There is a new top dog as far as LCD sales are concerned and that happens to be Samsung Electronics. Samsung has passed Vizio which took the limelight earlier this year based on their market shares. It seems that Samsung’s LED backlighting technology was the main reason for the boost, accounting for 16.8% of total U.S. sales. Vizio garnered only 15.7% not bad considering they are both well off from other companies such as LG, Toshiba and Sony. But these are only number based up to the third quarter of the year. With the Holidays coming up, expect some dramatic changes in LCD TV purchases but from the looks of it, these two, Samsung and Vizio are the only ones who will be competing on who will be the king of LCD TV sales for 2009.

(Source) Crunchgear

I don’t say the above lightly, folks.  If you’ve been reading my review pieces here for any length of time you know from experience that I usually only have one problem with Samsung, and that’s its preposterous control scheme by which you press touch-sensitive sections of the television’s front panel that aren’t labeled very clearly at all–so not clearly, in fact, that for a while I was convinced they didn’t exist at all.  But the Samsung LN40B630 has a whole lot more problem than most any other Samsung I’ve encountered.

The Samsung LN40B630 is a forty inch 1080p LCD television with picture in picture, game mode, and a variety of inputs including four HDMI inputs, two component inputs, one composite input, one PC input, two USB ports, one Ethernet port, and one optical digital audio output.

And it sounds great, until you discover like I did that the picture is intolerably fuzzy for something that purports to be 1080p, the sound quality is merely fair and once again the controls are horrendous.  There’s actually very little good about this model, and frankly, I’m amazed.  Did I just get the dog in the bunch?  Or is this model really as bad as it seems?

But regardless, that’s the experience I had with the Samsung LN40B630, and on the strength of that, I can’t recommend this one.

Oh yes, we all know the fervor of the day you decide to get started building a home theater setup.  Especially if you want to build a really sweet one.  You crave nothing so much as to get started, because deep in the back of your mind, all you can think is: “Sooner started, sooner done”.

But for Steve Caesare, that temptation was one he fought down, because his home theater projected lasted an awe-inspiring three years.  And that’s why we call it the three year home theater.

What went into this, besides a lot of time and, naturally, cash?  Good question–let’s get you an answer.  This home theater setup includes a  Da-Lite one hundred thirty three inch screen, a Pioneer receiver, JBL speakers, Samsung Blu-ray player, and a Sony projector.

Between three years of careful handcrafting, research, and consideration of the perfect product for every available slot, well, it’s clear enough that this is one sweet home theater setup.

I say possibly, of course, because it isn’t like this is the first time Netflix managed to link up with a device provider to make their streaming video a bit easier to deal with.  Samsung, a host of Blu-ray players, lots more.  So now Sony’s Bravia television becomes one more brick in Netflix’s wall of streaming video.

All you’ll need is an internet capable Bravia, and the latest software upgrades, and you’ll be able to stream from Netflix’s pretty well massive library of at last count over a thousand titles.

This is, of course, awesome.  But as far as I can see it’s like polishing the brass on the Titanic.  There’s still a huge portion of the populace that can’t use this service, or can only use it in vastly reduced quantities because they plain old don’t have the bandwidth.  It’s great that the number of devices that can access this service increases almost with every passing week, but until that basic hurdle is overcome, there’s just no way it’ll get as far as it can.

Samsung has unveiled another display solution with the release of the Samsung SyncMaster P2770HD in Korea. The P2770HD is a PC monitor that comes with a built-in TV tuner and HDMI inputs. It boasts of a full 1080p resolution and a dynamic contrast ratio of 50,000:1. It even comes with a pair of 3-watt stereo speakers and a 5.1 simulated surround sound. Expected to be available internationally as well, the Samsung SyncMaster P2770HD retails for $473 in Korea for now.

(Source) Slippery Brick

A new projector is available in the UK. Samsung has released the A600B today and if you are looking for a new toy in your life you should definitely inspect it. The projector features 1,000 ANSI lumens, HD resolution, a 3,000:1 contrast ratio and a lamp capable of offering you 4,000 hours of life in eco mode. The projector measures only 13.5 x 6.4 x 13.7 inches and weighs just 10.3 pounds. The price for the device hasn’t been announced yet but the A600B sells for $1,795 in the USA.

via JP-UK

Most of the time, whenever I review a Samsung, I wind up sighing and shaking my head because I have a pretty good idea going in how the end review will end up.  I know I’ll probably be happy about the clear picture and the great sound, but hate the controls.  And today’s review target, the Samsung LN37B530, will prove to be no exception.

The Samsung LN37B530 is a thirty seven inch 1080p LCD television with two ten watt speakers, three HDMI inputs, one Anynet+ (HDMI-CEC) input, and one PC input.

And the worst part is, exactly what I expected came to pass.  The picture and sound on this one really are great.  They compare nicely and favorably to the similar LN37B550. And yes, I still hate that ridiculous subcutaneous control scheme on most every Samsung that comes down the pike.  It annoys me to no end.

But, especially considering that the Samsung LN37B530 is available for just over six hundred bucks on Amazon (always, depending on where you shop), it’s a flaw that’s easily overlooked in favor of a great value.

Now HERE is an awesome idea, folks–Tom Hetzel, who lives in a townhouse in Cleveland, has neighbors surrounding him in pretty close quarters.

So how’d he beat that?  What he did was he built a room…in his basement.  The “room within a room” concept provides a little extra dead air insulation so that he can have his sweet home theater setup and not bother the neighbors.  He even showed the neighbors the construction process and how the various additions would be largely unnoticeable.

How sweet is this setup, you ask?  Sweet like candy, I’ll tell you that much.  He’s got Acoustic Research speakers, a ninety two inch Draper screen, a Pioneer receiver, a Samsung DVD player and a Sanyo projector.  The Acoustic Research 910s he’s got, for example have two twelve inch woofers, and one liquid cooled titanium tweeter.  They weigh a whopping one hundred forty seven pounds each.

Considering that the neighbors actually approve of this monster setup, you know it’s got to be pretty sweet to pump out that kind of force yet not wake the neighbors…or even the kids.

Normally, when I talk about Samsung hardware, I usually have a problem with something.  Well, I always have a problem with the controls, but I mean besides that.  This time around I have a problem with something other than the controls, and it’s actually pretty disturbing. Read on.

The Samsung LN40B530 is a forty inch 1080p LCD television with two ten watt speakers, SRS TruSurround, and three HDMI inputs), one Anynet+ input, and one PC input.

First, I actually don’t have a problem at all with the controls.  They’re side-mounted rocker controls, not those strange subcutaneous ones mounted on the front.  The sound is at least fair, which I generally don’t expect out of Samsung.  Generally, their sound is high quality.  But the biggest problem with this one is that the picture was oddly washed out, which is definitely not something I expect in a Samsung, and especially not in a Samsung 1080p.

And considering that this washed out wreck with merely fair sound costs nine hundred bucks, I can’t even look like recommending it.

ADVANCE WARNING: THESE ARE SOME REALLY GOOD DEALS. IF YOU HAVE A HEART CONDITION OR SIMILAR CHRONIC ILLNESS I RECOMMEND YOU READ SOMETHING ELSE RIGHT NOW.

Maybe I’m going too far, but I dug up Sears’ Black Friday deals.  They’re clearly out to NOT get outclassed by Office Max, and best believe there will be PLENTY of joy for all my home theater heads.  So assuming you’re still reading this far, check out this incredible slice of awesome.

How about a forty-two inch Zenith plasma TV for just under five hundred bucks?

Not good enough?  Okay, how about a Sony Bravia 5.1 Channel 1000 Watt integrated home theater system (a home theater in a box kind of thing) for just under three hundred thirty?

STILL not good enough?  Oh, you’re killing me, but lucky for you I got plenty more–try this one on, true bargain shopper: your choice of a Samsung or Sony Blu-ray player for just a hundred and fifty bucks.

Yeah, I figured that’d get you.  So if you were thinking about sleeping off the turkey coma on Black Friday, you may want to think again, because these are some incredibly SWEET deals.

Samsung Electronics unveils another concept television set with this 30” AMOLED 3D TV with Full HD in Japan. Measuring just 2.5 mm thick, this TV set boasts of shutter-glasses technology which can help reduce the dizziness for some people who are still not used to 3D displays. No price has been bared for now but if you consider the features TV set, expect it to be costly!

(Source) Engadget

You’ve got to love anyone who means to tackle the project of building a home theater on a budget.  It takes a lot of restraint, not to mention discipline and sheer grit not to go hog wild and blow every nickel you’ve got on a gigantic plasma TV or the finest speakers or anything like that.

And for Stephen Hopkins, restraint was the order of the day.

He put together his sweet home theater setup for under five thousand dollars.  That’s right, an entire home theater setup for the cost of a fairly low end used car.  How did he do it, you ask?  Simple–by careful shopping, haggling, and loads of scratch and dent, refurbished, and B-stock merchandise.

And it’s not like he just threw an old nineteen inch TV in a room with a couch and called it good.  No sir!  He’s got some pretty prime equipment in here.  Sure, he had some stuff on hand already, and that got thrown into the mix, but he also brought in other stuff.  He’s got an Onkyo receiver, a Samsung Blu-ray player, and a hundred-inch projector screen, part of that scratch and dent I mentioned.

So when you look to set up your own home theater setup, spare a thought for Stephen Hopkins, who showed us the way.

Turn your living area into a movie theater with the latest Samsung 40" 400UXn-UD2 LCD video wall display. The advanced cooling technology feature will allow you to enjoy reliable operation of the display 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.

The 400UXN-UD2 display features 11 mm bezels for virtually seamless video walls, 1080p resolution, up to 700 cd/m2 max brightness and is compatibility with MID40 interlocking assembly kit. Plus, the display adds realtime, dynamic content control from a single PC, with up to 125 source PCs and video walls of up to 250 displays.

For perfect image integrity, the 400UXN-UD2 video wall display supports 10,000:1 Dynamic Contrast ratio. It is also capable of displaying massive gigapixel images promptly. Plus, the PIP (Picture In Picture) / PBP (Picture By Picture) Multi tasking function will let you enjoy an image from two different source straight away.

Via: Samsung

Sometimes there’s one great thing about a home theater setup that makes you sit up and take notice.  And in the case of David Barron’s home theater setup, that certain something special is his very own brand of homemade speakers.

When David Barron started to set up his home theater, he got the opportunity of a lifetime from a mostly finished basement in the house he’d moved into.  So he started to set up the home theater of his dreams, splitting off space for a playroom, a bathroom, and the home theater.

After setting up that basic array, he then proceeded to add a slew of equipment, including a JVC projector, a Samsung Blu-ray player, an Audio Authority component box, and not only his own speakers, but also a projector screen he designed himself.

With that kind of homemade joy involved in the building of his setup, well, there’s no doubt at all that David Barron’s got a sweet home theater setup.

Samsung is a strange line of television–seems like for every problem I have, I find something interesting to counter it.  And this model is no different in its study of contrasts.  Today we’re talking about the Samsung LN4B5750, a television that shows that you generally can’t have everything.

The Samsung LN4B5750 is a forty six inch 1080P LCD television that comes with four HDMI ports, two component jacks, one PC input slot, and two composite video inputs; two ten watt bottom speakers and SRS TruSurround HD for that little extra burst of surround sound joy.

And the sound is, doubtlessly, the very best feature on this television.  It’s very clear and very precise.  But there’s a strange anomaly, at least with the one I saw, that left me unable to get a lot of enjoyment out of this television.  The picture is oddly compressed.  I’m not sure what the deal was or why I was watching a flattened, vaguely squashed picture, but man, it did NOT bode well.

Maybe with some tweaks the problem can be taken care of, but until those tweaks are made, if you do get the Samsung LN4B5750, I’d keep the receipt handy.

This represents a great surprise for me, as well as an opportunity to actually say something nice, without qualification or reservation, about a Samsung set.  Believe me, I’m stunned too.

Today we’re talking about the best Samsung television I’ve found to talk about yet, the Samsung LN52B530.  The Samsung LN52B530 is a fifty two inch 1080p LCD television, with different visual modes including a game mode to cut down on blurring while playing games, a built in digital tuner, and a whole series of ports, including three HDMI inputs, a PC input, and something called an Anynet+ input, which frankly I have never seen before.

This is the part where, normally, I would complain about Samsung’s ridiculous subcutaneous control model, but not today.  See, they’ve FINALLY figured out that you can put controls for a TV on the SIDE of the TV, and make them into visible rocker switches.  Yes, the hard to find front panel controls are gone on this model, replaced with fairly standard rocker switches.  The picture and sound are also excellent, so there’s really not much bad to say about this television that I can find.

Well, maybe the price–eighteen hundred bucks retail IS pretty huge in terms of price–but considering the quality of this setup, it’s actually pretty fair.

Samsung Electronics has announced that it will be rolling out their LD-Series notebook monitors which will act as secondary displays for notebooks. These new Samsung monitors are the Samsung LD220 (22”) and the Samsung LD190N (19”). The Samsung LD220G will rely on USB connectivity in delivering 1080p resolutions while the Samsung LD190N comes with a 1366×768 resolution via VGA connection. Both carry a contrast ratio of 20,000:1 with a 5ms pixel response time. The Samsung LD220G will retail for $250 while the Samsung LD190N will be at $150.

(Source) Ubergizmo

So I got to try out a Samsung UN55B6000 and even I have to admit that I was stunned by this one.  It’s a truly impressive hunk of television.

First, it’s got some plain old awesome specs on it.  it’s a fifty five inch 1080p LED television that includes Infolink feeds off your broadband connection (so in a really, really limited way, this is almost a net capable television, which is by itself a thing of beauty), four HDMI slots, one component slot, two USB ports, one Ethernet jack (for that Infolink setup), one PC input (use it as a monitor OR a netsurfer!) , and one optical digital audio output.

But it’s not just the specs that make this a fantastic system–it also features excellent picture and sound.  There weren’t even any artifacts in the colors or movement from distances as close as a foot, or at least, none that I noticed.  Of course, the normal Samsung control scheme is still in play, which I’m never happy about, but frankly, I’m beginning to even warm to that just a bit.  i still prefer my clear buttons and rocker switches, but I can understand why someone might enjoy the hidden controls.

At any rate, this is an excellent overall setup, but be prepared to pay for the excellence.  This sucker costs a whopping thirty four hundred bucks, depending on where you shop.  But it really is a magnificent set.

Samsung has decided it was time to launch two brand new services for HDTV, HTIB and Blu-ray player owners. Starting today Blockbuster OnDemand and Amazon on Demand will be accessible from various connected devices: LCD and Plasma HDTVs Series 650 and above, LED HDTVs Series 7000, HTIBs and Blu-ray players. You’ll be able to rent or buy a lot of content straight from the Blockbuster or Amazon store. You’ll get to choose from plenty of titles that will be available in SD and HD versions. Unfortunately for you Blockbuster OnDemand will only get you access to SD titles but at least the Amazon VOD Yahoo! widget comes with HD support. So, what do you say? Happy to know you’ll be able to access Amazon’s and BlockBuster’s video offers or would you rather use other services instead?

via Press

Brace yourselves for another large screen LCD from Samsung. Come the IMID Expo in South Korea, reports have it that they will be unveiling a new 55” full HD 3D LCD panel that has a 240Hz refresh rate (thanks to a pair of “shutter” glasses). The interesting part here is the 3D part where as you all know is where most TV manufacturers are gearing too after LCD technology. And if you want to know how much this baby is going to cost, stay tuned for updates. Or better yet, if you are near Seoul, check it out for yourself.

(Source) Ubergizmo