Samsung LN52B750 Review

Samsung’s LN52B750 improves on the company’s 2008 model, the LN52A650, by adding a 240Hz refresh rate as well as a several new features for users. The astounding set actually performs better than Samsung’s edge lit LED series of LCD TVs, the 6000, 7000, and 8000 in many categories, such as black levels and image reproduction. While most plasmas still outperform this set and many LCDs in picture quality, the LN52B750 might be the LCD TV with the best picture and interactive features out there that’s not equipped with LED backlighting capable of localized dimming, like the Samsung A950 and Sony XBR8.

Brief Specifications of LN52B750

• Resolution: 1080p (standard), 1920 x 1080 (exact)
• Contrast Ratio: 30000:1 (native), 150,000:1 (dynamic)
• 240Hz TruMotion processing
• THX Certified: NO
• Picture-in-Picture: YES
• Anti-glare filter: Ultra Clear Panel
• 24p cinema mode: YES
• Internet@TV
• InfoLink
• Energy Star 3.0 rated
• Four HDMI Inputs

Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Intense black levels
• Very Accurate Colors
• Amazing picture uniformity
• Quality dejudder processing
• Four HDMI and one PC input

Cons:

• Dark areas seem to tinge to blue
• Reflective screen can cause issues
• No S-Video input
• 240Hz refresh rate not a visible improvement

Features

The LN52B750 beefs up its offerings over the lower-end LNB650 models with its 240Hz refresh rate. This is designed for motion resolution, but the improvement still isn’t very visible for most viewers. Luckily Samsung’s Auto Motion Plus dejudder processing is included again in this line, and this year sees the inclusion of custom setting for altering blur reduction and judder.

The LN52B750 also includes many more interactive features, such as streaming music, videos, and photos from DLNA-certified products through a network connection and its USB ports. The USB ports can connect to USB thumbdrives, MP3 players, and digital cameras. Samsung also included some content already installed, like games, workout guides, recipes, and some slideshows of art and photos with music playing alongside it. However, a lot of this content isn’t as engaging as it sounds.

Samsung threw Yahoo Widgets into most of its higher-end sets in 2009, like the LN52B750. The Widgets are basically internet-powered information nodules that load into a bar at the bottom of the screen. Users can add widgets for weather, news, stocks, and Flickr photos. There are also widgets for sports scores, poker, Twitter, trivia, and Yahoo video. The only downside is the widgets often have a slow, dragging response at times.

The LN52B750 also includes many new standard picture fine-tunings. Its four modifiable picture modes are independent per input, and five color temperature presets let users change each one with a white balance menu. Its seven-position gamma feature alters the TV’s succession from dark to light. There are three levels of noise reduction and a film mode for 2:3 pull-down. Also, there are four aspect ratio modes for HD sources. One mode, called Screen Fit, makes the LN52B750 scale 1080i and 1080p sources into the panel’s pixels without overscan. Two other modes allow users to shift the image about the screen.

To save users money, the LN52B750 includes three power-saver modes. It also has picture-in-picture, and an “E-manual” installed onto a USB stick. For the first time this year, Samsung’s HDTVs can get firmware updates through an online download directly through the set, saving users time in moving them from their computers to the TV.

Connectivity

The LN52B750 has great overall connectivity with its four HDMI inputs, but like the LH5590 from LG, Samsung decided not to include S-video inputs. The set’s back panel keeps three of the HDMI ports, an Ethernet port, one RF input for cable and satellite, one VGA PC input, two component video inputs, one stereo analog audio input, and one optical digital audio output. Its side panel has a two USB inputs, the other HDMI input, and one AV input with composite video. The two USB ports allow users to connect USB thumb drives or hard drives with video, music, or photos to view them.

Design

The LN52B750’s features a very faint translucent blue Touch of Color, much like the rest of Samsung’s 2009 line. The line runs alongside the bottom edge of the display, under an illuminated logo. Its remote control basically retains last year’s model, with the exception of a lip on the rear that keeps it stable on a table. The buttons are backlit, and large. A devoted Tools key gives quick contact to the sleep timer, picture-in-picture controls, and picture and sound modes. Samsung uses the same menu system as last year’s LN52A750, this year’s featuring blue borders. Its menus are very well designed, featuring large, readable text on a translucent background. Each menu features instructive copy at bottom of the screen to embellish the on screen commands.

Performance

Samsung’s Movie preset gives users the most accurate picture with for the LN52B750. The only downside to this presently is that its color temperature seems to lean towards blue when matched up to to the D65 standard. While fiddling with the white balance controls can assist users in altering this effect, the grayscale may resist change. Samsung’s gamma slider gives users seven selections to test out as well.

Black Levels

The Samsung LN52B750 edges out competition in the black level category when compared to two of its own models, including the edge lit LED Samsung UN46B7000, and last year’s Samsung LN52A650. It also beats out the Toshiba 47ZV650U and Sony’s KDL-52XBR9, which both also feature 240Hz refresh rates. Plasmas still perform better than the LN52B750 in black levels and shadow detail, however. Shadow detail is similar between Sony’s XBR9 and the LN52B750, but both outperform most LCDs on the market.

Color Accuracy

The LN52B750 has great color accuracy. Like similar sets from Sony, its primary and secondary colors provide astounding precision and saturation. While they may not come to life off the screen like many plasmas, it beats out last year’s A650 or Toshiba’s similar sets. It has similar saturation to the company’s edge lit LED 7000 series.

Video Processing

Samsung’s 2009 sets allow users to separate smoothing effect of dejudder to minimize blur. It includes a Custom setting that users can set blur reduction at 10 and judder reduction at zero for the best possible results, which differs from LG’s LH90 series, which groups the two features together, preventing users from getting the best possible processing. Increasing the judder reduction makes the image more fluid and reduces artifacts. The 240Hz Sony KDL-52XBR9 can’t quite touch how defined the LN52B750’s images are, but both offer around 900 and 1,000 lines of motion resolution. The LNB750 also outworks the Toshiba, though Panasonic’s plasmas beat out everyone. The 240Hz refresh rate on the LNB750 makes such a small difference in regular images that most viewers won’t be able to discern the difference. However it does make an obvious change in blurring with test patterns. Using dejudder during a film allows motion choppy, so users may prefer to not use it.

Standard definition

The LN52B750 offers unyielding standard-def picture eminence. It works well with DVD sources and kills jagged edges from video-based sources. Concerning noise reduction, the LN52B750 worked well with low-quality shots and it accepts 2:3 pull-down quite well.

Glare and Reflections

Samsung’s 2008 glossy screen makes a reappearance in 2009, which is kind of a shame. When windows are aimed at the screen or lights on the ceiling are turned on, can maintain black levels in dark areas. The downside is that very bright reflections from light sources and bright objects can occur. While this isn’t an issue during brightly lit images, when dark scenes come up, the viewer will notice something on screen that doesn’t belong.

Conclusion

The LN52B750 is full of great interactive features, like Medi@2.0, which lets users try Internet@TV. This feature allows viewer to download content via Yahoo!, Flickr, and other online TV widgets. And its Content Library gives users pre-loaded cooking recipes, fitness exercises, and much more. The DNLA connectivity gives users the ability to access their PC’s media to download music, video, and photos anywhere the TV is. And its picture is greatly enhanced by the Auto Motion Plus 240 Hz feature, which kills motion blur. The LN52B750 has one of the best pictures out of any LCD on the market, beating out similar sets from Toshiba and Sony. With its resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels and its Cold Cathode Florescent Light backlights, the set is equipped to please. Its Wide Color Enhancer 3 feature is designed to match the colors of the video source more accurately to the colors that the display can actually reproduce. The Samsung TV is also Energy Star 3.0 rated, for the green-minded consumer. Overall, the LN52B750 has a great list of features and picture reproduction. Its only downfalls are its overly glossy screen, the lack of any S-video inputs, and its tendency to falter towards a blue tinge in certain darker scenes. However, the positives greatly outweigh the negatives with this solid set from Samsung.