Samsung LN46A530 46" HDTV LCD TV

LCD HDTV's are the hot choice for living rooms and dens across America. Not only are they affordable and gorgeous to look at, but they provide some of the best pictures for anyone's viewing pleasure. The Samsung LN46A530 is the next generation of Samsung Flatscreens, and it keeps with the tradition of sharp, quality pictures that Samsung is known for producing.

Picture:
Let's just cut to what everyone wants to hear about. The Samsung LN46A530 has a picture that's just short of being clear as a diamond. The one thing holding it back from picture perfection is how it seems too bright at times when bright, vibrant colors are on the screen. This can be countered by changing the picture type from something dynamic to standard, but that would get annoying, and let's be honest, "Dynamic" and "Sports" viewing are simply the best, whether you're watching your favorite sports team, or the Home Shopping Network. One of the best things about LCD's is the viewing angle. Many sets boast anywhere from 150 to 172 degree viewing angles. The Samsung LN46A530 has a viewing angle of about 160 degrees max, but the best viewing is done at less than 140 degrees. Still, for a 46" screen, that's nice. Besides, who wants to sit next to a beautiful picture? Oh, and fear not: whether you have HD or not, the picture is beautiful, and when HD is in use, let me just say that the picture POPS! Even better, you'll experience minimal ghosting as well, which means you can stay clear of "Movie" mode. You'll never watch sports any other way again. And the picture is even more gorgeous with SD, and is just as good when watching DVDs and Blue Ray. Grade: A

Sound Quality:
The bane of many flatscreens is that the sound is not very strong. The Samsung LN46A530 has decent sound, meaning that it gets loud, but not necessarily crisp. Still, unless you have trouble hearing or want to hear the TV from across the street, you'll rarely turn it up loud enough to notice the loss of crispness. However, when hooked up to a sound system, especially with surround sound, the Samsung LN46A530's sound is sublime. Still, when a television needs surround sound systems in order to sound perfect, then it is not as good as it could be. However, to be fair, one can hear clear enough no matter where they sit in the room, even if their seat is around a corner, for this LCD projects sound really well. Grade: B+

Ease of Use:
The remote control system is a bit confusing. If your cable or satellite provider has a good remote that is universal with most TV sets, your cable, and a sound system if you have one, then this shouldn't be an issue, however, if this isn't the case, then you may have some trouble with the remote control provided by Samsung. The volume and Channel buttons, no big deal, but good luck trying to memorize the set-up of the menu buttons. And when you do, good luck navigating the menu screens. Let's just say that if you accidentally switch away from cable, good luck troubleshooting to get back to cable without a little trial and error and/or reading the manual. Plus, since the provided remote isn't universal for your cable, the channel buttons are useless, because all you'll get is a fuzzy picture, and a little frustration. It's probably best to get a universal remote from your cable provider, or a really good quality remote from a store, simply to avoid the headaches that could arise just from a slight finger miscalculation. Grade: B

Price:
Let's be honest, it's a 46" TV, and that's pretty big. Generally, big LCD Flatscreens come with even bigger price tags. Wanna know the price for one of these bad boys at, say, a Best Buy? $1600, that's it. That's LESS than $2000. I'll let that soak in. Astounding, isn't it? I mean, similar sets can sell for anywhere between $2000 and $3500, especially Sony, LG, and Sharp. Still haven't recovered? Too bad, because you're wasting valuable time sitting there being amazed when you could be out buying this fantastic TV. Grade: A+

Essentially, this is a great buy for the astounding picture quality, and good sound quality, you get. There are other LCD's on the market with more bells and whistles, and, of course, larger screens (62" anyone?), but for a great view in your den that will make the neighbors jealous, the Samsung LN46A530 is the ideal steal at $1600. Overall Grade: A-

P.S. - I have played video games on this set, but not enough to offer a good enough review in that area. The picture is, as stated above, still amazing, but I'm not sure if video games can easily burn images into this screen. Let's hope not!