Samsung LN40A500 at Sears

I saw the Consumer Reports review of the LN40A550 as well and am hoping the LN40A500 at Sears is similar. Given the model numbers it should be. There is another very similar 40 inch Samsung model (LN40A530 I think) at WalMart for $998. I am planning to go ahead and buy it at Sears next week unless I get some other compelling feedback here. Thanks for your help.

Just bought the TV at 6ave.com for $799 with free shipping and no tax. Way better than standing in line on Black Friday.

http://www.6ave.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=SAMLN40A500

Just FYI.

naybody has same problem when they opened their box, and there were no info stickers on the side panels saying the model # etc, and the bezel were not protected by that clear clingy plastic cover, it was only on the base.

Clearly this is a bargain Samsung model. For those of us wanting an entry level HDTV with a quality screen, though, this is still better than picking up a Vizeo or a Westinghouse.

So--what exactly is the auto volume corrected control?
Thaks

Hi:
Can you explain the difference in Dyn contast 20k-1 vs 30K-1?

Also, the lack of proper PC connection can be easily remedied with a DVI to HDMI adapter (NewEgg has them as cheap as $10).

i own this tv. it has a vga input, and auto volume. however, i have it hooked up on my desktop from dvi to hdmi, and even though there are rca jacks labeled for hdmi, i'm having trouble getting the sound to come through.

anyone able to figure this out yet?

THanks for all the great feedback. This will not be our primary TV, so the lack of the memory card, auto volume control and SVideo input wouldn't be an issue. But I do want a great picture and high reliability. Please keep the comments coming if you have information on this model.

The picture quality is amazing right out of the box and didn't require any adjustments. The sound was also good, it's not too soft and it can get quite loud. For $799, it's a great deal for this TV and I use it as my main TV. It's also my first HDTV and I felt that it was a wise investment. Keep in mind, Samsung produced a limited amount of these TVs.

One thing, the LN40A550 won't be priced at $799 this Friday. I checked the specials at blackfriday.info and the LN40A500 is the one on sale. Some posts said that the 550 will be sold for $799.

Bestbuy has the 500 for $799 right now before BF

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9052794&type=product&id=1218012524239.

However they do have an ad for a Samsung 40"LCD 1080 for $799
http://www.blackfriday.info/sales/best-buy-black-friday-ad.html

I'm assumeing it's the same TV. I'm about to order one here tonight.

Yes, it's the same. Just looked at the ad.

I picked up our samsung LN40A500 yesterday. The picture seems fuzzy out of the box. I have tinkered with the "sharpness" but that does not seem to help. Any advice on how to fine tune the picture?

First, the TV is made for HD broadcasts so it SHOULD be hooked up to an HD receiver from your satellite or cable co. IF you are using an antenna and it is "hooked up" to it, you must go into the settings/menu and set it to antenna, so it can scan your local channels and lock-in on HD broadcasts. Stations that brodcast in STANDARD definition might look soft or fuzzy, but defenitely NOT HD.
Also, the TV is set way too bright out of the box. In your picture settings in the menu, set to "Dynamic", set the brightness down to 35, the contrast to 80-85, the backlight to "7", and the color to 55. It should look great. Mine sure does.

Hi,we just got this TV and very happy with all the features and color. We connected the TV to our newly bought outdoor HD Antenna. The Auto Programing memorized all the signals in no time, very fast!
However, one disappointment is that it fail to detect Maryland Public Television - Ch.22 DTV signal. It only detect the Analog signal for that Channel. I have re-run the Auto Programing several times, but it still didn't pick up the signal. However, our other LCD TV - Sharp LC32 picked up the other 3 DTV channels for MPT.

Does anyone encounter this issue and know the solution?

Having seen them both and buying the A500, I cannot tell any difference in the picture. 20k vs 30k contrast is a neglegable difference. The only models that clearly look better are series 6,7,8,& 9 (with 50k up to 2 million contrast, 120hz motion-flow and way more expensive).
For just $799 at his time, it is truly a "steal"

That Circuit City comparison is exactly what I needed. I live in a rural area that has a small Sears store, and am quite far from Circuit City or Best Buy. I'll be at Sears to get one on Friday. If they run short, they also have the same TV in the Friday WalMart ad for $798, and it is also nearby.

I went to order from circuit city but they were sold out on the web. I was planning on going to walmart to buy one Friday, but found that crutchfield had them for $799. They have free shipping and no tax. I ordered one yesterday. I hope it isn't to big for my front room. I am really looking forward to this TV since it will be my first LCD

You will be very happy with the A500. And you'll be surprised how well it fits (just about anywhwere).
Imagine a 40" TV that's only 39 lbs.
Ten years ago, a 40 incher would have been nearly 300 lbs! The great HD picture is the "icing" in the cake.

I'm very happy with my 500 purchase last night at Best Buy. I bought it for $799 nut did not get the BB extended warranty for 2yrs for $149. The BB associate told me it has superb HD picture quality and he was right. Much better then my Vizio 50" Plasma.

I would advise to get it before the madness of Black Friday.

I bought this for my parents on Nov 25th from BB. They did'nt have one for viewing so took a chance as they offer 30day return, no re-stock fee. You can't beat this TV's pic quality for the price....especially with 1080P. Buy it and the $200 to $400 you save pick up a bluray player. (I recommend a PS3!!)

The only thing I had to buy extra was a component cable for my Wii as this tv does not have Svid connections (as previously mentioned).

All Samsungs come with the settings set to Dynaimic mode with the brightness & backlighting all the up. Leave it in dynamic mode, drop the backlight to 7 and the brightness down to 35. Increase the contrast to 80-85, while leaving the color at 55.
The colors will POP, you'll have DEEP BLACKS and very fine detail.
Also, the A500 is $799 today (11/2 at Walmart, Sears, Best Buy, and Circuit City.

Can anyone tell me if the A500 comes with a headphone jack? I mostly game and watch movies with my surround sound system but during late night hours i game and watch movies with my Sennheiser HD555's so if it doesn't have a headphone jack I will probably just have to buy an amp.