Strengths: Price, QAM, Good PQ

Weaknesses: Sound could be better

Summary: Samsung has been one of the leading sellers of LCD HDTVs for quite some time so I figured they must know something about them. I was not disappointed. While only a 720p, instead of the increasingly more common 1080p, this set plays very well and with very little motion blur. In the setting this TV was placed and the lack of a blu-ray player, the 720p was more than enough resolution. The dynamic contrast makes the blacks very black and the whites very bright. Even when compared to a plasma I own, the blacks are very well reproduced. No banding found or other visual problems. While not mentioned on any specs page, the tuner was able to detect QAM cancels through the standard cable line. The only drawback to this set is the sound output. While good enough for most situations, I find it lacking a bit. For the price, this 40 inch LCD packs a serious punch.

Strengths: clean design, affordable, lots of inputs

Weaknesses: 5 second delay upon turnon

Summary: I use the LN40A450 as a wall mounted office television. The matte LCD works great and has minimal reflections since my office has large windows. I also love the sleek design minus the notorious blue samsung light at the bottom of the tv. I'm glad Samsung did away with this lighton this model. It does have a nice clear bezel at the bottom of the tv. Since it is wall mounted, I appreciate have local tactile buttons on the right side of the tvg (on/off, volume, channel, menu and source). I like the feel of the real buttons versus some other samsung tv's aren't an actual button but require a finger swipe. THe one annonying thing about the tv is it doesn't immediately respond when you turn it on. I understand the picture may need to warm up before it can display, but there is no immediate noise or light flash letting you know it is in the process of turning it on. I find myself pushing on the 'on' button on the remote several times to make sure it is turning on. Other than that annoyance, it is a great tv for the price. It only does 720p, but for my office use it is more than enought.