Samsung LN40A550 40-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV
Experience the next generation of HD television in all its glory The SAMSUNG LN40A550 has an incredible 30,000:1 contrast ratio that delivers the sharpest, most realistic picture quality you've ever seen. Full 1080p HD resolution offers amazing image detail, all on a 40-inch screen. Enjoy crystal-clear, lifelike HD sound, with SRS TruSurround XT. Want to get more entertainment out of your TV than movies and shows? With the Wiselink USB connection, you can easily and quickly hook up your MP3 player or digital camera and entertain family and friends with a photo slideshow set to music. SAMSUNG LN40A550 makes your high-definition dreams a reality. It's advanced HD entertainment, only from Samsung.
Samsung's 550 Series is a perfect way to step up to Full HD 1080p resolution. A fast 5 ms response rate produces smooth-motion scenes for sports and action movies, and a dynamic contrast ratio of 30,000:1 makes for deep blacks and crisp lines (15,000:1 in 32-inch and 37-inch models). Superb connectivity and networking with a USB port and 3 HDMI 1.3 ports with Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) means these HDTVs play well with all of your other electronics. Easily enjoy MPEG and JPEG files stored on external devices by connecting through the side-mounted USB 2.0, turn your LCD into a full-scale home viewing gallery, or connect your MP3 player for a dynamic audio experience.
 Key Features
- New -- 30,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio: up from 15,000:1 on 2007 models (15,000 on 32-inch and 37-inch models) (Learn more)
- New -- Fast 5ms response time: down from 8ms on 2007 models thanks to a new high-speed liquid crystal
- Full 1080p HD (Learn more)
- 178-degree viewing angle from all four axes with Super Patterned Vertical Alignment (Learn more)
- 3 HDMI 1.3 ports: Simplay compliant (Learn more)
- USB 2.0 port: connect devices directly to your HDTV--view JPEG photos or MPEG movies or easily listen to your MP3 player through your HDTV's audio system or your home theater system
- DNIe Digital Natural Image Engine improves the picture by enhancing the contrast, detail, and white balance (Learn more)
- Hidden speakers with SRS TruSurround XT audio (Learn more)
- Wide Color Enhancer technology and Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp (CCFL) offer a wider color range (Learn more)
- Picture-in-Picture (PIP) enables convenient simultaneous viewing of TV programs and video or PC sources
- V-Chip system allows blocking of rated TV and movie programs determined by the parent to contain objectionable content.
- Trilingual on-screen displays in English, Spanish or French.
- Variable sleep timer to turn the TV off in varying time intervals.
- Auto wall mount compatible: 3-dimensional operation via TV?s remote control; no external IR receiver required.
- Swivel stand included
- 1 year parts and 1 year labor warranty (90 days parts and labor for commercial use), with in-home service, backed by Samsung toll-free support
Step Up Features
- Series 6: 50,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, AutoMotion Plus 120Hz image interpolation for smoother motion, 4ms response time, Transparent and Opaque Color (TOC) bezel, Clear Panel, Ethernet port with Infolink free RSS feeds, 4 HDMI 1.3 ports, Sports and Game modes, Compatible with Samsung's Home Digital Media Adapter for playback and navigation of Internet and stored PC multimedia
- Series 7: Internal flash memory (1GB) with pre-loaded interactive content such as cooking recipes, children's entertainment, HD artwork and more, Integrated woofer for an enhanced audio experience, DLNA-Compatible: for better interoperability with electronics, computers and mobile devices from many different manufacturers
What size TV should you get?
Learn More
Full HD 1080P | Full HD, or 1080p, contains 1.5 times more scanning lines than conventional HD TVs. More scanning lines mean more pixels, more details and a better picture. The new Samsung LCD TV with resolution that is approximately 2 times greater than conventional HDTVs, creating the most perfect picture imaginable.
Samsung?s 1080p panel uses a new high-speed liquid crystal to cut response time to 4ms. The fast response time, coupled with Samsung?s Auto Motion Plus 120Hz motion blur reduction technology dramatically reduces motion blur and judder.
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30,000:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio/500 nit Brightness
 | 30,000:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio will give you a picture better than you ever thought possible, with whiter whites, blacker blacks and a nearly infinite subtlety of gradations in between. As two of the most important determining factors in overall picture quality, contrast and brightness levels achieve new heights in this latest generation LCD panel. Samsung?s new LCD TV?s give the most stunning realistic picture quality ever.
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 | DNIe The Samsung Digital Natural Image engine. This exclusive Samsung technology dramatically improves the picture by enhancing the contrast, detail, white balance and reduces.
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The NTSC (National Television Systems Committee) has established the color standards all TVs in America try to meet. And typical LCD TVs only meet about 72% of this standard. Samsung LCD HDTVs use Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp back lights to give you 92% coverage of the NTSC standard, ensuring truer, more breathlessly vivid colors.
Samsung?s exclusive Wide Color Enhancer technology delivers more brilliant colors, even in bright areas of the picture where blues and greens are washed out on conventional screens. The system displays wider color reproduction, showing you truer colors ? the fresh green of spring foliage, the intense blue of the summer sky. |  |  |  |  |
| To make the Series 6 a true entertainment hub for any home, Samsung has incorporated advanced HD connectivity and networking capabilities that expand the HDTV?s functionality. A wide variety of multimedia devices can be connected to the set through any one of the four Simplay compliant HDMI 1.3 inputs (including one on the side), and the handy HDMI-CEC feature lets you control all your CEC-enabled peripherals using just one remote.
Connect HD digital devices like disc players, game consoles, and satellite dish components into the 2 rear connections and use the side-mounted input for cameras, camcorders, and laptops. HDMI is the best performing interface for displaying an HD source on an HDTV.
Once connected, users can easily access device menus and manage and display content through the newly redesigned Wheel Key Remote control and the HDTV?s sophisticated content management interface.
All Connections
- 3 HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) version 1.3: (2 rear/1 side)
- Component video: 2 rear (Y, Pb, Pr)
- Composite inputs: 1 rear (shared with component) / 1 side
- S-Video: 1 side
- PC input: 1 rear
- Wiselink (USB 2.0)
- RF antenna inputs
- Headphone jack: side
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| Samsung?s Super Patterned Vertical Alignment (SPVA) panel provides a 178-degree viewing angle from all four axes |
TruSurround is a patented SRS technology that solves the problem of playing 5.1 multichannel content over two speakers. TruSurround delivers a compelling, virtual surround sound experience through any two-speaker playback system, including internal television speakers and headphones. It is fully compatible with all multichannel formats up to 5.1 channels. High-quality virtual surround sound can be experienced with just the two hidden, downward-firing side-mounted 2.2-channel dome speakers built into the TV.
SRS TruSurround XT technology delivers an amazing, simulated 3D effect with clear dialog and powerful bass.
TruSurround XT audio also adds three audio enhancement technologies to produce an amazingly immersive sound experience.
- Dialog Clarity brings movie dialog into Focus during the playback of any surround-encoded material to make speech much clearer and crisper.
- TruBass creates incredible deep rich bass allowing a person to perceive significantly deeper, richer low bass tones that are far beyond the physical low frequency capabilities of the speaker itself.
- The SRS WOW feature widens the sound stage by processing standard two-channel stereo material as well as multi-channel encoded material for a dramatic improvement in the playback of any stereo audio over a two-speaker system.
Stereo broadcast reception is offered for MTS and SAP with 181-channel capacity. A sound leveler keeps audio volume consistent during channel changing.
| With standard-definition TVs, the rule used to be that viewers would feel comfortable watching a set from a distance of 3 to 6 times the screen size in inches. With HDTV, the resolution is so much better that you can sit closer to a larger TV without noticing the pixels. So with HDTVs, the rule tends to be you can sit anywhere from 1.5 to 3 times the screen size (in inches) for the best experience. If you know the size of the room you have already, where you want to sit, and where your new HDTV should go once you get it, you can figure out the size HDTV you should get. - Minimum size = Viewing distance/3
- Maximum size=Viewing distance/1.5
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Samsung LN40A550 40-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV Accessories
 HDMI Cable 2M (6 Feet)
Cables To Go - 40315 - 2M (6.5ft) Velocity HDMI Digital Video Cable (Blue)
Samsung DVD-1080P8 1080p Upconverting DVD Player
Peerless ST650P Tilting Wall Mount for 32" to 50" Flat Panel Displays (Black)
3 Yr Samsung Ecommerce LCD (flat panel only) ($1,000-$1,499), DOP
Cables Unlimited Premium 2 Meter Version 1.3 HDMI Home Theater Cable (PCM229502M)
Playstation 3 40GB
Sony DVP-NS700H/B 1080p Upscaling DVD Player, Black
Fiber Optical Toslink Digital Audio Optic Interface 6 Foot Cable
Peerless Articulating LCD Wall Arm for 22 inch to 40 inch LCD Screens - Black (SA740P)
Samsung LN40A550 40-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV Reviews
That's all that needs to be said there. I think there a good amount of inputs. Cons: Would be nice if there was a digital coax audio out - there is only an optical out, and it doesn't pump out 5.1 sound (i.e., you go from 7.1 or 5.1 to 2.1 if you run the sound through your TV to your audio system). This helped quite a bit, but it still is noticeably bad. There is a lot of pixelation, some channels are passable some are awful. Standard DVDs upconverted to 1080p then sent through HDMI look pretty darn good - some pixelation and color variations here and there, but mostly looking good (also depends on how new the DVD is - newer looks better). I bought a cable line power booster, set the HD cable box to output only 480i when on standard channels, set the sharpness to 0, and turned digital noise reduction off. Set-up is fast, the TV is not that heavy, and the swivel stand is great.
That is my biggest complaint for this TV. I sit about 6-7 feet away, and can see pixelation. Standard definition (non-HD) programming looks fairly bad. The picture is near perfect.
If I step back another 2 feet, the image is much better. Nintendo Wii through component cables looks fine. Menus are fairly straight forward, although in my opinion there are too many menu options - great if you are a perfectionist and really know what you are doing when it comes to fine-tuning the color. So, if you sit 6 feet away, I would go for the 37" instead.
This is a really nice TV, especially since right now the price is just over $1k. Final note - viewing distance means a lot. Pros: Great HD picture - this includes HD television stations (for me output from a digital HD cable box at 1080i through an HDMI cable) and Blu-Ray.
I will probably hook it up to my home theatre system. Amazon.com has the best deal I could find on this and their white glove delivery is wonderful. This whole process was the easiest large purchase I've ever made. I did a lot of research before deciding on this Samsung. The reason I gave it 4 stars is because the sound is lacking. It's very pleasing to look at even when it's off and when it's on the picture is the best picture I've ever seen on an LCD TV. I've had it for about a month and it is perfect (except for one aspect which I'll describe beow).
When considering these facts, I'm actually pretty impressed by the sound this unit produces and don't believe the complaints are justified. I've had the LN40A550 for over a month now, and though it's only been in use for a week so far so good. But I will be adding a home theatre system to really take advantage of the HDTV experience. What people have to understand is that in order to have a full rich sound, speakers need size and depth, which HDTVs do not allow due to their thin sizes. The pictures for both look great and I'm looking forward to getting a Blu-ray player to compliment the TV. I did a lot of homework before purchasing this TV and it seemed that generally, Samsung's Series 5,6 and 7 HDTVs receive some of the best overall reviews.
Simply think of the difference when comparing the sound that comes from a laptop to the sound that comes out of desktop computers with external speakers. Though I have no other HDTVs to compare this to, I do recommend this unit. I am very satisfied with my purchase and hopefully, the product will be as reliable as everyone claims it to be, since I did not purchase the extended warranty. I'm a bit of sound system snob (for my car, PC, home theatre, etc) and these reviews and complaints about the sound on the LN40A550 are right. to a degree. Though I haven't been able to fully take advantage of all its features, particularly the 1080p mode, I have used the unit with Comcast HDTV cable and also hooked it up to my laptop.
Bigger, deeper speakers typically provide richer, fuller sounds. Many of the reviews on this TV unit complain about the sound.
I almost went somewhere else to buy the TV because of all the bad press that their delivery service got but it was a nice experience. Nice TV and I had no problems with Amazon's delivery service.
However, I paid the money for Samsung only, not Sony. I have been using the TV over a month, the picture is OK. comparing with Sony, Samsung is quite poor. The major problems of the TV are the remote controller is quite funny, no 2 much useful buttons and it DOESN'T WORK away 3 feet ( or 150' ). :) I should add $200 to buy sony 40' v series.
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