Samsung LN32C350

Motion Performance

The Samsung LN32C350 showed a great, smooth motion. We were able to see plenty of fine detail retention when objects were in motion. Unusually, the LN32C350 has no motion smoothing processing features of any kind. These are almost always found on modern HDTVs, though it’s a little less likely with entry-level models. We’re therefore doubly pleased that the TV can produce a good performance in this test without any additional features.

As good as the motion smoothness test was, we saw plenty of motion artifacting. Most pointedly, lines that should have been perfectly vertical turned into slanted diagonals when they moved back and forth across the screen. The problem: laggy processing. We’ve seen this occasionally in other TVs, and it’s never pretty. We suppose you just can’t expect every element of performance to be outstanding in TVs this cheap.

Fortunately, some of the other common artifacting issues were not too pronounced. There were only minor instances of strobing and false coloration. More on how we test motion performance.

3:2 Pulldown & 24fps (7.00)

The Samsung LN32C350 has the ability to process native 24fps footage. However, it doesn’t do the best job. In slow panning shots, the stuttering is obvious. More expensive TVs frequently make use of motion smoothing features in cases like this, but the Samsung LN32C350 doesn’t have any. More on how we test 3:2 pulldown and 24fps.

Resolution Scaling (6.22)

The Samsung LN32C350 is a native 720p display, but plenty of the content you throw at it will be of a lower resolution. It’s the TV’s job to take that data and upscale it for the screen. Unfortunately, the TV is only moderately successful at this task. More on how we test resolution scaling.

480p

Footage in the 480p resolution lost 2% of the top and bottom, and 3% of the sides due to the Samsung LN32C350 overscanning. However, we saw few other problems.

720p

Video in the 1080p format lost only 1% on all sides to overscan, but showed significant scaling problems. Areas of high frequency detail were heavy with Moire patterns.

1080i

Sadly, video footage in the 1080i format was probably the worst of the bunch, and 1080i is the most common HD video format you’ll get with cable/satellite TV. There was no overscan loss, but the Moire patterns were impossible to ignore.

We’re wondering if the Samsung LN32C350’s heavy use of oversharpening is the culprit here. As we mentioned elsewhere in the review, we saw far more sharpening artifacts than usual, and there was no way to lower it beyond a certain threshold. Sharpening is commonly used to increase the perceived resolution of an image by darkening contrasting borders. It’s a standard practice of most video processing, but there’s simply too much in this TV.

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