Samsung LN-40A550 or Sony KDL-40V4100, and my initial impressions of them

[RevToTheRedline]

I'm in the market for a 40" LCD. I went to Best Buy 2 times yesterday to look at these 2 panels, they are the ones that stick out the most to me, and in my price range.

I thought that on the display the Sony had a little bit better blacks, but seemed a little washed out, less contrasty compared to the Samsung. I didn't play around with settings at all but I think the Samsung 40" A550 that I was looking at was fooled around with, cause a 37" A450 and 46" A550 had much better blacks than the Samsung 40". The lack of pop on the Sony's seemed to be across pretty much the entire line and I'm sure is settings related cause I have seen them look better else where.

So what one should I go with?

I'll be using it mostly with a PS3.

[Silverfox1]

IMHO you will be very pleased with the ln40a550. You would also be VERY pleased with the Samsung ln4081F that utilizes the addition of led technology which produces the best blacks possible with a LCD. Samsung just recently released the 950 series that is the second generation of led technology in there line-up.

Also I suggest you purchase your final decision direct from Amazon to save on your pocketbook versus any of the brick & mortar stores. No tax, free shipping, free set-up, & a hassle-free return policy within 30 days of delivery.

Regards

[pfan1981]

i think I am goin with the 40a550 from amazon.com From what research I have done today (tv just blew in the bedroom), this is the best bang for the buck.

[barth2k]

Originally Posted by Silverfox1

IMHO you will be very pleased with the ln40a550. You would also be VERY pleased with the Samsung ln4081F that utilizes the addition of led technology which produces the best blacks possible with a LCD. Samsung just recently released the 950 series that is the second generation of led technology in there line-up.

Also I suggest you purchase your final decision direct from Amazon to save on your pocketbook versus any of the brick & mortar stores. No tax, free shipping, free set-up, & a hassle-free return policy within 30 days of delivery.

Regards

does 'hassle-free' mean no restocking fee? does amazon pay for return shipping also?

a lot of HDTVs are shipped from other vendors. do they all honor amazon's policy or does each have its own policy?

[Jakeman02]

Originally Posted by barth2k

does 'hassle-free' mean no restocking fee? does amazon pay for return shipping also?

a lot of HDTVs are shipped from other vendors. do they all honor amazon's policy or does each have its own policy?

Several other vendors use Amazon to sale through. Some authorized by the manufacturer and some not. Each will have their own policies concerning sales, returns, shipping, etc. Be sure to do your research on the vendor if you go that route.

You can also buy directly from Amazon. These will specify "Ships from and sold by Amazon.com" just as the the others will say "Ships from and sold by xxxxxx"

Amazon is offering free shipping and white glove service on several of the models right now including the LN40A550. This can save quite a bit of $$ as shipping can get rather expensive on these sets and there is no sales tax. Plus with White Glove they bring it in for you, set it up, make sure it works and have you sign off on it. A really nice service that most charge extra for. You'll see this specified in the shipping information if it's being offered on the specific model at that specific time. If it's not check back again soon because this can change frequently.

I think what he meant by hassle free is if a problem arises during the initial 30 period, Amazon will bring a new set out, set it up in the same fashion and take the previous set with them if there is a problem, can't ask for anything more than that. If you for some reason decide to return the set not due to anything being wrong with it, yes you will be charged return shipping, but that's only fair otherwise Amazon would go broke paying for returns that people just wanted to demo for a while. They may or may not charge return shipping if you want to exchange or upgrade during this period, I'm not sure about that policy, you would need to contact them on that subject.

[pfan1981]

ps......i love my ln40a550! I split my OTA HD Antenna signal to it and it looks marvelous. I wish my 47" phillips in the living room had that sort of contrast ratio!

pfan