Samsung LN40D550 Review

40" 1080p LCD TV

Picture Gallery

Alongside it's high end LED TVs and Plasmas, Samsung continues to offer series of affordable, quality CCFL backlit LCD televisions. They may not have all the bells and whistles you'd expect in a flagship television but they offer good picture quality and nice aesthetics at competitive prices. Rather than looking at a subpar TV from a second tier manufacturer that packed with features you probably won't use, we'd suggest looking at Samsung's different LCD TV lines.

Picture and Viewing Features

As stated above the LN40D550 uses a flourescent backlit LCD panel, this is by no means a bad thing as in many cases CCFL back lights can offer more uniform screen lighting than super-thin, edge lit LED TVs. The D550's have a 1080p panel that eschews the 120Hz AutoMotion feature but again we often find that the high refresh rate features on most TVs cause moe problems than they fix and we often recommend turning them off the minute you buy the TV.

The LN40D550 does have a "game mode" feature that turns off a lot of picture processing to lessen the input delay sometimes experienced when gaming on HD flat panel televisons. This is a feature that any gamer can appreciate.

We found the 550 series panel easy to calibrate and the powerful backlight gives a bright picture in any room.

Appearance

The D550 is a good looking TV but it isn't going to have guests gushing over it even when it is turned off. The subdued touch of color in the bezel looks nice and the included swivel stand is a nice touch.

Internet Applications and Connectivity

The D550 series does not have internet connectivity.

Standout Features

1080p CCFL backlit LCD Panel

Game Mode for lessening input delay

Easy Calibration

Stream media from your PC or other compatible devices

Competitive Pricing

Connections

The D550 series has 4 HDMI connections, a USB port and both component and composite analog video inputs. It also has an ethernet jack to connect to your home network for media streaming.

LN40D550 Value Rating Review