Samsung LN40B650 LCD HDTV Review - Remote Control

Remote Control Summary
• Comfortable to hold • Well balanced • A bit too long • Some controls a stretch to reach for those with small hands
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Ergonomics & Durability (7.20)

The Samsung LN40B650's remote is very similar to the one that came with the Samsung PN50A760, with the exception that the directional pad is made up of real buttons instead of the rotating dial, which we don't think is much of a loss. The remote is heavily back weighted, with a bulge at the end that gives it very good balance in the hand. It is a bit long, however, and although it's nicely contoured the slick plastic makes it a bit easier to drop than we'd like.

We do like the baklight function on the remote. There's a dedicated backlight button that lights up in the dark so you can find it easily. Press the button and all the rest of the button on the remote are illuminated in a mild orange light that's very easy on the eyes. The buttons are made of soft plastic and provide a reasonable amount of key travel, but not a lot of tactile feedback. Despite a couple of flaws we like the remote a lot, it should be comfortable to use on a regular basis and the backlight is very well thought out.

Button Layout & Use (4.85)

At neutral your thumb sits right above the directional pad on the Samsung LN40B650's remote. The menu button and several additional navigation buttons are all within easy reach, especially for those with small hands. Unfortunately the channel and volume buttons will require a stretch or a shift for those with smaller hands. Speaking of which there are buttons studded across almost the entire face of the remote, and given it's length you'll find yourself moving up and down the remote a lot. We were happy that the remote was able to control the television at a very oblique angle, but we did notice that on occasion we had to shift our target to the right side of the LN40B650 as pointing at the left side wouldn't always work.

Programming & Flexibility (1.0)

Unfortunately the Samsung LN40B650's remote doesn't work as a universal remote, nor does it have programmable buttons. It will work to control other Samsung devices connected via HDMI or Optical Audio Out using Samsung's Anynet+ system. We're not big fans of such proprietary systems, but we will award a single point for this functionality.