Customer Reviews

Samsung PN63B590 63-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've had this TV for two days. I absolutely love it. The picture is crystal clear. I watched a DVD video with black bars at the top and bottom, no IR at all. I originally was looking at the Samsung 58" PN58B650. I found this set at the local hhGregg. They had the PN58B550 and the PN63B590 both on diplay. The 63" blew the 58" away. I can't think of anything negative to say about this set as far as quality of picture. I use a Kenwood surround sound system, so I can't really comment on the speakers. It is great for HD programming and Blu Ray viewing. It does not have Internet@TV or some of the other extras that other sets have. It has USB capability instead of an SD card reader. If you are looking for a giant screen TV for HD sports or movies. This is it!

The picture is AMAZING when watching HDTV channels. It's VERY thin for a plasma and very easy to set up. Great sound for these types of TVs even. It's actually a larger screen than the one I'm replacing it with (63" vs. 61"), but it looks smaller to my wife, which wins me wife points and got me a slightly bigger TV at the same time. :)

I did a lot of research into this purchase before making it and I think it's the best TV in this size range(although there are some other very good ones). I'm definitely happy to see that the picture is excellent in my home even in bright light conditions as my living room has a lot of windows.

While LCD/LED technology is coming along, I think plasmas are much better in both quality and price at this size still.

I really just can't believe how great the picture is. I was upgrading from a pretty good 3 year old TV and this blows it away.

BTW, the primary reason I got the 590 instead of the 550 is because it supposedly has a better anti-glare filter than the 550. I'm not sure the difference is really noticeable or not, but it does well in my bright room. It has a couple of other features the 550 doesn't (e.g. cinema smooth, 1080p/24), but those (at least currently) weren't a big factor in my decision.

Here is the short-n'-sweet:

Getting a screen size of this, a plasma was the only way to go...forget Mitusbishi and those DLPs or Lasers screens. LCD still cannot produce an image like a plasma nor keep up with motion fields. I like watch the football fly through the air and still have it look like a football. This thing fields at 600Hz. Sorry 240+Hz LCD still not good enough for me for clean motion.

Screen-burn has not been in issue. Samsung pixel-shift and scroll-mode repair takes care of it. I even left a tivo menu on while I dosed off and thought I messed-up it good. Nope, nothing, nada. Left it on the screen for 30+ minutes too...

The bottom-line: Awesome. Very, very pleased...am I am one picky fella.

This TV has a beautiful picture, the colors and black levels are excellent. I have it hooked up to a surround sound system but the built in speakers sound fine for everyday use. I've seen a 65 inch Sharp LCD which doesn't compare picture wise and cost a lot more money. It also comes with a nice lighted remote easy to use in the dark. Can't go wrong with this TV.

I just mounted this set in our grand room above the fireplace. It is beautiful aesthetically as it is when displaying images. The picture is phenomenal and what really impressed me was the sound! We are still piecing together our home theater but I was blown away with how the set sounds on it's own. I can't imagine needing another TV for a long, long, time. Sure LCE/LED technology is all the rage. Yes it's cool to have a set that is thinner than the cables you are plugging into it but at what cost? I saved about 2,300.00 by going with plasma technology and I hate to say this but I really believe plasma technology displays better images. LCDs have gotten a lot closer. If anyone is considering this set, I strongly recommend it. My family and I have only had the set for a few days but we have yet to find anything to complain about. Phenomenal!!:)

I've had this set for about three weeks and I can't say a single bad thing about it. It has an excellent picture, even when you watch standard definition programming. I can't imagine a better TV.

The B590 really is a quality set from Samsung. Once set up, the overall appearance of the set is wonderful. The swivel stand is a great feature and even though plasmas have the great viewing angle, I find the swivel quite useful. Instead of rambling on, I'll make a short list.

Pros:
- Colors are quite accurate out of the box
- Menus are easy to use
- Appearance of the set
- Clear, natural and ACCURATE picture
- Ability to adjust greyscale in the user menu!
- Overall, more picture controls than most sets
- Lighted remote (one of the best remotes of any TV)
- Ability to customize small items such as when indicator lights are on and off
- OTA tuner works well
- Good glare reduction for a glossy screen
- Mine only buzzes quietly on bright scenes (never is distracting)
- Speakers are solid for a flat screen

Black really aren't a Pro or a Con. They aren't the best, but better than all non-LED LCDs (Only Panny and Pioneer plasmas have better blacks, LG plasmas are much worse).

Cons:
- No CMS on this model (650 and above only)
- Cinema smooth has a bug that ruins the picture. You can still play 24fps content,
you'll just have to do so with pulldown. (If you don't know what I am saying, you
won't notice)
- No firmware updates yet. I'm not sure if there is nothing to improve or if they
just don't care enough to deal with this set?

Overall, the B590 is one of the best values in the 60"+ range. No, it is not as good as a Pioneer or the top of the line LED, black levels being the main difference there, but for the price I don't think you can beat it. If you're on the fence, get the B590 and don't look back. Coming from someone who also has a Kuro, I can highly recommend the Samsung B590.

I was a bit wary about buying this TV for two reasons -
1) power consumption
2) picture quality compared to LED sets.

With LED models coming down in price, I almost bought 55" LED set in the same price range. I am so glad I didn't. After enjoying this TV for a week, I have to say that this is a great TV with outstanding picture quality and with surprising low power consumptions.

Using a kill-a-watt meter I observed the power consummption fluctuating between 250 - 350W when watching 1080i cable feed. This is not bad considering my old 56" rear projection TV was using solid 200W. I think this is higher then LED / LCD sets but much lower then older plasmas that were not Energy Star certified. Thanks to that, this TV does not get as hot as other sets I have seen in the BestBuy show-rooms. A pleasant surprise.

Picture quality is just outstanding. Not only with HD / Bluray feeds but also when watching the traditional 480i SD cable channels. SD TV look significantly better compared to my old 1080i rear projector TV and 2 year old 32" Sharp LCD that I own.

Built int speakers are are just OK but I am using home theater system, so this is not an issue for me.

This TV has lived up to everything I'd hoped. It has a suppurb picture with dark blacks. The picture is one of the best out there. That being said, there aren't any software "extras" on the tv. There are no yahoo widgets or streaming netflix or anything like that. What you do get is a very tunable picture that looks great showing whatever you put on it. If you have a TiVo, PS3 or Xbox 360, then you don't need the software addons anyway. Also, It's one of few TVs of this size and quality that have a swivel base. Bottom line... I'm very satisfied with this set.

Having now had a few days to cool down and enjoy the TV, I can honestly say it's the best HDTV I've ever experienced. Using a cable feed that provides only about 20 channels of HDTV, the picture is very vibrant and the detail is incredible. No notice of the annoying buzz reported in reviews of other Samsung products. TV speakers are acceptable for network programming, but my Polks blow them away, which is to be expected. Network non-HD feed is spectacular, too.

Now, about that delivery experience. If Pilot Motor Freight will be your local delivery provider, BEWARE! I bought the TV on a day which promised delivery a week later, on a specific date. I took the day off so as to be here to accept it. Not having gotten a call by early afternoon on delivery day, I began calling the national number for Pilot. Finally got transferred to the local Miami office handling the delivery, and was told, "Oh, we called two or three times, but never got anyone! All our delivery drivers are on the road, and there's no way we can get it to you today." Rescheduled for the following day after work, when my wife could meet the driver as I had to be out of town. The more I thought about it, the madder I got, so I called Pilot National again to file a complaint, and was transferred to some clerk at the warehouse in Miami, who again told me they called several days prior to the scheduled date, but got no answer. Odd, no caller ID from them, and no messages on my answering machine. "Oh, we don't leave messages, as we'd have too many people calling us back"!!! No kidding! I bet others would like their stuff too! If I hadn't called, I'd still be waiting for the TV.

Moral of the story, give them a work number and call them in advance to schedule delivery. If you live in So. FL, don't expect the office staff to do their job, because they won't. Their delivery driver did a herculean job getting the 130 lb set up onto the console all by himself. Kudos to Alejandro, who managed the task alone despite the delivery invoice stating, "Home Delivery Electronics-2 Man."