digital photo printing

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description--March 24, 2008

Key Features

• New -- 30,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio: up from 15,000:1 on 2007 models (15,000 on 32-inch and 37-inch models) (Learn more)
  
• New -- Fast 5ms response time: down from 8ms on 2007 models thanks to a new high-speed liquid crystal
• Full 1080p HD (Learn more)
• 178-degree viewing angle from all four axes with Super Patterned Vertical Alignment (Learn more)
  
• 3 HDMI 1.3 ports: Simplay compliant (Learn more)
• USB 2.0 port: connect devices directly to your HDTV--view JPEG photos or MPEG movies or easily listen to your MP3 player through your HDTV's audio system or your home theater system
• DNIe Digital Natural Image Engine improves the picture by enhancing the contrast, detail, and white balance (Learn more)
  
• Hidden speakers with SRS TruSurround XT audio (Learn more)
• Wide Color Enhancer technology and Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp (CCFL) offer a wider color range (Learn more)
• Picture-in-Picture (PIP) enables convenient simultaneous viewing of TV programs and video or PC sources
• V-Chip system allows blocking of rated TV and movie programs determined by the parent to contain objectionable content.
• Trilingual on-screen displays in English, Spanish or French.
  
• Variable sleep timer to turn the TV off in varying time intervals.
• Auto wall mount compatible: 3-dimensional operation via TV’s remote control; no external IR receiver required.
• Swivel stand included
• 1 year parts and 1 year labor warranty (90 days parts and labor for commercial use), with in-home service, backed by Samsung toll-free support

Step Up Features

• Series 6: 50,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, AutoMotion Plus 120Hz image interpolation for smoother motion, 4ms response time, Transparent and Opaque Color (TOC) bezel, Clear Panel, Ethernet port with Infolink free RSS feeds, 4 HDMI 1.3 ports, Sports and Game modes, Compatible with Samsung's Home Digital Media Adapter for playback and navigation of Internet and stored PC multimedia
• Series 7: Internal flash memory (1GB) with pre-loaded interactive content such as cooking recipes, children's entertainment, HD artwork and more, Integrated woofer for an enhanced audio experience, DLNA-Compatible: for better interoperability with electronics, computers and mobile devices from many different manufacturers

• Step Up Features
  

• Series 6: 50,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, AutoMotion Plus 120Hz image interpolation for smoother motion, 4ms response time, Transparent and Opaque Color (TOC) bezel, Clear Panel, Ethernet port with Infolink free RSS feeds, 4 HDMI 1.3 ports, Sports and Game modes, Compatible with Samsung's Home Digital Media Adapter for playback and navigation of Internet and stored PC multimedia
• Series 7: Internal flash memory (1GB) with pre-loaded interactive content such as cooking recipes, children's entertainment, HD artwork and more, Integrated woofer for an enhanced audio experience, DLNA-Compatible: for better interoperability with electronics, computers and mobile devices from many different manufacturers
• Series 8: super-slim 1.9-inch thick profile

Learn More

Full HD 1080P

Full HD, or 1080p, contains 1.5 times more scanning lines than conventional HD TVs. More scanning lines mean more pixels, more details and a better picture. The new Samsung LCD TV with resolution that is approximately 2 times greater than conventional HDTVs, creating the most perfect picture imaginable. Samsung’s 1080p panel uses a new high-speed liquid crystal to cut response time to 4ms. The fast response time, coupled with Samsung’s Auto Motion Plus 120Hz motion blur reduction technology dramatically reduces motion blur and judder.

30,000:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio/500 nit Brightness

30,000:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio will give you a picture better than you ever thought possible, with whiter whites, blacker blacks and a nearly infinite subtlety of gradations in between. As two of the most important determining factors in overall picture quality, contrast and brightness levels achieve new heights in this latest generation LCD panel. Samsung’s new LCD TV’s give the most stunning realistic picture quality ever.

Digital Natural Image Engine

DNIe The Samsung Digital Natural Image engine. This exclusive Samsung technology dramatically improves the picture by enhancing the contrast, detail, white balance and reduces.

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Wide Color Enhancer/Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp

The NTSC (National Television Systems Committee) has established the color standards all TVs in America try to meet. And typical LCD TVs only meet about 72% of this standard. Samsung LCD HDTVs use Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp back lights to give you 92% coverage of the NTSC standard, ensuring truer, more breathlessly vivid colors. Samsung’s exclusive Wide Color Enhancer technology delivers more brilliant colors, even in bright areas of the picture where blues and greens are washed out on conventional screens. The system displays wider color reproduction, showing you truer colors – the fresh green of spring foliage, the intense blue of the summer sky.

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Connectivity

To make the Series 6 a true entertainment hub for any home, Samsung has incorporated advanced HD connectivity and networking capabilities that expand the HDTV’s functionality. A wide variety of multimedia devices can be connected to the set through any one of the four Simplay compliant HDMI 1.3 inputs (including one on the side), and the handy HDMI-CEC feature lets you control all your CEC-enabled peripherals using just one remote. Connect HD digital devices like disc players, game consoles, and satellite dish components into the 2 rear connections and use the side-mounted input for cameras, camcorders, and laptops. HDMI is the best performing interface for displaying an HD source on an HDTV. Once connected, users can easily access device menus and manage and display content through the newly redesigned Wheel Key Remote control and the HDTV’s sophisticated content management interface. All Connections 3 HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) version 1.3: (2 rear/1 side) Component video: 2 rear (Y, Pb, Pr) Composite inputs: 1 rear (shared with component) / 1 side S-Video: 1 side PC input: 1 rear Wiselink® (USB 2.0) RF antenna inputs Headphone jack: side

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Super Patterned Vertical Alignment

Samsung’s Super Patterned Vertical Alignment (SPVA) panel provides a 178-degree viewing angle from all four axes

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Audio Features

Which Size HDTV is Right for My Room?

With standard-definition TVs, the rule used to be that viewers would feel comfortable watching a set from a distance of 3 to 6 times the screen size in inches. With HDTV, the resolution is so much better that you can sit closer to a larger TV without noticing the pixels. So with HDTVs, the rule tends to be you can sit anywhere from 1.5 to 3 times the screen size (in inches) for the best experience. If you know the size of the room you have already, where you want to sit, and where your new HDTV should go once you get it, you can figure out the size HDTV you should get. Minimum size = Viewing distance/3 Maximum size=Viewing distance/1.5

• Series 5 1080p LCD HDTVs are available in 32-inch, 37-inch, 40-inch, 46-inch, and 52-inch models
  
• Series 6 1080p LCD HDTVs are available in 19-inch, 22-inch, 32-inch, 40-inch, 46-inch, and 52-inch models
• Series 7 1080p LCD HDTVs are available in 40-inch, 46-inch, and 52-inch models

Reviews

Samsung LN40A550 40-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV
GREAT TV AND GREAT SERVICE......FIRST ONE ARRIVED DAMAGED....ONE EMAIL AND WAAALAAA......NEW ONE ARRIVED ON MY DOORSTEP WITHIN 10 DAYS.....THAT`S WHAT I CALL GREAT SERVICE.....AFTER THE SALE !!!
YOU CAN TRUST AMAZON.COM !!
BE WELL, DO GREAT WORK AND KEEP IN TOUCH,
FLYBOY STINSON

Bought this top rated LCD for the bedroom - very nice. LCD is the way to go if you want light weight, cool running television for a bright, sunlit room. OTHERWISE, I would still stick with the plasma technology.

We have an older Pioneer plasma (720p resolution) in the living room - this Samsung LCD can't touch the Pioneer plasma when it comes to picture quality. The plasma provides much more realistic "film" type picture. The real difference is in flesh tones and blacks (such as a man's black suit on a show like David Letterman, etc).

I know the LCD's look so much better when you see them in a huge, brightly lit store like Best Buy, but in real life there is no question that plasma provides the better, truer picture.

The VERY NEW and EXPENSIVE technology of LED seems to have the benefits of the LCD with the picture quality of a plasma....but it's pretty pricey right now. But just wait a few years, and the prices will come down.

Also, don't get hung up on the 1080p resolution - the human eye can only detect so much. A 720p resolution will look just as good as a 1080p (unless you stick your nose a few inches from the screen...which nobody does.) Sitting back in your easy chair, they're just the same.

We really do like this TV, especially the clean look when it is turned off. However for our next TV purchase (far in the future....) we will look to the new LED technology, or stick with Plasma.

Electrozone Service:
Pros: Television was packaged with tons of foam. No dead pixels. Excellent customer service and communication. CHEAP PRICE!

Cons:The shipping was delayed but Electrozone was able to compensate for it. Scuffs and scratches along the border of the t.v. Biggest issue was the "FIXED" writing that was etched permanently along the border of the television due to being a refurbished product( Luckily, Can only be seen at a glared angle and not a big enough issue to return but still COME ON GUYS please don't scratch up the refurbished televisions with "Fixed" writing, common sense).

Television itself:
Pros: Amazing 1080p picture. Best remote control, ever. Tons of extra settings and features.

Cons:Can get a bit too bright from time to time but nothing major. As expected, the sound it bad but replacement speakers or a sound system fix the problem.

I received this item as an early Christmas gift in Nov '08, and am extremely happy with it. The picture quality is excellent, buch better than my previous HD TV from TSHBA that was not 1080p. The viewing angle is excellent, the blacks are very black, and the brights are very bright. There is no banding, blooming, distortion, or pixallated edges. Samsung makes a high quality product that is frequently better than many of the higher priced products from their competitors.

I've seen a few reviewers complaining about a few things, here is my input on their issues as someone who is not only an A/V enthusiast for over 20 years, but also an IT technician:

Check for firmware updates, my S@NY BDP-350 Blu-Ray player (purchased in Dec) has had 3 Firmware updates for it so far. One of them solved an HDMI issue.

As with anything else in this world, it is possible to get a bad unit & this is true of ALL manufacturers (even S@NY). Electronics today are all produced by the lowest bidder. You can buy a TV today, and 3 months later I can buy the exact same model, and if we compare the internal parts, there will be differences... whatever chips were cheapest when they placed the parts order are what go into your set, and it is assembled in a factory by human beings being paid peanuts.

Picture quality: The source makes a huge difference. I switched from Cablevision to FiOs & the difference in picture quality is stunning (on both the standard & HD channels). I have not run satellite, so cannot comment on the quality of that source.

Audio quality: For the life of me, I can't determine why someone would be using the internal speakers on this TV. Why you would have an almost 40" TV and not run it through an audio system is beyond me...

Picture blacking out: This has A LOT to do with the HDMI outputs on the cheaply made set-top boxes that are used to receive Satellite/Cable/FiOs. They ALL have HDMI issues, and the issues will cause problems whether the box is turned on or off. Complain to you service provider, not Samsung. If you want to test this, unplug the HDMI running from your box to the TV & run component video at 720p instead (there will not be a discernable difference in picture quality on a TV of this size when running broadcast content). Then power off both the box & TV, and UNPLUG THEM FROM THE WALL as well, as todays equipment will never truly 'power off' (or else your remote couldn't turn it on). Wait 2-3 minutes, then plug the power back in. If your issues go away, then you can be 100% sure it is the set-top box & not your TV causing your woes.

AnyNet+ issues: These are software issues, and HDMI issues. Most likely, the culprit is one of your other devices and not the TV. Check for firmware.

The Samsung 37" LCD is great. Colors are excellent and sharp. The only complaint I have is the skimpy sound system. Everything sounded "echo-y" and tinny: I had to add a sound system. Now it's great and I wouldn't trade the Samsung TV with any other one.