Background:

Bought a new LCD TV to watch the Olympics in high-definition. I thought I would buy locally, but I wound up using Amazon instead, mostly because the exact make/model wasn't easily found where I live. I looked closely at all the affordable makes (eg, not Sony or Panasonic, but Toshiba, Samsung, Vizio, LG, Sharp, etc.). I also looked at Consumer Reports to get reliability reports, and decided to not buy an extended warranty as a result (LCD TVs are very reliable). My brother bought a Toshiba TV and really likes it. I thought even the Vizio TVs looked good.

I ultimately chose this particular Samsung model on the strength of my affection for their cell phones and for the very good reviews overall, particular for this particular TV. I needed a TV that would fit my entertainment armoire, meaning either a 32" or 37" (I'm very glad I chose the 37" now that I've got it).

Positives:

The picture really is outstanding, period. By that I mean that, right out of the box, without doing anything except tuning to a digital TV channel, the resulting picture is gorgeous. Flesh tones are natural. Colors are vivid. The whites are WHITE and the blacks are deep ebony. And I didn't touch any of the oodles of control settings that are available (if you are a tinkerer, you'll leave all the settings you can tweak...I just wanted something that looked great without any fuss). I like the side jacks to make hooking things up easy. I only use a digital broadcast TV and DVDs -- no cable or satellite -- and both broadcast TV and the DVDs look great.

The remote control is long and slender -- not particularly noteworthy except is can be illuminated if you want (not a big deal for me). It's much more than what I'm used to.

I haven't used the feature yet, but I like that it's got a USB port -- it'll make showing photos really easy in the future. It also provides an easy way to update the TV's firmware in the future.

Negatives:

If you've read any reviews on this set at all, you'll read that the audio is unimpressive, even disappointing. Mind you, the speakers aren't in front of the set -- I'm not sure where they are, actually -- and the sound that comes out is really inadequate to the picture. Even using the equalizer function, the sound is not rich or inviting at all. So, sound is the weak link for this TV. However, I've hooked my TV up to my stereo, so for movie watching, I'm not using the TV speakers. For watching TV news or a lot of other shows -- even the Olympics -- the TV sound is adequate, just not great. But you already know that by now.

One other thing I don't like is that, when hooked into my stereo, the Mute button on the remote doesn't mute the sound. That wouldn't be a problem if my stereo had a remote with a mute button on it, but I've got an older Yamaha receiver without a remote. So, it's a drawback for me, maybe not for you.

Oh, and I was thrown for a loop by the product dimensions -- the published dimensions don't include the TV base! I estimated a space for the TV that would be less than 24", but with the stand, it's more than 24"! Beware!

In sum, if they had added a nicer, beefer speaker system built-in, it'd be a 5-star product. If you've got a home theater set-up, this is a 5-star TV, hands-down. If you're going to use the built-in speakers, however, it's only a 4-star product. Go to a local electronics dealer and be sure to test out the sound on the TV you want to buy. My brother did this and chose his Toshiba TV on the strength of its picture AND sound.
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