Korean mega-giant Samsung Electronics is the world’s largest manufacturer of flat-panel displays, shifting millions of units each year. Due to the company’s LCD research, and the more recent additions of higher quality video processing and comprehensive configuration options, much of Samsung’s output is now very tempting indeed.

Today, we’re scrutinising the Samsung LE40C650, part of the “Series 6″ line of displays. This 40″ LCD HDTV is priced at under £1000 and includes a selection of mid/high-end features, but falls short of including premium additions such as 3D support and LED sidelighting. Let’s see how this Samsung TV performs after a full setup.

Note: The specific model we tested was the Samsung LE40C650, but the picture quality findings in this review should also be applicable to the Samsung LE40C652, Samsung LE40C654 and Samsung LE40C630, as these are essentially the same LCD TV panel with slightly different cosmetics. The table below outlines the differences.

Model	Also Known As	Bezel Colour	Ultra Clear Panel
Samsung LE40C650	LE40C650L1K, LE40C650L1KXXU	Rose Black	Yes
Samsung LE40C652	LE40C650L2K, LE40C652L2KXXU	Grey	Yes
Samsung LE40C654	LE40C654M1K, LE40C654M1KXXU	Black	Yes
Samsung LE40C630	LE40C630K1K, LE40C630K1KXXU	Grey	No

Design

The Samsung LE40C650 LCD television doesn’t rock the boat in terms of its design in the same way that the company’s new “pencil thin” displays do, for example, but it does feature the “Crystal Design” which was revolutionary only a few years ago. This design features transparent plastic (which is almost indistinguishable from glass to the naked eye) and a subtle red tinge around the extreme edges of the bezel, and looks great.

Most interesting is the excellent build quality. Rather than featuring a plastic back cover, the rear of the Samsung LE40C650 is instead made out of light metal, which is something we normally only expect to see on Plasma displays. This is unlikely to have any real world advantage, but it does give this LCD TV a higher-end feel.

The Samsung LE40C650 is packaged with a stand, which is styled in gloss black, a finish that’s generally accepted as the norm now, but is somewhat impractical in the long term due to the ease with which it picks up scratches. On the brighter side, the point on which the TV sits is styled in transparent acrylic, which is a very nice feature.

Connections

In total, the Samsung LE40C650 HDTV features 4 HDMI inputs, one of which is located on the side of the unit. There are also USB and Ethernet connectors which can both be used to play back multimedia content. An aerial (and in some territories, also a cable TV feed) can be plugged in to the ANT IN input to feed the TV’s hybrid Digital/Analogue tuner. The LCD TV is also MPEG-4 AVC capable, and can receive the Freeview HD service in the UK.

Naturally, older analogue AV interfaces (SCART, Component, and PC “VGA”) are also supported.

Technology

TV manufacturers can use an LED backlight instead of the Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamps (LCD-CCFL) used in most LCD televisions. LCD-based televisions described as 'LED TVs' are different from self-illuminating Organic light-emitting diode (OLED), OEL or AMOLED display technologies. In the UK, the ASA (Advertising Standards Authority) has made it clear in prior correspondence that it does not object to the use of the term 'LED TV', but does require it to be clarified in any advertising. There are several methods of backlighting an LCD panel using LEDs including the use of either White or RGB (Red, Green and Blue) LED arrays positioned behind the panel; and Edge-LED lighting, which uses white LEDs arranged around the inside frame of the TV along with a light diffusion panel to spread the light evenly behind the LCD panel.

Compared to regular CCFL backlighting, an LED backlight provides higher brightness and improved color gamut. However advancements in CCFL technology mean wide color gamuts and lower power consumption are also possible. Cost is the principal barrier to wide use of LED backlighting on LCD televisions.

The variations of LED backlighting do offer different benefits. The first commercial LED backlit LCD TV was the Sony Qualia 005 (introduced in 2004) and featured RGB LED arrays to produce a color gamut around twice that of a conventional CCFL LCD television. This was possible because the combined light output from red, green and blue LEDs produces a more pure white light than is possible with a single white light LED. RGB LED technology continues to be used on selected Sony BRAVIA LCD models, with the addition of 'local dimming' which enables excellent on-screen contrast through selectively turning off the LEDs behind dark parts of a picture frame.

Edge LED lighting was first introduced by Sony (September 2008) on the 40 inch BRAVIA KLV-40ZX1M (referred to as the ZX1 in Europe). The principal benefit of Edge-LED lighting for LCD televisions is the ability to build thinner housings (the BRAVIA KLV-40ZX1M is as thin as 9.9mm). Others have also introduced Edge-LED lit LCD televisions with extremely thin housings.

LED-backlit LCD TVs are considered a more sustainable choice, with a longer life and better energy efficiency than plasmas and conventional LCD TVs. Unlike CCFL backlights, LEDs also use no mercury in their manufacture. However, other elements such as gallium and arsenic are used in the manufacture of the LED emitters themselves, meaning there is some debate over whether they are a significantly better long term solution to the problem of TV disposal.

Because LEDs are able to be switched on and off more quickly than CCFL displays and can offer a higher light output, it is theoretically possible to offer very high contrast ratios. They can produce deep blacks (LEDs off) and a high brightness (LEDs on). However, measurements made from pure black and pure white outputs are complicated by Edge-LED lighting not allowing these outputs to be reproduced simultaneously on-screen.

In September 2009 Nanoco Group announced that it has signed a joint development agreement with a major Japanese electronics company under which it will design and develop quantum dots for LED Backlights in LCD televisions.Quantum dots are valued for displays, because they emit light in very specific gaussian distributions. This can result in a display that more accurately renders the colors than the human eye can perceive.

LED backlighting techniques

RGB dynamic LEDs

This method of backlighting allows dimming to occur in locally specific areas of darkness on the screen. This can show truer blacks, whites and PRs[clarification needed] at much higher dynamic contrast ratios, at the cost of less detail in small bright objects on a dark background, such as star fields.

Edge-LEDs

This method of backlighting allows for LED-backlit TVs to become extremely thin. The light is diffused across the screen by a special panel which produces a uniform color range across the screen.

Full Array LEDs

Many brands use LED backlighting technology and may offer a range of benefits over CCFL LCD TVs such as reduced energy consumption, better contrast and brightness, greater colour range, more rapid response to changes in scene and a capacity to provide the means to render an image more accurately.

Differences between LED-backlit and CCFL-backlit LCD displays

LED-backlit LCD TVs differ from conventional CCFL-backlit LCD TVs in the following:

Produce images with greater dynamic contrast.

With Edge-LED lighting they can be extremely slim. Models on the market can be approximately one inch thick.

Offer a wider color gamut, especially when RGB-LED backlighting is used.

Less environmental pollution on disposal.

Higher price.

Generally 20-30% lower power consumption.[citation needed]

The Samsung UN46C6300

Review 10

Originally purchased my television to replace an old LCD. After I set this one up, which wasn't too difficult, I had little problem lifting the large yet small screen into the bracket my wife lined up. The user interface was easy to work with, I eventually had the settings to my liking. Now that I have everything connected to it, was glad to purchase a 1080 up conversion dvd player for it for my old DVDs (Gone in 60 seconds looks strangely realistic for a movie I originally saw on VHS). The combo of the TV and DVD player made me go out and get HD cable now. I am completely satisfied with the television purchase. I did however, find the stock speakers on the television average, wasn't worth dropping my six year old surround sound system. My only complaint was when connecting it to my speak system I didn't have the choice of using analogue outputs unless an addition part was purchased (Note: Understandable, my system was 6 years old). But when I went to a local electronics department store, I opted for the digital output cables. Which was a good choice for ease of access. Whenever you start up like a DvD the TV will auto switch to the movie which is nice, it just doesn't seem to do it going back to TV, my guests usually have to call me to find out how to switch it back. It's a short conversation however, but they assume it just transfers between sources by a button rather then going through the menu. Currently have my PC connected to it and it runs without any problems, great for netflicks watching. Excellent TV if you want a "Regular TV", I was interested in the new internet TV gimmicks, but I'd rather buy the add-on google-tv or whatever than sacrifice quality for those features right now.

In summary - Great picture, consider connections for your speaker system if you have one, Excellent TV if you want a "Regular TV" and not some giant phone TV with all the app's.

You can read a million reviews about this TV on the web and here. Samsung TVs may have a problem with starting up/endless clicking years down the road. Immediately, this TV has amazing blacks, contrast, quality. The non-glare screen is quite good, it's just beautiful to look at. Mine has slightly brighter corners on a completely black screen, but the 'movie-area' of the screen can't be beat. The speakers are 10W each, they make sound, that's about all, same as can be said about any set with built-in speakers. I'm so happy with this set. I'm going to look into getting a 3 or 4 year warranty and I'm not going to need to upgrade anytime soon. No internet gimics, no 3D gimics, just the best picture for your money.

The Samsung UN46C6300 Review

Review 9

I first saw this model TV at a friend's house over the summer. He had the 50" model, and I was amazed because I had never seen a picture so clear. I recently decided to purchase this model, but became somewhat concerned when I read all of the people complaining about "light leakage". I installed this TV last week and all I can say is WOW. I had a three year old 40" 1080 Hitachi plasma and comparing the picture and the sound from the new to the old television is like night and day. It is like I'm there live with whatever we are watching...The picture is fantastic.

I'm not a television critic or anything, but I consider myself a bit particular...I want good quality, but I'm not willing to pay a crazy (a couple of thousand for a TV seems crazy to me) amount of money for it. My opinion is that I haven't seen a better picture quality on any television ever, and I paid under $1k for mine. I have no idea what some of the reviewers are talking about when they mention "light leakage". There is no flaw whatsoever that I can find. Of course, I'm not using this in a completely dark theater room or anything and I'm not really looking for a flaw with it. I'm just watching it and am amazed at the clarity. I've got a surround sound system, but the sound coming from the TV itself is much better than my old set and probably would be perfectly acceptable for most.

I purchased one of the used-good condition models and I didn't have any problems at all. All of the stuff including the TV was packaged as new.

I would have liked to have had netflix, etc. available on the TV, but since I already have all of that stuff through my Blu-Ray player, I chose not to spend more money and duplicate it. Probably would have been more convienent to have it through the television but I didn't think that it was worth the extra money.

All in all, I'm more than happy with this purchase.

Brought To You From – UN46C6300

Review 8

I own both a c6500 and this model, the c6300. Generally there is a 2-4 hundred dollar price difference between the two models. Although the spec sheets claim a difference of nearly a million in contrast ratios, no one who has seen both side by side can tell a difference in picture quality. If there is a difference, it's too subtle to worry about. The c6500 has Samsung and Yahoo apps. However you can get nearly the same exact feature set by buying this 6300 and then purchasing a Samsung BD-c6500 blu-ray player. The BD-c6500 doesn't have yahoo apps though so if you want/need amazon video on demand you're better off looking at the c6500. Still if you can do without yahoo, you'll come out a few bucks ahead by going for the 6300 and the blu ray player, and of course you also end up with a nice blu ray player in the process.

The other major difference between the two models is the stand and the frame. The 6300 has a flat, black stand that, while utilitarian isn't that great aesthetically. The 6500 has a 4 pronged silver stand that looks much more stylish. If you plan to put the TV in an enclosure where the sides are hidden or obscured by cabinet walls then the 6300 is perfectly fine. If you plan to use the TV on a simple table or stand, leaving the side of the TV exposed you may find the 6500 to be more stylish and elegant and worth the price premium.

The 6300 has a black border but it's covered by a layer of thick, clear plastic. It's possible for room lights to hit the clear plastic in a way that makes the black border appear like cheap, shiny plastic -- the kind you'd see on a $10.00 electronic item. In a dim or dark room this isn't an issue and it's not an issue if your lights can be moved or adjusted to reduce the glare effect. The 6500 has a brushed metallic border. Again there's a layer of plastic but the 6500's metallic border sits on the outside. There's no glare, and the frame is just much more appealing than the 6300.

There's no difference in the sound quality between the two and it's decent enough sound for the most part although some digital sound systems used in movies (dolby I think) don't produce enough volume even at the max setting. But for regular TV viewing it's loud enough. The system will benefit greatly from a soundbar and subwoofer which are fairly cheap and practical. However I would stay away from Samsung's soundbar which has the propensity to randomly decide to use a different input source once a week (regardless of whether the remote is in use at the time or not), this is a widely reported problem.

Others have covered the brilliant picture in excruciating detail so I'll just leave this thought here: You will not be disappointed with the picture.

So the final recommendation is this: Aesthetically the c6500 wins by a fairly large margin and the c6500 is probably worth the premium if it's going to be sitting alone on a stand or table. The c6300 is probably the better choice if you're going to be putting the tv in a cabinet or a structure where the sides are not fully exposed. Unless you need amazon video on demand there's no compelling reason to purchase a c6500 as you'll get everything but yahoo in the bd-c6500 blu ray player and still come out ahead in terms of price. This aside there's no other real difference between the two units.

That's pretty much it. The only thing left is to remind you to pick up a few cheap HDMI cables here on Amazon. You can get 3 or 4 for the price of ONE (their absolute cheapest) at the box electronic shops. HDMI is a digital signal, the picture is either perfect or its not there at all; there is no in between and no gold plated, gas injected, turbo charged $100 cable is going to be able to provide a better picture than a $7.00 bargain bin special. And that's something no floor salesman is ever going to tell you.

Brought To You From – UN46C6300

Review 7

After doing lot of research I decided to buy this TV. The ordering process on Amazon was smooth. Soon after I paid for the TV the price went down and Amazon was kind enough to match the price.

Since this is my first HD TV, I am unable to compare the quality of this TV to other HDTV's. My friends who own many HDTVs were blown away by the quality of this TV. One of them has 2009 Samsung model and he said this TV is far better than his TV. The HD channels looks amazing on this TV. The SD channels look much better than I expected. I had two different cable/satellite providers for three weeks and I compared the same picture/channels and found that quality of SD channels depend very much on the service provider. HD channels from both providers looked amazing.

TV has 2 USB ports in addition to many other types of inputs. You can view pictures, movie clips taken using your digital camera on this TV without any special software. The TV has its own media player. Pictures taken using digital camera looked very sharp on the TV. I have connected a Flash drives, various memory cards using USB memory cards and USB external hard drives to the TV.

The TV is very easy to setup. I recommend that the minimum level of the eco sensor to be changed to a higher number. This completely solves the issue of TV being "too dark" at night time. Printed material included with the TV has a separate sheet on the possible dark pictures due to Eco sensor and how to fix it. You can either turn off the Eco sensor or increase the minimum brightness level. The TV has a small speaker. However, it produces good quality sound for day to day use. If you are looking for Movie Theater sound quality, a home theater systems is recommended. As an average user, I am more than happy with the quality of the sound.