Samsung UN55B8000 55" HDTV LED TV

First, let me say that the picture on this television is, simply put: AMAZING.  Blu-Ray and other 1080p content is a pleasure to watch--just as an example: my family watched Tinkerbell and Avatar on Blu Ray the week we got the television and spent most of the time marvelling at the quality of the picture. We were moving up from an old 1080i 4:9 television and were stunned by the quality of the picture.

The advancement Samsung has made that is most notable is the array of LED lights behind the screen that can be independently controlled (this is different from the edge lined LED LCDs most common out there now). This means the LEDs can be turn off completely to give a true deep black when needed. That makes for a great picture when combined with the rest of the more standard LCD features like 240hz processing and anti judder control.

There is one problem with this feature though, and this is really a nit: on a very dark scene--say a popular, handsome vampire standing in the dark--with a zoom in on the white face, the screen dims all LED lights except those around the edges, but NOT perfectly tied to the edges. This creates a glow that extends a few inches around the lighter color and in this case gives Edward an angelic glow.  That two inches or so is no different than the 'light gray as black' on most other televisions and probably because the TV can't anticipate movement so it reserves extra lighting to handle changes in the scene.  Again, this is small and the depth of black and color in every other situation makes this not worth worrying about.

This LCD is also fully equipped to work with your sound system and DVD players. I have it connected to a Sony surround system and Sony Blu Ray player and i was pleasantly surprise to learn that the AnyNet feature works with Sony BraviaSync capabilities: this means to turn the whole system on, i can walk up to the Blu Ray player, insert a disk and the Surround Sound and TV automatically turn on on and adjust themselves for optimal viewing.  Hitting the power button on the TV turns all components off.

A few other features to mention:
1) The base is heavy, probably cast iron covered in a metal shell and padded on the bottom. This TV won't fall over.
2) Mounting is a breeze and the cable organizer on the back really makes hiding the wires easy.
3) the screen looks fantastic even when it's off--solid black glass all the way around is very sharp
4) It's easy to clean with a microfiber cloth included
5) more than enough HDMI and other inputs to handle even the most complex component system

I will also add that we compared this to some of the new 3D LCDs coming out on the market today--Sony, Samsung and others all seem to be pushing home 3D. Frankly, the picture on this LCD is much better than any 3D tv and I couldn't justify forking out an extra $1000 for extra 3D glasses so kids, guests etc could watch.