Samsung PN50B650 50-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV

hey guys...

this is a review for all of you out there who are pretty techy, like to do your research, and get the most bang for your buck. i spent hours and hours on my decision, sifting through review after review, and actually ordering and returning this item. read more if you are curious with my results.

plenty of forums on the internet will compare this tv to the panasonic g15 plasma. initially, i chose the samsung pnb650 over the g15 because:
1) reviews showed high color accuracy
2) the TV stand swiveled
3) DNLA content, including the ability to stream MKV and other HD video through the TV, with no need for a media extender.

when i received my unit, i was extremely happy with the picture. colors popped, black levels were good (though seemingly glitchy when there was a perfectly black screen - almost like the picture turned off). but, one thing i have never expected happened to be a deal breaker for me - image retention (IR).

the forums and reviews you read on the net go on and on about how IR and burn in are issues of plasmas' past. what i did not quite realize was that IR and burn in are TWO SEPARATE ISSUES. read this link for a spot on analysis of the difference, and the factors you should consider when buying a plasma [...]

i had image retention from the get go. i used my tv on the "dynamic" setting when playing madden the first week i bought the tv. another thing you will read is that plasmas should never be placed on "dynamic" or "vivid" modes (at least until you "break-in" your set). i personally believe that if the setting is offered on the TV, you should be able to use it no problem. long story short, the EA emblem on the bottom left hand side of the screen remained on the screen after i turned off the game. although it slowly faded away (and i mean very slowly), you could make out that emblem on the screen for THREE WEEKS after i played it. that being said, remember that this was in the first 20 hours or so of use, and that after about a week and a half, you could only see it when you came up to 8 inches from the screen. such issues may not occur after 150 or 200 hours of use, but i was not going to risk it. not only did items like the madden EA sports emblem remain, scoreboards from NFL games, network banners, and tickers remained on the screen far too long for my liking.

another thing to note about the tv is that the DNLA functionality is more a novelty than something that is useful. it does not recognize half the MKVs i have, nor does it play the audio of several WMVs i have. also note that it cannot stream such content over the network; you have to plug in your hard drive directly to the usb jack.

the IR issue was something that was too big a deal for me to overlook. if you do not play much video games, watch CNN, or watch channels with some static emblem, logo, or scoreboard, i dont think you will ever have this issue. you wont have this issue watching movies.

besides that, the TV provides a great, bright picture. 4 HDMI ports and the USB connectivity is great. I loved the swivel stand. however, i like my panasonic g15 plasma much better, and here's why:

1) image retention, seriously, is almost a non issue. only very rarely do you see images retained on the screen, and if you do, if you watch a movie or use the IR scrolling bar, it disappears quickly.
2) blacks are outstanding. i thought they were good on the samsung, but in all honesty, it doesnt compare.

that being said, there are some issues with the panasonic, being:
1) its a bit dark for my tastes, the samsung was brighter. this is really a non-issue if you are watching movies / playing games in dark rooms.
2) the stand does not swivel, though its easy to move the base
3) there are no USB ports, so it limits the amount of content that can be streamed (only pictures and videos through the SD card)
4) the infrared receiver (for remote control) is squarely in the middle of the TV. i place my front speaker there so it was a bit of an issue for me.
5) there are very few picture controls - i cant turn the screen brighter even if i want to!
6) only 3 hdmi... not an issue now i suppose

its also worth mentioning that im no longer trying to stream content through the TV. i got a ps3 and got ps3media server. works like a charm; highly recommended.

one other thing i'll say is that amazon's prices, delivery, and customer service is top notch. i recommend you keep an eye on prices for a few days to see if it goes up or down. there are also random coupons floating around if you do a google search or review the price discussions here at amazon. as of mod nov 07, a good price for the pnb650 would be around $1200 and the g15 around the same. I was able to score the g15 and a panasonic plasma for $1100 - you should hope for a similar deal to return!

white glove delivery through ceva was top notch. customer service in returning the old TV was painless. amazon is the place to buy TVs, no matter which model you choose.

hope this helps.

navin

Plasma vs. LCD/LED. There is NO comparison when looking at large 50"+ screens. The black tones and refresh rate are two of the many reasons why I chose plasma. A refresh rate like 120Hz or 240 Hz is only important if it's a LCD or LED. Plasma's refresh rate is so fast that they don't even need to publish it. And a contrast ratio of 3,000,000-to-1 is WAY better than 100,000-to-1. Even a 5th grader can do the math on this one. 30 times the contrast ration means what? A better contrast between light and dark tones on the screen. Choose plasma for either for the picture or the price. And Samsung is the best overall value from any reviewer you can investigate. Either way you are picking a winner! You won't be sorry.

Plasmas aren't as bright as LCD's in rooms with lots of ambient light. Great care must be taken (specially in the 1st 200 hours) to prevent burn-in. The screen is more reflective than most. Plasmas are like that.

Know these things going in, run a break-in procedure for the first 100 hours, dim the lights and get ready for what is still the best image in the flat screen market. Wide, rich, satifying color range. Very good blacks, no funky LCD motion artifacts. Under the correct conditions, and with a little forethought, a sublime viewing experience awaits.

Shipping and delivery was excellent. No dead pixels. Arrived on time. Viva Amazon!

There's no doubt that this is a great TV. How great? Well, given that I don't have any other HDTV's, who knows? From what I've read, all you need to do is buy an HDTV and not pay too much attention to all of the details about the TV. This one was pretty cheap for a 50" TV, so it worked out well.

I tortured over which TV to buy, doing painstaking research in an attempt to get the best value for my money. I checked CNET and PCMag reviews and on both, this TV came out around the top in picture quality. However, the price difference between the Samsung B650 plasma and the TVs it was being compared to (both plasmas and LCDs) was huge -- in most cases well over $1000. The TV arrived on time and in perfect condition. The delivery guy helped me set it up and make sure it was in working order. And the picture is fantastic -- especially in HD! I have a bright living room with lots of windows and had heard that plasmas with their reflective screens are better suited to darker rooms, but screen reflectivity hasn't been a factor at all. I love the deeper blacks better color accuracy and lack of motion blur as compared to all but the most expensive LCD/LED sets. In short, I'm delighted with my choice and feel that I got the best TV available, delivered for under $1200.