Customer Reviews

Samsung PN58B650 58-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV

5 star:		(42)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

It has been a while since I wrote my last review on Amazon so in light of my recent purchase of this PN58B650 HDTV, I think now is a good time to put another review under my belt.

If you're reading this review, you're probably in the same boat I was in several weeks ago when I was shopping for a 55+" LCD/LED/Plasma HDTV. If you're in the "should I get an LCD/LED or Plasma TV" mindset, read on. If you're set on getting a Plasma and really care to just know more of what's so great about this specific model, skip to the next paragraph. Yes, I was in the market for EITHER an LCD/LED or Plasma. During the many days I spent researching differences/advantages/disadvantages of LCD/LED versus Plasma, I came across a lot of pros and cons for both platforms. There are supporters and bashers of both and at the end of the day, it all comes down to personal preference. I'm not really going to go into the differences between the two platforms as there is a plethora of information on the Internet that goes into great details laying that down (just google 'plasma vs lcd'). Instead, I'm going to give you my reasoning for going with Plasma. It is a known fact that LCD TVs exhibit a "blurring" of the image during fast motion. This is why all the different manufacturers out there have 120Hz and 240Hz models -- and you pay a premium for these over the standard 60Hz LCD TVs. However, if you get the chance, go to your nearby electronics store and take a look at these 120Hz and/or 240Hz LCD TVs with a BluRay movie playing. (And be sure the 120Hz/240Hz is not turned off as there is a way to turn that off -- which defeats the purpose of paying a premium for the feature in the first place). Observe how the movie doesn't have that cinematic motion-picture feel. It looks a lot more like watching a TV show recorded with a camcorder, or commonly described as "the soap-opera" effect. Now watch that same BluRay movie on a Plasma screen... ahhh... doesn't that look amazing! Okay, for me, that put me into the Plasma camp. Onto the PN58B650.

Knowing that I wanted to get a plasma TV and knowing that I wanted a tv 55" or larger, my choices were limited to three manufacturers: LG, Panasonic, or Samsung (Pioneer had already exited the Plasma market by the time I was searching for a TV but still could be found in various places). I had previously owned a 42" Panasonic Plasma TV and have read a lot of good things about the picture quality of the Samung Plasma TVs. Anyhow, to make a long story short, after some researching, I decided on getting one made by Samsung (but if you're in the market for a Panasonic, the PN58B650 would be comparible to the higher-priced Panasonic TC-P58V10).

If a Samsung Plasma is one of the choices you're considering, you're probably comparing the various different Samsung 58" plasma models: PN58B550, PN58B560, PN58B650, PN58B850 (not available through Amazon), and PN58B860. So many models to choose from in a 58" from one manufacturer -- it gets very confusing. So what the heck is the difference between the different models. As you can see, the last three numbers in the models indicate the major model differences -- Samsung distinguishes the models as 5-series, 6-series, and 8-series. There are two each of the 5 and 8 series while there's only the PN58B650 for the 6-series.

So why the PN58B650 over the others?

Since we're purchasing a television, picture quality is the number one important feature/factor to consider. The 650, 850, and 860 all produce the same picture quality with the same level of contrast (3,000,000:1) and same color reproduction technology (Wide Color Enhancer 3 -- which also gives you much more control in color calibration if you ever decide to professional color-calibrate your TV). All three also have a built-in Media Player (more on that later) and Internet-based widget "apps" (which I don't really care for since I do all my Internet-related activities on my computer). The difference between the PN58B650 and the 8-series is the physical thickness of the units... 2.9" vs 1.2", respectively. The major difference between the 850 and the 860 model is that the 860 has a Crystal Full HD Engine with Cinema Smooth feature that enhances the smoothness of BluRay movies whereas the 850 does not. Here's the kicker... the PN58B650 ALSO has that feature -- so in comparing the PN58B650 to the PN58B860, it all comes down to whether or not you can live with a 2.9" thick TV and save hundreds of dollars compared to the PN58B860 since feature-for-feature, these two are comparible. If money is no object, go for the thinner of the two!

Now many of you are probably comparing this PN58B650 to the lower-priced PN58B560 and PN58B550. The 5-series does lack quite a bit of features I just mentioned when comparing the PN58B650 to the 8-series. For starters, the overall picture quality won't be quite as nice on the 5 series over the 6 or 8-series. The range of the contrast ratio on the 5-series is less (2,000,000:1) and the color reproduction is not quite as nice. Don't get me wrong, though, the 5-series does still yield a stunning picture, nonetheless, and you definitely can't go wrong. Next, the 5-series models also don't have a built-in Media Player. Let me tell you why this is such a cool feature to have. I have various movies/video/photos/music stored on an external USB hard drive, which I normally play on my computer. Wouldn't it be nice to play those directly on your new 58" Plasma TV? Well, that's where the built-in Samsung Media Player comes in. Simply plug your USB drive into the USB port of the PN58B650 (or the PN58B850/PN58B860) and the TV itself will read the movie/video, audio, photo you select from your USB drive, and play it directly on the TV (yes, the TV has a built-in hardware decoder). This is a feature the 5-series lacks. And finally, the 5-series units do not have Network connectivity. This may not be a feature needed by many people but again, if you had movies/video, audio, photos stored on your computer, you can simply stream it to the TV and have the TV play the media files directly off your computer's hard drive!

After owning, using, and playing with all the different features of the PN58B650 for the last two weeks, I have been just amazed at the picture quality and features of this TV. I have watched four Blu-Ray movies on it (sooo sharp and the colors are so vibrant and true to life), played a couple different PS3 games on it, and watched various TV shows. I also plugged in a Western Digital 1TB USB hard drive directly into the TV's USB port and watched a 1080P HD movie straight from the Hard Drive. It had no problems playing the file (the movie was 1920x1080 x264 encoded (~9000kbps video bitrate) and had a DTS soundtrack in an MKV container in case any of you were curious).

Now I've read in various reviews about how various Samsung Plasma TVs emit a buzzing noise (sort of like an electrical buzzing noise coming from the tv, not the speakers) but I'm happy to report that I have not noticed a buzzing noise (even when I mute the speakers) and I've used it for quite a number of hours.

I hope this review has helped you make a decision on your next big screen flat panel HDTV. Please click the "Yes" button below if you found my review helpful. :)


UPDATE (01/20/2010): In my review, I mentioned that I was able to play 1080P (1920x1080) MKV movies. Apparently, it seems the built-in Samsung Media Player in the Samsung TV will not allow you to fast forward or rewind MKV movies (though it will play them just fine). If you plan to transcode any of your home movies, be sure to transcode it to an MP4 container (instead of MKV) if you want the ability to fast forward or rewind through the movie.


UPDATE 2 (02/04/2010): After owning and using this TV for a whole month, I'd like to give a quick update since long-term reviews are better than reviews from someone who hasn't owned something for that long.

First, I'd like to address concerns about the whole "buzzing noise" that some people have been experiencing with their units. I'm very pleased to report that my unit still has not exhibited any sort of buzzing noises. I've tried sitting at various different angles from the screen (directly in front of the screen and different angles off to the left and right side of the screen) and also at various distances from the screen (as close as 4' all the way back to 15') and there was no buzzing noise. Since the buzzing noise is supposed to come from the TV, not the speakers, I turned the speakers all the way down to 0 so I could listen for the buzzing noise.

Picture quality is still amazingly clear and vivid and I still constantly express my "oooooooos" and "aaaaaahhhs" to my girlfriend (who thinks I sound like a broken record since I can't stop complimenting the TV... oh well, she's not much of a gadget person so I guess she can't appreciate it as much as I appreciate the quality). I've watched numerous Blu-ray movies on it and a lot of cable television. For the HD channels broadcasting HD shows... all I can say is... WOW! I've found myself watching random shows that I didn't really even care for just because it was in HD and looked stunning on this TV.

In my 01/20/2010 update, I mentioned that I wasn't able to fast-forward or rewind movies transcoded inside an MKV container. It turns out that this is only the case when I'm trying to watch MKV-based videos stored on my computer. I have the TV networked to my home network with my computer acting as a DLNA server to serve media files to the TV through the network. The TV is networked wirelessly using a wireless bridge (Samsung actually makes a USB wireless network adapter that you can use if you don't want to go through the act of setting up a wireless bridge). When I have an MKV-based video file on a USB based hard drive/flash drive, the TV's media player can fast forward and rewind through it fine. I haven't tried plugging the TV DIRECTLY to my router as the wireless bandwidth limitation may be the culprit.

After a month's usage (used almost daily and hours at a time), I can now more confidently substantiate my original review (and my purchase!). If the PN58B650 is still a current model in a few months, I'll provide an even longer-term update then. Or I'll provide another update should there be any negative changes in this product I feel people should be aware of.

I recently bought this TV from Amazon along with this TV I purchased the following item Bell'O SFP-9901HG Color Accented Flat Panel Audio Video System. I have yet to receive the stand but it says it can hold up to 58" inch plasma, I'll edit the review later to let you know how that works.

I wanted to write this review since I saw another review stating that they had issues watching 480i content with this TV. I haven't found anywhere where this is well documented and on top of that, I had absolutely no problem watching regular DVD's on this TV with my HD DVD player Toshiba HD-A35 1080p HD DVD Playerthrough an HDMI cable. They played stunningly (especially for a regular DVD). The picture was crisp and clear on DVD not to mention how it looks when I play an HD DVD. Perhaps the reviewer may need to update their firmware on their hardware; otherwise I'm not sure why they couldn't watch a standard DVD on an HD DVD player. I have yet to try any games on this TV so I can't rate it in that area.

I have had no issues with the volume controls or loudness of the regular speakers. I currently do not have a home theater and these controls are set lower than what I've had to set my other 2 TV's at (a 42" inch and 52" Toshiba Regza LCD TV). The speakers get a + from me.

I was very worried about burn in after purchasing this TV. I have only had LCD's therefore the issue of burn in never arose. I have researched this problem a lot and it seems although it can still be an issue it isn't as prevalent as it once was. Most of my DVD's including HD DVD will leave the block boxes at top and the bottom while watching and this worried me. However, they say as long as you integrate watching regular TV or swap it up so that it isn't there all the time, the burn in issue really isn't an issue. The biggest thing is to be careful for the first 200 hours as this is when burn in can occur the easiest. Just don't leave anything paused or sitting there for an extended period of time and your average semi-cautious user won't experience any problems.

I did a lot of research before I purchased this TV, including checking prices, visiting local retailers and just viewing articles on the Internet. Overall, for me, I think this was a very good buy. I think anyone who purchases this TV definitely won't be disappointed.

UPDATE: (September 7, 2009)

I've owned this TV for about 3 months now and just wanted to do a little update since it can be hard to review something correctly after only a week. The stand I got for the TV works great for me. A little low even at it's highest but I don't like high level TVs as they put a kink in my neck. I played an old Nintendo NES game (Tiny Toons 2) about a month ago which left some burn in and made me extremely unhappy. I started to berate myself for not buying an LCD and not have to worry about burn in. I ran the 'screen wash' that is built in and it took it out within 10 minutes or less. I had no retention of any image any longer. Since then, I have played Zelda, Twilight Princess and haven't had any issue with any burn in (most newer console games come with game mode built into the consoles as well). In addition, I also purchased a surround sound system since I've always wanted one. I ended up getting the Yamaha YHT-791 Yamaha YHT-791BL Home Theater in a Box (Black). I still use the TV speakers for regular TV but use the surround sound system for movies, games, etc. I have to say that overall everything works beautiful together and I still couldn't be happier with my purchase. The TV is amazing and I always get a lot of compliments on picture quality and the size of the TV (oh yeah). For the price you can't really go wrong. I purchased mine with a coupon in June for $2189.00.

As others mentioned there is a buzzing sound, sometimes it irritates me sometimes it doesn't. Just depends on how low I have the TV. It still wouldn't be enough to make me downgrade to the Samsung 55" inch TOC LCD TV, which was my first choice.

I've gone through 3 of these sets now, and each one had the same exquisite picture ... and the same incessant buzzing noise, even when all lines into the TV are unplugged the TV is muted.

And no, it's not my electrical power: I have a Monster power center, and previously had Samsung's PN58A550 plugged in to exactly the same outlet, and it had no buzz whatsoever.

Reviews on the 'net indicate that I'm not alone in this problem - supposedly 1/3 of folks owning this set have reported the same annoying buzz. I had thus hoped to get lucky if I just kept getting replacements from Amazon, but each of the 3 replacement sets I've gotten have had the same problem, though on this last one the buzz is a bit softer and less directional. (With previous sets, the buzz was concentrated in a column from the middle of the set towards the viewer; with this latest one it's emitted diffusely from the front and back of the TV.)

I've called Samsung each time, and the last 2 times the person I conversed with there indicated that Samsung had been receiving a number of complaints on this count, so I must express some surprise that almost no other reviews of this TV here on Amazon report this problem ... so I'm beginning to wonder how many of these reviews are seeded by Samsung itself. (??!)

With the last set I returned, I had Samsung send out a technician in hope that the problem was repairable. He arrived, and said there was nothing he could do about the buzz because his instructions from Samsung were that if the TV is turned up above 25 and the buzz wasn't detectable while sound was coming from the TV, he wasn't supposed to repair it. He also said that he would have to pull out and replace 5 electrical panels, but that it would take all afternoon and probably wouldn't make a difference. His recommendation was to send it back and try again, because - like reviews on other sites state - allegedly only some of these sets are defective.

So, this TV is great if you have a house, and can leave the volume cranked whenever watching it ... assuming that there's always a solid soundtrack playing on whatever you're viewing. This TV is also great if sound isn't an important component of your viewing experience, or if you are not easily distracted by buzzing. For example, if you were never annoyed by the high-pitched squeal of old CRT TV's - or if you don't even recall ever hearing it - the buzz on this set *may* be OK by you.

But, if you are sensitive to noisy distractions and/or if you live in an apartment or condo and want to watch TV in the evening at lower volume - so that your neighbors don't try to kill you the next morning - or if you watch programming with silent, contemplative moments in it, do yourself a favor and look elsewhere.

This TV is the best thing I have spent my hard earn money on in the last 9 years. Picture quality is amazing. Everything from HDTV, PS3, Xbox 360, PC, and Blu-ray looks jaw dropping compared to my old rear projection set. It has PIP. It can properly render 1080p/24Hz without any flickering even with the cinema smooth feature turned off IMO. No undesirable soap opera effect like the LCD's. I noticed some minor image retention within the first few hours of use while watching Transformers the first night of owning the TV with the black bars on the top and bottom of the screen, and the date and time on the PS3 XMB. I can only see it faintly on an all black screen. I switch to HDTV and could not see it at all. After one day of watching the TV I do not see any more image retention at all. I play video games with health bars and ammo count displays for many hours with no problems. IR is not a problem with this TV. The TV sits next to sliding glass doors where sunlight comes in and I can see the picture just fine. My rear projection TV picture was so terrible in the light I had to close my blinds most of the day. This TV is perfect for anyone who wants an amazing picture quality. Two things that some people might not like is that you can feel the heat the TV produces if you are right up on it, and the digital out is only two channel audio. No multi-channel decoding of any kind. The heat is noticeable but not a problem for me. I am finally indulging myself in the 1080p world.

LAST EDIT after 3 months of use:

I keep coming back to this review and revising as I look at this purchase in hindsight, so I will be brief:

1. I maintain my high praise for this unit, continues to deliver, and the impact of watching all kinds of content at such a high resolution, on such a big screen still has not gotten old. Still amazing and as enjoyable as it was when I first got it.

2. For those with an Xbox or PS3, or some other kind of media server (popcorn hour, WDTV etc) I think I would recommend you consider the model BELOW (560 or even 550) this one to save some money. The internet connectivity/Widgets function pales in comparison to what you can do with any of those dedicated components, so why pay extra for them on this TV model? The only thing is that the anti reflective coating is different on the two models (supposedly better one the 650), but I don't remember reading about anyone saying they could tell the difference.

Original review:

Let me preface this mini review (mini because I just got this TV a couple of days ago) by saying I spent more time researching plasma TV's online and in meat space than any normal human being should. An embarrassing number of hours were spent poring through every single morsel of opinion about this TV compared to other similar models.

Finally, finally, I decided to take a chance and order online, realizing full well that many had reported buzzing issues, or worse, a cracked or broken screen upon arrival.

Happy to report that mine was delivered in great shape and the buzz that is there is not enough to bother me (and I am very sensitive about stuff like that normally). Not only that, but the PQ was so gorgeous, I have been kind of sitting in front of it at night, just kind of staring at it and mumbling to myself like a crazy person. Caveat: I have only done minimal adjusting to the settings, like switching to movie mode, turning down sharpness and contrast, etc. so the picture is probably not close to what it potentially can do...which blows me away even more.

PROS: Where to start? PQ is out of this world - colors are so natural you might be tricked into thinking you are looking at the real thing. Black levels are fine (I do plan on tweaking this more), motion resolution is spectacular, size is PERFECT for me at 10' or so away - I think this is the perfect size to EXPERIENCE a movie rather than just "watch TV". Hard to describe, but you will just have to see what I mean. Price is LOWER than the comparable Panasonic unit I was considering (54V10) and larger to boot. Love the remote, but won't be using it long as I also bought a Logitech Harmony One. TV SWIVELS. Most underrated feature imo, and depending on the setup of your room and your viewing habits of course.

CONS: Spendy (but not relative to what you get imo). Potential buzzing issue - seems to be a crap shoot whether you get a "buzzer" or not. Lots of people on AVS forums reporting a loud buzzing from normal listening distances (with volume turned down). Cinema Smooth function seems to be broken (see CNET review for details on that) and has not been fixed by Samsung yet. Have not tried the Yahoo widgets, but word on the street is they are slow (compared to the zippier Panasonic version of the same thing - VieraCast) Blacks could be blacker, but they are fine.

Bottom line: I could not be happier with this TV, and still am in awe at the incredible picture it's capable of. I bought the Blu Ray disk BARAKA as many people use this as a reference BD, and it is literally breathtaking in some scenes...the size of this TV in conjunction with a pristine anamorphic transfer at 1080p...I thought I was in heaven. I had seen this "documentary" at least 5 times before, on regular DVD, but on HDTV's (both CRT), and the detail I had been missing on my previous viewings was immediately apparent using the Samsung (some credit to the blu ray format to of course)

To sum up, let me save you some time and highly highly recommend you buy this set if you are looking in this range. Ive done all the homework for you! :)

EDITED TO ADD COMMENTS AFTER A WEEK OF USE:

The hum is there, but I only ever notice it if the sound is muted and I am sitting directly in front of the TV at head level. Since I rarely/never watch the TV with no volume, this is not a problem for me (or anyone else at my house that watches TV), but it could be for some.

Noticed that the TV really raises the temp in my TV room as well after being on a while...surprised at how much it was able to affect temp!

I also watched about half of BARAKA the other night, with recommended settings (MOVIE, reduced contrast and brightness, etc) and I did notice IR where the black bars on top and bottom were. (Noticed them even 30 min after watching movie). I ran the IR tool they have built in to the TV for just a few minutes and it got rid of it no problem at all.

Picture continues to amaze me. I am seeing shadow detail I never knew existed in familiar material. And even if the black levels are not as good as the ex Pioneers, they are plenty good enough to give you a very good "3-D' effect when you are watching Hi def content at night or in a reduced light setting. Stuff just pops off the screen. Incredible.

Great TV, love all almost everything about it... the remote that comes with it is kinda second rate but I'm using a Harmony one to control it so not an issue for me.

I'm amazed at all the Menu options, really makes it possible to "fine" tune your picture. Picture quality is awesome on this set, if your looking for great colors and have a brighter room don't be afraid to pick up this set. I looked at many LCD's and Plasmas before I squeezed the trigger on this item.

I have no buyer's remorse from this HD TV. Great TV for vivid colors and fast action movies/sports. LOVE IT!!!

I have just purchased this TV set and it had a noticeable buzz, sufficient that I was going to return it. But my daughter noticed that it wasn't apparent when she switched the input from the cable box to her Wii. Intrigued, I decided to fiddle with the connection before throwing in the towel.

I had the TV hooked up to a cable box with the component cords that came with the set. When I switched the TV back to cable input and disconnected the cable box the buzz was gone.

The manual suggested the best set performance would come from an HDMI hookup, so for about $5 I bought a cheap HDMI cable at a local electronics shop. Using the HDMI connection the buzz is gone, the only sound being a very low hum, which is exactly what you hear on the old CRT's when the sound is off.

The manual clearly suggests that if you live well above sea level the set will buzz. But if you don't (I live barely above sea level), do yourself a favor and try an HDMI hookup before you give up on what is otherwise an outstanding TV.

Looks like I was unlucky enough to get one of the buzzers. The manufacture date of the TV was December 2009. My seating position is 15 feet away from the set, and the stand the TV is on is about 20 inches high. The TV speakers are turned off, and the sound is audible even if there are no inputs plugged into the TV. I'm at sea level, so it's not an altitude problem. The buzz is audible even when the source material is at a normal volume. The buzzing is focused like a laser beam at only the middle seating positions. If I'm seated off to the side, it's not noticeable. But not being able to sit in the middle of the screen is a pretty big flaw in my book. Amazon has said I need to contact Samsung to see if they can resolve the issue before I can return it. We'll see how that goes.

If it wasn't for the buzzing, I would give this TV a solid five stars. The picture quality is outstanding. The menu system for setup is fairly easy to use, which is a big plus. I've used the Internet connection to download a firmware update, and that was pretty painless. I haven't tried any of the other Internet features, so I can't comment on those. I'm hoping either Samsung can fix the problem, or Amazon can provide me with a replacement that isn't broken. Because I'd really like to love this TV.

This will be short and sweet. I am now on my 3rd set, and each one has had the buzzing noise. I actually didnt know it was such a wide spread problem until I logged on here (got if from Best Buy, and Consumer Reports rated it the best). The lager the TV, the more electronic surface area = more buzzing. You hear it more when directly in front of the TV because it is amplified and reflected off the wall. I have had guests comment on the buzzing, and ask if it was my surround system. Its definitely the TV. It does not come from the TV speakers either...it happens when the TV is energized - even if there are no audio or video inputs plugged in. My 7.1 Marantz reciever and B&W speakers sound great - but this is ovvershadowed in the quiet scenes. I cant stand it, and will be returning this set.

I went from a Sony 40" to this. The picture is ALOT better. pretty much anybody who buys this TV will already have at least a soundbar and a sub so the audio (although pretty good) isn't really an issue.
The TV was delivered a week earlier than I expected. It was delivered and plugged in to make sure it was working fine. I was most concerned about that part. Returning it for any reason would have been a pain.
UPDATE: My TV broke after about 2 hours of use. I called Samsung first and they faxed the local certified repair guy immediately. The repair guy called the next morning, ordered a part overnight and was there with the part the morning after he first contacted me. The TV was fixed in 20 minutes. ALSO, I called Amazon who immediately overnighted me a new TV no questions asked and picked up the first (just repaired)TV. UNBELIEVABLELY FANTASTIC CUSTOMER SERVICE ON BOTH SIDES.
The repair guy told me Samsung is by far the best in taking care of their customers. He works on all TV brands except Phillips and Sony. That repair without warranty would have been $1400. I'm spending $223 to protect my TV for 2 additional years after Samsung's expires.