Samsung LN37A450 37-Inch 720p LCD HDTV

After doing some decent research I finally decided on this Samsung. This tv is a beauty. I'm very happy with it.

First I did some internet research. I knew I wanted at least a 37" and price was an issue. I found no professional reviews on this particular model so I relied mainly on customer feedback (CNET had a favorable review of the 32" version). All over the web comments on Samsung tvs in general are almost universally positive. I was happy about that because I've always been confident in the Samsung brand. They make quality products. So I went to the various retail stores and did a lot of staring at the various models. I went to quite a few different stores because I wanted to see the same models with different hookups and signals. To be honest, you really can't go wrong with most of the top brands. Give or take minor differences most of them look good. Sony, LG, Panasonic etc. But, it comes down to trusting your own eyes. There was something about the picture on the Samsung that kept drawing me to it. It looks the most NATURAL. Not gimmicky like some others.

This tv has a very nice looking on screen menu and it's easy to navigate. There are a good amount of options for picture adjustments, including advanced controls for color and white balance, good for perfectionists. I've spent some time on fine tuning but it looks great right out of the box in "standard mode". I ended up toning down the picture slightly because these tvs are set for retail display and it's initially a little too bright (I turned off "dynamic contrast" to be specific).

There are 3 HDMI inputs and I'm using 2 of them, one for an HD cable box and the other for a Playstation 3. Games on the PS3 look fantastic and I noticed no motion blur. I only watched one blu-ray so far and it looked very good. On a side note I love the PS3, it's a good value at 399 considering you get a blu-ray player, the free Playstation network where you can rent and buy movies, and a bunch of great games. I'm using the inexpensive HDMI cables they sell here at Amazon. One from DVI Gear and the other is Eforcity. Nice quality and they seem to work great. With shipping they're 5 dollars each, I can't imagine buying those overpriced cables.

HD channels on my cablebox look fantastic. Some channels and shows look better than others. Ballgames on the YES network look pristine. There is occasional, slight motion blur depending on what you're watching. I expected that with LCD, and it's slight enough where it doesn't bother me. I didn't really compare motion blur with other bands in this price range. The LN40A650, a 40" model two steps up from this, is 120mhz and has a 4ms response time. Supposedly these features reduce motion blur, but it didn't matter to me because that tv is way out of my price range. It's only 3 inches larger yet over 600 dollars more. If someone cares enough I advise trying to find these two models at a store and look carefully for motion blur differences.

Standard definition channels look as good as you can expect. As others have mentioned the sound is only decent. Not great. It can be adjusted to sound better, but I'm hooked up to an external system so it doesn't bother me. The remote is nice and the buttons are in the right place. It's not backlit.

By far the best price I found was on Amazon so I bought it here. Their free white-glove delivery with CEVA worked fine. It did take about 7 days for the tv to get delivered but others have reported quicker times. Just make sure your correct phone number is in your Amazon shipping info. You can see that on the checkout page right under your address. CEVA has to call you to set up a day and 4 hour window.

On a final note, I actually was going to buy a Vizio at first. The main reason was price. They're at least 100 dollars cheaper for a 37", and the picture looked nice. However, after comparing the Vizio with other brands, I noticed the picture is clearly not as good. In the end I'm glad I went with this Samsung. It was worth the extra money. I love it.

[UPDATE 8-13-08]:

Out of curiosity I checked out the LN40A650 at a store. And wow that picture is fantastic. I only looked at it for a few minutes but yes it didn't appear to have any motion blur, and actually I think it may have the best picture out of all the tvs I looked at regardless of price. It was just noticeably superior. However that was only from a few minutes of looking. It all comes down to what a person can afford and I didn't want to spend that much. I'm still very happy with my tv and have no regrets.

I couldn't be happier with the TV. Picture is beautiful, and it's plenty big for my living room. DVDs and Xbox 360 look great. Interface is slick.

I got this tv about a month ago. It's by far without a doubt the best tv I have ever had. It has the greatest picture and sound quality for the best price. The only thing that I didn't like about the tv is that it is a bit complicated to hook up a home theater system. The directions don't match what you have to do. It's like a puzzle that you have to figure out. But other than that the tv is awesome. All of the features and picture quality are well worth it. The picture quality is so much better than Sony, Phillips, & Vizo! It's so clear you won't believe your eyes! Just get it!

THE PROCESS WAS EASIER THAN I EVER EXPECTED. THE PRICE WAS GREAT...THE SERVICE WAS GREAT...DELIVERY WAS GREAT...INSTALLERS WERE GREAT...WHAT NMORE CAN ONE ASK FOR!!!
THANKS...AMAZON!!!

I bought this TV for my bedroom. It is my third Samsung, but my first LCD. The other two that I have are both plasmas, the HPT5064 and FPT5084. I think that this is a great TV if you only care about 720p (which is all you need in a bedroom.) If you are on a $1000 budget or this is a secondary TV, I can't think of why you need more than 720p right now. This will absolutely change in the future, of that I have no doubt.

The TV comes in a great package - very clean lines, not a huge bezel, the Samsung piano-black finish that you either love or hate (I love). This TV doesn't have the flat touch buttons of the 5084, but that is a much higher-end TV I guess. The LCD panel is not as matte as some that I have seen. It outputs a great picture out of the box, with minimal tweaking (though I am sure that you can teak it to your heart's content).

It is a relatively light TV at ~45 pounds, so can easily be carried upstairs by one person. Sound quality is surprisingly good for a flat panel, though that is a relative measurement. The speakers face down on the bottom of the TV. Picture quality is bright, excellent contrast ratio (almost as high as the plasmas). The TV doesn't have the glowing blue lights on the front that the other Samsung's I own have, guess that was just a fad. The design is definitely a cross between the somewhat clunky 5064 and the more elegant 5084.

Standard def output is as good as you can expect, but in 2008 you can really spend 80% of your time watching HD content unless you have a few offbeat or retro shows that you like. I have this TV hooked up to a DirecTV H20 DVR and it works like a charm. I output the native mode signal and the TV handles 720p or 1080i in very well. I don't have an Xbox or PS3 on this TV, but I can guess that they would look great based on the overall performance I have seen so far.

I have ordered a Peerless wall mount for the TV, apparently it is in the gray area between 32 and 40" TV's and it falls into the higher side of that range as far as what size mounting bracket you need. In other words, look in the manual of the TV and look at the detailed specs of the mounting bracket before you pull the trigger to make sure that they adhere to the same standard mounting bracket size.

This is a great TV at a great price and I highly recommend it for those in the market for great mid-size HDTV who don't feel a compelling urge to get 1080p. If I have problems I will update them here.