75 of 77 people found the following review helpful:
Great TV---end your TV search here!
I researched the purchase of this TV for over six months- far more than I ever researched even a vehicle purchase. I've had it for approx 2 weeks now and am very impressed. I was originally planning to purchase the 44in model but eventually changed my mind and purchased the 52 in model.
The only feature I was worried about not having was the 120 hz. I went to...
Good for about 2 weeks
Ordered from Amazon Feb. 2010 Great price, good picture, good delivery time. After about two weeks of use the picture now blinks off and on after the T.V. has been on for about an hour. Picture is on for about 3 sec. then goes off for a second. The audio never goes away just the picture. It doesn't matter which input source I use, sat., over air ant., or DVD player...
This review is from: Samsung LN52B550 52-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV with Red Touch of Color (Electronics)
I researched the purchase of this TV for over six months- far more than I ever researched even a vehicle purchase. I've had it for approx 2 weeks now and am very impressed. I was originally planning to purchase the 44in model but eventually changed my mind and purchased the 52 in model.
The only feature I was worried about not having was the 120 hz. I went to an electronics store and viewed both 60 and 120 hz side by side and could not tell the difference- the 60 hz is plenty fast for me.
Many people complained about the sound quality of last year's model. Unfortunately I have no pertinent information to add here as I am utilizing a surround sound system.
You will not regret purchasing this TV
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This review is from: Samsung LN52B550 52-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV with Red Touch of Color (Electronics)
I agree totally with what the reviewer Rob said about this TV. I also bought the 52 inch after considering the 46 inch and am very, very satisfied. We replaced a Panasonic big screen with this Samsung and are so glad we did. The Panasonic died after 5 years, and I hated it from the moment we bought it. This Samsung is so much better a TV. The quality of the picture is outstanding and the color also. I, like Rob, cannot compare the sound because we also are connected to a surround sound system. We shopped for about six months also before buying this one, and in the stores with different brands side by side, the only other TV that came anywhere close to the Samsung's picture was the Sony Bravia. According to Consumer Reports, the Samsung is the one to buy...the Sony was second on the list, so we went with the Samsung. Since all of the TV's in our house have decided to die all at one time, we will definitely be buying more Samsungs in the near future.
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This review is from: Samsung LN52B550 52-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV with Red Touch of Color (Electronics)
Just wanted to comment on the sound for this TV because that seems to be the weak point in so many of the Samsung LCD reviews. I think the sound quality is just fine. This model does not have the built-in subwoofer available with the 700 series, but the sound is still quite adequate. I'm sure that any type of enhanced audio system will greatly improve the sound, but don't be too concerned about what the TV itself provides. I was expecting the sound to be tinny, weak, etc. but I don't find that to be the case at all.
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This review is from: Samsung LN52B550 52-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV with Red Touch of Color (Electronics)
I received this tv as a warranty replacement for a 56" dlp. I was initially not happy to be getting a smaller screen, and I was not looking to own an lcd. My fears were unfounded, as the B550 is turning out to be an excellent set.
I have been tweaking the settings on this set using the HFCR software and a Spyder2. I'm not an expert... I just like tweaking to get as good a picture as I can out of the set. The grayscale tracking on the tv is excellent (once adjusted), and it can be controlled very well through the standard user settings (the gain and offset settings in the advanced menu).
The out of the box settings on the set are almost blinding, and on the cool side. Turn the backlight down to 4, set the mode to "Movie" and turn off all of the picture enhancements. The results after tweaking in the user settings and service menu have been *excellent*.
Info is very sparse about the 550 series. You can find lots of technical info here : [...]
In case anyone is looking for panel information, my set has a code of SS02.
I recently purchased a Blu-ray player, and the picture on the B550 is amazing.
The only downside I can come up with is that the contrast will drop as you move too far off center. The colors remain accurate, but a "haze" develops as you pass 45 degrees. The stand does allow the set to be turned, which makes this a non-issue for me, but if you are mounting the set on a wall, it may be a bigger issue.
I was very nervous about getting a 5-series Samsung. Don't worry if the 6 or 7's are out of your price range... the 5 series seems to be very capable of providing a great picture.
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This review is from: Samsung LN52B550 52-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV with Red Touch of Color (Electronics)
I purchased this TV in May, 2009 and shopped it for several months. I did side-by-side in store (Best Buy) comparisons with the LG and Sony and they were not even close to this set. I too couldn't tell the difference between the 60 Mhz and 120 Mhz refresh rate. In fact, I found out from comcast that they do not have a cable box that supports 120 Mhz yet. The picture is just incredible.
The only negative comment I can make is the sound. I purchased a sound bar which was well worth the upgrade.
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This review is from: Samsung LN52B550 52-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV with Red Touch of Color (Electronics)
The clarity on this Samsung model is phenomenal. The black is definitely blacker than any model I have seen but if you're gonna spend upwards of $1,500, do yourself a favor, spend the extra $300 and get a 120 hz refresh rate. This model boasts a 60 hz, which in itself is not bad at all, but it seems like when you get as big as a 52", the fast action seems to blur a lot more than my older 40". Maybe it is the size difference effecting it, but I wish I had sucked it up and got the 120hz. On slow movies, or even sports such as golf, hockey, or football, you won't notice. But watch a quick movie with lots of action scenes, and you will notice a bit of a blur/pixel on this model. Just go and get that extra 60hz, you won't regret it.
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This review is from: Samsung LN52B550 52-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV with Red Touch of Color (Electronics)
This reviews contains the stuff I would have wanted to know before paying for a TV of this size.
I recently upgraded to a Samsung LN52B550 1080i 60Hz HDTV from a 32 inch Samsung 720p HDTV. I liked the old Samsung set but it is kinda small by today's standards. The picture on this TV is awesome. At first the 52" screen looked too big for the room but now after viewing several movies, its perfect. (My distance from the set in the room where I use it varies from 10ft to 13ft away.) Definitely not too big - I see new details in movies that I never saw before and the big screen experience really makes watching your old favorite DVDs like they are brand new movies. (Do get a DVD player that upscales the DVDs to 1080i resolution - they are just to cheap not to get the clarity that gives you... better yet get a Blue-Ray since prices have come way down)
The TV arrives in a large carton. Putting the stand on it is easy. The TV is not so heavy but it is big and therefore cumbersome to move. It will take two people to lift it up the stairs and onto the table surface or whatever where you will set it down. I did not wall mount it but if you want to do so you could purchase a mount for probably $150 bucks. Hooking the TV up is a breeze if you use HDMI cables - probably buy two six footers - and probably buy them on the web for the best price because they are overpriced in most stores.
If you have a receiver, use HDMI cables to run the sound of this TV through it. The TV sound is nothing special but running it through your receiver it sounds great. There are other options like RCA cables, Composite video connections etc. but HDMI is just so easy because it carries the picture and the sound and retains the best possible picture resolution and sound sampling rates without having to worry if you could be doing better by hooking it up differently. It does have the ability to hook up to your computer but I did not try that yet.
My question when purchasing this unit as opposed to some other model, was whether the 60Hz screen refresh was good enough in light of all the talk about 120Hz and even 240Hz speeds. The higher Hz is supposed to help keep the blurring down in fast motion scenes - and I am sure it would - but it comes at a hefty price ($300). Here is my rationale: Consider that the movies themselves are blurred in fast moving scenes. Don't understand what I mean? Watch a movie then pause it during an action scene. When paused, you are seeing a single frame. It is blurred because the camera took the photo that way - not because your screen refresh rate can't keep up with it. Try the same thing with a Pixar movie (which is NOT created with a camera). The illustrators deliberately motion-blur frames to get life-like action results. Maybe the 120 or 240Hz makes more difference with sports, but with football games the picture is stunningly crystal clear and I have never noticed any blurring. So anyway, I opted not to pay that extra price and accepted this TV's 60Hz speed.
The contrast ratio is another thing that is much greater on more expensive sets but the end result is just not worth paying extra for. Perhaps an exception could be made for gamers, where effects are often for the gaming experience rather than realism. However those extreme contrast and computer created lighting effects do not have a realistic look. If movie makers were to use them in production, they would look weird. So, do you need a TV with a really high contrast ratio (where the blacks are really blackest)? I did not see that as worthwhile.
I liked the sets I looked at with LCD backlighting because of the consistent brightness even into the corners, but you are not likely to notice that difference with typical viewing of movies. The manufacturers are really proud of the LCD backlighting feature, but the extra price you pay for the LCD backlight is extreme - very low bang for the buck. This set does not have LCD backlighting - just the standard florescent.
Feature-wise, this model has all the typical menu based settings, channel guides and source options, so really no big pluses or minuses in that department. Like all LCDs, the screen has a matte finish so the reflections from windows or lamps in the room are not very noticeable. (Plasma screens can have a lot of glare so I prefer LCD unless the TV is in a room with no windows.)
This is not a new TV design by any means, but it is at the best price point if you want to upgrade to a really nice TV and don't care about bragging to your friends about the latest and greatest techie stuff you got.
By the way, I don't have cable! (If I like a movie I buy it or rent it & I don't care about the shows...) So, this TV is hooked up to the same roof mounted antenna I have had for 20 years and the picture is great. Just use the shielded coaxial cable you can get at Lowes or Home Depot. I understand there are Hi-Def antennas out there but I have not needed to try one.
Bottom line: the 52" size seems big at first but is really good for the average living room - worth the cost difference from a 46". The 60Hz refresh, 6 millisecond response time; 70,000:1 contrast ratio and standard backlighting are all sufficient for really great 1080i resolution viewing of DVD or Blu-Ray media.
I purchased this unit for $1119 in December of 2009 & I am very pleased. If I had it to do over again now after having it for several weeks & seeing the after Christmas specials, I would still get the same one.
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This review is from: Samsung LN52B550 52-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV with Red Touch of Color (Electronics)
This is by far, the best TV I have owned. Picture is excellent, sound is terrific (yes it is and I can hear it), I agree with the reviews that list this as the best tv available. My large screen Panasonic died after 5 years and was a big disappointment. Although the screen size is the same, Samsung has a smaller overall size and is just great.
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This review is from: Samsung LN52B550 52-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV with Red Touch of Color (Electronics)
I had a home break-in and my Samsung LN40A550 (the 'A' is the previous model) was stolen. Once calibrated, it was absolutely fantastic. I looked into replacing it with a larger size of the same model (now LNxxB550 as opposed to the LNxxA550). I am a tech geek and really do a lot of research (mostly on avsforum dot com). I found out two things about the difference in the B550 from the A550:
1. Some of the user-accessible settings that were available in the A550 were removed. This would only affect those who want to get a very precise calibration without going into the service menu (which voids your warranty).
2. THIS IS THE BIG ONE. Samsung has quietly started to substitute non-Samsung (Taiwanese) panels into much of their LCD line-up. In particular, Samsung started using AMVA (AUO) and SMVA (CMO) panels. This would not be that much of an issue if the Taiwanese panels had the same quality specs as the Samsung Korean ones. But almost all knowledgeable users report that the Taiwanese panels are vastly inferior. I went to many of my local B&M electronics stores to make sure I was getting a Samsung panel (they are coded on the box and the side of the TVs. Samsung panels are denoted by a SSnn or SQnn code. The non-Samsung panel codes are AAnn, ACnn, Cxnn. You can read about this at length by doing a search for "Samsung S, A, C Panel Differences: 2009 LCD Line-Up" in AVSforum.
The problem with an online purchase is that you have no way to know which panel you will receive. To spend over $1000 and get a poorer version would be terribly disappointing. Note that I did find a Samsung SQ panel on the TV I purchased and I am quite pleased with the set.
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This review is from: Samsung LN52B550 52-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV with Red Touch of Color (Electronics)
I've had a 32" Samsung LCD since 2006, and it's worked perfectly the entire time with an amazing picture. So naturally when it was time to upgrade to the larger set, Samsung was "ahead of the pack" in my opinion.
After 3 or 4 weeks of HEAVY research, I purchased the LN52B550 off Amazon January 7th.
Product arrived January 13th (very speedy and courteous delivery!), hooked it up with PS3 Bluray, Comcast HD, and calibrated with DVE (the older 2003 version). The picture was absolutely STUNNING! And I mean STUNNING! The 60hz is barely even noticible, even on fast action. It's simply not worth it to spend $1000 more on 240 hz! And BLU RAY looks beyond amazing!
I was also relieved to see I got the Samsung panel (on some Samsung TV's you have a 2 in 3 chance of getting a Made in Taiwan panel, and consequently a 1 in 3 chance of getting the genuine Made in Korea panel). If you google "Samsung Panel Lottery" you'll see what I'm talking about! This is an unfortunate side effect of ever-increasing price pressure on these LCD manufacturers.
2 days later, every research-intensive person's nightmare: The TV turned itself off after watching a blu-ray, and would not turn back on!
Called in a claim to Samsung, local repair shop came in and checked the Power Board and Mother Board. He ordered a replacement Mother Board that immediately went on backorder. It just arrived Monday 2/1 (2 weeks later!), and he finally came out to replace it 2/2.
When he was installing the new Mother Board, I checked on the old one just for kicks....Well wouldn't you know it? Made in CHINA. The new MB was made in KOREA. So it looks like the panel lottery isn't the only lottery we're dealing with on Samsungs! I am all for outsourcing and taking advantage of production facilities outside the home country, but ONLY if quality control is maintained~!
Now, thankfully (knock on wood) the TV is 100% Korean (Powerboard, Motherboard, Panel) and working beautifully. Just so you know I certainly ran to Amazon and dropped a quick $100 on the extended 2 year warranty, just to be safe. I would recommend this to EVERYONE!
Samsung TV's are absolutely gorgeous when they work, but I will definitely remember this harrowing experience the next time I jump into researching a new TV. With pricing on TV's spiraling downward, there are numerous ways that manufacturers cut costs, with quality control being one of them. So be careful out there! And BTW, I would've given the TV 5 STARS had this not happened.
Lastly, here's my calibration settings for the TV in case you're interested! Remember, these are not going to "pop" like the TV's you see in Best Buy (which are way too bright!). They are, however, meant to ACCURATELY reproduce digital media like HDTV broadcasts and Blu-Ray. And trust me, once your TV is properly calibrated, you'll never want to go back to the old settings! It makes everything looks surreal!
- Advanced Settings-
Black Tone: Off
Dynamic Contrast: Off
Gamma: 0
Color Space: AUTO
White Balance:
R Offset: 25
G Offset: 25
B Offset: 25
R Gain: 25
G Gain: 25
B Offset: 25
Flesh Tone: 0
Edge Enhancement: Off
-Picture Options-
Color Tone: Warm 2
Size: Screen Fit
Digital NR: Off
HDMI (Greyed Out?) Normal
Film Mode: Off (Also now Greyed Out)
-Sound-
Mode: Movie
Equalizer: Default (everything in the middle)
SRS Trusurround HD: On
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