Samsung PN50A450 50 Inch 720p Plasma HDTV

50" widescreen HDTV (16:9 aspect ratio) * high-gloss black finish * built-in digital (ATSC) and analog (NTSC) tuners for over-the-air TV broadcasts (antenna required) * built-in QAM cable TV tuner receives unscrambled programs without a set-top box (cable service required) * 1365 x 768 pixels * 30,000:1 contrast ratio (1,000,000:1 dynamic) * 175?(H) x 175?(V) viewing angle *

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Big Bank for the Buck
Big TV, low price, great color, great blacks... if you want to save some money and hold off on getting the 1080p television, you can't go wrong with this 720p monster. And the white glove delivery service was 10 times better than hauling it home from the local electronics store.

5 Stars Great
It's simply a great TV, I compared it to my friends 52 1080 LCD Touch Of Red Samsung, and not even for a moment did I regret this purchase.

Phenomenal value/price ratio!

Just be aware of burn in limitations of Plasma TV (zoom in picture when watching 4:3) and have your brightness/contrast settings on 50% or less, an you will be very happy! I had it for over 3 months now and no problems at all.

4 Stars AMENDED: If you think you need 1080P in a 50 inch think again !
Coming from the graphics industry I've always known the spec wars are total ego feeders. At 50 inches 720P is fantastic. 65 inches in the same room and you would be able to see the difference of a 1080P. But not at this size.

If you want amazing HD that is so sharp it will make your eyes bleed... this is your set !

If you want a TV that displays the free HD Cable channels your cable provider provides WITHOUT a cable box... this is the set.

If you want a set not too big to still watch your SD DVD collection... this is the set.

If you buy products based on proper spec for the format rather than EGO... this is your set.

If you don't already own a surround system and want a reasonable cost system... Buy at least a nice self powered computer speaker system though cause the speakers on this set stink. I recommend the Logitech THX rated 5500 series DOLBY/DTS surround with optical input. In a small living room this will rock the couch at $200.

Amazon's delivery was 2 days early... called for an appointment... showed up on time.

UPDATE (10/31/2008): I almost want to remove a star. I want to keep my system simple. Have a PC Media Center and a DVD player connected via HDMI. TV has an Optical Out so a single connection for my sound from TV to Surround system seems to be indicated for TV, DVD or PC watching.

WRONG... This TV will pass my Cable TV 5.1 digital sound to the Surround system. But it limits DVD & PC to 2 channel stereo only. I am now forced to have independent sound connections to audio system. Every time you change a source you need to do it twice. This just should not be the case. The HDMI should carry sound to the TV and TV should pass it through the optical interface that I paid for.

WORK AROUNDS... Buy a HDMI switcher that I should not need to buy. Or buy a programmable remote and spend two days setting it up to run all my devices and teach it to change video source on TV and Audio source on Audio system simultaneously.

BOTTOMLINE... The TV should allow digital sound to pass through the HDMI to the Optical Output on the TV. Why they thought passing through 5.1 for a cable TV channel matters more than passing through digital audio for our HD & DVD sources is beyond my understanding. I'm disappointed.

5 Stars Great Flat Screen TV For The Money!!!
I looked at all the TV's, both plasma and LCD in the $1,500 or less price range. The Samsung PN-50A450 is the best TV for the money. I would have to give Panasonic Viera plasma the number 2 spot, but I have yet to find it in a 50" for $999 with free shipping and no tax. The Samsung's picture was better than the Panasonic Viera's when looking at them side by side. The Vizio is not even an option anymore since you can get the Samsung for less than $1000. I am extremely satisified with my purchase and my friends can't believe I got a TV this size with a picture this good for what I paid for it. Also, pay the extra $$ and get the HD package from your cable company. It makes night and day difference. I don't even watch the non-HD channels anymore.

1 Star Really Upset over this TV
We had this Samsung 92 days.......and now burn in? Already? The manual states no fixed images more than 5% of the time? well, every station out there has their logo fixed to the screen.

I am really disappointed and mad, feel the tv was just a waste of money.

Have burn in on the bottom and on the left side.

Nice picture though but not worth it if it gets burn in only after 90 days. I also own a 32" Samsung HD LCD that I have in the bedroom, really makes me wonder if it will do the same. The manual for that says the same thing about burn in/image retention......waaaaaa!

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Vizio VP322HDTV10A 32 Class Plasma HDTV

VIZIO redefines High Definition Plasma television technology with the new VP322, 32" HDTV. The VP322 is wrapped outside with a beautiful piano black bezel that fits any decor in the house, while inside you will be thrilled with the superior picture quality plasma television offers. The VP322 offers natural color reproduction displaying more than 16 Million plasma colors and amazing 30,000:1 contrast ratio for blacker blacks and whiter whites.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Cheap on price, not performance.
I bought this from Walmart not Amazon but this tv contends with others nearly double the price. I thought they would try to cheap out and give one HDMI port because of the low cost but it has three! Great for connecting cable/sat, dvd player and a gaming console all at once. For those that dont know much about hdtv's HDMI is the best connection from a device to the tv. It has NO quality loss in the process unlike a Component connection. HDMI also carrys audio in the same wire cutting down on sloppy wires in a tangled mess. The picture quality is equal to Sony and other major brands I seen side by side in stores. Only thing negative I can think of is the remote has two UGLY buttons, the volume and channel. But not buying this tv for a tiny cosmetic problem on the remote is crazy. I wouldnt normally give anything five stars but with what Vizio gives you in comparison with the price they get it.

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Samsung HPS6373 63 Inch Plasma HDTV

No matter how you look at it, Samsung's TrueWide HP-S6373 63" Plasma HDTV with digital cable-ready tuner outperforms the competition. Even in a brightly lit room, images remain glare-free and crisp from every angle thanks to Samsung's patented FilterBright Plus technology. Billions of colors and the 10,000:1 contrast ratio capture every nuance. Rich surround sound completes this extraordinary entertainment experience.

User Ratings and Reviews

1 Star A completely inferior large-screen plasma
I ordered this item from Amazon and was really excited for its arrival. Amazon's service was top-notch (as usual) and I had the TV in just a few days.

And that was the end of anything positive.

I really can't tell you how disappointed I was in this plasma.

Firstly, the picture quality is well below that of the competition. It does an extremely poor job with standard definition broadcasts and even HD broadcast don't look great. No matter how I adjusted the set, I couldn't get a realistic color setting. It seems the only choices are "too red", "too blue", and "too green". Ughh...

Secondly, the build quality leaves much to be desired. The TV comes delivered with a rotating stand that seemed like a nice feature as my room won't allow wall-mounting. But owing to the fact that the stand is mostly plastic, it does not provide adequate support for the TV and the end result is that the TV does not stay level in the stand. In fact, the left side of my screen was a full 3/4 of an inch lower than the right side. It was very noticeable.

Finally, if you are someone who enjoys watching standard definition programs in a wide-screen format, you're in for a rude awakening. As you probably know, almost all manufacturers include a picture setting that expands the picture on the right and left screen edges while leaving the center of the screen untouched. Samsung calls this setting "panoramic" (others call it justified, etc.). Well guess what? Even though this is the flagship product in the Samsung plasma line, Samsung made the decision to leave this screen setting off of this TV. If you're watching a standard definition program your only options are putting up with the left and right side black bars, a zoom setting that cuts off the top and bottom of the picture, or a full-screen option that leaves you with the dreaded "fat head" syndrome.

When I first saw this 63" plasma at this relatively low price, I thought it seemed to good to be true. Turns out it was. Spend a couple grand more and get yourself the Panasonic 65" 1080P model. That's what I did and I couldn't be happier.

5 Stars Amazing Plasma TV
I ordered this TV through Amazon/ButterflyPhoto. To be honest I was a bit concerned that I would have issues with the delivery. Come to find out, my fears were completely unfounded. I had an excellent experience. I ordered it on a Monday and it was in my living room on Wednesday.

The TV itself is amazing--despite what one other reviewer had to say about it. It comes on the swivel stand, which is rather sturdy and bears the weight of the TV rather well.

The picture is amazing--even on non-high def channels. I had a Sony HDTV prior to this and with this TV it is as if I had never truly seen High Def programming. The non-HD signal on regular digital channels are as good as the HD picture on the Sony and the HD signal on the Samsung is incomparable!

I thought that I would not like the fact that the TV does not have a wide-zoom option for picture size, but it is not an issue. Leaving the TV in 16:9 aspect ratio is fine--it is hardly noticeable.

5 Stars Excellent Plasma
I originally purchased a 56" Samsung 1080p DLP (HL-S5687W) from Amazon. Unfortunately, I was one of the few who could see the rainbow effect of the single chip DLP color wheel. The rainbows were very distracting and I couldn't live with the set.

Amazon couldn't do anything for me such as exchanging the set for a different model. Fortunately, Samsung was willing to work with me and gave me the option to exchange/upgrade for a different set. I chose to go with the HP-S6373 and couldn't be happier.

I am really into picture quality, and this set has the best that I've seen anywhere. I had a 65" CRT RPTV for about three and a half years, and although it was ISF calibrated, the Samsung plasma looks much nicer. When I decided to get a new HDTV about five months ago, I went through two Sony 1080p SXRDs (KDS-60A2000), both ended up having green blob problems. Then I tried the Samsung DLP, which had the rainbow effect that I mentioned earlier. I spent so much time researching HDTVs, and the Sony and Samsung models that I had tried were arguable two of the best sets available at the time (I spent way too much time at the AVS Forum).

Anyhow, I am very happy with the Samsung HP-S6373. It minimizes two of the big concerns that people have with plasmas - glare and burn in - by using FilterBright Plus and automatic pixel shift technology. You can still see some reflection in a brightly lit room, but there is no silk screen effect (SSE), which was very noticeable on the SXRD and DLP. I'd rather have a little glare instead of SSE.

Both the Sony SXRD and Samsung DLP are 1080p sets. I understand why the higher resolution is important, especially for 1080i/1080p material but I can honestly tell you that my 1366 x 768 plasma looks much nicer than either 1080p set. Granted this may be due to my 12 foot viewing distance, but ultimately the best picture is up to the viewer and a 1080p sticker doesn't necessarily mean that the picture quality of one set is better than another.

I constantly found myself tweaking the Sony SXRD and Samsung DLP sets to get the best picture. I used service and user menu tweaks and recommended settings from Cnet and the AVS Forum, but was never completely satisfied. The HP-S6373 plasma didn't look so hot out of the box either, but after setting it to movie mode (with no other adjustments), it looks amazing.

It's probably not completely fair to compare RPTVs to a plasma, but I am just providing my opinion based on the sets that I've had. Another reviewer mentions that the build quality leaves much to be desired. I haven't owned any other plasmas, but compared to the RPTVs that I've owned, this set is pretty solid. The TV is level in the stand, so perhaps the reviewer had a bad stand.

The only annoyance I have with the set is that I can hear a slight buzzing noise when the volume is muted and a bright image is displayed. I can't hear it from where I sit and haven't noticed it during normal viewing. I just read complaints about buzzing on some of the Samsung 50" sets, so I was listening for it. I have to get within a couple feet of the set to hear it, and like I mentioned, it's only audible on bright images. Compared to the much more significant green blob and rainbow problems that I had on previous sets - this is a non issue.

Sorry to write so much, I just figured that I would share my experience incase anybody else has had as much trouble as I've had finding an HDTV that they are happy with. Most people (including my wife) would have been completely happy with the Sony SXRD or Samsung DLP.

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Samsung FPT5084 50 Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV

Your favorite TV shows will never look better than they do on the Samsung FP-T5084 50" 1080p Plasma HDTV. This 50" Widescreen Plasma HDTV features full HD 1080p resolution and the innovative Ultra FilterBright anti-glare filter. You'll get impressive color and sharpness, with its 18-bit color processing and amazing 15,000:1 contrast ratio. Built-in bottom speakers with SRS TruSurround XT system and 10-watt per channel audio amplifier hits you with full, powerful sound. The anti-burn technology prevents burned-in images from ruining your view. Comes with 2 rear & 1 side HDMI connections. ATSC/NTSC tuner with Clear QAM 10-watt surround sound speakers SRS TruSurround XT Surround Sound Connections - Component in (2), S-Video in (2), RGB 15-pin connector Powerful technology keeps your screen free of burned-in images Headphone jack 2 HDMI inputs USB connection Theater Game mode Consumer Electronic Control (HDMI-CEC) compliant Includes swivel stand Energy Star compliant Dimensions(HxWxD) - 36-1/10 x 50-4/5 x 12-3/5 Weight - 106.9 lbs.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Great TV!
I have had the TV for over a month now. It is more than worth the money! The picture is amazing. The sound is fine (I only heard a buzzing sound once the second time I used the tv. Since then I have not heard it).

I would highly recommend this product!

5 Stars Love it love it love it!!!
The TV ROCKS!!! No more to say here! One of the top ten HDTV's of 2007 according to cnet and I agree.

A small glitch with the company contracted to deliver it. As other reviewers have stated, be proactive and call the company early and often to make sure no delivery issues exist. That said, once the issue was resolved (a data entry error that started with Amazon actually) the tv was delivered professionally with free white glove delivery. I never thought I would spend so much money on a tv on Amazon but I have to admit, they had the best price and included free white glove delivery so I went for it and haven't regretted it.

5 Stars Phenomenal TV
I researched TVs for a year. Picked up the 5084 on the 4th of July and it's a winner. I saw it next to the Panasonic TH-50PZ800U and the Panasonic 50PZ80U. I set all 3 TVs to movie mode and liked the Samsung better. Here is how I arrived at this decision.

1. First I got the plasma vs. lcd choice out of the way by appreciating that plasmas still do better blacks and deeper color. My wife and I watch 90% of time at night. This is where plasmas excel.

2. I narrowed down the plasmas to the pioneer 5080, Panasonic 50pz85u, and 50PZ800U.

At the time, the Samsung 5084 wasn't even in the running. As I spent time watching the Panasonic 50pz85u I noticed noise in dark scenes even connected with a monster cable and a good line cleaner so I passed. I found that the pioneer even on sale was $600 more than the Samsung. The Panasonic 50PZ800U was $1000 more. Clearly these two TVs are superior with more goodies, but not life changing enough to justify the cost.

3. In the end what pushed me to the Samsung was the fact that it's a "high end TV" from last year that was $1500.00 less than when it came out. I paid $1570. I would rather have an older high end TV than an newer low or medium end TV. While I'm at it Id rather pay a low end price for a high end TV.

4. This TV is still among the top ten on Cnet almost a year later with the same rating as it's newer 2008 model: PN50A550

5. At the writing of this review all knows bugs have been worked out. Another reason to wait on an older high end model.

Pluses:

I have had the Samsung for a month now and it has performed flawlessly.

Good Standard Def picture. Excellent high def. Can't comment on DVD picture because I am running my DVD player through an Onkyo 605 receiver that up converts the picture to 720p and it looks fabulous.

My wife loves the bezel (frame). This is what made the whole thing work for her. Plus setting up the room so that it looks like a display room.

Minuses:

You have to be careful how long you pause a picture as it will retain the image. I created a macro key on my Logitech remote (that a got at Amazon) called safe pause. When I press it, it pauses the picture and turns the TV off. If however you get picture retention, Samsung has excellent tools that act like window washers for your screen.

Some times I might watch TV during the day if I am off and the light coming in can be a drawback in dark scenes. This is easily remedied with $15 window blinds.

I am very happy I bought this TV and have no regrets. Get one before they disappear.

5 Stars SAMSUNG 50in Plasma FPT5084
Bought this TV in 8 months ago (January 2008). Very, very happy with this plasma TV. Excellent picture and easy to use remote control. I haven't had any problems since purchasing it. The side panel inputs are convenient. The contrast with black and other dark colors is great.

The HD channels are great. However, like other plasma's, the non-HD channels are average at best.

4 Stars Nice TV/Lousy Samsung Customer Service
I've had this TV for almost a year and it's darned nice! As it should be, for the price. However, the optical connector went out on it. It was covered under warranty. The service guy had to change out the entire motherboard to replace the optical connector. I examined the old motherboard, and the optical connector had broken off--it appears to be a very weak unit; can't handle any stress. Samsung's customer service is the worst, however. Wait times are long, and then when you finally get connected to a real person, they go by the script and cannot think for themselves. First thing to do when you call is ask to speak with a supervisor and that will bump you past the robots. However, don't expect a lot more from the second line. They get to be a bit more rude than the first line, but that's about it.

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Samsung PN58A550 58 Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV

Take your home entertainment experience to the next level with the Samsung PN58A550 plasma HDTV. The Samsung PN58A550 58" Widescreen Plasma HDTV with 1080p resolution is big enough to transform any space into the ultimate home theater. Advanced features like a FilterBright to protect against glare and 1,000,000:1 dynamic-contrast ratio will simply amaze you and your guests. 1920 horizontal x 1080 vertical pixel resolution presents video and text with outstanding clarity and resolution. Select Game mode with the touch of a button for advanced video-game action. The ACE silhouette editor eliminates visual noise from the deepest dark tones. SRS TruSurround XT offers natural, lifelike HD sound. TruSurround delivers a compelling, virtual surround sound experience through the two speaker internal playback system. Samsung Digital Natural Image engine dramatically improves the picture by enhancing the contrast, detail, and white balance. WiseLink plays MP3 and JPEG files through USB 2.0 connection. Entertainment Mode allows customized picture settings, optimized for different content. Universal Anynet Plus HDMI-CEC allows peripheral devices such as a DVD player to be controlled by TV remote control. Side A/V ports provide easy connections so you can connect a camcorder, digital camera, or any other digital device with no hassles. V-Chip system allows blocking of rated TV and movie programs determined by the parent to contain objectionable content. 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution 175-degrees viewing angle Natural True Color with 18 bit color processing NTSC/ATSC tuners with Clear QAM Sports/Game/Movie modes via hot key 10-watt per channel built-in audio amplifier Direct down-firing speaker system Auto pixel shift (user programmable) Signal pattern processing function Ports - 3 HDMI High Definition Multimedia Interface (2 rear/1 side), 2 component video inputs, Side and rear A/V inputs, WiseLink (USB 2.0), He

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Very happy with this TV
I'm very happy with this 58" plasma tv. After 3 months of researching, I am glad so say this is a great plasma tv for the price. The colors and the tv itself look great. I was worried about the glare on the tv, since I've read some negative responses with glare and plasma tv's. I have not had any glare issues at this point, as long as the blinds are closed. The HD channels look incredible, so does the blue ray movies. I highly recommend this anyone looking for a plasma tv. I also got $150 credited after I bought the tv, because the price went down. I was also worried about the delivery of the tv. The whole delivery was good.

5 Stars better than I could have hoped
I bought this TV back in May and wanted to wait a while before making a review. I had an orginal Panasonic HDTV and loved it. It went out in January and I decided to buy a Panasonic but wanted this years 58" model. While waiting for the Panasonic to come out I saw the Samsung in Circuit City. I was very impressed but wanted the Panasonic. After waiting months with no release date, I decided to buy the Samsung. What a deal. This television is outstanding. I have this TV in my living room that has a large window. The glare is less than my original projection Panasonic. If I close the curtain there is no glare.

I have nothing bad to say about this set. Regular cable is what I expected but HD is awesome. Blu Ray is even better. If you want a Panasonic don't overlook this television. It saved me at least three hundred dollars over the Panasonic and I didn't have to wait forever.

Also Amazon is great. I got this TV 2 days after the order was processed. Hope this helps the people looking at Panasonics and Pioneer. They are all great but for less money you wont notice any difference.

5 Stars Excellent Plasma
I had a friend help me evaluate plasma tv's and price points. That friend calibrates hdtv's and recommended the Sammie highly due to it's color accuracy and decent black depth.

There are other TV's with better black depth, but they cost a good 50% more than this tv and when you add the price of a decent 5 yr warranty and wallmount, I wanted to keep my costs reasonable.

I have this tv in my great room opposite of my fireplace -- I disliked the idea of subjecting my TV to nightly heat baths in the winter. The room has 11 windows and at times there is glare. But that's what you get in a room with that many windows -- no tv is going to be able to remove glare completely.

To deal with glare we have blinds and window coverings that can be used to strategically block light. Additionally we've mounted this plasma on an Omnimount UCL-XB cantilever mouont. It's easy to change the angle of the tv to reduce glare on a movable mount. Get a mount that supports 150-200 lbs.

Sound is ok/functional. I have a 7.1 speaker system in the room that I've installed this in, and there's no reason to use the internal speakers. But they work, and they aren't horrible. Best feature is that they are down firing and invisible. So since I'm not suing them its as if they are not even there.

The TV is heavy -- make sure someone is home that can help the driver get it into the house. If my wife was home, there would have been no way that the tv would have made it inside with out neighborhood help. It seems to me that amazon should mandate that the delivery company sends enough ppl to deliver inside, but maybe they do and the shipping company is at fault.

So yes.. you can feel comfy buying this TV from amazon. It's beautiful. My wife has even warmed up to its size and quality... the 58" was "too big" before.. and "just right" now.

Get this set calibrated by a professional after a few hundred hours of use. Keep brightness and contrast down initially. Let the professional set it to your taste. You won't be dissapointed.

5 Stars The greatest Plasma HD TV you could buy.
I am totally happy with my Samsung 58" Plasma HDTV. No regrets what so ever. I wouldn't change a thing. It was the perfect birthday gift from my husband.

Thanks Amazon.com,

LCJ

5 Stars WOW!!
We love our Samsung.

Even our neighbors want to come watch the bright brilliant colors in hi-def.

Can't stand to watch any other tv now. We love it.

Would recommend to anyone.

Thanks Amazon for a great product and great service.

B.Farrar

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