I Can See Clearly Now (Samsung LE-32A556)

Member Name: manlybeach

Product:	Samsung LE-32A556
Date:	15/04/09 (343 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very good quality pictures and sound

Disadvantages: Picture froze at first but okay now

After much deliberation we decided to upgrade our old Panasonic to a LCD HD television which would free up some space in our small living room and give an improved picture quality. So off we went to the retail park and began looking. We went into Currys then Comet , PC World back into Currys and Comet by which time I was sick as a chip! My husband asked which one I liked best to which I replied "the Panasonic Vierra" and as usual he totally ignored me and decided the Samsung LE32A556P was the best one he had seen. As he was paying I left the final decision up to him.

I must admit the Samsung did have a slightly better picture quality than the Panasonic and I think it was only the fact I didn't know much about Samsung that was holding me back. Anyhow we decided this was the one we would go for but we would go back home and do a price comparison on the computer to find the best deal first.
The price in Currys was £749 and on doing a price comparison we found the cheapest was Dixons at a total of £555.49 including delivery. A considerable saving especially when you consider Dixons and Currys are owned by the same company. So we went ahead and ordered it and a couple of days later it arrived.

I have no technological interest at all so left the setting up to my husband. He said it was the easiest telly he's ever set up. Just a case of plug it in and let the remote control do the channel set up. The only fiddling to do would be to alter the picture or sound etc if you weren't happy with the factory settings it comes with.The manual explains how to do everything and tells you of all the other things that can be done. So if, like my husband, you like playing with the buttons and changing everything around then you will also be pleased to know there is a reset facility which will put it all back again should you mess it up!
SO WHAT DOES IT HAVE?
1080 Pixels which basically means it is High Definition (HD) quality
3 HDMI sockets
Graphic Equaliser
2 Scart sockets
PC Input
Wiselink this function enables you to view photos (JPEG) and listen to audio files (MP3) saved on a USB MSC device

Automatic Software Updates
Electronic Programme Guide (EPG)
Anynet which finds any new equipment you plug into the telly and recognises it without it having to be tuned in

4 Energy saving settings: low or off giving the best picture quality through to high which is the most energy saving but produces an inferior picture. However the only real difference I could see was the picture was darker with the high setting but perfectly watchable.
Built in Freeview


Automatic Volume control. This keeps the volume at a steady level so you will no longer be shouted at by that annoying man from the BOGOF windows advert. However it means when this is in action you can't turn the sound up really high which I like to do when listening to my favourite radio station Mojo. Rock music is meant to played loud although I don't think my neighbours agree! When I get time I will find the button that turns that off ha ha.
Sound output of 10w x2 and built in surround sound

The telly measures 865mm wide and 561mm high with a depth of 220mm. It weighs 13.7kg with the stand and it can also be wall mounted if desired. The visable screen size is 32".
The remote control is fairly straightforward and the manual gives step by step instructions so you don't need a degree to understand it.

SO WHAT'S IT LIKE?
Well, comparing it to the old Panasonic which also had Freeview built in and had a good picture, I can see a definite improvement. The colours are more realistic and the overall picture much clearer. It has a very realistic almost 3D quality to it. I notice it most on outside shots where it is so real looking I could almost believe I was there. I can imagine having a bigger screen would enhance the experience even more but unfortunately we didn't have the room to take up this option.
I haven't got the best hearing but even I could notice the difference in the quality of the sound. With the old telly the sound was flat if you know what I mean whereas with this one it is much clearer and crisp. I can hear background noises now such as a phone ringing or footsteps. It doesn't seem very important but to be able to hear more or less everything going on has made a big difference to me.

The only negatives I can come up with are it is slightly slower than the Panasonic in coming on and changing channels which can be annoying when I am missing the beginning of Corrie. Also when changing channels ,on the old telly, programme information would come up at the bottom of the screen but it doesn't with this one. However they are both very minor niggles that I can live with.
One problem we did have at first was the picture would keep freezing. We upgraded the ariel and this has helped but not removed the problem entirely. It is easily remedied by turning the telly off then back on again though and happens so rarely now we don't worry about it. The Panasonic used to it sometimes as well especially if the weather was really bad so we're aren't sure if the same thing is happening here or if it's just a case of a bad signal from time to time. However if I do find out anymore I will update this review.


As with all tellys like this the manual advises against leaving a still image on the screen for longer than two hours as it can cause screen burn. So now when I pause my recording of Eastenders while I go and peel the spuds for tea my husband panicks and turns it off. I don't know how many spuds he thinks i'm doing! Really it's just an excuse so he doesn't have to watch Eastenders I reckon!
I must admit I do think my husband made a good choice with this telly. The picture and sound quality has enhanced my viewing pleasure. I like it's sleek black profile which saves so much room and I love the fact that it doesn't attract dust!

This is my first "techno" review so I hope I have covered the things most people would want to know. If I haven't then please let me know...I will probably ignore you though as this is as technical as I get!
Thanks for reading
manlybeach

Summary: excellent telly

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