Samsung LN46A550 46-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV

• Dialog Clarity brings movie dialog into Focus during the playback of any surround-encoded material to make speech much clearer and crisper.
• TruBass creates incredible deep rich bass allowing a person to perceive significantly deeper, richer low bass tones that are far beyond the physical low frequency capabilities of the speaker itself.
• The SRS WOW feature widens the sound stage by processing standard two-channel stereo material as well as multi-channel encoded material for a dramatic improvement in the playback of any stereo audio over a two-speaker system.

With standard-definition TVs, the rule used to be that viewers would feel comfortable watching a set from a distance of 3 to 6 times the screen size in inches. With HDTV, the resolution is so much better that you can sit closer to a larger TV without noticing the pixels. So with HDTVs, the rule tends to be you can sit anywhere from 1.5 to 3 times the screen size (in inches) for the best experience. If you know the size of the room you have already, where you want to sit, and where your new HDTV should go once you get it, you can figure out the size HDTV you should get. Minimum size = Viewing distance/3 Maximum size=Viewing distance/1.5

New Big Screen Lover
I have to agree with all the positive reviews of the design of the set and the picture quality and unfortunately I have to agree with the negative review of the sound quality - something I hope will be fixed with the addition of speakers as recommended by another reviewer. The only truly negative thing I have to say about the set is that stupid box in the left hand corner that pops up when I change channels and says "no time information 1920x720@60hz" (a number that changes depending on what station is being broadcast). I called Samsung to ask how to get rid of the box as the information makes no sense to me and certainly doesn't seem to serve any useful purpose other than to annoy me - but they tell me I can't get rid of it. This is completely unacceptable and I'm really considering returning the set! Any suggestions?

Very pleased thus far
We purchased the Samsung LN46A550 after doing a lot of research, and we bought it from Amazon because (1) they had the best price and (2) we had heard good things about CEVA delivery. Unfortunately, the first unit was DOA, so the CEVA guys boxed it back up while I was on the phone with Amazon. Due to the size and high value of the product, it took a couple extra days longer to get the replacement than would normally be the case (or so I assume), but everything went smoothly and the second unit works perfectly. CEVA was great to work with all the way around.

The TV is an excellent size for our bedroom ... this unit replaced a 36" tube, so the new TV provides a similar image height ... our heads are about 10-11 feet from the TV, which sits high atop a 64" tall armoire ... as expected, I am very pleased with the image quality: brightness, color, black levels, contrast, etc. ... we are feeding a signal from our DirecTV HD DVR via HDMI, and the most annoying thing that has cropped up is the TV's slow recognition and/or adjustment to the signal as we change channels on the DVR ... it only takes a few seconds as it switches, but it seems strange that the TV has to work that hard at it (our Samsung 56" 1080p RPTV in the living room is fed by the same model of DVR and has no such problems) ...

Like many others, I am underwhelmed by the downward-firing speakers, which have a hollow sound devoid of highs and lows ... however, perhaps because we have the TV elevated, I'm not having as much of an issue with the speakers as other reviewers, but I've played quite a bit with the settings to get them to sound reasonable. I'm considering getting one of those 3.1 sound bar setups, but with the holidays coming I will probably hold off to see what gift cards I get ;-)

Overall, we are very pleased and we're looking forward to many years of enjoyable HD viewing!

Excellent choice!
Like you I spent a great deal of time researching the big TV I was going to buy... spoke to a bunch of family/friends, read forums and review sites, poured over technical specs, spoke to more people and then I decided to get this LCD HDTV. Thinking back, an excellent choice I made and I stand by it after a month of enjoying it.

A brief about by buying decision and then the TV itself - at the outset I narrowed down the type of HDTV to a LCD and ruled out both Plasma (primarily because I didn't think the picture quality was great) and DLP (primarily because of viewing angle). And among LCD HDTVs I was looking at Samsung and Sony only. I found that Samsung's pricing and features are perfectly interleaved with Sony models and hence a Samsung seemed to give me the best bang for the buck within my budgetary threshold. Specifically, I was pitching this TV against the Sony Bravia V and W series.

Apart from all the great features of this TV that you already know about, there is one feature I would like to point out... its the fact that this TV has a great response rate of 5ms. More expensive TVs have a 4ms response rate. Also I did ponder over the 60Hz refresh rate on this TV but I don't think its a big deal and in my view it didn't justify the extra bucks you need to put down for a 120Hz. Also I've never experienced motion blur yet, at least for the kind of viewing I do.

Amazon did great with my order and the delivery service was smooth and fast.

No price guarantee from Amazon!
In a new policy (Sept. 2008), if this t.v. drops in price the day after you purchase it, Amazon will not refund you the difference. Before Sept. 2008, they gave you a 30-day guarantee that the item would not drop in price. I purchased this television early Nov., a few days later it dropped by $20, but no refund, even though I've spent about $3000 at Amazon over the past couple months. Very, very poor customer service from Amazon.