Samsung LN52A630

We haven't had a chance to fully test this product yet, but we've assembled this helpful overview of relevant information on it.

The Samsung LN52A630 LCD features a 52 inch screen with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels and an aspect Ratio: 16:9. Comes with 40,000:1 contrast ratio and 4ms response time.

The Samsung LN52A630 is the 2008 model of the 630 series. It features a 52-inch screen with a 40,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio. It has a 4ms response time and 120Hz for clear, crisp images. There are three HDMI ports and a USB 2.0 port that allows for viewing JPEG images or playing MP3s. It has full HDTV with 1080p resolution. It has two hidden speakers for SRS Tru Surround XT. Features Sports and Game modes as well as a V-Chip for parental control.

Features List:

- 52-inch LCD screen

- 40,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio

- 4ms response time

- 120Hz image interpolation technology

- 3 HDMI ports, USB 2.0 port

- Full HDTV 1080p

- Hidden speakers for Surround sound

What are widgets?

Many of the top television manufacturers – including Sony, Sharp, Panasonic and Samsung – include Ethernet jacks on the back of their premium televisions for high-speed Internet connectivity (or in some cases, have integrated Wi-Fi for wireless connections). TV viewers will then use the remote to select “widgets,” graphicalicons on the screen that plays relevant (and customized) content ranging from YouTube videos and Flickr photo galleries to local weather, news, sports updates and stock quotes, usually delivered by Really Simple Syndication (RSS). Even more exciting is the partnership between Netflix and various TV companies, such as LG and Sony, allowingtelevision viewers to access tens of thousands of movies on-demand, many of which are in high-definition.

Do I need an ATSC tuner?

If you plan on watching, free, over-the-air programming, then yes. As of 2009, all over-the-air broadcasts use the ATSC standard. Pretty much all HDTVs manufactured over the past few years will include this feature.

How large of a screen do I really need?

“Bigger is better” doesn’t make any more sense when choosing an HDTV for your living room than when choosing a couch for your living room. A lot of factors come into play. As a general rule, consider a TV 1.5 to 3.0 times the screen size. For instance, a 32-inch television might make sense for viewing distances as close as four feet away, and as far as eight feet away. Check out our guide to choosing the right size HDTV for more details, including a helpful chart.

Which other panel specs should I pay attention to?

In short: brightness, contrast, and refresh time.

Brightness is measured in Candelas per square meter, or cd/m2. A typical figure, for instance, might be 500 cd/m2. More is always better, especially if you plan to plant your TV in a bright room where the screen will have to overcome other light sources.

Contrast is measured as a ratio of the brightest white a TV can produce, over the darkest dark. For instance, Insignia’s NS-L42X-10A offers a 4,000:1 contrast ratio. More is also better, but beware of “dynamic contrast ratios,” which use unrealistic measurement conditions (the brightest white is measured with the backlight set to full, and the darkest dark with the backlight to minimum, even though those levels could never occur side by side on the same screen) to inflate the number to levels like 2,000,000:1.

Refresh time is measured in milliseconds, such as 5ms. Lower is always better, and will prevent the “ghosting” that can sometimes be seen in fast-motion video.