Samsung LN55B650 LCD TV Review

Samsung surely knew what they were doing when launching on the market the medium range B650 series of LCD TVs. Samsung LN55B650 is one of the greatest representatives of this series (and the one with the biggest screen size), and it sports all its good and bad points. On the good side, Samsung LN55B650 is capable of rendering excellent image quality, it offers access to good web streaming content, and its connectivity options are nothing but solid for a product in this range. Its only minuses consist of the price tag that comes attached to it, the blue tinge marring the darker scene, and the fact that the 120Hz refresh rate doesn’t seem to do much, except maybe adding a little more to the spec list, and the cost, as well.

Features

• 1080p full-HD resolution
• 120Hz refresh rate
• 4 ms response time
• 100,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio
• CCFL-backlit technology
• Dejudder processing
• Media 2.0
• Internet@TV
• DNLA
• Pre-loaded Content Library
• USB 2.0
• 25% reduction in energy consumption
• Game Mode
• Touch of Color
• Wide Color Enhancer 3
• 4 HDMI ports

Connectivity

Overall, the connectivity options on Samsung LN55B650 are great, except maybe for the absence of an S-video input, one thing that the manufacturer no longer found necessary to offer with this series. There are four HDMI ports available – three situated on the back, and one on the side panel – , along with two component video inputs, one PC input, one RF for cable or antenna, one Ethernet port, two USB ports, one AV, and, for audio, one stereo analog and one optical digital output. It can be considered, without doing any wrong, that the connectivity options on this medium range product are quite good and solid, offering about everything that is needed by an average consumer.

Design

The design of Samsung LN55B650 may not be to everyone’s liking. The Touch of Color scheme for this 55 inch model includes a red line that outlines the edges, while fading to black towards the inner frame. The intense red might be considered offensive to the eye by some consumers that prefer the more remote design of other series from the same manufacturer, like B750.

Performance

Although Samsung LN55B650 is a good performer, it has its strong points and weak points. First of all, the colors on this model are greatly accurate, and its dejudder processing does its work, but, there are small issues about the reflections the screen shows in brightly lit room, and also the slightly tinge of blue that affects darker areas. While it is not maybe on the same level with the B750 series, it is still a great LCD TV, with enough quality features to convince the buyer of its worth.

Black Levels

One major area where the difference between the Samsung LN55B650 model and its brothers from the B750 series is represented by the black levels. By major consent, the blacks on Samsung LN55B650 could be better, and they are not on par, neither with B750 representatives, neither with other LCD TVs on sale on the market. The not so perfect blacks also affect the level of shadow detail, and darker scenes are not as crisp and detailed as they should be.

Colors

Overall, the color accuracy of Samsung LN55B650 is great, because of its excellent primary and secondary colors that are doubled in their task by very well designed color decoding. Compared to many other models of LCD TV, this 55 inch model performs better, the only one that has the upper hand being the Samsung B750 series. This otherwise great performance is marred only by the fact that darker areas, when displayed on the screen, have a little tinge of blue that it should not have been there.

Video Processing

While it is only an 120Hz LCD TV model, Samsung LN55B650 does a good job in terms of video processing. Because of a competitive dejudder processing, that Samsung installed on its newest models, the image looks great, artifact free, and the blur is significantly reduced. In some professional tests, the difference between the 120Hz refresh rate and the 240Hz refresh rate of other models may seem important, but the truth is that the naked eye cannot distinguish between the effects of one or another. Since the dejudder processing used in the B650 series can be found in the B750 series as well, it would not be off the mark to say that video processing capabilities for both of them are basically the same, despite the different refresh rate they sport.

Uniformity

Samsung LN55B650 shows great screen uniformity, with the exception of some very minor flaws, like the sides and the corners being slightly brighter than the middle. When watched from extreme angles, the colors tend to look washed out, but this is something seldom happening on LCD TV screen all over the place, and cannot be held against this particular model.

Anti-Glare Performance

Although LCD TVs usually do not face this problem, Samsung LN55B650 has to deal with reflections, when you place your new HDTV in a room that is brightly lit. It is quite a shame that a product that otherwise shows more than just potential to be one of best mid range LCD TVs on the market, fails such a simple task. Because of the glossy screen, the screen starts to show off reflections, especially when brighter scenes are displayed.

Standard Definition (SDTV) Performance

Samsung LN55B650 is great for watching regular channels and DVDs. Its noise reduction capabilities are very good, and you will not get to see any visual artifacts marring the screen. Also, the image delivered is sharply detailed, and there are no jaggies or moire ruining your watching experience.

Conclusion

For a mid range LCD TV, Samsung LN55B650 scores on the better half of the top. It has very good image quality (except for minor flaws), it has reliable video processing capabilities, more than decent connectivity options, and some extras to make your day. Once the price for this model will go down a bit, it will surely become a recommended buy.