Samsung LN46A550 HD LCD TV

We treated ourselves by upgrading to a flat screen television with larger viewing capacity. It was something we had been discussing for a couple of years and after much research and a few sessions sitting in the AV department at a couple of stores watching a variety of televisions playing the same program, we settled on the Samsung LCD LN46A550 Series 5 television.

Our initial thought was that 46” didn’t seem all that big, but considering we were coming from a 32”, it was certainly bigger. We were going to upgrade to a 50” or higher, but the price difference didn’t justify the size difference, in our opinion. Frankly, the true reason Samsung won out was availability and price, despite all our prior investigation. However, in my reading, Samsung seemed to rate the highest in all categories, so perhaps our choice wasn’t all that bad.

Set Up:
This is relatively simple, even we electronically challenged had no problem. It took less than 10 minutes to install and calibrate the television to our cable input. In fact, we weren’t even finished picking up all the packing scattered about before it completed its cycle.

Features:
Full HD 1080p - 1080p/24p input
Certified HD digital TV [no extra HD box needed]
Color enhancer 2 [true color, life like images]
Anynet+ HDMI - CEC [one touch control for external devices]
30000:1 dynamic contract ration [black is black, colors are intense]
DNIe+ image processor [color & motion optimizers]
Entertainment mode [3 choices depending on what you are watching]
3 HDMI inputs [one side, two back - connect multiple digital sources and maintain image quality]
Screen size: 46”
Resolution: 1920 x 1080
Viewing angle: 178
Brightness: 500 Nit
Backlight: CCFL
Sound output [RMS]: 10W x 2
Stereo type: A2/NiCAM
Sound effect system: SRS TruSurround XT
Input/output - side: 1 each, HDMI, composite, S-Video, headphone. WiseLink USB but no multi memory slot
Input/output - back: 1 RF input, 2 component, 1 composite, 2 HDMI, 1 PC input, 1 video monitor out, 1 optical sound out, not Bluetooth compatible.
Swivel cabinet
Picture-in-picture
Sleep timer
Clock on/off timer
Auto power off
Auto volume leveler
Movie plus
TTXT level 2.5
Wall mount support
TM96B controller
Power consumption: operating 240W, stand-by less than 1W

Viewing quality:
All that information above may or may not mean anything to you and if you are a regular person like me, a lot of it is probably like some foreign language to you. I know all of those things makes the television project the final image, which is what viewing is all about. I must admit we chose the highest setting [dynamic] for our general viewing. There are three to choose from: dynamic, cinema & standard. From what I was told at Best Buy [we didn’t purchase there however] the standard viewing choice creates less stress on your television and it runs the coolest. The cinema is obviously used for movie quality as well as game mode. Despite all that, we went dynamic because we were knocked on our butts by the color. It will be great when baseball season is back, I can’t wait. The only downside I’ve seen to the dynamic selection is when the screen is mostly white, it slaps you in the face it is so bright. I can’t imagine watching a movie like Eight Below in the dynamic setting. All that snow - wow!

The picture quality is incredible. It is very clear and crisp with outstanding color contrast. Several of the shows we have watched for years suddenly look so different now that we can see the actual colors. In the same vein, the minute details shown now are something else. You can actually see individual ‘fly-away’ hairs on a performer where previously they looked perfectly coiffed.

To date we have only viewed general television channels and movies, plus played back movies through our DVD player. We do not watch the news and the only sport we follow, with regularity, is baseball, and that season hasn’t started yet. Therefore, I cannot comment on the clarity of a live event as opposed to something that was prerecorded. I am sure, from viewing at the sales stores, that live events will be outstanding.

The room in which we have the television has a large picture window, which introduces a lot of light. On our previous television we always had that ghostly glare and had to keep the drapes drawn whenever viewing during the daytime, something that made me feel like I was in a cave. Not so with this television. It has a semi-matte viewing panel with kicks those reflective glares to the curb.

It is said that LCD televisions don’t offer a wide viewing angle. Our room is fairly large and I have tried viewing from every angle. I have seen no distortion of any sort unless I am practically perpendicular to the television and my feeling is, if you have that many people crowding your room it is probably a party and you don’t need the TV on anyway. I can see where it could be a problem if you are hosting a sports party and people have to sit any place there is an empty spot but my suggestion is, try stadium seating [joking].

I really like the way this television takes up little real estate in our home. The down side of that, and the only output flaw I have found, is the quality of sound you have. Being such a slim model, the speakers are practically small and facing downward. We really have to crank the sound up to hear even the clearest thing. Of course, we could follow up with a sound system, but we haven’t saved those pennies up yet. Another choice, for the time being, would to be to plug in some good quality computer speakers, facing out into the room, to help with the sound.

The other downside I’ve found for the television is the finish on the unit. It is a high gloss black finish. Pretty? Yes. Stylish? Yes. A dust magnet? A resounding yes. Of course with two dogs and two cats, it attracts hairs as well. Most of this will be eliminated with our next big purchase, hardwood flooring. Carpeting should be banned. The other thing is the touch screen features, located on the lower right of the television surround. I’m afraid, with all the dusting I have to do, I’ll touch the wrong button and screw things up, or that our dog, with his big nose, will wreck havoc with the channel changer.

The remote is very nice and will control not only the television but also your external devices. If, which I haven’t, you can figure out how to synchronize the system. Unfortunately, cable boxes rule the world, so, for the most part, I have to be a two remote person. But I’m working on that one too.

Overall impression:
We couldn’t be happier with our selection. As it turns out, the 46” screen is probably all the screen we needed anyway. Our room is large enough to distance yourself from the television and the screen is large enough to deliver optimum viewing enjoyment. The picture is of the highest quality and the only drawback is the sound.

Thanks,
Susi