I actually own a 40 inch R8 series. Picture quality is good with nice resolution and pleasing colours. I found it to be better than the then top of the range Sony V series. Piano black finish and the wine glass shape makes it look very stylish - expect comments even when switched off. Indistinguishable from full HD Tvs for conventional tv viewing. Flaws include the motion shudder ubiquitous with all LCDs. For fast paced action movies and sports, plasmas are any day better.
But if you do lot of gaming like me LCDs are nice and bright. Worth going to the showroom with your favorite DVD and comparing between plasmas and LCDs. Viewing experience is very individual and motion shudder can be a major distraction from the overall viewing experience. Getting back to the review, this is certainly one of the better LCDs out there for the price and Samsung’s 3 year warranty over Sony’s 1 year just clinched the deal for me.