Samsung LN32C350

Black Level (8.00)

The black level of the Samsung LN32C350 proved to be very good, according to our lab tests. It outscored every other TV in its class, as you can see from the chart below, sometimes by a little and sometimes by a lot. This is not really a surprise, as Samsung has cultivated shown consistently good-to-great performance throughout its entire line-up, even the cheapies. More on how we test black level.

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Peak Brightness (8.55)

The Samsung LN32C350 has no trouble producing a sufficiently bright white. Few LCDs fail this test. We typically see more problems with plasma displays. The chart below indicates that all the TVs in this grouping did fairly well, though none approached the 400 cd/m² mark or above, which we would consider ‘very bright.’ More on how we test peak brightness.

Contrast (8.16)

The Samsung LN32C350 showed a good contrast ratio, thanks to a deep black level and a relatively bright white. It fared better than any of the TVs in our comparison pool. Keep in mind, however, that the competing TVs are all 2009 models, so there’s a chance that those companies could gain some ground in 2010.

There’s one note that we’d like to make about the Samsung LN32C350’s performance. Although the lab scores here are very good, and it was just as evident to the eye, there was one performance issue that we don’t have a lab test for. The TV looks oversharpened. Even when we turned the sharpness all the way down to ‘zero,’ there were still hints of oversharpening. TVs do things like this all the time. Engineers assume that viewers want a certain level of color saturation, or sharpening, or auto contrast altering, even if we say we don’t. So they just make those features a permanent part of the baseline processing. You can’t turn it down below a certain threshold. The Samsung LN32C350 is just one of the unfortunate cases where it’s quite obvious that the baseline is too high. More on how we test contrast.

Tunnel Contrast (8.87)

The Samsung LN32C350 passed the tunnel contrast test, but only by a hair. This test measures how well a TV can maintain consistent black levels, even when that little patch of black is surrounded by bright white. The chart below, ideally, should be an even, horizontal line, not the sloping mess you see. Samsung, you get a D+. Study harder next time. More on how we test tunnel contrast.

White Falloff (9.81)

On the opposite end of that test is the white falloff, which measures how well the TV can maintain consistent whites. The Samsung LN32C350 did just fine here, as most LCD displays do. More on how we test white falloff.

Uniformity (7.00)

The Samsung LN32C350 showed a more than sufficient screen uniformity. We saw no uneven illumination or screen blotchiness. More on how we test white falloff.

Greyscale Gamma (7.40)

The greyscale gamma chart tells us how well the Samsung LN32C350 handles shadow, midtones, and highlights. The lower left tail of that line indicates that the TV has hard time with shadow details. Ideally, it would be a constant slope upward. However, the rest of the curve was smooth, if a little steep. Overall, it was a satisfactory performance. Just don’t expect too much in the very darkest parts of the screen during a horror movie. More on how we test greyscale gamma.

Other Models in the LNxxC350 Series
For more information on other models in this series, check our Series Comparison Page.
Samsung LN22C350 22 in.