Samsung LN55A950 55 Inch Touch of Color 1080p 120 Hz LCD HDTV

Samsung LN55A950 55 Inch Touch of Color 1080p 120 Hz LCD HDTV

Make a statement with SAMSUNGs new Touch of Color design. It features a hint of color naturally blended into the traditional piano black frame. Transforming our already stylish TVs into a work of art, it truly is unlike anything youve ever seen.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Question on Settings for best viewing
Hi,

Got my Samsung a950 recently, and its an exceptional TV. Fantastic picture and sound.

Had a question on the settings…the Movie mode is the worst. Too dark. The Dynamic is too bright and colors too saturated. I tried to lower the backlight and contrast for Dynamic, but still didn’t feel right.

The Standard seems to be the best. Can someone let me know what ideal settings they use for Standard settings (backlight, contrast, brightness etc.), and also the settings they use for Detail settings and Picture settings ?

Thanks.

5 Stars A week with the LN55A950
I did recently purchase the Samsung LN55A950 and must say it has been a remarkable TV.

I rarely write reviews on anything. I don’t love LCD or hate plasma. I have no desire to persuade anyone to buy this TV. I am just a guy who ditched a 20-year-old Trinitron because it was, well, time. When it comes to new purchases on anything I wait… wait…wait… and then buy the best I can afford.

I went with LCD over plasma because even though plasma image retention and burn-in issues are declared to “resolved”, I frankly was not interested in pampering, break-in or TLC of any kind for a television. I watch – and will continue to watch – a lot of non-16×9 content with black bars at the sides or top/bottom. Also my room is quite bright with a lot of windows and I wanted to be able to crank this puppy up whenever I needed to. I was a bit concerned about potential glare issues on this set but I have had absolutely no problem.

To me, this set has the contrast of a plasma and the “pop” of an LCD. I had a chance to see this set in a store environment prior to purchase (it was set in “dynamic” torch mode, of course). Still, I was immediately struck by the inky blacks of the LN55A950 as compared to any of the other LCDs. This is due largely to the LED backlighting instead of the cold cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFLs) used in most large LCD displays. Actually, most LCDs have nice black levels to my non-videophile eye but the LN55A950 was in a category of its own and rivaled any plasma I saw in terms of inky blacks.

At home, I haven’t done any calibration yet but out of the box it looks just great. Blu-ray content is spectacular. I also have been quite pleased with the up-scaled quality of standard broadcast and typical DVD content.

5 Stars The Samsung LN55A950
One of the best HD-TV sets on the market (if not the best)

with top of the line auto motion plus 120Hz and an

amazing 1,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio.

Its sleek design is impressive as is its astounding picture.

Full 1080p HD videos look better on this unit than on any other

HD-TV.

Out of the box the first thing you notice about this set is

its stylish design, the “Touch of Color” red that

accompanies the edges of its frame compliment its glossy

black exterior.

One should note that the series 950 is very slim for a 55 inch

LCD which is a plus for my particular media cabinet.

At its core the colors of the 950 are definitely more vivid

than on those of previous models such as the Samsung series

540 or even the ever popular Samsung LN46A650.

Once the unit is powered on a simple musical tone is played and

from there it takes only seconds (3-4) for the unit to display its first image.

Be aware that some have referred to seeing reflections or

a “halo” which occurs around the

upper glossy frame of the set under certain lighting.

While I have seen this myself I should note these instances are rare and will not distract you from the image on screen so for me this is a non issue.

Oddly the 950 also includes a built-in

hard drive (1 GB in size) and comes pre loaded with games,

recipes, work-out tips, and even gorgeous HD art.

While an interesting feature, this exercise is meant only

as a preview of the potential uses of TV’s in the future

as all the included material is mostly forgettable.

You can also attach your own USB hard drive to this TV via wiselink.

To take advantage of this feature I purchased the

Western Digital WD TV HD Media Player. With it I can see the full potential of 1080p HD videos such as Blu-ray but without the hassle of discs or the need for a disc player.

Finally any one looking to purchase a new HD-TV set should

seriously consider this one as I have yet to see any model

top the 950.

5 Stars LN55A950 Review
I’ve wanted a High Def TV for several years and wanted to replace a CRT in the bedroom and living room. I spent way to many hours reviewing TV’s online and in stores but decided to take the plunge for the bedroom needs first. I had the choice boiled down to 3 sets, the Sony 40W4100, 40XBR4 and the Samsung LN40A650. Ultimately I pikced the samsung and have not regretted the choice. I have been very impreseed with the black levels (50K to 1 contrast) as well as the most important feature, non high def picture. The set has incredible off angle viewing as well as a myriad of picture settings. I am a techno junkie and have tested almost every variant of picture adjustments they offer. In the end I just set it on Dynamic mode and let it do its thing.

In December of 2008 I decided the address the living room needs and again went back to study all the options. In the 3 month gap from obtaining the bedroom setup Samsung released the A950 series. The list price was shocking but not as shocking as Sony’s XBR 8 Series. While the Sony has received great reviews I ultimately choose the LN55A950 and paid a little under 4K from crutchfield. (they will negotiate if you send them links to other etailers)

I have to say this was absolutely the right choice. This unit is coupled with a Samsung BD-P2550 Blue Ray player and is outright the best picture for the money on the market today. Even Samsung’s new LED TV (actually still and LCD) does not get the rave reviews as the A950. I highly reccomend you look at this TV is your in the market.

5 Stars Great LCD with Hi Tech Features
This is my second Samsung TV and I am very happy with this purchase. Sure its a pricey TV but its also loaded with great features, tons of settings, and the latest LED backlight technology which provides black level that takes LCDs into Plasma territory without the power demands or heat of plasma. This new 55 inch takes less power than my old 40 inch LCD panel due to the smart backlight which turns down (or off) LEDs in dark areas of the displayed image.

Overall I think its picture quality is up there with the high end Sony (LDC) and Pineer (plasma) displays. Samsung has really made a name for themselves in the last few years with there continually improving line of LCDs. I really like how each input saves its own settings so you don’t have to adjust whenever you switch inputs.

For gaming: Like other LCDs, in its default configuration there can be some trouble with some games with latency and image blur. I had one major issue with Rock Band when the animation behind the scrolling notes made the notes blur. You can use “E-Mode Game” to fix this but I found a better solution. Because you can not change the brightness/contrast or backlight with “E-Mode Game”, I used HDMI2 input for the Xbox 360 and changed the label on HDMI2 to “PC”. This tells the TV that you have a PC hooked up to HDMI2 and skips some of the color and image processing just like the “E-Mode Game” but you can now control brightness/contrast and backlight. This only works on HDMI2 and its briefly mentioned in the manual but it makes a much better low latency game mode than the “E-Mode Game” that Samsung provides.

For Movies: Much better than any other LCD due to the great black levels. Deep blacks and good dark detail can be seen with this TV with the right settings. With LED backlight and a Blu Ray player, blacks are actual black instead of dark gray and the black bars on widescreen movies disappear from view. And because its and LCD, bright seens have much more punch than even the best plasma displays.

For TV: If its standard definition don’t expect too be impressed. I think the scaler and standard def TV feed looks good for what it is and you can use the LOW setting of dynamic contrast and auto motion plus to make it palatable. But if you have HD TV it should look great on this TV.

Negatives: There is only one real negative to this TV but for me its a very, very minor one. When viewed from an angle, you will loose the inky blacks even from just 30 degrees off axis. Its not a big deal for me for two reasons. The couch is directly on-axis and it looks great from any seat on the couch. From the side chair (about 40 deg) it still looks great and you would probably not even notice you were losing some black level until you move to the couch. Off axis, this TV still looks as good as any high end LCD I have seen. So if you will often need to watch off axis, you do lose some of the benefits of the LED backlight and maybe you should go for a plasma because all LCDs have this issue and most have it much worse than this TV. I just think its noticed more because the on axis blacks are so good. That is why it is often mentioned in reviews. Then only other minor issue is that the stand does not swivel. That would have been a nice touch but with a TV of this size, I probably would not move it much.

For Geeks: This TV is great. The number of different settings you have to play with are unbelievable. You can even do both color balance and grayscale calibration with this TV without needed to go into the services menu. You are provided with full grayscale setting (RGB Gain and Cut) and Color (RGB and YCM) from the standard settings. I really like this because I can try to calibrate it myself without the worry of messing up the service menu settings.

So, you pay a lot for this TV but I think its worth it for the picture quality and a chance to check out LED backlight technology before all the other LCDs get it, and they will! I think LED backlighting is a breakthrough for flat panels and will continue to improve over the next few years and become standard for LCD. So, I just paid a premium to see it now.

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