Samsung LN32A450 Review:
The Samsung LN32A450 720p 32″ LCD TV from Samsung is ideal for your media room with its slim, stylish bezel. This HDTV has an integrated NTSC/ATSC/QAM tuner which receives digital terrestrial and cable signals. The three HDMI inputs allows for one-cable digital connections with your HD gear. The Samsung LN32A450 has a 32″ display which features sharp, realistic imagery combined with SRS TruSurround XT to bring your movies and HD programming to life. The PC input allows this display to double as a 32″ computer monitor.

The Samsung LN32A450 has an all-glossy-black exterior that is definitely better than most cheap LCDs in the market. It has built-in hidden speakers and a subtle see-through strip that curves along the bottom of the frame. It has a pedestal that lets the TV swivel from side to side. The set, along with its stand, measures 39 inches wide by 27.3 inches tall by 11.8 inches deep and weighs 41 pounds. Without the stand, it stands at 39 inches wide by 25.2 inches tall by 3.2 inches deep and weighs 34 pounds.

The Samsung LN32A450 has a native resolution of 1,366×768, which is great fit for a television of this size. As for most Samsung TVs, this model features several ways of adjusting picture quality. The three standard picture modes are each independent per input.

The Samsung LN32A450 shares the same selection of advanced picture settings as the higher-end plasma TVs. They include five color temperature presets along with the capability to fine-tune color using the white balance menu; three varieties of noise reduction, including an automatic setting; a film mode to engage 2:3 pull-down; a seven-position gamma control that affects the TV’s progression from dark to light; a dynamic contrast control that adjusts the picture on the fly; a “black adjust” control that affects shadow detail; and a new color space control that lets you tweak the Samsung’s color gamut.

Samsung LN32A450 Performance:

Black level: The blacks on the Samsung LN32A450 were darker than those of any other set in the comparison, as evinced by the dark opening scene inside Whittier’s house. The shadows in the corners, the letterbox bars, and Agent 47’s black jacket, for example, all appeared darker, adding the usual extra dose of realism associated with solid black levels.

Color accuracy: As with many past Samsung displays we’ve tested, the Samsung LN32A450 performed very well in this area, especially after we tweaked the white balance. 47’s bald dome and the pasty face of Nika, for example, looked neither too warm nor too cool, and we appreciated that color didn’t go bluish in near-dark areas, as we witnessed on the Insignia and the Sharp. Primary colors, such as the red laptop desk in the train station and the green plants outside, were quite close to our reference for color, and well within the Good range.

Video processing: Unlike many HDTVs we’ve tested the Samsung properly de-interlaced 1080i film-based sources when Film Mode was engaged.

When we watched test patterns, however, we noticed that the Samsung didn’t quite resolve as much detail with 1080i sources as did the Insignia, for example. When we checked out the pan across the seats of Raymond James Stadium from the HQV disc, we saw some moire that wasn’t visible on the other sets, another sign of resolution loss. It was very difficult to tell the difference between 1080i and 720p sources on the Samsung, however, and when we watched Hitman at 1080i and compared between the sets, the Samsung LN32A450 didn’t look any less sharp. Still, home theater sticklers should probably set their sources to 720p, when available, for the best picture quality.

Uniformity: The Samsung’s screen was solid in this department; the only issue we saw was very faint horizontal banding in two a narrow range of mid-gray tones, and they were invisible in normal program material. In dark areas, the screen was uniform, with none of the brighter splotches seen on the other LCDs in our comparison.

Standard-definition: The Samsung LN32A450 did an impressive job. Details were sharp, and the set resolved the entire DVD format. It smoothed our diagonal edges well, and engaged 2:3 pull-down quickly . Noise reduction was very effective at cleaning up low-quality sources.

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