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

Media Features Testing cont.

USB 2.0 Movie / Music / Pictures

If you don’t have the cash for a $100 wireless dongle after purchasing a $3500 TV, I know where you’re coming from and so does Samsung. As such, they have built into this TV the ability to play movies, view pictures or listen to music directly from a USB 2.0 flash drive. All you have to do is upload the file to a drive which is formatted with a FAT16/32 or NTFS file system (all flash drives use one of these by default), then plug the drive into the LN55B650 and you’re off.


When you press the Media button on the remote, you are greeted with a simple and pretty much self-evident screen listing different media options. Photo sends you in to a simple photo gallery which is great if you want to show off pictures from your recent trip. The Music option works very well if you have a proper sound system hooked up to the TV but otherwise, you will be left with the LN55B650’s somewhat anemic speakers trying their best to pump out decent sounds.

While the ability to view pictures and play music is interesting, it is the USB movie capabilities of this TV that are most advertised.


In theory, being able to view a movie directly from a USB flash drive or hard drive without a PC running is great. Indeed, in our testing there were very few files that it could not play but you should be aware of the limitations. It is important to note that even though many video formats are supported, a limited number of audio codecs can be used per video type. For example if you are playing a movie in .mkv format which has a WMA3 audio track, you will not get any sound. Other than those few hitches, Samsung’s USB 2.0 Movie player works flawlessly. It should also be mentioned that Samsung seriously handicaps the video calibration settings when using a USB drive to play video so you only get a few basic settings to tweak.


Content Library Flash


The content library consists of items that are downloaded directly from Samsung’s website onto a flash drive or to the 128MB of internal memory located within the LN55B650 if you have it connected directly to the internet. Categories run the gamut from recipes to games to workout routines to children’s storybooks. There are even pieces of downloadable artwork which can turn your TV into a virtual art gallery.


While my girlfriend insists on picking up every cook book known to man and we enjoy experimenting with new recipes on a nightly basis, the books took a back seat to the LN55B650’s recipe library while we tried out some of the offerings from Samsung. Believe it or not, out of the 7 main courses we tried, they are all being added to our list of favorites. The clear directions and simple steps will appeal to everyone from novice cooks to anyone who feels pressed for time after a hard day’s work. If anything, try out the Cashew Chicken and you won’t regret it.

I feel that the Content Library could prove to be a huge attraction for people looking to do something out of the ordinary with their “boring” TV but Samsung needs to keep adding new content or the current library will stagnate very quickly. In a world that changes seemingly at light speed, no one wants to go looking for new content only to find the same old items from months ago.