Home > Consumer Reviews > Samsung LN46B630 46-Inch 1080p 120 Hz LCD HDTV with Red Touch of Color

I just received this TV today. So far so good. I was seriously confused between 46b650 and 46b630 and I am very happy that I got 630. Since my room has good ambient light, I was looking for anti glare screen and 630 is a perfect fit. 650 is too glossy for my setting, it is very good for dark room setting but otherwise glare could be very annoying. Yes, 630 has 80000:1 vs 100000:1 for 650 and I did notice the slight difference in contrast. I am yet to tweak picture settings. I got this from Vanns for $1530, got it in 5 days with free shipping and free wall mount.

After having spent several months researching, considering options, & agonizing over choices, I am completely happy with this TV - can actually say, `I love it!' Therefore, for the first time ever, I'm providing a customer review:

Picture quality:
SD very good & much better than expected; HD quality terrific.
Better than what I expected based on the display loops they run at Best Buy. Motion flow produces very smooth picture.

DVD quality:
Terrific; better than expected. (Don't have Blu-ray)

Matte screen:
My room is very bright. Samsung's ultra-clear panel on the 650 model is as shiny & reflective as glass - like looking in a mirror. The 630's matte screen is perfect for my needs, yet I'm still getting a very clear picture with great contrast ratio. I only knew this model existed by reading customer comments at Amazon, as Samsung doesn't appear to promote this model.

Settings:
TV has lots of options for picture & sound settings. Easy to adjust, test, play around with.

Connection to Cable Box/DVR:
To be able to use my cable DVR remote with the TV, I had to call the cable company to get the volume control to work - just needed a special code.

Sound:
OK; better than expected.

Set aesthetics:
Attractive. Originally nervous about the red Touch of Color - but it is very subtle; looks more brown/burgundy. Does NOT look like the bright red stripe that is pictured in Amazon's product info.

Amazon `Enhanced Delivery':
Very good. Delivery by CEVA was on-time. Team of two guys took their shoes off at the door without being asked, unpacked the TV, mounted it on the stand, placed it on my TV console, & hooked up connections to cable.

Warranty:
Set comes with standard one-year warranty from Samsung. But, for peace of mind, I added an additional two-year warranty (for a total of 3-yrs coverage) offered by Square Trade for Amazon customers for just an extra $99. This Amazon/SquareTrade package is a much better extended warranty deal than I could have gotten from other retail or online sellers.

I decided to buy this TV after doing about 3 months of research. Initially I was ready to buy LED TV(which was additional $1000), but settled on this. The TV came in 2 DAYS!!! with the Free shipping.. I've been using this TV for the past 4 days, so far I love it. picture is probably the best on this tv. I have fios, which is great on this TV. I have this in my living room which has a lot of windows, it works great there. The audio i was a bit disappointing, but who cares, I'll be plugging this into my receiver. For this price you cannot beat it..far better than SONY (non led), and SHARP.
Pros:
-Great picture,
-Great contrast, color,
-HDMI connections.
-Ethernet plug in for the Info Link and updating Firmware
-USB HDD/Flash plug in for playing photos, movies (havent tried this yet)
-Great Remote
-User Interface is great
-Lighter (40 lbs)
-One man installation
Cons:
-Speakers are sub par, you def need to hook up to home theater.

The downside of Amazon.com reviews is that they deal with delivery, setup, and performance--but not long-term reliability. I own last year's version of this unit--the LN-T4669F. And if you look up my review there, I say I love it. And well I should say so. Just like the current model, the performance--and bang for the buck--are great.

But. After owning it a year and a half the power supply went zzzzzt! and now, $350 and two weeks in the shop later, it's as good as new. Of course it was out of warranty, and Samsung said I'm on my own.

To be fair to Samsung, the local service guy (who has great ratings, dramatically unlike Samsung's recommended shop in my area) says that these big screen TVs are not as reliable as our old CRT TVs were. Less mature technology, he says. And he said Samsung isn't less reliable than other mainstream LCD TVs. Also that the Japanese manufacturers' units have gotten less reliable overall, as units from other countries have gotten better. Also, though I live in a very mild climate, I did run my TV for many, many hours.

So my point is that you should be prepared for occasional trips to the repair shop.

But another but: We've now bought two Samsung devices, and both have shown reliability problems. The other one was a DVD recorder (DVD-VR357), which was flakey and got flakier by the month. We replaced it with a Toshiba DVD recorder, which has been 100% reliable during long, hard usage, as have been several Toshiba laptops. So maybe our 46" Samsung TV is no worse than other flat screen units, maybe it is. I don't know. But the next time we get a flat screen I plan to think long and hard about a Toshiba. And also to dig around more for reliability ratings, such as the ones Consumer Reports publishes.

I might also consider one of those extended warranties, though most consumer advocates say they're a ripoff for most products. But maybe not for flat screen TVs?

Well, so far - so good.

Just received the TV this afternoon, and setup was a snap. HDMI inputs are plentiful (three on the back, one on the side), and fortunately there are also inputs for Composite (two, both on the back), and an old-style RCA video input (also on the side). The set also allows for connections of USB, PC-out, digital audio optical input. You can also hook the set up to your LAN with a standard Ethernet connector (sorry kids, no WiFi yet).

**EDIT: Ok, let me clarify something here. The set WILL support WiFi with the appropriate USB adapter (direct link:Samsung WIS09ABGN LinkStick Wireless LAN Adapter), but since it's not included with the set as-is, hence the above comment about WiFi. END EDIT**

The stand assembly was simple (8 screws and done). The stand also rotates slightly (20 degrees left/right off center), which while not uncommon, is a plus. Also worth mentioning, the stand also incorporates Samsung's "Touch of Color" so the front bezel has a light red stripe, co conform with the same stripe on the bezel of the TV. I'm honestly not sure what the point of the "Touch of Color" is, but if nothing else, it makes the TV easier to find in the dark (sarcasm is like a second language to me, by the way). I mention the stand only because I originally planned to put the set on a console-style table, until I found my old wall-mount (see below for more on that).

Speaking of finding things in the dark however, I must also mention that the remote for the TV, while not appearing to be able to be able to control other devices (standard fast-forward, pause, etc... style buttons at the bottom of the remote are used to control slideshows, etc) all of the buttons are back-lit, with a highlighted "on/off" button. This IS a thoughtful idea, and one that I wish many more TV designers will implement.

Thus far the set has performed admirably, HDMI output from my cable provider is clear and sharp. A few simple adjustments to adjust the set for my specific room (and my particular taste) conditions, and everything is gorgeous. I also have tried out an older (non-upconverting) DVD player via Component inputs as well, and "Fringe" looks damn-near perfect.

Sound however is another matter. There's really only SO much you can do with two speakers, and Samsung has done a VERY good job with adjustments and whatnot, but let's face it - if you're buying a 46-inch TV, you probably already have a MUCH better stereo ready to roll. If not - well, this would be the ONLY caveat emptor I would point out (and it's STILL not a big enough deal to make me reduce my 5-star rating either, so there).

Ok, one note worth mentioning here, as I had to play "find the correct-sized bolt" to use my old wall-mount: The bolts you will need are standard 8-mm x 25-mm sizes that will easily screw into the back of the set.

One more item - make all your back-side connections before you hang the set. This may sounds like a "DUH" suggestion, but trust me from experience, you tend to get excited and forget to think EVERYTHING through when setting something like this up for the first time.

I must also commend the delivery company (CEVA) as they were courteous, friendly and helpful. They didn't offer to set the set up, but they did carry the set through the house, and placed it (VERY carefully) in the room in which it was to be set up in.

For the money, I really have to say this is one of the most impressive TV sets I've bought. Excellent image quality, decent (for a TV) sound, and extraordinarily intuitive and simple setup process.

If I have any further insights as I move through my ownership journey, I'll be sure to add them here.

Thanks for reading.