Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Well, here's my review of the Samsung LN46A550P 46-inch 1080p LCD HDTV. A little over a year ago I bought a Samsung 214T-21.3" monitor for my big computer. I've been extremely happy with its performance and quality. So much so, I decided on a Samsung monitor for my movie watching experience. I bought the LN46A550P to replace a 20 year old 50" Mitsubishi. The 50" TV was excellent in its day but it was old and had some issues. Obviously, it was time for retirement. After doing a week and a half's worth of research I decided on the Series 5 for four main reasons: 1) 30,000:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio - The higher, the better picture quality. 2) 5ms Response Time - The amount of time any given pixel on the screen takes to change from one color to another. For game playing this is a must. 3) Appearance - it is a handsome looking piece of furniture! 4) Price The day the monitor arrived I took the lid off the shipping container and felt that the monitor was cool to the touch. After all, it spent about 10 days in a cold truck and 3 more days in a warehouse before it was delivered to my home. Because of that, I opted to unpack the monitor and let it sit in my living room for a day or so before plugging it in. I live in a mobile home that has a moderately sized living room. If I had purchased a bigger set, I'd be too close to the action. It would be like being too close to the screen in a movie theatre. (not good) For optimum viewing it is best to place the monitor at the same height as your head if you were sitting in your favorite chair about 6 to 8 feet away. I've seen pictures of this monitor mounted on a wall much higher up and further away from the viewing perspective and wondered if the people watching a movie would get a sore neck. Having such a setup reduces the movie watching experience as well. The monitor's subsystems are accessed through a Microsoft Windows-like menu making it easy for anybody to access its features. I do recommend disabling the monitor's speakers within the monitor's menu system. The monitor's speakers are fine for average viewing but fall short in providing booming sound for movies. I have my monitor connected to an amplifier. This is done by connecting cables from the left and right audio channel output jacks behind the monitor to the amplifier's audio input jacks. My Nintendo Wii is connected to my monitor via a Component cable for maximum video clarity. The Wii's audio cables are also plugged into the monitor and the sound the Wii makes is routed through the monitor's electronics to the amplifier. I included this information in my review for all you gamers. In studying the manuals you will notice right away that the quick setup guide warns that if you experience any difficulties with the monitor NOT TO SEND IT BACK TO THE PLACE OF PURCHASE. Instead, it instructs you to call SAMSUNG. Samsung offers in-home service for monitors larger than 30 inches during the warranty period. In the near future I plan to purchase a Sony Blue Ray player (BDPS300). It is a second generation BD player that steps DVD movies up to 1080p. Care and Maintenance: ALWAYS use a micro fiber clothe to clean an LCD display to avoid scratching its surface. Samsung includes a micro fiber clothe with the monitor but no cleaning solution. You will need some good cleaner, like; "Monster ScreenClean LCD Display Cleaner 2 Bottle Screen Clean Mini Package (MPC CLNKIT-SM)" found here on Amazon.com. I use that cleaner to keep my computer LCD monitors clean. It leaves no dirt or dust behind after cleaning. I gave this monitor 5 out of 5 stars with only one recommendation for Samsung; keep the audio output jacks in the back of the monitor but remove the built-in speakers. People who buy such a monitor have amplifiers and movies in mind. One Special Note: On the shipping container you will see a liquid-filled sticker in the shape of a pyramid that says, "Tip & Tell". If the tip of the pyramid is blue it means the monitor was tipped over during shipping. In that case, make sure the delivery company makes note of it on the delivery invoice!!! My monitor was tipped but I saw no damage to the container at all. My monitor has no visible damage either and works perfectly. Makes me wonder what happen? Either way, I'm cover under warranty! Register the monitor with Samsung as well and keep the receipts in a safe place. Roger. (40 y/o)