Samsung LN52A650

Editors' note: The rating on this review has been lowered and its Editors' Choice award removed because of changes in the competitive marketplace.

Samsung's LN52A650 dares to be different. In a world of me-too, glossy black flat-panel HDTVs, no few of which may bear the company's own logo, this 52-inch LCD is dressed in red. Like many radical design choices, you'll either love it or hate it, and we didn't love it. But before you write off this red TV, we recommend you check it out in person--the product shots here and elsewhere on the Web just don't capture the red tint of the frame properly. Aside from design, we found plenty to like about the higher-end LN52A650, and it produces arguably the best picture of any LCD TV we've tested so far, although it doesn't quite beat the quality of the best plasma.

Design
Samsung's LNA650 series incorporates the company's Touch of Color design scheme. Instead of the standard glossy black frame, the LN52A650 sports dark-red accents that suffuse the entire frame, but are most prominent along the top and bottom edge and either side. Other eye-catching elements include a layer of transparent plastic, which is visible along the extreme edges on all sides, and Samsung's trademark shiny screen (more on that below). The Touch definitely creates a unique look, but call us traditionalists: we didn't really like it. The photos above just can't capture how red the Touch makes the frame appear, especially in bright rooms, and if red isn't your favorite color, you're out of luck--no other colors have been confirmed for this year, despite the company touting a veritable rainbow at CES. In its favor, the red frame didn't really detract from the color fidelity of the picture.

A close-up of the side-panel input jacks also shows the red tint of the frame better than the main product shots.

Including the standard-issue pedestal swivel stand, the LN52A650 measures 50.2 inches wide by 34.1 inches tall by 12.8 inches deep and weighs 76.7 pounds. Without the stand, it comes in at 50.2 inches wide by 31.7 inches tall by 4.1 inches deep and 64.6 pounds.

The remote differs from the one included on the Samsung PN50A550 because it uses a rotating, clickable wheel, similar to an iPod scroll wheel, for menu navigation, as opposed to the standard, four-way directional keys. The wheel would be a cool idea if it was more responsive, but with the brief delay between moving the wheel and seeing the results on the screen, we found ourselves more than a bit annoyed by it. The rest of the remote's buttons are nice and big and backlit (the backlighting engages automatically when the remote is picked up, something we've never seen on a remote included with a TV), and we liked the dedicated "Tools" button that offered quick access to picture and sound modes, the sleep timer, and the picture-in-picture controls. We didn't like the clicker's glossy black finish, however, which picked up more than its share of dulling fingerprints after a few minutes.

We liked the easy-on-the-eyes design of Samsung's menu system.

Samsung's new menu system is sleeker than before and blessed with big, highly legible text set against transparent backgrounds that occupy almost the whole screen. Getting around is easy; there's helpful explanatory text along the bottom, and we dug the context-sensitive menu that would pop up occasionally to provide more options. Overall, it's one of the best-designed and most-attractive menu systems we've seen on any HDTV, and it really makes setup a breeze--except for the confusing picture mode arrangement (see below).

Features
The LN52A650 has a 120Hz refresh rate, which allows it to cut down on blur and to affect judder in motion with a video-processing mode Samsung calls "Auto Motion Plus." Check out David Carnoy's Fully Equipped column for an in-depth discussion of 120Hz, and the performance section of this review for details on how it's implemented on the LN52A650. Like most other LCD and plasma TV models on sale in 2008, the LN52A650 also has a native resolution of 1,920x1,080 (aka 1080p).

Three levels of de-judder processing are available on the LN52A550.

New for 2008, the 650 series also includes an Ethernet port, which allows the TV to access the Internet to display news, stock ticker information, and local weather. We liked the easy-to-read font in normal and large sizes, as well as the intuitive controls. USA Today provides the newsfeed, which can sit in the corner of the screen like a ticker (turn Desperate Housewives into Fox News!), or be expanded to allow you to read numerous top stories in a variety of topics. One annoying quirk was that we couldn't remove the Setup screen easily--hitting "return," as the manual suggested, merely turned off the whole service. Also, we'd really appreciate if the port allowed the TV to access firmware updates, but according to Samsung that's not in the cards. A USB-to-Wi-Fi dongle that allows the TV to connect to a wireless network (model WIS-08BGX, $34.99) is also available.

The Ethernet port allows the set to display a local weather report...

...as well as news clips and (not pictured) a customized stock ticker.

The LN52A650 has three adjustable picture modes that are each independent per input. That's great, but in addition 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 so many settings anyway; we'd prefer to have all of the picture modes, both adjustable and non-adjustable, 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. That's an awkward hitch in an otherwise smooth menu design.

Not every submenu gets the updated graphics, however, including the important (and still perfectly functional) white balance controls.

Others picture controls include five color temperature presets along with the ability 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 pulldown (it also works with 1080i sources); 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.

You can choose from four aspect ratio modes for HD sources, two of which allow you to move the whole image across the screen horizontally and/or vertically. As we'd expect from a 1080p TV, one of those modes, called Just Scan, lets the LN52A650 scale 1080i and 1080p sources directly to the panel's pixels with no 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-def sources.

We appreciated the three power-saver modes and the singular fact that, unlike most other manufacturers, this year Samsung did not use the brightest picture mode as its default. Instead, the default picture mode for Home use is Standard, which saves a lot of energy compared with the much brighter Dynamic. Check out the Juice Box below for details on the set's energy use. As far as other conveniences, Samsung throws in picture-in-picture along with a USB port that can connect to thumb drives to play back digital photos and MP3 music. The LN52A650 is also compatible with the company's forthcoming digital media adapter.

A third HDMI input and an Ethernet jack set apart the Samsung's jack pack.

The connectivity of the LN52A650 is excellent. There are three HDMI inputs available around back, while a fourth can be found in a recessed bay along the panel's left side. There's also a pair of component-video inputs; a single RF input for cable and antenna (the '07 models had two); and a VGA-style RGB input for computers (1,920x1,080 maximum resolution). That recessed bay offers an additional AV input with S-Video and composite video, a headphone jack, and the aforementioned USB port.

Performance
The Samsung LN52A650 is one of the best-performing LCDs we've tested. Its picture quality, anchored by excellent black-level performance, and accurate color, surpasses that of the Sony KDL-46XBR4--and Samsung's de-judder video processing has improved to the point where it's basically equal to the Sony. We did notice a couple of minor issues, and as usual we'd avoid watching dark movies on this glossy-screened TV in rooms with lots of ambient light, but that's about it.

Our standard calibration was aided by the numerous picture controls in the Samsung's user menu. We were able to improve color temperature and dial in saturation without going overboard thanks to the blue-only mode (check this tip to see how it works). Although we attempted to tweak the color points a bit using the custom color palette controls, primary and secondary colors were already close enough to the standard that we simply settled on the default Auto in the end. Click here for a full list of our dark-room picture settings.

After setup, we placed the LN52A650 in a comparison that included our reference sets--the Pioneer PDP-5080HD, the Sony KDS-55A3000, and the 120Hz Sony KDL-46XBR4--along with the Panasonic TH-46PX85U. We checked out Spider-Man 3 on Blu-ray at 1080p from the Sony PlayStation 3.

Black level: The Samsung LN52A650 reproduced one of the deepest shades of black we've seen from any LCD. It can't quite match the champ, Samsung's own LED-based LN-T4681F, but from what we remember, it's pretty dang close. The Pioneer and Panasonic plasmas got darker by a couple of hairs, although the Samsung solidly beat the two Sonys. Of course, as with all LCDs, those deep blacks became brighter when seen from off angle (see below).

Details in shadows were quite good, although not perfect. During a shot when Flint stares into the camera after sneaking into his daughter's room, for instance, we couldn't quite make out the print on the wallpaper behind him, and the shaded half of his face looked indistinct compared with the reference Pioneer, although still more natural than any of the other displays. Cranking brightness brought back the details but destroyed black levels, and the Samsung wasn't crushing black. Its gamma was just a bit shallow in dark areas, even at the most aggressive +3 (our preferred setting).

Color accuracy: The initial color temperature in Warm2 was still a tad blue (see the Geek Box), but other than that we had no complaints. After calibration it was quite accurate, lending a natural look to skin tones and other delicate areas, like Mary Jane's pale face. Green grass in the plaza and red balloons during the parade all looked rich and punchy, and color balance was superb. One major advantage the LN52A50 demonstrated over the Sony KDL-46XBR4 LCD was its color fidelity in dark areas--where the Sony dipped into blue, like many LCDs, the Samsung remained close to true black. Overall saturation, thanks to deep blacks and fine color balance, was equal to the superb Pioneer.

Video processing: Samsung's Auto Motion Plus (AMP) processing is designed to smooth out motion--specifically the judder or faint stuttering inherent in 24-frame material such as most films. Judder can be perceived most easily in pans and camera movement, but once you notice it, it seems to pop up everywhere there's any movement onscreen. Some viewers find the smoothing effect desireable, while some think it looks too video-like and even cartoonish in some instances, particularly Hollywood films. We're of the latter camp, but we feel de-judder processing can be effective in some scenes.

AMP has been improved this year, and it suffers fewer artifacts than the version we tested on the LN-T4671F from 2007. The infamous "triple ball effect" seems greatly toned down, for one thing. We looked at one example we cited in the 71F review, a deep pass during a college football game between West Virginia and Louisville, and this time there was very little blurring and elongation of the ball. We also turned to the same hockey match between the Ducks and the Kings and noticed blurring of the puck much less frequently. It was still there in some instances, such as a flip pass into the air that spanned half of the rink before landing, but it was much less noticeable. Of course, the level of AMP made a big difference--we saw more blurring and artifacts around the puck in High mode, fewer in Medium, about the same in Low, and none in Off. For that reason, we still recommend watching hockey, and indeed all sports, in Off mode.

Comparing the Samsung against the Sony 120Hz LCD, the Samsung seemed a bit less prone to artifacts, but the Sony appeared less unnaturally smooth. During the opening of Spider-Man, for example, the camera quickly pans over a newsstand and a headline in USA Today (double-plug!) that reads "What a catch!" showed stutter and artifacts in the Sony (in Standard mode) and none on the Samsung (in any of its modes). The camera then moved to follow Peter Parker on his scooter, and the Samsung looked like the camera was on rails, while the Sony allowed a little bit of unsteadiness that made for a much more natural look in that scene. Later, the camera orbits Parker's face at the beginning of the parade, and we saw a sort of halo effect around his head. The buildings in the background bent slightly near his head as they moved by, even in the Samsung's Low mode, although these artifacts were worse in Medium and High. In this case, the Samsung's Low and the Sony's Standard were pretty much indistinguishable.

Both sets looked much better in pans over natural landscapes from the Planet Earth Blu-ray and in some other non-Hollywood movie material, especially compared with the non-de-judder-equipped sets in the comparison.

We also turned AMP off, along with the Sony's de-judder processing, and switched our PS3 to 1080p/24 mode. We really couldn't tell the difference between 1080p/24 and 1080p/60 on either of the sets, so we suspect they don't perform the perfect 5x conversion from 24 frames to 120. Samsung's engineers (along with Sony's) claim the 52LN650 can perform this conversion, but if so, it doesn't make much difference.

A refresh rate 120Hz should also cut down on blur in motion, increasing motion resolution. We compared the 52LN650 to the Samsung LN32A450, a standard 60Hz display, and with AMP in Low mode the LN650 exhibited less blur in test footage designed to expose it. The blur returned when we turned Off AMP, so you can't get the blur-reduction on this set without de-judder. The Sony performed at about the same level for this test, and neither was as sharp as either of the plasma displays or the Sony SXRD. As usual we didn't notice blurring in program material, however, including during Spider-Man.

As we expect from any 1080p LCD, the Samsung resolved every line of 1080i and 1080p sources, and unlike most sets it properly de-interlaces 1080i film-based sources as long as you leave the film mode engaged.

Uniformity: LCD will always be at a disadvantage compared with plasma in this department, and the LN52A650 is no exception. Its screen was relatively uniform for an LCD, but there was still a brighter spot visible in the upper-left corner in dark scenes or letterbox bars, and in mid-dark fields we saw that the left and right edges of the screen appeared brighter than the middle. Meanwhile, as we mentioned above, viewing the image from off angle lightened the black areas somewhat, robbing some punch from colors. The Sony LCD lost a bit less depth of black from off angle, although we still preferred the Samsung from non-sweet-spot seats because it didn't become discolored. We've seen reports on AVS forum showing purplish discoloration from off angle on some 650 series models, but we didn't see it on our review sample.

Bright lighting: The LN52A650 has a similar type of shiny screen as last year's Samsung LCDs, and compared with a more matte LCD screen, such as the one on the Sony KDL-46XBR4, it reflects quite a bit of room lighting. With the windows open during the day and shining on the screen, we could clearly make out our reflection in the screen, especially during dark scenes, and it was a good deal more distracting than on the Sony or the Pioneer. Samsung claims the screen does increase contrast ratio and produce deeper black levels, which might be true given the LN52A650's black level performance, but we still found ourselves distracted by the shine in bright environments while watching dark scenes.

Since the publication of this review, Samsung has released a version of this TV, part of the LNA630 series, with a matte screen instead of the shiny one. We assume it will cut down on those bothersome reflections, although we didn't review it.

Standard-definition: The 52LN650 performed quite well with standard-def, and although it couldn't quite resolve every line of the DVD format perfectly, we noticed no untoward softness on program material. The Samsung did a superior job of removing jaggies from diagonal edges, and its noise reduction was very effective in the low-quality shots of sky and sunsets.

PC: Via both VGA and HDMI, the Samsung LN52A650 made a superb computer monitor. It resolved every detail of 1,920x1,080 sources according to DisplayMate, and text looked crisp and well-defined.

Juice box

Samsung LN52A650	Picture settings
	Default	Calibrated	Power Save
Picture on (watts)	219.9	140.8	114.07
Picture on (watts/sq. inch)	0.19	0.12	0.1
Standby (watts)	1.2	1.2	1.2
Cost per year	$68.81	$44.32	$36.05
Score (considering size)	Good
Score (overall)	Average

*Cost per year based on 2007 average U.S. residential electricity cost of 10.6 cents per kw/hr at 8 hours on/16 hours off per day.

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