Welcome to the forum, jdhog59.

The A550 and A650 have some significant differences. By going with the A650, you get a brighter contrast ratio, the SuperClear LCD panel series, the Touch of Color, WiseLink video (both can support thumbdrive pictures and music), InfoLink, AutoMotion Plus 120hz technology, and an extra HDMI port.

For "just plain television watching", the features that would matter to you would be the 50,000:1 contrast ratio (compared to the 40,000:1 contrast ratio on the A550 Series) and the 120Hz processing. Take a look at both units in the store to see which picture you like better.

Hope that helps. Let me know if you have any questions.

--HDTech