M3D420SR

Product Review (submitted on November 29, 2011):

We went black friday shopping and found good prices on TVs (I wanted to upgrade from a 42" to 51") and debated on three TVs (1 $500 plasma, 1 $700 LCD, and this model). I talked my Darling Husband (and his parents who wanted our either old one or the plasma for their Christmas present) out of it and went back and forth with him between the 51" LCD and this one. Both had wifi but this was $600 AND 3D (both were a bonus that we weren't looking for in a TV - just wanted the bigger screen to more effectively play two player Call of Duty games) with a blue tooth remote control (so I don't have to be in line of site to change the channel). DH was interested in the LED technology but it wasn't until after we chose this one that I pointed that part out to him (I assumed he saw it and was further pleased). Both TVs had clear pictures and were very similar in quality with what was offered but it seems like this one offered more than the 51" so since DH is the electronic techy of the house who likes his TV to be just right, I wanted him to make the final decision. In the end he gave me the final choice. I pointed the positives of this one out to him and asked him if there were any more positives in the 51" (besides wifi and size) that I don't know about and this one ultimately won out due to it's power conservation.

I'm happy with it so far. DH is ecstatic over it and has glued himself to the 3D feature (No Batteries Required for 3D glasses in case you're wondering). We love being able to watch Netflix and Amazon movies directly on the TV. Don't care much for the twitter and facebook features (though we might in the future when we try them out) and haven't explored any of the other applications we can use if we feel like it.

Since I talked about the positives that we like here are some of the negatives we don't care for:

The slide-out keyboard of the remote is uncomfortable to use. The arrows for navigating are on the left side instead of the right and on the right side is four similar buttons each of a different color. I would like the arrows on the Right side instead or it would be cool if they had two potentially navigation pads where both sets of arrows are color coded and we can program the remote to have the navigation pad on one side or the other. (I haven't discovered the point of the color coded buttons yet but I think DH has. I think they're short cuts or something.) Also, something about the feel of the keyboard and thumbs is uncomfortable too but I think that's been put at greater annoyance when I keep wanting to use the right thumb for navigation. It is light weight though with an easy access wifi button that makes navigation easy when you're using the main remote and not the keypad on it.

Oh, and the light sensor became prominent as soon as we turned the lights off and the TV dimmed down. That was weird and we didn't like it so DH turned it off. I am glad this is an option for when we're watching TV and allowing the kids to sleep in the living room though.

On the neutral side that we don't like but others may like is hard to explain. When we're watching 2D, non-cartoon movies, especially those that are more than 2 years old (DVD and Cable formats), they seem almost too real. I feel like I'm on the production set as if sitting in the director's chair and could yell "cut" at any time. It's like watching "the makings of (movie name)" without any commentaries or voice overs and the scenes of the final product are being showed. It just feels like I can see the set. I can tell what has been green screened (blue screen for 80s and 90s movies), what action moves are faked (through wire suspension even though the wire isn't visible), and whether or not some of the props they use are real or cheep imitations. This and other similar TVs have put the movie makers' skills to the test. It'll be nice to see a movie that feels more like a movie and doesn't seem so real like that set feeling.

Hope this helps potential buyers.