After the high-end Samsung Series 6 LCD TV we reviewed some weeks ago, it's time to look at a more affordable option from the company's new A series. The model in question is the 40-inch LA40A550P1. This is commonly called Series 5, and falls in the under-a-lakh category. No, there's no fancy red injection molding in this one!
Design and Features
The unit is plain black all over, with the glossy finish typical of Samsung. The shape/design is nothing special; it has a pretty broad bezel, and a straight-up broad stand sporting a similar finish. The back is bare, with a small window for I/O at the bottom right. The sides of the bezel have a thin metallic strip, which is pretty much the only design element.
The TV comes across as visually pleasing, with a simple Samsung logo in the center of the bottom panel. The controls are of the flush, touch-sensitive type, on the right side; this is a relatively new trend in LCDs and I’m glad it's trickling down to the mid-range models too.
The connections are healthy, with 3 HDMIs, PC in, USB in (termed 'Wiselink') and a plethora of components and AV ins. There's one headphone out (EP jack) and a separate audio out (RCA). Make sure you use the HDMI 2 slot in this TV when using DVI-out from a PC, even if you are using another audio system. We use a benchmarking PC as a part of our TV tests, and this led us to stumble upon this necessity. Our receiver was connected to HDMI 1.
The LA40A550P1 has a 40-inch full HD screen (1920 x 1080 pixels) with a contrast ratio of 30000:1. The ratio seems to be getting really high these days, though the returns I’m afraid are diminishing. The performance tests will shed some light on these issues. The response time is 5ms, while brightness is not mentioned.
よく練られた。 
