Saturday, May 15, 2010

Samsung LN52B750

Introduction

The B750 series is a mid to high end Samsung LCD that includes some of the newest features from this years models such as 240Hz and Touch of Color (gray) while not going all the way with the LED backlight. Many of the positive traits of last years A850 series are continued here. There is the addition of Internet connection widgets which give limited value. Picture quality is consistently good, color information is more vibrant with the new wide color enhancement technology and contrast ratio - with all inputs and content through what Samsung calls the Ultra Clear Panel. See our review of picture quality, features and value below. The included 240Hz technology will give the viewer an unreal football watching experience (especially from HD of course).

Picture Quality Rating

Test and Optimum Viewing Distance: 12

The Samsung 52B750 was fairly calibration friendly without going into the service menu. Just as with the B650 series, there was a hitch at around 40 ire but the TV performed well at 30 and 50 ire so this should not be an issue when viewing.

Up conversion from 480i and 480p: Deep black levels, vibrant colors, and clear upconversion from low end signals characterize the picture from 480i. One important note to always remember with this TV is to turn the 240Hz feature off when viewing anything but live sports programming. Doing so will save you the unpleasant kitchy cardboard cutout effect that this feature creates by taking the natural motion blur out of film based content. Finding the control to turn the feature off is not easy. See instructions below under the Features section. Up conversion clarity is crisp and defined on the LN52B750. The picture is amazingly well defined without the excessive motion artifacts that can exist with many TVs when up converting from lower signals. There is a lot of range in the TVs ability to display lower end signals. This leads one to the conclusion that the B750 contains very high quality processing chip sets and indeed our HQV processing tests prove this to be the case. Black levels can get a little over saturated at times and there is a blue push with the panel in general which will cause the same effect when viewing programming occasionally. One drawback was continued judder effect (stuttering image) on side to side panning scenes. This is otherwise called motion lag and occurs more prominently but necessarily when turning off the 240Hz.

720p/1080i/1080p Picture Quality: After turning off the 120Hz feature, high definition content appears vibrant, realistic and extremely crisp. Blacks are rich for an LCD and contrast is a strength. One of the highlight features of the LN52B750 is its picture depth perception. Samsung has been unparalled in this area lately. I believe this is due to the companies Ultra Clear Panel technology which does allow for some glare on the screen but the tradeoff with great depth and rich colors is a winner.


Black Level/Contrast/Contrast Ratio: Contrast ratio measures a respectable 998:1. We believe contrast is enhanced by the Ultra Clear Panel that Samsung uses for this LCD. Blacks appear rich and there is no lack of brightness.

Dark Shadow Detail: Blacks can over power dark material at times causing a little deficiency in shadow detail. It certainly is not what we could classify as a problem though.

Color Rendition/Color Accuracy: Colors are bright, rich and vibrant but not oversaturated. The color rendition of this TV is exceptional.

Viewing Angle/Off Axis Viewing: Off angle viewing is very good and the TV continues to display a deep image even at 45 degrees. Contrast and black levels do not degrade substantially at angles.

Motion Lag: There is prominent motion lag and judder effect especially after turning off the 240Hz Auto Motion Plus feature. Nevertheless, it's better to have the jerky motion panning effect than the strange background information appearing with the 240Hz feature turned on. Thus, turn the feature off for all but sports programming.

False Contouring / Mapping: There was some false contouring and mapping present in a few scenes from Friday Night Lights. This did not appear to be a frequent problem and it did not occur during HQV testing.

Features: As mentioned above, turning off the 240Hz Auto Motion Plus feature for all but sports programming is essential. To do so follow these instructions:

Press the Menu button
Select the Picture Setting option
Scroll down to Picture Options and select
Scroll down to Auto Motion Plus and select
Press the right arrow key and scroll select the off option
Next up the B750 LCD series has an Internet widget feature with Yahoo!, Flicker, You Tube, and others. It's one of those features that you will scroll through and glance at once and never use again. The options are currently unappealing, but it's nice to have the LAN connection for possible future proofing if Samsung can upgrade the firmware. The B750 series is DLNA compliant which allows various devices in the DLNA network to communicate with one another.

Video Aspect Ratio Sizing: Aspect ratio processing and sizing was spot on non-distorted from a variety of input sources. Selection is 16:9, 4:3, Zoom 1, 2, 3.

Inputs: 4 HDMI, USB, LAN, Component

Aesthetic Considerations: The LN-52B750 has a rectangular design with sharp lines, and the Samsung signature Touch of Color in subtle gray at the bottom of the panel. It's a more utilitarian design than many of the more sleek sexy models from this year. The heavy, sturdy included table top stand has a clear neck and swivels side to side.

Remote Control/Menu Funtionality: The menu system on the on the LN52B750 has an excellent little tutorial which helps the user understand what each function does. It's a slick looking- transparent menu controlled by a new and better tilt wheel control. Another nit picky negative here is the gloss black remote which shows fingerprints too readily. The source button controls input selection. The p. size button controls aspect ratio.

Audio Output: Audio output was excellent from our Dolby Digital Test disc. Volume level was plentiful and sound rich and full at just 35% of capacity. Virtual Surround sound effects also impressed us from the 10W X 10W speakers.

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