The Samsung LN52A650 undoubtedly produces great images and sound, compared to other LCD TV's of its size it clearly handles motion very well however for me there is one minor issue. The display for the digital TV is 52 inches in size and has a very shiny finish, the size of the screen is a bonus however the shine can be a bit of an issue when watching movies and lights in your room are reflecting on it.

The best way to get past this issue is to ensure no lighting is directly in front of it if at all possible; ideally it should be placed in a position facing away from any windows. The shiny screen is a very minor issue that you can easily overlook considering what the HDTV does well. Colors produced by the TV are vivid and you can't fail to notice how well it produces the color black, this becomes apparent when you're watching night time scenes in your favourite films, Samsung have evidently pulled out all the stops in this area.

Another aspect that has seen vast improvement is motion blur so people and objects in chase scenes and fast moving sports events look more discernable, watching the TV in 120Hz mode has a significant impact on motion, much more so than with previous models in the range. What I appreciate about this TV is how many ports and sockets Samsung have added to its design, it even has a USB port built in so you can plug in your MP3 player and listen to it through the TV's speakers

There are a total of four HDMI sockets built into the TV and you will find three of them around the back, Samsung have even appealed to my lazy side by installing one on the side, this HDMI port gives you the option to attach consoles and DVD players to the TV in seconds without the hassle of reaching around the back. You can also read news from 'USA Today' and get weather reports on the TV as it also has an Ethernet port, some may find this redundant as it also has a socket for connecting the video output of your PC directly to it.

A lot of thought has gone into the design of the user menu and remote control for the TV making its initial set up quick and straightforward, its remote control has a unique addition that replaces the standard arrow buttons that are typically used for selecting your options. The unique addition to the controller is a rotating button that can also be clicked and this helps you to easily select the feature you want to adjust, the menu itself is simple to navigate so you can quickly find and adjust the TV's picture and sound.

The TV's outer casing at first glance looks like the color black but it actually has a hint of red blended in, most people cant see this when looking at pictures of it, to notice the red you literally have to be standing over it. Personally I like the red and think it gives the TV a unique touch, if the hint of red in the TV is likely to conflict with the décor of your living room then it may not be for you.

The TV can display images at a maximum resolution of 1920 * 1080 or 1080p, I'm very happy with this TV overall but with hindsight I would probably have waited a while before getting it. Originally the TV was released in 2008 but it easily competes with newer LCD's of the same size, hundreds of dollars have been slashed of the LN52A650 since its release so the only major difference is the price.
Hank Baum has analysed the performance of the Samsung LN52A650 as well as its power saving modes, for more information on the picture quality, features and availability of this digital television, check out his Samsung LN52A650 review.