Samsung LN52A550 52-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV

I bought this in May 2008 and could not be happier with my decision. If you are condsidering this TV you may also be looking at the 6, 7, or 8 series Samsung LCDs of the same size. I did not find the faster refresh rate worth the money to upgrade to the 6 series, and one feature I like on this TV that the higher series change is the screen protector. This TV has a typical LCD screen, where as the higher level "touch of color" models put a reflective piece in front of it. This is just a matter of opinion, but for day-time viewing there is less glare with this screen.


Picture quality is excellent, I play lots of Xbox 360 and watch lots of movies (DVD, HD-DVD, Blu Ray) in full 1080p and the picture is stunning. The other TV I was considering (similar in size/price) was the 50" 1080p Plasma from Samsung. When it came down to it I got a better deal on this one and that pushed me to this set, but here is what I considered with the plasma-

Plasma has deeper colors (+)
Uses more power (although it can be calibrated to help) (-)
Plasma has a glass screen=more reflective in daytime viewing (-)


If you are looking for an everyday, anytime use TV, this will be a good choice. If you are a hardcore gamer, have a darker room with no windows/low light, then plasma may be the way to go, and if you want to shell out the extra cash, go for a model with the 120Hz refresh rate, but personally I did not find it worth the money.

The only complaint I have about this TV is the sound- not so great. My wife prefers to just turn on the TV and watch it (not deal with the receiver, just stick with the basics) and she is not bothered by the sound, but I have it hooked up to surround sound (most of you probably will) and therefore I could care less how the stock speakers sound. I will probably be purchasing a smaller version of this same set later on for regular viewing and move the 52" into a game/movie room, and at that point the TV speakers will be disabled. Just something to keep in mind if you don't plan on using this set with a surround sound system.

20 Month old TV picture died (still has sound). No service in San Diego, and no response from authorized repair center after 3 calls. Bad circuit board which seems common if you Google search Samsung TV problems. Samsung service told me I was out of luck. Parts/labor to repair was quoted at over $500 when I finally got a Sears repair man to come out. For a premium quality product like Samsung, they take no pride in quality and have poor customer service. BUY AT YOUR OWN PERIL....."

i brought mine after reading the reviews here and i couldn't be happier...everything you guys said was right on point. i'm glad i opted for this over the 46" 650 model(tooo reflective). i highly recommend this set if you're looking for a 52" LCD with a great picture that's not too expensive.

Got it off of "Amazon's warehouse" deals for $1350 delivered to my front door. Can't beat that price! I was wary as a friend said most of these TVs on those deals are returns and so I might get a lemon. Well, it looked to me the remote/manual pkg wasn't even opened so it's possible I got a new set.

Anyway, it's waaaay better than my 5 year old Hitachi 720p rear-projection behemoth. Much slimmer and lighter so I can put it back against the wall. There's also many more picture adjustment features that you can get off of various audio/visual forums. Picture is crisp and clear and the sound for so little speakers is awesome. Haven't bought a Blu-Ray player yet to see what those movies look like on it yet, but I'm sure it's awesome judging from ESPN hi-def broadcasts and XBox360 games.

I had no problem with the tv. It is great so far. Glad I went this route and saved a few hundred bucks on taxes. The only issue was the delivery. This company used a delivery service CEVA. If you track your shipment you can actually schedule to get your product sooner. I found this out by tracking my shipment and calling the place. They gave a 4 hour window, and was 30 minutes passed the 4 hour window.