Samsung LN52A550 52-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV

Excelent picture bad audio
had 2 service calls first call repairer said nothing wrong.
second came after factoty rep called me, very impressed by factory interest. they replaced some stuff with only a slight improvenment in audio. after checking around it seems all mfgrs like tin can sound and we are stuck with it

Update. We also purchased a Blue Ray player which, when playing a BR or DVD has a very good image. At least with BR, we didn't see any pixelization with fast cuts or significant motion so it appears I may have given this TV a bum rap.

We use Optimum's IO cable and I even paid for a service call only to be told that this was how the stations broadcast. I agree with some of the comments here that the problem appears to be caused by the signal quaility from my cable co. I have to question the whole value of HDTV if the cable companies are unable or unwilling to provide the data volume needed for maintaining a high quality picture. May of the so called HDTV stations look worse in some ways the our older analog set showed normal stations because, while not as sharp, we didn't get pixelization.

That said, if the image doesn't move a lot and it is one of the better stations (they seem to vary as to the quality based on station and to some extent program being broadcast) then the image can be breathtaking.

Finally, there is one thing that is the TV's fault. That is, you can't enable closed captioning when using HDMI cable to connect to your cable box. This seems really bogus. I don't need CC but my Mom is partially deaf so we like to turn it on when she visits.

Oh well... live and learn! :-)

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We recently purchased one of these. I confess I don't have a lot of experience with HDTV. This is the first HD set we've purchased.

We are very disappointed.

The picture quality suffers from a number of issues. The main problem is that any motion leads to pixalization. You see this manifest itself in various ways. Any time a scene changes or a cut in made, parts of the picture becomes pixilated for around 1/2 second before it recovers. This might be tolerable but certain shows, music videos, etc. that involve lots of short cuts becomes fairly unwatchable. Certainly NOT as good as a normal CRT TV even though it is hi-def. Watching sports is painful at best. Some types of images seem to really cause problems. For example, if the image has fog or is of water or involves moving lights then it becomes particularly noticeable. We do have HD programming and so this is not an issue with the signal.

In additional to the pixalization, the picture at times suffers from bleeding (movement leaves a smudge or track behind.) We also get this weird effect where parts of the image seem to move independently of other parts. For example, if a person is wearing glasses, the glasses seem to bounce slightly up or down or side to side by small but noticeable amounts. I'm not sure what would cause this, perhaps some aspect of digital compression?

I feel let down by the reviews here on Amazon. The problems we experience are not subtle so I'm mystified as to why the reviews are so overwhelmingly positive. Buyer beware!

If I could return it I would.

I'm the type of person who does a lot of research before making a purchase like this. I always educate myself on everything there is to know about an expensive item I want to purchase before making a final decision. Through all my research, I decided on the Samsung LN52A550 and I couldn't be happier! My decision making was based on quality, size and price. I went back and forth between the 46" Samsung LN46A650 with the 120Hz processor and the 52" LN52A550 model with the 60Hz processor. My dilemma was, should I sacrifice having a larger sized TV for a slightly smaller one that has a better quality picture with the 120Hz processor? Since the two TV's were priced about the same, I wasn't sure which one to decide on. After comparing the picture quality difference, in several Best Buy and Circuit City stores, I realized that there is such a tiny amount of picture quality difference that I'd go with the bigger picture. However, one thing to consider about the 650 model. Though the picture may be very slightly better, it has more glare than the 550 model. Since glare was an issue for me with my old TV, this also helped me decide on the 550 model. It has very little glare, especially compared to the 650 120Hz model.My other decision was should go with an LCD or a Plasma? As soon as I found out how much more energy the plasma TV's use versus the LCD's, that choice was very easy. LCD is the way to go! Not to mention how much heat the plasma TV's put off and the fact that a plasma TV can produce image burn. Since I wanted to play video games on my TV, a TV with the possibility of obtaining image burn was out of the question.All in all, I'd say go for this TV! You will not be disappointed. I've honestly done a lot of research and you can rest assure that you will LOVE this TV too!Thanks for reading. I hope this review was helpful!Rob

I have had this tv for about a month. Purchased from Amazon sold and shipped by Amazon. They had a great price. I had a great experience with them. The delivery date was set at a week and a half, recieved it in five days. They also have great customer service, answered and resolved issues(created by myself). Great set, was considering the 650, I did some reading of reviews and ratings. Found that I did not think that the $400 more was worth it. The 550 has a great picture, and plenty of features. The only differences, I found, between the two are 30000 to 1(550) vs 50000 to 1(650) contrast ratio. 5ms(550) vs 4ms(650) response time. 60hz(550) vs 120hz(650). I have seen there is already a higher hz level availible. And the toc option (red color around frame). I had considered paying the higher price tag for the higher contrast ratio. I glad I did not because the 550 does a great job with the 30000 to 1 and the 5ms response time. Very colorful and bright picture. I now have extra cash for wall mount, and book shelves. Highly recommened television and seller!

The Samsung 550 52 inch is a good buy. The picture is the best I've seen on ANY TV (from cable) and it's perfect size for our family room (viewing distance about 9 ft). I also like the matte finish screen since we do get some reflections in the room. I opted against the 650 model since I don't need the added color on the frame and the extra contrast and inputs.