Samsung LN52A650 52-Inch 1080p 120 Hz LCD HDTV with Red Touch of Color Reviews
Other products by Samsung Ratting 4.5 Out of 5.0 Special Offer Total New 0 Total Use 2
Manufacturer’s Description
Get innovative HD design and performance on a brilliant 52-inch LCD screen. The Samsung 52″ LCD HDTV has superior picture quality with a unique bezel design. The Touch of Color accents the top and bottom edges of the bezel with a unique amber tone. Full 1080p HD resolution and 50,000:1 dynamic-contrast ratio offer stunning image detail and vivid colors. Auto Motion Plus 120Hz and Ultra Clear Panel technology work together to offer the smoothest motion and boldest bright and dark tones. Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp – Provides colors in your picture that were not available before Fast 4ms response time minimizes blurring of moving video Widescreen NTSC/ATSC Tuners with Clear QAM Ultra clear panel enhances contrast and reduces reflection Viewing Angle – 178 x 178 Degrees DNIe (Digital Natural Image Engine) delivers a crisp, lifelike picture that is closer to film Auto volume leveler Audio amplifier – Watts per channel – 10 Watts x 2 channels to bottom downfiring speakers SRS TruSurround XT sound delivers virtual surround using built-in speakers 4 HDMI, 2 Component video, RF antenna inputs S-video, A/V, PC inputs Hook up your MP3 player or digital camera via the Wiselink USB 2.0 connection Headphone output HDMI-CEC allows peripherals to be controlled by remote control Stereo broadcast reception (MTS & SAP) with 181 channels Picture-in-Picture V-Chip Auto wall mount compatible – 3-dimensional operation via TV’s control Swivel stand Wheel key remote control English, Spanish & French on-screen displays Variable sleep timer Dimensions – without stand – 50.2 x 31.7 x 4.1; with stand – 50.2 x 34.1 x 12.8 Weight – without stand – 64.6 lbs.; with stand – 76.7lbs.
Manufacturer’s Description Samsung adds a Touch of Color to a blazing-fast 4ms response time and rich connectivity features to redefine the role HDTVs play in the home with its forward-looking Series 6 (A650) and Series 7 (A750) LCD HDTVs. Utilizing the award-winning technologies found in all Samsung HDTVs, Series 6 and 7 HDTVs deliver unparalleled picture quality and enhanced connectivity and networking capabilities that create a true entertainment hub for any home. Series 7 takes networking and multimedia management to a whole new level. Consumers can easily enjoy MPEG and JPEG files stored on external devices by connecting through a side-mounted USB 2.0, turning their LCD into a full-scale home viewing gallery, or connect their MP3 players for a dynamic audio experience.
Key Features
- New — 50,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio: up from 25,000:1 on 2007 models (Learn more)
- New — Blazing 4ms response time: down from 8ms on 2007 models thanks to a new high-speed liquid crystal
- New — Transparent and Opaque Color (TOC) bezel with infused color creates an ultra-sleek shape and appearance (Learn more)
- New — InfoLink: Get free RSS feeds of news, weather and sports right to your HDTV with a built-in Ethernet port (Learn more)
- New — 4 HDMI 1.3 ports: Simplay compliant, and up from 3 on 2007 models (Learn more)
- New — Sports and Game modes boost on-screen performance and interaction with the latest gaming systems
- New — Side-mounted USB 2.0 port: connect USB devices directly to your HDTV to view JPEG photos or MPEG movies or easily listen to your MP3 player through your HDTV’s audio system or your home theater system.
- New — Compatible with Samsung’s Home Digital Media Adapter (sold separately) for playback and navigation of Internet and stored PC multimedia
- Full 1080p HD (Learn more)
- Automotion Plus 120Hz image interpolation technology provides smoother motion (Learn more)
- 178-degree viewing angle from all four axes with Super Patterned Vertical Alignment (Learn more)
- Better clear panel technology for deeper blacks and more vibrant colors (Learn more)
- Hidden speakers with SRS TruSurround XT audio (Learn more)
- Cold Cathode Flourescent Lamp (CCFL) and Wide Color Enhancer technology offer a wider color range (Learn more)
- Picture-in-Picture (PIP) enables convenient simultaneous viewing of TV programs and video or PC sources
- V-Chip system1 allows blocking of rated TV and movie programs determined by the parent to contain objectionable content.
- Trilingual on-screen displays in English, Spanish or French.
- Variable sleep timer to turn the TV off in varying time intervals.
- Auto wall mount compatible: 3-dimensional operation via TV’s remote control; no external IR receiver required.
- Swivel stand included
- 1 year parts and 1 year labor warranty (90 days parts and labor for commercial use), with in-home service, backed by Samsung toll-free support.
Step-Up Features
- Series 7: Internal flash memory (1GB) with pre-loaded interactive content such as cooking recipes, children’s entertainment, HD artwork and more, Integrated woofer for an enhanced audio experience, DLNA-Compatibility for better interopability with electronics, computers and mobile devices from many different manufacturers (Learn more)
- Series 8: super-slim 1.9-inch thick profile
- Comparison of Features for various Samsung LCD HDTV models
- What size TV should you get?
Learn More
Touch of Color
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Samsung’s Series 6 marks the first appearance of TOC (Touch of Color) design in the 2008 LCD HDTV line-up. Inspired by designs from the automotive and fashion industries, Samsung’s unique unique Transparent and Opaque Color molding process creates a clean, smooth finish infused with a hint of a translucent color during the manufacturing process for an ultra-sleek appearance. |
InfoLink
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Up-to-the-minute access to weather, news, sports and stock information is just a cable and a click away through the HDTV’s Ethernet port and new InfoLink RSS service. An all-new user interface with digital contents management guide provides intuitive navigation and access to both internal and external content. |
Auto Motion Plus 120Hz
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This technology doubles the frame rate from 60 to 120 frames per second (120Hz LCD panel) without repeating the same image to make more frames. Instead, the TV intelligently calculates the ‘middle’ image between frame A and frame B and inserts it in between (Auto Motion Plus 120Hz processor), making a fluid transition from one frame to the next. | ![]() |
Super Clear Panel
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Samsung enhances the clarity of select LCD HDTVs by replacing the light-diffusing plastic face of traditional LCD HDTVs with a natural black panel with a clear anti-glare shield. Reduced reflection of external light creates a new dimension in image clarity, highlighting black and darkened areas, enabling vibrant, more compelling colors and a brighter, clearer picture. Black will never again appear grayish. Black details will show in vivid black even in dark scenes.
The latest version of Samsung’s breakthrough super clear panel technology makes colors appear more vibrant and blacks even deeper than ever. Enhanced films reduce glare and optimize off-angle viewing. |
50,000:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio/500 nit Brightness
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50,000:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio will give you a picture better than you ever thought possible, with whiter whites, blacker blacks and a nearly infinite subtlety of gradations in between. As two of the most important determining factors in overall picture quality, contrast and brightness levels achieve new heights in this latest generation LCD panel. Samsung’s new LCD TV’s give the most stunning realistic picture quality ever. |
Full HD 1080P
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Full HD, or 1080p, contains 1.5 times more scanning lines than conventional HD TVs. More scanning lines mean more pixels, more details and a better picture. The new Samsung LCD TV with resolution that is approximately 2 times greater than conventional HDTVs, creating the most perfect picture imaginable.
Samsung’s 1080p panel uses a new high-speed liquid crystal to cut response time to 4ms. The fast response time, coupled with Samsung’s Auto Motion Plus 120Hz motion blur reduction technology dramatically reduces motion blur and judder. |
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Digital Natural Image Engine
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DNIe™ The Samsung Digital Natural Image engine. This exclusive Samsung technology dramatically improves the picture by enhancing the contrast, detail, white balance and reduces. | ![]() |
Wide Color Enhancer/Cold Cathode Flourescent Lamp
The NTSC (National Television Systems Committee) has established the color standards all TVs in America try to meet. And typical LCD TVs only meet about 72% of this standard. Samsung LCD HDTVs use Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp backlights to give you 92% coverage of the NTSC standard, ensuring truer, more breathlessly vivid colors.
Samsung’s exclusive Wide Color Enhancer technology delivers more brilliant colors, even in bright areas of the picture where blues and greens are washed out on conventional screens. The system displays wider color reproduction, showing you truer colors – the fresh green of spring foliage, the intense blue of the summer sky. |
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Connectivity
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To make the Series 6 a true entertainment hub for any home, Samsung has incorporated advanced HD connectivity and networking capabilities that expand the HDTV’s functionality. A wide variety of multimedia devices can be connected to the set through any one of the four Simplay compliant HDMI 1.3 inputs (including one on the side), and the handy HDMICEC feature lets you control all your CEC-enabled peripherals using just one remote.
Connect HD digital devices like disc players, game consoles, and satellite dish components into the 2 rear connections and use the side-mounted input for cameras, camcorders, and laptops. HDMI is the best performing interface for displaying an HD source on an HDTV. Once connected, users can easily access device menus and manage and display content through the newly redesigned Wheel Key Remote control and the HDTV’s sophisticated content management interface. All Connections
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Super Patterned Vertical Alignment
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Samsung’s Super Patterned Vertical Alignment (SPVA) panel provides a 178-degree viewing angle from all four axes |
Audio Features
SRS TruSurround XT technology delivers an amazing, simulated 3D effect with clear dialog and powerful bass.
TruSurround XT audio also adds three audio enhancement technologies to produce an amazingly immersive sound experience.
- Dialog Clarity brings movie dialog into Focus during the playback of any surround-encoded material to make speech much clearer and crisper.
- TruBass creates incredible deep rich bass allowing a person to perceive significantly deeper, richer low bass tones that are far beyond the physical low frequency capabilities of the speaker itself.
- The SRS WOW feature widens the soundstage by processing standard two-channel stereo material as well as multi-channel encoded material for a dramatic improvement in the playback of any stereo audio over a two-speaker system.
Which Size HDTV is Right for My Room?
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With standard-definition TVs, the rule used to be that viewers would feel comfortable watching a set from a distance of 3 to 6 times the screen size in inches. With HDTV, the resolution is so much better that you can sit closer to a larger TV without noticing the pixels. So with HDTVs, the rule tends to be you can sit anywhere from 1.5 to 3 times the screen size (in inches) for the best experience. If you know the size of the room you have already, where you want to sit, and where your new HDTV should go once you get it, you can figure out the size HDTV you should get.
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Which Samsung LCD HDTV is Right for You?
Series 3Look at Series 3 LCD HDTVs |
19- and 22-inch Models
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26-inch Model Adds
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32-, 37- and 40-inch Models Add
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Series 4 AddsLook at Series 4 LCD HDTVs |
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Series 5 AddsLook at Series 5 LCD HDTVs |
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Series 6 AddsLook at Series 6 LCD HDTVs |
19- and 22-inch Models
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32-inch Model Adds
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40-, 46-, and 52-inch Models Add
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Series 7 AddsLook at Series 7 LCD HDTVs |
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Series 8 AddsLook at Series 8 LCD HDTVs |
Series 8: super-slim 1.9-inch thick profile |
Series 9 AddsLook at Series 8 LCD HDTVs |
Coming Late 2009 |
Technical Details
– Touch of Color Bezel
– Full HD 1080p Resolution
– 120Hz Auto Motion Plus
– 4 HDMI Inputs
– Super Clear Panel
See more technical details
“Great TV!” 2010-10-04
By C. Kiser
We’ve had this TV for about a year now and have no complaints. It’s a fantastic TV. Picture is very clear (the first couple weeks was actually an adjustment period getting used to how ‘fast’ the people on TV seemed to move!). Amazon delivered great service with their ‘white-glove’ delivery also. We still get compliments on this TV on how great the picture is. Can’t go wrong with this purchase!
“defective – turns off by itself, bezel “delaminating?”” 2010-09-14
By TDurden
LCD was great out of the box, however exactly 1 yr+ 1 month it started to turn on and off by itself. We missed the warranty period so I’m going to try my VISA extended warranty to resolve. So disappointed in Samsung. The bezel is also “cracking”, another known issue.
We have 3 other Samsungs and hope we do not have the same issue. Google the problem and it is the capacitors. We are not sure what is going to be covered but for 2k for a TV less than 2 years old we hope it’s not too salty.
“Gorgeous picture. Perfect size.” 2010-08-09
By Stephen Bender (Los Angeles, CA)
Excellent television, picture quality is unsurpassed. Very large, perfect size for a living room. We don’t use the built-in speakers, so I cannot comment on them. Don’t bother using the included remote, spend a little extra money on a Logitech Harmony.
“Was Good While It Lasted” 2010-06-09
By J. Onofrio (New England)
Although the LN2A650 is discontinued, there are newer generations of Samsung TV’s that still get pretty good ratings. I have no reason to believe that their design and/or build quality is worth your time, money, and piece of mind. Don’t be fooled like I was…
I have not owned any other Samsung products and was reluctant to purchase a Samsung TV to begin with, but it came highly rated from reputable consumer and electronics evaluators (i.e. CR, CNET, etc) for picture quality, adjustability, and the like. On October 21, 2008, I was excited to finally be getting rid of my 10 year old 32″ tube and decided to go for the then-well regarded LN52A650. I enjoyed it thoroughly with my 7.1 surround sound system, HD cable channels, PS3 games, and Blu-ray discs. Then on May 27, 2010, it began rapidly cycling on/off for no apparent reason.
A little online research reveals that this has not been an isolated problem. After the TV began cycling on/off, I tried various fixes as directed by Samsung (all to no avail): upgraded the firmware, unplugged it for 30 seconds, removed it from the surge protector and plugged directly into wall outlet, etc. They offered to cover the cost of the replacement of the capacitor, but would not cover anything else. (As a side note, the capacitor was not an issue with my TV in particular, but had been an issue with other Samsung TV’s.)
Samsung tech support, customer service, and repair people were all very friendly, but that does not make up for the fact that the TV was out of warranty and they weren’t inclined to do anything about it. The earliest appointment was two weeks out and the window was an utterly inconvenient seven hours. I took a day off from work, paid $95 for the repair guy to spend no more than 15 minutes with the TV, before I was informed that it needed the LCD panel replaced because of the backlight overloading. The panel with labor would cost nearly a grand and it would take at least a week for the part to ship from California. He emphasized that this LCD replacement panel is “popular” and might be on back order. Even if I were to do the repair there is no guarantee that I wouldn’t have the same problem again.
It is sad that the reliability with these TV’s has been so bad. The repair guy acknowledged that they do give him a fair amount of job security. He also noted that most people choose to buy a new TV rather than have it fixed. It is even more disappointing that Samsung doesn’t stand behind their products more — there is clearly an issue with many of their TV’s (almost seems like they’re following the old Toyota play book).
I guess if I had less faith in Samsung from the start, I’d have gotten an extended warranty. I just thought they had better credibility after having done all of my research before the big purchase. Now all I’m left with is a $2,000 paperweight and the solace of knowing that as the “go-to guy” for all things electronics with my family and friends that I can effectively prevent a few others from purchasing Samsung products in the future.
“Amazing unit…I can’t believe its only $1k” 2010-05-19
By Kevin Moser (Mt. Pleasant, SC)
Went in with my roommate to get this TV about 2 years ago. At the time it was going for $3600, but we bought it from Circuit City for $2100 before the stores closed. I mounted this puppy on the wall of our apartment and never once had an issue with it. The controller that comes with the unit is crappy, but we used a universal one so that didn’t matter. I did a good amount of shopping around and no set came close to consideration compared to this one.
I can tell you right now, this is a steal at just $1k. The gimmicky sellpoints are so mundane now. There has hardly been any noteworthy advances in the television industry in the past two years. Especially to warrant considering a new model upwards of $2k when you would be hard-pressed to notice any clarity difference or quality improvement over this set. 240-hz is just a selling point and hardly makes any difference. And the notion that 3D is going to take over soon is ridiculous. Common consumers were just forced to upgrade their tube TVs to flat panels over the past 5 years. Whoever believes that they would be willing to shell out more big bucks for a 3D-compatible TV is kidding themselves. 3D isn’t even on the horizon at the moment.
Anyone looking for a large flat panel with a beautiful picture, great contrast, and reliable construction…do yourself a favor and pick this baby up. Your wallet will thank you.
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