Pros & Cons
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- Excellent contrast and HD video processing.
- Comprehensive picture controls.
- Backlit remote and swivel stand.
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- Displays some smearing in fast-motion scenes.
- Some advanced picture settings lack fine control.
- Inconsistent color tracking.Watch the Samsung LN52A550 Video Review!
Samsung LN52A550 Specs
| Average Contrast Ratio: | 2782:1 |
| Depth: | 12.8 inches |
| Diagonal Screen Size: | 52 inches |
| Height: | 33.7 inches |
| Individual Settings per Input: | Yes |
| Type: | HDTV |
| Type: | LCD |
| Video Interfaces: | Component |
| Video Interfaces: | Composite |
| Video Interfaces: | HDMI |
| Video Interfaces: | RF |
| Video Interfaces: | S-Video |
| Weight: | 71.2 lb |
| Width: | 44.9 inches |
Samsung's 2008 HDTV lineup got off to a good start with the impressive picture quality and network media features offered by company's Series 7 LCD TVs. The
Lacking the high-speed pixel technology used in more expensive panels, the A550 did show increased image smearing in action scenes—slightly more than other value-priced LCDs. Also, performance with standard-definition (SD) video left more jagged-edge artifacts than seen in costlier sets, and color consistency lagged in the darkest picture details.
A glossy black bezel about 2 inches wide surrounds the screen; a thin strip of metallic colored trim accents the lower edge of the set's face; and everything rests on an oval table stand that allows 50 degrees of total swivel (25 to each side). With its stand attached, the A550 measures 33.7 by 44.9 by 12.8 inches (HWD) and weighs 71.2 pounds. Removing the stand reduces the height and depth to 31.1 and 4.3 inches, respectively, and its weight to 59.3 pounds.
The bundled remote control is similar to the one that comes with Series 7 sets. It's a classic baton-style shape with rounded edges for increased comfort. The somewhat finicky scroll-wheel control on the A750's remote is replaced by a standard set of four-way directional buttons, but otherwise it retains the same keypad design and layout, which includes large, clearly labeled, backlit buttons. Although menu navigation isn't nearly as precise or speedy as it is with Sony sets such as the
The main selection of audio and video ports is located on the back of the chassis near the lower right corner. This outward-facing panel includes two HDMI ports, two component video inputs, a VGA port for PC use, and an RF input for use with the integrated tuner, which is compatible with analog or digital terrestrial broadcasts (NTSC and ATSC) as well as unscrambled digital cable signals (QAM). Additional front-accessible ports located on the left-hand side of the set include an additional HDMI port as well as a USB port for digital image and music files stored on removable media.
The LN52A550's antireflective screen features 1080p resolution (1,920 by 1,080 pixels progressively scanned), and the TV's HDMI, component video, and VGA ports are all compatible with 1080p60 (60-Hz) video signals. The set's HDMI ports are also compatible with the 1080p24 (24 Hz) video signals that some Blu-ray disc players, such as the
Picture Quality
Overscan results when a video picture is evenly stretched (scaled) beyond the edges of the active portion of the TV's screen. By default most HDTVs overscan video by about 6 percent. The LN52A550 provides a picture-size control that eliminates overscan with 1080i/p video from component and HDMI connected sources, but component 720p video remained overscanned by 5 percent, and 720p HDMI sources were overscanned by a relatively minor 1 percent. Overscan with SD video was borderline excessive at 7.5 percent.
The LN52A550's movie picture preset proved to provide the closest match to the color and detail standards used in HD video production. The more closely a TV can match this spec, the more accurate and faithful its picture will be to the information contained in the video signal (and to the director's vision). The set's primary and secondary color accuracy when using this preset were close to perfect; color tracking from dark to light intensities, however, showed that blue exhibited varying increases of up to 20 percent in the darker shades—producing cooler-looking, more bluish dark details.
A robust set of picture controls in the user-accessible menus includes color management, white balance adjustments, and a blue mode that eliminates the need for the use of special color filters when making certain color adjustments. These controls allowed me to improve the set's color representation further with various tweaks, including flattening out the response of the darker blues. But as with the Samsung LN52A750, the A550's controls for the darker portion of the scale proved unwieldy, since minor adjustments often produced large shifts in the measured response. The LG 47LG60, by contrast, provides extremely precise picture controls.
Our HDTV contrast ratio results are averaged from a nine-zone sample. The LN52A550's calibrated picture produced an excellent result of 2782:1—courtesy of an exceptionally dark black level of 0.04 cd/m2, which nearly matched the record-setting response of 0.03 cd/m2 achieved by the
Performance with SD video material was above average, but I did note an increase in jagged-edge artifacts and motion-related image smearing over the more-expensive LN52A750. And as with that set, I found that enabling the A550's film-detection feature—which is disabled by default—eliminated the flicker and moiré artifacts associated with video sourced from 24p and 30p material (films and digital cinema) on a 60-Hz display.—
Hi-Def Performance
I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the set outperformed its more expensive sibling at HD video processing. The 1080i HD HQV Benchmark test results revealed that the A550 delivered full detail from interlaced HD video sources, such as consumer camcorders. But unlike the A750, the A550 also correctly processed 1080i content that was originally recorded in the 1080p24 format (most prime-time television programming), effectively reproducing the detail of the original 1080p recording.
With HD as with SD material, the A550's 60-Hz display exhibited increased motion-related image smearing when its performance was compared with that of 120-Hz LCDs, such as the LG 47LG60 and the Sony KDL-52XBR4, which update their pixels twice as often. In my 1080i recording, via Dish Network, of an episode of Art of the Heist that shows a passenger aircraft rolling along the tarmac, the windows along the side of the fuselage smeared into a continuous solid line. Another competitively priced 60-Hz LCD, the $2,000
Various types of signal processing performed by an HDTV can create a delay between the input on a console game controller and the on-screen response. Such delays can render some games unplayable—especially if the game fails to provide a customizable lag compensation feature. Some HDTVs offer a Game mode, which minimizes video processing (and lag), but I found the A550's default and movie picture preset delivered a lag-free experience.
The LN52A550 ranks at the top of my data sheet of 52-inch LCD HDTVs in terms of minimizing energy consumption when using default picture settings. Monthly cost calculation for the A550 using its default settings was $6.58—based on 8 hours of daily use at $0.13 kWh (a local average). For the Sony KDL-52XBR4 and the Westinghouse TX-52F480S, which have similar-size screens, the cost was $9.25 and $11.86, respectively. Using the A550's calibrated picture settings, which include a reduced backlight level, the cost calculation drops to an equally impressive $3.56.
There's a lot to like about the Samsung LN52A550, including its exceptional picture contrast, superb HD video processing, and useful design touches like its swivel base and side-mounted A/V ports. But this TV also highlights some of the disadvantages of 60-Hz LCD technology: It isn't as adept at minimizing motion blur as pricier 120-Hz sets are, and it does nothing to eliminate judder with film-sourced materials. This set is a solid pick for a 52-inch 1080p screen, but the alternatives are also worth serious consideration. At the expense of some image contrast and extras such as a backlit remote and swivel stand, you could go for the less-expensive Westinghouse TX-52F480S. You'll get a picture that exhibits more consistent color tracking as well as an additional HDMI port.
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