Samsung LE40D503

I had owned my 34inch Toshiba tv for a long long time, and although it still worked fine it was big, bulky and I wanted a more modern television to go with my newly decorated living room. My journey for a new TV began…I never anticipated it to be so complicated!

LED, LCD or PLASMA

I had never delved into the world of TV’s before and I was confused as to the difference between a plasma TV, an LCD TV and an LED TV. All I knew is that I wanted a TV slightly bigger than my current one that looked nice, and at a bargain price. I was greeted at Currys by a very enthusiastic salesman who explained the full ins and outs of the huge array of televisions that faced me.

I was initially drawn to the plasmas because of the cheaper price. A 40 inch plasma tv was about £150 cheaper than a similar looking LED. However, I was informed that apparently not only does the plasma have a poorer picture quality than the LED and LCD’s but it is getting old-fashioned and will not be in existence for too much longer.
The LCD is seemingly the next step up, with a very high picture quality, and is particularly good for programmes involving lots of speed and movement such as sporting.

The LED’s are apparently the next step up again with amazing all round picture quality and very modern.

The price increases with each type of TV and with hindsight I may have opted for an LCD or plasma rather than the LED as I have to admit that to my untrained eye I hardly noticed a difference in any of the picture qualities. However, the salesman did his job well and I opted for the more modern LED.

Appearance

How the TV looked in my room was one of my prime concerns and I was delighted. It is so slim and light it’s amazing, it is a perfect size, smart, glossy black and looks fantastic on the stand in the corner of the room. Its modern look really does make the whole room look smarter and has become quite a feature rather than a simple household appliance.

Picture & Sound Quality

The TV is used for general family viewing – no sport or speciality programmes – and I cannot fault the picture. All programmes are bright, colourful and bold. The other thing the tv is used for is the Nintendo Wii. I noticed a huge improvement in the quality of picture when using the Wii compared with my old TV. I was absolutely delighted with the clarity of picture.

I wasn’t quite as impressed with the sound quality. As mentioned, I only have my previous tv to compare with, and although obviously I am used to it now my initial thought was that it sounded a bit tinny. The volume however goes very high and it seems to have a good strong tone to it.

Ease of use/installation

I paid a little extra to have the TV installed by the company for peace of mind and to make sure it was done right. This really wasn’t necessary though as the TV is so light it can easily be lifted onto a stand, and installing is simply a case of connecting it to the mains and digital box etc

It is supplied with a remote control featuring all the basic functions you would expect. The only slight downside to the installation of the tele etc is that it only has one scart lead connection at the back. This isn’t a huge problem, it just means the scart plugs have to be changed from the Wii to the DVD player each time a different one is used. I wouldn’t let this put anyone off buying this, it’s only a slight inconvenience.

Value

The price was excellent. After much searching I was assured that this was the best priced 40inch LED TV on the market at £479. I was extra pleased that the store where I bought it from refunded me £50 when the product was further reduced.

For a modern television which should serve its purpose for many years to come I thought it was terrific value for an excellent product.