Samsung LN40A550P 40-inch 1080p LCD HDTV
Samsung LN40A550I spent a few weeks looking at various LCD and plasma television sets in my local BB and CC to get a feel for what was out there. I followed that up with another couple of weeks of research online into the models I was considering. After looking at the feature sets on various models, I decided to go with the LN40A550 and ordered one from Amazon. The delivery service was polite and fast and they were willing to work around my schedule to arrange a drop off time.
The television itself is pretty awesome, overall. The picture quality, from my unprofessional perspective, is at least on par with a large number of the plasma sets I looked at. The blacks are as black as I’ve seen on an LCD and there is no perceptible motion blur. The matte surface is excellent at handling the glare from windows opposite the telivision, which has been a blessing for me as I cannot rearrange the room. I will agree with some of the other reviewers, though, that the sound quality from this television leaves MUCH to be desired. The speakers aren’t too bad, actually, but they are aimed downward and this causes significant muffling of the sound. I’m lucky enough to have also purchased a set of speakers and an audio/video receiver, allowing me to avoid using the television’s speakers entirely.
I am a pretty avid gamer and this screen is excellent for gaming. In game mode there is no perceptible input lag and almost no motion blur at all (some can be detected on occasion but still much better than my older LCD television). I do wish that the different modes didn’t gray out most of the configuration options, though. Game mode is required to reduce input lag but the lack of tweaking that can be done to the picture in this mode is irritating. It gives one the option of either enjoying no input lag and putting up with oversaturated colors or putting up with input lag in order to gain control over the color settings.
All in all this is an excellent television and I would purchase it again. The new Samsung models are pretty appetizing, though, and I’d recommend anyone looking at this model to also take a look at their most recent offerings.
Reviewed By : John Mason : Aug 31, 2008
Click to see Price Comparison of Samsung LN40A550
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