Any Opinions on 40" Samsung HDTV LN40A550?

[LiquidRain]

Hey guys, I got a chance to get an LN40A550 Samsung HDTV (40" 1080p) at $825 (Canadian). It's a good price, but is it a good TV?

A friend was telling me to hold out for a Bravia W series, and this seems equivalent to a Sony's V series, and I don't really care for 120Hz or the other features the Bravia W series has. So, to the best of my knowledge, I'd be fine with the Samsung 550.

What do the more TV knowledgeable folks here say?

[roboninja]

I know the 650 series gets huge praise, and this is the smaller brother; I would imagine it is a good set.

Personally, I am waiting for the 120Hz sets to drop in price before I go 1080p. Either that, or a plasma with "film mode". I notice the juddering in Blu-ray discs on my 60Hz 720p set quite a bit more than most, it seems.

BTW, can I ask where you are getting this deal? I am always on the lookout for a new source for electronics deals :)

[Rogue_hunter]

Just a warning, Samsung tvs have a large bezel. It's mostly for looks, as the speaker is at the bottom and not the sides. I have a 23" model, I believe it's from the same model line, and it's great for my PS3 and blu-ray.

And the Bravia is a Sony line. Bravia is the main line, and the XBR models are the high-end sets. The W series is already out, but the 120Hz lowers the quality of those sets. As a whole, they're not as good as the V series was. The Z series is the top Sony 120Hz right now. This set is equivalent to the Sony V series, as you surmised. Though, it looks like this model has an issue with HDMI connectivity with upscaling DVD players.

Really, it's all up to preference. And if this is an in-store thing, bring a movie you know and trust to the store to test out.

[LiquidRain]

I can't actually get to the store - someone else is picking this up for me since I don't have a car and it is WAY out of public transportation range. (and a one-way taxi would easily run me $60-$70)

It's a clearance store simply called "Electronics and Furniture Store" in Brampton, Ontario. Yeah I did kind of a double take on that one. That's not a name, it's a description. :P

The TVs are brand new, but I can't test anything (it's not a showcase store), and I don't have much of a window to actually grab them. It's tonight or I miss it and wait for the next deal. Which is why I was hoping i'd get some personal feedback here on top of what Googling gets me.

And yeah, I don't like Samsung's gigantic bezel on most of their TVs, but I can deal with it considering the price. Going by pictures the bezel isn't that big relative to the size of this TV.

[Khrymsyn]

Hey Liquid,

I have the big brother and next model up, the LN46A650.
The color and picture are quite nice, and to be honest, I've been pretty suprised by the color quality in a good way.
The 550 lacks AMP (which many people do not want/do not like), 120Hz refresh, as well as has a matte surface instead of semi-gloss (semi-gloss makes the contrast and color depth seem a bit deeper, but of course, can suffer from reflections).
The sound on the 550 and 650 is the same, which, honestly, sucks (well... not so bad compared to my office TV or Bedroom TV). Maybe I'm just spoiled by my upstairs TV but no matter what I've done to my 650, it sounds a bit "TV"ish... (which is why I used my stereo).

Overall I think it's a very good TV with no banding and a great picture. Biggest weakness by far is the sound.

Also... the bezel doesn't bother me because it's still not really any bigger than my projection TV upstairs =P

[Hexxagonal]

I'm not a fan of their sound. Get some sort of speakers on them and they are good too. The other thing I don't like about Samsung is their on screen UI.

[Wackman3000]

I'd pass personally, unless you are really hard up for a set.

Every company will be/is starting to clear out the old stock to make way for the new LCD/Plasmas so expect the prices of these older sets to drop even further. Expect a similar Sony or even Panasonic (plasma) to be dropping near these prices as well, and both would be better than the samsung IMO.

[pronounconnoun]

Samsung makes parts for Sony.

When I sold TVs, I really couldn't see the difference between the medium priced LCDs. It's only when you get to the four thousand dollar ones that you really see a difference.

[LiquidRain]

Well, I got it, and surprise surprise it wasn't just $825. It was $825 after tax. Sweet deal!

Thanks for the opinions, all. :)

[harle]

Good choice! My roommate bought this exact same TV almost a month ago and loves it. It is comparable color wise to my Sony V series HDTV, but his set has less ghosting (not that it is really noticeable on either set).

[fast1]

Personally I don't have samsung HDTV in my house, But I really enjoy watching at my friend house every weekend. In my vision and some question to my friend regarding his TV no problem and very nice to use it in a 8 hours with no powering off for a said day. :D