Taking the Plunge: Samsung LN-S3238D 32' HDTV Product Review

It took a very long time, after buying many HD compatible systems and accessories, I have finally taken the big step into the High Definition Era by finally getting the means to buy a High Def TV. Here is a short review of my new Samsung LN-S3238D 32' HDTV. Please note that this is my first HD TV, so I have nothing to compare it to. This should not be a final decision in buying a TV as it may be slightly biased do to me having nothing to compare it to.

Picture:

This is the main aspect of any HD TV, its picture. I can say that for a first HD TV, the LN-S3238D does not disappoint at all. From the second I played my Xbox 360 and PS3 in High Def, I was hooked. The TV runs at crisp 1366x768 resolution, filling its 32' screen beautifully. While it does not support 1080p, the TV supports pictures settings of 1080i, 720p, 480p, and 480i, giving enough choices to ensure every system will work on it in some form. When calibrated, the picture is absolutely beautiful. As a person that never owned or watched an HDTV beforehand, I was noticing details that I never did before. The picture on cable is great and on video game systems it is absolutely astounding. You will not be disappointed by this TV if you have an HD system to play on. It may even reinvigorate your love for games if it is dying a bit.

Sound:

The sound on the TV is much better than that on my last. The bass is nice and deep and can sometimes sound like a Surround Sound system, even if you do not have one. This is aided by a "Hall" setting which enhances the sound, making it project as if you were in a concert hall. That is about all that needs to be said about that aspect of the TV. It is adequate and decent enough if you have no surround sound.

Connections/Accessories:

The TV supports a slew of connections. The list is as follows: R/F Input, 2 HDMI in, 2 Composite, 1 DVI in, Component (Y/Pb/Pr) in, 2 S-Video inputs, Sound monitor out, PC (RGB) Input, Headphone jack, and an Optical Sound out.