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Samsung LN55B650 55" 120Hz LCD HDTV: A Layman's Review

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SKYMTL

HardwareCanuck Review Editor
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Picture Quality: SD Upscaling

Picture Quality: SD Upscaling


Like it or not, the vast majority of satellite, OTA or cable television shows are broadcast via standard definition signals. This means for many of us the ability of HDTVs to upscale a standard definition image is paramount to our viewing enjoyment.

Our testing was done with a Bell 9242 HD PVR hooked up to the TV set via a DVI to HDMI adaptor.


The LN55B650 upscales standard definition images quite well when using the Wide Fit mode to turn a regular 4:3 broadcast into 16:9 format. Unfortunately, image stretching will occur and while it isn’t noticeable in regular programming, sports are affected to the point where the lithe receivers tend to look like 300lb linebackers when watching football.

LN55B650-33.jpg

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On-screen menus from your set-top box will also be stretched far towards the outsides of the screen when using Wide Fit mode but I didn’t find this too much of an issue since none of the critical information was cut off.

LN55B650-34.jpg

Click on image to enlarge

My main issue with upscaling is that I have yet to encounter a TV that doesn’t make an image look like it was smeared with Vaseline when trying to fit an SD image onto its screen. Granted, the LN55B650 does a better job minimizing this effect but in general, visual artifacts still tend to occur with some regularity.

For some reason, the ghosting issues we saw while gaming were actually magnified when watching an upscaled standard definition signal. Whether this was due to the signal or the processing being implemented by the TV couldn’t be definitively determined but it was annoying when trying to watch fast-paced scenes.
 

SKYMTL

HardwareCanuck Review Editor
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12,840
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Game Mode: Is it the Second Coming?

Game Mode: Is it the Second Coming?


Samsung has advertised their Game Mode for some time now but this is the first time we have really taken the time to sit down and give it a good run through its paces. Supposedly, this setting will speed up the display refresh rate, optimize contrast and brightness and eliminate the ghosting, input lag and other issues inherent when gaming on LCD TVs. That’s a tall order of business for one simple setting but according to the documentation, it also comes with one drawback: a loss of image quality.

Considering I spent a good amount of time gaming on the LN55B650, I have to admit that I tried Game Mode for all of an hour before I couldn’t take it anymore. The main issue I saw was exactly what Samsung’s documentation warned about: a massive degradation in image quality.

LN55B650-29.jpg

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LN55B650-30.jpg

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Unless you need to go and find your glasses, it is more than obvious that the topmost image shows a drastic reduction in picture quality. Not only did Game Mode seem to virtually negate any anti aliasing the Playstation 3 applied to the image but it also made the stunning graphics of Killzone 2 look like a game that was made five years ago.

Granted, the minor ghosting I saw when light objects moved across a black background was totally eliminated when Game Mode was enabled but is such a large breakdown in image quality worth it? I don’t think so. In addition, any input lag I experienced without this setting enabled was due to the Playstation 3’s wireless gamepad since when I used a wired controller; lag was a thing of the past even with this setting disabled.

To me, the Game Mode presents gamers with only one thing: marketing spin. Maybe some consumers will see some benefit from it but I found that it does nothing more than steal the polish away from the best games out there while not offering a perceptibly better gaming experience. As with all seemingly good things, this mode comes with a huge downside: it takes picture quality and throws it to the wolves.
 

SKYMTL

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Uniformity & Viewing Angles

Uniformity


LN55B650-15.jpg

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The uniformity of our panel was good but still far from perfect. If you have the contrast set correctly on the monitor you are using to read this, you should be able to see that the corners of the screen display a slightly lighter color than the center. This effect -called “flash lighting”- seems to vary in severity from one set to the next so your results may not be as good as you see here. Luckily, there didn’t seem to be any clouding (faint areas throughout the screen which are lighter than others) as seemed to be a frequent occurrence on Samsung’s A-Series sets.


Viewing Angles


LN55B650-23.jpg
LN55B650-24.jpg

Click on images to enlarge

Up until this point, Samsung has been near the top of our list when it comes to picture quality so it seems a bit contrary to say that the LN55B650 is cursed with poor viewing angles. When you are viewing the picture straight on, contrast is near-perfect but even a few feet off center and the picture quality suffers tremendously. Once you get to about six feet away from the optimal viewing position, the picture becomes washed out to the point that it is unwatchable for more discerning viewers.
 

SKYMTL

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Sound Quality / Power Consumption

Sound Quality


While “testing” the overall sound quality from any source is highly subjective, there are some things that just can’t be overlooked no matter how new you are to customizing your sound stage. Naturally, the sound that comes from the two 15W speakers of this set can never compete with a full sound system setup but once properly calibrated, they do a good job for normal TV watching. Bass and treble response is generally very good but the speakers really struggle in movie scenes accompanied by complex sounds. This is par for the course with built in speakers.

Just remember, the out-of-the-box audio settings on the LN55B650 do their best to muddy the sound to the point where action scenes are horribly loud while dialog is needlessly quiet. If you insist on using the TV’s speakers for the majority of your listening needs, make sure you take an hour or two to fool around with the custom audio settings to ensure an optimal listening experience.


Power Consumption


I had been told time and again that the backlight setting on an LCD TV can have a significant impact on power consumption but what no one was able to tell me was just how much. So, in order to find out, I pulled out my trusty UPM power meter and Tripp Lite 1800W line conditioner. Basically, the line conditioner was plugged into the wall in ensure the input voltage to the TV was regulated at a constant 121V so any fluctuations would not impact the results. The UPM power meter was then plugged into the line conditioner and the TV was finally attached to the meter. In order to keep these results constant, the opening 15 minutes of I Am Legend were played to get a good cross-section of power consumption figures. Only the peak rates were recorded.

In addition, I measured the Standby and Absolute Max power consumption as well. The Standby value you see is a constant reading instead of a Peak as all of the others. On the other hand, the Absolute Max figure you see is the result of a weekend of regular TV and movie watching while the power meter logged the maximum power consumption. It represents the highest peak power consumption this HDTV pulled from the wall with the blacklight set to 10 after about 8 hours of viewing. For all these tests, the Energy Saver was disabled.


LN55B650-44.jpg

When compared to last year’s top-end LN52B850, the B650 displayed amazingly lower power consumption across the board. This is truly a sight to behold as it shows how energy savings have progressed within less than 12 months. As I have said in the past, the backlight setting has a massive impact on the power consumption of any LCD.
 

SKYMTL

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Conclusion

Conclusion


Samsung bills themselves as one of the most popular manufacturers of HDTVs with access to the best technologies available today. While their popularity is open to debate, I personally feel that the LN55B650 builds upon a lot of the lessons learned from past generations and improves upon them in leaps and bounds. No matter what I threw at it, once calibrated to the viewing conditions this set was able to perform above and beyond my expectations again and again. However, this technological tour de force doesn’t mean a complete elimination of all the inherent problems which LCDs have become known for in the past.

Even though the overall looks drew some pretty negative comments from some people (most of them can’t be published here), I found that the Touch of Color quite nice but the small “chin” in the lower bezel does look a bit ridiculous. This is unfortunate since the 650-series costs more than the 640-series but does away with the lower model’s clean lines and neutral color scheme. Other than the slightly jowly look, the mildly reflective Ultra Clear panel didn’t impede much upon daytime viewing as past models but it can be distracting in certain situations.

When it came to watching movies, the LN55B650 really came into its own with an eye-wateringly crisp picture that shows off the three dimensionality in scenes that great HDTVs are known for. Contrast has always been an issue with LCD TVs but this particular Samsung product was able to sweep this perceived limitation away with some of the best gray scale performance I have seen. Granted, the out-of-box settings are a dog’s breakfast but with some care, the help of DVE and Samsung’s intuitive menu design, anyone can achieve settings that will be the envy of their neighbors. Just make sure to properly set the Auto Motion Plus if you want to avoid the “soap opera” look that many complain about when viewing broadcasts on a 120Hz TV.

Gaming was also a high point with very little lag between inputs and the on-screen actions but there were some minor problems with ghosting without some custom AMP settings. On the other hand, the actual “Game Mode” is an unmitigated disaster in terms of picture quality. Think of a head on car accident that gets hit by a high-speed train carrying airplane fuel which then derails and takes out a few city blocks in the ensuing inferno and you will have some idea of what this setting does to an otherwise stunning picture. This is a sad blemish on an otherwise stellar gaming performance.

While we can go on and on about how great the LN55B650 is, this doesn’t mean that it is without faults. We saw that viewing angles suck more than a Shop Vac on steroids but to most people who view the picture face-on, it shouldn’t be a problem. However, it will be a deal breaker if your seating position isn’t well lined up with the center of the TV. The overly hesitant menu navigation that has plagued past Samsung HDTVs rears its ugly head once again as well.

Viewing angles and general menu retardation aside, the main problem we see with Samsung’s 55” 650-series is its availability and its price in comparison to the rest of the 6-series TVs. First of all, finding the LN55B650 can be a lesson in futility here in Canada since stock seems to be impossible to find. We seem to have a huge influx of the 640-series which SHOULD be retailing for hundreds less than the 55B650 but is actually retailing for more. This is a boon for the few that actually find the 650 but shines a poor light on people who shell out more money for the LN55B640 without knowing any better. This is no fault of Samsung but rather a testament to retailers nation-wide who continue to fleece Canadian consumers again and again. If we have one piece of advice, it would be this: watch out for stores that want to rip you off by charging above $3100 for the 640-series and supposedly don’t have the 650-series in stock.

All in all, the LN55B650 impressed me with its huge feature list, amazing picture quality and previously unheard of contrast performance. There are a few things that proved to be bumps along the road to perfection but those were quickly silenced under the overwhelming weight of the positive experiences I had. Is the $3000 asking price for this TV worth it? In the grand scheme of things, I think so and as such it wins out Dam Good Award.


Pros:

- Calibrated picture quality is out of this world
- Some of the best contrast performance I have seen
- Intuitive menu structure
- Good connectivity options
- Features that actually work
- Passable audio performance for a flat panel display
- Price (if you can find it)


Cons:

- Slight ghosting in some games
- Game Mode trashes picture quality
- Horrible viewing angles
- Availability / price gouging from retailers



 
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