Samsung LN40A550 40-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV | 
| Brand: Samsung
Category: CE
List Price: $1,299.99
Buy New: $956.12
You Save: $343.87 (26%)
New (17) Refurbished (2) from $999.99
Rating:  260 reviews
Sales Rank: 180
Color: Black
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: Yes
Display Size: 40
Shipping Weight (lbs): 54.5
Dimensions (in): 39.2 x 3.6 x 24.7
Warranty: 1 year warranty
MPN: LN-40A550
Model: LN-40A550
UPC: 036725228177
EAN: 0036725228177
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | Full HD 1080p Resolution | | • | Wide Color Enhancer | | • | 3 HDMI Inputs | | • | USB 2.0 | | • | HDMI-CDC |
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Product Description
40" widescreen HDTV (16:9 aspect ratio) * high-gloss black finish * built-in digital (ATSC) and analog (NTSC) tuners for over-the-air TV broadcasts (antenna required) * built-in QAM cable TV tuner receives unscrambled programs without a set-top box (cable service required) * 1920 x 1080 pixels *
Manufacturer's Description--March 24, 2008
Samsung's 550 Series is a perfect way to step up to Full HD 1080presolution. A fast 5 ms response rate produces smooth-motion scenes for sports and action movies, and a dynamic contrast ratio of 30,000:1 makes for deep blacks and crisp lines (15,000:1 in 32-inch and 37-inch models). Superb connectivity and networking with a USB port and 3 HDMI 1.3 ports with Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) means these HDTVs play well with all of your other electronics. Easily enjoy MPEG and JPEG files stored on external devices by connecting through the side-mounted USB 2.0, turn your LCD into a full-scale home viewing gallery, or connect your MP3 player for a dynamic audio experience.br / br / h2span style="font-weight: bold;"img align="right" alt="lifestyle" hspace="10" src="http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/electronics/cat-500/Samsung/detail-pages/samsung-lcd-2008-lifestyle.jpg" style="width: 430px; height: 344px;" vspace="10" /Key Featuresbr / /span/h2 ul lispan style="font-weight: bold;"span style="color: #ff0000;"New /span-- 30,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio/span: up from 15,000:1 on 2007 models (15,000 on 32-inch and 37-inch models) (Learn morespan/span)br / /li lispan style="font-weight: bold;"span style="color: #ff0000;"New/span -- Fast 5ms response time:/span down from 8ms on 2007 models thanks to a new high-speed liquid crystal/li lispan style="font-weight: bold;"Full 1080p HD/span (Learn more)/li lispan style="font-weight: bold;"178-degree viewing angle/span from all four axes with Super Patterned Vertical Alignment (Learn more)br / /li lispan style="font-weight: bold;"3 HDMI 1.3 ports/span: Simplay compliant (Learn more)/li lispan style="font-weight: bold;"USB 2.0 port: /spanconnect 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/li lispan style="font-weight: bold;"DNIe Digital Natural Image Engine/span improves the picture by enhancing the contrast, detail, and white balance (Learn more)br / span style="font-weight: bold;"/span/li lispan style="font-weight: bold;"Hidden speakers with SRS TruSurround XT audio/span (Learn more)/li lispan style="font-weight: bold;"Wide Color Enhancer/span technology and Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp (CCFL) offer a wider color range (Learn more)/li lispan style="font-weight: bold;"Picture-in-Picture (PIP)/span enables convenient simultaneous viewing of TV programs and video or PC sources/li lispan style="font-weight: bold;"V-Chip/span system allows blocking of rated TV and movie programs determined by the parent to contain objectionable content./li lispan style="font-weight: bold;"Trilingual /spanon-screen displays in English, Spanish or French. br / /li lispan style="font-weight: bold;"Variable sleep timer/span to turn the TV off in varying time intervals./li lispan style="font-weight: bold;"Auto wall mount compatible:/span 3-dimensional operation via TVrsquo;s remote control; no external IR receiver required./li lispan style="font-weight: bold;"Swivel stand/span included/li lispan style="font-weight: bold;"1 year parts and 1 year labor warranty /span(90 days parts and labor for commercial use), with in-home service, backed by Samsung toll-free support/li /ul p/p h3span style="font-weight: bold;"Step Up Featuresbr / /span/h3 span style="font-weight: bold;"/span ul lispan style="font-weight: bold;"Series 6: /span50,000:1 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/li lispan style="font-weight: bold;"Series 7: /spanInternal 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/li listrongSeries 8:/strong super-slim 1.9-inch thick profilebr / /li /ul What size TV should you get? h2br //h2 h2Learn More/h2 hr class="bucketDivider" size="1" / h3strongFull HD 1080P/strong/h3 table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" style="text-align: left; width: 100%;" tbody tr td style="vertical-align: top;"img alt="full HD 1080P" src="http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/electronics/cat-500/Samsung/detail-pages/samsung-lcd-2007-1080p.jpg" style="width: 252px; height: 196px;" //td td style="vertical-align: top;"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.br / br / Samsungrsquo;s 1080p panel uses a new high-speed liquid crystal to cut response time to 4ms. The fast response time, coupled with Samsungrsquo;s Auto Motion Plus 120Hz motion blur reduction technology dramatically reduces motion blur and judder.br //td td style="vertical-align: top;"img alt="1080p" src="http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/electronics/cat-500/Samsung/detail-pages/samsung-lcd-2007-1080p-b._V10157979_.jpg" style="width: 176px; height: 196px;" /br //td /tr /tbody /table hr class="bucketDivider" size="1" / h3strong30,000:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio/500 nit Brightnessbr / /strong/h3 table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" style="text-align: left; width: 100%;" tbody tr td style="vertical-align: top;"img alt="25,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio" src="http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/electronics/brands/samsung/71/feat_25000_1.jpg" //td td style="vertical-align: top;"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. Samsungrsquo;s new LCD TVrsquo;s give the most stunning realistic picture quality ever.br //td /tr /tbody /table hr class="bucketDivider" size="1" / h3stronga name="DNIE"Digital Natural Image Enginebr / /strong/h3 table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" style="text-align: left; width: 100%;" tbody tr td style="vertical-align: top;"img alt="DNIe image" src="http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/electronics/cat-500/Samsung/detail-pages/samsung-lcd-2007-dnie-a.jpg" style="width: 233px; height: 161px;" //td td style="vertical-align: top;"DNIe The Samsung Digital Natural Image engine. This exclusive Samsung technology dramatically improves the picture by enhancing the contrast, detail, white balance and reduces.br //td td style="vertical-align: top;"img alt="dnie chart" src="http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/electronics/cat-500/Samsung/detail-pages/samsung-lcd-2007-dnie-b.jpg" style="width: 285px; height: 161px;" /br //td /tr /tbody /table hr class="bucketDivider" size="1" / h3span style="font-weight: bold;"a name="CCFL"Wide Color Enhancer/Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp/span/h3 h3span style="font-weight: bold;"/span/h3 table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" style="text-align: left; width: 100%;" tbody tr td colspan="4" style="vertical-align: top;"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. br / br / Samsungrsquo;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 ndash; the fresh green of spring foliage, the intense blue of the summer sky./td /tr tr td style="vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"img alt="wide color enhancer" src="http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/electronics/cat-500/Samsung/detail-pages/samsung-lcd-widecolora-200.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 176px;" //td td style="vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"img alt="wide color enhancer" src="http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/electronics/cat-500/Samsung/detail-pages/samsung-lcd-widecolorb-200.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 140px;" //td td style="vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"img alt="wide color enhancer" src="http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/electronics/cat-500/Samsung/detail-pages/samsung-lcd-widecolorc-200.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 178px;" //td td style="vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"img alt="wide color enhancer" src="http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/electronics/cat-500/Samsung/detail-pages/samsung-lcd-widecolord-200.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 134px;" //td /tr /tbody /table hr class="bucketDivider" size="1" / h3a name="Connectivity"span style="font-weight: bold;"a name="connectivity"Connectivity/span/h3 table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" style="text-align: left; width: 100%;" tbody tr td style="vertical-align: top;"img alt="wiselink" src="http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/electronics/cat-500/Samsung/detail-pages/samsung-lcd-2007-wiselink.jpg" style="width: 542px; height: 269px;" /br //td td style="vertical-align: top;"To make the Series 6 a true entertainment hub for any home, Samsung has incorporated advanced HD connectivity and networking capabilities that expand the HDTVrsquo;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. br / br / 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.br / br / Once connected, users can easily access device menus and manage and display content through the newly redesigned Wheel Key Remote control and the HDTVrsquo;s sophisticated content management interface. br / br / span style="font-weight: bold;"All Connections/spanbr style="font-weight: bold;" / ul li3 HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) version 1.3: (2 rear/1 side)/li liComponent video: 2 rear (Y, Pb, Pr)/li liComposite inputs: 1 rear (shared with component) / 1 side/li liS-Video: 1 side/li liPC input: 1 rear/li liWiselink (USB 2.0)/li liRF antenna inputs/li liHeadphone jack: side/li /ul /td /tr /tbody /table hr class="bucketDivider" size="1" / h3a name="Super_Patterned_Vertical_Alignment_"span style="font-weight: bold;"a name="spva"Super Patterned Vertical Alignmentbr / /span/h3 table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" style="text-align: left; width: 100%;" tbody tr td style="vertical-align: top;"img alt="wide angle" src="http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/electronics/cat-500/Samsung/detail-pages/samsung-lcd-2007-wideangle.gif" style="width: 430px; height: 215px;" /br //td td style="vertical-align: top;"Samsungrsquo;s Super Patterned Vertical Alignment (SPVA) panel provides a 178-degree viewing angle from all four axes/td /tr /tbody /table hr class="bucketDivider" size="1" / h3a name="Audio_Features_"span style="font-weight: bold;"Audio Features /span/h3 TruSurround is a patented SRS technology that solves the problem of playing 5.1 multichannel content over two speakers. TruSurround delivers a compelling, virtual surround sound experience through any two-speaker playback system, including internal television speakers and headphones. It is fully compatible with all multichannel formats up to 5.1 channels. High-quality virtual surround sound can be experienced with just the two hidden, downward-firing side-mounted 2.2-channel dome speakers built into the TV. br / br / SRS TruSurround XT technology delivers an amazing, simulated 3D effect with clear dialog and powerful bass. br / br / TruSurround XT audio also adds three audio enhancement technologies to produce an amazingly immersive sound experience.br / ul liDialog Clarity brings movie dialog into Focus during the playback of any surround-encoded material to make speech much clearer and crisper./li liTruBass creates incredible deep rich bass allowing a person to perceive significantly deeper, richer low bass tones that are far beyond the physical low frequency capabilities of the speaker itself./li liThe SRS WOW feature widens the sound stage by processing standard two-channel stereo material as well as multi-channel encoded material for a dramatic improvement in the playback of any stereo audio over a two-speaker system./li /ul Stereo broadcast reception is offered for MTS and SAP with 181-channel capacity. A sound leveler keeps audio volume consistent during channel changing.br / hr class="bucketDivider" size="1" / h2a name="size"Which Size HDTV is Right for My Room?/h2 table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" style="text-align: left; width: 100%;" tbody tr td style="vertical-align: top;"img alt="HDTV Size chart" src="http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/electronics/buyinguides/screen-size.jpg" style="width: 437px; height: 168px;" /br //td td style="vertical-align: top;"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. ul /ul 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. ul li Minimum size = Viewing distance/3/li liMaximum size=Viewing distance/1.5/li /ul /td /tr /tbody /table
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| Customer Reviews: Read 255 more reviews...
 Super value December 2, 2008
Raybor (No. Haven, Ct.)
A very recent issue of Consumer Reports cited the Samsung LN40A550 as the best HDTV in it's size range, went on to name it the best value in any size range. I went on-line discovered this model was being offered by Amazon at a price significantly lower than the "value" price listed by Consumer Reports.......and, free shipping. Less than a week after ordering it from Amazon the set was delivered, and the delivery men offered free unpacking removal of the large carton. This being my first HDTV, I did experience some difficulty hooking it up....in part, I'm sure because I tried to go ahead and do it without thoroughly reading the instructions, in part I was connecting to a new HD receiver the cable company provided. I called Samsung tech. service, in minutes they got me squared away, I was watching as good,as sharp, as clear a TV picture as I've ever seen. Having lived through the "morphs" of TV from a tiny 9" round black white picture, to color, to transisters replacing troublesome vacuum tubes, now to digital LCD display screens in amazing HD. Somehow technology will account for future advances, but as I enjoy HD programing on my new Samsung, I'm hard pressed to imagine the challenge of improving on this.
It's like a window to the world December 2, 2008
C. Perez Jr. (Orlando, FL)
Now I could sit here and talk your ear off about all the technical mumbo jumbo this t.v. got going on but odds are that 1. you don't understand it and 2. you don't really care. All you want to know is how it works, how it looks, is it dependable, and is it worth it. and the answers are easily, amazing, like wind in a hurricane, and duh. br / br /This is not my first HDTV. It's my first 1080p t.v., and thanks to it I know now how much of an idiot I was 3 years earlier when I didn't wait for a 1080p. I've gone through sooooo maaaaany countless problems with my RCA DLP (if you have any knowledge of t.v's and their dependencies based on models i'd have to ask you to kindly shut up at the moment because I've figured out the mistake that I've made, thank you,) that I was actually skeptical about the way this Samsung looked in the store compared to how it was going to look in my bedroom. Well I bit the $1,100 big one and went for it and my god if I wasn't a couch potato before lord help me now. br / br /This t.v. paired with the Samsung BD-P1500 Blu-Ray player I purchased with it (and also reviewed which you can read on my profile,) make one of the best teams since peanut butter and jelly. They compliment and communicate with eachother to a degree beyond my expectations. And the liquid crystal goodness doesn't stop there either. If it's available pick up an HD receiver from your cable provider(if it's not, switch providers because wow, you know it's 2008 right?) and the programs broadcasted in HD will also have you wondering why you bought that outdated RCA in the first place.. I mean.. nevermind. br / br /With such a clear and brilliant picture when going in full 1080p it's hard to say anything bad about this t.v., which is why I can't right now. Sure the sound may not be up to par with the standards of the picture but if you have a small 2 speaker sound system laying around somewhere then it's a breeze to hook it up. It's what I did and I haven't thought twice about it. But if you're going to put this screen as the main attraction in your living room (which it can totally handle) then I would go for a nice surround sound system(which I've also reviewed.) It's the least you could do, trust me, when you see this t.v in action you'll understand. (Heck, when you see this t.v. in all it's glory you'd probably want to bring it flowers on a weekly basis.) br / br /So go ahead splurge on yourself and get it. You can't go wrong with the quality for it's price. Until then I'll be watching enough of it for the both of us.
 Samsung LCD Picture in Picture doesn't work for composite video source December 1, 2008
D. Stein
My parents bought the Samsung LN40A550, which has good reviews in consumer reports. This TV has only 1 tuner, so picture in picture (PIP) requires another source. In the manual it does states: You can view Analog TV broadcasts on the PIP screen (sub-picture) when the main picture is from an external device connected to HDMI 1,HDMI/DVI 2, HDMI 3, Component1, 2 or PC. br / br /So if you are expecting to use an external device, which is composite video (the yellow video RCA jack on a VCR) to supply a 2nd TV tuner source you will still not be able to do picture in picture. br / br /When I got my Samsung 50" DLP years ago it had dual tuners and PIP was a simple PIP button on the remote. However the current Samsung LCD and DLPs along with many other tvs appear to have this limiting ability to perform PIP. Even if you do have the required source (componet/HDMI/PC) the process to active the PIP is not just a PIP button click on the remote. Other than the PIP issues the Samsung LN40A550 is a fine tv.
 terrible television November 30, 2008
Sara B. Barnard (Kansas City)
0 out of 7 found this review helpful
I've owned a 1080p samsung television (LNS4041) for approximately 2 years now. After fifteen months of operation the thing went on the fritz (turn it on and purple and green vertical lines appear with a black background - no pic.). Samsung claims I'm a few days outside my warranty and won't back up the product. I've called to have it repaired and it will cost $130 just to have somebody look at it. I'm thinking about smashing it into tiny bits an posting the video on YouTube. Overall, I'm very disappointed in samsung and regret the purchase. If you must have this television, buy the extended warranty. As for me, I'm getting my next lcd at Wal-Mart - perhaps a sanyo.
I LOVE THIS TV!!!! November 30, 2008
Jones Jay
awsome tv. i have owned for about a month awsome picture, i love it all!!!! br / br /shipping was fast, it was awsome, i love this tv. br / br / br /the only thing is if its in a small room it will make the room hot quick...
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