Samsung LN32B540P TV.LCD.720p.3HDMI.USB.PC
Product Description
This SAMSUNG LCD HDTV features 720p high definition resolution. A 60,000:1 contrast ratio takes contrast and brightness to a new level with bold blacks and bright whites. Three HDMI connections let you hook up a gaming console, DVD player and more. You can see why this SAMSUNG LCD TV is a must have for everyone. And since its Energy Star compliant, youll save on your electric bill…. More >>
- CCFLCold Cathode Fluorescent lamp
- 60,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio
- 720P HD-Grade 1366 (H) x 768 (V) pixel resolution: High-resolution pixel density is combined with a
- Touch of Color(ToC): Samsung’s unique manufacturing process accents the surrounding bezel with a sty
- Built-in digital tuner: No external box
Compared to what Sony, LG and Sharp offer, the Samsung LN32B540 32″ 720p HDTV is a hair better when it comes to picture and sound quality, features and overall design. The features this unit has are incredible (when they work). Things like 6-12 hours advanced TV-Guide “type” listings, detailed program description, earphone output, quick channel switching and “turn-on”.
But…as they say, nothing is perfect. Two negative things found in this unit are (1) a confusing warranty, and (2) defective time/time zone settings.
(1) The box the LN32B540 comes packed in has printed on both front and back panels and one of the side panels, the following warranty statement: “1 year In-Home Service Warranty that Includes Parts & Labor”. BUT, the warranty card included in the sealed envelope which also contains the User Manual states: “1 year “CARRY-IN” warranty service.
(2)In addition, this LN32B540 model (and reportedly other Samsung models including Plasma) have the following problem. After selecting your time-zone (ie: Pacific Daylight Time (PDT), then entering the MM/DD/YYYY and setting the time, aLL times showed when you press the “INFO” button on the remote are INCORRECT (except the date/time shown next to MM/DD/YYYY in upper left corner.)
In addition, setting the system as directed, ALSO gives incorrect times in the advanced program feature when pushing “CHLIST” and “RIGHT >” on remote. This error also prevents use of the “TIMED CHANNEL SWITCHING” function. (Appears Samsung’s software engineers “goofed” when compiling the firmware, or possibly the clock in their lab was incorrect
)
With a quick fix of these problems, this HDTV could earn a 4 Star rating. (But, from their past performance, it’s doubtful Samsung plans to improve their product support, which IMHO carries a -5 stars rating.)
Before you buy ANY Samsung product …..check their support blog at CNET for buyer problems and how Samsung is handling (or NOT handling) them.
Since I don’t do a lot of TV watching (except football), I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on a TV, and since I do most of my TV watching in a small room, 32″ was plenty huge for me. I have had fantastic luck with my other Samsung HDTV, so I had no qualms about buying another one.
I just got this, so I can’t comment on the longevity of the unit, but the picture quality is brilliant. It only took a few seconds to set up, since all I needed to do was plug in the HDMI cable, place the batteries in the remote, and turn it on. No adjustments were needed. When I take the time to see what adjustments I can make, I will likely be even more pleased. The sound is excellent, but not fantastic. But, when I hook it up to my stereo, it sounds awesome.
When it came time to replace the finally failing 27 yr ancient Sony in the bedroom,I looked of course back at Sony and others.After much research, I settled on Samsung,Panasonic, and Sony 32″ sets.Each time I viewed the sets, the Panasonic and Samsung were the two favs. Side by side, the Samsung blew the Panasonic off the shelf with better blacks( though I’m sure the Panny plasmas would have been better) and color accruracy.Other buy pushers were the better jack pack on the Samsung, more attractive design(like the clear/red lower panel) and it swivels on the stand.The set up was super simple and the reward has been hours of fantastic picture.
I’ve used this set for about 3 weeks now and done some really critical viewing with SD/HD cable as well as DVD playback. I have been very impressed with the picture quailty of the higher def sources and especially the 720 and 1080 pictures.Yeah I know it’s not really 1080 but watching NBC or CBS shows over the ABC(720) is an impressive difference.The picture simply pops with detail and color that is astounding. The DVD playback has also been a revelation and the blacks are I reckon rivaling the 36″ XBR Sony in the home theater.The depth of field is no doubt better. The STD def TV is fine and simply reminds one how much the source does matter.That would be why I just bought a DVR to finally retire the VCR and then I can use the HDMI connections. The most obvious weakness of this set(along with most flat screens) has to be the weak sound quailty which I knew about and was OK for the bedroom( also connected it to a stereo for movies).
What I would change are a few ergonomic issues. The remote feels fantastic but is neither backlit or programmable ,real pain in a darkened bedroom.Going to another source cannot be directly accessed with one button but only thru a menu.The same is right for the sleep timer, a multibutton trek thru a menu, again not dark bedroom friendly.Oddly, while I like the turn on/off tone(reminds me of my Apple booting up), I wish I could lower it’s volume so the set coming on doesn’t disturb the sleeping partner.
Overall, I am very very pleased with this first non Sony TV in the house and will look forward to another Samsung if this gives equally fantastic service.
I got this TV less than 6 months ago. Luckily for me I was still under warranty. One year with Samsung and an additional year with Costco. One minute I had picture and sound, the next only sound. The Samsung technician agreed immediately it was an issue and told me I had to ship to their repair center in New Jersey. I still had the box so shipping was not a huge deal. If I had not kept the box, it would have been very inconvenient.
I don’t know if this is right but I read that the Samsung LCD HDTV has a well know problem of faulty video board which causes the picture to go out. I was plotting on purchasing another Samsung TV but I’ll probably go with a Sony instead.
I bought a Samsung 46″ LCD TV last year and loved the picture quality, so this year when I looked to buy a computer monitor I chose to check out Samsung again. Finally I settled for this unit (Samsung LN32B540 32″ 720p HDTV) at COSTCO for below $400 this past Thanksgiving weekend after I spent some time comparing its picture quality and price to similar products at both local COSTCO and Sam’s Club as well as in Amazon.com.
Now I use this unit as both HDTV and my laptop’s extra monitor. The setup is really simple, and the auto time setting was indeed incorrect as others stated here (it’s an hour quicker), but the problem is easily fixed by using “manual” time setting. I didn’t notice this issue until I read about it here…
After trying a few different video modes within Windows Control Panel, Show Settings, I was able to manually set the optimal resolution at 1360×768, and the text clarity, color, and size are just perfect. The 32″ size is huge enough for me as both a HDTV and computer monitor in my home office. With one click on the remote I can switch the “Source” between “TV” and “PC”; I can go windows freely between my laptop screen and this unit with a mouse, which really helps my productivity when I work with multiple EXCEL files and web pages.
Picture quality is not the best, but decent, when watching web TVs/videos, Netflix online movies, or DVDs using my laptop (my laptop has only a regular VGA video output). But for less than $400 I couldn’t question for more.
This unit fits my home office needs nearly perfectly at a very reasonable price. I couldn’t be more pleased for this buy and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a two-in-one LCD TV and computer monitor combo!