Samsung HP-S5053 50 in. HDTV TV

We (finally) decided to upgrade from our standard 27" television to a HD TV last December. Most buying guides and experts recommended the Panasonic brand...but when we went to the store to look first-hand for ourselves the picture clarity and detail was noticably better on the Samsung. Not just better than the Panasonic, but markedly better than all the other brands. Go see for yourself. When you stand there in front of a wall of different models and sizes, this TV will stand-out. While picture clarity is not everything, let's face it, if you're buying an HD TV it's clearly one of the most important things.

Other Features we like about the set include:

The overall design and color (Black). Many of the other sets are now in silver, which is ok..but nothing goes with every kind of room decor the way black does. Also, it makes for a nice contrast when you're watching it as it so clearly frames and delineates your picture.

Sound. The sound is great and the speakers are invisible. Honestly, we thought we'd probably be right back at the store within a few weeks looking for a home theater system. Now I'm not saying the set comes with that level of quality built-in, but what I am saying is it is certainly good enough to the extent that we haven't even considered buying a home theater system.

Size. Everyone we know (and probably most of who you know) went for the 42". We decided on this 50" -even though it as obviously more expensive. Our thinking was why not get the biggest one that can reasonably fit into our family room. I'm so glad we did. I was a bit fearful that it would look huge ...you know like comically huge - but it's just right. I have never once thought "That thing's just too big", whereas my friends' 42" look rather small. Afterall, with a picture quality this good it deserves to be seen.

Weight, Stand, Inputs. I don't think this set weighs more than 110lbs. You may wall mount the TV, but the stand it comes with is very sound, strong, and compliments the set nicely. The input /outputs are many in number (I can't imagine there's a connection that hasn't been account for) and located on the side discretely - so that you cannot see them unless you're behind the TV - yet easily accessible from the front.

This set does NOT have the Cable Card which was something we struggled with during our initial research. We ultimately decided not to worry about it. For those of you wondering...a cable card, in essence, eliminates the need for a cable box (which is provided by your local cable company once you convert over to digital cable - you need this to receive High Definition cable). The drawback of the cable card is that you will not be able to use the guide feature (check TV Lisitng and program schedules AND MORE IMPORTANTLY you would not be able to take advantage of DVR. This (DVR) is a service of your local cable provider and is not built into the set (it's built into the cable box they provided). We didn't think we'd use it, but with busy schedules (and our general decadence) we do all the time.

Back to the set. This really is a wonderful set and we are very well pleased with our decision to buy it. Sports look crystal clear, nature shows are breathtakingly life-like, and HD movies are even clearer than experience in the theatrical release. Simply put, it looks great and it sounds great. And, afterall, isn't that why you wanted an HD TV to begin with?