Samsung LE40C650 LCD TV Review
The leading manufacturer of flat TVs and the Mega Korean giant, Samsung, has incessantly been researching trying to bring about some high quality video processing together with comprehensive options when it comes to configuration, which is exactly why Samsung’s options continue to be exceptionally tempting. Akin to the hour-glass models who are having a great impact on the ramp, the C650 seems to push against the tide of stick thin flat panel TVs and it is strangely refreshing. Though the LE40C650 is not the cheapest LCD TV in the current market, this Samsung model for under £650 is an absolute steal. This is more than just another budget television, being packed with Samsung’s latest multimedia features and online trickery. The LE40C650 helps to put the aging Liquid Crystal Display back on the map with excellent picture quality and all rounded usability. Read on to find out its design, features and performance in detail.
Design:
A Beauty:
The Samsung LE40C650 LCD TV steals your mind even before it is switched on. True to their claim the ‘crystal’ design sure does captures the quintessence of natural beauty. This simply well describes the shiny back screen encase and the transparent lip. The transparent neck to the desktop stand; and the infusion of a touch of red, especially into the little arc that drops down from the centre section of the TV’s bottom edge has Samsung’s signature etched all over it and promises to a wide fan base. Another nice touch to the aesthetics is that, at the back of the screen it is given a finishing tough with a metallic finish, unlike the reliance on cheap plastic which most of the top brands often do.
Ports and Connectivity:
Well, you might not be able to hide your disappointment seeing the chunky rear of the LE40C650 in comparison to the impossibly lithe profiles of the competing LED models of Samsung. That said, it can be forgiven as the LCD TV has been given ample connectivity options. Samsung has equipped the LE40C650 LCD Television with four HDMI inputs, which should be plentiful for majority of its users, out of which three are located in the rear with a fourth one sitting on the side panel. In the side panel, you will also find a composite video input, two 2.0 USB inputs together with stereo analogue audio ports. Moving towards the rear panel, which sports a few RGB SCARTs, a VGA PC input, one set of component video inputs, an Ethernet LAN port and an RF aerial input. Acoustics has been taken care of by an optical digital audio output, analogue stereo audio inputs and a headphone jack.
Features:
Being a budget model, the Samsung LE40C650 does not be a miser when it comes to features set with a Freeview HD tuner, a Full HD panel alongside HyperReal picture processing, AllShare DLNA streaming over a home network and Samsung’s own Internet@TV online platform.
Internet@TV:
Though the USB feature is very handy and interesting, most consumers will be eager at using Samsung’s beefed-up Internet@TV service. By default, the Internet@TV has been powered by a wired Ethernet LAN port on board, which requires trailing a cable at the rear of the set from your broadband router. If that does not sound practical to you, Samsung also makes a wireless WiFi dongle available, which costs about £40 to £50 that can be plugged in directly to any of the two USB ports. Predictive text together with the dedicated and busy home screen that sees cluttering of icons for each service are both, new to the Internet@TV feature.
You will also find a very handy window for either Blu-ray or live TV, but the irritating thing is that, the Internet@TV shuts down on its own and returns to that source if left untouched for a minute or so. New in the list for 2010 is Twitter, Lovefilm, Google maps and some on-demand History Channel programmes, with other apps available for GettyImages, Picassa, YouTube, AccuWeather and USA Today. You will also find a host of minor apps such as Quizz Master, Texas Hold ‘Em, and Sudoku. The key issue with this feature, is the absence of apps when it comes to on-demand TV hubs like the BBC iPlayer or the ITV Player. One cannot but agree the fact that the interface for such increasing amount of online content is kind of getting rather cumbersome and passé, but then again it’s functional.
AllShare:
The AllShare has been well presented and is pretty much steadfast with videos, photos and music, but typically when it comes to DLNA offerings, this feature from Samsung is again restricted to a PC only.
Electronic Program Guide:
Electronic Program Guide, which is simply heaps to handle. This eight days EPG has been given a stylish presentation with a Freeview HD logo above a cute little thumbnail of the current live channel on the TV. Alongside this one might find the programme details along with a short synopsis, then again the latter is just a one liner and if you wish to gain access to the synopsis, you will have to use the Info button found in the remote. With about a third of the display’s real estate already occupied, the listings have been set out below it for just six channels over a couple of hours. However, it is also possible for you to swap to an entire evening’s schedules on a single channel. Though the EPG might seem kind of messy for some, trust us, the software blazes through and is fairly responsive to directions from the remote control, be it swapping to a different day or skipping time periods occurs in the blink of an eye. Pressing the Content button from the remote directs you to a screen where there is a display of rolling icons for AllShare DLNA, Media Play and Internet@TV.
Warranty:
Samsung offers LE40C650 LCD TV one year warranty for parts and labour.
Verdict:
The Samsung LE40C650 LCD TV is a dream LCD TV for anybody on a budget. It is equipped with some amazing features such as DivX HD files, Media Player software for USB playback, eight day EPG and Freeview HD. Performance wise, the hi-def sharpness together with colours sure is impressive, as is the sense for depth and seamless movement – thanks to the 100Hz engine. Despite having a tempting set of features, the LE40C650 is actually a low-end line up of Samsung for 2010. This is just misleading and proof of just how far the flat TVs have come at the moment. Just for an additional £200, you will get the C750 Series, that adds up 3D compatibility with 200Hz Motion Plus. With such all round design, features and performance, the Samsung LE40C650 LCD TV is hard to resist.
Samsung LE40C650 LCD TV – Technical Specification Table
| Manufacturer | Samsung |
| Model Name | Samsung LE40C650 LCD TV |
| Dimensions (W x H X D) | 976.2 x 659.3 x 255mm |
| Colour | Black |
| Weight | 17.7kg |
| Screen Size | 40″ (101cm) |
| Resolution | 1920 x 1080 Pixels |
| Vesa Wall Mount Support | Yes (32 – 40″ : 200 x 200) |
| Peak Luminance Ratio | 65% |
| Dynamic Contrast Ratio | TBD |
| LCD 100Hz | Yes |
| Picture engine | HyperReal Engine |
| Dolby | Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Pulse |
| SRS | SRS TheaterSound |
| Speaker | 10W x 2 |
| dts 2.0 + Digital Out | Yes |
| Speaker Type | Down Firing |
| Woofer | No |
| Input and Output | |
| HDMI | 4 (Side : 1 , Back : 3) |
| USB | 2 (Side) |
| Composite (AV) | 1 |
| Audio Out L-R (Mini Jack) | No |
| Component (Y/Pb/Pr) | 1 |
| RF Input | 1 |
| Headphone | 1 |
| Digital Audio Out (Optical) | 1 |
| DVI Audio In (Mini Jack) | 1 |
| Ethernet (LAN) | 1 |
| CI Slot | 1 |
| Scart | 2 |
| PC In (D-sub) | 1 |
| Colour | Rose Black |
| Swivel | Yes |
| Eco friendly | Yes |
| Wide colour enhancer | Yes |
| Clear Motion Rate | TBD |
| Other features | Internet@TV Allshare (Powerd by DLNA) BD Wise Channel List USB-Clone Anynet+ (HDMI-CEC) Auto Channel Search Clock & On/Off timer EPG Game mode Picture-in-Picture WiFi Adaptor Support Sleep Timer Digital Noise Filter Teletext (TTXT) Wireless Remote Control |
| Power Consumption | < 0.30 W |
| Warranty | 1 year |
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