Samsung PN58C680 58-Inch 1080p Plasma 3D HDTV

by Samsung

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 54.8 x 2.8 x 32.8 inches ; 72.8 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 101 pounds
• Shipping: This item can only be shipped to the 48 contiguous states. We regret it cannot be shipped to APO/FPO, Hawaii, Alaska, or Puerto Rico.
• ASIN: B003XDU6F0
• Item model number: PN58C680G5FXZA
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #52,060 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: July 26, 2010

Product Description

Get a true cinematic experience without going to the cinema with a Samsung 3D plasma HDTV. This Samsung PN58C680, with Mega Dynamic Contrast Ratio makes sure every frame is saturated with dense, rich color. Samsung is also ENERGY STAR compliant so you are assured that your 50 -inch plasma HDTV is helping the environment by using less enery while saving you money.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Home 3D is Here!, October 10, 2010

By 

Hung-lun J. Hsia "rufio173" (Richmond, VA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Samsung PN58C680 58-Inch 1080p Plasma 3D HDTV (Electronics)

Since no one has posted a review on this wonderful set, I thought I would post something to give everyone an idea about the set. Just a quick disclaimer: this TV replaces a 3 year old Sharp Aquos 37" LCD which has performed admirably and I plan to place it in the guest bedroom.

There just isn't much online about this particular set since it has not been widely released yet. In fact, there is really no information on this set even on the samsung site although you can look up the pn50c680 on the site to find similar specs. In short, it is a wonderful TV at a wonderful price/performance ratio which has enough features for me... I don't really care about app support since I own both an Xbox 360 and PS3 which should have me covered on any apps that the more feature loaded TVs may include.

I've had this TV for roughly 5 days now and I've been putting it through its paces. The TV is wonderful and provides an absolutely stunning picture when properly calibrated. Colors are accurate and black levels are excellent! With my pioneer 1020 amplifier/Orb satellite/Anthony Gallo Adiva Ti/Hsu sub powered sound system, I really have a nice Home theater setup now! I will definitely be going to the theater less now with my current setup.

I used these settings for a dim/dark room environment:

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

Of course, many people are probably looking at purchasing this TV for its 3d capabilities and let me just say it is impressive! My wife has been very impressed with the effect and all of my friends who have viewed the effect at my house have been very "Wowed"! I have a PS3, Xbox 360 (both of which are capable of 3d) and have played a few games on the PS3 since there is just 1 xbox 360 game which take advantage of the tech currently (the very bad Avatar game). We received the 3d bundle w/ the TV which includes 2 active shutter glasses and the monsters vs. 3d movie which implements the stereoscopic effect very well! The TV exhibits literally no ghosting effect which has plagued some of the LCD/LED backlit TVs out there. Plasmas tend to fair better due to their high refresh rates. I also purchased it from an online vendor other than Amazon and got a very good deal on an amazing TV/3d glasses bundle. However, if Amazon had a similar price, I would not hesitate to purchase from Amazon.com. I have been very happy with their service and am largely loyal customer to the site when the price is right.

Overall, I am incredibly happy with this purchase, my previous 37" Sharp Aquos looks like a baby TV next to this beautiful monstrosity. Although, not the thinnest plasma (around 1.4" for the thinner plasmas) out there, the 2.8" thickness is actually thinner than my previous Sharp Aquos which is 4"! It is amazing how thin they can make these TVs nowadays. Heat output is also very reasonable on this unit. I detected no hotspots and after extended use, the metal backside and vents are just slightly warm to the touch.

I'd say that if you are looking for a large 3D TV w/ great price/performance ratio... definitely think hard about purchasing this unit! You will not be disappointed!

Happy Viewing,
John

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best 3D TV deal around!!!, December 23, 2010

By 

Jesse L. Kaucher - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Samsung PN58C680 58-Inch 1080p Plasma 3D HDTV (Electronics)

I was skeptical at first before purchasing this TV because it has been available for a few months without many review and a very vague product description, and other samsungs are plagued with a load buzzing noise(this TV has absolutley no BUZZ). However, I went ahead and bought it anyway, lucky me. At time of my purchase the price was $1599. The TV was delivered in 5 days with the free shipping. Also I added the Shrek 3D starter kit which ends up being free. The starter kit comes with 3 Shrek movies in 3d with a voucher for the 4th Shrek movie in 3d and 2 set of 3d glasses of course. I currently use my PS3 as my 3d blu ray player.

First off the TV has great 2d picture quality. Very vivid and bright with great color. The menu is very easy to use but also gives a lot of settings to tweak if you so desire. It has Picture in Picture as well. 4 hdmi inputs, 2 componet, and a digital optic out. You can also hook up a external hard drive to the usb port and play movies and pictures as well. It does have an ethernet port but this is for updating the TV's firmware only. This TV does not have any APPS at all. I believe this is the reason for the lower price as well as the low amount of advertising since samsungs premium models have apps. If you do desire apps this TV is definately not for you. Me myself do not need apps on my TV. I own a ps3 and xbox for all of that. I belive Apps are not worth the extra $800 anyway.

Now on to the 3D. Only thing I have to compare this 3D with is that of the best buy models on display and what I have seen in the movies. The 3D works great!! No ghosting at all, just 3D. I think it looks better than that off the movies of what ive seen with the panasonics at best buy or samsung led for that matter. The tv also has 2d to 3d conversion. You can convert anything into 3d. I've tried this with video games, sports, and movies. It works very well. I was suprised because I didnt even think that this TV would be able to do it because of the low price. But it does. I have avatar on blu ray and I used the 2d to 3d and it worked great. Since Avatar was made for 3d it looks perfect. Other movies not so well but it does get the job done. The remote is very easy to use as well, and it also has a 3d button so you can switch regular 2d content to 3d easily, and vice versa.

This is a great TV and since you are reading this you are already thinking about buying it, so just do it. You will be glad you did!!!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Option. Don't hesitate to get your hands on one!, January 9, 2011

By 

Matthew Louis Dufrene - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Samsung PN58C680 58-Inch 1080p Plasma 3D HDTV (Electronics)

I have spent looks of time researching which tv would be the best option for me. I was previously looking at the Samsung PN58C7000 which is basically the next step up in the line. When I came across this option I was skeptical at first due to the limited information and customer reviews out there. It isn't even on Samsungs site yet. After some deep research and consideration I decided to make the jump and purchase this model. I must say that I think I made the right decision. Not only is this model hundreds cheaper than the C7000 and C8000, but after some tweaking you can actually unlock the tv to think it is the C8000. It is as simple as hitting a few buttons. You can search how to do this on AVS fourms. The main difference between this model and the C8000 is the Real Black filter, but to be honest the blacks this display shows are pretty outstanding. The 3D is also fantastic. I for one can't wait until some more 3D blu-ray's come out. As a side note, if you convert to C8000 you will have to switch back to C680 before watching a 3D movie. It is quick to do and your settings are saved. Below I will post some of the settings I am currently using for day time and night time.

(Night Settings / Day Settings)
Cell Light: 14 /14
Contrast: 85 / 100
Brightness: 57 / 50
Color: 49 / 50
Tint: 50/50 / 50/50
Gamma: +1 / +1

White Balance
R Offset: 25 / 25
G Offset: 25 / 25
B Offset: 26 / 27
R Gain: 25 / 17
G Gain: 25 / 23
B Gain: 38 / 33

10P White Balance (Same for both)
Interval R G B
1. 4 0 -1
2. 1 0 -1
3. 1 0 0
4. 0 0 -1
5. 0 0 -1
6. 2 0 -1
7. 0 0 1
8. 2 0 3
9. 0 0 0
10. 6 0 7

Expert Pattern: Off
RGB Mode: Off
Black Tone: Darkest
Dynamic Contrast: Off or Low (the higher it is the brighter your blacks)

Color Space:
For Night I have it set to Native
For Day:
R: 50 0 6
G: 19 29 5
B: 0 0 76
Y: 57 39 14
C: 35 19 50
M: 40 0 73

Under Picture Settings (for both options):
Color Tone: Normal
Size: 16:9
Digital noise filter: auto
MPEG noise filter: auto
Film Mode: auto2 (Cinema Smooth for blu-ray)

Hope these settings help out. I highly recommend this TV. Make sure you keep up with your carrier after they ship. Home Direct did a good job of getting it to me in a decent time (although it was slightly after est. delivery date). If anyone has any question you can e-mail me at [e-mail].