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Samsung HL-S5087W 50-Inch 1080p DLP HDTV
By: Samsung Average Rating: 4.5 Total Reviews: 141
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 On: 2008-06-05
Have owned this product for over a year and not one single thing has gone wrong with it.
On: 2008-01-01
We got this TV about a year ago and it really is holding up pretty good. The picture quality is good for the room that we have put it in. There is no direct window light sources, so the picture is unobstructed by light and in my research, that is the most important thing to consider if you buy this TV or kinds like it (rear-projection). I just didnt like what I was hearing about plasmas (with burnt out pixels that are not covered under warranty), and LCDs (that burn an image into it if you leave a video game paused too long on it, which I have a tendancy to do sometime). It seemed sooo big when we first got it, but now after a year, it just seems soo small :D Overall, its a great product :D
 On: 2007-11-17
I WAS really impressed with this TV, loving it like crazy, great clarity in HD mode. Unfortunately, 14 months into its life, the light engine started going bad. Wound up with a 2 inch black stripe on the right side of the TV. Service man said lots of light engine problems with these, not worth it to repair. Thank God I bought a 4 yr service contract!!!
On: 2007-11-16
I WAS really impressed with this TV, loving it like crazy, great clarity in HD mode. Unfortunately, 14 months into its life, the light engine started going bad. Wound up with a 2 inch black stripe on the right side of the TV. Service man said lots of light engine problems with these, not worth it to repair. Thank God I bought a 4 yr service contract!!!
On: 2007-10-02
My husband has been looking at DLP TVs for over 5 years and no matter what new technology has come out, or how they have fixed up the plasmas and LCDs he has in the end still decided that DLP is what he wants. The picture is just plain better on a DLP than on a plasma and the picture is at least as good as on the LCDs for a significantly lower price. We have owned this TV for almost a year now and have absolutely no regrets. We picked the Samsung brand because every time we ever went looking at DLPs we always felt that the Samsung picture was the best of any other DLP brand. I do want to add that when we got the TV there was 1 pixel that stayed white. I called Samsungs warranty dept that day (Christmas morning) and they had a local repairman out to our house within a week. He confirmed the problem and ordered the replacement part - was back the day after they got the part, installed it and we have not had another problem. The thing that most impressed me about this warranty service, though, was that Samsung actually called me up about a week after the repair was done to check to make sure that the repair was done to our satisfaction and that the company they had sent to help us was courteous, helpful and professional. Wow! In this day when it seems that business motto is now, "the customer is NEVER right" I was extremely impressed with Samsungs customer care! Thank you Samsung - we are now loyal customers!
 On: 2007-09-16
Ive had this TV for a little over a year now. I purchased it to upgrade from an earlier Samsung DLP in order to get the full 1080p experience for games and movies on my Sony Playstation 3. Overall, I have found the picture quality to be phenomenal. I have tweaked the display settings (but not the service menu settings as some have) to get the right picture for my different sources and room lighting conditions and I couldnt be happier with the results.
Several months ago however, there was a faint line in the corner of the screen as though something were obstructing the light path from the lamp. Irritated, I ignored it hoping it would just go away. And actually, it DID go away after a week or so! However, now I am worried that something plastic melted, drooped into the light path, and finally sank below the light path. What will the long term reliability look like? I am not certain...
Also, just recently the set has begun turning itself off randomly. About 2-3 times per week with heavy usage. More heat problems?
In my opinion, the new trend towards higher and higher definition displays has resulted in lower and lower manufacturing quality. DLPs do not offer the rock solid reliability of traditional CRT sets, which have had decades to mature as a consumer product. These sets are hot, they are plastic, and they consist of brand-new proprietary chip designs and software on all-digital components manufactured by the lowest-bidder. Your mileage may vary, but caveat emptor.
 On: 2007-06-25
I (like many others who post) did TONS and TONS of research before shelling out the big bucks to jump into the HDTV pool. 2 years to be exact. Last fall, this 50 inch DLP from Samsung sounded like the way to go. Good reviews, affordable, new color wheel, 1080p (future proof), no risk of burn in, etc.
Went ahead and bought it in May. I was disappointed. SDTV simply looks god awful on this thing. Sharpness, color, you name it, it looks way out of whack. Grainy, dull, ugly. And lets face it, theres still a lot of SDTV to be watched out there. Also, rainbowing not totally fixed like product description claimed. Worst of all, quality control issues at Samsung. My set (bought at a brick and mortar) had these watermark like stains running along the top and bottom of the screen. Read a lot about this on other sites, as well as faulty light engines burning out after just several months.
Ended up returning and going w/ the new 50 inch plasma from Panasonic. That set rocks! SDTV looks far better, not so boxy of a set, only a little higher price tag. The trade off is 1080p. The Panny doesnt have it. But before all you out there start thinking of 1080p as the second coming, I suggest you do a little research into noticeable difference in 1080p, screen size and viewing distance. Unless youre an avid gamer (Im not) or like to sit 5 feet from your 50 inch screen, it might not be so special after all.
As far at the Samsung again, HDTV looked very good, but not as good as the plasma. Plasma is just the way to go for HDTV as far as Im concerned.
On: 2007-06-09
Purchased the Samsung HL-S5087W 50" 1080p DLP HDTV direct from Amazon November, 2006. Excellent delivery service and setup. The unit has exceptional picture and color quality. Amazon reduced the price a week after my purchase and refunded the difference to my credit card account. Amazon and Samsung are class acts and I highly recommend a Samsung purchase from Amazon.com
On: 2007-06-05
when i recieved this item, i thought great, its time to enjoy tv again.. boy was i wrong..since this tv has two screens glued together it came from the factory showing on the screen erasor like marks in the middle of these screens...customer support sucks and since it has come from their factory they wont repair there own workmanship.......like i have said there customer support sucks,since i have paid regular price for this unit and not the refurbished price, i am really disgusted with samsungs so called customer service center...this came to me right out of the box
On: 2007-06-03
Ive had the Samsung for 8 months and I still love it. Weve used it for DVDs, XBox 360, Cable (HD) and displaying information from my PC with wonderful results. Im very satisfied with this HDTV!
 On: 2007-06-02
Ive had the Smamsung s5087w for about 6 weeks and my wife and I love the tv. Great picture and I couldnt be more pleased with our choice.
We were afraid the viewing angle would annoy us, but it has not been an issue at all.
It did take a little while for us to get everything configured to work properly with Dish Network, but nothing out of the ordinary and it was mainly configuration on the Dish side, but be prepared to spend an hour or two playing w/the settings.
On: 2007-05-21
I own the TV for half a year now. It is great. The picture is very clear with HD Channel.
On: 2007-05-05
Very happy with this TV. If I would have gotten an LCD TV, it would have been @ $900.00 more, and only 46 inches. Viewing angles are no problem, just make sure your living room can handle it. ( It has a BIG footprint.)Picture quality is great on Digital channels, just so-so on analog channels. High Def sports will floor you!
On: 2007-04-26
This TV was delivered in November 2006. We had been very happy with it--great picture--until last week. After less than 5 months of ownership, the lamp went. According to Samsung, the bulb should last 6,000 to 8,000 hours. The only comment from customer support was that the lamp was a 3rd party part. Although the customer service rep was helpful, the service was completed within a week, and the warranty did cover the entire cost of the repair; I am very disappointed that the lamp had to be replaced so quickly. I am hoping that this will not be a reoccurring problem or that it is a sign of a greater problem.
On: 2007-04-24
I purchased this tv in november from Amazon because of the + reviews/price.I have the best satellite equipment/hd programming and those channels w/this tv are stunning.However,when its not hd then this tv always looks like it needs to be fine tuned.I have purchased 11,yes eleven HD tvs from tube to rear proj. to lcd and this is the worst overall picture.Not everything is in HD and regular digital channels are terrible.Shame on Texas Instr./Samsung for inferior technology. I still have the box so if someone wants to pay shipping then make me an offer.Ill stick to lcd!
On: 2007-04-13
TV got here yesterday. Unbelievable picture (esp. with Dish HD), everything else seems to work fine. Barely perceptable "lines" (look like small water stains UNDER the screen) across top and bottom of screen (while turned on only) approx 3 inches from top and bottom of screen edges. Called Samsung. They said they would have someone out next week. Well see. Will go to 5 stars if all works out.
On: 2007-04-04
I bought this television in December. The problems occurred in March. I made a request to have a repairman come and he basically replaced everything in the unit. The problem was the light engine. Now that the parts in my tv are brand new, I thought my problems were well behind me, but I was wrong. After it was fixed 2 days ago, more problems occurred. When i try to change the contrast, brightness, etc., the settings would reset once I turned off the tv. Also, sometimes the tv wont turn on, it would just make this weird buzzing noise. The picture is now worse than before.
For all the new owners, please advise that you will be dissapointed once it turns into a dog like mine did. The tv may work great out of the box and you may be tempted to write a "5 star" review on here shortly after viewing the tv, but wait until 2 months approaches and I guarantee you will have Nothing But Problems. Write a review after 2 months and you will see what I mean.
On: 2007-04-01
I bought my first Samsung HLS 5087W on March 6, 2007 from one of the well know "big box" Stores. I chose this model because its picture was far superior to any of the other models in its price range. I took a chance, however, and bought returned "open box" TV, saving a few hundred bucks in the process. The salesman assured me that the set had been gone over thoroughly before it was put back on sale.
When the Television was delivered the picture was stunning, and I was very pleased with my purchase. After a few days, however, the picture arbitrarily began switching from 4:3 to 16:9 aspect ratio. This would happen every half hour to 45 minutes. Not a big deal but annoying to say the least. Instead of returning the set under the stores 30 day return policy, I had them send a service technician out to see what could be done. He scratched his head and said hed have to do a little research, and would get back to me in a day or so. About a week later, with no further contact with the technician, the set developed a new problem - it would cut off every once in a while. At that point, I had had enough of this dog and sent it back to the store. However, I wasnt ready to give up on Samsung and their bright and beautiful DLP picture. I paid the extra bucks and had a brand new, right out of the sealed box HLS 5087W delivered.
The new TV had been in my house for less than two hours when it lost sound. I checked all connections and determined that it was a problem in the TV. An hour or so later I turned the set back on and everything was fine. I watched it for about an hour thinking all was well when the sound failed again. I returned to the store that night and told them my sad tale. The salesperson told me that they had, indeed, had several of these Samsung models returned for various problems. He said they seemed to be having major quality control problems. I told him to come get the TV.
I took a chance the first time on an open box model and got burned. I chalked it up to the old adage that "you get what you pay for." The second time around I took no chances and paid full price for a brand new version of the TV, but still no luck. Not being a complete fool, my third was not a Samsung. Its a shame that a TV with such a beautiful picture has to be done in by poor quality control.
On: 2007-03-31
Purchased my Samsung HL-S5087W 50" DLP HDTV in Dec 2006 from Amazon.com with a 4 year extended warranty. Took the free shipping offer that was available at the time. The TV was delivered in about 10 days in good condition and the delivery men opened the box and allowed me to inspect the TV (especially the screen) for any external damage. Later that evening, my husband and son were able to the setup the TV without any problems. TV picture is beautiful, TV worked fine. Would be 5 stars at this point, but ...
March 2007, the TV goes out and indicates that the lamp needs replacing. I called Samsung on a Friday. They were friendly and informed me that Ill be covered by the warranty and they transferred my call to someone local in Houston to do the repair. Even though the blinking lights indicated the lamp needed to be replaced, the repair person said they would order a new lamp and a new light/dlp engine just in case its not just the lamp. BTW, I had read somewhere that the lamp should last on average 3.5 years.
The repairman came the following Friday and ended up replacing both the lamp and the dlp engine. He said we practically had a new TV. Also my 4 year old nephew had scratched the screen with his plastic light saber. It scratches very easily, and I asked the repairman how much would it cost to repair it (not covered under warranty). He said the screen would have to be replaced so the total repair cost would be around $400. I opted not to replace the screen yet.
In conclusion:
TV was well priced
TV was relatively easy to setup
TV picture is great and TV functions well
TV broke after only 3 months
Samsung gave me no hassles - TV was still under 1 year warranty
Repair was done in a week
Highly recommend purchasing an extended warranty
Recommend keeping a spare TV around cause repairs are not quick
TV screen scratches very easily
On: 2007-03-30
Consumers should be aware of serious design flaws which exist in Samsung DLP televisions. Cooling fans and color wheels are highly susceptible to failing. (As a non-techniocal person I should have no idea what these parts are, but alas, I bought a Samsung DLP) Expect these to fail within 1-2 years. Expect to pay approx $400 to replace the color wheel and $200 to replace the colling fan. That is, if your service technician can find them in stock anywhere. These parts are commonly in a national backorder because of the very high failure rates.
You should also expect the lamp to fail sooner than advertized. Many people need to purchase a new lamp between 1-2 years, and some more often than that. The lamp costs approx $150-$250 depending on your model, but you should be able to replace it yourself without too much difficulty. This cost will be in addition to replacement costs for the color wheel and colling fan. Please remember that these maintenance costs are recurring, and you will have to fix them again in another 1-2 years.
While I was very satisfied with the quality and performance of my DLP, my color wheel failed very early. I called tech support to report a grinding noise, and was told to "turn it off", wait 15 minutes, and turn it back on like this would fix the problem. After doing this for a while, the color wheel finally failed, actually shattered! Now I am out of warranty, and Samsung wants nothing to do with me. I have even tried ordering the part myself from two different online vendors, and they are both backordered indefinitely! It has been 6 weeks and they have no estimate for when this part will be available. Samsung cannot even give me an estimate when the supply of replacement parts is expected to meet demand. I have had my TV for 18 months, and apparently there is a national epidemic of them breaking at the same time!
I have a 42" Samsung Plasma which is a beautiful set along with a 26" CRT. Both are wonderful products, but Samsung is selling DLP LEMONS and will not stand behind them. DLP is a great bargain up front, but a maintenance NIGHTMARE! You will pay in the long run, and by the long run I mean every 2 years. If you still want to purchase a DLP television, PLEASE BUY THE EXTENDED WARRANTY! IT WILL SAVE YOU A TON, BUT YOU WILL STILL HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE CIRCUIT CITY TECH TO FIND PARTS WHICH MAY TAKE MONTHS!
I expect Samsung to abandon their design flaw riddled DLP sector, and focus on their beautiful plasma line. Expect DLP prices to drop even further, but please...LOOK BEFORE YOU LEAP!
On: 2007-03-24
Upgraded from 32" Sony WEGA to the 5087W - what a difference! Even my wife, who doesnt really care or pay attention to electronics, keeps telling me how much of an improvement this TV is. We love watching DVDs and sports on it, as well as HDTV Cable broadcasts. The color is vivid, the screen bright, and the sound is even very good. My transaction with Amazon was good, though it took awhile to get to me with free shipping, the delivery folks were very accomodating, carefully unpacking the box, and helped me set the TV up. I couldnt be more pleased with this Samsung!
On: 2007-03-13
The Samsung 5087 Exceeds all HD expectations. Most surprising is that the regular cable channels are also beautiful, and so much better than the regular TVs we have, a 32" and a 36".
Set up was easy right out of the box. Plugged in the HDMI cable, called the cable Company for turn on access, and called Samsung Customer service for a tweak in the input switch. Took all of 15 minutes from Box to Viewing this beautiful picture.
The great features of ths product and the 1080p available when cable starts broadcasting, makes this HD TV the most outstanding value available today.
On: 2007-03-13
wow...im impressed...after reading several negative reviews aout the noise and other issues i crossed my fingers in hope that my tv wouldnt have the same defects...luckily it didnt...the loud sound that people complain about is in no way even noticable...ive never even heard it to be honest...I got this tv strickly because i also have a PS3 and wanted to output my games and movies(bluray) in 1080p resolution which this tv does an excellent job...the tv is surprisingly light...l believe its what...80 pounds maybe???...maybe even lighter...i weigh about 145 pounds and i has able to lift the tv 5 feet into the air to place on the stand that i bought with it as well($200)...btw, the stand goes PERFECT with the tv...i would have it no other way...
On: 2007-03-10
This set is of incredible quality. Incredible picture clarity for cheap price, not to mention all the easter eggs it came with. This set was very simple to install with my home entertainment system.
On: 2007-03-10
I have had my TV for a month now. The picture is great- especially the High Def channels. The sound is good for a large room. The order and delivery process was very easy and customer friendly. I ordered trough amazon and was called earlier than expected for Eagle delivery to set up a delivery time. The delivery guys set up the TV for me and removed the packaging. The price had dropped a week later on the tv and amazon quickly refunded me the difference. Overall excellent TV with great picture and quality. The price was affordable compared to other TVs. Would highly recommend.
On: 2007-03-09
Delivered faster than expected. In great condition. Our cable signal is weak so we havent been able to take full advantage of the picture yet.
On: 2007-03-09
What can I say? Great TV, great price, great merchant. 100% satisfied. On time delivery - fast, too! TV totally damage free, all items included as ordered.
On: 2007-03-02
After researching all kinds of flavors in current HDTV sets. I finally made up my mind and got this DLP. Beside reading reviews on different vendors site I made several visits to local stores to compare picture with other latest models from SONY, MITSUBISHI and HITACHI.
The HD picture looked awesome on almost all sets. But Samsung had lill better contrast than others.
My biggest worry was for non HD channels (standard def). Coz I equally spend time watching diff shows/sports on non HD channels. Compared to other sets this DLP has far better picture. I noticed significant difference between different SD channels and it all boils down to the source. Overall I am pretty happy with SD. Initially I was eager to get 56", but settled down to 50" coz I think non SD looks better if you sit 10-14 feet away from the set.
DVD picture is pretty crisp and clear in both animated and non animated format.
Sound is not bad as I thought. I turn on my home theater only for selected broadcasts else its good on the set.
Also this set has plenty of horizontal viewing angle. I can say about 150 deg which is very competitive with Plasma or LCDs. But vertical angle is too sensitive but not a deciding factor as far my purchase is concerned.
For the people who are not aware of this - Buying thru amex card will add one year extra warranty onto your electronic purchase. So if anyone is looking for just couple of years of warranty they dont have to buy additional warranty. But please talk to the support before you do so.
Last but not least this TV is stylish and very well finished and weighs only around 65 Lbs does brings good look to your room.
I am pretty happy with this model so far and would recommend anyone to go for it.
Hope this helps. Good Luck!!
On: 2007-02-25
We spent a lot of time researching HDTVs that had versatility for gaming and watching TV. This set does it all very well. It is light, delivers superb picture quality and is very easy to set up. It exceeded our expectations!!!
On: 2007-02-24
I also agree with the awesome picture right out of the box. I enjoy the high def. channels. SD is okay. The first t.v., 20 days later, developed a sound coming from the back, probably a faulty fan. Was making a noise like an old school 70s projector would make. Very annoying, the big box store replaced the t.v. with a new one. So far so good, but the constant fan blowing can be annoying if you lower the volume. Overall, Tv physically looks great and the picture is very good! I cant give it 5 stars quite yet because only had it for a short period of time but- recommend!
On: 2007-02-24
After reading review after review for about 6 months for LCD TVs and Plasmas I couldnt pass up this DLP TV for the price! I couldnt be happier. The unit is great and the only complaint I have is that my regular satellite programming on it looks terrible and I have to wait another 3 weeks to get my HD installed. At least I am able to pick up the HD channels over the air to hold me over (from just a little antenna from an old TV). I love all the settings on the TV and movies from my progressive scan DVD player look pretty good. And not to forget...the price of the TV went down $40 between when I ordered it and it was delivered and Amazon refunded the difference! The shipping company was awesome too. They brought it up to my apartment and set it on my stand and took the boxes away (and it was free shipping!)
On: 2007-02-24
When I had satellite installed at my house, the installer actually said, and I quote, "This is the best looking HD Ive ever seen on a TV. Where did you get this? I have to have one." I did plenty of research and Amazon had by far the cheapest price when you consider tax and shipping. The big box stores were all $300 more and I wasnt willing to risk getting ripped off by another online store to save $50. This thing has plenty of inputs, a great menu system, minimal profile, and of course that excellent 1080p picture quality (PS3 is unbelievable on this). Granted the remote kinda sucks (no backlighting) and theres no cable card support but those minor complaints do little to mar this television. In my humble opinion, this is the best picture quality you can get for the price.
On: 2007-02-23
The TV is great! The picture was pretty much OK with the received defaults settings. My wife thought that the picture was too bright, especially a picture with a white background. There are easy adjustments for just about anything. I am using a cable input with composit input. Everything is great even the non hd stuff. The sound was Ok, but I am using my old Bose surround system and this works great. The audio output is an optical system. This requires an optical to digital (coaxial) conversion for me..It works very well. If your system has optical in, you dont need anything.
The delivery was ahead of schedule. They called the day before, brought the TV in the house and set it on the stand for my wife. I give them a couple of stars too.
Overall I am very happy. In use about one month. Amazon had the best price and the service was great. Dont worry about ordering on line.
William J Swartz Brentwood, TN
On: 2007-02-19
I have owned this TV for 2 months. Outstanding picture quality. Picture quality is so good I catch myself checking out the background as much as watching the actors. Sporting events, like ths Super Bowl, are almost like setting in the front row. Have not seen any of the rainbow effect on this TV. More than enough connections on the TV. Easy to hookup. Easy to use on screen menu. I have HD digital cable. HD TV picture quality is outstanding. I can not rate the audio on the TV. I have a home theater system, so I have not used the TV speakers. This set does not have picture in picture. I do not miss it. I would recommend this TV. Amazon shipped the TV in a timely manner. I was worried about the TV being shipped, but when the TV arrived, the box was in pristine condtion. I was amazed. Excellent Amazon price and excellent shipping.
On: 2007-02-18
Ive been wanting to buy a 1080p tv for some time now, but I was very limited on budget. This tv had exactly what I wanted for half of the price of similar Sonys. The picture quality is amazing, despite the slight "rainbow effect" that a lot of DLPs have. Highly recommended to anyone who wants a great tv, but doesnt want to spend their childrens college fund on it. :)
On: 2007-02-16
I spent about three months reseraching and looking around for the right hdtv. I ended up deciding that I wanted to go 1080p with 2 HDMI inputs to be ready for the new wave of HD content. This was the largest 1080p for the best price that I found anywhere (aside from a few online vendors with absolutely awful reviews). Amazon is a great seller, and if you are willing to wait (2-3 weeks) for the free shipping, thats a plus, too. The picture quality is amazing, even with Cable broadcasts only capable of 1080i, and standard tv does not look nearly as grainy as I expected. When hooked up to an xbox 360, the resolution is absolutely amazing. If you are a gamer, sports fanatic, or just like watching your favorite shows in HD, I highly recommend this TV.
On: 2007-02-13
I have been looking at 50" HD TVs for the past 18 months. My main concern was the space available in my wall unit. I needed a TV that was less than 46.5" wide. This one fit perfectly. I had looked at LCD, and plasma but the DLP 1080p was the brightest, clearest picture in the showroom. I also like the fact that there is no chance of burn in or fading with DLP. If the bulb goes I may have to replace it, but not the entier TV. I have had none of the rainbow effect or fan noise that I had read about. I also felt that this was the simplest set up I have had for years of any TV. I just pluged the HDMI cord into the cable box and the TV and was ready to go. Amazons cost was $200 less than the chain stores and included delivery. Delivery was also excellent. I was told not to expect it for 2 weeks and it came in just a few days. I am afraid that I like it too much, I have been watching way too much TV, HD is great.
On: 2007-02-12
I had researched HDTV systems for a long time prior to purchasing this one. I had even scoped out a friends 3rd gen samsung DLP. This model is amazingly higher in quality than the 3rd gen and is a steal at this price. I have owned this model for about 5 months now and have yet to find any real issue with it. The images are crisp an clear (making folks who have seen HD before say "WOW" still) and the huge selection of inputs and such make for a great and versatile TV.
The replacement lamps were 250 when I first ordered this TV but are now down to 200 and hopefully will continue to drop to the 150 range as most other older Samsung DLP models lamps have.
Id still order this TV if I had it to do over again. Highly recommended!
Its no secret that Samsung is the leader in DLP technology and this TV is a good choice among those who dont want to shell out double that for a plasma that MAY or MAY NOT have better quality. The DLP "pixel free" look is a great thing as well compared to the black pixels you can see when up close on a plasma or LCD. I guess the only bad thing I can say is that when I first got this TV I was a bit concerned about the screen not being glass (its a plastic of some sort as all DLPs are) and it will show a VERY SLIGHT texture when pure white is displayed. At first I was like "wow... thats odd." but I dont notice it now and as I said above, Id do it again if given the choice. And as a Multimedia Director by profession, that says a lot.
Do yourself a favor... save your money... pick up this TV and you wont regret it.
On: 2007-02-12
This 50" Samsung is all that it was advertised to be. It was easy to set up. Light weight but alittle bulky, you need two to carry it. Visual instructions made connecting the jacks and cables very easy. The picture is outstanding even without an HD signal although skin tone is alittle pastey at times. Once my service provider is able to send more of the channels I watch, I will definitely make use of the HD programing.
On: 2007-02-12
I shopped all the eletronic stores qithin 50 miles of my home. Best Buy, Circuit City and even Sears. Amazon had the very best price and free shipping. The set arrived just one day after the estamated time and was set up in my home with out a problem. The picture on this televison is the best i have seen at any price. Granted it may not be as viewable from the side as an LCD or Plasma but for me it works well. Oh by the way the price had dropped silghtly after I ordered the set and Amazon gave me a credit on my credit card for the full amopunt of the drop. I am very pleased and will alsways check Amazon befor buying elese where.
On: 2007-02-11
I have been looking for an HDTV for about 2 months now and changed my mind back and forth from LCD to plasma to DLP and then back again, over and over. After making the pruchase I think I still would have prefered the Samsung 1080p 46" lcd, because I like the slim design, however my wallet didnt (Im a student). So I guess I settled with the DLP but I am very happy with my choice!
I ordered it about 2 weeks ago and it came this past Thursday morning at 8am via EGL. So the ship time was fairly quick for a product this large and coming from CA to PA (also free shipping). The PQ is truly amazing, I do not have HD cable, but I do game yet I still dont have anything that will preform above 480p. Regardless I wanted to see how some of my Final Fantasy games looked on this tv only at 480i (ps2 component). Final Fantasy always seems to have amazing CGI movies so this would be a good test to see what the TV could do at a lower native resolution. I nearly crapped my pants when I watched the intro movie to Final Fantasy VII Dirge of Cerberus and Final Fantasy XI looked just as amazing. The next item on the list was Advent Children which looked insanely amazing. I seriously cant wait to get a 360 or PS3 an watch a movie in either bluray or HD format and have Batman in my freaking living room! I would tell anyone who has been going back and forth with their choice of a HDTV to seriously give DLP and this model a favorable chance. You really cant be the price and the size of the screen and resolution is such a bang for the buck. However if you still wanted to wait and want a slimmer HDTV. Samsung will be releasing wall mountable DLPs this spring, but Im sure their price tag will surely fit their new features at 2500+. In the end, if you choose to wait youll never get a HDTV. So what are you waiting for!?! Buy your Samsung DLP today! :)
On: 2007-02-10
I purchased this TV in December and after two months of constant use I still couldnt be more pleased. I spent well over nine months researching big High Definition televisions and found that my purchase would have to include 1080p resolution for the ultimate and latest in picture quality, sharpnes and clarity. At first I didnt consider DLP, thinking plazma or an LCD picture was the way to go. After further research, however, I settled on this 50" Samsung rear projection DLP complete with 1080p. The price was very attractive and the picture is absolutely dazzling! The HDMI connection made my hook up as easy and simple as possible. I was a little apprhensive about ordering a big item like this online but my experience with Amazon went without a hitch and was flawless. I have absolutely no regrets and would order this again in a minute with no changes!
On: 2007-02-08
We purchased this TV in mid-December and are very happy with it. Great picture for a very reasonable price.
A couple of minor quibbles: universal remote is not so universal - depending on what Im wanting to view I still need a couple of remotes, and the internal mute feature (required to get sound in component mode) requires several clicks and can only be done from the TV remote.
I would highly recommend this TV.
On: 2007-02-07
This TV has a beautiful picture. All the controls are easy to use and set up for different inputs. I have it connected to a Yamaha stereo for full surround sound. I also used HDMI cables from the TV to the different equipment, and optical cable for audio to the stereo. Altogether, a great picture and sound for the HDTV I was looking for. I would recommend this set to anyone.
On: 2007-02-07
This has one of the clearest and most vibrant pictures of all of the DLPs I looked at. And at a great price.
On: 2007-02-06
This is a great TV. Picture is crystal clear. It arrived before the date given. Would absolutely order again. Thanks
On: 2007-02-06
We are very satisfied with our recent purchase of this television. The picture is superb in high definition. Delivery was painless and we saved big time.
On: 2007-02-06
Received everything in perfect condition before promised time frame. This HDTV is "da bomb"! After researching over 6 months through all types and price points, this is the best product to buy by far. And Amazon was definitely the best price. Easy to setup and adjust. Remote/menus are user friendly, too. Got a Terk over-the-air antenna and picked up about 15 local HD channels through the HD built-in tuner. After experiencing the crisp, clear, life-like picture of those channels, we dont want to watch anything else. Canceling our Direct TV (the HD lineup wont be in full swing until this summer sometime anyway). PS3 Resistance rocks on this screen! The SuperBowl was spectacular in HD!! I highly recommend this to all!
On: 2007-02-02
Color wheel is guaranteed to break in 3-4 years. The repair is expensive >$500. The lamps also have a limited lifespan and are expensive. I would avoid DLP tvs
On: 2007-02-02
After weeding through countless reviews on numerous tvs I settled on this set. I can give nothing but praise for the picture! Do be forewarned though, after watching shows in HD, the normal cable channels do look quite grainy and drab. That being said, the settings help customize the picture to your taste. Very easy to set up and adjust settings. The menu and buttons are very intuitive. I highly recommend this set to anyone wanting to save $$ while getting a large and crisp 1080p HD picture! Enjoy! I sure will!
On: 2007-02-01
This TV was everything I could have hoped for. The picture is so crisp and clear. The colors are very vivid and very bright. The viewing angles are not at problem at all. I have an Xbox 360 hooked up to it and it displays the graphics beautifully. For the price this TV is a bargain compared to others. The TV is lighter then my parents 42 inch plasma and it is not that bulky in the back. I highly recommend this TV to anyone looking for quality HDTV at a cheaper price!!
On: 2007-01-30
Overall Im quite happy with the purchase of this TV and would recommend it. Just a few notes of things I didnt think about enough.. the viewing angle is very sensitive, so if your entertainment center is too high or too low compared to your viewing position youll want to either change the tv location or come up with a way to tilt the tv slightly (Im using 2 DVD cases at the moment). Also, make sure youll be able to sit far enough away from it, and relatively straight on. When viewed from too close or too far off center the picture is not that great. Finally, standard definition programming does not look good, but high def looks so good that who cares.
Bottom line, when the viewing angle is right and the signal coming in is right, this TV rocks.
On: 2007-01-27
I bought this item as a Christmas gift for the house: its been a wonderful investment. The picture is beautiful and can be controlled to mesh with the type of program youre watching: movies, TV, games, pictures (from computer), etc. The on-screen menus are very easy to navigate. The remote is comfortable and easy to use. Set-up was a snap to integrate with DirecTV. The view from dead ahead is gorgeous. The view from either side is better than my old, traditional TV. Highly recommend this!
On: 2007-01-27
I have this product for about two weeks. Its by far the best television I ever owned for the money (under $1,500 w/shipping). The quality of picture and sound are absolutely fantastic, especially in High Definition. The quality of picture using Dish Network is little fuzzy, but not bad (compared to HD off the air programming). I would not spend extra money for the Dish Network HD programming. My overall experience with the purchase and delivery was awesome! Do insist that the delivery driver stay until you had the chance to open the box and examine the television. Mine was perfect, but I have heard horrow stories.
On: 2007-01-22
This is my first HD TV and I love it.
I have read every thing I could for the last 2 years about HD and watched pricing. This is the best buy for the money I have seen.
Ray Powell
On: 2007-01-22
The TV arrived quickly (just three days) and in mint condition - not even any scuff marks on the box, let alone the TV. I picked it up at the carrier rather than waiting the weekend for it. My family loves it. Takes a few seconds to warm-up to a normal brightness (not a big deal at all), but it is absolutely beautiful in its picture quality as well as its casing. I hooked it up with a new Sony progressive scan DVD player (DVP-NS75H) with HDMI and the picture truly is stunningly beautiful - the movie Cars looked especially good. Absolutely no complaints - even comes with a soft cloth to clean it with. I would wholeheartedly buy it again, and Amazon had a better price by far than any local store.
On: 2007-01-21
I was a little concerned about having such a large and expensive item delivered via an internet order, but it was absolutely hassle-free. Much easier (and hundreds less expensive) than buying at a store and bringing it home myself.
Heres how the delivery process worked for me. I ordered this TV on a Friday evening, received a call the following Wednesday to schedule a delivery time for the following Monday. That day (10 days from order date, not bad for free delivery) I could have called to get a closer time estimate, but since I had nowhere to go, I just hung out and waited. The TV arrived in a 100% damage-free box, very professional delivery man.
The TV itself is amazing, things I noticed that are pretty cool (not sure how common they are among HDTV sets, but I like them): (1) When viewing a channel, you can see if its broadcast in 480i, 720p, 1080i, whatever (2) it also shows similar information for the audio (3) it has an on-screen meter to show how strong the over-the-air HD signal is so you can move the antenna around for strongest signal (4) it has PC-input capability so you can hook your laptop to it (5) it has USB capability so you can connect MP3 players and digital cameras up to it (I havent looked at that much).
Finally, the speakers are more than adequate for basic sound in my 20x20 family room. And the set is much lighter than the 31" CRT television its replacing, so thats nice.
On: 2007-01-19
It was replaced. The relacement one is good. But last weekend I inserted a picutre USB flash memory into the USB port. After I reviewed all pictures. I cant pull out my memory.
On: 2007-01-19
Have had this t.v. for about a month and love it. Superb picture and sound quality. Attractive cabinet with smooth edges that make the television resemble a plasma without the distortion. HD television as good as I think I have ever seen. Amazon did great job shipping, fast and courteous calling me 3 hours prior to arrival to schedule drop off. Had it to me in about 4 days. Great price and great service. Buy it!
On: 2007-01-19
I am pleased with the HL-S5087W -- the picture is very good and the sound is O K.
The "white glove delivery" by Amazon was just GREAT !!!
I couldnt be happier with the service and price !!
On: 2007-01-19
I am feeling more forgiving about Eagle Freights problems today and doing my best to retract this review. So far I cant seem to retract it or change the star rating.
On: 2007-01-19
The choice was between the Sony 50" 1080P rear projection and the HL-S5087W. I hate to admit that the final decision was determined by our restricted cabinet width and the Sony was 1/4 inch too wide. We considered modifying the built in unit, but the surrounding stone and other factors made that too painful, so we ordered the Samsung. We have not regretted the decision to date. The picture is excellent and after playing with it we like the default settings.
As others have said, the speakers are not great, but adequate. We love the large number of options for inputs and outputs and find the menus to be easy to use.
Our shipping experience was painless and the delivery was made prior to Christmas even though we were advised that it would be after. Considering the price, we may get another one for the bedroom because 1080P sets in the 40-50" range are more costly in plasma and LCD.
On: 2007-01-17
My technical review of TVs performance is same as everyone elses. Here is a copy of my letter to Samsung that should sumarize what I am going through:
On 11/10/2006 I ordered a Samsung 50 inch DLP TV. It was a HL-S5087W. The S/N is listed above. I bought it from an authorized Samsung Dealer, Amazon. It had been two months to the day since I ordered my TV and I can report that I WAS extremely satisfied with my decision to purchase a Samsung. However, Today, 1/10/07, at about 1215 PM I was watching a movie when the TV shut off. The three LED lights began flashing on the Front display and I could not get them to reset. The manual advises this is a serious problem and to contact a service representative. Since the TV is still under Warranty, I called the service department. The service department informed me that I did not have anyone in my area who could service the TV. I live in the DFW metroplex. This isnt a small area in the Hills. I have never been denied or charged for any deliveries or service setups, this to say, Im not in the boonies. Since nobody will come fix my TV I have to wait 10-14 business days while this gets forwarded to another department.
Here is where I have the most problem. Not with the professionalism of the service representatives but the red tape and policies in place to get my TV fixed. I purchased this TV to watch Football and Basketball in HD. I spent a lot of money buying a new TV, entertainment center, and upgrading to an HD TV provider. I wanted to watch the NFL playoffs in HD. I have a planned super bowl party at my house to watch the game on my new HD TV. I spent a lot of money and put a lot of trust in Samsungs product and the guarantee behind it. I am extremely frustrated that the TV broke within two months of owning it. However, I understand even the greatest products have isolated instances of failure when they are mass produced. I more frustrated that the service rep cannot authorize someone else to fix the TV. Now, I will go at least two to three weeks before someone will set up an appointment to fix the TV? I find this completely unacceptable. For the money I invested in the Samsung brand I expected to see a little more return, if not in product, at least in service.
BUY THIS TV AT YOUR OWN RISK, ITS GREAT WHEN IT WORKS BUT SAMSUNG DOES NOT BACK IT UP!!!!
It has been 8 days and I am still waiting for someone to contact me about fixing it. I was told at least 14 buisness days which puts the wait close to three weeks to just find an authorized repair place. I call them frequently but nothing ever changes. For the money you spend its crappy service.
On: 2007-01-17
I looked everywhere for a good deal on a bigger TV. I have a Philips 34" CRT HDTV-ready (1080i). It has been great, but since moving from an apartment to a house, it looks much smaller in the living room. I just got this tv a few days ago on two years no interest for $1699. Xbox 360 through VGA cord looks incredible. Game mode really does work well. HD-DVD movies make old DVDs look like cr@p, even though DVDs look pretty good on this tv (HD-DVDs are slick; I just wish there were more of them). I got a indoor HDTV antenna for $30 (picks up all major local HD channels and looks great). If you are looking for a new tv, this is the best deal to get into 1080p. Also, dont listen to anyone who says 480i looks bad. It looks as good as 480i will on a 50" massive screen. I also believe that all of the 1080p haters own a 720p that they bought a year ago for the same price. Everything will eventually be filmed, etc. in the highest resolution, which as of now is 1080p.
On: 2007-01-17
I definetely would recommend this tv to anyone looking at upgrading to the new 1080p resolution. The price is great, shipping is free, and the freight company set up the tv and took the box away with no hassle. The tv looks amazing and its lighter than my old tube tv. I just hooked up my new Playstation 3 to it and I set it to 1080p mode without any problems. If youre not going to hang your tv on the wall definetely go with a dlp tv. They are almost as light as an lcd, cheaper, and they last longer. The viewing angles arent quite as good but the colors are much better and standard tv looks great.
The only thing I didnt like on the tv was the game mode. It sacrifices quality for speed. At least in all the games I tried the tv handled the graphics fine without game mode on. Also my dvd player sometimes got "mode not supported" with certain movies, but when I put them in my Playstation they played perfectly. Go figure.
On: 2007-01-16
This TV is still an awsome buy. I bought this TV December 06 and I must say that it is a great TV. Right out of the box you can tell with the sleek design and how well this TV was put together. Set up was nothing at all. The picture modes are simple to adjust. It has many ports for Component and HDMI(2). The XBOX 360 looks amazing on this TV. I was totally blown away buy the detail this TV produced in its own "Game Mode". Very sweet. Sound was ok but, get surround sound to go with it. Also, go get a cable box where you can get some HD channel packages. Its expensive so I just have the HD sports package and its looks amazing on this TV. But you can surely tell the difference between HD channels and regular cable.
I looked around alot before I bought. The first model I saw in person was the HL-5086W. The TV looked great in the store but Im so glad I didnt buy it because that model is only a 720p, not 1080p. So when I went home to look for user reviews online I saw this for only $100 more. Here in Virginia visiting family, I was looking at the Best Buy ads in the Sunday paper and they are trying so hard to get rid of all of the 720p TVs but for the price you could get a 1080p set for. It was mind-blowing. But because some people probably dont know that 1080p is the best quality, Im sure they are selling.
I live in Alaska and it took me forever to to find a retailer to ship me this TV. Amazon could not ship it to me because of the deminsions. I did however buy the stand for it from Amazon and what a beautiful combo they both are. Very roomy and very sturdy. Easy to assymble.
In closing, if you live in the lower 48, buy this TV from A-Zon. Even if you paid $150-$200 for shipping, you would still beat most Best Buy/ C.C. prices buy a longshot. I love this TV and so does my wife. I hope this helps.
On: 2007-01-15
Excellent picture and set-up was a snap. I ordered on Dec. 8 and didnt receive until first week in January, but since I saved $500.00 over Best-buy or Circuit City, it was worth it. Plus anytime you dont have to deal with those clowns at the big-box stores that is worth at least $100 to me. So I am very satisfied!!!!!
On: 2007-01-15
Got this set before thanksgiving, and I must say it is PERFECT. I spent the better part of 2006 comparing sets and prices, watching sales in the sunday advertisements, and trying to make the best decision. I narrowed my selection to this model and a similar Sony (cant remember the model number). Well, comparing at a local CC, the set has a picture that was incomparable to any other model in the size and price range. The only down side is the sound, which is mediocre at best, but you dont buy a HDTV like this expecting THX out of the box! Everytime someone sees this picture, they are in awe, and I love it!
Oh, and the glossy shell is trim on the face (less than an inch around the screen on all sides) makes this a beautiful piece in any decor. Even my wife approves!
On: 2007-01-12
The Samsung HL-S5087W delivers an excellent picture with all the bells and whistles one would want to customize variables to suit ones viewing pleasure. Attached to the correct components, 1080p media is rendered in a stunning display. My primary interest in DLP technology was for gaming, necessitating high frame rate adaptability, which the Samsung delivers. Tastes vary, but the DLP is half the price of LCD and Plasma 50" sets and delivers a similar to superior picture, though it takes up more space. If one can afford the 20 inches of depth required to correctly position the Samsung, I would recommend over similarly sized LCD and Plasma components. I would also recommend filtering the HDMI signals from your source through a top-end A/V Receiver. I use the Yamaha RX-V2700.
On: 2007-01-12
For the money I paid, this is a great TV. The resolution of the picture and sound is great. I am going to add a wireless home theater system soon, but the in-TV sounds is good.
On: 2007-01-12
For me, I like to have three nice things, a nice car, a comfy bed, and mind blowing tv. Being a recent college grad and being in business for a little over a year, I dont have much disposable income, so i couldnt get a massive plasma or LCD. But now that I have the Samsung, I am not sure I would prefer the others.
Since getting this set, I can say that I rarely watch anything not in HD. It just isnt worth it with the picture difference. Standard broadcasts look a bit distorted at this size on the lowest setting. I have tried splitting the connections, turning off the DNIE, getting multiple cables, but nothing is improving the picture. I mainly stick to the HD channels anyhow and with my DVR, I am perfectly content.
Also, I am a gamer. The 360 looks stunning. Gears of War could be the best looking game I have ever seen on a console.
Overall, I enojy this tv every day and from looking at my parents Samsung (46" 1080p) that they have had for 2+ years, it looks that mine will stay strong for awhile.
On: 2007-01-11
I have been most satisfied with this Samsung TV. The picture clarity and color are spectacular! It has greatly increased my viewing enjoyment.
On: 2007-01-11
Ive had this TV for about 2 months now and am very impressed with it overall. In that time, Ive viewed 1080i HD signals over-the-air from an HD antenna, 1080i HD signals via HDMI cable from my cable companys set-top-box, and 1080p signals over component cables from my Xbox 360. All look great, and having the ability to tweak the picture setting independantly for each input is great, especially for the Xbox games which look better when the digital noise elimination feature on the TV is turned off. My only regret is that I didnt go with a larger screen. In my research, there are DLP TVs out there with slightly better pictures (Sony SXRDs and Mitsubishis), but these other brands can cost almost $1k more.
This was my first experience ordering large, expensive, and fragile electronics from Amazon, and I was a little nervous. However, the experience was completely positive. The local delivery company called to arrange a time, the delivery guy brought the TV into my house, unpacked it, set it onto the stand, and hauled away the trash. Everything was delivered in perfect condition. With no tax and free shipping on my order, Amazons price easily beat all of the local electronics stores. I highly recommend going with Amazon. My only complaint is the lack of a good extended warranty program to go along with the TV, although the manufacturer provides a 1-year limited warranty.
On: 2007-01-11
Unleash the full power with your HD DVD player, best picture I have ever seen, not too dark like many other DLP tvs. I love it
On: 2007-01-11
You will be bowled over by the detail, color, and brightness of this TV. After seeing in the store I knew it would be good, but at home it surpassed my expectations. We bought the rear projection because the plasma would have been too shiny for our brightly-lit Living Room. The matt screen is perfect, but it does not get direct sunlight on it except in the mornings, when we dont watch TV anyway.
The difference between 1080 and 760 is quite obvious. Details jump off the screen at 1080. We watch it from about 17 away but even at 8 the resolution is exceptional.
Needless to say, I would buy it again. If I had more space Id get the even larger one, although 50" is really plenty big.
On: 2007-01-11
This is a review comming from someone who knows very little about HDTV and simply made the purchase on more of an impulse than anything. All I know is that this bad boy comes with all the trimmings; 10000:1 contrast ratio, 1080p resolution, 2 HDMI slots; basically everything an avid gamer with a next gen system or just someone who likes a really friggin big picture needs. Ive had this TV for about 2 months now, and for most of that time I used it without even utilizing its HD capabilities and the thing is still very very sexy. Just regular DVDs and last gen systems (ps2, gamecube specifically) all look great and the picture quality is really top notch. Having also just recently gotten my hands on a ps3 and utilizing the tvs HDMI connector and playing games in 1080p resolution I am now beyond a shadow of a doubt certain that I made a great purchase. I cant imagine where else one can find so large a tv with all the things included for such a great price. To that end, it must also be mentioned that as this TV is a DLP tv, this particular brand shares the same problem that all (many?) other DLPs have which is to say the viewing range is somewhat limited. If one views the tv from an angle thats too high or too wide, the picture becomes very dark and it can be nearly impossible to view the picture. The range on this TV is I think a little better than others just because of how large the screen is but if youre planning on entertaining a party of 15 for superbowl just be sure to test the seating to make sure the picture isnt too dark.
On: 2007-01-10
I love the product that I have purchased, great quality, clarity and price. Shipping was fast and on schedule and there was no damage. Nothing negative came out of this deal.
On: 2007-01-10
Im not much of a tech head but I did my share of research and price shopping. This is by far the best value out there. I paid $0.00 for this TV including taxes and shipping at Amazon.com. I was stressed out that it was too good to be true ,considering other places were pricing it at about $0.00 plus tax and shipping, and that I would get a box of rocks but the TV was delivered within a week and they even set it up to make sure it worked. Loved the overall transaction!!!
On: 2007-01-10
I love this TV - its got a great picture, small footprint and elegant looks, with very nice features and easy to use menus, with an array of inputs. Ive hooked my laptop up to the PC port, and many resolutions displayed just fine watching an XVid movie. Then I hooked my PC up to it and played Half Life 2 on it - image fit in perfect - great smooth video at 720p (my video card in my PC would be too weak for 1080p). The zoom modes have been very helpful in watching widescreen DVDs.
On: 2007-01-10
Im really happy with this TV, the picture is so bright it almost hurts my eyes. Huge difference in quality over my 65" widescreen rear projection. It also has enough inputs to plug in all my gear which is a real plus.
On: 2007-01-09
I am very happy with this TV. I spent quite awhile shopping and watching prices on large screen HDTVs. My price point was finally met on this 50" Samsung. I saw prices fall at the big box outlets, so I then compared prices online and Amazons free shipping offer was very compelling. so much so that I seized the opportunity. Watching TV is a new experience with HD. This is a satisfing purchase and Amazon was reliable and dependable. I have no complaints, I feel very fortunate.
On: 2007-01-08
I looked all over the place and couldnt find a price that came anywhere close to Amazons, and after reading other peoples reviews, decided to buy the HL-S5087W (as well as the TR50X3B stand that matches). I placed my order during the evening of December 19 (meaning it didnt really process until the 20th) and selected the free shipping. The stand arrived via UPS on the 22nd, and the tv arrived via Eagle on the 28th. Everything was on time as promised. The stand was pretty easy to put together, and the tv (so far) has been even better than I expected. I just got my DirecTV HD DVR a few days ago, so for the first week I had the tv, I wasnt even receiving an HD signal, and I was still blown away. And now its perfect. Just as good, if not better, than all my friends plasmas that they paid $2800 and up for. I would definitely recommend this product, and if you dont have to have it RIGHT THIS SECOND, you should also definitely order it here. Use your $500 savings on something else!
On: 2007-01-07
We have had our Samsung DLP for just a year and have experienced two very expensive problems (covered under warranty) but very inconvenient. First the light Engine went as signified by a dark transparent streak about 2-3 inches wide running vertically down one side of the screen. Customer Service was responsive but TV repair people took a week to schedule. Repair guy tells us "it is a common complaint/repair for Samsung"....and a $1500 fix, if not under warranty!! Follow this up within two months, the picture freezes and blacks out. Totally dead. Again, Customer Service was responsive and again and week wait for repair and this time the analog board was defective...I hate to think of the cost to repair. The guy was here for four hours.
Now our warranty is coming to an end, I dread each time I turn the machine on. I would not buy this tv again.
On: 2007-01-05
Extremely pleased with everything!!
Love the TV, the service from Amazon, delivery time from Eagle ... everything!!
On: 2007-01-05
We own a competitive 50" TV. Without question the Samsung 1080p just purchased has superior picture quality and is more compact. The footprint allows you to utilize less space with the same screen size as other TVs since the speakers are located on the inside. We have found you need to adjust the picture quality in the beginning to suit you own taste for skin tone etc. Once having accomlished this you are on the road to extreme enjoyment. We could not be more satisfied. Amazon is also the only place to purchse this wquipment. We went to all the brick & morter stores and found higher prices and they did not have the latest version of this equipment. enjoy !!!
On: 2007-01-05
Solid performance with awesome HD 1080p picture quality. You must see this see before you buy any DLP. Much more detail then a 720p plasma.
On: 2007-01-04
Our tv arrived broken, we returned it and got a refund. We bought the item at a local store instead.
On: 2007-01-04
Ive had this TV for 3-4 months now, and it still impresses me. The picture is outstanding, the brightness is great (even in a very sunny room), and the user interface is intuitive. The only negative some people may experience is that the internal speakers provide very poor sound quality. If you plan on connecting a home theater sound system (as I did), this will not matter at all. Amazons price was $600 less than the advertised sale price from a local electronics chain, with free shipping! Delivery service was great. They arrived when they said they would, carried the set upstairs for me, set it up, and even connected a DVD player so I could verify the picture.
On: 2007-01-04
This TV is outstanding. HDTV on this has spoiled me and limits what I watch to HD. Price at Amazon with my Prime shipping and no tax is unbeatable.
Picture brightness and contrast is the best I have seen and looks better to me than plazma or lcd systems in the stores.
I was concerned with viewing angles but have been pleasantly surprised. I have the system in the corner of a room and the picture is fine from anywhere in the room (0 to over 45 degrees to each side). There is some change to the brightness on the screen from floor level to standing up near the screen - but not a negative once you remain in the same spot.
This is a great size for a medium to large living area or game room. Any larger, to me, would need to be in a dedicated home theater room.
On: 2007-01-04
This was my first HDTV, I had decided on this TV several months ago, but was just waiting for the price to dip below 1500, which it did. Delivery only took 6 days, I live in the Philly area. I am using a 50 dollar antenna and receive 7 hd channels and about 20 other digital channels. Watching football in HD was amazing on it. Basic cable looks decent when on 4:3 mode. DVDs look great on my Samsung upconverting 960 player through HDMI. Was contemplating getting the 56 inch for awhile, but once this showed up glad I went with 50 for my smallish basement. I sit about 7 feet from the TV and picture looks very good. Horizontal viewing angle is excellent, close to 170 I think, Vertical is not as good, gets a lot darker when I am standing.
Overall very satisfied with Amazon, no other place really came close on price and shipping. Also I decided against the extended warranty.
On: 2007-01-03
I would give this TV 5 stars, but I took away one star because I cant get my husband away from the tv. The high def channels are AMAZING, perfectly crystal clear and even the non high def channels are great. I would recommend this tv to anyone, great value for your dollar.
On: 2007-01-03
This is the best looking TV I have ever owned. I upgraded from a 2002 Samsung and WOW is it pretty. THe picture is beautiful and for this price it is a steal. I paid more for the Samsung I bough in 2002 and this one is so much nicer.
If you get one from Electronics Expo be for warned you may have to wait a few weeks before you get it. They sold me one and didnt even have them in stock. It was worth the wait though. : )
On: 2006-12-31
Amazon is selling this one real cheap compared to all other web sites. The delivery was great except the delivery came after the delivery window. Delivery people were very helpful and nice. They did wait till I turned on the TV and make sure that its working. They told me to keep the box just in case I have to return the TV.
TV is working fine and specially with a HD antenna we can watch all TV channels without any problem.
We did not buy any extended maintenance plan.
On: 2006-12-31
I wanted a flat screen lcd, but my other half convinced me the 1080p would more than make up for the picture quality in this projection tv. I was sceptical, but the price was so much better on this set so we went for it. Now I think we made a great choice- the picture is very clear, and the colors are phenomenal. Viewing angle is also very good for projection. Everything is intuitive to use on the set, but if you need it, the instruction manual is very clear and concise. No complaints about switching between the hdmi sources, as another reviewer had commented- maybe they fixed that problem. I do have three suggestions for those interested in buying this tv: 1)Buy it- the picture is stunning, the price is right, and you wont be disappointed! 2)Free shipping = Eagle Transport = bad. They called us to arrange delivery between 12pm-5pm, so we took off work to make sure someone was home that afternoon. In the morning they called and told us it was out on a truck and on its way. When it did not arrive by 5:30pm we called and were then told that it just left the dock and would be here in an hour. We waited another 2.5 hours. Better late than never I guess, considering the other horror stories I read about Eagle- but we wasted an afternoon off from work for nothing, which I do not appreciate. 3) Use good cables. At first we were horrified that something was wrong with the tv- everything on tv was dull gold, green and blue. After much panicking and testing other inputs that looked perfect, we found out the cable we received with our new hd cablebox was bad. We upgraded the cable from the cable box to a dvi-to-hdmi cable and voila- beautiful color. I thought about giving this 4 stars because of the rotten shipper, but thats not Samsungs fault, so I cant hold it against them or this tv. Definitely a great set for a great price!
On: 2006-12-28
Before buying the Samsung DLP sets do a little research on the problems with the light engines. Ours has been out for a month and they can not find parts to fix it. Samsungs customer service is horrible. When they work, they are great sets, but replacing a $1200 part that was not built properly will ruin your experience. We are lucky and ours had failed the first time under warranty. We are hoping they have the problem fixed, but make sure you ask questions about this issue and get an extended warranty.
On: 2006-12-26
Like all smart consumers I researched HDTVs for months before buying. The TV did take longer than expected to get delivered. The first couple days were great, awesome picture, loved it! Next couple days a huge black bar missing from the picture in the top left corner. Next couple days the TV turned on but with out sound. And the final straw was when the T.V did not turn on for 2 whole days!!!! All we heard was a buzzing in the back of the T.V. We did send it back 32 days after we bought it and Amazon was pretty quick at pick up and refund. Samsung said we just got a bad T.V. I dont know what type of TV I plan to buy now!
On: 2006-12-25
During the past few months I reseached Samsungs and Mitsubishi since these were the two brands I favored. A friend has a new Mit and its excellent but I decided on the Samsung since they have been making DLPs a bit longer. It came down to the 56" or this 50". I visited a store and the 50" seemed a better fit for our rec room.
Amazon offered free shipping and the best price ($1499) so I ordered the TV and stand the evening of December 15. Amazon advised me the stand shipped on Monday and it was delivered to me on Thursday, December 21. The TV shipped on Monday and was in town on Tuesday. Eagle Logestics called me and arranged a delivery on December 22. Their delivery person was very friendly and helpful. Warner Cable came that afternoon and I was soon in business with a great TV. The picture in HD is fantastic and non-HD is better than my old 38" Toshiba. No rainbow effect.
This is a great buy and I am very pleased with Amazon.
On: 2006-12-21
More 3.5 stars
Firstly, this really is a great HD TV for the money! I dont think there are better out there for this price. I researched for months before getting it.
This TV is for HD viewing only (in my opinion of course). Standard Def cable TV looks like crap on it! Again, HD looks very good! SD very poor compared to my sony grand wega.
I watched a HD movie last night(unforgiving) and hated that I could see the "rainbow effect" (mainly on the dark scenes) I know this is something that not everybody Sees. But, I did and it sucked. Im hoping it is more the movie and may not be as noticeable on all. (please dont let it be) :(
I dont like the high pitched sound that comes out the back when the TV is off. Very noticeable though! (and no, not the fan when on)
Again, this really is a great TV for the money. I just hope I get used to the whole "rainbow" thing.
On: 2006-12-18
After also researching for over a month on various types of tvs (LCD, Plasma, Rear Projection) we settled on rear projection. Also, after viewing this set in a local national brand electronics store (which had it for $350 more!) we were advised by store staff that 1080p rear projection was the way to go. Lots more bang for your buck. Amazon had a great price, I had a discount coupon, the deal was done. Well, let me tell you how very pleased we are. I will not spout tech info that I know nothing about but rather tell you as an average consumer, this purchase was effortless from start to finish. Delivered in 1 week, delivery company used in my area was spectacular and set up was done as well. One flaw...back panel of tv was not set in properly resulting in 3 plastic tabs sticking out from side. We called Amazon customer service, recieved prompt and curteous attention, matter resolved instantly. That very night, price went down $130. I called customer service again and within minutes, a price difference refund was issued to my charge card. Outstanding!!!
Now, about the tv itself. What can I say? Its gorgeous! The picture is phenomenal and yes, sound isnt the most perfect but we listened to quite a few out there and the Samsung had the best clarity and we think its just fine. Still playing with settings and such but isnt that part of the fun of any new electronic purchase?
Jut sit back and enjoy!
On: 2006-12-18
The video is spectacular... Audio is not very good, but hey... even if you have the best speakers in a TV, you wouldnt it as you would connect it to a dolby receiver.. so, TV sound doesnt matter a lot...
I play xbox, watch downloaded movies - this TV has given me lots of satisfaction... and for the price, this is the best deal...
On: 2006-12-17
I spent about three weeks looking at all of the different choices out there. The combination of price, quality and technology did the convincing for me. A 1080 P at this price simply rocks the competition. I wayed purchasing a 720 P and I just could not pull the trigger on a purchase that would be somewhat outdated in two years.
I have a 20 x 20 family room and the 50 inch fits very well within the room. I had seriously thought of going with a 42", but I am glad I did not. I have a 12 foot viewing distance from the TV to my prime sitting area and the screen looks great!
I guess I am living right... as the TV came within 8 days of ordering it! The shipping company did a great job. Everything was in perfect condition. It was easy to setup (my wife and I lifted it from the box to our stand). You would not believe how light in weight this unit is.
I did not use the Samsung remote. I am a Time Warner customer and I easily coordinated the TV code to the cable remote-although this was a major concern of mine while I was going through the steps to set this all up.
The set looks great! It takes 15 seconds to power up and then WOW do you get a beautiful bright screen with vivid colors. HD is awesome! The colors in non-HD look great as well. I cant wait to see Dice K in Fenway giving Hedecki some chin music! I am very pleased with this purchased and highly recommend this Samsung!
On: 2006-12-16
I did extensive research on HDTV for a couple months, and eventually ended up with a list of 10 TVs ranging 42-50" (all DLP or LCD) in my price range. I researched those TVs online and went to look at them in local stores. Most stores show their expensive sets playing a native 1080p Blue Ray movie via HDMI, and their less expensive on a split signal HD or SD channel. It can fool people into thinking the less expensive TVs dont look as good!
This TV exceeded the others with good reviews and bang for the buck. It almost seemed unreal. A 50" Samsung 1080p DLP HDTV for $1500? Get out of here! That is too good to be true. Or is it? I took the plunge and ordered it on Amazon through J & R Music and Computer world for $1500. I couldnt get free shipping so I ended up paying $1700 total shipped. I looked back later and found I could have gotten free shipping with a free Amazon prime trial membership, but I was too late. Oh well...I still saved $400 over buying it from a local store, so Im happy.
The TV arrived exactly 7 days after I placed the order. The delivery guys carried it into my house and took it out of the box. They let me inspect for damages, but would not let me plug it in or turn it on. I did that right after they left, and it was fine. I had no HD content except my Xbox 360. I popped in Gears of War at 1080i (TV de-interlaces the signal to 1080p automatically) and turned on "Game Mode". I feel the Game Mode should be under the Picture/Display section in the menu instead of "Settings" since it is a display feature...but its not a big deal. It wasnt hard to find. Gears of War brought a tear to my eye. I couldnt believe it. I actually laughed while playing thinking "Is this really happening? My TV can do this?" It was unreal how good the game looked. I downloaded some HD content through Xbox Live to see how HD movies will look. I watched some 720P trailers and they looked great. I was very happy.
I had my DirecTV satellite upgraded and got HD channels a week after receiving the TV. I cant even begin to tell you how good Discovery HD looks on this TV. Its breathtaking. It looks like everything is really in my living room. The other HD channels like ESPN, HBO, etc look really good too. You can easily tell some of the HD channels play native 720P or 1080i, while others crop and up-convert. The cropped/up-converted stuff still looks really good.
Pros / things I like
The menus are easy to navigate
It up-converts every native signal to 1080p (does a great job with most stuff)
It has 0 lag with video games in Game Mode - its not even bad in regular mode
The fan is quiet
The whites are bright, the blacks are dark
HD video looks very sharp, comparable to the expensive TV sets
480i/p DVDs look very good, and it up-converts them VERY well
The virtual surround sound is good
The black glossy case looks great, and doesnt have a glare problem in my living room
Extensive ways of adjusting the picture look and individual colors
Very lightweight (if you have to move it for whatever reason)
Many inputs for various things
Cute little beeping song when you turn it on or off
No rainbowing
CHEAP PRICE!!
Cons / things I dislike
I have one complaint. I cannot get SD Satellite broadcasts to look good on this set. Like I said DVDs look great though (so all 480i/p doesnt look horrible). Ive tried everything from making adjustments to the TV picture, cable box settings, trying composite, component, S-Video, HDMI, etc. to no avail. Ive researched the problem online and found its a common problem people have with DLP sets. Others who watch my TV think its SD broadcasting looks fine, but I have a good eye and I say it doesnt. My Mom has a 55" Mitsubishi CRT RPTV and her SD broadcasting looks much better, while my HD looks much better ;) Its no big deal. In 2007 more Satellites are being launched to provide more HD channels (no set date yet). DirecTV says they will have 130 HD channels. I didnt buy this TV for SD...I bought it for HD and it does its job very well.
In conclusion...if you are in the market for a 50" HDTV that works great for HD gaming, DVDs, HD video content, and you want to spend $1500 on it, this is your set! Buy it right now!
On: 2006-12-15
I did extensive research on HDTV for a couple months, and eventually ended up with a list of 10 TVs ranging 42-50" (all DLP or LCD) in my price range. I researched those TVs online and went to look at them in local stores. Most stores show their expensive sets playing a native 1080p Blue Ray movie via HDMI, and their less expensive on a split signal HD or SD channel. It can fool people into thinking the less expensive TVs dont look as good!
This TV exceeded the others with good reviews and bang for the buck. It almost seemed unreal. A 50" Samsung 1080p DLP HDTV for $1500? Get out of here! That is too good to be true. Or is it? I took the plunge and ordered it on Amazon through J & R Music and Computer world for $1500. I couldnt get free shipping so I ended up paying $1700 total shipped. I looked back later and found I could have gotten free shipping with a free Amazon prime trial membership, but I was too late. Oh well...I still saved $400 over buying it from a local store, so Im happy.
The TV arrived exactly 7 days after I placed the order. The delivery guys carried it into my house and took it out of the box. They let me inspect for damages, but would not let me plug it in or turn it on. I did that right after they left, and it was fine. I had no HD content except my Xbox 360. I popped in Gears of War at 1080i (TV de-interlaces the signal to 1080p automatically) and turned on "Game Mode". I feel the Game Mode should be under the Picture/Display section in the menu instead of "Settings" since it is a display feature...but its not a big deal. It wasnt hard to find. Gears of War brought a tear to my eye. I couldnt believe it. I actually laughed while playing thinking "Is this really happening? My TV can do this?" It was unreal how good the game looked. I downloaded some HD content through Xbox Live to see how HD movies will look. I watched some 720P trailers and they looked great. I was very happy.
I had my DirecTV satellite upgraded and got HD channels a week after receiving the TV. I cant even begin to tell you how good Discovery HD looks on this TV. Its breathtaking. It looks like everything is really in my living room. The other HD channels like ESPN, HBO, etc look really good too. You can easily tell some of the HD channels play native 720P or 1080i, while others crop and up-convert. The cropped/up-converted stuff still looks really good.
Pros / things I like
The menus are easy to navigate
It up-converts every native signal to 1080p (does a great job with most stuff)
It has 0 lag with video games in Game Mode - its not even bad in regular mode
The fan is quiet
The whites are bright, the blacks are dark
HD video looks very sharp, comparable to the expensive TV sets
480i/p DVDs look very good, and it up-converts them VERY well
The virtual surround sound is good
The black glossy case looks great, and doesnt have a glare problem in my living room
Extensive ways of adjusting the picture look and individual colors
Very lightweight (if you have to move it for whatever reason)
Many inputs for various things
Cute little beeping song when you turn it on or off
No rainbowing
CHEAP PRICE!!
Cons / things I dislike
I have one complaint. I cannot get SD Satellite broadcasts to look good on this set. Like I said DVDs look great though (so all 480i/p doesnt look horrible). Ive tried everything from making adjustments to the TV picture, cable box settings, trying composite, component, S-Video, HDMI, etc. to no avail. Ive researched the problem online and found its a common problem people have with DLP sets. Others who watch my TV think its SD broadcasting looks fine, but I have a good eye and I say it doesnt. My Mom has a 55" Mitsubishi CRT RPTV and her SD broadcasting looks much better, while my HD looks much better ;) Its no big deal. In 2007 more Satellites are being launched to provide more HD channels (no set date yet). DirecTV says they will have 130 HD channels. I didnt buy this TV for SD...I bought it for HD and it does its job very well.
In conclusion...if you are in the market for a 50" HDTV that works great for HD gaming, DVDs, HD video content, and you want to spend $1500 on it, this is your set! Buy it right now!
On: 2006-12-15
Arrived less than 2 weeks after initial order submission. Beautiful picture, very dark blacks, vibrant accurate colors. Amateurs will complain about the pincushion effect in 4:3 mode, but thats natural on ANY projection-based tv. Hooked up a PS3 (via HDMI) as the final quality check. Blu-ray movies look stunning in native 1080p resolution, and games look breathtaking.
On: 2006-12-14
Overall I aagree with the comments on picture quality and overall satisfaction with the unit. One area of annoyance is the constant background noise created from the fan. I have my unit in a large wood open cabinet so the fan noise is a little louder than normal.
The other item is the wide difference in picture quality between various materials, such as off-air HDTV, DirectTV (no HDTV) and my DVD player. These difference I do not believe to be unique with this TV, but is the reality of the different qualities of input signals. I find that the set allows me to quickly tune the color and picture qulity in with its various preset picture settings, such as a dark or very bright room.
I am using an Oppo up-converting DVD player and the newer software titles have almost as good a picture as an off-air live 1080 show, such as a football game.
On: 2006-12-12
The TV is overall good. The HDTV picture is great. The movies on DVDs (standard player) play and look great. I have seen both western and eastern movies on DVD and the picture is always great. The SD TV however is not great. The colours are patchy. It could be my setting but I have been trying for couple of weeks now and I have not gotten to a great picture on SD TV yet.
The TV upsacles great. The pictures are never stretched nor appear out of scale.
The sound is okay. Need a home theater system. The fan only comes on for a min after TV is switched off and it is not noticable at all. People complaining about the fan noise must have a faulty fan. I heard a small whine near the TV but it turned out to be a dish receiver power supply.
Amazon price matched with itself since price dropped by $150. I had to call to get a delivery scheduled. It may be due to christmas rush. The delivery guy was great. Brought in the TV, opened it, helped me set it up on the stand and even stayed to start the TV up.
Overall would recommend.
On: 2006-12-08
Just received this T.V., one week early I might add, and we are totally satisified with it. Its a sharp looking T.V. and the picture is dynamic. It was easy to hook up with DISH network. Hats off to the shipping company for their communications regarding the shipping date and they even set it up. Thanks so much Amazon!!
On: 2006-12-08
I have had this TV for less than 2 months and I am looking at a second service call. The first service call they replaced the main circut board and a few weeks later the TV quits again.
Samsungs customer service is very slow and unresponsive. DO NOT BUY THIS TV or any other Samusung product.
On: 2006-12-02
Like a few others have stated in these reviews, I too have had problems with this particular set. I bought mine through a big box retailer and 28 days later, the TV would indescriminately shut down after a few seconds of operation. Thankfully it was still within the 30 day return policy and I was able to exchange it for a new one. After plugging in the second set and turning it on, it was clearly evident that something was terribly wrong with the picture on this one! My first set had an outstanding picture for the short time that it worked. The second set was very distorted with bright splotches located throughout the screen. I promptly returned the second set and am now on my third.
Two months later and number three is working stellar! The picture is truly outstanding. I comparison shopped for weeks before making this purchase and it has a much better picture than the LCD and plasma TVs I looked at, even the similarily priced Sony. Picture alone is worth more than 5 stars, but I gave it 3 because of the reliability issues Ive had. A friend of mine owns the exact same set and has had NO problems with it whatsoever. Its too bad others have had similar issues because this TV is tops in its class for picture quality.
On: 2006-12-01
I bought this TV a couple months ago on Amazon. Within a month of the time I got the TV the price had dropped three different times and was nearly $200 below what I paid for it. Each time the price dropped, I called Amazon and they immediately issued a refund for the difference without any trouble. Turns out they have a 30-day price guarantee. The guarantee isnt as good as Costco, but Costco hasnt carried this TV yet.
Anyway, enough about Amazon. On to the TV...
Now that Ive got a good antenna to receive HD broadcast signals and my Xbox 360 connected, my life will never be the same. I am continually blown away by the vividness and clarity of this TV. I think the menus are excellent to navigate. Although, tweaking the color settings is occassionally confusing. The only drawback Ive found is that there is no PIP. I guess I got used to it on my previous TV and now I wish this one had it too.
Overall, I am blown away by this TV. I was happy to pay $1800+ for it and getting the rebates is like early Christmas.
On: 2006-11-30
I throughly researched heavily. I knew I wanted only a 1080p television (best resolution possible right now) because I am a electronics freak. I even plan on waiting for the Playstation 3 to come out again (January or February) becuase the PS3 is best for 1080p and so is blue-ray (I hate hd-dvd because it cant hold as much information so youll get less picture quality than blue-ray).
If your going to get electronics, just get the best possible out right now, so in a year it wont be outdated. Ok so when I got my Samsung I just plugged in the power cord and hooked it up to m regular Xbox and got a beatiful picture (with a litte tweaking of the picture settings of course). I played Last Samurai and Mission Impossible 3 (No I am not a Tom Cruise or Katie Holmes freak, the movies are just great). Well I knew the picture was going to be good, but my goodness, I just couldnt stop watching the movie, I was just glued to my set.
I did compare, and compare hard. Westington was a great bang for your buck, but comon I never heard of Westington before. The Sharp Aquos is another great TV, but 42 inches for $1900. I wanted a reliable company with a good service reputation. I knew Samsung has a good history of quality. Also It was either going to be between an LCD or DLP. I agonized over this. But I am very happy with my DLP HDTV 1080P. LCD maybe a little better, but not by much. The price is unjustified. $1630 for a 50 inch HDTV with DLP chip and 1080p resolution, you cant beat that. Now your probably wondering whats wrong with it? Well it does hum, when you have the set on mute, you hear a little hum, but comon are you going to watch tv on mute? Not a big deal. Also I dont like the fact that you have to replace the lamps every 2 years, but for 200 bucks to make your tv like new isnt too hard to swallow. Overall this is the TV that you get when you want the latest technology, but dont have to WASTE money. Its not only a real bang for your hard earned buck, its also quality that im sure youll appreciate for years to come.
Yea you can get a Plasma TV for "sale" at electornics stores, but look carefully. MAKE SURE they say 1080p, or you wont get the best picture possible. Well this is Byong siging off, Ill review a few things later, right now Im playing my Super Nintendo until PS3 comes out.
Byong Again but today is December 8 2006.
You might see my first review, when I just got the tv a little while back. I am just going over different aspects about the TV I may have missed. Now that Ive had lots of time to really go and play with my TV I can give a better explanation of what this particular make and model does well and it lacks.
The level of different things I can do with my TV is kind of astonishing. It does have a multitude of different connections on the back of the TV. It has 2 component inserts, as well as of course 2 hdmi ports and 3 av connections. Also has a connection for my Gateway laptop - PC input(setup was easy, I plugged in my VGA cord and audio cord and I right-clicked on my monitor and set my display and it was on). Also you may not know is that on the right side there is a slot for a USB connection so you can listen to music on your TV. Our televisions are our multimedia entertainment units. We connect everything that has a hole in it, and this TV has no shortage of that. Right now I have a PS3 into my HDMI connection and Directv in the other (if you have a Xbox its not a problem). I also have a DVD/reciever combo thats for my 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound System that I plugged into one AV input, and it was like watching Star Wars for the first time (I had sour patch kids and coke, with umm...my Darth Vader figure...Im not ashamed...ok slighty) Thats the good news. All the inputs youll ever need and near perfect picture quality at a price that cant be matched.
There are some bad features that came with the TV. Ok first of all I know about the humming noise. Its the fan inside the TV to cool it off when its on and off (just for a few minutes when its off). Not really a problem for me. I understand in order to make sure the TV doesnt overheat or malfunction it needs to maintain a cool processor. Also what I didnt like is that fact the the sound wasnt amazing. The speakers are hidden under the TV (where that silver lining is) and the sound production isnt up to par of what the picture quality is.
Overall I gave it 5 instead of 4 because of value and picture quality. Now I know I said get the best technology possible, but dont waste your money, and I meant it. This is 1080p resolution, with HDTV over the air capabilites (with a HD antenna of course), 2 HDMI ports, and 10:000 to 1 ratio contrast all for $1630. You cant lose. Because honestly, why get an HDTV and not have surround sound. Its like getting a Ferrari and putting in Wal-mart gas.
On: 2006-11-30
Just got this in today, and am overall pleased. You cant beat the price on this tv from amazon, and the features it has. The picture quality is amazing hooked up to my xbox 360 via component (Direct TV is out of HD recievers, so tv will have to wait) and it looks amazing.
4 stars because I thought it autodetected games and movies and applied the appropriate mode. Widescreen TV + Widescreen movies = letterbox on top and bottom still. I dont get it, that or else I cant figure out how to rememove them. Why dosnt it fill the whole screen?
Also, the delivery company. I selected free shipping and got it in under a week, with 2 holidays in between. But, they came in, set down the stand box, then set down the tv on top of it, and started to leave. Luckily the TV isnt to heavy, I was able to pull it off, then get it off the stand, but cmon, Im one guy. OBviously I have to build the stand before I can put the tv on it. how about not stacking the boxes so I can just open up the stand.
Id recomend this produt, plenty f inputs, great picture quality, I just wish the manual was abit better.
On: 2006-11-27
I purchased a Samsung HL-S5087W DLP TV this summer and I have had terrible problems with both the product quality and Samsung customer support. The first TV died after only a few weeks and was replaced with a unit with a distorted image and a screen that is not flat. Calling Samsung customer support is an exercise in futility. I have made at least 10 calls and get absolutely nowhere. I have even provided digital photos to Samsung and even after they acknowledge that there is a problem, they do nothing to correct it. Their warranty isnt worth the paper it is printed on. MY ADVICE: DONT BUY SAMSUNG
On: 2006-11-24
I researched HD sets for quite a while before settling on this model from Samsung. I have to say it is a great option for people looking for a 50+" size screen that wont break the bank.
This particular model has all the features you could want for a HD set that will last for a long time into the future. The 2 HDMI ports are great for the new video game systems coming out as well as the next-gen DVD formats. And the 1080p resolution will allow you to realize the full potential of everything as well. The price was really what sold me on it. Amazon was about 800 dollars cheaper than my local Circuit City! Add to that the fact that the shipping came a day earlier than expected and you cant go wrong.
The picture looks great in 1080i over component cables from my cable box. It has more inputs than most people will know what to do with, And several features that allow the user to tweak video settings to get the best possible picture out of their set. The "Game" mode works particularly well at cleaning up in game images of the previous-gen systems (ie XBOX/PS2)
The only reason I did not give it five stars is due to a whistling sound the set makes when it is off. It isnt constant but when it happens it is irritating if youre sitting in the same room as the set. I havent tried to investigate whether this is a common occurrence or not. The performance of the set doesnt seem to be effected by it and since Im hardly ever in the room and not watching TV it isnt the end of the world.
Overall I would recommend this set or to anybody looking for a HD set with the features it offers.
On: 2006-11-24
Selected the free shipping and was pleasantly supprised. Very speedy delivery to the backwoods of northern Michigan. Arrived in great shape. The picture is amazing, makes you want to watch everything in hi-def.
On: 2006-11-24
This TV has many reasons why it is a great buy for the price.
1. The picture is excellent and responds well to movies, games, and over-the-air TV.
2. The casing is a nice shiny black and it is very small in terms of depth, easy to fit anywhere.
3. Sound it great, just dont use the SRS because it makes the sound bad.
4. Theres a "game mode" which I think eliminates the video signal processing to avoid any fuzzying up of the picture (since the signal from the game console should be "perfect").
5. The brightness of the screen is excellent (especially within the range of viewing angles) - easily visible in the daytime even with outside lighting from windows/lamps.
6. Menu navigation is straightforward though a little sluggish/tedious when deleting/adding channels manually.
7. With 1080p, this TV is well positioned to last for 10+ years.
8. Over the air reception is excellent, and with the right antenna placed correctly, I am able to receive all the major networks in HDTV (i.e. cable quality w/o paying for cable).
On: 2006-11-21
December 6th up-date: TV is still working wonderfully. We noticed a number of folks commented about a slight fan hum. We thought we would clarify our comment as to not hearing the lamp fan what-so-ever. We have an inset area for the unit built into the wall (so the unit is flush w/ the wall). Perhaps this is the reason we dont hear any fan noise even with the volume very low (yes, the fan is working...). One other thing, we mentioned a free mp3 player & NFL gift certificate and Ive checked and these are no longer available (though Samsung will probably offer something else soon). Good luck w/ your HDTV shopping. This one should be high on your consideration list.
Original review: We are thoroughly enjoying this TV. Finally up-graded from a Sony 27 inch standard TV and are really happy with our decision to go with this HDTV. We had waited and waited as we wanted to technology to overcome a number of issues before buying. These were as follows (for DLP): "rainbow" effect, image problems (artifacts) w/ fast moving scenes, inconsistent colors, poor black levels, and loud lamp fan. The 7th generation DPLs spin the color wheel so fast (14,400 rpms) that "rainbow" effect issues are pretty well history. This, along with improved processors, has all but eliminated artifacts in fast moving scenery. The colors are great and extremely natural (helped by a new 5 segment color wheel). The 10,000 to 1 contract ratio produces outstanding black levels. Finally, we are not able to hear the lamp fan what-so-ever.
Also, we had wanted to wait for 1080p technology. Though it is not being utilized too much now, it will be in the future. Another great plus in waiting is HDMI technology is now becoming standard on HDTVs and it is an important feature to get the most out of an HDTV. LCD and Plasmas have had their list of issues too which have been largely overcome. One could make effective arguments for these technologies also. However, after a lot of research, we confidently felt that that this HDTV is the best value for the money. You WILL pay more to get a LCD or Plasma 1080p HDTV with this good of a picture.
Our decision had basically come down to two models, this one and Sonys 50 inch SXRD (another LCD technology). These two units deliver basically "perfect" pictures (if you search the web, youll find that many other people boiled it down to these two units too). If both units were the same price, we probably would have gone with the Sony (though it is splitting hairs). However, the Sony would have been $350 more to get from a reliable on-line source and Samsung was also including a free $100 MP3 player and $100 NFL gift shop certificate (makes it a $550 difference).
While we dont like the idea of replacing the lamp every two years or so ($200 each time), we do like that a DLP will basically perform as new when changing the lamp (the material that makes up LCDs and Plasmas can degrade over time though not too much of an issue anymore). Projection LCDs (and SXRDs) have a lamp that will need replaced too. The good news is that technology is solving the lamp issue also by replacing the projection bulb with LED lights (LED also will totally eliminate rainbow possiblity). However, right now it is TOO expensive and we were tired of waiting to buy a HDTV (see Samsungs LED DLP).
Point is, a lot of people that bought an HDTV one to three years ago will be looking to buy another one soon when they see the recent considerable improvements. We are hoping that well feel good about what we see in front of us for the next 10 years (and think we will as the picture is outstanding). We believe our next HDTV will be a SED by Toshiba / Canon which is a technology just starting to be massed produced (far superior to DLP, LCD & Plasma - look it up on the web). By the time we up-grade from this unit, SEDs will be cheap (or maybe some other technology just as good). Final comment - NO problem with shipping as we know this is a concern for a lot of people.
On: 2006-11-19
Great HDTV for the Price Conscious Consumer
I have owned and been using this TV for 45 days.
This HDTV is excellent. All programming broadcast in HD is terrific. Analog programming is good. However you will really notice when programs are broadcast is low quality analog. I think this is because of the tremendous difference of the quality and depth that HD brings you. HD sporting events and ESPN are both awesome. The sound quality of the set is excellent; I am speaking of a non-audiophile of course.
The main reason I purchased this TV was because it was 1080p ready and it was a DLP unit. I like that I am able to replace the bulb system when it fails. I did not like the idea of throwing away a plasma or LCD TV when its screen failed. The owners manual has instructions for replacing the bulb.
If you need to connect a component, you should be able to. The component/HDMI/Coax/USB connections are great and user friendly. The TV menu is easy to navigate and is user friendly.
My only concern about purchasing this product on Amazon was the "Freight" shipping. Eagle Freight was AWESOME. The gentleman brought it into the house and helped me set it up and turn it on. The box had no dings, dents for punctures.
Pro: Excellent Picture and Sound Quality. Slim profile for a rear projection TV. Beautiful appearance of TVs exterior. FREE SPEEDY AND PROFESSIONAL SHIPPING
Con: None
Recommendation: Connect this TV to an HD antenna. You will be amazed at what your local channels are broadcasting in HD over the air. Our local PBS station is broadcasting 4 channels in HD. Cox Cable only carries 1. The local NBC, ABC and FOX affiliates broadcast 24 hour weather programming in addition to regular programming, again, this is not broadcast by Cox Cable.
On: 2006-11-18
Great HDTV for the Price Conscious Consumer
I have owned and been using this TV for 45 days.
This HDTV is excellent. All programming broadcast in HD is terrific. Analog programming is good. However you will really notice when programs are broadcast is low quality analog. I think this is because of the tremendous difference of the quality and depth that HD brings you. HD sporting events and ESPN are both awesome. The sound quality of the set is excellent; I am speaking of a non-audiophile of course.
The main reason I purchased this TV was because it was 1080p ready and it was a DLP unit. I like that I am able to replace the bulb system when it fails. I did not like the idea of throwing away a plasma or LCD TV when its screen failed. The owners manual has instructions for replacing the bulb.
If you need to connect a component, you should be able to. The component/HDMI/Coax/USB connections are great and user friendly. The TV menu is easy to navigate | | |
