Samsung LN40B550 40-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV with Red Touch of Color
With the Samsung 40-inch LN40B550 HDTV, you’re investing in a high-quality LCD TV that offers top-of-the-line picture quality with 1080p high definition resolution. Enjoy the sharpest details and vivid color with 70,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio for more realistic images and a 6ms (millisecond) response time–virtually eliminating any blurring and providing smooth motion while watching fast-paced sports and action movies. Superb connectivity and networking with a USB port and four HDMI 1.3 ports with Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) means this HDTV plays well with all of your other electronics.
Samsung LN40B550 40-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV with Red Touch of Color Reviews
I was undecided between this 2009 model and last year’s LN40A550.
The features are substantially identical, but after figuring that the difference between best prices for the two, which I could find after extensive shopping around, was only $50, I went for newer one for its updated look and lighter weight.
In the reviews, one of the principal complaints for 2008 was the sound quality. I can’t directly compare 2009 and 2008, but found 2009′s LN40B550 to have perfectly adequate, if not excellent speakers, as far as TVs go.
Picture quality, menus, setup are excellent as expected.
One aspect that I did find puzzling is Wiselink not being able to recognize my old trustworthy USB Flash Drive. I even tried formatting the drive in various ways, unfortunately none of the tricks worked.
Perhaps, it’s the ancient drive not being comparable in some way, but it had never let me down before. Anyhow, I ordered a few different flash drives, and will try again, and then post an update.
Only the second night with this set and I can’t unglue myself from it. This is a great sub-$1,000 set that will please all but the most hardcore videophiles. This set is also very light, I tucked it under my arm to move it up and down the stairs. ToC is subtle, almost invisible, so those who don’t care for last year’s ToC, don’t worry, you can barely see it the color on this TV. The swivel stand makes it easy so access the rear of the TV to hook up the cables that it makes you wonder why other manufacturers make stands without the swivel feature.
I had originally purchased an LG, but the off-angle viewing was awful, but from the same seating position, the Sammy shines. As with all LCDs, some color is lost when viewing from off-angle, but this set always displayed a picture that was acceptable.
If there’s a weakness, it’s displaying standard definition, as in regular cable, but that’s a challenge shared by most LCD screens. SD does not look as good as I’ve seen on some other LCDs, but the picture is more than acceptable.
DVD’s showed great… Upconverted DVD even better, I was impressed… Blu ray blew my mind. The color depth, the dark blacks, the crisp picture… I was VERY pleased. I am sure you will be too!




