Customer Reviews

Samsung PN50C490 50-Inch 720p Plasma 3D HDTV

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I had been wanting to make the leap to 3D ever since I heard 3D would become available to the public for home use on HDTVs. Having priced a few out I just did not feel it was worth the jump quite yet. Then I came across this TV on Amazon. I did a lot of research finding reviews and reading impressions from various HD forums. Finally I went to Best Buy to try this out for myself and was quite impressed.

So after much debate I picked one up with one pair of glasses since it's just me. Got a deal for $969 and that is with tax. Prior to I owned a 47inch 1080p Vizio which I've had for 3 years and was a great set for the price point as well. I can say without a shadow of doubt that even without the 3D feature the picture quality of this TV for Bluray blows away my old 1080p Vizio. Not sure how that is possible since this set is at a lower resolution but there is no fooling my eyes and what I am saying is true. The colors are vivid and the blacks are REAL black. The Vizio which was an LCD always had a white glare from back light issues of the bulbs.

Video games look fantastic. My only issue with the set is two things. My PC did look better on the Vizio because it offered a much brighter picture and on the Samsung it's not as bright. Not a deal killer but this should be noted. The other issue is with 3D games only such as Avatar, Pacific Drift 3D and MLB the show the resolution is also meh in 3D mode compared to non 3D games which look banging.

I have yet to try out a 3D movie but ordered Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs and Monster House on Amazon and will edit this review to include impressions of those two true 3D movies.

The 2D-3D conversion looks fantastic on Blurays and broadcast TV so that's a win for this set.

It's like this, if you REALLY want a 3D set as I did and do not want to spend an arm and a leg as what other sets cost this is your best bet as the technology evolves and improves. If anything you will be getting a fantastic HDTV set for a fraction of what some of the other higher end sets cost and will tide you over until the technology reaches a point of 3D sans glasses which is what I am waiting for. Honestly there is very little difference between this 720p and 1080p models.

Great value for what you get.

EDIT Review day 2:
Just wanted to say that I am just in love with this TV.

One example I wanted to share is I recently got the Alien movies on Bluray and had been waiting to watch them until I had this TV in place so I could try out the 2D-3D conversion. Well I can tell you that I am on the 2nd movie Aliens and have the this feature turned on with a depth of 10 so it's peaked out and my god it looks amazing. It's almost as if the movie was filmed in 3D but I realize a lot of that has to do with the way Cameron shot the film so kudos to him for being a visionary back in 1986 because it just rocks. Especially any of the scenes in space the level of depth really brings you in when this feature is turned on. Amazing.

Still waiting on my delivery of the Blurays that are True 3D and will post impressions as soon as I get them.

Edit Review day 4:

Just finished watching Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Without a doubt this TV delivers the real deal with 3D as if you are in the theater. The movie looked great in 3D. Was sharp and the 3D truly pops. I am still blown away however at the 2D-3D conversion for other Bluray movies. I also for the fun of it popped in Star Wars on DVD and yes it works great with that as well.

I just cannot praise enough about how awesome this TV is for the price point and have zero regrets about picking one up.

Edit Review 1 week later:

The TV continues to blow me away with each movie I watch in the 2D-3D conversion. The glasses were the only issue with this set. I got the free pair that came with it. What was happening was that the glasses would lose sync during scenes with high action or a lot of light. What fixed it was taking a small piece of opaque tape and placing it over the sensor on the glasses. Ever since the picture has been perfect. A small irritation that has an easy quick fix but felt I should point it out to any other owners of this set or anyone planning on getting one on how to avoid/fix the issue.

Been in the market for a new Master Bedroom HDTV since our 30" HD CRT broke (yay!). Been following this model (PN50C490) since it was announced recently. I found a great deal at a local B&M store the week this was released (2 free pair of 3D glasses included) for the same price as elsewhere. I've been watching this plasma for over a week, and just love it!

We feed it HD service from DirecTV and it looks stunning. Realistic colors and very dark blacks, no ghosting on sports (it is a plasma after all), and we love the upgrade in the size (30" to 50") as viewed from 12-15 feet away in bed. The 2D picture quality beats the old CRT and even our main DLP set in the family room. DirecTV has a few 3D channels, so those were demoed immediately. The X-Games replay looked awesome. I think most sports are recorded in 720p anyway, so there was no loss of quality on this 720p set. I was able to watch the football games this weekend in a pseudo 3D upscale (I'm calling it 2.5D). It certainly did something to the picture, and I liked it. It really added some depth that made the game more enjoyable to watch. Not quite as good as a proper 3D broadcast or actually being there in person, but given the little bit of 3D programming available, the 2.5D conversion was pretty impressive and worked on demand.

No eye strain noticed when wearing the glasses as I was able to watch 3 hours of football without issue. Waiting for the PS3 firmware update to try some 3D Blu-rays on this set, but I don't think that there will be any issues in the 720p versus 1080p resolutions. I'll try to post an update on PS3 3D gaming impressions as well (which Sony limits to 720p anyway). Overall, I am VERY impressed with the 2D quality of this set. Love the size improvement for our master bedroom given our viewing distances. And both 2.5D and 3D viewing was great at 720p. From what I have seen, there is nothing to worry about this set not being 1080p. Just pull the trigger, buy it, and enjoy the money you'll be saving over the competition.

First of all, seeing is believing. Me and my wife both visit Sears and HHGREGG stores multiple times to compare plasma vs. LCD/LED and 720p vs. 1080p. We find that plasma is better than LCD/LED in terms of color and other features for picture quality. The lower brightness of plasma is not an issue since there is not much light in our TV room. (In fact, Samsung PN50C490 plasma has "Dynamic" picture mode to view at higher brightness, but we mostly use less bright "Movie" picture mode so that it is less stressful to eyes at night.) We both cannot differentiate much between 720p and 1080p plasma TVs, even watching as close as suggested for 3D viewing (e.g., about 7 feet for 50 inch). Moreover, because of plasma's superior color contrast, saturation, accuracy, and frequency, both me and my wife feel better viewing experience in a 720p plasma than in a 1080p (yes!) LCD/LED when we compare those in store display side by side. Therefore, we decide not to spend another $400+ just to get 1080p or LCD/LED. Those who are still confused, please read CNET TV buying guide. "According to the Imaging Science Foundation, a group that consults for home-theater manufacturers and trains professional video calibrators, the most important aspect of picture quality is contrast ratio the second most important is color saturation, and the third is color accuracy. Resolution comes in fourth, despite being the most-cited HDTV specification." Thus, resolution is the feature that we can compromise to save money.

Secondly, we think about energy-efficiency. From power specifications available online, we calculate how much energy would be saved if we buy LCD/LED rather than this plasma. We find the purchase price to be paid for LCD/LED is much higher than the energy-cost we would save, even for 10 years! (If you consider 10 years inflation of the extra money you have to pay today for LCD/LED, the difference is even more.) As the 3D technology evolves, I am sure future 3D TVs would be much better than current 3D TVs and I am probably not going to watch the same TV for many years (even if I buy the best 3D TV available now). Therefore, I am saving money buying this plasma, plus getting amazing picture quality. By this time, let 3D LED TVs get mature and cheaper. Remember, currently advertised LED TVs in the market are not actual LED-panel TVs, they are just LCD-panel TVs with LED back-lighting/edge-lighting/local-dimming. Plasma is already matured, we think. For example, the burn-in problem is much reduced in latest plasma TVs. Additionally, Samsung PN50C490 has anti-burn pixel shifting feature, which we set always on.

Thirdly, even though PN50C490 does not have internet connectivity, it quickly becomes a non-issue given that I must buy a 3D Bluray player to watch 3D content. Most 3D players (in fact, all Samsung 3D Bluray players) come with internet connectivity! Hence, we do not go for higher-end 3D TV versions (e.g., PN50C7000 or PN50C8000 or other brands) to get internet connectivity within TV. Let our player do the job.

Fourthly, we have a kid who has a tendency to throw things! Although we do not expect TVs to endure flying objects, it is good that Plasma screen is tougher than LCD/LED screen (according to a CNET forum). Hence, plasma is a rational choice for us.

Last but not least, this Samsung model has 2D to 3D conversion and picture-in-picture (PIP) capabilities.

Recently, we have actually watched 3D Christmas Carol and other 2D Bluray movies using a Samsung BDC-5900 player. With our limited experience, we must say Samsung PN50C490 delivers us the best 3D and 2D television amusement we ever had. The TV and accessories together cost below a grand! By the by, we have bought this TV for $807 shipped, no tax, including two glasses in an online deal during the Thanksgiving week of Nov, 2010. We also have bought a BDC-5900 player for $119 and an HDMI cable for $1.

Everything the other reviewers praised about this tv is true to me, I will come back and update my review with more content but thought my experiment with the Media Play function of the tv would be useful for potential buyers of the 2010 boxing day season in Canada (yes in Canada, mine was purchased boxing day from best buy canada).

This tv provides several ways to watch HD content other than blu ray disk (like a 720 or 1080 video from a hd camcorder, or a blu ray rip, etc.):

1. HTPC connected via the VGA port or HDMI port. I tried the VGA port connected to a PC. The tv display native 1360x768 resolution and the image is clear, sharp, and rich in color. So it's like a PC monitor but lot bigger. HD content played on it looks great. With an HTPC you can play like everything, but the drawback is you have to have two pieces of hardware setup and running and sometime things get complicated and not really suitable for the wife (no offense). Other similar options include the various HD media players on the market such as the boxee box. But again two pieces of hardware.

Update: I compared the video quality of the same files (some randome HD content of the HDTV capture, HD camera clips, as well as HD movie rips) between PC-VGA-TV playback and the TV's build in Media Play playback (as detailed below), the TV's media play always result in better quality, clearer, sharper, and more colorful image, better contrast, etc. Apparently when using PC to play the video, it often depends on the software used for the playback, which could be fine tuned but require time and effort; on the other hand the TV's own playback function seems to be optimized already for any formats that it can recognize. Especially for 1080i file (I have tried several, including the 1080i file recorded on my Sanyo FH1 HD camcorder, the TV gives very smooth play back without the interlacing defect, while when played on my computer using VLC, the interlacing effect is very annoying to say the least.

2. The Media Play function. I was skeptical about it when purchasing it and thought it's a gimmick (as I have seen in many similar product as a bonus feature). I understand there are a million kinds of video formats and lots of products can only handle very few.

The Media Play function of the samsung PN50C490 in reality is much better than I expected. The following is what I have tested. You can refer to the manual for a complete lis of support format but lot of times you really have to try yourself. I tried them on both a 8GB USB drive and a 16GB SD card via USB card reader, both works the same. Update: tried a externally powered usb sata drive with two partitions (both NTFS), the TV recognized both partition as two devices, and allow you to switch between the two. The HD content on each partition played flawlessly. On the manual it's written: USB-HDD is not supported. It's quite confusing but hey, fact is fact. I am definitely going to get a large external hdd just for the TV.

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mp4, avi, mkv: yes. Even subtitles of various sort is supported.

Mac's m4v and m4a format, not supported. These are from the itunes. The Media Play can't recognize and display the files. If I change the m4v into the mp4 extension, the file can be played with video but no audio. m4a music file is absolutely no go.

Casio digital camera (P505) avi video format: yes.

Sanyo FH1 HD camcorder mp4 file (720p and 1080 60i): yes. but 1080 60p file can't be played (unfortunately). I own this camcorder.

Panasonic GH1's mts file (AVCHD) and mov file (motion jpeg): they can't be recognized in the media play. However, if you change the mts file into .ts file, and the mov file into .mp4 file, both type can be played flawlessly.

Panasonic GH2's mts and mov file: although the codec in these have been revised in the GH2 camera, the above still hold true. Just change the file extension and done. Maybe because the Gh2's 1080 is still 60i so can be supported, as the Sanyo's 1080 60p can't be played.

A remark on GH1/GH2's video on the samsung: I don't own the panasonic DC but intend to get the new GH2 that's why I am interested in the video compatibility issue. I downloaded the camera produced original files from some review websites. mts files are 1080 or 720; mov files are 720. I had thought with the 720p resolution of this TV set it can't benefit from an full HD source (the 1080 files) but I was so wrong!

All the 1080 clips I played in the Media Play are just clearer and sharper then the 720 clips. I hope potential panasonic gh2 buyers will benefit from my test, as this is one piece of hot new camera on the market right now.

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More about Media Play, Music funtion

Now more about the media play's function, not on movie but on music. This is just sounds like a great feature but it's implementation is a complete fail. Yes like movie you can browse to the folder and start to play an mp3 but wait, not like watching a movie where you need the display on (apparently), can you afford to leave a 50' plasma TV on just to listen to music? Of course not. So the logical thinking of me is, go to Eco option of the tv and turn the display off. But nooo, as soon as you hit Menu on the remote, the music play stopped, matter of fact the whole Media Play thing exited. So, the music player there is just useless. Plus, it only plays mp3 anyway and the sound quality wasn't great. So, please forget about it, just so you know.

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More on BluRay playback

I just got an PS3 as my 3d bluray player. Works great for the samsung. The Bluray playing is gorgeous no doubt about that. However, the "it only does everything" PS3 can't do half of the video format the Samsung's build in media play function does. And the PS3 can't even support the NTFS format! This again shows how great this little Media Play bonus feature is on the Samsung (just for the video playing of course).
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More on Anynet+

Had no idea what this feature was until I saw the tv source discovered the PS3 automatically, and I realized that I can use the tv remote to power on/off the PS3 and control its operation (for this to work you have to connect the ps3 to the tv using hdmi)! So basically the direction button and enter button works to control the bluray/dvd playback on the ps3. Then if you need the extra control options (like to back to top menu, change audio video, subtitle setting, etc.) you hit the Tools button on the Samsung remote, then select the Playstation 3 info. This will bring up the pop up menu of the ps3 (just as if you press the arrow button on your ps3 game controller). Pretty neat. It's a lot of button press but pretty intuitive. Not as convenient as a real PS3 bluray remote, but that's one less remote to operate in the dark when watching a movie. So, my praise on this one too.

We upgraded from a 48" rear-projection TV that was about 8 yrs old to this plasma model. We checked reviews elsewhere on this model, and figured we'd give it a try. The price difference between this model with 3D and a similar model without the 3D was about $200, and we wondered if the feature would be worth it. We purchased from a big-box store with a good return policy so we could try it out. Our only concerns were that the 3D capability might be a bit gimicky and the novelty would wear off; and that this model is only 720p; not 1080 like most newer models. Well, we really had nothing to worry about with this TV. There is no ghosting while watching action onscreen, like some LED/LCD models we'd looked at. The difference in definition is really not noticeable - the difference between 720 and 1080 is barely noticeable with the human eye, anyway. We watched several shows in the first few days with the mock 3D feature (a selection on the remote allows the TV to change a regular 2D show into 3D). The only issue we had was a bit of eyestrain from wearing the glasses for an hour or two. I have a heavy vision correction; this could be a factor. Another issue is that we still need to purchase more glasses for the rest of the family - the kids faces are a bit small for the adult sized glasses. They're also expensive and easily damaged. Another factor (if you're looking at cost) is that to use the 3D capability for movies, a 3D bluray player should be purchased, which is a bit more costly than a regular bluray. There are only a few 3D movies available. 3D shows on our cable company aren't available yet. We're considering switching to DirectTV, which has some 3D content already. We really like the 3D feature on this TV - the novelty hasn't worn off yet and we've been using it over a month. It really makes the whole TV watching experience more captivating. The sound quality is great - which was a bonus for us. We had a problem with glare on our other TV, since it sits in a room with a wall of windows. This TV has a bit of glare, but not as much as we'd expected. The ability to swivel on the stand is a huge help in preventing the glare while watching in some parts of the room. All in all, this is a really good TV at a great price - and the 3D feature just puts it over the top.

I bought this TV at HHGregg for $800 and it included two pairs of glasses. I was concerned about the 720p, but I looked at in the store and compared to other 1080p models I thought it looked just as good if not better. I brought it home and have been impressed ever since. Sports, movies and television all look fantastic, better than my 1080p Samsung that is about 3 years old.

I havent watched a 3D bluray yet but the conversion of regular 2d to 3d is really cool. For this price, if you are at all interested in 3D, buy it now!

Was really excited when this tecnology started to hit the stores, went to see it live and was hooked right off the bat, got it home setup was easy good manual and our local cable service has 6 or 7 3d movies ready to watch and presto what a sight, out of the screen effects were great make sure while watching you select picture adjust it auto sets the 3d so you get optimal depth and clarity. tried 2d to 3d on regular hd channels and was pleasently surprised. and lets not forget about the normal 2d this tv has one of the best pictures i have seen, any angle looks right on and the white levels are great for a plasma. i know its 720p but you can still set all your gaming and dvd settings up to 1080p its still works.

This is my Review for the Samsung PN50C490 50-Inch 720p Plasma 3D HDTV. After purchasing this television I was a bit skeptical about getting a large ticket item from Amazon. All my worries were soon put to rest, I ordered this product on Sunday April 24, 2011 and it was in my house by the 28th. I was a little worried about the delivery process being that I had read mixed reviews on CEVA the freight shipper selected to deliver the television. Overall my experience with them was great once my TV got into town they called and emailed me informing that I need to call to set-up a delivery. So I did just that and they gave me a delivery window from 9am to 1pm. They arrived around 11:30 am then 2 mean carried this unit to the second floor where they unboxed the television and mounted it on the stand. Then I was asked to sign for the TV and I asked them to plug the unit in so that I could see it worked. After that I signed and they left I was happy and surprised that they put the TV together. I then removed my other TV and replaced it with "Beauty" yes that's what I named her... My fiancé was annoyed about that.

I have had this television for about 6 days now May 4th 2011, I have watched movies on the TV and the picture looks great. I have a subscription to DirecTV and I get full 1080p on this set even though it is listed at a 720p set. All of my HD content is beautiful and top notch quality. This is my 3rd HDTV but my first plasma screen. I couldn't really go wrong here for the price and the screen size I think I got away with a steal. I paid $678 and no taxes and got free shipping! I am very happy with the size of this television this set is huge at 50 inches! I have an Xbox 360 and I have played games on this television and I must say that the picture quality is Amazing but I haven't tried gaming in 3D mode yet. I have 2 pairs of glasses that I just ordered today on the way, and I will update this post when I try my first at home 3D experience. I had movie night with the family and I got complements for the set, my mother in law said that I have a movie theatre at home and it was beautiful which made me feel good about my purchase. The television has a beautiful stainless steel base along with a piano black bezel. The only complaint I have is with the TV is the glass screen, I have 3 large sized windows in my living room and I find that during the day viewing is not too good. The screen reminds me of a mirror because everything reflects off of it during daytime viewing.

I am going to have to invest in some black out curtains in the near future to solve this issue which is no big deal for me. But when watching TV at night the colors are so vibrant and beautiful. I was watching Nickelodeon and Disney with my daughter and the colors on the cartoons were amazing. But one thing I did notice is that on specific channels that the channel logos seem to burn onto the screen. At first I thought that I had ruined the set but after watching other programming for about 10 minutes the screen had cleared up so I am very paranoid with watching channels with logos but 75 percent of channels have logos. The networks with the transparent logos don't pose a problem at all for the TV. The TV has 2 Component, 3 HDMI 2 in the back one on the side. 1 USB for streaming outside media and updates, 1 optical out and some other ports. I think that it's the only drawback of this is that you will have to buy another component to bridge all your wiring if you have a lot of electronic components. Also when scaling with a computer the resolution is fine but it would be nicer if you could view at a higher resolution. Well I think this will conclude my review!

I am a research nut so it took me 2 months to finally come to a decision and I decided on this set based on overall price and best bang for my buck. For $799 (at Sears) the set came with two 3D glasses (Samsung SSG-2100AB), which are currently valued at around $150 each. I had $1500 in my budget for a new set and I am glad I waited.

Sears had this TV on display with the entire package attached (3D blu-ray, surround sound, etc). The 3D glasses where hidden away so I watched the 3D demo DVD with no glasses until the salesman went to find the glasses. When the salesman arrived I actually had him switch it to 2D before I looked at it in 3D. At first glance in 2D it was a great picture all though the area was very bright. I messed with the remote control for awhile and it was very user friendly. We then went into 3D mode and it was great. I then looked around at all of their other sets under $1500 (mind you I have been doing this for the last two months at stores like Costco, Sam's Club, Best Buy, etc). It was time to make a decision or my wife was going to kill me. I could not justify spending TWICE as much for another TV because I did not see anything in that range that had much better picture quality even with this set being 720p. This includes LED TV's. I am not partial to Plasma either. I have owned two different LCD's (Vizio & Sony) in the last 7 years or so and I have never owned a plasma.

When I got home the setup took me not even 10 minutes. This was planned to be placed in a dark area of our house so purchasing a plasma was ok with me knowing that a common complaint of plasmas is the effect of bright lighting in the background can be annoying. I was Wowed by the picture quality and this was even before I received my HD box from Cox Cable. Once we got the HD box and 3D Player I was more than 100% completely satisfied with my decision and purchase. Realistic colors make the picture very realistic and not overboard where people on TV look fake as I have seen on other sets which cost more.

I read several reviews about this set before I purchased. The complaints I read where about the sound, the stand and the burn in effect you commonly get in plasmas:

Sound - If someone got this TV with bad sound then the need to return it because that is just not the case. The built-in sound system is awesome> I work from home and I stream pandora from my 3D Blu-ray player w/WIFI and it sounds great. TV stations and gaming also sound great

Stand - I have not mounted the TV yet and do not plan to until I move. The stand has a stabilizer (spring type thing in it) that keeps it sit upright and very sturdy. I've e tried to tilt it on its side and have applied a good amount of pressure to it and it help up firmly. I have no issues with the stand although I can see how one could think it is flimsy.

Burn in - I have not experienced not one episode of burn-in yet. Maybe I am missing it and I have to remind myself to pay attention but I have not experienced any burn in whatsoever.

3 HDMI hookups, 1 PC hookup and 1 USB hookup but only one Components hookup, which I already have a Wii hooked up to. I am not an electronics expert but there are still a lot of products that use component hook ups in my opinion so if you are like me you will probably have to be swapping out wires once in awhile unless there are converters available.

All and all, I am extremely satisfied with my purchase. Paid just under $1000 for an entry level 3D TV with (2) 3D glasses and purchased separately a 3D blu-ray player w/built wifi (BD-C6800 model at Costco)for $160. Came in $500 under budget ($1500) and couldn't be happier to have a great looking TV and the extra cash in my pocket. I read some reviews and complaints here at Amazon about the TV being a 720p and with the pixels. I am not impressed with that argument unless you are comparing a 3D entry level TV like this one to a high end model. I have 20/20 eyesight after laser eye surgery and have looked at dozens of TV's in the last two months, including the two LCD's I have owned for a few years. I'm looking at it right now. This picture is fantastic.

4.5 stars only because the set offers only 1 component hook up. Otherwise it would be a 5.

I will update this review once I get some more 3D movies and check out that function in more detail. I have only watched Resident Evil: Afterlife and it was decent but I am looking to watch something like Open Season and Alice in Wonderland which have been given great reviews for 3D quality.

Greetings, please dont make the mistake of dismissing this tv as a simple 720p plasma as I did.
I recently purchased a 46 inch Sony Bravia 120hz LED LCD I thought it was great. I was in the market for a larger LED 55 to 60 inch for the living room. I went to best buy and reviewed side by side with a 55 samsung led and a sony 60 led. I adjusted the settings on all three and tuned them down equally, the sales guy didnt like this but I did it anyway.

This tv more than holds its own. I have a 42 inch Panasonic plasma that was highly rated, this tv blows it out of the water. I thought that the 3d aspect would hurt the 2d performance but it does not. This panel is reflective, but it is glass. This tv is clearly a much higher quality than than the other plain 720 or 1080 plasmas on the market, this tv out performed the plain Panasonic plasma that it sat by.

600 hz vs. 120 or 240. You can see the difference,go see for yourself.

I feel sorry for all the people who will buy a 1080 lcd this week for a little more money. This tv is special and I am glad I found it, I am not even into 3d.

To the negative reviews below, I dont see your issues at all on this tv.

One funny thing, I set my sony PS3 output to 720p and if I hit the info on the remote, it is saying 1920x1080 24 frames per second? That cant be right can it?

I love the look and stand of the TV, it looks like a $3000 set. Their is a silight twinge of purple on the bottom, which is really not noticeable. Prince would love it!

This tv is special for the price, dont pass it up!

Update: Ok the media play feature supports ripped blurays dvds and music on an external western digital 2tb drive!!!
This is huge for me, as I dont have to buy a wdtv or apple tv player!! Frickin awesome!!