With the arrival of the latest generation of flat panel LCD sets, it's safe to say that the new models are ready for prime time. These sets are still falling in prices, and have reached a level that more consumers should find comfortable. Among these models is the Samsung LN46A550, a 46-inch full 1080p LCD HDTV, which offers a big picture at a good value--especially considering that the online and sale price could be even less than the sticker.

For the money you'll get a set that has a simple, yet far from stark appearance. It isn't the most stylish set we've seen, but with the thin bezel design, smooth lines and depth of less than four inches, it has a look that will be at home in most family room settings. With side connections that include an HDMI input, it also provides plenty of connectivity options.

We'd have preferred to find three rear HDMI inputs instead of the two that this model offers to round it out, but it's acceptable when figuring in the cost. The set doesn't shortchange on other A/V connections either: it includes twin rear component inputs, S-Video, composite and even RF, as well as side S-Video, composite and a headphone jack. Samsung typically includes the latter feature, and regardless of screen size, this is always a nice feature to include for late-night viewing.

This full HD 1080p model features a native resolution of 1,920x1,080 and can thus fit every pixel of 1080i and 1080p content, including sources from Blu-ray (and HD-DVD if you happened to get a player before these were discontinued). We liked how this set can upconvert 720p source material, and we were very pleased overall with the picture with the Samsung LN46A550. HD content is, in a word, spectacular. The picture has very rich colors, and is generally free of any "jaggies" or other digital distractions. With a contrast ratio of 30,000:1, the black levels were quite good, and for the price the results were more than acceptable. Out of the box, the colors were a bit inaccurate, but with some tweaking you should get to a truer palette.

This 46-inch LCD set doesn't have the best off-angle viewing however, but it was generally within a range that we'd consider reasonable. To the far extremes there is some color distortion, but when viewing this set we were pleased with the results even if we weren't completely front-and-center to the screen. More importantly, we liked that this new generation of Samsung LCD sets has corrected the issue of screen glare, and we found the sets to reflect practically no light. The picture from the Samsung LN46A550 is bright enough to be viewable during daylight hours without the need to draw the curtains or darken the room.

We did find the built-in 10-watt stereo speakers a little underpowered for a set this size. The speaker bar is located under the screen, and while this provides a clean appearance, the audio is a little underwhelming. These set features SRS TruSurround XT to simulate a multi-channel surround sound system, but this fails to compare to the real deal. For the price, you'll easily have enough money to get a dedicated system and get the full cinematic experience with this beauty of a set.

Pros: Good price, full 1080p model, good contrast ratio
Cons: Underpowered speakers, only three HDMI inputs including side input

Warranty
1 year, limited, parts and labor