Samsung LNT3253H 32-Inch LCD HDTV
- 8000:1 Contrast Ratio
- Wide Color Enhancer
- HDM-CEC, USB 2.0
- Swivel Stand
- SPVA Panel
With its sleek shape and thin, piano-black frame, Samsung’s LN-T3253H enhances your décor even when it’s off. Turn it on, and this 32-inch LCD TV comes to life with brilliant colors and intense blacks, rendered in an 8000:1 dynamic contrast ratio. Moving images flow naturally, thanks to the fast 8ms response time. SRS TruSurround XT(TM) audio, emanating from hidden bottom speakers, fills the room with clear, nuanced, virtual surround 3-D sound. Enjoy the versatility of a wide range of A/V inputs, including 3 HDMI ports, USB 2.0, and PC inputs that allow connectivity to many of your digital devices. And to control it all, the handy HMDI-CEC feature lets you control all your CEC-enabled peripherals using just one remote.Offering an unparalleled sleek design and one of the best 720p LCD panels available, Samsung’s 2007 model LNT3253H 32-inch flat-panel LCD HDTV is an updated successor the super popular 2006 model LNS3251D. Compared to the previous year’s model this one offers an updated
List Price: $ 999.99
Price: $ 999.99
Comments
One comment
Steve R
March 31, 2011
From an LCD-HDTV first-timer…,
I bought this set a week ago, after our 11-year-old, 32-inch, JVC tube TV shorted out. I’d had plenty of experience with LCD computer screens but I’d never really experienced anything but tube TV before. So, although I did plenty of homework before buying the Samsung, it’s been a week of learning a LOT of new stuff. Here’s what this newbie has learned so far, which will probably be helpful mostly for those who have yet to venture into the land of LCD and HDTV.
THE TV ITSELF:
Although the Samsung was my among my top picks after doing the research, when I saw it on the wall at Best Buy, the decision was pretty much made. Although I know the stores crank up the brightness and contrast, I figure if they do it for all the sets they have, then you’re still on a relatively level playing field. And the picture on the Samsung stood out from the others like a diamond in a mound of charcoal. Rich contrast, sharp resolution, bright without being glaring. (We settled on the 32-inch because our family room is tiny and we are not more than five or six feet away from the screen. Standing that close to the larger sets was kind of overwhelming.)
When I got it home I wasn’t disappointed, and found the same qualities in the set I purchased as the store model. It was fairly simple to hook up to my cable box and DVD player, and I was watching TV within half an hour. Everything was pretty intuitive, which is good because I am NOT a read-the-directions kind of guy. And the piano-black casing is stunning, although, as another reviewer mentioned, the stand can be a bit wobbly. Be very careful if you have little ones who like to mount furniture.
There is a variety of settings for picture and sound quality (including an equalizer mode). The sound is adequate but not dazzling. However, for movies and concerts, I usually channel the sound through my DVD player anyway. I was especially happy to find effective settings to adjust screen brightness for ambient room light, because our family room has a huge wall of windows that make the room extremely bright, so much so that on brilliant sunny days, our old tube TV was almost unwatchable. So far, I’ve yet to see any conditions in which I can’t see the LCD screen perfectly.
Overall, the Samsung seems to deliver well on its promises, but what impressed me most (again, keep in mind I’m a newbie here) was the picture on HD channels. It’s simply amazing. I was watching a baseball game in HD the other day and they showed a slow-motion replay of a player sliding into second base. You could see every grain of dirt on the base path. The definition is mind-boggling. However…
THE LCD/HD EXPERIENCE…
Though I was most impressed with the HD picture, I was also disappointed in the non-HD resolution. I guess the most important thing I can impart to other newbies is this… LCD/HD sets are really made for high-definition broadcasting. On those channels (which now make up maybe five percent of my cable company’s offerings) the picture is superb. On all the other channels broadcasting in standard format, however, the image appears in a standard-format square on your new wide screen, and the resolution (which used to be great on the tube TV) is actually pretty poor, depending on what you’re watching. Additionally, keep in mind that the full-screen image on your tube TV will be much smaller on a wide-screen TV of the same size. Both the Samsung and my cable box have options for changing the picture size, so that you can expand the square image to fit the wide-screen format. But this only distorts the image and can make it even blurrier while cutting off a significant portion of the picture. Also, there’s not a lot of standardization in the way different stations format their picture: most are just in 4:3; some are in “wide screen/letter box” but it doesn’t fill the whole TV screen, it just appears as a rectangle picture surrounded by a larger black rectangle; and some that are in full-wide-screen mode still leave a black strip at the top and bottom of the screen. I’m considering getting the cable company’s “HD Tier” package just so I’ll have more HD channels to watch, even though the programming isn’t all that spectacular.
So, if you’re considering this Samsung as your first foray into the world of HD, I think you’ll be impressed. But be prepared to sacrifice size and quality on your non-HD channels (and there are MANY), and don’t think that when you bring the set home, suddenly those “I Love Lucy” reruns on TVLand will be in stunning wide-screen high-definition clarity. It doesn’t work that way. In fact, it works the OTHER way. The HD capabilities just bring out the flaws in broadcasts that were never meant for HD.
Hope this helps.
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