Customer Reviews

Samsung PN50C550 50-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV (Black)

5 star:		(70)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

I had tried to buy the previous "B" model at close-out prices, but I missed the boat. Thought I might be outta luck until the "C" version started showing up a day or so afterward and it turned out to be basically the same TV, just about 25lbs lighter - only 2 people needed to wall mount - I was down with that and $[...] bucks still didn't seem too bad. I had already researched for some time and Plasma was it for me. The Panny G-10 had a similarly good picture too, and although it offers much to consider, I liked the Sammy's picture just a bit more, but you may want to check it out as well. I received the set with zero problems or issues: no dead pixels or any buzzing, whines or anything amiss at all. Outta the box the picture was quite good, and showed me good resolution performance even with SD cable with no video noise issues (although initially I did find it necessary to use the 3 supplied ferrite, choke magnets that snap onto the power cord. These not only eliminated the several horizontal noise bands in the picture, but cleaned up the resolution on the overall picture with no downside - an easy fix that totally nixed the problem for me).

But, tweaking the picture a bit is where this set shines the most. When researching, I came across a site that offered a list of picture control settings for the "B" version. Since this is really the same panel, I factored it into my buying decision accordingly. Especially since the settings were said to be obtained with a Sencore color analyzer (about a $10,000 pro device for calibrating video displays and is the sort of thing used by the Imaging Science Foundation - ISF. They at least did pioneer and continue to legitimize the video calibration practice, but more to the point, it WASN'T done by any of the more lame imitators that have since cropped up (like Geek Squad, Spyder and others) whom, I feel, exist to separate you from your money (at about $300 a calibration) while hardly giving you a better picture adjustment than you can get on your own with a $25 calibration DVD).

What this means to us is that the results of, what I'm taking to be the equivalent of a $300 (legit) picture calibration, for this particular set anyway, have already been posted on the web for free - not an inconsequential consideration, for anyone interested. I'm posting those numbers here, for those who are:

White Balance Settings:
Red-Offset: 22
Green-Offset: 25
Blue-Offset: 12

Red-Gain: 33
Green-Gain: 25
Blue-Gain: 33

Picture Settings:
Picture Mode: Movie
Color Temp: Warm 2
Brightness: 56
Contrast: 90
Cell Light 8
Color: 53
Tint: G35/R65
Sharpness: 10
Black Tone: Off
Dynamic Contrast: Off
Gamma: 0
Colorspace: Auto
Flesh Tone: Off
Edge Enhancement: Off
Digital NR: Auto
HDMI Black Level: Low
Film Mode: Auto

When I tried these settings I noticed a very organic, natural-looking picture, one that offered me a few surprizes. This set happens to be inherently capable of showing a more-than-generous amount of color saturation without problem. I personally prefer a picture that's just slightly undersaturated, if anything (but, I expect this set will accomodate anyone's taste on that score, if yours are different than mine). With all this, what I found was that even when slightly undersaturated and I felt the picture was indeed realistic-looking, whenever an unusually colorful object was displayed (like a particularly vivid piece of clothing, or a brightly flourescent color - like some NASCAR colors, for example), this TV displayed BOTH the less intense colors of the more mundane objects, and the most decidedly vivid ones, equally well in the same scene AT THE SAME TIME - never subduing the most vivid colors even when the overall color level looked 'properly' undersaturated to me on the more everyday objects. Nor was it unnaturally emphasizing them, for that matter. The result was a TV that, on any good, HiDef, cable feed, regularly showed me a surprisingly wide (yet natural-looking) "dynamic range" of color intensity in the images. I could just about feel as if the TV itself were getting out of the way and showing me clearly (and more truthfully than I've seen in my home before) just what the camera saw. Very nice and, as I say, surprizingly convincing (and this with simply 1080i and 720p cable feeds - a Blu-ray player is definitely next!). This set, after my preferred adjustments, didn't make all the colors look too subdued, like some plasmas I've seen have ended up doing, nor all the colors too vivid, like some LCD's. I felt like it walked the line beautifully - not merely a good compromise, but it seemed truly the best of both in this regard. Black levels were great and with excellent detail - no complaints.

In the end, I did opt to deviate from the settings above, but only with respect to overall contrast/brightness and color level settings, everything else was the same. This gave me an appreciable gain in contrast that suits me and my family's tastes in our well lighted, daytime living room. Plasma is usually not as vivid in the contrast department as most LCD's or LED's, but in the mid-price range ($1,000-$1,500 retail) it's a small price for me to pay for a picture that I feel (with adjustment) is otherwise decidedly sharper, clearer, more life-like and dimensional than anything else for the money. I haven't felt that any comparative lack of overall contrast has resulted in any buyer's remorse for me at all, as no such notion has yet remotely entered my head anytime I've watched it.

I'll add that in my experience with LCD's vs. Plasmas, Plasmas kill LCD's and LED's when it comes to motion - at least in the sets in this price range. Up over about $2,000 and differences between the panel types start to get quite a bit smaller to me. But, just before I settled on this Sammy, I went to Wally World and dragged home a Vierra LCD, mainly to see if 'taming down' an LCD picture to suit my tastes could possibly be better than trying to 'pump up' a Plasma. In this case, a huge waste of time! What I saw was a 120-Hz LCD on sale at just under a 1,000 bucks that just couldn't do motion very well at ALL. I popped in a SD DVD of Lawrence of Arabia and it looked like it was shot "live-to-video", perfectly goofy. I also found out just how bad a 5-ms response time can look on a 47" set. The 120Hz feature DID work as advertised and made fast motion MUCH better than without, but any slow-speed pan or movement caused a nearly instantaneous defocusing of the area of motion, until the motion stopped and the blurred area was able to snap back into focus. When watching a head shot of someone speaking, for example, their face would perceptably blur in the areas of facial movement while the face of another person in the scene next to them (not talking) remained in sharp focus - too disconcerting. And too much of a disconnect to the experience to NOT want to look at a person while they were talking(!). Plasma (600Hz or no) inherently has no such motion problems that require the consumer to spend money on to overcome. If that wasn't enough (and, believe me, for me it was) the somewhat artificial vividness to the picture proved, at least on this LCD, to be something I could never quite tame, no matter what the settings.

For me, to pass muster, a flat panel must make no major blunders in the 4 most important performance areas of color, contrast, resolution and motion. To me this Sammy does all of that and at a very nice price - I don't know how I can do much better than that, especially without another free video calibration. In fact, the only Plasma that I'm confident could beat it hands down is the discontinued-but-still-available Pioneer Kuro 50" plasma. But then, it should, it retailed for a mere $4,500 when new. But, a few months ago it could be had on the web for only 1,600 bucks. It's just that at the time, I didn't have the scratch. Now, the remaining ones, if you can find 'em, were, the last time I looked, hovering around $3,000. Oh well, I'll tell you one thing, though; this machine at this price, has certainly eased my pain...;) I know this isn't 3D, or more colors than RGB or anything, but I'm more than content now to wait all that out. Til the next round, this will do me just fine!

I've had mine for two weeks now and could not be more pleased with my choice. I reviewed LCD, LED and Plasma as I was looking for something in the 46"-50" range. I had narrowed my options down to the Panny G15 ogr G20 and this set. Frankly, they both had a few reports of problems. The Pannys being the changing black levels that panasonic says is a planned adjustment as the set ages vs. the buzzing that some Samsung Plasma owners seem to get. I decided that the buzzing was a hit or miss and if I got one that did buzz, I would return it and by another at a later date. Sicne the Panny is engineered to adjust it's black levels and they are clearly not going to fix the issue with a firmware update, I scratched them from the list. This set has the best picture of anything I looked at straight out of the box. After tweaking with some settings I found on the web, It is truly like looking out a picture window into the real world. Acturate, lifelike colors that are not over saturated and look as natural as I've ever seen. Sound on this set is much better than many reviewers give it credit for as long as your not expecting 5.1 theater type sound from a tv. Plenty loud, no humming or hissing or problems for my family. There's plenty of hookups (4 HDMI, PC, Componet and composite for most everyones needs.

I've mounted mine on the wall using a mount from monoprice and it's now it's like the home theater I always wanted. Great picture from about 10' viewing distance. For under $1200, I feel like I stole this set. If your looking, make sure you give this one a try.

One last thing is to READ the manual. there are a few tips inside that are priceless. One is that the "pixal orbiter" that prevents burn in requires a certain setting (can't remember it exactly since I set it up and forgot it). I used the settings in the Most Helpful Post in this forum and then tweaked slightly to the lighting conditions of my room. I'm currently running well below max brightness to help break the set in but it looks great so I doubt I'll turn it up any once I get a 1000 hours on it.

I just got my tv yesterday. TV was manufactured in April 2010. First day, has very light buzzing noise, second day, is getting louder. I think Samsung has not fix their buzzing noise for sure in this 2010 models. I just think this is very annoying even though Samsung will not admit as they say it is normal to have the buzzing. I hate to the return and I don't think Samsung will have a fix either if I report this issue to their repair support. When I complained about this noise, they said it is normal but I could try to contact their ECR (Executive Customer Relation) Dept to escalate the issue which I am doubtful they will do anything about it. So anyone wanting to buy a plasma tv, please consider the buzzing noise as I know some people do get non-buzzing (hit and miss) but most likely you will get a buzzing one. Picture quality. overall is great not excellent but just great especially for the money. Heat produced is very minimal.
Screen is very glossy and reflective. So if you have an open room or windows behind your seat, I would not recommend this tv. I have been a big fan of Samsung products from cell phone, monitor, refrigerator, LCD TV and my last purchase a plasma tv is very disappointing. However, I hope their tech support will do something about it to make the buzzing less apparent. My first LCD tv purchased also do make the buzzing noise but since I bought Best Buy extended warranty, they took care of it by replacing the power supply board or something which I was not quite sure but since then the buzz was gone.

Samsung has to really make their plasma better in my opinion by minimizing their buzz issue otherwise a lot of people will be very disappointed. Boo....Samsung plasma!!

I will post an update once I have hear back from their ECR dept. to see what they plan to do to resolve this issue but my guess most likely they will say it is normal by doing the 15 feet test listening at normal volume.

Unlike reviews I have read on this model and last years Plasma model I have not experienced ANY buzzing. I have had the TV installed for around 2 weeks and I love it.

Pros
1. Excellent picture. I used the settings another poster recommended and I concur, they really provide a great overall experience with a few modifications
2. Great features for the price: I have a number of movies that are in AVI and being able to watch them directly from my TV is a nice plus. I plan to finish ripping my DVD collection so I don't have to shuffle around disks anymore.
3. Looks great with my Xbox 360. Nuff said.. Really, it's very nice and RPG's like Call of Duty 2 and Mass Effect are sharp and no issues. Even better in game mode.
4. Cable placement. This is a tricky one. I like the overall layout of the connections on the back panel of the TV. I'm using the TV on the included mount, so this layout allows me to centralize the cables before bring them down. If I wall mount it, you couldn't as for better position.

Cons
1. None.

This TV is an excellent value and has all the features you would need. I compared this with LCD's and LED's and I feel that the cost difference and minor features some models add didn't overcome their price difference.
1. None

Having reviewed Consumer Reports, AV Forums, CNET etc I determined that plasma was the best choice given that picture quality is the most important factor in a TV purchase in my opinion.I had been carefully reviewing the Panasonic G10 but passed when the black level "scandal" came about. I trust CNETs reviews and the AV forums. I watch a lot of films and black/low light scenes are an important consideration for me as this is an area where LCDs struggle. We upgraded from a reference level Sony 34XBR960. The picture quality is excellent on the PN50C550. Black levels are very good although not the absolute best possible. For that i would have had to spend 4k+

I did the Spears and Munsil Bluray calibration. It needed some adjustment from the factory settings to get very close to reference levels of contrast, blacks, color saturation etc. The factory settings aren't awful but if you want test bed/reference quality then I suggest spending the $25 for this disk and doing it yourself. Very easy to work within the Samsung menus to achieve the best picture quality. It took about 15 mins to make all the slight adjustments. Most factory settings are too bright and over saturated colors. I want reality not hyper colors. Especially when watching sports. I know what the court at Staples center looks like, the grass at Qualcomm Stadium and the colors better match at home. They definetly do.

It does have that slight hum or buzz. This is not audible unless you are within 4-6 feet or less of the TV with no other sounds in the room. I don't use the built-in speakers. The hum is coming from the power supple I believe. It's a constant buzz similar to a computer.

We didn't need all the bells/whistles of the higher levels in this series as we can plug an ethernet or wireless router into the Tv if we want internet or picture streaming.

Bottom line: Best bang for your buck under $1200, heck I would put it against a 2-3k LED/LCD in a testbed showdown! Amazon has the best price and delivery was easy/on-time with CEVA. I picked it up from the dock in Los Angeles as I didn't want to wait an extra day for them to home deliver since I live down the freeway from CEVA.
Jeff
[...].

I bought this from Amazon a couple of months ago and it waited patiently in its box until our building work progressed sufficiently that it could be hung on the wall.

First of all, this is an attractive set, looks great, looks more expensive than it is and is very minimalistic - which suits us perfectly. The picture as others have described is superb.

We have ours hooked up to a Harmon Kardon AV system will all inputs via that AV amp (TIVO HD, Blu-Ray). Thus we just use 1 HDMI connection to the TV. All controlled with a Harmony remote.

The killer app for this TV though is that you can hook it up to your home network. Either via Samsungs own Wifi device or via Ethernet. I chose the latter as streaming video via WIFI has been temperamental at best in my experience.

The TV automatically detects your media - in our case via Windows Media Center (on a Windows 7 machine) and via Playon software installed on another (do a search to find it). This software allows you to access Hulu and other internet content (including Netflix). Sound is output from the TV to the amp via an optical cable (which might cause problems for those with older equipment). Works just great.

All in all a very pleasing purchase.

After our excellent big screen buying experience with Amazon for the downstairs TV (a 63" Samsung PN63A650), we decided to dive in again when it came time to update the bedroom set. We're more than satisfied with the picture on the 63 incher, Amazon's delivery service had done a great job getting it to us, and this PN50C550 is priced and sized right, so the choice was easy.

Our 63" set was reliably delivered by Ceva and this 50" example by Pilot Freight Services. Pilot contacted me ahead of time to schedule an appointment and followed through right on time. Their driver was beyond courteous and accommodating. He helped me hook up the set and the picture was beautiful right out of the box. In fact, I still haven't changed any picture settings. Like our downstairs set, it's quiet and crystal clear. No complaints whatsoever.

Another terrific buying experience - courtesy of Amazon and Pilot.
Another terrific TV - courtesy of Samsung.

Two thumbs up!

I've been reading reviews and visiting showrooms for months and I finally settled on this set. I originally wanted the new LED set, but the picture quality was too "real". It had fake over-exaggerated color. Plus, Plasma is still the best technology for delivering motion. (sports and games) This set is very real to life. Yes, you can tweak the settings, but there is no need to. The out of the box settings are great for average watchers. Connect this TV to an Anynet+ capable Bluray player and you're in heaven. I didn't even have to use the remote that came with the TV. Once connected to an Anynet+ device, you can control all your units without reprogramming. Just a smart tv. This model is also about 20lbs lighter than the B series. It's also perfect for anyone not wanting to deal with all the new "widgets", but if you want, you can use the Samsung Link Stick with it for the All Share feature and if you've got a new Samsung Bluray, it will have all those internet features anyway. That is why this set is at such an amazing price. Also 4HDMI ports. Can't beat it. The speakers are surprisingly good. I usually have my home theater on at all times, and the other night, I had it off and played with the "Virtual Surround Sound" settings in the very easy to use TV menu, and I'm impressed. All and all, a great value. Way better than the LED my brother got that had me drueling. Watch out when viewing on showroom floors though, they dim the color settings on this set to pursuade you to a superbright LED LCD.

I love the picture quality and it's definitely a great value. If there is any complaint I have it's the fact that there is a lot of image retention and it happens often. I use the guide feature of my cable company and if I have it on for more than thirty seconds and then turn it off, the outline of the box at the bottom of the screen and any text will be visible as a kind of shadow for a few minutes after the guide is turned off. It then goes away, and I've read that it doesn't cause any real damage but it's annoying. I also get the same image retention when watching either wide screen shows with black bars on top and bottom; and also when I'm watching 4:3 programs with bars on the left and right of the screen. There is always an after image when I then watch programing which covers the whole screen. Again, probably not a big deal but I haven't seen a single review mention this phenomenon, and until I purchased my TV I did not know anything about it. Would this have stopped me from buying? No, the picture is great, and I'd buy the TV again, but if your thinking about buying this TV it's only fair that you know about this.

Also, among the very first paragraphs in the manual are statements that Samsung does not warranty any burn in to the picture. The image retention I'm talking about is not 'Burn in'. According to the manual 'Burn in' happens if you leave a static image on the screen for a "prolonged period of time" however they don't tell you what a "prolonged period of time" is. That's just ridiculous. I'm sure that over the years of testing of this technology by Samsung that lead them to make sure they put that disclaimer in the manual they must have determined how long it takes to destroy the screen. Not telling a customer who has already purchased the product is an obvious attempt to hide the facts. That's shady, and bad business in my book. So now I see all this image retention, and I am fearful that it will permanently damage my screen, even though I've read online that it won't....but who's to say when the manufacturer doesn't even acknowledge how prevalent image retention is.....it happens every time I watch TV without fail. Plasma is an old technology, good for the money but if you can afford it get an LED or LCD. They don't have any issues with image retention or burn in at all, plus their life span is twice that of plasma and I doubt the image is that much worse....you get a better black with plasma, but is it worth it?....I really don't know.

This is a pretty bare bones TV, but if you want the best picture quality & big screen for the least amount of money. You can stop your search mow. The black levels are amazing on this TV, LED can't compare to plasma. Movies have a great film like quality and paired with a decent audio receiver you have your self a really out standing home theater. Also I don't hear any buzzing noise at all from my TV (purchased in Oct 2010) like other reviewers had noticed.

Pros:

- Picture Quality
- Speakers are decent
- 4 HDMI inputs
- Stand rotates
- DLNA Ready (watch movies stored on your computer or DLNA device)

Cons:
- Not internet connected, no Apps (buy GoogleTv if that is what you want)
- Remote is horrible. It's big and ugly. (buy a decent universal remote)