Samsung LE32R51BD 32" LCD TV

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This Samsung tv is HD ready. I'm sure most of you have heard about High Definition tv by now, What it effectively means is picture is made up of 1080 lines in contrast to normal television which is made up of 576 lines. Therefore picutre quality is better. Furthermore HD has benefits for sounds too as it allows full Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound on broadcasts. Great I hear you say, where do I sign up? Well just hold on a cockin-pickin ...
...thiness. I particularly like the Samsung as it is framed in black ( see picture above ) and I think this gives it a sleek, stylish look.
My boss informed me once ( he is full of pearls of wisdom) that a LCD tv is equally popular with husbands and wives. His reasoning is that men like all the gadgets that come with it ( and there are many like picture in picture, different screen sizes etc) while women like the extra space it affords the sitting ... more

If you want every technical detail about this television, press the back button on your Menu now! It's not going to happen.
But if your looking for a review that will make sense to common people - to borrow a phrase - read on.

**** HD Ready ****

This Samsung tv is HD ready. I'm sure most of you have heard about High Definition tv by now, What it effectively means is picture is made up of 1080 lines in contrast to normal television which is made up of 576 lines. Therefore picutre quality is better. Furthermore HD has benefits for sounds too as it allows full Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound on broadcasts. Great I hear you say, where do I sign up? Well just hold on a cockin-pickin minute.

**** HD not Ready ****

While this all sounds great the reality is you are unlikely to see HD television at present. Sky were due to start broadcasting early 2006 but the masters of self promotion seem to have gone very quiet on this. While some programmes are filmes in HD - Lost and Bleak House for example - they are not broadcasted n HD. So in some ways its a bit like having a water pistol without water at the moment. However rest assured this television does have a neat gadget that splits the screen in two - think dandruff adverts with mass snowflakes on one side and clean, shiny hair on the other - so you can compare the difference between normal and HD tv.

*** Picture Quality ***

The television does have excellent picture quality though and the sound is better. However you only really notice this when you watch DVDs through it. Unsurprisingly, to get a good quality picture from your DVDs you need a HD ready DVD player. I got one of these too ( more on this later, folks) and I have to say it has really improved my experience of watching films. In regards to television transmissions I feel the quality is good but I only had a very old Toshiba before. The colours seem more vibrant, most notable in children's television. The sounds is considerably better and clearer. Last night I watched Planet Earth on BBC 1 ( how good was that? simply stunning) and the quality of the picture and sound was fantastic.

*** Freeview ****

No I'm not referring to those people who hang around outside my window sneaking a look at my television. No in fact this television had a built in freeview tuner which means I benefit from about an extra 40 channels. To be frank most of these are useless and show poor quality programmes or repeats. However there is one essential channel. No not music television, or the highbrow BBC4. Ask any parent and they'll be in the know! It's CBeebies which provides children's television from 6 a.m till 7 p.m. Now I know it's not the same as watching that freaky doll image that used to keep us entertained as a child ( I'm sure she used to change expression) but it is a life saver for parents. I try to restrict my childs intake but when you are making dinner and you have 2 under 3 year olds getting up to mischieve, CBeebies is a winner. Apart from that Freeview has Sky Sports News which I have on when I'm given a moment of peace. It's a good added bonus freeview and as it is inbuilt you don't need to have any extra boxes.

*** Keeping up Appearances ***

This tv comes with its own stand and it fits snugly on our mantelpiece at home. However you can purchase a wall mount for about an extra £100. It is surprisingly heavy despite its apparent thiness. I particularly like the Samsung as it is framed in black ( see picture above ) and I think this gives it a sleek, stylish look.
My boss informed me once ( he is full of pearls of wisdom) that a LCD tv is equally popular with husbands and wives. His reasoning is that men like all the gadgets that come with it ( and there are many like picture in picture, different screen sizes etc) while women like the extra space it affords the sitting room. To be honest I like the extra space it affords our room. Furthermore as a parent I'm glad that neither of my sons can lick the television screens any more when their favourite characters come on ( the things they learn from their mother!). It also means they have to watch the television from a certain distance which is obvouisly benefical to their mince pies!

*** Spot the Difference ***

What is the difference between the Samsung LE32R51BD and the LE32R41BD?
No it's not joke.
Well it almost is. There is no difference. How do I know? Because I'm the annoying individual who is prepared to email companies to find out the answer. There is one difference though I think you will pick up R4 much cheaper as it has been out longer.

*** Price ***

I'm gutted to say this little beauty can now be purchased for £848.13 on a web offer with Dixons or Currys. This is considerably cheaper than the £1,000 I paid in the shop. However be aware as you can also get some great extras on the Internet too. After purchasing mine in the shops I noticed that on the web Dixons also gave you a free home cinema system. I complained and stood my ground and said I would return the item. Suddenly the shop gave me a free HD ready Samsung DVD player too. So it is worth haggling even with big stores as they can make you a great offer.

So in conclusion this is a great tv although all the benefits are not evident yet. I would recommend it although you have to watch those people standing at your window sneaking a look.  

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