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Samsung LN52A650 52" LCD HDTV

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I urge everyone to consider the 52" over the 46" screen. At a viewing distance of 8-10', the 52" is perfect. We also recommend you hang the set on the wall, especially if you live in earthquake prone areas. The included stand is o.k., but we worried that a shake ot a bump would knock the set over. Best to hang it on a wall for peace of mind.

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Samsung LN52A650 52" LCD HDTV

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I urge everyone to consider the 52" over the 46" screen. At a viewing distance of 8-10', the 52" is perfect. We also recommend you hang the set on the wall, especially if you live in earthquake prone areas. The included stand is o.k., but we worried that a shake ot a bump would knock the set over. Best to hang it on a wall for peace of mind.

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Samsung LN52A650 52" LCD HDTV

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LCD TVs I've seen.

The "touch of red" is subtle. Personally, I like it a lot - it's enough to give the TV a bit of a unique look, which I really appreciate because so many flat-screen TVs have the same bland styling. Yet, it is very subtle and can blend in with any decor, regardless of the color of your walls, furniture, etc. I don't think any but the very pickiest of people would feel the appearance of the TV clashes with their decor.

If you purchase this set, I recommend buying from Amazon. First, their price is lower than almost any other retailer. (And, as another reviewer said, every couple days they raise or lower the price - it seems to fluctuate between $2060 and $1930 or thereabouts - so wait for it to go to the lower level and then order.)

Second, Amazon pays for delivery and doesn't charge sales tax. Delivery would otherwise be $60 or more, and tax on a $2000 TV would be $100 or more in most states.

The quality of the delivery service should factor into your decision. Different reviewers here have had different experiences, some great, others not so great.

For what it's worth, here's mine:

Amazon used the freight company "Pilot" to deliver my TV. The local Pilot depot (about 40 miles from here) received the TV just 5 days after I ordered it, but they only make deliveries to my town on certain days of the week, and only between 10am and 2pm. So, it took another week before I was able to coordinate with them for delivery to my house.

They told me that 2 men would deliver the TV, but only one showed up at my house. So I was the second man. I didn't mind this - I'm in okay shape and happy for the exercise - but some folks might not be willing or able to help carry in their bigscreen TV from the truck. Also, the truck showed up when they said it would - which I really appreciated - so I didn't have to wait around all day for the delivery.

The box the TV was packed in had some dirt on it (this is very typical, even with UPS and FedEx, I don't know how the insides of these delivery trucks get so dirty, do they also ship shrubs and small trees?) When the box was set down on the carpet in several different places, it left dirt that was very hard to get out. Frustrating.

The box was undamaged, and the TV was very carefully packed inside it and had absolutely no damage. The guy took it out of the box, inspected the TV, and I helped him put it on the stand. He put the batteries in the remote and plugged it in. He offered to take away the box and packing materials, but I opted to hang on to them. Except for the dirt on my carpet, I considered this to be excellent service.

Before putting the new TV on my stand, I had to move my old TV off the stand and out of the way. I couldn't do this by myself - it's a 34" widescreen tube TV and weighs nearly 200 pounds. I asked the guy if he could help me move it, and he didn't hesitate to help. I gave him a generous gratuity afterward.

A few people here have reported problems or defects with the TV. While every instance of this is regrettable, I would not let this deter you from ordering this TV. Samsung sells a huge number of TVs, yet has a very high reliability rating from Consumer Reports. So, while it's possible the one you get will need some type of warranty repair, it's not very likely. There's always this risk when you purchase any flat-screen TV from any manufacturer (just like one out of every 10,000 new ipods people buy is defective). Amazon has a generous return policy, and Samsung has a good warranty (though as a few people have said here, in some cases it's been hard to get warranty service in a timely fashion). So I think it's a risk worth taking.

In sum, this is an absolutely great TV - great picture, tons of connectivity options, great features, and, while not the cheapest 52" TV, definitely the best one and a great value for this quality.

If 52" is too big for your living room, Samsung makes a 46" version of this same TV for about $450 less - a great price compared with other retailers - and offers the same FREE "white glove" shipping and delivery service you'd get with this TV.

I'm very happy with the TV and with the terms of my purchase from Amazon. (And I SWEAR I am not an Amazon employee!! Really!!!)