum, so I'm not sure how serious any difference is.

Also the 650 has a glossy screen whereas the 550 has a matte one. Dont get the 650 is you have any windows that can cause reflection issues. I have the 650 and I love it. 120Hz was a little funny at first, but Im used to it now and I like it

 

[mshan]

I read same comment at Cnet reviews: http://reviews.cnet.com/flat-p...serReviews;summaryList

However, another Cnet reviewer said that only applied to Samsung LCDs under 32 inches.

 

[s44]

No, panel lottery is definitely up to 52". But the A panels have been shown to be pretty much the same as S after calibration. Again, not sure about the Cs.

The matte version of the 650 is the 630. The glossy finish is supposed to improve contrast, but it has its downside as well.

 

[Starbuck1975]

Everyone, thank you for the responses.

s44 or others, have a few follow-on questions as I picked up the LN46A650 last night...the sticker on the side says LN46A650A1F, so not sure where that places me for the panel lottery. I will write impressions of this unit once I have it for a while, but having some problems with setup.

1. Surge Protector. I have the TV hooked up to an old surge protector that I couldn't even tell you the rating for. The clerk at Best Buy tried to push one of those Monster home theater surge protectors, but don't think I need it. The surge protector I do has is one of those generic ones that you used to be able to get at like Comp USA. s44, not sure I need anything as fancy as the Monoprice website. Thoughts?

2. I purchased a Rocketfish HDMI cable just to get me through the week until I can order from online. s44, the MonoPrice site is a bit overwhelming as I dont know what kind of HDMI cabale I need. I live in an apartment, so I am not running cable through walls or anything. I just need a suitable HDMI cable for connecting my HD cable converter to my HD LCD. I am assuming one of the 24AWG 1.3a cables, 6' to 8', would be sufficient?

3. The Samsung LN46A650 has numerous device connectors...HDMI, component, composite, S-video, USB, etc. Right now, I have my HD cable converter connected directly to the Samsung via an HDMI connection, and the channels are coming across flawlessly. I am having trouble getting the Samsung to recognize my DVD player. The DVD player has one component, one video and one S-video Out connector. Right now, I have the DVD player connected directly to the Samsung via component, but the Samsung is reporting no signal from the DVD player. I dont have any other component units to test with, so what could be causing the Samsung not to recognize the signal from the DVD player?

 

[vi edit]

Just and FYI:

120hz is NOT the Auto Motion Plus (AMP) effect. The 650's are always running at 120hz but the AMP engine can be turned on and off.

Any calibration settings can be done by the user by either googling the "CNET LN46A650 Setup" or hitting the offical A650 thread at avsforums.

 

[s44]

(a) Panel lottery is only on the 550s. Your 650 should be Samsung panel.

(b) Like I said, you don't need anything more expensive than this.

(c) Get one of the 28 gauge ones. 24 is really tough to flex.

(d) Dump the DVD player and buy the Panasonic BD-35 with this deal. (EDIT: It seems you can stack this deal onto it too. 6 free movies and a great Blu-Ray player for ~$220!) Only slightly joking...

 

[Starbuck1975]

I picked up this surge protector over the weekend:
Belkin Home Theater Surge Protector

Warranty coverage up to $250,000, a decent joule rating and claims clean power modulation.

Figured out the DVD player issue...the DVD menu was set to S-Video, so had to access the DVD Player via S-Video, change the output to composite, and then hook it up directly to the Samsung...now it is working flawlessly, and also convinced me that a Blu-Ray Upgrade is in the near future.

One last question on the Monoprice cables...why is it that Monster cables are so more expensive than these...also, I assume gold plated connectors are recommended?

Also, as I am not familiar with cable nomenclature, which cable type is for connecting audio components? The ones typically that have a red and white pair of input connections on the back of most audio devices? Rather than get the Monster audio cables, if these are comparable in quality, I may just order from this site. The only audio cables I have are the ones that typically come with VCRs or video cards...very thin, and I am assuming low quality.

 

[Greg04]

Originally posted by: Starbuck1975
I picked up this surge protector over the weekend:
Belkin Home Theater Surge Protector

Warranty coverage up to $250,000, a decent joule rating and claims clean power modulation.

Figured out the DVD player issue...the DVD menu was set to S-Video, so had to access the DVD Player via S-Video, change the output to composite, and then hook it up directly to the Samsung...now it is working flawlessly, and also convinced me that a Blu-Ray Upgrade is in the near future.

One last question on the Monoprice cables...why is it that Monster cables are so more expensive than these...also, I assume gold plated connectors are recommended?

Also, as I am not familiar with cable nomenclature, which cable type is for connecting audio components? The ones typically that have a red and white pair of input connections on the back of most audio devices? Rather than get the Monster audio cables, if these are comparable in quality, I may just order from this site. The only audio cables I have are the ones that typically come with VCRs or video cards...very thin, and I am assuming low quality.

Google P.T. Barnum --- Monster cable are for those who don't know any better. They typically have Bose speakers in their homes...OK products, but exceedingly overpriced.

I have done several A/B parties (I know, Mr. Fun) with rewards for people who could tell the difference - repeatedly - between many different things that are trendy: Light Black Goose Vodka vs. a half dozen other brands, Monster cables vs. Lamp cord (with two old school Adcom 555s powering several different types of speakers, etc. Had to go down to 22awg 40ft run of zip wire vs a 10ft double stranded 12awg copper (on heavy bass-y music) to hear a reliable diff bt the two. No one, and I mean no one, could pick the trendy expensive vodka from the others in the group.

 

[s44]

If you use HDMI, you don't need audio cables, since HDMI carries the signal (and a better signal than any other method).

If you use component video, it depends on what your sound system is. If you're playing back through TV speakers, just use the red/white RCA plugs you mentioned. If you have a surround receiver, you can use a optical or coax digital connection (see Monoprice for those too), or analog surround inputs if you have an expensive old receiver with those. But I doubt you do, so never mind.

 

[Starbuck1975]

Yes...I know the HDMI covers audio feeds, and with the component cables I have, I was able to connect my DVD player with audio to the TV.

Ordered the Monoprice HDMI cables last night and plan on returning the Monster cable I purchased with the LCD.

Thanks again everyone.