Both TVs have a 1080p resolution, both are the same price on Black Friday, and both seem to be pretty darn nice TVs.

My question is which one of these two TVs has a more sharp picture/higher viewing angles/vivid colors.

The Samsung TV has a 30,000:1 contrast ratio, while the Sharp TV has an 8,000:1 ratio. What do these numbers mean?

Links to the TVs and their descriptions:

http://www.samsung.com/us/consumer/detail/detail.do?group=televisions&type=televisions&subty pe=lcdtv&model_cd=LN40A550P3FXZA

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/products/Video_Conferencing/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&sku=A1977 316&AID=2187655&ACD=10550055-2187655-


All opinions are greatly appreciated!