Summary: When I was initially shopping for HDTVs two years ago, I came down to Samsung and Sony. How fitting that I came down to both of these brands yet again. This time, it was much easier for me to choose the Samsung LN32A550. I had been toying with the idea of adding an HDTV/computer monitor to the bedroom for a while. I couldn't decide between a large, expensive computer monitor and a TV. I knew that I needed something with greater resolution than "720p" for a screen that size. Sure, you might not notice the difference watching a movie or HD programming, but as a computer display, it's not quite as forgiving.
When I saw this unit for <$900, the thought of using it as a compromise piqued my interest. I read the review of the 450 series on CNET and assumed that the 550 had to be at least as good (lucky for me that potentially flawed logic held true!). I saw rave user reviews for the larger models and decided to take the plunge.
It arrived yesterday, and I had to set it up at lunch. It looked great out of the box, but you must calibrate these things. I am still playing around with the settings using DVE, AVIA, and the THX Optimizer and have found great results so far, but I am a calibration nut and will continue to tweak. Once I feel like I've got a great calibration, I will post my settings. Also, I will update my eval after connecting it as a PC display with a high end graphics card.
As I said, the price/performance ratio for this display is phenomenal. A buddy at work was looking for a 32" and settled on a set that doesn't really approach the quality of this one, and I only paid a little over $100 more. You can always get a better picture going with the creme de la creme. The trick is to find that peformance/price break that both matches your budget and gives you the best bang for the buck. I feel pretty fortunate owning the Sony KDS50A2000 and Samsung LN32A550. I bought both for under $2500, and I have seen sets that expensive which can't beat the picture on either display.
Updated
The remote actually DOES have a backlight function. I was too hasty in my review! Also, the picture is gorgeous! My settings from memory:
Movie Mode
Backlight: 0
Contrast: 84
Brightness: 54
Color: 50
Hue: G56/R44
Sharpness: 20
Color Temp: Warm 2
I use this setting for HD cable viewing and have bounced back and forth between Warm 1 and Warm 2 with roughly the same settings. Blacks look great, and color saturation is rich. Reds are a little inaccurate; so, I have them muted a bit. It's VERY bright right out of the box, and movie mode seems to both darken and slightly yellow the picture to my eyes. Really, I think you could calibrate it on Movie or Standard mode, just depends on your preferences. So far, I have used just the THX Optimizer on The Incredibles to adjust my settings over my Oppo DVD player. I also plan on checking the settings with the AVIA DVD as well as my Blu-Ray DVE disc over the PS3. Really, the cheap speakers are the only drawback on this TV!
Updated on Jan 14, 2009
So, I found out that the remote is, in fact, backlit, and I have used this as a de facto computer monitor for the past 6 or so months. Let me tell you, it is fantastic! Unlike my Sony projection LCD, this is a true LCD panel and isn't subject to the same overscan problems that the Sony presents (5% overscan). In fact, there is a mode labeled "Just Scan" that is, well, pretty self-explanatory.
Actually, this is almost TOO big. My gf finally convinced me to buy a dedicated computer monitor (a 24" 1920x1080 Acer); so, this display will be going back to the bedroom, but I think I have been spoiled for life. My PC is running Vista with 2 Nvidia 8800 GT GPUs in SLi mode and a BD/HD-DVD drive. Text looks crisp; Blu-Rays look fantastic; and games are a dream to play. I play a fair amount of COD4, and it's very nice to play the game on a 32" 1080p display. There is no perceivable lag time, to me at least. With a refresh rate of 5ms, this TV is on par with most computer monitors.
