Audio FeaturesTruSurround 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.SRS TruSurround XT technology delivers an amazing, simulated 3D effect with clear dialog and powerful bass. TruSurround XT audio also adds three audio enhancement technologies to produce an amazingly immersive sound experience.
Which Size HDTV is Right for My Room?
Product Description 46" 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 * Customer Reviews: Read 256 more reviews... |  Terrific TV, Great Customer Service April 26, 2008Joseph Esposito (Staten Island, NY United States) 122 out of 122 found this review helpful Since pretty much everyone on here has given this TV the same praise, I will spare you all of the details it is certainly the best TV for the money out there today. However, my customer service experience is something to note here. Like others, I was wary of making such a large purchase online. Low price + no sales tax and free shipping made up my mind. After seamlessly receiving the TV 4 days after ordering it, it broke withing 3 hours of being delivered (there was a loud snap-like sound), and there was no power. I immediately contacted Amazon, who told me to contact Samsung directly, and if they could not handle my concerns, call back. Samsung dispatched a technician to my house 4 days later, who told me that he "thought" it was a defective power card, and that it would take 1 - 2 weeks to get the part and come back for repair. Now I think most of you will agree that you wouldn't want a TV that was refurbished after just 1 day. Samsung refused to replace it, saying their policy is to repair, not replace. I then emailed Amazon, asking for a new television, giving the above explanation. When I called for an update the next day, my issue had already been escalated, and a new TV was about to ship, no questions asked, at 0 cost to me. In the end, I have Amazon did everything I asked and more, including crediting my price 4 times, from 1700 all the way to 1469. The biggest fear in buying something like this online is, "what if it breaks???" Well, mine did break, and if you buy from Amazon, you can be sure that you will be happy in the end no matter what. 5 star performance, plus a few personal thoughts and tips April 21, 2008B Rice (Houston, TX, USA) 132 out of 140 found this review helpful Why I bought this set: My old tube TV suddenly burnt out, I guess it sensed that the change was in the air... I originally wanted to go with a 42" 720p set, but my partner insisted on getting a 1080p TV so "We'd be ready for the (near) future." After reading many reviews, I learned that you won't appreciate the 1080p hi-def on a set that's less than 42". So I started to look for a 46" 1080p TV, and my budget was [$...]. I first looked at 4661/4665 models, but soon realized that they were being replaced by the 46A550. Even though this is a 5 series TV that replaced two 6 series TVs (well, sort of, consider the 4/5/6/7 classification is new for 2008), the 46A550 trumps its predecessors in specs, mainly the contrast ratio. You might have read that the contrast ratio varies from one manufacturer to another since there's no standard for measuring, so it didn't matter too much for me. I also read that 4661/4665 had some firmware issues, and at the time of purchase, they were actually more expensive than 46A550 on Amazon. So 46A550 became the clear winner. Performance: So far so good. It's important to note that I currently do not have any HD input-just the standard cable signal and Wii via composite cables. Of course the picture quality is OK at best, but I am hardly complaining as I have faith in the set. Because this set is new (mine was assembled on March 31st and arrived to my house 10 days later), there aren't many extensive reviews online yet. Usually, the Sony sets lead the pack in comparison reviews, but they usually cost [$...] more than the runner-up. To my eyes, the Sony tends to display more details and Samsung does a better job delivering vibrant color and contrast. One might look slight better than the other, depends on your preferences, when they are next to each other. But either one would look fantastic just by itself. Interface: The menu is pretty easy to navigate through, and options are where you'd expect. However, because there's no dedicated PIP button, it was a little difficult to activate that. You'd have to either go through Menu or press the Tool button on the remote, then go down the menu and activate that feature. Also, I am not the biggest fan of the remote. It has back-lit feature, but in order to have all the buttons lit-up, Samsung gives us big soft rubbery buttons. Some of these buttons can get stuck if you press hard, and I am yet to use the back-lit feature cuz I usually have a light on in the room. The IR sensor can also be improved. It is located at the bottom right corner of the frame. My room isn't huge, so sometimes I am a little "too close" to the TV, and the remote wouldn't work because it is not aiming straight at the sensor. If the sensor was in the middle of frame, it'd probably work better. The aforementioned "imperfections" are definitely not deal-breakers. Experience with Amazon and EGL shipping: Like last time, it was a good experience this time. Amazon had very competitive price in the first place, and the 30-day price protection feature was a plus. EGL shipping came on time. They delivered the TV to the room, put it on my stand and plugged in to make it worked fine. Noting to complain whatsoever. Tips on extended warranty: This TV comes with a 1yr service/labor warranty. If anything goes wrong, you do not need to ship it back. Instead, call Samsung and they will send a technician out to repair it on site. I thought it'd be a good idea to get some extended warranty (say, 3 year?) on this [$...] toy. At the time of purchase, Amazon offered two 3-yr ext. warr. options on this particular model-Option 1 is from a 3rd party vendor (with the envelop and seal logo) and Option 2 one from Samsung (with a Samsung logo). Option 1 was slight cheaper, but didn't receive very good ratings on Amazon, while Option 2 had no ratings at all. Option 2 didn't even have thorough explanation on what's covered and what's not. After lengthy research, i found out that the "Samsung ext. service" was really offered through Service Net ([...]), and they told me the fine prints of the warranty can be found at ([...]). The 3-yr Samsung plan through Amazon overlaps the first year manufacturer's warranty, so really you are only getting 2 extra years out of the deal. Service Net sells their versions of the "Samsung 3yr ext. warranty", which really gives you 3 additional years after the first year, but is way WAY more expensive. Don't know why... None of the above sounded like a sure-sell to me, so here's what I did. I found out that my Visa card has a feature called Warranty Protection. Basically it extends the original manufacturer's warranty for another year. 'n at the end of the 2nd year if you wish to extend the warranty even further, Visa offers an additional 3-yr plan that's about [$...]. You can call your bank and/or Visa regarding this feature. Hope my review helps... My review of the Samsung LN46A550P April 21, 2008Roger S. Bullock 176 out of 197 found this review helpful Well, here's my review of the Samsung LN46A550P 46-inch 1080p LCD HDTV. A little over a year ago I bought a Samsung 214T-21.3" monitor for my big computer. I've been extremely happy with its performance and quality. So much so, I decided on a Samsung monitor for my movie watching experience. I bought the LN46A550P to replace a 20 year old 50" Mitsubishi. The 50" TV was excellent in its day but it was old and had some issues. Obviously, it was time for retirement. After doing a week and a half's worth of research I decided on the Series 5 for four main reasons: 1) 30,000:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio - The higher, the better picture quality. 2) 5ms Response Time - The amount of time any given pixel on the screen takes to change from one color to another. For game playing this is a must. 3) Appearance - it is a handsome looking piece of furniture! 4) Price The day the monitor arrived I took the lid off the shipping container and felt that the monitor was cool to the touch. After all, it spent about 10 days in a cold truck and 3 more days in a warehouse before it was delivered to my home. Because of that, I opted to unpack the monitor and let it sit in my living room for a day or so before plugging it in. I live in a mobile home that has a moderately sized living room. If I had purchased a bigger set, I'd be too close to the action. It would be like being too close to the screen in a movie theatre. (not good) For optimum viewing it is best to place the monitor at the same height as your head if you were sitting in your favorite chair about 6 to 8 feet away. I've seen pictures of this monitor mounted on a wall much higher up and further away from the viewing perspective and wondered if the people watching a movie would get a sore neck. Having such a setup reduces the movie watching experience as well. The monitor's subsystems are accessed through a Microsoft Windows-like menu making it easy for anybody to access its features. I do recommend disabling the monitor's speakers within the monitor's menu system. The monitor's speakers are fine for average viewing but fall short in providing booming sound for movies. I have my monitor connected to an amplifier. This is done by connecting cables from the left and right audio channel output jacks behind the monitor to the amplifier's audio input jacks. My Nintendo Wii is connected to my monitor via a Component cable for maximum video clarity. The Wii's audio cables are also plugged into the monitor and the sound the Wii makes is routed through the monitor's electronics to the amplifier. I included this information in my review for all you gamers. In studying the manuals you will notice right away that the quick setup guide warns that if you experience any difficulties with the monitor NOT TO SEND IT BACK TO THE PLACE OF PURCHASE. Instead, it instructs you to call SAMSUNG. Samsung offers in-home service for monitors larger than 30 inches during the warranty period. In the near future I plan to purchase a Sony Blue Ray player (BDPS300). It is a second generation BD player that steps DVD movies up to 1080p. Care and Maintenance: ALWAYS use a micro fiber clothe to clean an LCD display to avoid scratching its surface. Samsung includes a micro fiber clothe with the monitor but no cleaning solution. You will need some good cleaner, like; "Monster ScreenClean LCD Display Cleaner 2 Bottle Screen Clean Mini Package (MPC CLNKIT-SM)" found here on Amazon.com. I use that cleaner to keep my computer LCD monitors clean. It leaves no dirt or dust behind after cleaning. I gave this monitor 5 out of 5 stars with only one recommendation for Samsung; keep the audio output jacks in the back of the monitor but remove the built-in speakers. People who buy such a monitor have amplifiers and movies in mind. One Special Note: On the shipping container you will see a liquid-filled sticker in the shape of a pyramid that says, "Tip & Tell". If the tip of the pyramid is blue it means the monitor was tipped over during shipping. In that case, make sure the delivery company makes note of it on the delivery invoice!!! My monitor was tipped but I saw no damage to the container at all. My monitor has no visible damage either and works perfectly. Makes me wonder what happen? Either way, I'm cover under warranty! Register the monitor with Samsung as well and keep the receipts in a safe place. Roger. (40 y/o) Fantastic Picture April 10, 2008Deborah M. Papallo (CT) 35 out of 37 found this review helpful I first bought the Samsung LNT4665F and was fairly pleased with it. I decided to return it when I saw the newer model LN4A550P has better specs and it was cheaper. In fact, the price has dropped almost $100 since I ordered it 8 days ago. (You can call customer service for refunds for 30 days but check the details on refunds). [...] Most of the specifications are not listed on the Amazon site. If interested, check the Samsung site. Ignoring technical stuff, this TV is fantastic. The picture is outstanding especially for the HD shows. The non-glossy screen is also a big improvement. Even the sound quality is better. I watch sports and the picture quality is so much clearer with no shadows. By far, this is the better TV, for less money. If I could give more than 5 stars, I would. The delivery company was great - both TVs were delivered a few days after ordering. Great quality for your money April 7, 2008C. Kimball 22 out of 22 found this review helpful I recently assisted my parents in purchasing this television for their room. The price was right (1699$) at the time purchase (4-3-2008) for this set. 30,000:1 contrast ratio with more ports and cable slots than I myself could fill with all 3 video game systems this generation and a peripheral DVD player. The image is extremely clear with no banding or ghosting whatsoever (but like any HDTV don't stare at the screen from point blank). HD channels come in crisp and clear, and blacks look very black, not greyish like my older Sharp LCD's TV displays. They don't have any high definition movie player yet, but we are working on it. Another thing for those interested in wall mounting. The whole TV is less than 60 pounds. I held it up myself while my dad mounted it to the wall. Also it's easy to carry up stairs (you don't need to have an expensive moving company do anything for you or mount it if you are sufficiently skilled with such things). Like the other reviewer said however, the speakers are very underwhelming, in comparison to the rest of the setup. Then again, most TV's speakers are. In all I have to give it a 5 out of 5 based on the value, even with the lackluster speakers, the display itself is just too good. |
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