Home > Consumer Reviews > Samsung LN52A550 52-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV

After searching for a few months for the right TV I chose this one and I was not disappointed. I was contemplating higher models with the auto motion detection, or the 120hz as aposed to the 60hz here, but after comparing it to a few of my friends TV's there was not a noticeable enough difference for me.

Bottom line, this is the best bang for your buck and is an amazing TV.
Picture is absolutly amazing.

I'm the kind of guy who, if it cost more than $100, researches before he buys. I did tons of research and read scores of reviews on TVs and finally decided upon the LN52A550. The price was right for such a large screen and the reviews everywhere on the web raved about it. And they weren't kidding. We received it on a Thursday, and I can still remember my jaw dropping open while watching Survivor that evening. It looked 3-D! The colors are rich and glorious. I have no trouble with reflected light on the matte screen. The television itself is beautiful with a black lacquer-like finish and will be a welcome addition to anyone's living room. Oh, and I'm really glad I got the 52". I thought about the 48" and was afraid the 52" would be too large for my smallish living room, like I'd be in the front row of a movie theater. But it turned out to be wonderful. I could even see going larger if I had the budget.

Some kind soul posted a full lineup of tweaks here on Amazon.com that you can make to the settings to get an ideal picture. Out of the box, I found the sharpness settings to be too much, resulting in what looked like a highly-compressed JPG. Dialing that down and adjusting the black levels a bit resulted in a stunning image. I did wrestle with skin tones for a few days, until I realized that some of NBC's studio footage just appears off to my eye. For example, NBC Nightly News host Brian Williams always looks a little bluish to me sitting behind his anchor desk, but then they cut away to a reporter in the field and the skin tones look fine. The Tonight Show with Jay Leno looks a little heavy in the magenta to me, but other shows/commercials look fine. After a day or two, I decided to leave the color at factory settings and just relaxed and enjoyed the picture. I will say that both of the aforementioned shows, as well as NBC in general, have the sharpest Hi-Def picture of any major network, in my opinion, even if the skin tones are slightly askew.

Let me also compliment Amazon.com. I ordered the TV and it was sitting in my house 48 hours later. No shipping charges, no tax. Amazon is a first-rate retailer that has won my loyalty with their low prices and excellent customer care.

By the way, I also ordered a Sony PlayStation 3 as a Blu-ray player, and I'm so glad I did. Yeah, it was about $100 more than a stand-alone player, but it's far more versatile. Besides being able to play Blu-ray discs and DVDs, you also have a gaming system. But more than that, I can connect my computer to the PS3, and via a $20 piece of software called MediaLink, I can access the music, photos and videos on my Mac and display them on the gorgeous LN52A550 screen! It even has a web browser built in, which is a bit awkward to navigate, but brings the web to your living room as well. Again, kudos to Amazon who delivered my PS3 within 24 hours for free!

Call me one happy customer who is thrilled with his new home theater purchases.

My 27" CRT TV died after "only" 17 years. After much research, which I found more confusing than helpful, I settled on the Samsung LN52A550 based on the recommendation of someone who sells TV's. We have been very, very happy with it for the 2+ months that we have owned and used it. It was easy to connect to our old components (amplifier, DVD player, etc.). The picture quality is phenomenal! I do recommend, however, that you connect some external speakers, like we did. Nothing wrong with the internal speakers, it's just that they are mounted on the back of the unit so you really have to crank up the volume if that's all you have.

I have purchased two of the Samsung LNXXA550 series, I could say that it is own of the best options on the marked since it has a decent prize. The first one I bought was 40 Inch, later I saw it too small and bought the 52 inch one.

Image is pretty clear, the only thing I didn't enjoyed much was the sound, sometimes it was to soft for my taste (Video games), but when you hook it up to a Home Theater or Stereo, it does the magic.

It's a nice option, with a great prize and nice features.

This television is an excellent product. When I purchased it, I wanted the best TV I could get for the money, so I chose to wait until the newer models were announced and this unit had a price drop. Saving $500 makes you feel a lot better about a purchase, doesn't it?

TO ADDRESS THE SOUND COMPLAINT: A lot of people are complaining that the speakers in the TV are crummy. I beg to differ. I am an adult male who enjoys movies and the occasional video game, and I have found these speakers, to although not amazing, are very impressive for not being seen and being kept within the TV itself. If you are worried about the sound quality, and you DO care about sound, but you are not in the upper echelons of the "audiophile" classification, then you will enjoy the sound. It's big, it's whole, it's good. Although, there's not a TON of base, but if you realize there is no subwoofer then no surprise.

BEST TV I'VE EVER WATCHED ON, HANDS DOWN. WILL BUY SAMSUNG AGAIN!