After some time, I finally narrowed it down to the Samsung, and the Phillips, which also had great reviews. As I had also decided to purchase a DVD/VCR Recorder, and had decided upon the Philips DVDR3320 DVD Recorder/vcr Combo, I had settled on buying a Phillips brand LCD as well.
But then I had the opportunity to go to a local store just before making my purchase. Fortunately, they had a couple of Samsung's (though not this particular model) plus several other brands, including Phillips, on display. I was sold as soon as I laid eyes on the Samsung. All the televisions were lined up in a single row, and the Samsung models all stood out head and shoulders above all the others except perhaps one other brand (Panasonic, if memory serves). The televisions were showing a football game at the time, and while the Samsungs looked as if they were a direct window looking down on a live game, the most of the other LCDs made the broadcast look as if it was on film. The crispness, brightness and high contrast of the Samsung far surpassed the others. Once I added that with the rave reviews I've seen on this tv, my choice was made.
I've only had television hooked up for 3 days now as I type this, and it doesn't disappoint. The picture is super bright and clear, so much so that it makes old video taped programs look extremely dull. But when you play DVDs or the XBox 360 through the component video connections, the display is beyond outstanding!
The sound is even better than I expected, and the picture and sound adjustments are extensive. For my taste, the auto brightness sensor tends to be a little too dark, and seems to also lessen the contrast, giving the screen a grayish tint. But one can easily disable this feature.
One tip. If you want to adjust the colors properly, find a clear channel during a live or live-on-tape broadcast, or if possible, do the adjustments while playing a DVD through one of the video connections. Broadcast and cable channels tend to vary greatly in picture brightness, sharpness, and color, making it virtually impossible to find one setting that will accomodate all channels. So just make your adjustments on the highest quality picture you can get.
As far as I'm concerned, the Samsung is the best television I've ever had. I'm looking forward to getting years of pleasure from this tv, and if you buy this tv, I believe that there is no doubt that you will as well.
