72 of 73 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely THE BEST!, January 5, 2005
This review is from: Samsung HL-P5085W 50-Inch Widescreen HD-Ready DLP Television with PC Input (Electronics)
I feel as though most people make a purchase, and then justify it by raving about it's performance, even if in their heart of hearts they know it is junk.
Just recently, an acquaintance of mine purchased an LCD television that, while asthetically pleasing, has one of the worst pictures I have seen. Trail, ghosting, poor colors, etc... DLP projection is simply the best picture you can buy if dollars spent VS. quality of picture is your goal. If you MUST hang a TV on a wall, KNOW that you MUST ALSO spend at least $7000 for a picture that begins to match the quality of a $2500 DLP. The cheaper flat screens are cheaper for a reason. You do the math.
This Samsung model is just gorgeous. HDTV is simply stunning. Colors are crisp, black levels are INCREDIBLE, and the picture is 95% perfect right out of the box! I had an engineer look at this set and say "it is perfect when you plug it in". So many sets need "tweaking" for days before they look right, so this is an added benefit on this model.
Also, the set has PIP, which can be used for watching TV while also using your computer! Simply run video out from your computer and you have a 50 inch HD Monitor!! Awsome!
This set has HDMI, which no one really uses yet, but it is nice to have for the future. For those who do not know, HDMI is ONE cable that carries HD PICTURE AND SURROUND SOUND. It also has DVI input for the BEST HDTV picture available.
The look (pedestal) is love it or leave it, but if you are here, you obviously find it pleasing.
I can not comment on the sound as I have never used it (I have a home theater system), and this brings me to a slightly offpoint comment, but one that is important. if you DO get a surround system, please do this television justice and do not buy some junky home theater in a box! Sound is actually MORE impotant than picture in terms of a visceral experience, and you do yourself no service to buy this set, and then use garbage sound. Also, BOSE, while nice, is overpriced and simply silly. DO RESEARCH, and find that no respected audio/videophile respects BOSE, when they know better can be had for less.
Sorry...back to my review. This set is wonderful. You can use a nice open-air AV rack to complement it visually, and as far as gaming goes, XBOX in HD is fabulous!!!
ONE NOTE ON DVD's. this television has a native resolution of 720P DVD's only have a maximum of 480P, and as a technology, DVD's are not that great, which is why HD DVD's will be out this year (DVD's that do 480p,720p,1080i,1080p ie. High Definition DVD's) Do not be disappointed if DVD's look a bit fuzzy, pixelated, whatever... they look that way on ALL HDTV's. It is the DVD, not the TV. Still, they look nice.
Well, that's all. You may want to wait until 1080 native resolution sets are available later this year, but mind you they come with a hefty price tag! For now, this is THE set; and I say that not because I own it, but because it is true. Enjoy!
TOP NOTES:
PROS:
Good Clarity
GREAT BLACK LEVELS
Nice Contrast
BEST COLOR ON THE MARKET
It is light...about 100lbs for a 50 Inch TV!!!!!
CONS:
Can't hang it on a wall (it IS only 11 inches deep)
Pedestal not for everyone
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
My Favorite Retreat, May 2, 2005
This review is from: Samsung HL-P5085W 50-Inch Widescreen HD-Ready DLP Television with PC Input (Electronics)
I have this TV in my game room over the garage. I'll tell you it is the most awesome piece of AV equipment I've ever owned. The HD Picture quality is breath-taking (I have the HDNet/ESPNHD packages from TimeWarner, the Discovery documentaries shot in HD are just crystal clear and so realistic, feels like you are right there. Best of all, there is no service adjustments you have to do to make the picture quality improve, it's right out of the box top quality. I did adjust the brightness and tuned down the sharpness to fit my viewing taste. I also configured the 1280x702 resolution for my computer viewing pleasure, which is hooked into the DVI port. I am sitting 10 foot from it and it is like I am viewing it right on my office desk, so clear and sharp.
Pros:
1. No service adjustments.
2. Low Fan noise, not noticable at all. Not much heat.
3. Picture quality is amazing.
Cons:
1. Heavy stand, 80 pounds by itself.
2. Not easy to put AV components around.
3. The little shadows sometimes noticable on screen, because the screen hasn't completely heated up yet.
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22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Contrast, Great Black-Level, October 21, 2004
This review is from: Samsung HL-P5085W 50-Inch Widescreen HD-Ready DLP Television with PC Input (Electronics)
The GUY COMPLAINING about "HD-ready" being deceptive IS AN IDIOT... by his argument, he should give every HD-ready TV a bad review. In fact... very few TVs out there are HD-Integrated, and almost all you'd see in the store are only HD-ready. This guy probably complains about a car with an AUTOMATIC transmission not driving by itself.
This TV has a great contrast ratio, and great black levels. MY X-Box looks just plain awesome on it - of course, you need a HD Video Adaptor(component video) for it ($20 for the Microsoft adaptor - don't waste your money on a Monster Adaptor, even the EB sales reps advise against the Monster component adaptor, but I digress.) No signal delay issues with the X-Box.
The only thing is that there's no where to put stuff, and when you look at the specs of the add-on shelving unit, it's much wider than the TV, ..... but I just got a glass/metal shelf to put next to it to put my cable-box, X-Box, DVD player on.
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