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whats your opinions/views on the Samsung LA40A550 Full HD 40" LCD TV. thanks
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Opinions: Samsung LA40A550 LCD
- Thread starter rocketracer
- Start date
howardb
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Got one - love it!
I've had mine for just over a year now, and although it's an older panel model, I'm very happy with it. Although DSTV SD channels look rubbish, you do get used to it. DVD also looks great, but the HD content is obviously where it shines - the clarity and colour is superb.
Link to model details
Link to User Manual
Link to Quick Guide
I've had mine for just over a year now, and although it's an older panel model, I'm very happy with it. Although DSTV SD channels look rubbish, you do get used to it. DVD also looks great, but the HD content is obviously where it shines - the clarity and colour is superb.
Link to model details
Link to User Manual
Link to Quick Guide
gbyleveldt
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That depends what you gonna pay for it. I got the newer LA40B550 model with a Sammy BR player, that plays mkv's perfectly, for under R12k at Makro a few months back.
I bought a LA32B550 on Saturday at Audio Vision for R5999 and I could not be more happier. Totally agree with Howard. DVD's look great when connected with a component cable. Certain DSTV channels look ok, others average, perhaps the only two good quality channels would be MM1 & MM2.
@rocketracer: you won't be dissappointed in a Samsung panel, but I would recommend going for the B550, the crystal design gives it a more elegant feel to it...
Dolby
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I also recommend a 'B' panel - unless the 'A' in the 40" is almost as good as the 'B'
I bought a LA46B650 a few months ago and when I read reviews, it's streets ahead of the older A panel and personally, I find it brilliant. Also remember that the 'B' panel is their 2009 range which means we could see a 'C' in 6 months and you're two generations behid :/
I bought a LA46B650 a few months ago and when I read reviews, it's streets ahead of the older A panel and personally, I find it brilliant. Also remember that the 'B' panel is their 2009 range which means we could see a 'C' in 6 months and you're two generations behid :/
rocketracer
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i am getting the LA40A550 at R6000. buying it from a friend that used it in his bedroom. it's about 11months old. still looks like brand new. and on time is really low. sounds like a good deal to me. i've seen Game advertise it for R9999 currently
gbyleveldt
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That is a very good price!
You guys have the wrong idea regarding panels. The product code doesn't provide any indication of the panel you get.
The panels that are, traditionally, in Samsung LCDs are, in decreasing order of awesomeness, S, A, C. A and C are sometimes on par, but the general consensus says that C panels are generally worse than A panels. Samsung make the S panels themselves and due to the demand being higher than the supply, outsource the manufacturing to some other companies (the names of which escape me right now; but a quick google should reveal it).
However, often people with C or A panels get lucky and have JUST as good a picture as the folks that got S panels.
In addition, only the very bottom-of-the-barrel Samsung LCD TVs these days get anything but S panels. A few Series 3 Samsung TVs I've seen on display in the shops had C panels. But generally the Series 5 and upwards (in the current models) all have S panels.
And as I said earlier, the model number (LA32B530 or LA32A550) doesn't tell you which panel comes in the TV. I've seen an LA32B530 with an A panel and an LA32B530 with an S panel.
How do you tell what panel you have? For starters, have a look at the white label on the back of the TV. It usually says something about the model number, and then has a space followed by a somewhat "random" letter that seems to be in the middle of nowhere. Those "random" letters are S, A or C. Those designate what panel you're supposed to have. However some have reported that this isn't foolproof; they've opened their TVs that were supposed to have S panels and they ended up having C panels (as evidenced by the manufacturer's label on the panel itself). But in my own personal experience, the label hasn't lied yet.
Edit:
S - Samsung
A - AU Optronics
C - Chimei Optronics
The panels that are, traditionally, in Samsung LCDs are, in decreasing order of awesomeness, S, A, C. A and C are sometimes on par, but the general consensus says that C panels are generally worse than A panels. Samsung make the S panels themselves and due to the demand being higher than the supply, outsource the manufacturing to some other companies (the names of which escape me right now; but a quick google should reveal it).
However, often people with C or A panels get lucky and have JUST as good a picture as the folks that got S panels.
In addition, only the very bottom-of-the-barrel Samsung LCD TVs these days get anything but S panels. A few Series 3 Samsung TVs I've seen on display in the shops had C panels. But generally the Series 5 and upwards (in the current models) all have S panels.
And as I said earlier, the model number (LA32B530 or LA32A550) doesn't tell you which panel comes in the TV. I've seen an LA32B530 with an A panel and an LA32B530 with an S panel.
How do you tell what panel you have? For starters, have a look at the white label on the back of the TV. It usually says something about the model number, and then has a space followed by a somewhat "random" letter that seems to be in the middle of nowhere. Those "random" letters are S, A or C. Those designate what panel you're supposed to have. However some have reported that this isn't foolproof; they've opened their TVs that were supposed to have S panels and they ended up having C panels (as evidenced by the manufacturer's label on the panel itself). But in my own personal experience, the label hasn't lied yet.
Edit:
S - Samsung
A - AU Optronics
C - Chimei Optronics
Last edited:
As far as I know, they're almost the same. The B series are the 2009 models while the A series are the 2008 models. The newer ones have slightly better response time and more inputs. In addition, the two have different physical looks; which looks better is subjective. But both will provide 99% the same experience if you ask me.