Sharp 37 Lcd Televisions

Sharp 37 Lcd televisions

Samsung Un55B8000 Led - Finally An Lcd Competes With The Best Plasmas

The SAMSUNG UN55B8000 LED is Samsung's current flagship model and is the successor to the LN55A950.

Picture Quality
A full LED backlit LCD offering a stunning 7 million:1 contrast seperates the SAMSUNG UN55B8000 LED from other LCDs by reaching deep into pitch black, formely only possible with plasmas. Some LCDs turn off pixels to achieve inky blacks - ok for still pictures, but too slow to work with most video - basically a gimmick to inflate contrast numbers.

The SAMSUNG UN55B8000 LED however, masters the darkest blacks and brightest whites to produce a bold three dimensional effect or "pop." In a dark room, the SAMSUNG UN55B8000 LED outperforms every LCD on the market, shy of the coveted pioneer plasmas. In a moderate to bright environment however, the SAMSUNG UN55B8000 LED  absolutely dominates.

The highly reflective screen can be annoying for those with unfortunately placed light sources or windows without blinds. A matte screen, as on the LG 55LH90, might be a better fit for some, but a matte screen diffuses the light causing the entire screen to lose those desirable inky blacks. I can't say one is better than the other, but for a TV that can produce such dark blacks, I think the glossy screen makes more sense.

Motion handling is the best of any LCD I've seen thanks to seperate blur and judder adjustments and very few motion artifacts. Blu ray discs will exhibit perfect cinema-like panning or, if you want, a more smooth and clear pan similar to a home video. My verizon fios hd occasionally shows judder when there should a smooth flow of movement. The b8500 can help minimalize this, but it is not powerful enough to eliminate it and if set poorly, it can be made worse.

After some quick, basic calibration colors are vivid and mostly accurate. Noise and artifacts are very minimal on 720p and nonexistant on 1080p. Haloing (i.e. white text on black background cause background to lighten near text) is only visible rarely unless viewing from greater than 30° off center and increases in severity as viewing angle increases. Viewing from greater than 30° off center vertically or horizontally also causes a slight loss, contrast and color depth. Viewing from greater than 50° off causes a significant loss in contrast and color, creating a flat image and showing major haloing effects. The ideal viewing range is within 15° of center, though if centered vertically, image is barely degraded at all up to 30° off center. Ideal viewing distance is roughly 8 to 14 feet for 720p and 5 to 10 feet for 1080p, though don't take those numbers too seriously, you can obviously enjoy this tv from just about any distance. At 4 feet or less though, the 46" model is a better choice.

Ease of Use
The preset picture modes are all quite good for those who aren't picky and just want to watch their tv and the SAMSUNG UN55B8000 LED does a decent job of assigning settings automatically based on the input. Of course, high-end buyers are more likely to calibrate sources to their liking or hire a pro. The tv will remember settings for dynamic, natural, standard and movie profiles for each source. That gives you a lot more flexibility than only having one or two, but it is complicated by a confusing lockout of various settings depending on how the source is identified.

You can change the name of a source and find more or less settings available for adjustment, but how this works should be clearly documented. Also, there is a little lag when navigating menus, making constant adjustments of the many, many, many settings somewhat slow and annoying. The layout of the menus themselves and the amount of adjustments available is wonderful. The remote control works using RF so you don't have to point the remote at the tv. The remote is a little bulky, but offers all the buttons you'd want for operating the television easily. The scroll wheel is inaccurate for navigating menus and only really works as a directional pad.

Design
While, I prefer the touch of grey on some other samsung, the small blue light on the bottom of the SAMSUNG UN55B8000 LED is stylish, attractive and best of all, can be turned off. The bezel is attractive, thin, and highly glossy, but can be distracting when it picks up too many reflections. The 1.6" thick screen is amazing, but how often do you look at the side of your tv? The 61 lb. weight without stand is quite light for a 55" tv, but again how often will you move it? It does seem to use fairly little power and creates much less heat than a plasma tv. The swivel stand works well, also quite attractive with a brushed gunmetal finish.

Sound
I did not play around much with the sound as I use a 5.1 setup. I assume most people purchasing this tv will use external speakers, but the internal ones sounded just fine for what they are.

Comparisons
Competing models include the LG 55LH90/55LHZ, Toshiba 670u, Pioneer 500m/600m, Samsung 52B750/55B650/58B860, Sony xbr8 and Panasonic V10. My personal experience with display models showed the plasma screens to perform poorly in bright environments. Given the open layout and 20' ceilings of my living room, plus my wife's preference for at least dim lighting, this ruled out plasmas. The 58B860 in paricular lacked the light output to produce bright enough whites in all but a pitch black environment. The 55LH90 seemed to be the closest competitor and much cheaper, with the xbr8 and 52B750 being close behind. The LH90 however, seemed to produce too many motion artifacts, couldn't deliver quite as much "pop," along with a slew of more minor negatives.

Misc.
Upgrading from a Syntax Olevia 37 hvs (matte screen LCD), this tv has truly blown me away. While the perfect (OLED?) TV is still out of reach, the b8500 leaves little room for improvement. Input lag, a major concern for video gamers, runs under a tolerable 40ms according to my Rock Band 2 manual calibration with game mode turned on. With game mode off, the input lag increases to 140ms, which is easily noticeable. If running through a receiver, try component -> component instead of component -> hdmi for least lag. Game mode disables some processing but not the LED backlighting.

The picture with game mode on even using a component connection (1080p) is incredible, though in need of some anti-aliasing on occasion. Turning off extra processing not disabled by game mode seems to have little effect on further decreasing lag, but I tend to turn them off. Auto motion is disabled in game mode, so expect some minor blur/ghosting.

The SAMSUNG UN55B8000 LED also has a ethernet port for connecting to the internet and your home network (including DLNA or Anynet). A cd included with the tv helps you play media from your PC. Widgets will automatically update to display weather, sports, news, etc., but are a little slow and less convenient than popping open a laptop. Still, it's a good idea to plug in the tv to your router at least occasionally for firmware updates.

Conclusion
For those in the market for a 55" HDTV, the SAMSUNG UN55B8000 LED is the most versatile and polished product out there. While a couple extremely high end plasmas beat out the b8500 in a dark room, no other LCD performs as well and the plasmas quickly lose out as you increase ambient light. The attractive and practical design and feature rich menus complete this incredible package. While the 55LH90 is easy to recommend to those focused on price vs. performance or in love with matte screens, the SAMSUNG UN55B8000 LED is clearly a step up and would make a remarkable addition to any loving home. Prices should come down as we head into the holiday season and onto the super bowl, however these seem to be selling as fast as they arrive for now.

UPDATE: After upgrading to firmware 1008, I experienced a sort of "crop circles" phenomenon caused by a malfunction in the smart LED backlighting. If you search online, you'll find several reports as it is a very widespread problem. I have posted a picture exhibiting the problem above. It can be fixed easily by turning your tv off and on again, but may reappear occasionally. I'm guessing it will be fixed by firmware update eventually, but no word from Samsung. Regardless, I'm still very pleased with my purchase. If the crop circles weren't so easy to fix, I'd probably be fairly upset with the problem. However, it was subtle enough only to notice against a still, uniform and light background.

2nd Update: Crop circles have not returned yet. I expect them to from time to time, but it seems more of a random thing than a problem that takes time to set in. Forum posters seem to have received word from Samsung that this issue is resolved and they are starting to roll out firmware updates (for now just as usb sticks to those reporting the problem)

As for calibration, I used Spears & Munsil High-Definition Benchmark Blu-ray Disc Edition [Blu-ray] to get my brightness, contrast and sharpness set properly. I came up with very similar numbers to what I've seen others post. Contrast 87, Brightness 47, Sharpness 30 (though I couldn't tell much difference fro 0 to 30). Setting the color space requires pro equipment, so I looked online for some numbers and they seemed to work better than default. Of course, it's a great idea to get your set calibrated by a pro because optimal color settings are not going to be the same between most b8500's. I use dynamic profile for daytime, standard for game mode, natural for sports (and some other tv shows), and movie for everything else.

More Detail...

About the Author

See More Great Reviews Click Here!

What is your preferred LCD TV to be used as a monitor?

READ CAREFULLY here. I have a Sharp Aquos 37" LCD TV. There were many different models of the 37" Aquos LCD TV. Some came with a VGA adapter, some came with a DVI (HDMI) adapter, and some didn't come with any. The native resolution is an awkward one. I've connected my computer to this television in every possible way, using every possible cable at every possible resolution. I either get no picture, blurry picture, pixelated picture or ghosted picture. When used as a TV, it is awesome! When used as a monitor, it is very poor. I WANT EVERYONE'S EXPERIENCED OPINION on what they prefer as an LCD TV (not plasma) and I want all the specs too please. I want to know what cable you are using and how it connects. Is it composite, component, DVI/HDMI VGA S-video whatever. I want to know what video card, what resolution on the card AND what the native (preferred/default) resolution is on the LCD TV. What size it the TV, the model # etc. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE.

My housemate in The Netherlands has a 37"LCD TV using a Geforce video card with DVI. It looks great!

Here are some excellent choices for

Sharp 37 Lcd Televisions

Best Match Items Ending First Newly-Listed Items First Price + Shipping: Lowest First Price + Shipping: Highest First

PANASONIC VIERA TC P46ST30 1080P 3D 600HZ HDTV PLASMA TELEVISION TV LCD 46 $700.00 Time Remaining: 32m

NICE RCA 15L500TD 15 TFT LCD TV MONITOR WITH DVD PLAYER +REMOTE $146.98 Time Remaining: 33m Buy It Now for only: $146.98

Vizio 37 E371VL Flat Panel LCD HD TV Full HD 1080p TV $194.86 (18 Bids) Time Remaining: 35m

Open Box Samsung T27A300 27 1080p LED LCD HDTV HD TV Monitor HDMI $182.50 (2 Bids) Time Remaining: 35m

Vizio 32 E320VA Flat Panel LCD HD TV 720p HDMI Black 500001 Contrast $181.13 (10 Bids) Time Remaining: 35m

Vizio 22 E220VA Razor LED LCD HD TV 1080p 075 SLIM 5ms HDMI 200001 Contrast $113.50 (45 Bids) Time Remaining: 41m

Proscan 47 LCD HD TV 47 inch HDTV 4 HDMI VGA $450.00 Time Remaining: 42m Buy It Now for only: $450.00

Vizio M320VT 32 1080p HD LED LCD Television $201.00 (7 Bids) Time Remaining: 42m

Vizio 32 E321VL Flat Panel LCD HD TV Full HD 720p TV 1000001 Contrast Ratio $171.00 (31 Bids) Time Remaining: 46m

Sony Bravia Kdl 70XBR7 70 1080p LCD Television $7,999.00 Time Remaining: 50m

Vizio 22 M220VA LED LCD Full HDTV 1080p 075 SLIM 5ms HDMI 200001 Contrast $90.00 (23 Bids) Time Remaining: 51m

32 VIZIO Razor LED LCD 1080p 120 SPS HDTV with Built in WiFi Internet Apps $469.98 Time Remaining: 52m Buy It Now for only: $469.98

Polycom Olevia Syntax LT32HVE Mult Media Display 32 Inch LCD TV $275.00 Time Remaining: 55m Buy It Now for only: $275.00

Vizio 32 E321VL Flat Panel LCD HD TV Full HD 720p TV 1000001 Contrast Ratio $157.50 (28 Bids) Time Remaining: 55m

LG 47LM6700 47 Full 3D 1080p HD LED LCD Internet TV SALE $1,099.99 Time Remaining: 1h Buy It Now for only: $1,099.99

LG 55LM6200 55 Full 3D 1080p HD LED LCD Internet TV $1,399.99 Time Remaining: 1h 1m Buy It Now for only: $1,399.99

NEW Samsung LN46E550 46 LCD HDTV 1080p 60Hz $752.99 Time Remaining: 1h 4m Buy It Now for only: $752.99

Vizio 32 E320VA Flat Panel LCD HD TV 720p HDMI Black 500001 Contrast Ratio $152.50 (15 Bids) Time Remaining: 1h 5m

Curtis Portable 11 LCD TV 480 x 234 LCD 169 aspect ratio LCD1105A 3435877 $89.00 Time Remaining: 1h 18m Buy It Now for only: $89.00

Vizio E3D420VX 42 Full 3D 1080p HD LCD Internet TV Picture $410.00 (2 Bids) Time Remaining: 1h 19m

Samsung LN40B550K1FXZA 40 LCD HD TV Free HDMI $455.99 Time Remaining: 1h 19m Buy It Now for only: $455.99

Vizio 32 E321VL Flat Panel 720P 60Hz 100000 1 Contrast LCD HDTV TV FREE SH $152.50 (15 Bids) Time Remaining: 1h 21m

Samsung LN32C450 32 INCH 720p HD LCD Television $259.00 Time Remaining: 1h 27m Buy It Now for only: $259.00

Vizio 42 E421VO Flat Panel LCD HD TV 60Hz 1080p 8ms 1000001 Contrast Ratio $335.00 (31 Bids) Time Remaining: 1h 28m

Digital Prism ATSC 300 HANDHELD DIGITAL 35 LCD Television $34.99 Time Remaining: 1h 29m Buy It Now for only: $34.99

Vizio 22 E220VA Razor LED LCD HD TV 1080p 075 SLIM 5ms HDMI 200001 Contrast $117.50 (28 Bids) Time Remaining: 1h 30m

Vizio 19 E190VA Razor LED LCD HD TV 720p 075 SLIM 5ms HDMI 200001 Contrast $73.88 (21 Bids) Time Remaining: 1h 31m

Craig CTV1703 7 LCD Television Swivel Screen w Built in DVD Player NIB $35.49 (24 Bids) Time Remaining: 1h 36m

Vizio 32 E320VL Flat Panel LCD HD TV Full HD 720p TV 1000001 Contrast Ratio $113.00 (17 Bids) Time Remaining: 1h 37m

Vizio 32 E320VA Flat Panel LCD HD TV 720p HDMI Black 500001 Contrast $161.50 (24 Bids) Time Remaining: 1h 37m

NEC S401 AVT 40 1080p HD LCD Television $1,399.99 Time Remaining: 1h 38m Buy It Now for only: $1,399.99

SPACE SAVING KITCHEN 7 LCD TV DVD MODEL KLV3170 TRUTECH CYBERHOME REMOTE $49.99 Time Remaining: 1h 40m

Vizio 32 E3D320VX 3D LCD HD TV 1080p WiFi Internet Apps HDMI 2000001 Contrast $306.00 (19 Bids) Time Remaining: 1h 40m

Haier HLC19R 19 1080i HD LCD TV DVD White AS IS Repair 0005 $100.00 Time Remaining: 1h 43m Buy It Now for only: $100.00

Vizio 32 E321VL Flat Panel LCD HD TV Full HD 720p TV 1000001 Contrast Ratio $177.50 (13 Bids) Time Remaining: 1h 48m

Vizio 42 E420VA Flat LCD HD TV Full HD 1080p TV HDMI 60Hz 5ms 500001 Contrast $312.23 (28 Bids) Time Remaining: 1h 50m

Sony 55 Under counter Color TV $75.00 Time Remaining: 1h 53m Buy It Now for only: $75.00

AS IS Broken Vizio XVT323SV 32 LCD HD TV 1080p For Parts $23.49 (6 Bids) Time Remaining: 1h 56m

Vizio 32 E321VL Flat Panel LCD HD TV Full HD 720p TV 1000001 Contrast Ratio $157.50 (28 Bids) Time Remaining: 1h 57m

Vizio 32 E320VP Razor LED LCD HD TV 720p 134 Thin HDMI 1000001 Contrast $229.86 (24 Bids) Time Remaining: 2h 3m

Toshiba 42TL515U 42 Full 3D 1080p HD LED LCD Internet TV BRAND NEW IN BOX $604.00 (47 Bids) Time Remaining: 2h 4m

Vizio 55 E551VA Flat LCD HDTV 1080p TV HDMI 120Hz 6ms WiFi Internet Apps $599.00 (30 Bids) Time Remaining: 2h 5m

Vizio 32 E320VA Flat Panel LCD HD TV 720p HDMI Black 500001 Contrast Ratio $152.50 (21 Bids) Time Remaining: 2h 6m

Philips 19PFL4505D F7 19 720p LCD TV 1366 x 768 4505 Series $189.99 Time Remaining: 2h 7m Buy It Now for only: $189.99

Vizio Razor E190VA 19 720p HD LED LCD Television $51.00 (24 Bids) Time Remaining: 2h 16m

Vizio 47 E470VL Flat LCD HD TV 1080p TV HDMI 120Hz 5ms HDMI 100000 Contrast $405.00 (19 Bids) Time Remaining: 2h 20m

Sansui LCD TV widescreen SLED2280 $222.99 Time Remaining: 2h 27m Buy It Now for only: $222.99

Samsung 46 Full HD 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV LN46D610 $1,095.00 Time Remaining: 2h 32m Buy It Now for only: $1,095.00

iSymphony 24 Class LCD 1080p 60Hz HDTV $149.00 Time Remaining: 2h 32m Buy It Now for only: $179.00

Vizio 19 E190VA Razor LED LCD HD TV 720p 075 SLIM 5ms HDMI 200001 Contrast $62.25 (7 Bids) Time Remaining: 2h 36m

27 color tv with built in cassette recorder $100.00 Time Remaining: 2h 37m Buy It Now for only: $125.00

Vizio 32 E320VA Flat Panel LCD HD TV 720p HDMI Black 500001 Contrast $152.50 (8 Bids) Time Remaining: 2h 39m

Vizio 32 E320VA Flat Panel LCD HD TV 720p TV HDMI Black 500001 Contrast $156.86 (24 Bids) Time Remaining: 2h 47m

Vizio 37 E371VL Flat Panel Full HDTV TV 1080P 60Hz 1000001 Contrast FREE SH $241.13 (22 Bids) Time Remaining: 2h 49m

Vizio 32 E3D320VX 3D LCD HDTV 1080p WiFi Internet Apps HDMI 2000001 Contrast $168.50 (9 Bids) Time Remaining: 2h 50m

Vizio 32 E321VL Flat Panel LCD HD TV Full HD 720p TV 1000001 Contrast Ratio $172.51 (7 Bids) Time Remaining: 2h 50m

NEC Display S461 AVT 46 1080p LCD TV 169 HDTV 1080p 120 Hz $1,799.99 Time Remaining: 2h 54m Buy It Now for only: $1,799.99

RETURNED VIZIO RAZOR M421NV 42 1080P HD LED LCD TELEVISION 42 INCH EDGE LIT TV $336.90 (7 Bids) Time Remaining: 2h 58m

Vizio 32 E321VL Flat Panel LCD HD TV Full HD 720p TV 1000001 Contrast Ratio $180.99 (34 Bids) Time Remaining: 2h 59m

tv insignia ns 22e455c11 hdtv led lcd 1080p MSRP 27900 $137.00 Time Remaining: 3h 1m Buy It Now for only: $137.00

"In Association with Amazon.Com"

	Toshiba 40E220U 40-Inch 1080p 60Hz LCD HDTV List Price: $449.99 Sale Price: $414.99
	Description toshiba 40" 1080p/60hz lcdtoshiba 40" 1080p/60hz lcd

	Toshiba 32C120U 32-Inch 720p 60Hz LCD HDTV List Price: $379.99 Sale Price: $274.99
	Description Toshiba 32-Inch 720p 60hz LCD HDTV

	LG 32CS460 32-Inch 720p 60 Hz LCD HDTV List Price: $349.99 Sale Price: Too low to display
	Description CS460 LCD HDTV Looking for an HDTV with great picture quality for an additional room or the bedroom? You've found it with CS460 HDTV. KEY TECHNOLOGIES Find the perfect picture Get easy self-calibration with on-screen reference points for key picture quality elements such as black level, color, tint, sharpness and backlight levels...

	Samsung LN32D403 32-Inch 720p 60Hz LCD HDTV (Black) [2011 MODEL] List Price: $349.99 Sale Price: Too low to display
	Description February 2011 Watch movies; check out videos, view pictures, and more on a 32-inch LCD HDTV. It's ready for an HDMI or Component source. Or take a look at your favorite music or picture files from a USB thumb drive...

	Apex LE1912 19-Inches 720p High Definition LCD Television with Edge LED Backlight - Black List Price: $179.99 Sale Price: $109.98
	Description 19" 720p LED-LCD HDTV Black

	LG 42CS560 42-Inch 1080p 60 Hz LCD HDTV List Price: $629.99 Sale Price: Too low to display
	Description CS560 LCD HDTV Looking for an HDTV with great picture quality at an affordable price? You've found it with CS560 LCD HDTV. KEY TECHNOLOGIES Double the detail This stunning picture is the reason you wanted HDTV in the first place...

	Haier 32-Inch LCD HDTV (L32D1120) List Price: $299.99 Sale Price: $241.00

	Coby TFTV4025 40-Inch 1080p LCD TV - Black List Price: $479.99 Sale Price: $329.99
	Description Coby’s 40 Inch 1080p LCD HDTV offers a premium viewing experience, featuring a big, brilliant picture with room-filling stereo sound is the first thing that you'll notice about the Coby TFTV4025 40 Inch Widescreen LCD HDTV...

	LG 32LK330 32-Inch 720p 60 Hz LCD HDTV List Price: $399.99 Sale Price: $339.95
	Description Move into the entertainment experience you've been waiting for with the 32LK330 LCD HDTV. Everything looks crisper, more vibrant, and more colorful on an HDTV. It's about time your entertainment stepped up to meet your expectations...

	Panasonic VIERA TC-L42U5 42-Inch 1080p Full HD LCD TV List Price: $599.95 Sale Price: $539.99
	Description The TC-L42U5 (42-inch class) is one of two LCD HDTVs (cold cathode backlighting) in the 2012 collection. This TV is a 1080p model with three HDMI terminals, one USB port, a PC input, and features Game Mode...