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61 of 61 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The B560 is an excellent value for the money., September 28, 2009
I already knew I wanted Plasma over LCD. So I spent weeks reading reviews and comparing specs of everything from Panasonic G15/G10 & S1 to Samsungs B650, B560, and B550. I came to the conclusion that Samsung has better color accuracy and Panasonic has better black levels. However, Panasonic also has better customer service and a lower percentage of TV's with issues. There has been numerous reports of the Samsung 2009 B series Plasma's having a "buzzing" issue. While they scared me a little, I decided that the TV for me was the Samsung PN50B560.
If you are comparing Samsungs, the B560 has the Crystal Full HD Engine with Cinema Smooth, while the B550 does not. The B650 also has Crystal Full HD Engine with Cinema Smooth, but an with an added feature, an ethernet port for using widgets, like weather, sports, stocks, etc... Something I've read is very slow and not very impressive. The 650 also has the red touch of color bezel. The 550 and 560 both have charcoal blended in, which I preferred.
I am pleased with the colors and black levels of this TV. I also have a Panasonic 50PX80U and I can't tell much of a difference. Physically, the TV is also very attractive, much nicer than Panasonic, and the swivel stand is also nice to have.
Defending the common CONS:
Buzz: My TV does not buzz
Speakers: They sound fine, my Panasonic sounds slightly better. But speakers in flat panel TV's are not going to be impressive, I think people just expect to much out of them.
Glare: Yes, there will be some glare, its a Plasma. However, compared to other Plasma's I looked at in the store, it's not a big difference. I didn't make it a factor.
In summary, if you are on a budget, I recommend the Samsung B560 or B550. If you can spare an extra few hundred more, go with a Panasonic G15 or G10. When it comes down to it, you'll be happy with any of these choices, unless you are a videophile, you'll never notice the difference.
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21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
just what you expect from a samsung plasma (bang for the buck), October 9, 2009
notes:
i've owned this television for 2 months
usage: 90% tv and 10% video games
#1 thing to remember when you buy a plasma...BREAK IT IN. avoid channels or video games with stationary logos or else you'll get image retention (not permanent). fyi, typical break in time for a plasma is about 100-200 hours. what i love about this plasma, there's a build in scrolling black to white screen which helps with break in of the plasma and with image retention. so every night for the past 2 months before i go to sleep, i would set sleep to 30 mins, turn on the picture mode to dynamic (for high contrast and high brightness), and use this screen of scrolling black to white. after about 2 months, image retention is almost non existant. any questions about break-in? go to [...] and look up their plasma break in thread.
picture quality is on par with panasonics in this price range. but if you have the money, go for the panasonic. slightly better picture quality. panasonics also have their break-in period built in. so you don't have to worry about it.
didn't test the speakers, since i use a home theatre setup.
glare is a slight problem for me (depends where you put it). my room is small. walls are white. so glare is expected, but it is not a deal breaker.
i have almost no complaints about this television. everything i expected. one complaint but it's a small one. my set has a little buzz sound coming out of it, but it isn't loud. my home theatre system easily drowns it out. but if you stand next to the plama, you can hear it.
the plasma is REALLY REALLY heavy. make sure you have a solid spot to mount it on your wall, not just dry wall. don't go cheap on the mounting bracket!
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
WOW, November 10, 2009
Amazing Plasma TV, I got it off an Amazon 3rd party company that had this item on sale. I first thought the deal was too good to be true, and I still can't believe how great this TV is even when it is right in front of me. The color of this TV is perfect right out of the box. I didn't have to do anything, and it looked amazing with DVD, 720p and 1080p Blu-Ray. I spend a good two month deciding which one I should buy Lcd/Plasma/size/price ratio after my Sony Trinitron dead after 15 yrs of service . I thought the Panasonic X1 720p or the S1 1080p were good enough, until I got on this deal, still a good $250+ off Amazon's price.
I know about the story over the buzzing sound of the panel. So when I turn on the first time, I heard a buzzing sound, and I was like " ooh crap" but then soon afterward I realized the TV went straight to my home theater system as I was scanning for channels, the buzz I heard likely came from the noise of having no channels. After I got my channels, no more buzz. And everything worked out perfect.
The unit is on the heavier side, but what can you expect, its Big, 99lb for with the box, 85 with the stand on. The stand allows 100+ degree of swivel, not sure the exact degree, but I didn't see it on the Manual, I know the Samsung 650 stand can swivel. But I don't need the internet TV thingy, my HTPC can do all of that and better. All and all even if you don't get the discount over this TV set, this is one amazing set to have.
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