As I am an HD TV "geek" I decided to do a bit of research into what TV is the most popular in the U.S. I am without doubt a big Samsung fan, particularly in their LED TV range, but I to admit to being surprised when I foun d out that the Samsung LN40C630 LCD HD TV is the bestselling HD TV set in America.
I really, honestly thought a Plasma or LED would claim that coveted position, but I was wrong (what do I know?) A mid range samsung LCD that was the bestseller.
So, entused with this stunning piece of information, and as I was in Vancouver at the time, I made tracks for the local Future Shop to find what all the fuss is about. Deciding to venture out early on a Monday morning when the sales staff have nothing to do and I figured they would be really attentive, especially if I bribed them with an early morning Starbucks. My cunning plan worked perfectly and Pete was the perfect salesman!
I knew the Samsung C Series LCD's had only just arrived on the market but was still surprised when Pete told me how much cheaper they are compared to pevious releases. I guess as consumer items become more common place, economies apply and the price starts to drop. That is simple economics so I reckon the manufacture of LCD TVs has found that point and as the price is now so attractive it's become an easy decision for people to buy.
So, I can certainly understand that, but I still think any HD TV needs to have that "wow" factor that makes buyer want to (want being the operative word) part with their hard earned greenies. This being even more relevant in the current economic downturn.
Right, back to the plot! Once I got chatting with Pete I did come clean that I wasn't looking to buy, but he seemed happy enough with that given the Grande Vanilla Latte he was now clutching. In fact Pete turned out to be a bit of a star! And so, we sat down to take a long hard look at the Samsung LN40C630 LCD TV.
The first thing we talked about was the old LCD "chestnut" of "high motion blur". I know this was a big problem on most early LCD sets and it was because of this, and my love of sport, that I went Plasma with my first HD set (although as it happens screenburn has now become a slight issue on that old first HD set - it was an LG).
Whilst the price ofthe nw 600 series has fallen appreciably, it is still a little more expensive than the 500 series, that is because Samsung have made the 630 series with a 120 Hz scren refresh rate. And with full 1080p HD capability, add at 1080p source and you get a motion blur fee crystal clear picture that took my by surprise (as I have been viewing a lot of LED TVs recently). Pete kindly put on a "morning after" replay of a Canucks game in full, glorious 1080p HD.
Ice Hockey is without doubt the fastest sport and the picture was outstanding. The action was clear and concise with the colors displayed bright and vibrant.
My new friend explained that the 120Hz refresh rate offers twice as many frames as the early LCD sets and that's how it has overcome that early adopter problem of screen blur.
I guess with sport being the number one TV pastime of many Americans the overcoming of that problem at that lower price means we have not only gone through the price objection barrier, but also that "technical" objection has now also been overcome which can only be why the Samsung LN40C630 is now proving so masively popular.
As I love all sports and this was a major issue for me. Maybe I had become biased against LCD Tv in general, but I have to admit that what I saw from the LN40C630 LCD TV really changed my view on LCDs.
Next we rigged up a Blu Ray DVD player to check out HD DVD performance. Again the Samsung LN40C630 put on a great show!
Stunningly, bright, solid colors with deep rich blacks gave amazing contrasts delivered a picture that made it look like I was looking through an fresh, clean pane of glass. Pete told me this was due to the new higher contrast ratio on new LCD models. He explained that the Samsung LN40C630 LCD TV has an 80,000:1 ratio. Early LCDs were only 10,000:1. Most HD TVs are around 70,000 - 100,000 ratio apparently, and this is what gives the latest sets such highly detailed and crystal clear pictures, no matter how frantic the action gets.
The bottom line is that you can get a better picture and performance with a LED, but new advances in LCD make that difference more marginal given the higher costs of a LED. But I think the reason the Samsung LN40C630 LCD TV is now so popular is that quite simply it offers an outstanding viewing exprience at a VERY reasonable price. It's also been made futue proof with Pete thinking it would be good for around 5-7 years.
The Samsung LN40C630 also comes with a solid enough jack pack (4 HDMI, 2 USB, PC Input), low energy consumption and Samsungs latest picture technology (wide color enhancer pro). This is designed to give better color luminance across the spectrum resulting in more brilliant colors. I might have borrowed that bit from the brochure!
The only downside I found with this set is the sound which is only powered by 2 x 10 watt speakers. And whislt the sales blurb says "offers multi channel sound", well not really in my opinion. However, I think anyone going for this set will have a surround sound system in mind anyay so it's not really an issue as far as I can see.You might as well go for the full package.
Overall this is an excellent HD TV set. If you haven't yet upgraded, this is the middle ground, safe option for your first move into HD. Solid technology offering outstanding picture quality, for any sort of viewing, at an attractive price.
Having seen a demo (thanks Pete) I now understand how the Samsung LN40C630 has become Americas most popular HD TV!
For more info on the Samsung LN40C630 LCD HD TV and great prices too - Click HERE
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