|
After much research, about 6 mos worth, this is the HDTV I selected for my anniversary gift. It is all and more of everything written about it. I am amazed at the picture, clarity AND it was pretty darn easy to set up.
I can't speak enough about how much the 120 Hz feature improves things. At the time of its release around the fall last year it was the top of the line LCD on the market. Try looking at a bargain LCD at Best Buy or something and you will see those with 5000:1 dynamic contrast ratios look like they are in a bright room and grey everything out.- Like most current LCD TVs, the brightness of this TV is excellent and can be seen in a bright room with ease. This is that feature that smooths action and makes stuff take on the appearance of a documentary film grain some people say.
- It's like 2 inches thick at most. Like extremely clear motion and imagery, to the point it's lifelike. It makes movies (Blu-Ray in particular) look breathtaking and video games like a whole new system with the fluid motion. The Samsung 850 series is my 2nd HDTV and it does not disappoint. Turn the feature to medium or lower it goes away though, and is not always present in every situation, just some. Blacks look black and whites are clear whites.
The same goes for the 180 degree viewing angle. - It comes with tons of ports (4 HDMI, 3 component, PC, DVI, and more).
- The speakers are decent, but like almost all TVs of this caliber, the audio does not match the visual qualities. Even today with the obnoxiously thin 7100 series LCD TVs Samsung has, this TV is quite impressive even today.I'll just get into it with good and bad.Good :- 120Hz (or if you have the option of 240Hz TVs now) is a must.
Very convenient to hang on a wall or mount.- For some reason it does not attract dust. It's like the Black and White to Color to Digital to HD to True 1080p HD to finally the 120Hz is the series of major television progression, it's that important.
- The 50,000:1 contrast ratio is incredible for an LCD TV and rivals some older Plasma TVs and with the exception of the top of the line LCD or Plasma TVs, this is an incredibly high contrast. I've had to dust it maybe once since I've owned it (over 6 months now).Bad :- The 120Hz set on high causes a weird blurring distortion in games (especially if the character is rotating or turning or moving fast in front of a rapidly changing background).
I recommend a standalone stereo set.
We have had this TV for about a month now and really like it. We connected a set of speakers so it is not a huge deal. The colors are amazing and the picture quality excellent. The only negative is that the speakers don't have much bass. I would recommend this TV to anyone I have researched many TVs and was thinking between this and the Sony Bravia but the Samsung 850 series seems a little nicer. I'm waiting to get a bluray player to really enjoy some nice movies.
The factory packing made handling the unit a pleasure. So far it has more than met our expectations. A lot of research went into the purchase of their product. The TV set up is definately not a one person job. The picture quality is the best I have ever seen. I originally targeted Sony HDTV units but direct comparison made it obvious to me that the Samsung unit was way ahead in picture quality. But with a little help, and the supplied instructions it went like clock work. Watching drag racing is an experience, almost like being at the track.
Originally wanted the 630 for the matte screen but when the price on that model went up I opened up the choices I would consider. Although the speakers are in a seemingly strange location and pointing downward, I found the sound to be more than adequate, especially if you select the simulated surround sound option.The new generation of LCD LED sets may offer some picture intensity improvement but this set more than fills the bill and at a significantly lower price. On non HD programs I found the quality ranges from good to just ok but this seems to be less about the set and more about the transmission.
As it turned out other than the reflections when the set is off, there are no glare or reflection issues when the set is actually on. As they state the blacks are black and the whites are white and no ghosting that I can see.Like many others I turned off the motion plus feature, did not see a need for it and my perception was the feature , at times made the motion jittery. Fryes put the 850 on sale for 1400, no tax and free shipping so I bought it although I had some concerns about the gloss screen.
Needless to say with DVD's and a HD player the picture is remarkable. Set up was easy, less than five minutes and the picture needed only minor tweaking for my own preferences. As to the picture it self, on HD programs it feels like you could step into the screen, especially on any nature type programs.
Another common issue re the set blocking other remotes was not present with my Time Warner box and with only a little effort the Samsung controller was able to take over the basic features of the cable controller. Overall a great set and if you shop around a great value.
|
