Samsung LN32A450

Our favorite small-screen LCD in 2007 was Samsung's LN-T3253H, and this year's version, the LN32A450, is another picture-quality winner. This LCD delivers solid black level performance and accurate color, along with a commendable feature set compared with the rest of the 32-inch LCD pack. No, it's not as inexpensive as the Insignia NS-LCD32-09 or the Vizio VX32L, but if picture quality is a priority and you can afford to splurge just a little, the Samsung LN32A450 deserves a place near the top of your list.

Design
The handsome all-glossy-black exterior of the LN32A450 outclasses that of many low-dollar HDTVs, with its hidden speakers and subtle see-through strip that curves along the bottom of the frame. The narrow pedestal lets the set swivel somewhat from side to side. Including the stand, the set measures 31.4 inches wide by 22.7 inches tall by 9.9 inches deep and weighs 27.9 pounds; without the stand, it is 31.4 inches wide by 20.7 inches tall by 3.7 inches deep and weighs 24 pounds.

The remote control included with the LN32A450 is a pleasant surprise. The largish, organically curved wand places all the important keys in the right places with plenty of differentiation. There's no backlighting, and it can't be programmed to control other devices than, but those are minor gripes. We wish Samsung's gloss-happy designers had gone with matte for the remote, which is much less prone to unattractive smudges than the current shiny finish. Samsung's menus are unchanged from last year, and we found them relatively easy to navigate and appreciated the helpful explanations when we selected menu items.

Features
The Samsung LN32A450 has a native resolution of 1,366x768, which is perfectly fine--in fact, a higher resolution such as 1080p is completely wasted at this screen size.

Samsung's picture menu offers numerous choices, including three adjustable picture modes.

As usual for a Samsung TV, this model has scads of ways to adjust the picture. The three standard picture modes are each independent per input, which we liked, but unfortunately the LN32A450 (along with, we assume, all 2008 Samsung HDTVs) has the same awkward picture mode design as the PN50A550 plasma. There are three more picture presets, called "Entertainment Modes," that cannot be adjusted and are accessible via a separate key on the remote and the Setup menu. This arrangement is unnecessarily confusing on a TV with a zillion settings anyway; we'd prefer to have all of the picture modes, both adjustable and nonadjustable, be accessible together from a single key on the remote and one area of the Picture menu. Also, if you're in Entertainment mode, you're prevented from making picture adjustments, or even selecting one of the adjustable picture modes, until you actively cancel an Entertainment mode by navigating to the setup menu (which the onscreen instructions suggest) or toggling the mode to "Off" using the remote. Awkward, to say the least.

The LN32A450's detailed settings menu includes a white balance control to fine-tune color temperature.

The LN32A450 shares the same selection of advanced picture settings as the higher-end plasma TVs. They include five color temperature presets along with the capability to fine-tune color using the white balance menu; three varieties of noise reduction, including an automatic setting; a film mode to engage 2:3 pull-down; a seven-position gamma control that affects the TV's progression from dark to light; a dynamic contrast control that adjusts the picture on the fly; a "black adjust" control that affects shadow detail; and a new color space control that lets you tweak the Samsung's color gamut. See performance for more details.

You can choose from four aspect-ratio modes for HD sources, two of which let you move the whole image across the screen horizontally or vertically. One of those modes, called Just Scan, eliminates overscan--the best option unless you see interference along the edge of the screen, as can be the case with some channels or programs. There are also four modes available with standard-definition sources.

We appreciated that the three power-saver modes provide an easy way to limit energy consumption (see the Juice Box). As far as conveniences, the Samsung lacks picture-in-picture, although there is a USB port that can connect to thumbdrives to play back digital photos and MP3 music.

The back panel of the Samsung includes the usual array of jacks, including two HDMI and one PC input.

Samsung's connectivity suite is basically unchanged from 2007. Two HDMI inputs are available around back, while a third can be found in a recessed bay along the panel's left side. There's also a pair of component-video inputs; an AV input with S-Video and composite video; a single RF input for cable and antenna (the '07 models had two); and a VGA-style RGB input for computers (1,360x768 maximum resolution). That recessed bay also offers an additional AV input with S-Video and composite video, a headphone jack, and the USB port.

The easy-access side panel offers a third HDMI port, and AV input and a headphone jack.

Performance
Before testing, we performed our standard calibration and brought color temperature closer to the standard using the comprehensive white balance controls. We tried tweaking the Custom color space controls but couldn't improve upon the already-accurate primaries (see the Geek Box). Check out our picture settings for all the details.

We compared the Samsung directly with a few competing sets, namely the Insignia NS-LCD32-09, the Sharp LC-32D44U, and the Toshiba 32CV510. Our Blu-ray of choice this time was Hitman.

Black level: The blacks on the LN32A450 were darker than those of any other set in the comparison, as evinced by the dark opening scene inside Whittier's house. The shadows in the corners, the letterbox bars, and Agent 47's black jacket, for example, all appeared darker, adding the usual extra dose of realism associated with solid black levels. Details in shadows were fine, although not quite as realistic as on the Toshiba; we couldn't make out his lapel as well, for example, despite setting gamma at a relatively aggressive +2. Dark scenes still looked best on the Samsung, however.

Color accuracy: As with many past Samsung displays we've tested, the LN32A550 performed very well in this area, especially after we tweaked the white balance. 47's bald dome and the pasty face of Nika, for example, looked neither too warm nor too cool, and we appreciated that color didn't go bluish in near-dark areas, as we witnessed on the Insignia and the Sharp. Primary colors, such as the red laptop desk in the train station and the green plants outside, were quite close to our reference for color, and well within the Good range. For its part, color decoding was also right-on, allowing full saturation that, combined with relatively deep blacks, lent plenty of pop to the picture.

Video processing: Unlike many HDTVs we've tested the Samsung properly de-interlaced 1080i film-based sources when Film Mode was engaged.

When we watched test patterns, however, we noticed that the Samsung didn't quite resolve as much detail with 1080i sources as did the Insignia, for example. When we checked out the pan across the seats of Raymond James Stadium from the HQV disc, we saw some moire that wasn't visible on the other sets, another sign of resolution loss. It was very difficult to tell the difference between 1080i and 720p sources on the Samsung, however, and when we watched Hitman at 1080i and compared between the sets, the LN32A450 didn't look any less sharp. Still, home theater sticklers should probably set their sources to 720p, when available, for the best picture quality.

With material designed to test for motion blur, namely shots of cars driving past a fixed camera, we couldn't see any real difference between the four LCDs.

Uniformity: The Samsung's screen was solid in this department; the only issue we saw was very faint horizontal banding in two a narrow range of mid-gray tones, and they were invisible in normal program material. In dark areas, the screen was uniform, with none of the brighter splotches seen on the other LCDs in our comparison. The Samsung also did a better job with off-angle viewing, maintaining its depth of black and color well when seen from either side.

Standard-definition: The LN32A450 did an impressive job. Details were sharp, and the set resolved the entire DVD format. It smoothed our diagonal edges well, and engaged 2:3 pull-down quickly (once we had engaged Film Mode, which is disengaged by default unfortunately). Noise reduction was very effective at cleaning up low-quality sources.

PC: With analog sources delivered via the VGA input the Samsung performed very well, resolving every detail of the 1,360x768 signal according to DisplayMate and delivering crisp, sharp text and other on-screen details. Surprisingly, HDMI tested far worse. The set didn't handle all of the detail of the source, and edges looked blockier and softer as a result.

Juice box

Samsung LN32A450	Picture settings
	Default	Calibrated	Power Save
Picture on (watts)	130.65	68.27	66.62
Picture on (watts/sq. inch)	0.3	0.16	0.15
Standby (watts)	1.09	1.09	1.09
Cost per year	$41.11	$21.81	$21.29
Score (considering size)	Average
Score (overall)	Good