Samsung LE40B650 TV: For those without money to throw away

Yesterday, I looked at the superb, but pricey, Philips 40” screen. I said that for the same price you could get 2 and a half of the Samsung LE40B650. So, today I’d like to show why I think the Samsung is the way to go.

This Samsung is not the newest set, having being launched in the middle of last year. However, it is a testament to it's engineering that it is one of the best selling sets. It doesn’t offer the wow factor of a more designed set. It has a black fascia, and I don’t like the way the fascia is bigger at the bottom. Something about LCD TV means they look better with rectangular surrounds. Though on the flip side, I do like the stand. The round chrome post with the black has a style. In no way a disagreeable looking set, but not a prize winner either.

Turn on the set and then you get see the class of it. The picture is clear, the colours are intense and definition is as good as the quality of the source, or even better. Samsung spent a lot of money developing an upscaling chip. On a 40” screen SD pictures can look a little blocky. Upscaling a Freeview feed, for example, can elevate the viewing experience. In the case of the Samsung: yes, the upscaling is good. It also copes equally well with DVD discs which are visibly clearer than on lesser sets. Perhaps slowing the move to Blu-ray quality.

Also, just the like Philips, Samsung has cleverly hidden some high fidelity speakers behind and below the screen. Even though they are downward facing there is no muffling of the sound. Good enough for somebody not looking to go for a home cinema system as well.

Finally, it too gives acess to the Internet through Samsung’s Internet@TV system. This gives access to YouTube, Flikr, news and weather. Its not a quick service – A bit like Ceefax – but it is easy to navigate and it gives an extra dimension to the set.

Overall, you can see that functionality wise there is little between the sets. The Philips picture quality will be higher, if the sets are compared next to each other, but otherwise it will be difficult to notice.

So, I come back to the point I made yesterday. If you like the design of the Philips and you have the money to spend, then it may be the set to go for. However, if you are just after a flat-screen TV, which will not cost too much but give you a great picture then the Samsung should be higher on your list.