Samsung LN40A650 1080p HDTV with InfoLink - Setup and Installation

Thursday, 21 May 2009 00:00 Last Updated on Thursday, 25 March 2010 08:11 Written by Benjamin "Zeus" Heide

Article Index
Samsung LN40A650 1080p HDTV with InfoLink
Setup and Installation
Subjective and Objective Tests
Viewing Angle, HTPC Use and Conclusion

Page 2 of 4

Setup & Installation:

Setup and installation of the TV into my living room was pretty simple. There are a ton of inputs on this TV and you shouldn't have any issues finding places to hook up your hear. There is a total of four HDMI inputs, two component inputs, a standard VGA (PC) input as well as an old-school S-Video/Composite video input as well. I almost forgot to mention the TV Antenna/Tuner. Samsung has also included a port for this WiseLink line of products. Outputs include standard stereo audio out as well as a Digital Optical output. All in all, you could hook up 8 different devices to your TV if you utilize all of the ports. You may also spot a LAN port in the picture below on the left.

Main Rear Inputs

More Ports

While we're on the subject of hooking things up and cables, I highly recommend that you check out monoprice.com if you haven't already. Independent tests show that their HDMI cables - of any length - have identical quality to overpriced cables such as the monster, and it can save you $500 easily. It is important to note that if you are hooking up a computer from a DVI port, you'll need to use HDMI 2, and the appropriate audio cables to make things work seamlessly. Other than that, it's pretty much a no-brainer.

TV Menus:

Although the TV picture and audio seem to work very good out of the box, there are a lot of settings that allow you to tweak, mess, and possibly degrade your picture quality. Samsung has included several pre-defined settings that control both audio and video settings. For example, "Sports" mode boosts the saturation and brightness while "Cinema" drops the color to a more neutral tone and the brightness dims for a better viewing experience in a darkened room.

Picture Menu	Sound Menu	Channel Menu

Setup Menu	Input Menu	Application Menu

One of the more interesting applications is the InfoLink feature. This allows you to display certain RSS feeds on your TV without being hooked to a computer. USA Today, Weather and Stocks are available with a simple push of a button on the remote.