Samsung LN32C350 Review

Model: Samsung LN32C350
Description: 32" LCD
Resolution: 1366 X 768
Power Consumption: Not listed
Reviewer: Robert Wiley
Date: Summer 2010

Test and Optimum Viewing Distance: 8 feet

See full
calibration results

Calibration: Calibration through the menu was easy and the C350 did a nice job calibrating to near D6500K. There are advanced white balance controls included on this TV which is unusual for this price point. There are also many more advanced settings than I would have thought such as Black Tone, Dynamic Contrast, a Gamma setting, and a nifty Flesh Tone setting that will take the onscreen flesh tones from a yellowish to a pinkish appearance at your whim without changing the overall color appearance of the picture much.

Picture settings as calibrated from the Custom Setting:

The LN32C250 did a good job with various processor tests results

See full HQV
test results

HQV Calibration: The inbuilt processor in the LN32C350 does a very good job for this price range of TV. Samsung did not skimp on the internal chip sets.

Picture Quality Performance: With 480i images we noted some jerky motion artifacts in the background of some scenes. However, I did not see much offensive negatives in the foreground and was very pleased with the detail offered in 480i. The processors did a very nice job. Color rendition was not oversaturated, if not sometimes a little muted.

Notice the dark shadow detail in Harrison Ford's shirt in this shot from Six Days Seven Nights.

With our Blu Ray set to 720p resolution to match the TVs resolution we were very impressed at the bright sharp images and intense color offered. The TV really has a lot of pop with HD material. We also did not note the negative background judder with HD material and this proved out with our HD HQV processor testing as well. Black levels were deep and occasionally oversaturated but not often enough to really be a strike against. Dark shadow detail was totally acceptable for a TV of this size and price range.

This HD shot from Iron Man shows how detailed the picture presentation can be.

Off center viewing was average on this LCD TV with the contrast and black levels fading at around 35 degrees off angle – again not bad for this price range.

Two shots from the same movie shows side angle viewing contrast loss at around 35 degrees.

Inputs: The input selection of the LN32C350 just gets the job done with 2 HDMI inputs and one component input which shares space with the composite input. The component and composite inputs cannot be shared – only one at the time. There is a USB port available; useful for downloading photo and/or music files.

As far as aesthetic considerations go, the LN32C350 has straightforward design and better than the other 32" models on the market except the LG's. You almost cant believe how light the TV is upon lifting it, a scant 15.7 pounds. The TV is 3.25" in depth and 8" with the stand. The included table stand is very light and inexpensive and the TV must be turned on its head and the table stand screwed on upside down to accomplish the assembly. It would be more convenient if Samsung would just include the stand already assembled on the TV, same as some other manufacturers. The table top stand does not swivel side to side. The 2" bezel framing of the TV is gloss black and non-spectacular but does contain a sloped design element at the bottom.

Remote Control/Menu Funtionality: The remote control is fairly basic, is not backlit, but contains sufficient controls. There is a nifty "tools" key that allows from quick selection of frequently used controls. The onscreen menu is very complete with the normal scrolling design and is easy to use – perhaps moreso than Samsung's high end TV offerings. The menu comes on as an overlay to the material being viewed which is always nice.

Aspect ratio adjustment is controlled by the small P.size button at the bottom of the remote to allow sizing of your picture between the given options such as Zoom1, 16:9 and 4:3 standard.

Audio Output: The two inbuilt 5 watt speakers barely get the job done. From 10 feet the user will need to keep the volume control at 75% of total capacity. The volume quality also is lacking with a tinny character and no base – but that's about all you can expect from 5 watt speakers.

Currently the LN32C350 is for sale at around $449 at most stores. This TV is all about price paid/value. $449 seems like a lot for something that weighs in at 15.7 pounds, but it costs much less than most of its top tier competitors. It offers a very nice feature set and quality in this small size and price range – which often lacks in quality options. Competition is from the Sony KDL-32EX500, and the LG 32LD520 as well as a couple second tier brands.

Rating scale from 70 (denoting poorest quality) to 100 (signifying the very best quality). A rating in the 60s for any particular category of a product review indicates a serious defect which causes the product not to operate properly. Picture quality is double-weighted in the Overall Rating Score calculation.

Review Equipment Used: Sony Blu Ray BDP-S1 High Definition DVD player, Sony DVP-S50 DVD player, Sencore Color Pro 5000, Sencore Auto Cal Pro, Sencore signal generator.

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