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. Samsung LN46A550 46-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV
First things first, I ordered this TV directly from Amazon and within a few days the price dropped and Amazon refunded the difference. Awesome! Amazon's White Glove delivery service delivered as promised and was OK to deal with; no issues at all. So for those of you wondering whether it is better to spend a few hundred bucks to order this set from a brick and mortar store; keep your money in your pocket and order from Amazon.
As for the TV, I am not a video expert type, but I do research big ticket items thoroughly before buying. This set and the previous generations received great reviews. However, I was torn between plasma and LCD. Being a big sports fan (lots of fast moving action on the screen) I had been leaning towards plasma. But the reviews of this set and the benefits of LCD over plasma (lighter, uses less energy, no risk of burn in and better for well lit rooms) made me make the plunge.
Overall, I am extremely satisfied. This is my first HDTV and I am using Directv HD service and the picture is outstanding. It is sharp, bright and overall beautiful. The only issue I have, which I was worried about with the LCDs, is that I do notice some pixelation when scenes move very fast (Thus 4 instead of 5 stars). However, it is not distracting but I do notice it.
The speakers are not as bad as some of the reviews would indicate. You just need to set the equalizer to the right settings. I have a home theatre set up so this is not a big issue, but to some it is so I thought I would comment on them.
The set looks great, is easy to set up and I am very, very, very happy with my purchase. Especially at this price. With my extra money I was able to buy a nice stand for the Samsung.
I hope this helps.
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... - Lcd Tv - Hdtv - Ln46a550p - 1080p'
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