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Samsung LN52A550 52" LCD TV

LN52A550 52
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Most recent User Reviews for

Samsung LN52A550 52" LCD TV

  • Reviewed by: jerre1010

    08-16-08

    Duration of ownership: 1 Months

    Strengths: Beautiful picture, looks great on the wall

    Weaknesses:none

    Overall Evaluation: I have been following the LCD market for over a year and finally decided to take the dive and purchase this Samsung model. I have been very pleased with my choice. It was easy to mount on my wall and setting it up was a breeze. I had read about some issues with the sound, but for my room, it would not have been an issue. Still, I wanted surround sound, so I did add a 5 speaker set up and with it and the picture, I feel like I am in a movie theater. I have had a few people over in the past month and they just go crazy over it. When I put "Plant Earth" in my samsung Blu-Ray player, people cant believe how beautiful the picture is. I am really looking forward to football season coming up. I would recommend this TV to anyone that is in the market for one. Also, I was a little hesitant about ordering something this large online, but the ordering and delivery process with Butterfly photo was very easy. They called me in plenty of time for delivery and were easily within the time frame of when they said they would be at my house.

  • Reviewed by: hlchai

    07-22-08

    Duration of ownership:

    Strengths: awesome HQ picture quality

    Weaknesses:analog channels are so so

    Overall Evaluation: first LCD purchased. it was meant to go in the kitchen... but we had to set to table back a few more feet. buyers should be double check the guideline on the sitting distance. my 2 year kid is just mesmerize by the screen whenever its on.

  • Reviewed by: zrlkman

    07-21-08

    Duration of ownership: 2 Months

    Strengths: HD picture is awesome. Outstanding blacks and color quality. Love the swivel stand that solves my reflectivity issues.

    Weaknesses:I have none. Two possible issues for some: Sound and PIP

    Overall Evaluation: I have had my Samsung for 2 months and I am totally satisfied. It has awesome picture quality, color, and a menu that is very user friendly considering the large number of available options. It is also my first HD TV so I did a lot of research prior to buying. Not an easy task given the number of choices. Model numbers seem to make no sense until you list them all along with options, type, and date of release. The big differences are size, plasma vs. LCD, black level/color quality, 720p vs. 1080p, number of connections, 120Hz, and of course manufacturer. So I'll give you my decision factors and say this TV has more that satisfied them all and I highly recommend it based on what were my needs and desires. I decided on size based on my 9 foot seating distance. Most sources list 52? viewing distance as 6.5-12.5 feet for 720p and about 2 feet closer for 1080p. But normal DVDs are only 420 and there is still a lot of SD programs so I chose the middle and think I got the size right. I sometimes move the lazy-boy closer for the 1080 sporting events, fine tune the surround sound and am just blown away by the experience. It is better than being there (because I can?t afford such good seats). And sometimes I move back for SD programs, but HD is so much better that I don?t watch much SD any more. I decided on a LCD based on screen reflection and the fact that my viewing area is often sunlit. Plasma screens are very reflective and so are some LCDs. In fact the 550 is more reflective than some others and there is a color shift at an viewing angle off center (not much but definitely noticeable). The swivel stand was actually my final deciding point that solves both my reflectivity and off angle seating position issues. It is a very nice feature. Black level is another noticeable issue that you can observe in the store when comparing sets. It is most apparent in dark scenes and once you see the set that appears grey, you will also notice it?s color is not as vibrant during light scenes. As far as comparing color and contrast differences in the store, I don?t know how you can because colors are all amped up and contrast numbers have no standards between the different manufacturers. But I know my TV has the best and most realistic color I?ve ever seen. I began by tuning it to the numbers given in some Samsung reviews, and tweaking from there. The blacks are outstanding. I was initially thinking of buying a plasma 720p but reflectivity issue changed me to the LCD, the cost difference between 720p and 1080p LCD was not significant, and newer LCD models no longer offer the 720p. So I decided on the 1080p. I did look at the 120Hz and did see a difference but the 650 has a much more reflective screen and the price difference is much more than the benefit. I really don?t notice any adverse visual when watching sporting events on my new TV. So I think I it is natural and I made the right choice by not including the 120Hz. Samsung is a good quality manufacturer. I?ve read that it has about a 4% failure rate on it?s new TV s. Since I bought my TV online, you can bet I was sweating that I might get one of those bad ones. Many reviews don?t say good things about Samsung?s response to those bad ones. But the odds were in my favor and I got one of the 96%. As far as negative comments, I have none. The sound is not very good as mentioned in other reviews, but you owe it to yourself to add Dolby surround sound anyway. It comes as part of HD broadcasting vs. the old stereo and is so much better. Also, if you are using PIP as a desirable feature, be advised that it is useless, since the sub picture source can only be an analog TV broadcast signal.

  • Reviewed by:

    07-05-08

    Duration of ownership: 7 Days

    Strengths: Awesome picture, easy setup

    Weaknesses:The only bad thing I can come up with is the glossy black stand and cabinet are finger print magnets.

    Overall Evaluation: I got tired of my Father inlaw telling me what a piece of junk my five year old rear projection television was so after six months of research and shopping I finally bought it...and it was worth every penny.

  • Reviewed by: rvr2k3

    06-29-08

    Duration of ownership: 14 Days

    Strengths: Stellar picture, beautiful display, multitude of inputs.

    Weaknesses:Changing inputs could be simpler. The audio is a little "tin"ny sounding.

    Overall Evaluation: I picked this TV from Frys online when they had it for a ridiculously low price. It arrived to my house in a fairly large box, but I was able to navigate it down the steps by myself. I only needed help lifting the actual TV onto my stand. The inputs are primarily in the back with a set of inputs on the left side of the TV. Three HDMI ports allowed me to hook up a HD Tivo to one input and a PS3 to another. The component inputs connected to my DVD player and Wii and the rest went through the S-Video to my receiver. The picture is truly outstanding with high def content. The PS3 works perfectly with the TV and the picture is jaw dropping. When watching SD programs, you will notice a difference in picture quality. Watching a DVD on the standard DVD player looked fairly blase when compared to the PS3 which upconverts DVDs. This made a noticeable difference. This is not a knock on the set, but more on the size of the screen magnifying the lesser resolution source material. Changing inputs involves an on screen menu. There is no way to cycle the inputs with a button press on the remote. The remote itself is big and not very pretty, but I use a Harmony, so that remote will be put in the remote drawer with the others. Samsung makes a beautiful bezel for this stellar display. Composed of a piano black finish, it is truly beautiful. Now I assume most people would use a set this large with a surround sound system, however, if you do not, you will notice the audio is weak and tinny sounding. However, on the avsforum, there are settings to make the sound come alive. I tried these settings right away and they made a world of difference. Overall, this HDTV from Samsung is awesome and I highly recommend it.

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