Are you thinking of buying a Samsung 50-inch 1080p DLP HDTV?
This popular DLP HDTV model is a bestseller in many different shops. It has been around for just over half a year, and the customer base and comments have grown enough that we can now get a good feel for its pros and cons. I’ve consolidated some customer reviews from around the net. Overall, the HDTV model is good and cheap but not perfect.
Here is a useful rule of thumb: If you want to buy an HDTV, determine the watching distance in feet and multiply that by 5. That’s the size of the screen you need. For example, if your watching distance is 10 feet, ten times five is 50. So choose a 50-inch TV.
Good Points
Even when Samsung’s 50-inch 1080p DLP HDTV first came into the market, it was one of the cheaper 50-inch HDTVs. Now that the model is half a year old, buying it from online retailers like Amazon is even more affordable. You will likely see about $500 of savings off the list price. You also save on certain taxes and shipping costs. Additionally, if you find that the price has dropped between when you bought the TV and when you received it, you can ask the retailer to refund the difference. Reputable companies like Amazon honor such requests.
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Although electronics tend to become obsolete quickly, this HDTV was the leading edge when it came out. It already had a 1080p resolution – many broadcasters are still catching up to this latest standard. Even now, its technology is quite advanced and will likely remain so for the next few years.
Samsung 50-inch 1080p DLP HDTV uses an advanced technology called LED light engine. It means the pictures are clear and detailed, and the colors look natural and true. Movement and action are much better rendered than normal LCD technology, and you won’t see blurring or loss of detail. This HDTV also does well in bright rooms with considerable daylight penetration.
The built-in 2-speaker surround sound is of good quality. Make sure the surround sound mode is turned on. HD broadcasts received over a simple, cheap indoor antenna look great. Other content (Regular DVDs, SD/HD broadcasts, Nintendo Wii, DVD, Xbox 360, etc.) also look fantastic.
You probably already know its dimensions: 45.2″(W) x 31.8″(H) x 13.4″(D) 61.3 Lbs. This 50-inch DLP HDTV is thinner than many competitors and is light enough for two persons to move around.
There are abundant connection inputs for HDMI, S-video, RGB components, digital, optical, analog sound, and RCA jacks. They are located on the right side of the set for convenient access – this makes it easy to hook up. Unfortunately, placing your TV in a cabinet can be an issue.
Samsung 50-inch DLP HDTV is pretty user-friendly. The user manual is good and extensive (although not written for novices). The remote is intuitive, and the menu system is straightforward. Note that it may not have as many functions as more expensive systems.
It’s pretty quiet since it uses LED light sources instead of the more normal bulb and a color wheel of most other DLPs. Since the LED engine is cooler and more energy-efficient than the bulb and color wheel, the Samsung 50-inch DLP HDTV also doesn’t need a powerful cooling fan. Overall, you get good energy savings – it is Energy Star-rated. Another good point is that the LED lasts longer than the bulb of normal DLPs (which need to be changed every 2 or 3 years).
Some of you might be nervous about getting faulty goods by buying from online retailers. The big and reputable companies like Amazon usually have a 30-day guarantee period. When problems arise, they have a good reputation for honoring their commitments to replace or refund the TV. If unsure about your online retailer, check their standing with the Better Business Bureau.
Problems Encountered By Customers
Buying this DLP HDTV is not perfect, though. Customers have reported three main kinds of problems.
1) Delivery & Service Problems:
a) Some customers complain about not receiving their TVs. This is more likely to happen with online retailers with their more complex supply chain and delivery procedures – either their orders were not received by the vendor supplying the TV to the online retailer, or the delivery agent did not receive the correct delivery from the vendor, etc. You can take precautions to minimize problems (see the section below).
b) Sometimes, you get an incompetent or lazy delivery man. He may not be able to find the place you live. Or he may not want to deliver to your doorstep. Or he may drop your TV off at your doorstep and refuse to carry it in for you. On the other hand, there are also stories of couriers who go beyond the call of duty – they help you move your old TV to its new location, then bring your new Samsung 50-inch 1080p DLP HDTV in and install it for you. Then they even take away the packing crate for you. Sometimes, they do it for free; sometimes, you must pay them a few bucks extra.
c) There are also some complaints about poor customer service from Samsung. It is typical of any large company’s service – when you get a good Customer Representative, you get good service. It helps to get their name before telling them about your problems or asking them questions. If you get a jerk, you get lousy service. Please don’t get mad; get their name and escalate to their boss. If that doesn’t work, get a refund or replacement from your retailer.
2) Quality Control Problems affecting some individual TVs:
a) The dreaded “blue-halo” effect is a blue-ish area of light that becomes visible in dark areas of high-contrast scenes around the lower center of the screen. This seems to be caused by a ring around the projector’s lens that should be black but is reflective silver in some TVs.
b) There is a “hot” or bright spot in the middle of the screen, and the center is slightly more brilliant than the edges.
c) When the entire screen is one color, sometimes the four corners of the TV fade bright.
d) The image is skewed (the left side is lower than the right); there is a noticeable green tint that is not correctable via user settings.
e) The picture shuts off for minutes or hours, which can be a motherboard problem.
f) Spots on the screen can be an unfixable LED light engine problem.
If the problem crops up well within the online retailer’s guarantee period (typically one month), call Samsung customer service. They will send a technician in about two working days to fix the problem. Otherwise, use your retailer’s guarantee period to get a replacement. Reputable online retailers like Amazon are good about honoring their guarantees without hassling customers.
3) Problems with the model or DLP HDTV technology that affect all TVs:
a) SD images via digital cable (connected via HDMI) are sometimes pixelated.
b) A small amount of curvature on horizontal lines right at the top of the set (which is a common artifact with this type of set) – not generally noticeable.
c) Minor incompatibility with 480p resolution settings and DirecTV (call your DirecTV customer service to get some satellite technicians to figure this out)
d) Echo if you have both TV speakers & surround sound speakers on and the volume is high. Just mute the TV or use 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound.
e) When viewing non-HD programming in 4:3 mode, there are double lines at the edge of the image. This may be too distracting for some people.
f) the 16:9 or Zoom settings are slightly off when playing a letterbox or widescreen DVD. The center of the image at the top is nearly 3/4 inches lower than at the ends, creating a slight “U” shape or concave appearance. This can also be very distracting for some people.
g) Slight geometry problems (noticeable bowing towards the top center portion of the screen)
h) On non-stretch mode with SD (where you have a black bar down each side of the picture), the image’s sides are bowed in a little bit.
i) The viewing angle is limited, which sucks if you have many people gathered around it. Just ensure you’re in the center and can see the screen. The viewing angle is good to about 140 degrees, although it is best up to 90 degrees. Still, this is supposed to be the normal level of performance for DLPs. The best seat is the sofa in front of the TV, although anyone on the loveseat has just as good a picture.
Precautions To Take
1) If you buy from an online retailer like Amazon, make sure the TV is sold directly by Amazon. Amazon sometimes acts like a storefront for other companies. This means you are the other company’s customer, not Amazon’s. How can you tell? Look for this sentence on the 1st page after Amazon lists the “Price” of the TV – “Availability: In Stock. Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.” Other online retailers should have something similar.
2) Print the receipt. Although this is common sense, sometimes we forget. Or something else happens; for example, your printer breaks down. If this happens, take a screen capture and save the picture to Microsoft Word.
3) Remember: You are probably buying online for lower costs and free shipping. Don’t expect 5-star service. Take the initiative to find out the contact of the actual supplier and delivery agent so that you can keep track of your order and delivery. Call the online retailer’s customer support if you have any doubts.
