Samsung LN46B650 – At The Center Of It All
Posted by hdtv buying guide on April 25, 2009 under HDTV Reviews, LCD HDTV, Samsung | 
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Years ago, the world of the future was big business. Theme parks like Disney World used attractions like Tomorrowland to showcase their ideas about the technology of the 21st Century.
More often than not, ideas for the home centered around automation. All of the home’s operations ran through a central control panel — heating, cooling, cooking, cleaning and entertainment.
Most of those ideas were pretty far-fetched, but the Samsung LN46B650 television uses them to create a one-stop destination for home media.
The 46-inch, 1080p high-definition LN46B650 LCD television is priced at $1,799.99 and features connectivity that would make any future-dreamer dizzy.
While the television itself delivers a fine picture with all of the brightness and detail expected of a Samsung LCD, the Media 2.0 connection is what makes this model a star.
Utilizing Samsung’s Linkstick adapter, the LN46B650 can access wireless internet connections to draw content from the web. Its InfoLink feature draws news feeds from USA Today (stocks, weather, news, sports), and Internet TV allows access to Yahoo and Flickr, the photo- and video-sharing website.
Content can also be streamed free directly from Netflix. All it takes is a regular Netflix subscription. Most of the content includes older movies and television shows, none of which are in high-definition.
Additionally, the television’s DLNA capabilities make it possible to view content across a home network. The laptop downstairs and the desktop in the family room can both be used to provide content viewed on the television in the media room.
With that connection, it’s possible to eliminate physical media like DVDs and CDs. Content would instead be stored on a large hard drive — like in that computer in the family room — and viewed on-demand through the high-definition television.
If you have the wiring in place already, the Samsung LN46B650 just needs to be hooked up to an ethernet cable. If you have a home wireless network — and want to keep it that way — the Linkstick adapter will cost another $79.99.
Aesthetically, the LN46B650 includes Samsung’s Touch of Color frame, which adds bits of translucent plastic in an attempt to stand out from the crowd. It’s not for everybody, but it could be overlooked in favor of its features.
Using your television as the center of an entire home entertainment network may still seem a little far-fetched, but keep one thing in mind: We’re supposed to have flying cars by now.
What’s more far-fetched than that?
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