Samsung LN40B550 vs LN40B540 Can anyone explain to this non techy the difference between to the two sets? Costco is selling the 540, everyone else seems to have the 550.
903257
I am looking at the same comparison because of Costco.I believe the 550 has SRS (Audio) and the 540 does not. I think this is a big enough difference for $50 and a newer model. However I am sure there are a few other differences.SRS TruSurround HD creates an immersive, feature-rich surround sound experience from two speakers, complete with rich bass, high frequency detail and clear dialog.
903258
Thanks for your thoughtful reply. I am impressed with Costco's extra year warrenty as well as their 90 day return policy. I'm thinking that would offset the slight improvement of the 550. But I am relying on those much more technically savvy people to tell me if I'm on track.
903259
I just bought 7, yes 7, TVs and returned all of them except the Samsung 500 which is the one I chose to keep. Want to know why? Weighs a little more than 35 lbs, I could Calibrate it myself, cost $600 to the door and the pic is unbelieveable. Contrast ratio is "only" 40,000:1 but it works for me. The one bummer for others maybe that it only has two HDMI ports but since I'm not a gamer I don't care. Can't figure out why you want a glossy screen but my advice to you is buy the TV from a big box store and take it back till you find the one you love. I think I may write a book about my experiences! I must be honest and tell you I am tired but happy with my purchase. I just bought 7, yes 7, TVs and returned all of them except the Samsung 500 which is the one I chose to keep. Want to know why? Weighs a little more than 35 lbs, I could Calibrate it myself, cost $600 to the door and the pic is unbelieveable. Contrast ratio is "only" 40,000:1 but it works for me. The one bummer for others maybe that it only has two HDMI ports but since I'm not a gamer I don't care. Can't figure out why you want a glossy screen but my advice to you is buy the TV from a big box store and take it back till you find the one you love. I think I may write a book about... » Read More I just bought 7, yes 7, TVs and returned all of them except the Samsung 500 which is the one I chose to keep. Want to know why? Weighs a little more than 35 lbs, I could Calibrate it myself, cost $600 to the door and the pic is unbelieveable. Contrast ratio is "only" 40,000:1 but it works for me. The one bummer for others maybe that it only has two HDMI ports but since I'm not a gamer I don't care. Can't figure out why you want a glossy screen but my advice to you is buy the TV from a big box store and take it back till you find the one you love. I think I may write a book about my experiences! I must be honest and tell you I am tired but happy with my purchase. « Show Less
903260
the one i bought at Best Buy was a 530! is that a lesser or is it more? i paid $800 out the door. two weeks ago, i can still take it back and save $. BTW, i LOVE this TV. I feel like i could jump right in and join the parade!
903261
The LN40B550 has a more reflective screen that produces a higher contrast ratio than the less reflective matte finish screen of the LN40B530. Also, the LN40B550 has red Touch of Color, USB 2.0 jpeg and an extra HDMI port over the LN40B530. ^As written on the us-appliance website. Not sure if the 540 has a glossy screen though. Thats actually important to me as I have a 50" Panasonic plasma with that anti-glare coating and it lacks the "pop" of glossy screens. Thats in a well lit room so I needed the anti-glare. I want a glossy screen for the bedroom though. :)
903262
Yes you can play movies through the USB connection. In fact, you can connect a PC to the television and play them right from your PC.
903263
As stated, the difference has to do with the sound features between the 540 and 550, but that would not matter if you decide to use a sound system with the television. I would go with the 540 and put the extra money you save toward a nice home theatre system...Happy holidays,
903264
I am also in the same boat choosing between the two. I am more inclined to buy from Costco since I can get away from the sales tax. Another question is, can I play movies from the USB drives for these TVs?
228046
600 Bucks? WOW! At that price, it's time to put the 42LD450 in the ring with the Samsung LN 40C630. Personally, I'd have little hesitation landing on the Samsung for the extra 50 bucks. I hear the Samsung is $50 better than our LG, but not $100+ better.
1494950
Another, for gamers major, difference is the fact that the B530 and B550 differ in which computer resolutions are supported. The B530 does NOT have computer support for the tv's native resolution. The very reason I wouldn't even consider the B530.
1276070
For all practical purposes, no. The sets are almost identical, although Samsung advertises a different contast ratio for each: the 530 at 20k to 1; the 550 at at 30k to 1; and the 540 at 35k to 1. Contrast ratio specs are dubious at best and such slight differences would not be apparant, perhaps not even to the most discriminating viewer. All these sets have a fast response time (5ms) and good, solid black levels. Any one of them will produce a spectacular picture. Newer 40-inch sammys have higher contrast ratios and claim a 4ms response time (for more money of course). I still don't think you could tell the difference. Go to the Samsung website. You can compare specs on any three sets of your choice. For all practical purposes, no. The sets are almost identical, although Samsung advertises a different contast ratio for each: the 530 at 20k to 1; the 550 at at 30k to 1; and the 540 at 35k to 1. Contrast ratio specs are dubious at best and such slight differences would not be apparant, perhaps not even to the most discriminating viewer. All these sets have a fast response time (5ms) and good, solid black levels. Any one of them will produce a spectacular picture. Newer 40-inch sammys have higher contrast ratios and claim a 4ms response time (for more money of course). I still don't think... » Read More For all practical purposes, no. The sets are almost identical, although Samsung advertises a different contast ratio for each: the 530 at 20k to 1; the 550 at at 30k to 1; and the 540 at 35k to 1. Contrast ratio specs are dubious at best and such slight differences would not be apparant, perhaps not even to the most discriminating viewer. All these sets have a fast response time (5ms) and good, solid black levels. Any one of them will produce a spectacular picture. Newer 40-inch sammys have higher contrast ratios and claim a 4ms response time (for more money of course). I still don't think you could tell the difference. Go to the Samsung website. You can compare specs on any three sets of your choice. « Show Less
920795
The LN46A550 has a 30,000:1 contrast ratio while the LN46A540 has a 35,000:1 contrast ratio. That is the only difference I noticed.
43655
The only reason I can see is that Samsung discontinued this t.v, and with the overall design is not as space efficient as any of Samsungs other dlp televisions. I have this one and also a 720p set by samsung which I bought in 10-2006. Just to let you know, Samsung also has on sale a 50" DLP 720p set for $899.I bought this one, and gave the 720p set to my parents, and to be honest with you I didnt notice a difference at all. If youre just breaking into the HD world, Id suggest getting one of the HLT models from samsung that is on sale now on amazon. You wont notice a difference, save yourself hundreds, and will less likely have problems with the set, as I and many others have with this particular model. The only reason I can see is that Samsung discontinued this t.v, and with the overall design is not as space efficient as any of Samsungs other dlp televisions. I have this one and also a 720p set by samsung which I bought in 10-2006. Just to let you know, Samsung also has on sale a 50" DLP 720p set for $899.I bought this one, and gave the 720p set to my parents, and to be honest with you I didnt notice a difference at all. If youre just breaking into the HD world, Id suggest getting one of the HLT models from samsung that is on sale now on amazon. You wont... » Read More The only reason I can see is that Samsung discontinued this t.v, and with the overall design is not as space efficient as any of Samsungs other dlp televisions. I have this one and also a 720p set by samsung which I bought in 10-2006. Just to let you know, Samsung also has on sale a 50" DLP 720p set for $899.I bought this one, and gave the 720p set to my parents, and to be honest with you I didnt notice a difference at all. If youre just breaking into the HD world, Id suggest getting one of the HLT models from samsung that is on sale now on amazon. You wont notice a difference, save yourself hundreds, and will less likely have problems with the set, as I and many others have with this particular model. « Show Less
1209913
I just received my 5087S, and I'm pretty pleased with it. From my research, my understanding of the differences in these two models is that the 5089S features bluetooth compatibility (for wireless headphones, perhaps), USB 2.0 instead of USB 1.1, and Picture-in-Picture. The 5087 does not have those things. There are also several reports that the 5089S uses HDMI specification 1.3 (the 5087S uses HDMI specification 1.1 or 1.2). I'm not extremely up on this, but apparently the newer HDMI specification 1.3 allows for something called "Deep Color" (more finely tuned colors and hues), BUT there are not currently broadcasts or many (if any) devices that take advantage of that "enhanced color" attribute yet. Also, the device that feeds the content to the TV would ALSO have to support HDMI 1.3 specification. This is years off or never apparently, from what I have read. Something to worry about now? Not as far as I'm concerned. There is more discussion of this over at avsforum if you are interested. My opinion? For $600 or more additional cost for the 5089S, I don't need PIP (I have TiVo), I won't use Bluetooth, and the difference between USB 1.1 and USB 2.0 didn't matter to me (USB is really only there to look at pictures (or listen to music) via a flash drive, and there's not going to be a big difference in speed there between 1.1 and 2.0 -and I'll probably never use that feature).
1887436
One big difference between the UN55's and LN52's is the UN55's have a super-slim porfile at such 1.2 inches thick. You can hang it on your wall just like a slim picture frame, and with the superb image resolution it functions just like a picture frame. That was one of the main reasons we ended up getting the UN55. You maybe able to get a better price on these during Thanksgiving weekend (black friday). To get further 8% cash-back and save on sales tax you can do the following (courtesy bing and ebay): 1. Use bing.com to search for "ps2" and then follow it's cashback link for ebay. 2. Once you land on ebay with the cashback logo, use that window to search for UN55B6000 (or any other TV). 3. Follow instructions carefully to pay with paypal (also make sure you are pre-registered for live.com and login to your live.com account) to get 8% cashback from bing.com ... which is $160+! Makes sure the cashback logo shows up all through paypal checkout. You will save on sales tax too. Hope that helps!
119291
after spending 2 weeks of research both on the internet and in store, i decided to pull the plug on the same sung 55b650 for both picture quality and price. you can buy either one of the 2 above tv's and you won't be disappointed with the picture quality. but for the current deal at beachcamera.com, you can have the 55b650 for $ 1479.00 shipped with the use of coupon code " ln55b650". you can't go wrong with this price and tv deal. sdechpross
410290
Peter...Look at the current price fo the Samsung LN40A550 at Amazon. Includes free shipping...too. Ordered mine this morning.....expected delivery end of next week. Go for it !!!!O
354927
I'm also trying to decide between the two. Only difference seems to be that the 52b750 is 240hz instead of 120hz for the 55b650. I think that has something to do with response time. Hoping that we can get responses indicating whether or not the average person can notice the difference when watching tv. I would rather spend an extra $100 for a larger tv but wonder if I would be missing out on a better picture with the 240hz.
964362
I have not had my hands on A550, but Samsung's web site says it has PiP. B550, which I own, don't. Also there are no S-Video inputs on B550.As the previous poster says, B550 is lighter, brighter (I looked at them side by side in BestBuy) and prettier.
454610
This is supply and demand but who in the right mind will pay $600? I waited too long and also cannot find one in the entire Atlanta market. At one point the 35 was on sale for something like $140 at Sears... but now it is $359! By the way, the 55 is not available direct from Panasonic and I understand that this player has been discontinued. Good Luck All
1601359
I purchased the Samsung LN52A860S2F a couple of days ago and I was told by the merchant that these tv has a better picture quality then its predacessor, but I can't find that fact anywhere. I wonder if I got tricked in to paying $200 bucks more for nothing.
2274650
I've been searching some infomation and specifications regarding this TV & keep getting all different answers from 5 to 6 other places selling this item with the same model # LN46b550 lcd flat-screen, I went on the samsung offical site and these 3 main questions varies depending who and where your buying this tv which makes absolutely no sense1) s-video/cable to plug in you're computer for a larger viewing screen2) picture in picture option3) 4ms or 6msjust about every site i check regarding these 3 questions It's either they have them YES or NO checked, not sure which place to trust with the right INFO before making a purchase... thx any responses would be appreciated about this subject I've been searching some infomation and specifications regarding this TV & keep getting all different answers from 5 to 6 other places selling this item with the same model # LN46b550 lcd flat-screen, I went on the samsung offical site and these 3 main questions varies depending who and where your buying this tv which makes absolutely no sense1) s-video/cable to plug in you're computer for a larger viewing screen2) picture in picture option3) 4ms or 6msjust about every site i check regarding these 3 questions It's either they have them YES or NO checked,... » Read More I've been searching some infomation and specifications regarding this TV & keep getting all different answers from 5 to 6 other places selling this item with the same model # LN46b550 lcd flat-screen, I went on the samsung offical site and these 3 main questions varies depending who and where your buying this tv which makes absolutely no sense1) s-video/cable to plug in you're computer for a larger viewing screen2) picture in picture option3) 4ms or 6msjust about every site i check regarding these 3 questions It's either they have them YES or NO checked, not sure which place to trust with the right INFO before making a purchase... thx any responses would be appreciated about this subject « Show Less
15295
You did not note the complete first model number. I'm assuming you mean the Sony KDL-40S5100. This is the same as the KDL-40SL150. Only difference is that the second number is unique to Costco (and perhaps, other warehouse stores like BJ's and Sam's if they carry it).
1117161
I just purchased a 550 from Circuit City last week. They are one of the few stores that puts a 550 650 750 side by side. The audio on all 3 was the same, average at best. This is what I found with almost all LCD HDTV with small speakers. I bought the 550 because my eyes could see very little difference if any between the 3. Most difference was the options. The Samsung did have the best picture.