Introduction
The LN32B460 has a listed price of $649.99, but savvy shoppers are sure to find it at a discount.
Tour & Design
Front
The front of the LN32B360 is mostly taken up by the panel itself, which is surrounded by a clear plastic bezel over a darker platic layer.
Back
The significant features on the back of this HDTV are the port panel on the left side, and the power socket on the right. In the middle just above the stand is a zip tie that can be used to route the cables back behind the stand, so they don't spoil the look of the screen.
For information about the ports on the back of the Samsung LN32B460 see our Connectivity section.
Sides
There are no features on the left side, but on the right you'll find the on-tv controls.
For information about the ports on the back of the Samsung LN32B460 see our Connectivity section.
Stand/Mount
The LN32B460's stand is clear with a black underside. It's very sturdy and looks downright swank. The stand also swivels, allowing easier access to the ports around the back.
Controls
The LN32B460 keeps its on-set controls on the right side of its face. They're all touch sensitive.
Remote Control
The remote is a long, thin affair that has lots of buttons. Despite being so long and thin, it fits well into the hand. Our only major complaint is that the buttons for channel and volume aren't well palced; they don't fall under the thumb.
In The Box*(6.0)*
The LN32B460 comes with a remote, batteries, manual, and a nice powder blue cleaning cloth. We thought the TV was easy enough to put together in theory, but it was absurdly hard to turn the screws. Fortunately we're all really super strong, so we were able to succeed.
Aesthetics*(8.0)*
The LN32B360 has a clean, striaghtforward design that desn't get in the way of the job at hand; showing TV signals. The dark plastic bezel around the display doesn't distract from the screen itself, and the Samsung logo is placed far enough away from the edge that it doesn't distract. There are a few small logos at the bottom left corner of the screen (for the SRS Tru Surround and Dolby support) but these are small and faint enough that they don't distract much.
Blacks & Whites
Black Level*(8.00)*
In this test we use our trusty CS-200 ChromaMeter to measure the deepest black our test TV can produce. When set to an all black screen, the Samsung LN32B460 output about 0.1 cd/m2. This is a solidly good black level. Once you start getting to 0.2 cd/m2 and higher, you'll start to notice the blacks look brighter than they should.
In the chart below, you can see the two Samsungs have very impressive black levels, with the Sony in a close third. The LG has a black level that's more typical of an entry-level LCD.
Peak Brightness*(8.73)*
For this test, we point the CS-200 ChromaMeter at an all white screen. We measured the LN32B460's peak brightness at 338.32 cd/m2. This is very bright, even though the LN32B360 and 37LH55 managed to outshine it. We were pleased wiht the LN32B460's results.
Peak brightness is important, because it can help mitigate effects of light shining on the screen. Televisions with low peak brightnesses can get washed out by external lights.
Contrast*(8.27)*
Contrast is the ratio of the brightest white to the darkest black. Contrast is important because the human eye is very sensitive to it. Also, if there's a smaller span between the peak white and lowest black, it causes fines details to be lost.
We measured the LN32B460's contrast at about 3382:1. This is a great contrast ratio, especially for an LCD. Typically LCDs have significantly lower contrast ratios because they aren't capable of a deep black. The LN32B460 spits in the eye of this generalization with its excellent performance.
In the chart below, we've plotted a few TVs' contrast ratios. Higher contrast yields a larger overall greyscale range, which leads to better differentiation between shades.
Tunnel Contrast*(9.80)*
Of course, you don't watch a full white or full black screen. For this reason, we test the the white and black levels as our rectangles comprise a gradually smaller portion of the screen. Ideally, it shouldn't matter how big the rectangle is; the level should remain the same.
On this test, we're measuring the consistency of the black level. As illustrated in the graph below, it wasn't a perfectly consistent black level, but the changes were very, very minor. Those divots and peaks are often a 0.01 cd/m2 difference. Realistically, you won't notice these minor shifts.
White Falloff*(9.79)*
This test is the opposite of the last one: here we're measuring the consistency of the white level. Again, the levels shouldn't change.
The LN32B460 has a very even kiel to its peak brightness. The shifts are all very, very minor. Overall, the LN32B460 maintains its levels incredibly well.
Uniformity*(6.75)*
In this test we look at how uniform the blacks and whites are displayed on the Samsung LN32B460's screen. On the all white screen, the LN32B460's looked very uniform. We didn't see any issues with the center and only minor dimming along the bottom edge and corners. The black screen was less impressive. There were some blotches across the entirety of the screen. There was also some flashlighting in the corners and along the edges as well.
Greyscale Gamma*(8.49)*
In this test we look at how smoothly the Samsung LN32B460 makes adjustments along a curve from white to black. If greyscale progression is off, it can lead to a significant loss of differentiation between shades of colors.
The ideal gamma curve, when plotted logarythmically, has a curve between 2.1 and 2.2. The LN32B460 measured close to this with 2.45. As illustrated in the graph below, the TV tends to shift to black a bit too quickly and then fail to differentiate much in the very low end. These errors are minor, however. Overall, the LN32B460 did very well on this test.
Resolution Scaling*(8.33)*
The Samsung LN32B460 natively displays 720p content, but of course video content comes in many different resolutions. As such we fed different resolution signals to the Samsung LN32B460 to see how well it handles them.
480p*(8.4)*
This is the format used by standard definition media. The LN32B460 didn't have any major problems with this signal. There was a slight overscan (about 3% of the screen was cut off of the edges), but most HDTVs have overscan issues with 480p. The LN32B460 did well here overall.
1080i*(6.5)*
This is the format used by broadcast HD. That little 'i' stands for 'interlaced,' meaning the TV displays every other horizontal line, then alternates. This requires a lot of processing, so we typically see artifacting here. The LN32B460 was no exception. While our test images were rendered fine, some fine patterns blurred into patches of grey.
1080p*(5.75)*
The LN32B460 struggled with 1080p, which is the highest HD format currently available. The only place you'll get 1080p from is a Blu-ray disc. We saw a lot of artifacting here. Text blurred together and fine patterns either blurred out or showed dot matrix patterns. If you're really keen on watching Blu-rays, we'd recommend getting a TV that displays 1080p natively.
Color Accuracy
Color Temperature*(8.67)*
Our color temperature test checks how consistent the TV's color temperature is. If the temperature shifts around, your TV could acquire a blue or reddish hue, as the temperature heats up or cools down respectively. The ideal color temperature is 6500K, which represents the sky on a cloudy day. With our calibration, we were able to get the LN32B460 to about 7107K, meaning it'll look a bit 'cooler' than it should.
Even though the LN32B460's color temperature runs a bit cool to start, it's well within the perceptible error limit. Towards the black end of the spectrum, the temperature falls off of the perceptible limit a bit. Even so, these lines don't stray too far away from imperceptible. Although doesn't have a perfectly solid color temperature, the vast majority of users won't notice this minor shift.
RGB Curves*(8.15)*
Due to the miracles of science, every color the TV displays is created from red, green, and blue. Since these three colors are the building blocks for each other color, we test them individually.
As you can see in the graph above, the RGB lines curve out smoothly with some very minor bumps towards the bright end. Like most TVs, there isn't enough concavity to their curve, which leads to some lost detail in the middle tones.
Below are a few charts comparing the LN32B460 to some of its competitors. Some things to look out for include an uneven progression and vertical bars. An uneven progression means the TV isn't displaying certain colors correctly. Vertical bars indicate the failure to differentiate between two similar shades. Both of these issues can lead to some minor detail loss.
Color Gamut*(4.49)*
Each TV is supposed to display a specific color gamut. There's actually an international standard in place that determines the bounds of this gamut, which is called ITU Recommendation .709. If the color gamut does not match this standard, the colors displayed by the TV will be off. In the graph below, the standard is the faint grey line and the bold line represents tthe LN32B460's actual color gamut. The blues appear to be slightly undersaturated, but not badly. The greens are undersaturated and shifted towards yellow a bit. The reds are oversaturated. While the LN32B460 didn't follow Rec .709 particularly well, it's not the worst performance we've seen on this test.
Below is a chart detailing the points on the gamut where we measured red, green, blue, and white.
Motion
Motion Smoothness*(5.5)*
The LN32B460 definitely had some issues with motion smoothness. A panning photo was incredibly blurry. Outlines smudged into thicker lines, which can make people appear cartoonish. Solid blocks of color will be trailed by a fairly prominant shadow. Patterns will also show lots of blurring, but not so much that the actual pattern was obscurred.
Motion Artifacting*(6.25)*
It was a bit hard to judge the effects of artifacting on 1080p resolution, because the blur ended up obfuscating a lot of it. Panning pictures seemed to have some rolling shudder, but most of it was smudged out by the blurring. The only place we noticed artifacting was when vertical bars moved horizontally. There was a stairstepping effect and a noticeable rolling shudder.
We saw more issues on 1080i playback. Solid blocks of color were highlighted by a strip of that color's inverse. Fine patterns suffered from really heavy rolling shudder, so much that it caused thin lines to blink. Some greyscale patterns were trailed by a faint rainbow pattern.
3:2 Pulldown & 24fps*(8.5)*
Although it definitely has issues with both blurring and artifacting, the LN32B460 handled 3:2 pulldown well. We saw smooth video here; there weren't any processing jerks, judderss, or crawling effects. The LN32B460 also had no problem detecting and displaying a 24 frames per second signal from our test device (a PlayStation 3 playing5 a Blu-ray disc).
Viewing Effects
Viewing Angle*(4.31)*
Since people aren't always seated dead center in front of their TV, we test how viewing angle affects picture quality. Typically LCD TVs have very shallow viewing angles, and the Samsung LN32B460 doesn't do much to break free of this stereotype. It had an average viewing angle for an LCD, 42°, which isn't good. That means sitting 21° off center means you'll see less than 50% of the TV's total contrast ratio.
Reflectance*(7.0)*
The Samsung LN32B460's is reflective. You can easily make out items in the room reflected in it, especially when the screen is dark. When the screen is bright, external lights looked diffused and aren't as noticeable. The LN32B460 did a great job eliminating reflectance form light coming in at angles. Unless you're going to point a spotlight directly at the screen, the only time you'll notice reflectance is during dark scenes.
Video Processing*(1.0)*
As with most HDTVs, the Samsung LN32B460 offers several different video processing options that ostensibly help improve the picture. Most of the time these processing features are not very useful, and we found that this was the case with the LN32B460 as well. We did see some minor differences with Dynamic Contrast and Black Adjust, but we recommend leaving these options off and use proper calibrated settings instead.
Calibration
Calibration
[
](http://www.displaymate.com/)To get the best image possible out of a HDTV, we run through an extensive calibration process, where we look at a number of test screens from the DisplayMate software and tweak the settings to get the best results. The settings that we use are below, and we would recommend these as a starting point for your own use. However, the ideal settings for any HDTV vary depending on the desired result, the type of material being watched and the surrounding lighting setup, so you should go with your own gut for your settings, or ask a professional calibrator to help you out.
Video Modes
The LN32B360 offers three different video modes: Dynamic, Standard, and Movie. This is a short list, which we appreciate. Some TVs clog their menu with dozens of modes that have very negligible differences between them.
Remote Control
Ergonomics & Durability*(6.20)*
The LN32B360 comes with the same remote as most Samsung TVs, which is a large remote packed with buttons (39 in total). It has a long, thin design with a curved back that fits comfortably in the hand. The long thin design means that uch of the remote is above the hand, but most of the weight is in the bottom, so the remote doesn't sag in the hand. One feature we would've liked to see, however, was a backlight. This remote is a pain to operate in the dark.
Button Layout & Use*(4.85)*
There are an awful lot of buttons on the remote, and they aren't always logically placed. The channel and volume controls in particular are a bit higher on the remote than we would like; they don't fall under the thumb if it is held in the left or right hand. Instead, the directional controls and menu buttons are the ones that fall under the thumb, and those aren't going to be used that much once the display is set up and calibrated. We had no major problems using the remote; it worked from a decent distance away (15 feet and more) and was usable at an angle, as long as we could see the right side of the front of the TV where there remote sensor is.
Programming & Flexibility*(0.0)*
The LN32B360's remote can't be programmed to control other devices.
Connectivity
Input Ports*(7.0)*
The LN32B460 doesn't have the most extensive list of inputs. It has a VGA port, two component video inputs, three HDMIs, 4 analog audios, a 3.5mm audio in, and an RF input. It also technically has two composite video inputs and a DVI input.
We say 'technically,' because one of the composite video inputs is also the green part of a set of component video inputs and the DVI input pulls double duty as an HDMI input. If you're using all three HDMI ports, then you suddenly don't have a DVI input.
Output Ports*(2.0)*
The LN32B460 has two sets of output ports: an analog audio output and a digital audio output.
Other Connections*(0.0)*
The LN32B460 doesn't have any other ports, such as a LAN or S-Video port.
Media*(0.0)*
There aren't any SD card slots or USB ports on this TV.
Placement*(7.5)*
The LN32B460 had decent port placement. They're grouped in a cluster on the left side of the TV (if you're facing its front). A few ports run down the side and the rest are on the back. The ports are indented slightly further in that we'd like, but the swiveling stand will help you reach them.
Audio & Menus
Audio Quality*(5.5)*
The speaker built into the LNB360 are decent, but unspectacular. Rated at 5 watts, we found that they produced average sound, with clear bass and sharp trebles. But neither end of the range really leapt out and grabbed us; in our test sequence of a clip from monster movie Cloverfield, the monster sounded more like a small, angry dog than a hideous visitation of evil from the stygian depths. SRS TruSurround XT HD virtual surround is also available, but this had only a slight impact, producing a slightly wider sound field, but not making us worried that we were about to be crushed by the monster. The built-in speakers would be fine for watching the news, but if you really want the whole monster growling, rocket launching and New York stomping experience of movies like Cloverfield, buy a separate surround sound system and put the speakers around you.
Menu Interface*(8.0)*
The LN32B360 uses the same tabbed approach to the on-screen menu as most TVs, dividing the features up into a number of categories that you navigate using the direction keys and OK button on the remote. The menu button opens the menu, and the return button is used to navigate back up the menu structure. At any time you can exit it completely with the exit button. The menu is broken down into tabs for picture, sound, setup, inputs and support. Each one of these can contain several screens worth of options and sub-screens, so changing some settings can involve a lot of button pressing. If you want to enable the game mode (where the display turns off any processing that could cause a lag that might mean death in a game), you have to press the menu button, select setup, press OK, scroll down, press OK again and then set the mode to on.
Manual*(6.75)*
The LN32B360 comes with a printed manual that is adequate for what's needed. It's easy enough to read and cvovers the basics (such as how to plug the TV in, connect it up, etcetera), but it doesn't go into a lot of depth on the configuration of the manual or what some features do.
Formats & Media
Formats*(6.0)*
The Samsung LN32B460 is a 720p HDTV. This is a few notches below the highest HD format available. That means if you want to play broadcast HD programming or Blu-ray discs, the TV will have to downscale the content. This extra processing leads to some quirks, which we discuss in further detail here. The TV also supports 3:2 pulldown and 24p playback.
Photo Playback*(0.0)*
The LN32B360 does not support the direct viewing of photos from a memory card or computer; the only way to view photos is to use one of the video inputs with a comaptiable camera.
Music & Video Playback*(0.0)*
The LN32B360 does not support the direct playback of music or video from a memory card or computer; the only way to view photos is to use one of the video or audio inputs with a compatiable camcorder or other device.
Streaming Playback*(0.0)*
No support is offered on the LN32B360 for playing back streaming video from the Internet.
Other Media*(0.0)*
There are no other media playback features on offer on this bare-bones model.
Power Consumption
Power Consumption*(9.36)*
Your TV's cost isn't limited to its purchase price. It outputs a bright light for hours on time, which can get costly. We test how costly a TV is in this section, by measuring its average wattage draw when the backlight is at its minimum, maximum, and whnen it's outputting 200 cd/m2. As you can see in the chart below, none of these settings will cost you much.
Below we've made a nice little graph that compares the LN32B460 to a few competing TVs. All the TVs have had their backlights set as close to 200 cd/m2 as we could get them. None of them have a particularly expensive yearly cost attached to them.
Vs Samsung LN32B360
Value Comparison Summary
If we compare the LN32B360 to its more expensive cousin, it makes the B360 look like a steal. The two TVs have roughly the same picture quality, although the LN32B460 generally out-performed the B360. Aesthetics is another realm in which these two TVs differ. The B430 looks like a pile of cheap, shiny plastic, while the LN32B460 has a classy appearance.
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Blacks & Whites**
Both TVs had very similar black levels, white levels, and contrast ratios.
Color Accuracy
Both TVs had very similar color test results.
Motion
Both TVs performed roughly eqully on these tests. The B460 had slightly less artifacting, but was a tad blurrier.
Viewing Effects
Neither TV had impressive results here. The LN32B460 had a slightly more shallow viewing angle than the LN32B460.
Connectivity
No game-changing differences between these two TVs in this section.
Vs Sony KDL 32L5000
Value Comparison Summary
The Samsung LN32B460 is a 32-inch LCD that has the same 720p resolution as the Sony Bravia KDL-32L5000. The LN32B460 matches or exceeds the KDL-32L5000's performance almost across the board, and at a price only $50 above the Sony we have to consider it the better value. It is an older model, however, so it may not be available for much longer.
Blacks & Whites
Both TVs had similar performance here, although the Samsung was just a bit better on all fronts.
Color Accuracy
The Sony had a less solid color temperature result and a less accurate color gamut test.
Motion
The Sony had more issues with artifacting than the Samsung did.
Viewing Effects
The Sony's viewing angle was wider than the Samsung's, but not by much.
Connectivity
There really aren't any major differences here. One of the Samsung's composite ports is actually the green part of a component video input. If you're using both components and a composite, and you want to add a second composite-using device, you're out of luck.
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Vs LG 37LH55
Value Comparison Summary
This match-up shows how over-valued some features can be. The LG offers two features the Samsung does not: 240Hz plaback and additional media playback via a USB port. While the 240Hz mode gave the TV a bit of a boost, we doubt you'll miss the media playback capabilities, especially when it makes the TV almost half as expensive. The one solid factor the LG has in its favor is its 1080p native resolution, as compared to the LG's 720p.
Blacks & Whites
The Samsung has a deeper black and higher overall contrast ratio.
Color Accuracy
The Samsung has a slightly more even color temperature than the LG's. Both TVs had similar performance on our RGB tests. The Samsung's color gamut os less accurate than the LG's.
Motion
The Samsung had more of an issue with blurring than the LG did. Both TVs showed artifacting.
Viewing Effects
Neither TV had a wide viewing angle.
Connectivity
The LG has a better array of ports, and features a USB port for media playback.
Other Comparisons
The LG can play back media from its USB port. It also features a 240Hz mode, which helps reduce blurring. Neither of these facts are applicable to the Samsung.
Conclusion
Series Comparison
LNxxB460 Series
The B460 series are a set of smaller, entry-level LCDs from Samsung. They run 720p resolution, have 3 HDMI inputs, and lack the features of more expensive models. If you're looking for an inexpensive set whose price isn't inflated by a lot of extras you'll never use, consider the B460 series.
Meet the tester
Mark Brezinski works on the Home Team, reviewing refrigerators, minifridges, dishwashers, washing machines, dryers, air conditioners, air purifiers, and fans.
Checking our work.
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