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User Submitted Samsung HLN5065W 50-Inch Widescreen Projection HDTV with DLP Technology Reviews Date: 2007-01-23 It's old technology now I bought this in Jan 05 and was pretty happy--blown away by the HD picture quality, superior DVD quality using the component inputs, but as others have stated, disappointed by the mediocre to poor standard broadcast quality. Now that I'm smarter, I see that: a) there is no ATSC (digital) tuner so I can't increase my limited selection of Comcast HD channels by receiving HD broadcasts over the air, b) no HDMI input capability, so I can't use one of the newer upscaling DVD players on the market. I would not buy this product today at any price. Date: 2005-02-18 A good "budget" DLP TV I picked this TV up at Best Buy in November 2004, and I've been pretty pleased with it. It's easy to set up and lightweight (approx 70 pounds), and isn't as fragile as it appears. I'm running a DVI cable from a digital cable box to this TV, and the high-definition picture is spectacular, especially for sports. This TV only offers the 720p HD output, but I've had no difficulties with conversion from the 1080i signal. The analog signal (non-digital channels), unfortunately, is mediocre - and certain stations that have poor signals (think TBS) look terrible. It was explained to me that all DLP televisions have lousy analog pictures because they don't deal well with the 480i output that standard TV uses, but it doesn't matter why - just be aware that it is a problem, and if you want a very good picture across the board, this TV does not deliver it. I have a pretty high-end Sony DVD player and I'm a little disappointed in the picture from it. I'm using good component cables and used a calibration DVD to improve the picture, but I still see a lot of artifacts and fuzziness on most DVDs. However, I can't totally blame the TV - high-quality DVDs (The Lord of the Rings movies come to mind) do look good. I guess the TV just doesn't do much to improve an average or lousy signal like the 32 inch Sony tube TV I had before it. The setup is pretty easy to use, and the TV is packed with features (impressive PIP in particular). Menus are easy to navigate. My only criticism is that if you have several devices plugged in, going from one input to another can take a good 10 seconds as the TV's "reaction time" is very slow when you want to go from TV to DVD to X-Box, etc... Overall, it's a good, not great, TV. I'm happy I bought it - and if you can still find one (they're 3 generations old, having been replaced by the 5063 and now the 5085) at a clearance sale, it might be your best bet. Date: 2005-01-15 AWESOME! I've had this TV for 2 weeks, I am very, very satisfied. HDTV channels are fantastic. I have been a little skeptical thinking that I was going to find something that will disappoint me, but it hasn't, it's one of the best purchases I've made in a while. I spent a lot of time looking at different models and types of TV, Plasma, LCD etc... This is half the price and it looks just as good, if noo better than all but the most expensive LCD or Plasma. It's also has a 3rd generation DLP chip, so you're getting the latest and greatest technology. One thing to note, if you buy this TV and think you might want to upgrade the DVD, Samsung also makes 2 models that have DVI out, there is a remarkable difference even from component input. They run from $200-$250, very reasonable and the results are WELL worth it! It will actually up-res the image to 1080i and process out the jaggies in the DVD. Simply amazing. These DVD players also have upgradable firmware. You download it from the Samsung site, burn it to a CD-R, pop it in and it upgrades the software! Easy to use, and well thought out. Do yourself a favor, go to a store and actually see it. I sent back a Sony Wega because of some problems, and I have to say nothing beats a Tubed set for contrast and clarity, but this TV comes pretty close. Oh yeah, it's pretty narrow too. About twice the depth of a Plasma, and less than half of a regular TV, AND it only wieghs 85 pounds, so most people can manage it themselves... My 40" Wega wieghed 300... BLAH! Ahhh 50" beautiful inches of Hi-Def goodness! Date: 2004-08-01 I Got A Bad One Original Review (2004) We were very eager to use this product. The picture looks fantastic and the DLP technology worked wonders on old fashioned non HDTV signals. In doing research I read a review or two concerning problems with Sony's lamp startup (ie it didnt) which swayed us to purchase this Samsung product. However, 3 weeks later, the same thing reviewers wrote about on the Sony LCD is happening with our TV. It intermittently will not light the lamp. In talking with an honest sales rep at a local store, he mentioned that there were a few returns on this issue. Heading back to return product - I guess I'll wait until version 2 comes out in the future. An update (11/05) - Its been a year and the new version I bought 3 months later and $400 cheaper is still functioning quite well. Date: 2004-06-10 Wow! I finally took the plunge and purchased the Samsung 50" DLP. And "wow" is pretty much all I can say. The picture quality is unbelievable. I finally understand why everyone is oogling over HDTV. I hooked up the DVD player (an old Sony, non-progressive scan) and I sat there dumbfounded. I started the "testing phase" with Apollo 13. Wow. I could tell very little difference between S-Video and Component Video, and while Component gets the slight edge, you have to be picky to care because the picture quality is outstanding either way. Hooked up the digital cable box... and again, two wows! The first wow is for how bad a standard television signal looks! It was embarrassing... I can't believe we've been watching this junk for decades! The second wow is for how much better the digital signal looks. I then ran out and upgraded my cable box to a HD box.... ok, this is a big wow! It's so good it's almost stupid. I sat there mesmerized by this almost surreal picture. Travels through Italy, Hogan's Heroes (who knew this stuff was in HD?), Three Days of the Condor, and the College World Series... it was almost like being there... actually it was better. I may never leave the house! Hookups are great. Plenty of component, s-video, and even a DVI (which I haven't used yet, although my cable box does have DVI, hard to believe the picture could be better). As integrated speakers go, the Samsung sounds great. It has a simulated surround sound mode which I tested with Apollo 13 and, while not high end surround sound, I was quite impressed. This ain't your daddy's tv speaker. Out-of-box experience was as good as it gets. It was well packed, easy to unpack, and everything worked perfectly. The remote will not win awards for revolutionary design, but it was intuitive enough for me to get to everything I needed. My only real world experience with big screen tv is my dad's Sony rear projection. What impressed me with the Samsung compared to that experienece is... you can't get too close (no tunneling), it looks great from the side, from the floor, and standing up.... you do lose a little brightness, but it's still very watchable. It's not as good as plasma, but it's not far off. One of my pet peeves with big screens is the finish on the glass... I much prefer the "matte" non-reflective finish of the Samsung. And when combined with the superb brightness, you can watch (and enjoy) the picture even in a brightly lit room. It wasn't easy for me to pull the trigger... I've spent the past several years of lusting over big screen televisions... never passing up the opportunity to peruse the aisles at BestBuy and Circuit City... watching the evolution from rear projection to plasma to LCD... and nothing really impressed me (ok, the plasma did impress me, but the pricetag was beyond comprehension). But there was always something that turned me off... my dad's Sony projection is cool, but when I watch a movie on it, I can see "CNN" and "Live" burned into the corners of the screen... and then I learned that you can get burn-in on plasma as well. Yikes. Then I saw the DLP... and I came close to falling in love. If you're thinking about going HD and you can afford it, you will not be dissappointed with the Samsung.
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