If you ask Samsung, they'll tell you that 60 percent of all TVs sold by Christmas will be 1080p. Given that plasma and LCD technologies continue to improve as prices continue to fall this could well be true. But, the question we need to ask is: will anyone get any benefit out of a 32-inch, 1080p television in your average living space? The LA32A650A1 is an interesting experiment, then.
Upside
*cue pompous fashion commentators voice* This season, red! … is the new black.
LG has their Scarlet TV and Samsung has their Crystal Design. If you have a red feature wall then do the Koreans have the TVs for YOU! Samsung's flagship televisions sport the Crystal design which uses a finish invented by car manufacturers and is "inspired by the glass-blowers of Murano, Italy" apparently. What you get is a slight red accent which is a lot subtler in person than it appears in the product shots here. CNET Asia's Philip Wong may be gaga over it, but we'll just say that it looks "nice".
Design notwithstanding, the TV also packs a variety of features into the box. First is the 1920 by 1080 resolution, followed by a whopping four HDMI ports, a 100Hz mode and a "wheel" remote.
Downside
For us, 1080p is too large a resolution for such a small TV. There's no real way you'll be able to distinguish differences between it and 720p at your average one to two-metre distance. But on the flipside, it means that you will have access to more content via the HD FTA channels.
Unlike the other TVs in Samsung's new ranges, this TV has a comparatively low dynamic contrast of 15,000:1 (down from a million, but which might as well be a gazillion given the nature of dynamic ratings). This means you won't get the deep, rich blacks you'll see on other 6 series TVs.
Outlook
The design looks great, the feature list is fairly pimped out, but this TV still makes us hesitate. We'd accept a 1080p compatible TV at this size — which means it would downscale to 720p or the equivalent — if it meant outlaying less cash. Will the public go for it? Time will only tell.
tee
26/06/2008, 04:05 PM
rating
8/10
was looking to get one of these for my bedroom.... but are cnet sure about 100hz on the 32"? The samsung website boasts about 100" in its product descriptions for all the sets 40" and above in the six series but there's no mention of 100hz on the 32" page... bit of a shame if it's not there, 100hz is great for gaming (even if it's a little odd for movies), i'd take it over 1080p functionality even.
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col
23/05/2008, 03:48 PM
rating
7/10
A great looking TV but of course yet to see the pic quality but i cant see anything wrong with a 32" FULLD HD set , i think sony has one on the way.
Pros: Hopefully top picture in 32" size
Cons: Price and possible bad sound due to downward firing speakers.
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