Samsung LN32B360 LCD HDTV Review - Vs Samsung LN40B650

Samsung LN40B650 Summary
• The Samsung LN46B650 is much more expensive: about $1400 instead of $550 • The Samsung LN40B650 is also much larger: 40 inches instead of 32 • The larger TV has better performance • The larger TV can stream videos and music from the Internet or a PC
	JVC LT-42P300	Page 13 of 18	Conclusion

Value Comparison

If we compare the LN32B360 to its more expensive cousin, we see what more you get for your money. The LN32B360 costs abotu $550, but the LN40B650 costs about $1400. But you do get a lot more for your money: the more expensive Samsung had significantly better performance, a bigger screen, more ports and better media support.

	Comparison Specifications
	Samsung LN32B360	Samsung LN46B650
Size	32"	40"
Price	$550	$1400
Type	LCD	LCD
Format	720p	1080p
Other	None	Internet connection

Blacks & Whites

The LN40B650 was the only one of our comparsion HDTvs that consistently beat the LN32B360 on our tests of image quality; we found that the bigger, more expensive model had darker blacks, brighter whites and a wider ratio between the two.

Blacks, Whites and Contrast
Samsung LN32B360 Score:  Black Level : 8.23 Peak Brightness : 8.89 Contrast: 8.89	Samsung LN406B650 Score:  Black Level : 8.77 Peak Brightness : 9.26 Contrast: 9.85

Color Accuracy

The more expensive LN40B650 was also the stronger performer in our color tests; it had singificantly smoother RGB curves, which means that you would see better looking color gradients. But both TVs had problems when it came to color gamut: they were both slightly off from the ideal that we look for, which could mean slightly inaccurate colors on the screen.

Color Temperature

Samsung LN32B360 Score: 8.67

Samsung LN406B650 Score: 8.11

RGB Curves

Samsung LN32B360 Score: 7.65

Samsung LN406B650 Score: 9.06

Color Gamut

Samsung LN32B360 Score: 4.49

Samsung LN406B650 Score: 4.23

Motion

Neither TV was a clar winner when it came to displaying motion on the screen. Although the LN40B650 had much smoother motion (probably due to its 120Hz refresh rate), we saw some annoying artifacts: sharp lines and areas of solid color had a jerky, unpleasant look on both displays. 

Viewing Effects

Neither TV blew our socks off when it came to viewing angle; on both, we saw a huge falloff in the contrast between white and black at even just a small angle from staright on to the TV. The LN40B650 was the better performer here, though; we measure than angle at which the contrast ratio falls by 50%, and this happened with the bigger TV at about 20 degrees. The LN32B360  only managed about 17 degrees.

Viewing Angle

Samsung LN32B360 Score: 3.26 Samsung LN406B650 Score: 4.55

Connectivity

The LN40B650 is the clear winner here: it provides more HDMI ports (4, which is double the number on the LN32B360) and a much better selection of analog video and audio inputs. This would make it much more flexible for a setup that includes multiple sources of video. The LN40B650 also includes the ability to stream audio and video from the Internet or a PCon yout home network; you can watch YouTube videos on it, or stream music, photos and video from any PC that can run the Samsing PC Share software that comes with the TV.