Beautiful TV! From the picture to the bezel, just perfect.,

I’ve had this TV since very early March. I’ve watched HD, SD and Blu-Ray and can not find a flaw. The 650 handles motion extremely well to where blurring and other artifacts are vitually non-existant. The AMP is a very cool feature that brings a realism to film making it seem more life-like, or as if it were originally shot on HD Video. Some have said this gives off a “soap opera” effect. I can see that description, but to me it makes film based DVD’s and movies look more like your watching a real-life play, viewing it through a window. It’s a very cool effect!

I understand people’s concern’s with the glossy screens found on plasma and some LCD’s. This screen is slightly less reflective than Samsung’s 71 series but can still be a problem for some. It would be nice if there was an easy solution for this but there’s not. Sony and other makers use a matte type of screen that certainly helps or eliminates the problem but introduces other negatives. I find colors and blacks just don’t “pop” on matte screens and tend to wash out more for off-angle viewing. The 650 has a picture with great depth and color from any angle, greatly adding to the immersion effect.

Much talk has been about the TOC bezel. I think Samsung has hit it out of the park with this. I absolutely love the red. I think it adds just a touch of class. It sets this tv apart from all others(though the picture quality already does this) while still being very subtle and retaining the ability to blend in with any decor. Most people who’ve come to my home do not even notice the red until I point it out. I’m a little tired of every set looking the same with either a piano black bezel or flat black. This is a very welcome change.

I like many other suffered the shut-off issue. As has been mentioned it appears Samsung has fixed the issue with a firmware update. I’ve updated the FW and so far so good. It was annoying but not a huge deal to me. Samsung should be commended for how quickly they addressed the issue. I received several calls from upper level officials that were very concerned with my problem. I’ve never had this level of service from any other manufacturer. Well done Samsung! A side effect of the FW update is that the AMP processing received a boost. Before the FW update I usually had AMP on low at all times and would occasionally put it on High. Now, I still use it at the low setting most times but will put it on Medium occasionaly, and find the High setting a bit much for me. I can put it on High without most of the annoying artifacts people have desribed the 71 series has, which is nice, nut the actual effect is bit much for me.

Overall, this is best the LCD on the market. I can’t see Sony or any of the other manufactures making a better TV this year. They may match it perhaps, but certainly won’t surpass it. For those that were on the fence waiting to buy until the shut-off issue was fixed, your wait is over. Buy with complete confidence and enjoy one of the best TV’s out there!

My research concludes this is #1 – Auto-off Problem Resolved,

I’ve been doing the research and visiting the brick and mortar locations and I’ve concluded the Samsung features are the best on the market currently. I’ve been concerned about the auto shut-off problem I’ve been reading. I called Samsung Customer Support and was told it is not an issue but they didn’t mention the firmware update which is indeed posted on their Web site today. Go to the Samsung Web site and look under “SUPPORT/NEWS & ALERTS” – A650 Series LCD TV Auto Off Firmware Update. A small number of Samsung A650 series LCD TVs turn off automatically. The following models are affected:

* LN40A650A1F
* LN46A650A1F
* LN52A650A1F

Samsung has released a firmware update that fixes the problem. If you have one of these models, Samsung recommends that you install this firmware update on your TV, even if you are not experiencing the auto off problem. If you have a USB memory drive, you can download the firmware from our website. For complete instructions on downloading and installing the firmware update, go to [...]. If you do not have a USB memory drive, Samsung can send you a drive containing the firmware. To have a copy of the firmware sent to you, call Samsung Customer Care at 1-800-Samsung (1-800-726-7864). Have your model and serial numbers on hand when you call.

When I purchased this TV from Amazon.com I had already decided on this Samsung 52″ series and was trying to decide between the 650 and the 750. At the time there was a small price difference between the two on Amazon.com. I ended up choosing the 650 because I was placing the TV inside a nook that had limited space.

The 650 has a less bulky frame around the LCD screen and therefore it was only 50.2 inches wide (Amazon has the TV dimensions incorrectly listed as 52″ wide) as compared to the 750 which is 52″ wide. Both screens have the same display area, just a different width.

The other reason I chose the 650 is that it can swivel on the base, whereas the 750 is fixed on its base. Because I have placed the TV in a nook, this swivel feature has come in very handy as I have had to get behind the it several times to plug in cords, etc.

I have read a lot about screen reflection and was bracing myself for a potentially unpleasant experience during daytime viewing, especially since the room the TV is in has windows all the way across two walls and is full of sunlight daily. I’m happy to report that screen reflection is absolutely no problem. The TV I was replacing with the Samsung LCD was an older 32″ Panasonic Panablack analog TV with the glass screen, which had a lot of reflection. As a point of reference, the Samsung has about 20% of the screen reflection of my old TV (judging from when the TV is off). When the TV is on, the Samsung is about 5% of screen reflection from what I used to have with my old TV, which may be due to the incredible brightness of the display.

I’m the type of person who over-analyzes every major purchase in the hopes that I can avoid buyer’s remorse, if possible. I spent a number of months on this decision and I feel like I hit a home run with this purchase. Samsung has exceeded my expectations with this model and I have been very satisfied with the experience of buying a TV from Amazon.com.