I searched for a flat-screen tv for a couple of months, and finally chose the 4665. I chose the size of the TV based on my room, and decided 50 was too big and 42 too small. This left me without a decision on plasma vs lcd, which was ok with me. Plasma has more basic issues, and going LCD was not a sacrifice - except I had yet to see a LCD with black blacks, so I was not sure what I would see in the 46" range.
As for price range, I decided that I was going to buy the tv that I was happiest with. It was not that I have unlimited budget, just that I wanted to make sure that I would going to be completely satisfied with a 2-3k purchase. I really only knew about the plasma tv's in 42" 720p, so I had a lot of research to do to understand what to buy.
After reading hundreds of reviews and going to several stores to comparison shop, I was basically down to three Samsung models. I was considering the LN-T4665F, LN-T4661F and the LNS4696. Going straight by the specs, the 4665 looked to be the best because of the 15000:1 dynamic contrast ratio. With this in mind, I was confused to see that BestBuy has the 4696 in their Magnolia section and not the 4665 - my only guess is that it is because the 4665 does not have a cableCard slot.
After lots of playing I was more than happy with each of the TVs, and my choices were narrowed down by wanting more hdmi's right on the set, wanting the best possible contrast, and the glossy screen on the 4665. I have seen several complaints about the glossy screen, however this was a selling feature for me - for the same reason that I ordered a MacBook Pro with the glossy screen - I just think that it makes moves look better. I can deal with reflection during the day to get a picture that I am happier with when watching a movie at night.
I must say that I am extremely impressed so far. I have not had a single image problem yet, and the setup was clearly the worst part of this tv. All-in-all, I am 100% satisfied with this purchase.
So here's my brief summary of the high/low points:
Pros:
1. (3) HDMI inputs
2. Excellent contrast - forget the numbers, as they are fiction - the blacks are black
3. Glossy screen - movies spectacular - Toy Story is mind-blowing!
4. Weight - This is one of the newer, lighter sets
5. Price - Not that this set was cheap, but I liked this over the Sony and would have spent another $1,000 to get a comparable Sony - and I hate the glass around the Sony's
Cons:
1. No cableCard slot - really only matters if you want to mount it on the wall
That's how I see it. I give this TV my highest endorsement. Samsung LNT4665F 46" 1080p LCD HDTV
I'm the guy everyone in my family comes to for product advice, so hopefully my story will help people if they're on the fence. Most of the decision points are the same as other reviews, but here's how I came to my conclusion, and the unbelievable bonus that makes the purchase even better than I could have hoped.
Do I pay extra for 1080p? In the end I voted yes for this. Why? Because at my core I'm a tech guy. I may cheap out when buying certain clothes or pack my own lunch, but when it comes to technology, I want to be ahead of the curve. I buy extra ram for my computer so it will take longer to become obsolete, and the same goes for getting the newer technology for my TV.
LCD vs. Plasma: I'm a huge sports guy so this one was tough for me. But in the end, I decided that the blurring on fast sports was probably imperceptible (I was right), I read some real stories about burn in, and I wanted the option to hook up my laptop if I wanted.
Brand: Sony is too expensive, and I eliminated the lower models like Philips, LG, etc, and went between Samsung and Sanyo. For this, I looked at them side by side in the store, and the Samsungs were just brighter and crisper.
4665 vs. 4661: Because I had been leaning somewhat toward a plasma, I went with the 4665 because it was brighter, more "glass-like" in appearance, and well, performed more like a plasma. I live in a small NYC studio apartment with only 1 window. So while this sucks for natural light, it's a perfect scenario for this TV. Glare is non-existent.
40" TV vs. 46" TV: I went back and forth on this, and to be honest, if Samsung had made a 42" like every other brand, I would have probably settled on that. But the guy in the apartment before me had a 47" Vizio in here. What was I supposed to do, go with 40" after that? So even though my last TV was a 30" Toshiba tube HDTV, and the 46" looks somewhat ginormous in my studio, I said what the hell and went with bigger is better. I think the quote that got me was, "I've never met anyone that wished they had gotten a smaller TV, but I know several that regretted not going with a bigger model."
Buy local or through Amazon: Well, we tried. My friend and I went to a local retailer here and said if he could come close to the Amazon price, factoring in shipping and tax, we would buy from him (both my buddy and I were buying TVs at the same time). They couldn't come close. Read on for the money factor...
Bonus: Here is the tip that you probably didn't know. So not only was the initial price ($2049) lower than the local retailer. And not only was shipping free. And not only was the tax free. And not only did I get multiple $25 gift cards because I used my Amazon credit card.
But Amazon has a policy that you can call up unlimited times and get a price reduction if you see a lower price on the product. So I bought my TV for $2049 on Nov 1. A week or so later, it had dropped to $1999 and I called and they credited my account. I set a reminder in my work Outlook to check every day at lunch. It dropped again to $1949. Call. Refund. I definitely made sure to check on Black Friday. And Black Monday. And again. Call. Refund. And again.
So in the end for me the price has dropped from $2049 to $1799, saving me $250 off my original price. Oh, and my friend's TV dropped $50, my HD DVD player dropped $10, and even my wall bracket dropped $20.
But wait you say, I don't have time to sit on hold all that time. Well, you don't. If you go to Amazon's help page, there is a feature called "Call me now." You type in your phone number and literally 5 seconds later, your phone rings with a live person on the other end, and 2 minutes later you have your savings. And no, I don't work for Amazon. Like I said, I'm the bargain guy, and I know every trick to get a good price. And if one end of the spectrum is creepy commissioned salespeople in Manhattan and the other is a flawless customer experience, it's a no brainer.
All this would be irrelevant if the performance didn't live up to the hype. Well, it does. In a word, the TV is stunning. End of story. - Samsung - Lcd - Hdtv - Lcd Hdtv'
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