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Samsung LN40A650A 40-inch LCD HDTV Review
Samsung LN40A650A 40-inch LCD HDTV Review - PCSTATS
Samsung are a well know brand in the HDTV arena, and today PCSTATS is testing one of its mid-sized 40" widescreen LCD displays that goes by the call letters LN40A650A.
 87% Rating:   
Filed under: Home Theatre Published:  Author: 
External Mfg. Website: Samsung Mar 16 2009   J. Apong  
Home > Reviews > Home Theatre > Samsung LN40A650A

If your TV is too small or too old, congratulations you're in luck! With a glut of gigantic flat screen LCD HDTV's hitting the streets right now, it's never been a better time to upgrade to a wide-screen format large enough to watch High Definition in all its blazing 1080p glory. Pictures so clear you can see an actors frightening wrinkles from 30 feet away, and screens so vast that if you sit close, your entire peripheral vision is filled by twinkling pixels.

The best bit is that you no longer have to promise away your first born child, 1/5th your estate or that superfluous left arm just to get an LCD flat screen HD TV into your living room.

Manufacturers have gone into overdrive making HDTV's, so prices are dead affordable compared to the $10,000 price tags of just 2 years prior. With the impending death of VHF/UHF Analog broadcast signals in North America, it's also a timely move so you'll be able to receive broadcast quality High Definition Digital TV signals, not to mention play back Blu-Ray media, game in HD and spin movies in all their digitally re-mastered HD wonderment.

Samsung are a well know brand in the HDTV arena, and today PCSTATS is testing one of its mid-sized 40" widescreen LCD displays that goes by the call letters LN40A650A. For short you may also see it referred to as the '650A' LCD HDTV. The Samsung LN40A650A is a 40" LCD HDTV, part of Samsung's 650A-series which come in several different size ranges.

The screen has a native resolution of 1080p (or 1920 x 1080 pixels), a pair of built-in 10W speakers, is 120Hz compliant and boasts no less than five HDMI inputs in addition to a variety of other connections. The LN40A650A is designed for use with high-definition content like Blu-ray movies, HDTV broadcasts and gaming consoles, but it can also use VGA or HDMI to double as a big-screen PC display. The screen works well for presentations, or collaborating on group projects in an office boardroom. While testing the 650A PCSTATS happened to do both, so check one for practical business application.

Samsung LN40A650A 40" LCD HDTV

SPECIFICATIONS:

Screen size: 40"
Brightness: 500 cd/m2
Contrast Ratio: 1000:1
(Dynamic Contrast Ratio: 50,000:1)
Viewing Angle: 178°/178°
Interface: D(4) HDMI, (2) Component, Composite, S-Video, DVI, RF-coaxial, Optical.
Resolution: 1920x1080
Response Time: 4ms (G-to-G)
Power Draw: N/A
Dimensions: 27.5 x 39.3 x 3.3"
Weight: 20.2 kg
VESA Mount: 200x200mm

VIDEO/MEDIA:

Aspect Ratio: 16:9
HDCP: Yes
LCD 120Hz: Yes
USB2.0 Ports: Yes
Speakers: 10W


Backlight: CCFL

Includes: Remote, batteries, manual, AC power cord, microfiber cleaning cloth, HDMI-cable.

One of the unique features of the Samsung LN40A650A is something called Auto Motion plus, it's a setting that accelerates the display's output to a 120Hz refresh rate. This hardware-based motion tweening technology can be turned on to artificially increase the refresh rate of fast-moving video, and it can make action sequences and high-speed scenes in movies appear smoother and less choppy. PCSTATS will be investigating Auto Motion Plus in more detail later on in this review. But first, this....

There are a couple features found on the 40" Samsung 650A that aren't typically found on HDTV displays, namely 'InfoLink' which uses an ethernet internet connection to display up to the minute news headlines, weather and yes even falling stock information. With the DOW headed towards 6,000 that's timely info!

The LN40A650A can also import certain types of data from a USB drive (ie. JPEG photo files, MP3 music) so you can quickly and easily view vacation photos on a big screen or listen to music without too much effort.

Connectivity Assured

Samsung's LN40A650A HDTV has a substantial set of media inputs, and a few critical outputs for connecting it to the requisite home theatre stereo system. We'll cover all the jacks and ports in a moment. Like all modern TV's, the screen includes a built in HD Digital TV tuner for ATSC signals, so it will receive broadcast Digital Television signals without a set-top box or satellite receiver. You should not buy any new Television which does not have an ATSC tuner built in.

The nice thing about broadcast HD television is that depending on your location, you can probably start watching HD TV without even paying for it.

PCSTATS Tip to Free HD TV - the paper clip

What's this, free HD? Well yes, so long as you live in a metropolitan area with decent signal reception you can receive broadcast HD TV channels over the 650A's ATSC digital TV tuner without spending a cent on an special HD cable package, or satilite dish.

All you need is an antenna, and if you're lucky you might get away with nothing fancier than an old set of rabbit ears. Plug the antenna into the cable/antenna port on the back of the HDTV. Then head to the on screen control panel, channel settings and configure the TV to do a channel scan for antenna signals. The TV will scan from channel 1 to 100, and each working broadcast HD tv signal for your area will show up. This obviously won't get you 500 channels of HD cable, just the television stations that broadcast a Digital TV signal - which is generally the exact same number who currently broadcast VHF signals for your area.

You don't necessarily even need to spend $70 bucks on a special "HD Antenna", a standard pair of rabbit ears, or a single large paper clip bent into an L-shape is often sufficient (not always, but it won't cost you much to try).

In the PCSTATS labs we were able to receive about 15 HD television channels with just a paper clip sticking out from the coaxial antenna jack on the Samsung 650A LCD TV. The beauty of broadcasting HD TV channels is that they come in crystal clear - digital signals either work perfectly or not at all.

For regions which are dropping analog UHF/VHF TV signals, an ATSC TV tuner is a must have. The Samsung 650A also receives the legacy TV signals.

© 2023 PCSTATS.com Next Page >

 

Contents of Article: Samsung LN40A650A
 Pg 1.  — Samsung LN40A650A 40-inch LCD HDTV Review
 Pg 2.  Mirror Mirror on the wall...
 Pg 3.  Physical Attributes of Samsung's LN40A650A
 Pg 4.  Media Inputs and Outputs
 Pg 5.  HD Viewing and Listening Experience
 Pg 6.  Samsung LN40A650A LCD - is 40" big enough?

 
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