Samsung LE32B450 Review

32in LCD

Picture
Sound
Features
Usability
Value

Quite possibly the best value LCD TV around at time of writing.

Rating:

93%

Reviewed: 13 November 2009

All round performance for the price

High Definition performance can be bettered

Design

The B450 range certainly doesn't have the 'wow' factor of other LCD TV's in the Samsung stable, most notably their incredibly svelte LED's; but what it does posses is a standard of build and finish which belies its status as a budget flat panel TV.

What you also get is that ultra black glossy frame with a nice stylistic touch in a subtle transparent Perspex curvature of the bottom part of the frame. The B450 is not going to make your friends and neighbours go green with envy but it is nevertheless a reasonably stylish addition to a living space.

Features

You won't find all of the bells and whistles which adorn some of the LCD TV's higher up the Samsung range on the B450, but what you do get is the latest incarnation of their tried and trusted image processing engine.

Screen: 32in 16:9

Tuner: Digital

Sound System: Nicam

Resolution: 1366 x 768

Contrast Ratio: n/a

Other Features: DNIe +, PiP (picture in picture), 1080p24 Support, Wide Colour Enhancer 2.

Sockets: 3 HDMI, 2 SCART, Component Video, Composite Video, PC input.

DNIe + (Digital Natural Image engine) more than any other feature, will have the greatest impact on how well this TV performs. The fact that it is found on higher specified LCD TV's in Samsung's line-up gives cause for some optimism.

With a Motion Optimizer, Contrast Enhancer, Detail enhancer and Colour Optimizer, DNIe + works to improve four main aspects of the LE32B450's performance. DNIe has a track record of producing impressive results on previous LCD and Plasma offerings from the Korean electronics manufacturer.

You won't find a dedicated colour management system on the B450 but what you do get is Samsung's 'Wide Colour Enhancer 2'. Designed to create more natural, deeper colours, the updated version improves the natural look and feel of reds greens and blues.

With so many disappointing 'pseudo' sound improving features around these days, we have become a little skeptical as to their effectiveness (there being no substitute in our opinion for large visible speakers). Samsung claim that their Down-Firing Speaker arrangement creates deeper and clearer sound levels.

The presence of Samsung's latest picture processing engine, DNIe + without any form of 100Hz processing or a Full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution gives us the opportunity to sample the performance of a TV in its 'raw' form. Without some of the features which a number of manufacturers would have us believe are essential for high end performance, it will be interesting to see how the LE32B450 compares to some of its higher specified brethren ...

Performance

An indication that we might be dealing with something a little bit special in the LE-32B450 was demonstrated by an exceptional black level ability. The performance in this respect is quite remarkable in that it matches higher specified LCD TV's in the Samsung range at a far lower price. There is no hint whatsoever of that mushy greyness you find on some budget screens and there is actually quite a fine level of graduated detail across darker scenes.

Taking full advantage of the supreme backdrop of rich deep blacks, the LE32B450 displayed a more than competent colour performance. Not quite as vibrant as the likes of a number of Sony LCD's perhaps, but colour on the B450 displayed that consistency and accuracy which gives a high degree of realism to tricky areas such as facial skin tones.

The LE-32B450's Standard Definition performance undoubtedly benefits from the fact that the human eye perceives on screen detail more uniformly on smaller screens. Despite this, and testament to the effectiveness of DNIe + image processing, the B450's SD performance puts many a high end flat panel TV to shame.

While many flat panel TV's struggle to convert the 576 or so line of Freeview to something resembling a decent on screen picture, Samsung's LE-32B450 had no such troubles. The clarity and sharpness of SD pictures is nothing short of a revelation at this price level. Yes, there is a very small amount of video noise and blurring on the fastest on screen action, but you have to look at paying twice the amount you would on the B450 to even match its performance in this respect.

You will never be able to match the pin sharp realism of 1080p material on a Full HD screen, but the LE-32B450 still impressed with its High Definition (HD) abilities. It is no match for a larger Full HD (1920 x 1080) screen but you do get a level of detail and sharpness that reminds you of what HD material is all about.

The acoustic performance of the B450 is no better or no worse than the vast majority of flat panel TV's we have come across. Like most TV's, the screen falls short in high end 'Bass' although its shortcomings will never intrude to any great degree on the viewing experience.

Conclusion

With a confusing array of available features on a growing number of flat panel TV's, the Samsung LE-32B450 is a timely reminder of the main purpose of a TV. The picture performance of the B450 will bring a smile to your face every time you switch it on and that smile will turn into a grin when you remember just how little you paid for the experience.

Samsung LE32B450