Samsung LN52A550

The Samsung LN52A550 is a 52″ LCD  HDTV with full HD resolution, crystal-clear sound, and features like wide color enhancer to give you the full high-def experience. As with other models in the A550 line, the 1080p LN52A550 comes with a native resolution of 1,920×1,080. Every pixel of 1080i and 1080p source material can be displayed without any scaling or conversion. Generally, the larger the screen size the worse standard definition (SD) sources can look, but the LN52A550 really does a great job upconverting non HD sources to 1080p resolution.

Samsung LN52A550

Key Features

One of the biggest things that make LCD televisions stand out is the response time of pixels. The lower the response time the smoother the picture becomes. The response time refers to the time it takes a pixel with the picture to go from an active state to a state that allows it to be reactivated in other words how long it takes to go from showing a picture to being read to change to a new image. The lower the number of milliseconds the fast the time and the smoother action becomes. The 5ms response time offered by the LN52A550 is one of the fastest on the market especially for the large 52″ size. User feedback shows that there may be some lag with extreme motion scenes but overall the quality is exceptional.

The LN52A550 also comes with Wide Color Enhancerthat helps to even out colors and take out the washed out faded colors that often appear on wide and larger screens or conventional televisions. This adds a whole world of color previously noticeable on television. The Samsung LN52A550 also come with a Wiselink USB connection to allow music and even digital camera connections.

Although this is not one of the top of the line models, the LN52A550 comes with adequate of A/V connections to satisfy most users, including a total of 3 HDMI and 2 component video inputs for hi-def playback. Additional connections include a composite AV input, an S-video input and a headphone jack. The inclusion of the headphone output, even on larger sized panels, makes watching TV later at night more convenient.

In the audio section, the built-in 10-watt stereo speakers seems to be a little underpowered for a 52-inch set. The speaker bar is located under the screen, and it supports SRS TruSurround XT to simulate the multi-channel experience. Perhaps the developers at Samsung expect this to be used with a full surround home theater system for a more involving cinematic experience. This system is great for standard audio but does fall short of expectations when looking for high-end sound quality for blu-ray movies.

Conclusion

Considering that it can be found for well under the list price, this is a set that is really good value for money. The set has added convenience by offering both back and side input connections to make it easy to access the basic functions. The set is also set to swivel to allow for placement at odd-angle viewing making the television convenient to most locations in the home. This set does offer a very good picture, and with a contrast ratio of 30,000:1 the Samsung LN52A550 has adequate black levels and pretty accurate colors. The set does need a little bit of adjusting out of the box to get the full experience, but there are many quick adjustment modes available to help you get its full performance capabilities in no time.

Average User Rating:
Actual User Reviews:
• “I liked this tv so much, I bought a second. I can’t express how clean looking this television is. Mounted on a wall, it really adds to a room. Watching HD content on this tv really makes it shine and with a $1500 price tag, it’s tough to beat.” – James Hussein (USA)

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• “This TV is fantastic. Colors are sharp, has all the ports you need, and bunch of settings to tweak. And it’s Samsung so quality wise you know you can’t go wrong. The only issue with the TV, which many people have complained about is the sound. Follow the sound settings from this site, http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1020612 and those sounds settings are gone. Nothing else to say about the TV itself as it’s perfect.” – C.Mason (USA)

• “So I did all my homework for months on big HD TV’s. What size, what specs, and how I could BEST spend my money. After all the research, I confidently went with this….and I have never, never regretted it. Friends and family, who themselves have big screen TV’s, have all commented on how eye popping and absolutely amazing the picture looks. And with 3 HDMI inputs, it handles my brighthouse cable, Blu-Ray, and my XBOX 360 which is great for those with many different consoles to consider. The non-glossy is very much the way to go here for all of you considering the 650. I know it features a few more hi-tech features, but for the money difference and the gloss issue, spare yourself, the 550 is the best.” – D.Simmons (FL, USA) Click here for more user reviews

Samsung LN52A550 Now on Sale at Amazon.com