Home > Consumer Reviews > Samsung LN52B630 52-Inch 1080p 120 Hz LCD HDTV with Red Touch of Color

After spending way too much time researching and viewing these TVs at big box stores, I eventually bought this set from Amazon, and could not be happier.

I was in the plasma vs LCD debate for a while and decided that I needed/wanted the brightness of an LCD, didn't want to worry about any burn in issues (I know they are almost non-existent today anyway). I wanted 1080p and most plasma sets with 1080p are close to this price point as well. I debated for about a month between last years ln52a630 and the ln52a750, and which one to buy. The matte screen on the 630 was its highlight for me, but there was a sacrifice in the contrast ratio and other miscellaneous little "bells and whistles". The A750 being the more expensive model, the price point dropped so much, it was now pretty much an even swap. Hearing about the problems associated with the 750 including glare, halo and TOC flaking issues, I decided the 630 with its matte screen was the TV for me.

So, I price shopped the A630 for a few weeks until I stumbled across the new version of the set, the ln52b630. A little more money is WELL spent when upgrading to this TV. The contrast ratio is double 40,000:1 vs 80,000:1, and even dominates last years 50,000:1 A750's contrast ratio. Again, this TV also has the MATTE SCREEN! Almost no glare issues in my very bright viewing room, that has multiple windows and a sliding glass door.

The TV's picture quality is the best my friends and I have seen so far from an LCD. Deepest blacks and brightest brights are the comments I have been hearing when people see this TV in operation. The clarity in blu-ray 1080p with 120hz is breathtaking, you almost don't want to take your eyes off the screen. I have it connected to Dish Network's HD service and the PQ in 1080i is also superb, a slight loss in clarity and blur in fast moving sequences that is non-existent in 1080p. Standard def programing also looks great as well.

As far as audio, I have it setup through surround sound, so I cannot comment.

I have yet to connect an ethernet cable to use those features as well.
**UPDATE** I have attached the ethernet cable and the "infolink" features do work as advertised. It is a nice feature, news stories, temperature/weather, stocks all positioned in the corners of the screen. Will i ever use it, probably not. But, it works as advertised. I wish it was a way to update firmware for the TV rather than for these features.

The USB media port is another excellent feature. It allows you to play movies, music and pictures directly from the side of the TV with a USB flash drive or external hard drive. It will play almost any codec you throw at it, supposedly even x264(HD), have not been able to test this.

The remote is nicely designed and easy to use. Samsung eliminated the dreaded "click-wheel' on this years new models.

Delivery: Pilot was my shipping service, and I cannot say anything bad about the service. The delivered early and made the necessary phone calls to arrange delivery. The box was in great shape, as well as the TV inside.

We were looking for a 55" matte screen lcd tv, but there doesn't seem to be any. I came across this 52" & took a chance, I couldn't find it in our local stores. I am very pleased with it, the picture is great. I am not an expert, so I can't give a detailed review. I can say that my husband said it has a heck of a picture (the HD is great).
I also wanted to comment on the delivery. I have read reviews on other tvs that gave bad reviews to pilot service. When I first got the email saying it would be delivered by pilot, I expected the worst. There service was great, they set it up in the room I requested, attached the stand & checked for a blue screen & I verified no damage before I signed. They also took away the packaging.
Also, Kudos to Amazon. I ordered the TV on Wednesday & it was delivered Friday. I couldn't ask for more. I am happy with the tv & Amazon's service.

Background:
I have been researching and holding out for a new TV upgrade over the past 2 years. Samsung was one of the very few manufacturers that offered the matte non-glare screens, which is necessary in our sunlight-filled living room. But I was always waiting for the right price. So when I was about to get the LN52A630, I heard about the new B series being released in 2009. So I had to wait for it with 120Hz of refresh and an upgrade from a dynamic contrast ratio of 40,000:1 to 80,000:1. Plus the look and shape of the B series seemed so much nicer to me than the A series. So Amazon had offered a free Sony blu-ray player with the purchase of certain Samsung models (including the LN52B630), and that was my cue to finally place my order on 7/4/09.

Delivery:
When I placed our order I originally set the delivery date for 7/15/09. Once I got the CEVA tracking number from Amazon's shipping notification email, I started to track our TV. It turns out one of their warehouses is located in PA and very close to NJ. Our TV was right in our vicinity on 7/7/09. So I gave CEVA a call about delivering early and they were more than happy to deliver the TV on 7/10/09. The delivery went well, and the communication I had with CEVA was great. The guys brought the TV up three flights of stairs, set up the TV on the stand, gently placed the TV on our console, plugged it in and then turned it on...

Product:
Picture - We started to switch channels to see how it looked. The picture is truly amazing. The default settings really do make movies look like a soap opera, which is really weird and fascinating at the same time. It does take some time to find the right settings for your environment and input type. It's great that once the settings are adjusted for a certain input it keeps the settings. There are so many different settings as well, which allow for a lot of flexibility to adjust for a certain device input. For cable we have the TV set on natural and AMP on clear. HD cable is great and standard cable is pretty good on a huge LCD screen. XBOX is on game mode and looks wonderful. My husband was dying to try Call of Duty on it and was totally blown away by the colors and picture on the screen. When it was time to check out the blu-ray, we played Baraka (which I totally recommend to appreciate the 1080p experience). It was unreal! The picture was stunning and the detail was unbelievable. It was like we were there in person.

Sound - Even though we have our B630 hooked to our surround sound receiver, I tested the sound from the TV. It's not bad and the volume is pretty decent, actually pretty loud even at half way.

Other - The B630 is a really attractive TV. Everyone has commented on the touch of red and thinks it's really cool. The available inputs are quite sufficient. Swivel stand is terrific for when I'm in the kitchen cooking or to just swivel around dependent on my whereabouts. The swivel stand is also a plus when getting to the back of the TV to easily work on the cables and inputs. Viewing angles are pretty good. Matte non-glare screen is wonderful too; there is no need to shut the shades during the day any more. Tested out the USB input with an external hard drive on media play and found the response time pretty fast for a television. The media play mode is quite intuitive and easy to use. Photos look amazing as well. I did notice the auto dimming during credits of movies and black screens. This happens when the Energy Saving option is used. We set the option to off and now the dimming is non-existent. InfoLink via ethernet is a nice feature, but limiting. I hope that Samsung makes an update to allow more widgets and online viewing. BTW, the ethernet is great for getting available firmware updates from Samsung. Firmware v1009 was available for download and the update was quick and seamless. Since I didn't have the TV long enough, I don't know what the firmware update improved, but the TV is working just fine.

We love our Samsung LN52B630. I have to shamefully admit that I have fallen asleep in front of TV almost every night for the past 12 days. My husband would normally be jealous, but he also shares the same feelings I have for our new TV. We highly recommend it to anyone and everyone. The TV has surpassed all of our expectations. Amazon has allowed us to have it at a terrific price and offered free great white glove delivery service as well. It's a winning combination and we couldn't be happier.

Solid LCD HDTV with a great set of features. Sound is decent, picture is amazing, and the menus are intuitive and accessible. Remote is well-designed and lights up in the dark. Got it 5 weeks ago, and with very few tweaks have enjoyed DVDs, HD programming, and Blu-ray. I plugged my cable feed directly into the TV, and with no cable box I get about 10 HD channels in addition to my normal channel lineup.

The swivel stand is sturdy and adjustable, and the 120Hz refresh rate is all you need for watching sports without blurring. Screen does not reflect much and picture is vivid even in bright sunlit rooms.

The Infolink feature is useless--if I want to check the weather or stock prices, I'll change the channel or jump on the web.

Pilot delivery service was extremely fast, coming the day after I placed my order, and the two guys were in and out in ten minutes.

I got this when Amazon was offering a free Blu-ray player with it. All told, a fantastic TV and flawless purchase experience from order to delivery. Buy this baby, you won't regret it!

The TV:
Setup is a breeze. The user interface is much improved over my old Samsung CRT. The picture quality from our digital cable box over HDMI is stunning. Everyone on TV is ugly and wrinkled....if you don't know this, you will after a day with this TV. The 120Hz Automotion Plus almost makes things look "too real." At first, we had to turn it off, but we're getting used to the clarity it provides. When watching standard definition channels, the black sidebars just fade into the bezel. They're pure black, not an annoying gray. I have nothing bad to say about the picture or sound quality from this television.

Only con to this TV thus far: It's a small point, but the front console buttons are labeled in a paint that does not contrast well with the touch of color bezel. I have to get my nose to within three inches to read the labels. Also, they're not pushbuttons, but contact pads. There's no physical separation between the button regions, so I can't even memorize the position and grope for them in the dark. Honestly, I've probably wasted too much breath on such a small problem. This complaint should in no way prevent you from buying this awesome TV!

The delivery service:
I was a bit apprehensive about ordering from Amazon because of all of the terrible TV delivery reviews. However, I decided that a bit of hassle and heartache was worth the considerable cash I was going to save. I'm glad I took the chance. CEVA/Eagle USA Airfreight was the carrier. The truck showed up on-time with the TV in pristine condition. The delivery man was pleasant, efficient, and performed excellently. I even tipped him for a job well-done.