PICTURE QUALITY. It did an excellent job displaying the finest detail of HD content. Edges of objects in the image stood out too much because of over-enhancement. Excellent contrast--the difference between the darkest blacks and brightest whites--gave images great depth and dimension. The brightness level was good, making it a suitable choice for most rooms. Dark scenes, in particular, were lacking in contrast. In scenes with subtly shaded light-to-dark areas, such as a sky during sunset, the model did an excellent job producing a smooth transition without distinct, coarse bands. Film mode operation for HD film-based content was excellent, with no visible jaggies along the edges of objects during motion scenes. Deinterlacing was very good, with minimal jaggies visible when converting 1080i video content, such as from cable, to the display's native resolution.
VIEWING ANGLE. This Samsung has a wide viewing angle overall, better than that of most TVs. It will provide the same picture quality, with fewer problems than most TVs, for typical viewing conditions -- say, if your family is seated across a long sectional or in chairs off to the sides. When we viewed the TV from the sides the image quality showed some loss. When viewing the image from above or below eye level to the screen, the vertical viewing angle was excellent. The picture showed no change in color, contrast, and black level.
MOTION BLUR. This Samsung TV has only fair motion performance, with significant blurring on our motion tests. The visibility of blurring on typical program content is often subtle and may not bother most people, but keen-eyed viewers may detect some loss of texture and detail on scenes with movement.
SCREEN REFLECTIVITY. Though not as mirror-like as on some models, this screen surface is glossy and therefore susceptible to reflections from a nearby lamp or window. It does a good job reducing glare from ambient light and maintains contrast in a brighter room environment.
SOUND QUALITY. This model has fair sound quality with below average performance. It's acceptable for typical programming, but shortcomings become obvious with movie soundtracks and music. Bass was lacking, and treble was nicely detailed, while the overall sound was on the bright side closed in. The speakers could play at a fairly loud volume level and without obvious distortion. Also, at higher volume, dynamic compression kept the sound from distorting but also limited the clarity of peaks in loudness, which can be a bit distracting on some audio content. If sound quality matters to you, you might want to add a soundbar or other external speaker system -- but if this smaller-screen set is a secondary TV, you might find its sound quality acceptable.
EASE OF USE. The dark labeling of the connectors on the TV console is very difficult to read.
INTERNET FEATURES. This TV does not have access to the Internet.
CONNECTIONS. This model has two HDMI inputs and one "component/composite shared" input (which means you can only use one type or the other at a time) one USB port, an optical digital audio out, a headphone out. Note: HDMI and other cable connections made to the rear-facing panel will protrude beyond the panel's slim depth.
INCLUDED IN THE BOX. A printed user manual. A quick start guide. A remote control with batteries.
