Samsung LN40B650 LCD HDTV Review

The Samsung LN40B650 is one of Samsung's newest LCD televisions, offering a variety of high-end features. The design is glossy black with reddish highlights that some will love and others will hate. The television has a full 1080p resolution with a 40-inch display, although this series of HDTVs is also available in 32, 37 and 46 inch sizes. The 40-inch model we reviewed has an MSRP of $1700, but can be found for as little as $1400.

The HDTV has a wide variety of connectivity options, four HDMI ports are available as well as two component video inputs and digital audio out. The television also offers two USB ports for connecting media devices and an ethernet port for accessing networked or online content. You can view music, photo , and video files from either connected USB devices or streamed from your computer via an ethernet cable. You can also access online content via Yahoo Widgets, although this service is not very well-developed yet with little content available. For example, you cannot access popular services like Youtube, Hulu, or Netflix directly on the television.

The Samsung LN40B650 ships with a well-designed remote although you won't be able to use it as a universal remote to control other components of your home media set-up, unless they are also Samsung products. The built-in speakers don't provide very good audio quality and we recommend you invest in a set of surround sound speakers if you want improved audio quality. The menu system is easy to use and attractive.

Performance (Read the full lab performance results at Televisioninfo.com)
The Samsung LN40B650's picture quality varies from impressive to unexceptional. On the impressive side, the black levels, maximum brightness, and contrast ratio are among the best we've seen from any television. We were also very happy with the color accuracy.

On the unexceptional side, we saw some problems with motion performance. Although motion blur is better than average, we noticed significant artifacting in moving objects on the screen. Artifacts are items that appear on the screen that shouldn't be there, and with the LN40B650, we noticed a shutter effect as well as trailing and leading areas of brightness. We were also disappointed with the viewing angle, move more than 20 degrees off center and you will notice a significant decrease in the contrast ratio.

Comparisons (Read more in-depth comparisons at Televisioninfo.com)
Although performance on the Samsung LN40B650 was mixed, the good was so good that it encourages us to overlook the negatives. This is a television that we feel most people will be very happy watching on a day-to-day basis. That said, the price point is a bit of a barrier. Even if you can find it for significantly less than the $1700 list price, there are alternatives like the Vizio SV470XVT that also have excellent picture quality and a larger display size for around $1400. If you're willing to spend a bit more, you can step into Samsung's own PN50A760 50-inch plasma television for $2000 and get our top-rated HDTV to date. If you do decide to go with the Samsung LN40B650, however, you likely won't be disappointed.

For a more in-depth review, visit the Samsung LN40B650 Review at our partner TelevisionInfo.com