Samsung LN40B550 vs B530 From manuals and spec sheets, the main advantages of the B550 vs. B530 appear to be:a) Slightly higher quoted contrast ratio: 70000 vs. 60000b) More inputsc) USB media player (mp3, jpeg)When I looked at both models at Sears, their images looked about the same to me. Has anyone else compared these two sets, perhaps even owning both?For now, there is only a $35 difference, but I expect (and hope) that spread will widen, so it would be useful to know how much extra quality the extra cost buys. Thanks. Samsung LN40B550 vs B530 From manuals and spec sheets, the main advantages of the B550 vs. B530 appear to be:a) Slightly higher quoted contrast ratio: 70000 vs. 60000b) More inputs » Read More Samsung LN40B550 vs B530 From manuals and spec sheets, the main advantages of the B550 vs. B530 appear to be:a) Slightly higher quoted contrast ratio: 70000 vs. 60000b) More inputsc) USB media player (mp3, jpeg)When I looked at both models at Sears, their images looked about the same to me. Has anyone else compared these two sets, perhaps even owning both?For now, there is only a $35 difference, but I expect (and hope) that spread will widen, so it would be useful to know how much extra quality the extra cost buys. Thanks. « Show Less
935795
I think you've said it. There is going to be very little noticeable difference in those two contrast ratios. However, I think the USB port is worth the extra few dollars. You get easy plug in to look at photos, play music, update firmware, etc.
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.
1257330
I can vouch that the built in speakers on Samsung's 550 series are pretty disappointing. They fire down and back instead of forward, giving a muffled sound. IMHO Samsung's picture quality is marginally better, and I'm unsure if Sony's L line has a problem with the white "sparkles" that the W and V lines have with programming shown through HDMI, but I know on the W and V series sets that the built in sound is much better. If prices are comparable I'd go with the Sony.
687702
I saw the LN32A650 and LN32A550 side by side. The white of the 650 was whiter and the black, blacker than the 550. I bought the 650 and am very happy with quality of the picture.
1119509
I pre-ordered this model as opposed to the LG combo. The reason is because the Samsung upscales DVDs to 1080p, while the LG upscales them to only 1080i. While this certainly is not a deal breaker to most, it is to me. Also the LG is $200 more.
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.
1210791
The B750 is a 2009 model, the A750 is a 2008 model. Some different specs are B has a listed contrast of 150,000, where the A has 50,000. Response time is 2ms vs 4ms. B does not have a S-input, A does. Weight 64 vs 80. Unless you need the S-video the B seems to be a much better TV.
270899
I got an extremely good deal on the 550, I paid for the 550 brand new ($319; amazon/free 2 day shipping) and it only cost me $20 more than the 350 ($299 at wal-mart). I have no problems with the 550 at all. It's played every blu ray I've put in it.
1172438
One really big difference according to the specs is the BD570 & 590 play Divx HD, Xvid and every other form of Divx/AVI files, and the BD550 doesn't.sorry, just looked closer at the op and I see 580 not 550 was being questioned. I'll leave this comment though because I scoured the reviews and comments trying to find this info.
687697
You cannot use contrast ratios to compare between brands. They are a manufacture defined value, so each brand's numbers are not equivalent. The Sony looks about equivalent to me, but everywhere I looked the equivalent Samsung is cheaper for the same (and usually by my eye better) picture quality. Add on top of that the better aesthetic value of the Samsung sets and the choice, frankly, is obvious.
1462146
47LW5600 is actually $999, about $400 cheaper than the 6500. It seems the only difference between the 5600 and 6500 is the 6500 has 240 hz refresh vs 120 hz on 5600 - that wasn't as important to me.I have seen the 5700 also for about $1000 - but it does not have wifi capability. It does come with a stripped-down 3D BD player so you end up having to trade wifi connectivity for Blue-ray - guess it just depends what's more important to you. That's why I ended up going with the 5600 - I wanted smart tv to stream movies. I'll pick up a BD player at a later time.
890489
I got the b650 for 999 (in store only) at fry's, so it was much cheaper then the the b630 (don't go on sale as much). Actually I got it at 1199 and they dropped the price, so I got the discount a week later. I like the shiny screen, so yes, the color on the 650 is better if you have no reflection. If you have lots of windows then maybe the 630, but I don't think it is a big deal. The 630 looks amost like the cheaper sony v5100, so you might as well just get that. I spent a lot of time at the store looking at these. Your eyes will be your judgement and my eyes liked the 650 more. Spec different: 650 is 100,000 vs 630 80,000 dynamic contrast ratio.
1666495
I've had both TV's. The B550 replaced my A550 which was broken. The PIP was on A550 but the screen was so small it wasn't worth it. The sound on the B550 is supposed to be better but I'm unconvinced. I think it's worse. But I do admit that the accident that broke my A550 could have caused a problem on the HDMI port on my cable box. I'm not ready to blame Samsung yet. But I have also read reviews where sound was mentioned as an issue. But the picture on the B550 is a lot better.
2085660
Hi Matthew,I am looking for the latest discount codes, specifically for the LN52B750; any idea where i might look?also, in your opinion how do you think it compares to the Sony KDL52XBR9?Thanks for your helpPhantom1293
430736
Interesting comments. If the wiki article is right, TCL isn't such a "no name" brand after all - I live in the midwest and I have heard of RCA. They were a lot bigger in the days when tube tv's were really big, they sorta got quiet in the LCD/plasma revolution. But anyway, if TCL == RCA, I might end up choosing this TV. Target & BB have a Samsung this size on Black Fri for 328$, and it looks like Toshibas and Samsungs this size in general are the deal at 320ish this year - an extra fifty bucks off for the TCL is almost enough for a bluray player to go with it on Black Fri (yep, really). =) Interesting comments. If the wiki article is right, TCL isn't such a "no name" brand after all - I live in the midwest and I have heard of RCA. They were a lot bigger in the days when tube tv's were really big, they sorta got quiet in the LCD/plasma revolution. But anyway, if TCL == RCA, I might end up choosing this TV. Target & BB have a Samsung this size on Black Fri for 328$, and it looks like Toshibas and Samsungs this size in general are the deal at 320ish this year - an extra fifty bucks off for the TCL is almost enough for a bluray player to go with it on Black Fri (yep,... » Read More Interesting comments. If the wiki article is right, TCL isn't such a "no name" brand after all - I live in the midwest and I have heard of RCA. They were a lot bigger in the days when tube tv's were really big, they sorta got quiet in the LCD/plasma revolution. But anyway, if TCL == RCA, I might end up choosing this TV. Target & BB have a Samsung this size on Black Fri for 328$, and it looks like Toshibas and Samsungs this size in general are the deal at 320ish this year - an extra fifty bucks off for the TCL is almost enough for a bluray player to go with it on Black Fri (yep, really). =) « Show Less
548917
Content Library(2 GB Flash Memory) Anynet+ 100,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio much better to buy B650. In fact, I just bought LN55B650.
871060
Thanks for the excellent suggestion! This was not available as an option when I was looking at alternatives to the (out-of-production) BD55 a year ago. It's got what I need - analog 7.1 out (why I am not interested in the BD60...) and BDLive (because why would you buy a player that wasn't internet-ready?). The SACD is a BIG plus in my book... I never said I wouldn't pay $500 for a player - I just said I wouldn't pay $500 for a $250 player...I notice the Oppo doesn't 'do' Amazon streaming media - but that's Amazon's problem, not mine... (I don't think the world is ready for streaming HiDef video, and when it is, there will be better choices than we have now...) Thanks for the excellent suggestion! This was not available as an option when I was looking at alternatives to the (out-of-production) BD55 a year ago. It's got what I need - analog 7.1 out (why I am not interested in the BD60...) and BDLive (because why would you buy a player that wasn't internet-ready?). The SACD is a BIG plus in my book... I never said I wouldn't pay $500 for a player - I just said I wouldn't pay $500 for a $250 player...I notice the Oppo doesn't 'do' Amazon streaming media - but that's Amazon's problem, not mine... (I don't think the world is ready for... » Read More Thanks for the excellent suggestion! This was not available as an option when I was looking at alternatives to the (out-of-production) BD55 a year ago. It's got what I need - analog 7.1 out (why I am not interested in the BD60...) and BDLive (because why would you buy a player that wasn't internet-ready?). The SACD is a BIG plus in my book... I never said I wouldn't pay $500 for a player - I just said I wouldn't pay $500 for a $250 player...I notice the Oppo doesn't 'do' Amazon streaming media - but that's Amazon's problem, not mine... (I don't think the world is ready for streaming HiDef video, and when it is, there will be better choices than we have now...) « Show Less
2282396
you can do a side by side comparison of the two on samsung's website. The 550 is just a notch up from the 540. The dynamic contrast ratio is higher (70,000:1 vs 60,000:1) it has one extra hdmi input in the back as well as an extra Composite (AV) input. The 550 also supports USB 2.0 (MPEG Support), and overall, the dimensions are slightly shaved down on the 550 (about a half inch height and width). Contrary to the previous (Truzzi's) post, they both actually have the same audio it would appear (SRS TrueSurround HD). To me, the differences are minor. The Costco tv is about fifty bucks cheaper but sales tax (assuming aprox 8% but depends on where you live) is going to cancel that savings out, and with Amazon, you get free delivery on the 550. Costco charges about 20 bucks for shipping and handling. some other factors to consider are: - costco extends their warranty from one to two years. - costco is running some pretty impressive deals and rebates with Direct TV