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Strengths: Huge!, DLP Technology
Weaknesses: light shining out of the side
Summary: My wife wanted a TV for the bedroom so I started researching about high definition TVs and seeing what was out there. I knew there were plasma and LCD televisions and read about the pros and cons of each. Basically plasmas are not true HD resolution, they suck the electricity so much you’ll notice it on your electric bill, and they turn all that electricity into heat so they get really warm. LCDs have their pros but to me their cons were ghosting and backlighting aging. LCDs including computer monitors have a light behind the liquid crystals that shines and lets you see the output of the screen. This light can age and start to show uneven colors or dim colors. It cannot be replaced very easily.
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Enter DLP technology. So while surfing around on a retailer’s web site I saw something about DLP. I didn’t know what that was since everything I had read compared plasma vs. LCD. DLP is very cool technology and I recommend that you take some time and read up on it to fully appreciate it. DLP technology overcomes many, if not most, of the shortcomings of plasma and LCD televisions. In a nutshell DLP works using extremely tiny mirrors, a really bright light, and something called a color wheel. The light and color wheel will wear out over time and require replacing. Each costs about $100 and is easy enough for the homeowner to replace.
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So I decided on the Samsung 720p DLP. I went to the retailer and was impressed with the hugeness of it. Colors were excellent and performance was on par with LCD and plasma sets. So I took it home and couldn’t wait to set it up.
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But first this thing is wide. Very wide. After all it is a 50” set. We had just bought an armoire for the bedroom to put this in. It lacked about 3/4 of an inch on each side to fitting in the armoire. I was disappointed. So this got moved to the media room and the search began for something that would fit into the armoire.
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The picture on this thing is incredible. I had never seen high definition TV before. Talk about clear. If you buy your TV at a local brick & mortar store they will try to sell you a calibration for $300. Don’t bother. You can do it yourself from the setup menu of many DVDs such as Ice Age. I ran the routine and made the adjustments myself and the picture got even better! All HDTVs require calibration depending on the viewing details of each location such as lighting, angle, etc. And it will be required every 6 months or so as well. And concerning angle, DLP TVs must be viewed dead straight on, not from beneath, above, or at a wide angle. Take this into consideration when buying a TV stand or something to put it on.
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Now the only thing I don’t like about this TV in particular is there is a light that shines out of the left side and onto the wall. It is quite bright. It is only mildly distracting but I’d prefer it not be there at all. This is from the bulb which has to have vents to keep from overheating. And while I’m on the bulb part you do need to know that the TV requires about 15-20 seconds to warm up before a picture is seen. That is because the bulb has to reach the proper brightness to project the picture. This is a drawback to all rear projection TVs, not just this one so I didn’t list it as a weakness for this review.
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I came from a 19” CRT TV that my wife got me for Christmas in 2000. Of course the sound on this TV is much, much better. It can be heard and understood very well. There is even an equalizer to balance out the highs and lows. So the sound to me was incredible and very enjoyable.
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As for the 720p vs 1080p, get the 1080p if you can afford it. I bought a Sony Bravia KDF-46E3000 to go in the bedroom and I really like the 1080p over 720p. Many of the shows on the 4 major networks are broadcast in 1080i which looks awesome on 1080p and really good to great on 720p. But you can’t go wrong with this Samsung 50” DLP TV. Now I don’t want to stop watching TV.
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