Samsung LN52A550 52 Inch 1080p LCD HDTV
Why settle for anything less than top-of-the-line picture quality? With the Samsung LN52A550 high-definition TV you get the total package: a 52″ wide screen with 1080p HD resolution, crystal-clear sound, and advanced features like wide color enhancer that are guaranteed to give you the full high-definition experience.
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars Perfect HD Television
This is my second Samsung HDTV – I also own a rear projection DLP set that I bought about two and a half years ago. This set is superior in all respects but especially in showing non-HD stations and in the quality of the sound. I like the fact that the screen has a matte finish and can’t imagine why anyone would spend another $500 more for the top of the line model.
5 Stars Samsung is the Best
Samsung LN52A550 52-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV
I can’t beleive this TV. The picture is perfect and the colors are out of this world. I would recommend it to anyone looking. And the price was unbelievable. Prices else where it was almost $500-$1000 more.
5 Stars Great TV for HDMI plus HDTV, not so great for old analog
When matched with TiVo HD, Time Warner HDTV service and a quality HDMI cable, the result is stunning for HDTV channels. I find myself mesmerized by the output quality, and I don’t want to go back to watching regular tv channels (even from cable). Regular (compressed) channels from Time Warner are unimpressive (they look filled with noise). Blueray is phenomenal.
Even compared to my 47″ Panasonic plasma and Sony 32″ LCD which are about a year old, this unit’s display of colors, including blacks, is far superior.
5 Stars Outstanding
Outstanding product. I couldn’t have asked for a better television/LCD panel. I’ve been impressed with it from day one and I’m still impressed. I’d buy it again in a heartbeat.
5 Stars Seriously Consider This Samsung 52″ TV
I have had my TV for nearly a month now and I love it. I am coming from a 27″ CRT TV, so of course, I’m going to be impressed. However, here are a few things I would like to pass along to those of you in the market for a new flat panel TV:
* LCD versus Plasma:
If you are having a hard time deciding between LCD and plasma, LCD has nearly caught up with plasma in terms of being the better flat panel TV. You still pay a bit more for a comprable LCD though. If you are hooking up a PC to your TV, will be pausing live TV, or anything else that keeps the picture still for a while, definitely consider an LCD as plasmas still have their problems with ghosting. I was in a Circuit City recently and looked at a new plasma TV with all the “anti burn-in” technologies built in. After accidently leaving an image on the screen for 4 hours, there was obvious “burn-in” on the screen.
* Screen Size:
I originally started looking at 42″ TVs, but realized that the picture quality is so good on HDTVs that you can buy a much larger TV even if your seating distance is only a few feet away. So, I limited my search to the 46″ – 52″ range. Another factor to consider is whether or not you want to spend extra for a 1080p set or settle for 720p. Most experts will say that you can’t notice the difference between the two in a set smaller than 50″. So, you may want to save the money and go with 720p. Also, I was worried if my TV would look too “big” in my family room, but trust me, it looks great. I’m so used to the screen size now that anything smaller just doesn’t look as nice anymore.
* HD and SD Channel Quality
The HD channels look fantastic. I have an HD package with Dish Network and all of the HD channels are incredibly clear. The SD channels are certainly bearable, but a big step down from watching SD channels on my 27″ CRT TV (in terms of picture clarity).
* PIP
This feature will not work for most people as you must have an analog signal. Those of you with digital cable or satellite TV will not be able to use it. For everyone else, it seems like it would be ok.
* Sound
I didn’t have as big of a complaint as everyone else did. I could hear everything loud and clear. I will soon be hooking it up to a home theatre system to improve the sound, but as for basic TV speakers, they seemed ok to me.
* Price
If you are considering a TV purchase, buying from Amazon is a must. They typically have the lowest price (much lower than big box stores) and you don’t have to pay S/H or taxes. The customer service was excellent any time I contacted them with regards to receiving a price adjustment. The delivery service was good too.
* Picture Settings
Most people will complain about the “Dynamic” mode of the TV saying that this is what the big box electronic stores use to make the picture look brighter, sharper, etc. This is true, but keep in mind that if you want to use the DNIe (Samsung’s picture enhancing engine), you will need to use “Dynamic”. I’m still figuring out if DNIe is worth having on, but what I did was set my “Dynamic” settings to be very similar to the “Standard” settings. This way the screen isn’t so bright. As for the rest of the picture quality settings, I left most of them the same except for a few minor adjustments for my personal liking.
* No Auto-Motion
This was definitely a struggle for me. Do I buy a 46″ 6 series to get Auto-Motion or a 52″ 5 series? I’ve seen fast moving action scenes in both sports and movies and you can at times pick up some jutter (especially when the background is also moving). If you are really picky, consider getting Auto-Motion (which you can set to off, low, etc), but for most people the 5 series with out Auto-Motion is fine. I don’t really notice anything most of the time unless I am really looking for it.
* Bonus
Since you’ve taken the time to read my long review, here is a little bonus. After you buy this TV (or any Samsung), register it online and they will give you an additional 3 free months of product warranty.
Happy Shopping!