Customer Reviews

Samsung PN50C7000 50-Inch 1080p 3D Plasma HDTV (Black)

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I have been researching plasma televisions for the last few months in preparation for my first large TV purchase. It was a painstaking process that eventually lead me to purchase the Panasonic G25. Because I lived with that TV for about three weeks and have enjoyed the C7000 for the same amount of time, I am poised to compare the two.

What first must be addressed is why I chose to return the G25. Two words: floating blacks. This is not to be confused with the phenomenon of rising blacks, where over time the ability of the panel to produce deep, dark blacks is diminished (although this afflicts 2010 models, it occurs at a more gradual rate). "Floating blacks" occurs when images on screen change in brightness and the blacks rise and fall as a result. This represents a significant problem because it is reactionary: when a bright image appears, the blacks do not rise immediately so the effect becomes very obvious and irritating. Floating blacks have been reported by many, while others swear they either do not exist or are indiscernible. I found the behavior to be pervasive for all material and absolutely unbearable. This is unfortunate, because the G25 was fantastic in every other regard: nearly perfect colors out of the box in THX mode, rich blacks with great shadow detail and not a hint of image retention or burn in. In all of the aforementioned categories, the G25 outperformed the C7000 and makes me wish Panasonic would have their niggles sorted.

Onward to the C7000.

Overall, I am very pleased with the television. Aesthetically, it is an extremely striking piece of kit. The base is a beautiful piece of brushed aluminum (well, it's probably steel, but the finish is brushed), the bezel also sports a brushed finish, which in my opinion is far superior to the glossy bezel of most sets, and the glass-like base support and surround add the finishing touch to a special looking television.

The picture quality of this television is great, to be sure. I find the out-of-the-box colors to be fairly inaccurate and they will be further from true without a professional calibration than the Panasonic. Black levels are good, although not as a rich as the G25 (pre-rise anyway, that could change after a year or two). The screen is a bit brighter than the G25 with more color pop and I have had no issues with motion. The G25 was noticeably grainier, a possible issue if one's normal viewing distance is closer than average (say, closer than 8 feet). The standard menu allows for far more customization than the Panasonic and there is no need for a non-professional to ever enter the service menu. The internet widgets are exponentially superior to those offered by Panasonic, but I have so many streamers, media devices etc. that the included Samsung apps are rarely used.

There are a couple of things that irk me with the Samsung, none necessarily significant. Image retention is far more prominent on this set than the Panasonic or my parents' five-year-old Phillips. A static image left on screen for just a few minutes will result in image retention (and I do have the pixel orbiter set to engage after just one minute). Luckily, it will disappear within minutes after switching to any content that will get those pixels moving and none of the retention has resulted in burn-in. I do play games and still detect no burn-in whatsoever. Also, I did notice a bit of line bleed that I never experienced with the G25, but that seemed to be an isolated incident as I have not observed it again.

That segues nicely to my next point of complaint: game mode. The input lag on this set makes games unplayable in any mode BUT game mode. This in itself is not an issue, because with game mode engaged, any remaining lag is imperceptible. The problem stems from a poorly designed menu. To activate game mode, you must enter the menu, scroll down to services, then click the general setting menu, and then choose on or off. If input lag is going to suck so much in all other modes, this needs to be a single button-click on the remote. Moreover, you can't disengage game mode by simply switching picture modes. Instead, you must again navigate the same asinine menu tree. Irritating and unnecessary, but at least input lag is perfectly acceptable once in game mode.

What many buyers considering this set are probably concerned with is 3D capability. It is by far the least expensive 3D television currently available and (especially with the present inclusion of a BR player/starter kit combo) is an unbeatable value. 3D on this set is nearly as good as the big boys (read: VT25) with little crosstalk or ghosting. 3D content is sparse at the moment and will continue to be for the foreseeable future (partly because of the exclusive packaging bull malarkey perpetuated by Samsung and the studios themselves; talk about shooting yourself in the foot). As such, the 2D-3D conversion algorithm is a nice addition and can deliver surprisingly impressive results. It works well for some content and is insufferable with others, so you will have to experiment and see what works for you. Some games and animated content seem to respond particularly well. I recently experimented with native 3D content via the PS3 and was surprised with the results. Stardust HD and Motorstorm both exceeded my expectations, especially considering they were not initially created with 3D as an objective. WipeOut, while not nearly as striking (and a medicore game at best), still enjoyed the added benefit of depth afforded by 3D and still yields an appreciable effect. I should also add that I have experienced no issues whatsoever concerning communication or syncing between the glasses and the television. Additionally, the glasses are fairly comfortable and having to change a battery every 50 hours is actually preferable in the long run, as opposed to losing the charge with internal units, necessitating a trip to the factory (or refuse bin).

A tangential but important note: when the 7000 line of Samsung plasmas was first released, a picture-processing mode called Motion Judder Canceller was engaged and undefeatable. What this processing actually does is irrelevant: it should be avoided like the plague. If you choose this set, make sure it has firmware 1026 or later installed or download it immediately if not. For giggles, I converted my C7000 into a C8000 in the service menu, which activates the option to enable or disable MJC (I do not recommend this as there is no need). I enabled it and within seconds wanted to gouge my eyes out, it really is that bad. Make sure MJC is off, forever. And ever.

I suppose this review might come across as somewhat negative. I have decided to keep the Samsung and am happy to have returned the Panasonic, if that is any indication. I give a slight edge to the G25 in overall picture quality, so if you do not need/want 3D and do not observe floating blacks - or don't know what the heck I'm talking about (and believe me, ignorance is most definitely bliss here) - I would go for the Panasonic, primarily because it is surprisingly inexpensive for the picture it offers. Otherwise, the Samsung is a great set and impeccable value considering its feature set and stunning design. All of the 2010 plasma models have their foibles, it just so happens the C7000 offered the least of them in areas concerning me for the right price.

This TV is absolutely amazing. The picture quality is top notch, and after demoing several models from panasonic, samsung and LG, I decided for the price this TV included everything I could ever want. I'm extremely pleased with my decision.
After purchasing a Samsung LED in December, I was left somewhat unimpressed. My first HDTV was plasma and after owning a few LCDs and one LED I decided to go back to plasma. I mostly compared Panasonic and Samsung, but also took a brief look at some of LG's LED TVs. It finally came down to the G25 by Panasonic and this TV, the PN50c7000. Picture quality was the most important to me, so that came first. Both TV's looked excellent in HD(Source was star trek BD), but after demoing the two several times I felt the PN50c7000 had the edge. I consulted one of my buddies who is an expert on HDTVs(a professional calibrator)and he broke down the pros and cons of each model. I went with the PN50c7000 and could not be happier. The picture quality is fantastic, with rich colors and very deep blacks. The addition of 3D was also a plus to me, but definitely not one of my priorities. Standard definition also looks amazing, and with TV's these days SD quality can vary drastically from set to set(The G25 was not as great at reproducing SD, one of the deal breakers for me). Finally, the PNc7000 had far more internet capabilities than the G25, which was another added bonus, as well as 3D. Since owning the TV I have tested many sources and it seems to reproduce colors very accurately, and again, has a great contrast.
I would also like to address the issue many have had with this TV, the so called "soap opera effect". The first generation models of this TV came preloaded with MJC(the newer ones do not), or motion judder canceller, which made movement look "fake" or ghostly when watching from some sources. This is a feature also found of the C8000 series, but for some reason samsung didn't include an option to turn it off on the C7000. Many returned their sets in anger because of this, but its actually a very easy fix. There are several options, the easiest being the game mode option. Switching the game mode from on to off in the general settings will turn this effect off. Do this for each source and no more MJC. Samsung has also issued a firmware update on their website which can be applied via a USB flash drive that will also fix the issue. The last option, which many tech savvy individuals have done, is switch the TV from a c7000 model to an 8000 model via the service menu, which gives you a menu option to turn MJC off. I can confirm that this works, but do so at your own risk. You can potentially brick your TV if you do something wrong. The first two options are extremely easy and safe to perform. Don't return your sets because of this and miss out on a seriously impressive TV.
Overall this TV has it all. An extremely impressive PQ, internet capability and 3D are all present on the PNc7000, with a sleek, slim design to top it off. I would recommend this TV to anyone, and while the Panasonic G25 is also a very impressive TV, my opinion leans toward Samsung this year.

Update: There is some image retention on this model that many will notice, including myself. Don't worry, its never permanent. There is a recommended 100 hour break in time with most plasmas, and this is no exception. If the temporary image retention bothers you, make sure you dial down the contrast and especially brightness. Do this for the first 50-100 hours and image retention should slowly become a non issue. For those who don't want to do this, run the scrolling bar across your screen when image retention occurs and it will do the trick. Note: I recently left my screen on pause for 3 hours(forgot to turn it off!) and of course it left quite a bit of burn in. I ran the scrolling bar for 2 minutes and everything went away. Works like a charm.

Update #2 : Well, after about eleven months of use(and eleven great months at that) a line of pixels has died in my screen. It is a very small line about 1/3 the way down. I opened the TV up to check all the connections and they were solid, so I have chalked this up as a bad panel. Luckily I bought an extended warranty so BB has ordered the new panel and will send someone to put it in at the end of this week. I'm almost positive Samsung also offers a warranty for at least the first year, but dealing with them will probably be complex and take a much longer amount of time.

I briefly searched to see if anyone else has had this issue as well but so far I have found only a few cases. While It is certainly disappointing to have a panel fail after only eleven months, the PNC7000 is still an amazing TV with stunning PQ. I would give it 4 stars, current conditions withstanding. Just thought I would share my experiences even if it is a rare occurrence.

I purchased this TV as a replacement for an older JVC DLP 1080i set. The colors and details are amazing! Playing PS3 games and blu ray movies on a plasma are everything I've read about. There has been absolutely no blurring during action movies like some LCD's can have. I don't know how it compares to some of the "industry's finest" plasmas, like a Kuro, but from what I've seen, the black levels have been superb.

I describe myself as a pretty technical person, so I really appreciate all of the adjustments available on the 7000 series. I would liked to have purchased the PN50C8000, with pro calibration controls, but it wasn't available to me at the time I purchased this model.

Adding to the geek appeal is the internet functionality. I am able to connect it directly to a LAN cable, so all internet widgets and video streaming are quick and don't lag. Possibly one of the greatest connection feature has to be the USB connection. I have a 1 TB external hdd filled with movies and video. I have only encountered one obscure file format that the TV hasn't been able to play. It will even play .mkv files!

There have only been a few downfalls to this TV. From the time I turned it on for the first time, there has been a buzzing noise emitting from the screen. I can't pinpoint the exact location, but you can hear it when you would like to have the volume lower (like when our baby is taking a nap). Apparently this has been an ongoing issue with Samsung TV's, and it seems that I have been one of the latest victims. I am still unsure how I am going to handle this buzz (take it back to Best Buy or call Samsung).

This is probably expected with how thin these displays are, but the sound is pretty tinney and doesn't have a lot of quality. Most people will probably want to purchase a sound bar or have a home theater set up, like I do, so it really isn't that big of a deal.

The only other thing, which is inherent in plasma screens (no matter what the companies tell you), is burning images. I've read all over the internet that modern plasma displays are not supposed to be susceptible to this problem, but let me tell you, if you leave your DVR paused for more than a few minutes on a bright screen or an image with a prominent network icon (Discovery Channel HD), you will definitely see an image for a little while. The TV has features to minimize or allow the pixels to "unburn" itself, but you need to be careful anyways.

So far I have really enjoyed the PN50C7000, I would definitely recommend it, but will always caution the buzzing.

First, I'll say I'm very satisfied with the TV. Crystal clear HD and very good processing of non-HD signals. Blacks are awesome. If I had it to do over again, I would purchase the same c7000 model instead of the c8000.

However, there are noteworthy items for those shopping:

Wireless Internet -
For easy-setup wireless Internet use, it requires a separately purchased USB adapter device with the correct plug type. Conveniently, Samsung makes one that you can buy for $50 - $70. In my opinion, Samsung should have put in an internal wireless adapter. What a shame. Would have only cost about 75 cents.

To connect my TV to the wireless router, instead of a USB dongle, I used a TrendNet TEW-430APB configured as an Access Point Client which is plugged into the Samsung's Ethernet jack. The TrendNet unit is about $40 and requires a little bit of networking knowledge to configure. This solution might be preferable if you think you will need additional Ethernet connections in the same area as the TV. Additional connections can be made available with the purchase of an Ethernet switch.

Image Retention -
I expected a little of this. If you pause an image and leave it for a while, it WILL burn in but only temporarily. There is a scrolling-bar feature that exercises the pixels and removes the image. It will also go away on its own. Supposedly severe image retention stops happening as the display panel "cures".

Blurring around the edges -
This was a big disappointment for me initially but it has been fixed with sets that have firmware version 1026 and later. Older sets can be updated by doing a firmware update that is described in the downloads/support section of the c7000 page at Samsung's website.

This effect is called Motion Judder Cancellation (MJC) and it was very noticeable on images being panned in front of a moving background. If you have the effect (it looks like a watery halo around an object's edge) on your TV, it can be fixed by doing the simple firmware update. You will need a computer with Internet access and a USB thumb drive. In lieu of the firmware update, it can be turned off by turning ON Game Mode and then turning Game Mode OFF while using the particular affected input.

I did not buy this set for its 3D capabilities so I cannot comment on that. 3D theater movies are novel but I find even the theater's lightweight glasses cumbersome. Battery-powered home sets are no doubt heavier. I wore glasses for the first 35 years of my life - post-LASIK, I'm not going to wear them to watch TV.

I was looking at an LCD 3D TV but didn't like the price compared to a closely sized Plasma version. After researching the picture quality between LCD and plasma formats, I am convinced that the plasma is by far a better picture. There is far less pixelization with the plasma and the picture is smoother and more lucid. The contrast ratio is 5,000,000:1. I don't think that is attainable with an LCD. In general, this is a GREAT TV. The Amazon price is a steal compared to buying it at Bestbuy. Not having to fork out $90 in Maryland sales tax to our thief Governor gave me even greater satisfaction.

In regards to this buzzing sound, either I'm deaf (I lost my hearing the day I got married) or there is no buzzing sound. I'm using the TV speakers and maybe this buzzing sound stems from those people who are amplifying their audio through external speakers. Could be feedback or just bad cables/ connections. The only drawback I have about this TV is all the connections are on the far left edge of the TV panel, not the rear. Since all my peripherals are to the right of the TV I had to purchase longer cables.Not a big deal though I've seen people give bad ratings for reasons like this. Just because they're technically-challenged is no reason to give a TV a bad review.

A few other things...

For the wireless USB adapter you do not need to use a Samsung brand network adapter. My Linksys wireless-N (WUSB600N model) works with this TV. Be careful in setting up your wireless network adapter. If you use a NON Samsung adapter DO NOT enable the 'Samsung Wireless Link" in the network settings menu. I accidentally enabled this setting and, for some reason, could not disable it after it recognized the Linksys Adapter. Apparently, this is a software glitch that may be corrected in a future firmware upgrade. I had a "painless" chat session with a samsung representative and the only way to correct the problem is to re-set the TV back to it's original manufacturer settings. You won't find these instructions in the Owners Manual. If you ever need to do this, hold down the "Exit" button for 20 seconds while pointing it at the TV.

Finally.....the 3D. This TV upconverts any 2D broadcast into 3D simply by pressing the "3D" button. This is simulated 3D, not true 3D, but there is a noticeable dimensional effect. It's nice but it's more of a novelty and I find that I'm not reaching for those 3D glasses as often as I used to.

Wow! I love my new TV. I got this tv 6 days ago. I can't believe how many people asked if I had to always watch in 3D with the glasses on, NO. I have a hard time reading these bad reviews. This plasma has a beautiful display. If you don't like the display of so called soap opera effect why not tune the settings to your liking? Star Trek in HD looks crystal clear, is that what you people mean by soap opera effect? lol. And everyone I've asked has never heard about plasma tv's buzzing? Weird. It took me one night to get used to the 3D glasses. Your eyes and brain have to do a bit more to take in what you are viewing. The focal point always stays clear. Other pics in the foreground and background might be blurry because of this. What I'm saying is if a car speeds past the foreground you're supposed to see a blurred image. When a car speeds past you in real life and your view is fixed you don't see a crystal image, there is a natural blur effect. Just don't think the display is bad because something that was not the focal point was blurred a bit. I have to point that out because some people are complaining, but they just don't get it. Also, definetly use your plasma for a few days for it to settle in because I noticed more artifacts the first day than a few days later.

Anyways, 3D! The best effects of 3D I have seen so far is def the 3d-bluray, monsters vs aliens. I actually gave a lil flinch at the begining of the movie when the guy is playing with a paddle ball, nice! Haven't popped in Cloudy with a Chance yet. The best PS3 3D download of the 4, IMO is Motorstorm. There are smoke particle effects that are really good and that shows the brilliance of the display itself. But 3D really adds nuances that multiply the immersive effects throughout the entire game. Your car and the other AI cars kicking out mud towards the screen as you mash the gas pedal, hitting a ramp and flying toward the transition on the other side of a mountain, and driving through the over-grown brush that happens to be on the dirt path, etc. I can't wait for some full 3D games to come out because these demos must've been made with minimum detail. MLB The Show is just a great game, but I know it could have been a hell of a lot better with max 3D tuning. 3D is most prominent during the pitching/batting sequence. The batter in the box pops, and def the HUD. Stardust HD had very little 3D effect I felt. WipEout HD is a full3D game but I never liked WipEout. But from the demo of it I downloaded, it seems the craft pops from the picture the most. Haven't seen any burn in (Image Retention), after playing.

2D to 3D upconversion added a little depth to the view. I had a good time playing Skate3 on it. But let me say I haven't updated my firmware yet. I actually thought 2D to 3D upconvert worked better with standard channels versus HD channels. And I think Sony did a better job with 2d upconvert to 3D because I demoed a Bravia in a Sony Style store. You can't expect too much from this feature with either brand anyway. It adds some depth from the foreground to the background, like the people on the far side of the pitch (field) at the World Cup seemed more distant than in non 3D. The glasses are comfy it really just adds a tint when they are activated. I think 3D shades would be more appropriate.

I've been very impressed with the Samsung TV's for a number of years - they have very impressive image quality, holding fine detail down into the black areas of the picture. I bought this model to replace a 42" Samsung "HD Ready" 1080i unit, which was only about 5 years old (and still has a very good image quality - but I wanted to upgrade to 1080P). After a bit of research and many comparisons, I came to the conclusion that (a)Plasma is still better than LED and (b)Samsung still has the best overall picture quality.

I was ready to purchase the lower end model - the PN50C550 - which really has all the features I need and is quite a bit less expensive, but I was able to get a bundled deal on the PN50C7000 along with a Samsung 3D Blu-Ray player and FOUR of the 3D glasses for a good price at Best Buy (most of the other packages I had seen only came with two sets of glasses, and were still more expensive!). It will be a while till there is a decent selection of 3D movies, but it's a "nice to have" feature in the meantime.

Overall I am exceedingly happy with my purchase, with a few caveats:
- Upgrade the firmware immediately. The newer firmware version fixes quite a few problems, specifically with correctly setting the color space and resolution when playing a standard def DVD from a Blu-Ray player (and it also improves the 3D performance, minimizing the "ghosting" that many people have complained about)
- The sound quality from the internal speakers is poor. I think it's the best they could do with a TV that is this thin, so the designers were constrained by the physical dimensions which prohibit proper speakers. Get yourself an external amplifier and some decent speakers (I recommend the Denon AVR591 and the Definitive Audio ProCinema-600 speakers)
- There is no S-Video input (another reason to get an external amplifier - just make sure you get one that has analog in and upsamples to 1080P HDMI out)

You can't go wrong with the Samsung PNxxC7000 series (at whatever size you desire) - and if you want to save some money and don't need the 3D, the PNxxC550 series will probably suit your needs just fine.

OK , IF YOU WERE WONDERING ABOUT THOSE NASTY REVIEWS FROM OTHER CONSUMERS, I MUST TELL YOU THAT THEY WERE RIGHT , TILL NOW. NO MORE GHOSTING ISSUE OR SOAP OPERA PROBLEMS ANYMORE. SAMSUNG RELEASED ON 09/02/2010 A FIRMWARE UPDATE THAT WILL GET RID OF THAT PROBLEM AND DISABLE THE SOAP OPERA EFFECT THE TV WAS HAVING .
NOW I ALWAYS WANT TO HAVE THAT MEGA SMOOTH OPTION AND THERE WAS NO WAY TO TURN IT BACK ON UNTIL NOW. AFTER HOURS SEARCHING I WAS ABLE TO UPDATE MY SERVICE MENU TO THE NEW 8000 SERIES WHICH GIVES YOU THE OPTION OF DOING THIS CALIBRATION. IF YOU WANT TO SPENT AN ADDITIONAL $400 FOR THIS MENU OPTION BE MY GUEST OR YOU CAN BUY THIS TV FOR MUCH LESS AND APPLY THE 8000 SERIES CALIBRATION OPTION BY FOLLOWING THIS SIMPLE STEPS.

Instructions:
- Turn off tv
- Press Mute-1-8-2-Power in sequence
- Once the tv is on, the service menu should appear at the top left corner.
- Go to options
- Change the model to c8000
- Press reset to factory default to exit out of the menu.
- Tv will turn off and back on, once is back on, a massage should appear saying, board has been change, don't worry, just click ok and everything should be fine.
- To get rid of the message, just go back into the service menu and change the front color to T-C-Black

You will notice that now under picture options- film mode- you will have a cinema smooth option
Also you will have a motion judder canceler option.
And last you will have two new presets, cal-day and cal-night

HOPE THIS HELPS YOU OUT . I WAS AMAZED WITH THIS NEW MENU OPTION AND I CANT REALLY COMPLAIN ABOUT MY PURCHASE .

Let me start by saying I was a skeptic of 3D going into this TV purchase. In my opinion, 3D seems to be a bit of a fad, but with the price of the package I bought from Amazon ($1,499.99 for the PN50C7000, the Shrek 3D starter kit and the Samsung 3D capable C5900 Blu-ray player), the fact that it was 3D did not really figure into this purchase. In my eyes, it was a bonus since I essentially got the 3D hardware/glasses/movies for free). I did a ton of research and read many reviews from experts and users from places like CNET, Consumer Reports, Avsforum and Amazon. The fact is, most outlets rate this TV as one of the top 3-5 TVs on the market for 2D performance, so if you are skeptical of 3D, it doesn't really matter. If you like it, great, if not, you still have one of the best TVs on the market (and a 3D capable Blu-ray player) for a great price. Hopefully, this reviews can help someone that is on the fence about buying this TV.

2D Performance
Stunning, the picture is simply stunning. The picture (colors, blacks, depth) is unbelievable. My wife, who is by no means videophile was taken aback the first time we watched TV. Our old HDTV was a 42" Hitachi 1080i set that had a very respectable picture, but this TV blows it away. It is amazing how improved the picture is over the 4.5 year old Hitachi. The detail is amazing. HD Sports, HD movies and regular HD programming look great on this TV. I don't watch SD programming, so I can't speak to its SD picture. Fast motion in sports looks much, much better on this TV than my old one. Of course, that can also depend on the source material. Blu-rays in 1080p look nothing short of spectacular. Iron Man 2 and Get Him to the Greek looked amazing on Blu-ray and I think the animated movies I have watched (How to Train Your Dragon, Toy Story 3, Up, etc.) looked even better.

3D Performance (with 3D content)
In the first two weeks, we have watched: "Shrek 3D" (the first of three movies that shipped in the starter kit - the 4th Shrek was a voucher/online redemption, the website said it would be here in 8-10 weeks); and "A Christmas Carol". Shrek 3D was obviously not filmed in 3D, but the conversion is pretty decent. The best 3D parts are objects in the background/foreground or when there are crowds of characters. It really shows off the depth/capability of the 3D. That said, I would not rate the 3D performance at 5 stars. I would say it is solid, maybe 3.5 stars, but again, with the price of this TV, 3D was an afterthought for me. If a person is looking to buy a new TV and their biggest concern is 3D, my advice would be to wait a few years because I think either the fad will die out or the technology will be improved. Remember, the sets made this year are really the first attempt of bringing 3D to consumers.

2D to 3D conversion
This feature is okay. In my opinion, it just adds depth some of the content on the screen. I watched some football, some hockey and a few movies (I have Verizon Fios with the Motorola DCT6412 HD set top box). Sports added some depth and made the graphics pop a bit, but I would rather watch a crystal clear picture than put on glasses and watch a converted 2D picture.

Sound
I use my receiver/5.1 set up for sound, so I will not review the sound.

Rumored/Stated Drawbacks

Burn-in
Burn in does exist with this set. However, for me, the scrolling feature eliminated the problem. "A Christmas Carol" had a 2.40:1 aspect ratio, so there were "black bars" on the top and bottom of the screen. I could see "burn in" after the movie. So, before I went to bed, I set the sleep timer for an hour and turned on the "Scrolling" feature in the "Screen Burn Protection" menu. I have also seen the Nick HD symbol and the Red Zone symbols after approximately one hour of viewing, but again, the Scrolling feature knocked it out with no problems. Burn-in is a legitimate concern, but it can be eliminated if you take care of the TV. Burn-in was really the only drawback to buying a plasma, but for me, it was outweighed by the better off angle viewing, better picture quality and better 3D performance (according to multiple CNET reviews). Plus, I knew if burn-in could be eliminated with the scrolling feature (which it can), that I would take the time to make sure it is.

Motion Judder Issue
Samsung released a firmware update that I applied using a USB drive the third night I owned the TV. I do not see any "Soap Opera Effect".

Buzzing
The "buzzing" is greatly exaggerated in my opinion, especially for anyone that currently owns a plasma TV. My Hitachi had a very low buzz. When you stood right next to it with very little or no sound, you could hear it. I am happy to report that this TV is exactly the same for me. The only time I noticed the "buzz" was when I was applying the update via USB, standing right next to the TV with no sound.

Actual Drawbacks
I am kind of knit-picking with this one, but the remote does not have a button devoted to changing the picture settings. In other words, I can't hit a button on the remote to change it from Standard to Movie to Dynamic, etc. You either have to bring up the main menu or hit the "Tools" button, then scroll down to change it.

Related Products

3D starter kit with Shrek movies
The glasses are okay, they look incredibly dorky, but should really only be used in the dark anyway. The ones in this kit seem a bit fragile, so I am extremely careful when handling them. Once in a while we get a quick white flash or the screen goes from bright to dark very quickly. I think it happened to me twice during "A Christmas Carol". I assume it is some sort of sync issue with the glasses/TV. We have only watched the first Shrek in 3D, which was pretty good considering it was not originally made in 3D.

Samsung 3D capable Blu-ray C5900
The player has a digital optical output, but no digital coaxial output. For this reason, I use my Sony BDP-S570 Blu-ray player instead of the C5900 in the bundle I bought because my receiver only has one digital optical input (which is hooked up to Fios). Whether that is a limitation of the Samsung Blu-ray player or my receiver is subjective, I guess, but it might be important to some people.

Overall
I love this TV, especially for the price I paid. As I said, I got the TV, the 3D Blu-ray player and the 3D kit for $1,500. It was a unbelievable deal. The only other one I considered was the Panasonic Viera TC-P50VT25 (or 20). I am sure that is an amazing TV too (my father has a two year old 50" Panasonic Viera plasma that is great), but at the time of purchase, neither of those TVs was available for under $2,000 and that was without the 3D Blu-ray player or the 3D kit, so it was no contest. In short, the deal I got was too good to pass up and I am glad I made the purchase.

This is my first Plasma, I've upgraded from a Toshiba LCD which had great picture. I was very skeptical about getting a plasma due to all the myths and negative stories i heard about plasmas. I feared image burn in, buzzing tvs etc. but I couldn't help but notice when I googled "best tvs of 2010" plasmas were always on top of the most reliable web sites as the best tvs, even better than the much hyped LEDS. I bought this tv with the plan of returning it within the same day. All my doubts went out the window within the first minute. This tv is amazing, puts my old lcd to shame. Its way beyond what I expected. The picture is nothing short of amazing. It looks as though the actors are in your room performing for you, ive never seen anything like it and im an electronic junkie. The T.V. achieves depth without 3d. Its an amazing technology. The downside so far is that the tv is so vivid that you can really see the cg in movies. For example, i though avatar was amazing at making the cg look so real, on this tv Avatar looks like toy story. To fix this you have to take away colors and brightness to make the tv actually look worst in order to make it look better. Never thought i would want to downgrade settings due to the tv looking too real. The 3d is 3d..its kind of a gimmick but it works great. The main thing about the tv is the display itself. Gorgeous video. Goes way beyond my expectations, internet videos do not do it justice.

As far as burn in and buzzing goes, there is no buzz what so ever, this was my major fear for buying a plasma, but no buzz at all. The tv has a buzz sound if you put your ear to it, but its the same sound as all TVs . As far as burn in goes, I've seen the faint image of my ps3 time and date show after keeping my menu screen on for an hour (testing the TV limits). The screen wipe feature cleared it up in a matter of seconds. I'm breaking in the TV now by playing a dvd with repeating colors for 100 hours.

The only drawback and reason why I can't give this tv 5 stars is because the Sound is pretty bad when turned up. At regular volume, its good, just like any other tv, but turn it up and the speakers sound as if they are broke. Sound gets scratchy and distorted.

The internet aspect of the tv so far seems overrated. I was very excited for new tvs with apps and now that i have apps on my tv..its like meh. If you have netflix on ps3, xbox, wii or another device, chances are your going to stick with your systems when watching it because the tvs netflix app is decent but not nearly as good as the others. Youtube is clear and automatically in hd but again..it sounds cool to have but its just...youtube. And its like youtubeXL, its more like a cellphone or ps3 youtube. Its all faster on your cpu and laptop so there really is no point to these apps. If you dont have a cpu or a laptop you may love it. I was so excited for the internet features at first but now I feel like its cool to have but I'll stick with my cpu and cell phone.

Bottom line is the tv exceeds my expectations 10 fold. Changed my view of plasmas and it has a jaw dropping picture. I dont think any tv on the market can give you more bang for your buck. Im very curious how much better other tvs can possibly look. This tv already boggles my mind. Cnet.com says the two top tvs above this are samsung C8000 and the number 1 tv is the Panasonic tc-pvt20. Im sure the C8000 is possibly slightly better than the C7000 and the Panasonic is Just barely better than that, settling on a $1000 less tv with slightly less performance makes the C7000 the best tv of 2010 IMO. Get this TV!!