Samsung LN46A650 46-Inch 1080p 120 Hz LCD HDTV with Red Touch of Color features to redefine the role HDTVs play in the home with its forward-looking Series 6 (A650) and Series 7 (A750) LCD HDTVs. Utilizing the award-winning technologies found in all Samsung HDTVs, Series 6 and 7 HDTVs deliver unparalleled picture quality and enhanced connectivity and networking capabilities that create a true entertainment hub for any home. Series 7 takes networking and multimedia management to a whole new level. Consumers can easily enjoy MPEG and JPEG files stored on external devices by connecting through a side-mounted USB 2.0, turning their LCD into a full-scale home viewing gallery, or connect their MP3 players for a dynamic audio experience.
Samsung’s Series 6 marks the first appearance of TOC (Touch of Color) design in the 2008 LCD HDTV line-up. Inspired by designs from the automotive and fashion industries, Samsung’s unique unique Transparent and Opaque Color molding process creates a clean, smooth finish infused with a hint of a translucent color during the manufacturing process for an ultra-sleek appearance.
Auto Motion Plus 120Hz technology doubles the frame rate from 60 to 120 frames per second (120Hz LCD panel) without repeating the same image to make more frames. Instead, the TV intelligently calculates the ‘middle’ image between frame A and frame B and inserts it in between (Auto Motion Plus 120Hz processor), making a fluid transition from one frame to the next.
Samsung enhances the clarity of select LCD HDTVs by replacing the light-diffusing plastic face of traditional LCD HDTVs with a natural black panel with a clear anti-glare shield. Reduced reflection of external light creates a new dimension in image clarity, highlighting black and darkened areas, enabling vibrant, more compelling colors and a brighter, clearer picture. Black will never again appear grayish. Black details will show in vivid black even in dark scenes.
50,000:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio will give you a picture better than you ever thought possible, with whiter whites, blacker blacks and a nearly infinite subtlety of gradations in between. As two of the most important determining factors in overall picture quality, contrast and brightness levels achieve new heights in this latest generation LCD panel. Samsung’s new LCD TV’s give the most stunning realistic picture quality ever.
Helpful consumer’s review
I want to say first off that I also experienced the bug where the TV unexpectedly turns itself off, but after I installed the firmware upgrade that Samsung posted on 4/5 the problem has gone away.
I agree with the other reviewers that the picture is AMAZING. I am also happy to see that Samsung has added a 4th HDMI port. I was initially concerned that the “Touch Of Color” might clash with my decor, but it is very subtle especially if you mount the TV inside a cabinet. The “Infolink” feature is cute and easy to set up, but I don’t see it as being extremely useful.
Now for some caveats. I purchased this TV right after setting up an LNT4661F for my inlaws, and I was quite surprised to realize that the A650 is missing several features from the 4661F, despite the A650 costing $650 more. For starters, the A650 does not have rear composite video or S-video ports (only one of each on the side). This is probably not a big deal for most people, but if you are using a VCR, surveillance cam, etc. you will have a cables plugged into the side of the TV. More of a concern to me was that the A650 has only 1 antenna input versus 2 on the 4661F. That means with the A650 you can’t plug in both an antenna and a cable input. I guess Samsung figures everyone is using a set top box so they cut corners there.
By far my biggest complaint is with the Remote control. Again unlike the 4661F, the A650 does NOT have a universal remote! It’s essentially a TV-only remote, although it CAN control Samsung “Anynet+” components connected via HDMI. This seems like a big step backwards and bothers me more than the other features that were removed. Also the remote is not described on the Samsung website so I had no way of knowing that the remote had been “de-improved”. I agree with other reviewers that the navigation wheel is horrible … it spins freely which makes it practically useless … you spin the dial to make your selection, then as you move your finger to press the enter button inside the scroll wheel, the wheel moves and you select the wrong value. You have to wonder “what were they thinking?”. I’ve seen Happy Meal toys with better tactile feedback!
Despite my criticisms and annoyance that some features have been removed, I still rated this TV as 5 stars because in my book, picture quality is by far the biggest consideration and it looks great to me. Also the aesthetics are very nice and the new features such as 4th HDMI and Infolink make up for the removed features and poor remote control. – Daniel Eskenazi (Chapel Hill, NC USA)
