Ask any couple if a TV is too big, and chances are one answer (usually the guy's) will be "never." The Samsung HL72A650 is a set with a massively large screen, yet somehow doesn't feel all that overwhelming. While it is just slightly more than 20-inches deep (with the stand), this isn't all that much when you consider the screen is a whopping 72-inches. And although this is a set meant for a large room, it's low price is almost as attractive as the picture. The MSRP for this set is far less than many 50-inch plasma or DLP sets, and at 72-inches, it could be a viable alternative to a front projector for a home theater room.

At 108 pounds this set isn't lightweight, but it isn't really all that heavy. (Obviously, at 20-inches deep you won't be wall mounting it, however). As part of Samsung's 2008 Series 6 line, the HL72A650 is a full HD 1080p set, and thus features a native resolution of 1,920x1,080. It displays every pixel from 1080i and 1080p sources, and up-converts 720p source material accordingly. As with other 6 Series models from Samsung, this DLP set includes a variety of picture modes, including a 3-D option--a feature we still do feel this is more gimmick than practical. It is good for gaming, but even the highest resolution available with games is still going to leave something to be desired when blown up this large, even when in 3D.

For that reason, we'd recommend the Samsung HL72A650 primarily as a movie TV. For this it provides a very good picture, with plenty of tweaks for the serious videophile, including those aforementioned picture modes. With a little tweaking to accommodate the room's light conditions, we found the set offers reasonably deep black levels, especially for a screen of this size. The colors were fairly vivid and lifelike, although not quite the best we've seen this year. Going with such a large set does have some downsides, and one of the biggest might be the way it handles standard definition content. Anytime you blow up lower resolution content to this size you're going to see the flaws, but this was a bit more apparent with this model.

The Samsung HL72A650 unfortunately doesn't use the LED light source found in the Series 7 models. Instead, this set uses the traditional multi-chip DLP light engine technology, which is true of all the Series 6 models this year. Regrettably, there is no 72-inch model in the Series 7 line, so if you want big you'll have to go with the traditional DLP light engine, which is still a good light source. Because this uses a multi-chip system, and has no color wheel the worry of "rainbowing" won't be an issue.

At 72-inches, we think this would be the set for those looking to do a budget home theater. The biggest downside is that the twin 10-watt speakers do fail to provide enough punch given the size of the set, especially considering the room this set will likely be in to be fully enjoyed. While these speakers do support SRS TruSurround XT, we'd recommend you use this model TV with a true home theater system to get the full experience.

We were mostly pleased with the A/V connection options with this model. The HL72A650 includes three HDMI 1.3 inputs. This x.v.Color support is still yet to be fully realized, but it is a nice inclusion with this set. In addition, the HL72A650 further features twin component inputs, S-Video and PC (RGB) inputs at the back, as well as side composite and S-Video inputs. This set further features a USB input with WiseLink USB 2.0 for playback of photos and MP3 audio tracks.

For those looking for a truly large set (one bigger than 65-inches) there are few options, and fewer that are affordable. The Samsung HL72A650 is an exception to the rule, and is a good option for those with big dreams to have a big TV without a really big price tag.

Pros: Small footprint for such a huge screen, reasonably deep black levels, HDMI 1.3
Cons: Underpowered speakers, lackluster standard definition

Warranty
1 year, limited