Samsung LE40B550 Review

40in LCD

Picture
Sound
Features
Usability
Value

A no frills mid level offering which delivers excellent performance for the price.

Rating:

92%

Reviewed: 15 September 2009

Picture performance, Value

Mediocre acoustics

Design

Judging by the LE-40B550, Samsung have put a great deal of thought into the look of this flat screen TV. Not as attractive as their stunning LED series, the B550 is nevertheless streets ahead of its competitors. Despite being a mid range / budget offering, the B550 retains Samsung's now trademark 'Crystal' finish for a distinctly 'chic' appearance.

Adding to the screen's visual appeal, the transparent Crystal top layer extends just a touch further than the black bezel, to create a svelte, light-diffracting outer frame. A barely perceptible arc along the TV's bottom edge adds a final subtle element to the look.

Features

With all of the fanfare surrounding Samsung's high end internet enabled and LED equipped LCD TV's, their mid to low end offerings have slipped quietly under the radar. This is a shame, because they are surprisingly well equipped, coming with much of Samsung's 'core' electronic wizardry and offering in many cases, exceptional value for money.

Screen: 40in 16:9

Tuner: Digital

Sound System: Nicam

Resolution: 1920 x 1080

Contrast Ratio: 3,000,000:1

Other Features: 100Hz processing (IFC), Content Library, edge-based LEd lighting, HDML level adjust.

Sockets: 4 HDMI, DLNA, LAN connection, 2 SCART, 2 USB 2.0, Component Video, Composite Video, PC input, CAM slot, SD card slot, Ethernet port.

The LE40B550 sports one of the latest incarnations of Samsung's picture processing technology, DNIe + (Digital Natural Image engine). With a Motion Optimizer, Contrast Enhancer, Detail enhancer and Colour Optimizer, DNIe + works to improve these four main aspects of the LE37A599's performance. DNIe has a track record of producing impressive results on previous LCD and Plasma offerings from the Korean electronics manufacturer.

Again, while the likes of Toshiba have been vigorously promoting technological features, in particular their upscaling technologies, Samsung have taken a more laid back approach. Their own take on upscaling arrives without much fanfare but is a core element within the LE40B550's circuitry. The upscaling technology has been designed primarily to improve the performance of Standard Definition (SD) presentation.

Unfortunately, Samsung's take on 100Hz processing, 'Motion Plus' is one of the features that is lacking on the B550 although a generous 4 HDMI inputs match the number found on Samsung's high end TV's.

The 40B550 also loses the Ethernet port of the higher end B650 which is used for accessing Samsung's Media 2.0 'Internet@tv' service, or the DLNA features. Although the B550 has a USB port, it can't handle video files, like the USB jacks of the higher spec Samsung TV's.

The B550 features the latest incarnation of Samsung's Wide Colour Enhancer technology. In its latest form, Wide Colour Enhancer 2 displays the natural green and blues of the colour spectrum along with more natural red colours.

Elsewhere there is, as we would expect, a Full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution screen along with Wide Colour Gamut, noise reduction options, and an Edge Enhancement system.

Performance

The first indication that we have come across something a little bit special in the LE40B550 are some surprisingly good Black Levels. While not up to the same standards as Samsung's LED TV's, the deep rich black levels on show here are much better than anything we have witnessed at this price level.

In terms of its ability to create impressive levels of contrast, the B550 even gives Samsung's older B650 sibling a run for its money, just falling short with the appearance of some minor grey clouding at times. This impressive black level performance does not come at the expense of screen brightness, which can be maintained at a decent level without compromising the impressive contrast.

While it is no guarantee of a good performance, the accomplished black level performance acts as an excellent backdrop for Colour. While not as jaw droopingly lustrous as Samsung's high end LED TV's, colour reproduction once again belies the screen's budget status. Unlike many budget TV's, the B550's rich colour palette comes with a high degree of accuracy; an accuracy which in most cases delivers even notoriously tricky areas such as skin tones with great subtlety.

Despite missing any form of 100Hz processing, the Samsung LE40B550 manages to maintain its composure with all but the fastest on screen Motion. There is a little more judder and motion blur than you get with the step up B650, but on the flip side, some of the intrusive effects of 100Hz are removed.

What all of the performance attributes of the LE40B550 add up to is a TV which demonstrates a Standard Definition (SD) performance which just can't be bettered for the price. Images are sharp, detailed with vibrant colours which never become over saturated. There is a little bit more on screen noise and motion blur than you would want, but the effect is minimal, never becoming too intrusive.

As we expected, the High Definition (HD) performance of the B550 is good rather than stunning. We expect pin sharp detail in the pictures of any TV which displays HD material, with the B550 not disappointing us in this respect. What you don't get is that jaw dropping authenticity that some of the higher end screens offer.

The only really negative aspect of the LE40B550 is a rather 'tinny' acoustic performance, which even by flat panel TV standards is a little disappointing. Fine for normal day to day TV viewing, the B550 loses its way with a more demanding soundtrack.

Conclusion

Samsung's high end flat panel TV's have been getting all of the attention recently, with their mid level and budget TV's slipping quietly under the radar. The LE40B550 deserves as much recognition as Samsung's higher end models in that it offers quite possibly the best performance of any TV for the price.

Samsung LE40B550