Samsung Series 5 LCD TV

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.

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Performance
These new Samsung TVs have a very good set of tools to tweak and calibrate settings, and a pretty comprehensive and fast menu system. The backlight setting and gamma correction controls help you hit a sweet spot in brightness/contrast, along with regular controls.

We used DisplayMate and HQV HD benchmark disc (new in our labs!) – and did they get us into the thick of things! I’m almost certain that the LCD panel used in Series 5 is the same as that in the 2-lakh-plus Series 6. The features and controls are similar too.

So that brings us to the same issue I had with the previous model: an intolerable amount of haloing when the sharpness control is nudged. It’s advisable to keep sharpness at zero.

The contrast, on the other hand, is decent. However, it needs to be set to about 70 (out of 100) for optimum results. The color, which lives up to Samsung’s deserved reputation, does need a bit of tweaking too – the results are evident on raising the level in the menu.

I saw Ratatouille on Blu-ray – a fun experience on the Series 5. Then I played Pan’s Labyrinth and I Am Legend, and I realized that the black levels are sadly not the ultimate.

Games look insane. Nash blasted away on the PS3 with the latest Soul Caliber, and that looked awesome. This is mainly due to the excellent color accuracy and warmth the TV can attain. Motion was also on the better side. Some jaggies were visible in 1080p video too, but I guess these are inevitable – they’re present in all the TVs I’ve reviewed.

Conclusion
With decent brightness/contrast and great color, the TV impresses. But fine detail suffers, and motion, while above average, does drag things down – probably due to the sharpness problem. The price is Rs 80,000, which is acceptable for a brand-new 40-incher. The picture quality may not be insanely good, but it’s decent overall. Demo it thoroughly before making a decision… and mind the sharpness control!