I chose this model over other 32-inch LCDs because I'm a sucker for things like network streaming, a 5-band equalizer, picture-in-picture, and firmware updating. It also has a semi-documented headphone jack in the rear -just turn off the speakers for it to work. Also, the power cable detaches, so you can replace that yourself.
One might dismiss this TV altogether since it doesn't have LED edge lighting, but that tech does not appear to be earning its price premium so far, considering a higher percentage of panel defects, and a black level so intense that detail often gets lost. 60Hz is also not a deal-breaker, since 120Hz tends to only show its strength with sports programming.
The picture quality is ultimately subjective, of course. But I found it well above average. Unfortunately, you can't completely disable Dynamic Contrast. The TV will tell you that it's off, but some enterprising Internet detectives at televisioninfo.com have determined that this is a ruse, which leads to some unavoidable light trailing and somewhat crushed blacks. DVDs look surprisingly good, and standard-definition signals look very solid but not outstanding.
Dynamic Contrast, Black Tone, Shadow Detail, Edge Enhancement and the noise filters should probably be turned off. Unfortunately, these features can create more problems than they solve; use them sparingly. Like Spider-Man once said, "With power comes responsibility."
I have a Roku box connected through HDMI, an Xbox 360 via component, and clear QAM cable TV through the RF antenna jack in the rear. These hookups are going straight into the TV inputs -no receiver. I figure that this eliminates a testing variable or two. Picture quality and sound was great from all three sources. When I streamed Netflix over Xbox Live, the Xbox appeared to upscale to 1080i. I could not get my 720p Roku box to do this over HDMI.
(Edit: I have also now tried a third-party VGA adapter for the Xbox 360. It looks quite good using the console's "Expanded" reference level; at least on par with component, and upscaled DVDs look quite good, but not as good as Blu-ray.)
Audio is in a better boat, since the SRS functions can actually be turned off (as far as we know). There's also that 5-band equalizer. I thought the TV did surprisingly well for two downward-facing 10-watt speakers, but they won't quite replace dedicated external audio.
The D550 doesn't do Internet apps, but this feature is becoming increasingly redundant. As for network sharing, you are not limited to Samsung's proprietary, Windows-only "PC Share Manager" software, either. There's a variety of free, multi-platform software that handle networked media libraries. Unfortunately, Samsung appears to have not implemented DLNA according to spec, so you may have trouble getting third-party software to work properly. I had the best experience with TVMobili, which is thankfully free and compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux. Serviio is also good.
In its promotional material, Samsung swears that its Wi-Fi "LinkStick" dongle is *required* for wireless networking (and it is not bundled with this TV). This is simply not the case. You can just use a wireless-N Ethernet "game adapter," which can be had for as little as $30 if you shop around. Dongles are also only compatible with a few devices from one manufacturer.
(Edit: It's come to my attention that an Intellinet 523974 *might* also work in place of Samsung's official dongle. I cannot directly confirm it, though. It is also reportedly 2.4Ghz, while the dual-band Samsung model adds a 5Ghz option.)
The "E-manual" built into the TV's menu system isn't very good and is difficult to navigate. The PDF version on their website is... a PDF version of the e-manual. Which is white text on a black background. So much for printing it out...
Also, the two-piece pedestal requires a Phillips screwdriver. That's not bad, but the screws required quite a lot of torque to get them all the way in. Also, you need to attach the top part at a certain angle, or else it won't be flush with the base.
A note about shipping: Amazon Prime does not currently provide 2-day or next-day shipping for this unit; "3-5 business days" is the official line. This is not unusual for products of this size and weight. However, the unit arrived at my door less than 48 hours after I ordered it. So I appreciate Amazon's and UPS's fast service! But your own experience will vary according to your distance from the warehouse and other factors.
(Update 4/25: This item is not currently shipped from and sold by Amazon, nor eligible for Amazon Prime. "Video & Audio Center" is handling the item instead. I am not familiar with their service, so the previous paragraph does not apply to the current purchase experience. "3-5 business days" is still the official shipping time, but I don't know how long it may take this third party to process the order before shipping. It may take a few hours, or a few days. Just a friendly heads-up.)
Despite this TV's quirks and poor documentation, I think it gets 5 stars for a really good picture and above-average sound (as long as you tweak that equalizer for some bass). I guess that's what matters most in the end, right?
Please leave a comment if I've left you with questions, and I'll answer to the best of my knowledge.
--Edit Jan 13 2012--
Just reporting in to say that the unit is still performing just fine. It's performed quite well as an interim computer monitor -just make sure to label the input as "PC." I don't recommend using it as a permanent computer display, because pixel density at this screen size is sub-optimal. (At desktop distance, you don't want larger than 24 inches, assuming a maximum resolution of 1920x1080.) But with some cool-looking wallpaper, its presence is not unwelcome :)
However, LG has been pricing their LCDs very aggressively lately, so I recommend researching those units as well.
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