Samsung TXJ3276 32 in. TV
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32" Stereo TV on the Cheap
Pros
Solid quality all around. Excellent customer service. Great value!
Cons
No fripperies.
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
The entry level Samsungs can't be beat for quality and value. If you want a basic, low cost big tube TV, you can't go wrong with the TXJ3276.
My Samsung TXJ3276 came from Target, a display model on clearance. After living with it for a couple of months, I can honestly say that there is more to it than just low price.
First, a bit about model numbers and what you are likely to find in the stores right now. The TXJ3276 was replaced by the TXK3276, which is why the J model was on clearance. By the time you read this, the TXL3276 should be available.
Differences are very slight. All models have a composite front panel video input for game consoles, camcorders, and the like. The J model has one (composite/S-Video combo) rear panel video input. The K model, which should be more common in stores by now, has two combo rear panel video inputs, perfect for users with a DVD player and a VCR. The L model has a rear component video input, for those with DVD players which offer this type of connection. Otherwise, the three TVs are virtually identical in terms of appearance and real-world performance.
Samsung began to reinforce my buying decision before I even plugged the set in. I had a question about the universal remote, so I phoned the 800 number given in the manual for customer service. It was a quarter to nine on a Monday evening and, to be honest, I wasn?t expecting an answer. I figured I would at least get a recording giving their hours and time zone so I could calculate when I might call back.
To my amazement, my call was answered promptly, by a friendly, helpful young lady who was able to answer my question. After dealing with many different manufacturer?s call centers, I would put Samsung?s Customer Service up against anyone?s. This may not seem very important to you, but, if you?ve ever written to a CEO in anger over an indifferent, understaffed and ineffective call center, you will be pleasantly surprised by Samsung?s extra efforts.
Connecting the Samsung to my setup was easy. There are no external speaker connectors. Very few sets have them anymore. I added a small, inexpensive stereo amplifier so that I could attach my rear speakers for a richer, fuller stereo effect. Since a set of variable audio outputs are built-in, I just tucked the amp into the entertainment center, beside the set and out of sight. I use the TV?s volume control (front panel or remote) just as you would normally, but the extra separation and quality of a set of small bookshelf speakers really adds to my enjoyment. I can play music CDs through my DVD player, and get full range sound instead of just the tiny built-in speakers. Plus the movie soundtracks really come alive!
Features are solid, not rich, on the Samsung. A well-made, universal remote with large, easy to read buttons, is included, and will control most VCRs and cable boxes too. You get on screen display, audio and video adjustments, and a sleep timer. No PIP, or Dolby Surround. I?ve got fancier setups in other rooms, but this is the den, where my 2-year-old watches Bear in the Big Blue House, plays with her toys, and likes to touch the TV screen when her favorite characters are on. The Samsung has the perfect mix of ease of use and features for this application. The way I figure it, I don?t need to have a stroke from seeing the kids smearing peanut butter and jelly all over my $2500 Sony Wega.
Broadcast TV reception is excellent. Electronic tuner technology has really improved in the past few years, and the Samsung is no exception. It pulls in five or six crystal clear channels on a very simple antenna setup, which only got two or three clearly on my beloved old Proton Professional Studio Monitor with Component TV Receiver, the state-of-the-art in 1984.
Historically, every TV manufacturer uses awful default video settings, much too bright in most cases for a well-balanced picture. I calibrated the Samsung?s video controls using a terrific consumer product called Video Essentials (around $35), but you can get by with a standard SMPTE color bar test and a blue celluloid filter, as long as the test pattern includes a Pluge test for setting contrast and brightness. You can often find these at the end of VHS feature films or on broadcast TV, when a station has shut down for the night.
Picture quality is surprisingly good. One of the built-in video modes, labelled ?Mild?, was very close to being properly calibrated, a real shock on a mass-production TV like this one. If you don?t want to calibrate the set, you can still get rich, vibrant colors and real blacks right out of the box, by selecting ?Mild? video settings.
Distortion is about what you would expect from a set of this size with an old-fashioned ?curved? screen. Plus, the screen is polished. This means you cannot have an ambient light source in front of the screen, or you will suffer from mirrorlike reflections. About the only problem the Samsung exhibits is a tendency not to be able to hold black at black in the presence of a high APL (very bright) signal. This is a very small nitpick and absolutely in keeping with this class of low cost, big tube TVs. Overall, image quality is clean and reasonably true, especially through the S-Video input.
First, a bit about model numbers and what you are likely to find in the stores right now. The TXJ3276 was replaced by the TXK3276, which is why the J model was on clearance. By the time you read this, the TXL3276 should be available.
Differences are very slight. All models have a composite front panel video input for game consoles, camcorders, and the like. The J model has one (composite/S-Video combo) rear panel video input. The K model, which should be more common in stores by now, has two combo rear panel video inputs, perfect for users with a DVD player and a VCR. The L model has a rear component video input, for those with DVD players which offer this type of connection. Otherwise, the three TVs are virtually identical in terms of appearance and real-world performance.
Samsung began to reinforce my buying decision before I even plugged the set in. I had a question about the universal remote, so I phoned the 800 number given in the manual for customer service. It was a quarter to nine on a Monday evening and, to be honest, I wasn?t expecting an answer. I figured I would at least get a recording giving their hours and time zone so I could calculate when I might call back.
To my amazement, my call was answered promptly, by a friendly, helpful young lady who was able to answer my question. After dealing with many different manufacturer?s call centers, I would put Samsung?s Customer Service up against anyone?s. This may not seem very important to you, but, if you?ve ever written to a CEO in anger over an indifferent, understaffed and ineffective call center, you will be pleasantly surprised by Samsung?s extra efforts.
Connecting the Samsung to my setup was easy. There are no external speaker connectors. Very few sets have them anymore. I added a small, inexpensive stereo amplifier so that I could attach my rear speakers for a richer, fuller stereo effect. Since a set of variable audio outputs are built-in, I just tucked the amp into the entertainment center, beside the set and out of sight. I use the TV?s volume control (front panel or remote) just as you would normally, but the extra separation and quality of a set of small bookshelf speakers really adds to my enjoyment. I can play music CDs through my DVD player, and get full range sound instead of just the tiny built-in speakers. Plus the movie soundtracks really come alive!
Features are solid, not rich, on the Samsung. A well-made, universal remote with large, easy to read buttons, is included, and will control most VCRs and cable boxes too. You get on screen display, audio and video adjustments, and a sleep timer. No PIP, or Dolby Surround. I?ve got fancier setups in other rooms, but this is the den, where my 2-year-old watches Bear in the Big Blue House, plays with her toys, and likes to touch the TV screen when her favorite characters are on. The Samsung has the perfect mix of ease of use and features for this application. The way I figure it, I don?t need to have a stroke from seeing the kids smearing peanut butter and jelly all over my $2500 Sony Wega.
Broadcast TV reception is excellent. Electronic tuner technology has really improved in the past few years, and the Samsung is no exception. It pulls in five or six crystal clear channels on a very simple antenna setup, which only got two or three clearly on my beloved old Proton Professional Studio Monitor with Component TV Receiver, the state-of-the-art in 1984.
Historically, every TV manufacturer uses awful default video settings, much too bright in most cases for a well-balanced picture. I calibrated the Samsung?s video controls using a terrific consumer product called Video Essentials (around $35), but you can get by with a standard SMPTE color bar test and a blue celluloid filter, as long as the test pattern includes a Pluge test for setting contrast and brightness. You can often find these at the end of VHS feature films or on broadcast TV, when a station has shut down for the night.
Picture quality is surprisingly good. One of the built-in video modes, labelled ?Mild?, was very close to being properly calibrated, a real shock on a mass-production TV like this one. If you don?t want to calibrate the set, you can still get rich, vibrant colors and real blacks right out of the box, by selecting ?Mild? video settings.
Distortion is about what you would expect from a set of this size with an old-fashioned ?curved? screen. Plus, the screen is polished. This means you cannot have an ambient light source in front of the screen, or you will suffer from mirrorlike reflections. About the only problem the Samsung exhibits is a tendency not to be able to hold black at black in the presence of a high APL (very bright) signal. This is a very small nitpick and absolutely in keeping with this class of low cost, big tube TVs. Overall, image quality is clean and reasonably true, especially through the S-Video input.
