Samsung LN46A550

Page 2

The connectivity of the LN46A550 is one minor weakness. Its three total HDMI inputs, two on the back and one on the side, may not be enough for the some gear-heavy home theaters, but it's still plenty for most people. Two component-video inputs, a VGA-style RGB input (1,920x1,080p maximum resolution), an RF input for antenna and cable, an optical digital audio output, and a stereo audio output round out the back-panel connectivity. We'd like to see a standard AV output with composite and S-Video on the back panel, but the sole such input available on this TV is located on the side. A side USB port allows the TV to handle digital photos and MP3 music. We also liked the inclusion of a headphone jack.

Performance
We found it difficult to find anything to complain about when evaluating the LN46A550's picture quality. Its black-level and color performance equals or exceeds that of most more-expensive LCDs, and while there was a bit more motion blur on test material than with 120Hz models, we didn't find it objectionable (or even noticeable) in normal program material. Screen uniformity is worse than many models we've tested, but still better than others and not a deal-breaker in practice.

As usual with Samsung HDTVs, the extensive picture setup options allowed us to really hone color accuracy during our calibration. We employed the user-menu white balance controls to bring grayscale variation to within an impressive 50K or so (see the Geek Box below), meaning the set hewed close to the 6500K standard from the darkest to the lightest areas. Although there are controls available to adjust primary and secondary color points, the default "Auto" color space came close enough to the HDTV standard that we didn't need to use them. We also tried using the blue-only mode (see this tip for details) to set the color control, but it resulted in colors that looked too de-saturated compared to our reference, so we used the traditional filters instead to set color, with better results. Check out our full picture settings for all of the details.

We arranged our comparison of the Samsung LN46A550 against a few other 1080p LCDs we had on-hand, including the Sony KDL-46W4100 and KDL-46Z4100, Samsung's own LN52A650 and the Vizio SV470XVT, along with a pair of plasmas, the Panasonic TH-50PZ800U and the Pioneer PDP-5020FD. This time around we watched Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix on Blu-ray played via the trusty PlayStation 3 for our main image quality tests.

Black level: The Samsung delivered relatively deep blacks for an LCD. As Harry and his friends ascend on broomsticks over night-shrouded London, for example, the shade of black in the letterbox bars, the shadowed trees among the streetlights, and the forms of the fliers looked as deep as that of the A650 and the Sony Z4100, deeper than the Vizio, and not quite the match of the W4100 or the two plasmas. Details in the shadows, such as the apartment steps and the leafy bushes as they approach the gateway apartment, also looked solid, although not quite as well defined as on the displays with deeper blacks.

Color accuracy: The solid, post-calibration grayscale and accurate primary colors of the Samsung LN46A550 came across well in the film. As the group leaves in the wagon after meeting Luna Lovegood, we that noticed her pale skin tone, and the slightly more apple-cheeked face of Weasley, looked as natural as on any on the other displays, without the slight blue or red tinge that can come with an uneven grayscale. Later, during a flyover shot of the forest around Hogwart's, the green trees and blue sky, for example, appeared as natural as the reference Samsung A650 and Panasonic plasma.

Color decoding was also spot-on, and after we'd adjusted saturation to our liking, the image looked rich and vibrant, albeit not quite as good as on those displays with deeper shades of black. We were also impressed that the A550's color stayed relatively true in very dark and near-black areas, not veering too far into blue or green as we've seen with so many other LCD displays.

Video processing: The LN46A550 properly de-interlaced 1080i material from both film and video, according to the HQV test disc, and, as expected, it resolved every line of a 1080p resolution source as long as we engaged the Just Scan aspect ratio mode. We used a special test disc, designed to reveal motion blur caused by the display, and, again as expected, the A550 didn't fare as well as the plasmas or the models with a 120Hz refresh rate, introducing more blur than those sets. On the other hand we didn't notice objectionable motion blur while watching Potter, for example, or on any other fast-moving program material.

Uniformity: Like many LCDs we've tested, the Samsung A50 evinced some unevenness across the screen, with brighter areas visible to either side compared to the darker middle. This issue was more obvious on the A550 than on any of the other displays in our comparison, including the A650, although its effects were subtle (but still noticeable) in the darkest scenes. Off-angle performance was fairly good, although the A650 seemed to preserve its black levels better when seen from either side, an of course the plasmas beat the LCDs in this category.

Bright lighting: Samsung clad the screen of the less expensive A550 series with a less shiny surface, and in a bright room we could appreciate the difference. The set's screen prevented the reflections of the lights and windows from becoming too distracting in darker scenes, while the shinier screen of the A650 proved much more distracting in bright rooms. Samsung claims that the shiny screen preserves black levels better in bright rooms but we had a hard time appreciating any improvement through the A650's highly reflective screen. For bright rooms, the A550 is as good a choice as any other non-shiny LCD, including the Sonys and the Vizio in our comparison, and it outperformed both plasmas and the A650 in this area.

Standard definition: The LN46A550 performed a bit below average in our standard-def tests. It did resolve every line of the DVD format, although details in the grass and stone bridge appeared a bit softer than we'd like to see. It removed jagged edges from moving diagonal lines and a waving American flag somewhat, although there were still more jaggies than many sets we've tested, including Samsung's own LN52A650. The set's noise reduction worked quite well to remove the motes from noisy shots of sunsets and skies. Film mode, once engaged in the menu, enabled effective 2:3 pulldown detection.

PC: Via both VGA and DVI the Samsung performed as well as we expected with PC sources, resolving every line of a 1,920x1,080p source with no overscan or edge enhancement.

How we test TVs

See more CNET content tagged:

Samsung Electronics,

entertainment,

1080p,

LCD,

TV

Where to buy

Samsung LN46A550: $909.88

store	price	in stock?	rating
Amazon.com Marketplace	$909.88	Yes

see prices from 1 store

Compare prices for Samsung LN46A550

Amazon.com Marketplace

$909.88