30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
First opinion
First Review,
Second evening of viewing, Just upgraded from a returned Samsung HP-T5054 which I had for 30 days. (got a great deal, clearance, closeout etc..) Amazing picture and many upgrades from previous model (HP-T5054). Same price as last years model and better overall. Nice finish and slicker features. Thanks to Samsung for offering a Great 720p panel...
73 of 81 people found the following review helpful:
At first pleased, but then....
I was at first very pleased with this set. Great picture, great delivery from Amazon.
But then I began noticing 'burn-in' issues. The first I noticed was two vertical stripes, both about 5 inches in from the sides. Then I noticed that CNNHD was also burned in, even though I don't leave it on there for long periods of time. I also have the burn-in protection...
This review is from: Samsung PN50A450 50-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV (Electronics)
First Review,
Second evening of viewing, Just upgraded from a returned Samsung HP-T5054 which I had for 30 days. (got a great deal, clearance, closeout etc..) Amazing picture and many upgrades from previous model (HP-T5054). Same price as last years model and better overall. Nice finish and slicker features. Thanks to Samsung for offering a Great 720p panel that is sure to be the next big hit for them. Let everyone spend up for 1080, no visible difference to me. Love the swivel stand. Overall, I like it a lot. Really got my moneys worth @ 1,299.
RW in Oklahoma City
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This review is from: Samsung PN50A450 50-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV (Electronics)
I was at first very pleased with this set. Great picture, great delivery from Amazon.
But then I began noticing 'burn-in' issues. The first I noticed was two vertical stripes, both about 5 inches in from the sides. Then I noticed that CNNHD was also burned in, even though I don't leave it on there for long periods of time. I also have the burn-in protection set, and I've run both the suggested fixes (all white and scrolling) with neither helping.
Contacted Samsung and they agreed that it shouldn't be happening. Currently waiting for local repair shop set up by Samsung to attempt a fix.
UPDATE... been waiting 3 weeks now... local repair shop says Samsung has backordered a circuit board needed to fix problem I'm having. I just contacted Amazon.com hoping they will just swap this for one that works. I kind of have my doubts on this since Samsung and their local rep have been so slow with any kind of repair.
2nd UPDATE... Well, Amazon denied me any help due to the fact I went to the manufacturer instead of them within Amazon's 30 day limit. I obviously screwed up thinking Samsung would solve this quicker than complaining to Amazon.
3rd UPDATE... I think I got a lemon...
4th UPDATE... Samsung agrees that I got a lemon and they are sending a replacement!!
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This review is from: Samsung PN50A450 50-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV (Electronics)
because now, I'm going to be spending WAY too much time watching television. I bought this set sight-unseen. The price was the biggest factor coupled with some favorable reviews on CNET for other Samsung plasmas. I am no "videophile" so I can live with 720p resolution. Compared to my 10 year old, 27" Toshiba it's like seeing a TV for the first time. I have Verizon FiOS digital cable, which has quite a few high definition channels, so I flipped over to their high-def demo channel and I watched programs for hours that "BS" (Before Samsung) would probably have bored me to tears. I have a 480p DVD player that I can now watch in 480p, instead of 480i. I dropped in the movie "300" and it looked just as good as it did on the IMAX screen (IMO). I bought a component video cable for my Wii (don't forget to change the video setting to 480p) and was simply amazed at the clarity. It's not the most expensive, and some "experts" will not consider it to be the best plasma out there but I'm giving myself a big pat on the back. The piano black finish is like icing on the cake. I would, and will, recommend this TV to anyone.
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This review is from: Samsung PN50A450 50-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV (Electronics)
We purchased this TV and received it last week on 6/11/2008. After calibrating it and getting all my systems hooked up to it, it is just beautiful and flawless. It looks amazing too! I use it for my PS3 (Blu-ray too!), Xbox, Wii, N64, and Dreamcast. It does an amazing job making everything look great. I had two struggles getting this TV:
1. Burn in fear - But after much research I have found there isnt much to be afraid of with this TV. It comes with anti burn in technology and from everything I have read this is a non issue with the newer TV's and can be totally avoided with care (in other words just dont have 20 hour marathons of Metal Gear).
2. 1080p vs. 720p - I really struggled with this debate. I did a lot of reading, talking with friends, and checking with experts. Long story short...it really doesnt make much of a difference. It makes a tiny difference but that is only on a few medias and even once it is on all media's it really wont make that much of a difference. It is only one aspect to look at. Others include black levels, contrast, ect. The PN50A450 handles all of these wonderfully.
Bottomline...if you are having to watch your budget and you are sitting 7 - 12 feet away from your TV...then THIS is the TV to get. Shipping on the product was great. We received this from CEVA shipping and they were great. They called ahead of time and were very prompt, courteous, and they even took the TV out and hooked it up for us.
EDIT: One more thing to add...I have now had this TV for 2 months and still LOVE it. I downloaded and burnt a break in DVD to minimize image retention. It is important if you buy this TV to break it in before you allow static images for longer than a couple of hours on the screen. After you break it in though you should be fine. I plan on running the break in DVD for a total of 100 hours and will still do things in between running it. You can get the break in files to burn your own DVD here: avsforums.com
Edit #2: If you want another good forum to glean information off from go here: http://boards.ign.com/dvd_home_theater_board/b5043/p1
The guys at that board (most of them) are pretty savvy. Also I broke the TV in and I can see a DISTINCT decrease in image retention. Thanks Superman and Terrorbeast for directing me to do that!
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This review is from: Samsung PN50A450 50-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV (Electronics)
Just purchased after looking at a lot of plasmas and lcds. The picture was sharpest of any, including many expensive 1080p sets. As virtually nothing outside of blu-ray is 1080p and virtually all channels are 720p, there seemed no compelling reason to pay twice as much for 1080p. And I'm very glad I didn't as this set looks great using Dish Network and broadcast HD using an antenna.
Also, using a PS3 for blu-ray playback, the picture is tremendous (and the games look great in HD as well). Upconverted DVDs through the PS3 are also very good looking. No problems at all with the sound, sync or otherwise. All in all, I'm very pleased with the purchase.
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This review is from: Samsung PN50A450 50-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV (Electronics)
I bought this as a second set for the recreation room and I couldn't be happier. For concerts and movies this set is spectacular. With proper placement and a little bit of care, a plasma of this size cannot be beat for entertanment value and all the drawbacks of plasmas are taken care of, all that is left is the pluses. The colours, contrast, black levels and features are top notch. Of course, if you only have one set and you want to use it for gaming, sports programming, news, and other programming with lots of static, high contrast graphics, you need to be extra careful, as burn-in is still being reported. how I use it, I don't even see any image retention, even less than on my LCD, or CRT. I don't think pixel shifting is the solution, I don't even engage it most of the time.
The set is solidly built, but the speakers are a bit of a let-down. Good enough at moderate level, but a home theatre seems almost a requirement to match this TV.
For those in the know, 720p is just as good as 1080p. Cable TV, of course, will not carry 1080p for many years. Just consider that usually blu-ray content comes in 2.35:1 aspect ratio. It does NOT have 1080 lines of vertical resolution, more like 738, each of which this set can display in a zoomed-in, full screen picture (as you SHOULD view it with a plasma). If, on the other hand you want a 50 inch LCD, most experts don't consider them equal to the plasma in picture quality at this size. So there, the extra $500 or more you'd pay for a 1080p is simply for the bragging rights.
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This review is from: Samsung PN50A450 50-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV (Electronics)
I did a lot of research before buying this product, including reviews on CNET and pricing trends. I also researched how much difference there would be between the 720p and the 1080p. Since programs are not shown in 1080p and won't be for a couple of years, that was not an issue. If you are not a blu-ray disc dvd owner, it also is not an issue. For me, having this as my first upgrade to a regular TV, I was blown away. The TV arrived in 4 days even though Amazon stated approx. 10 days. The TV was packaged well. As this 50" was going in my bedroom that has an ajacent wall that is entirely window (approx 10 ft X 8 ft) I was greatly concerned about the glare since I have no curtains of any type. Well the anti glare coating is perfect and I can watch TV any time of day with no problems. The colors are great and there are a lot of adjustments that can be made. Best Buy offers to go out and calibrate the TV for approx. $350. Save your money and do it yourself. You can spend as much time needed to tweak it as you spend more time in deciding what looks best for your taste. Definately need to have the cable box for Hi-Def or you are wasting your money on the TV. The Hi-Def colors and clarity are incredible. So I couldn't be any happier with my choice of TV and when I am ready for another 50" for the living room, I will buy the same TV or the 1080p if the price comes down more at year end. I highly recommend this TV
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This review is from: Samsung PN50A450 50-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV (Electronics)
It's simply a great TV, I compared it to my friends 52 1080 LCD Touch Of Red Samsung, and not even for a moment did I regret this purchase.
Phenomenal value/price ratio!
Just be aware of burn in limitations of Plasma TV (zoom in picture when watching 4:3) and have your brightness/contrast settings on 50% or less, an you will be very happy! I had it for over 3 months now and no problems at all.
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This review is from: Samsung PN50A450 50-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV (Electronics)
This Samsung has a really sharp picture. You won't miss 1080p at all. In fact I think it is sharper than some 1080p plasmas I have compared it to(Panasonic PZ80U and PZ85U). For the money, it is a great tv at 50 inches. My reservation is that the black levels are poor and the vibrancy of the color suffers. Compared to the Panasonic 50" 720p (PX80U also about $1000), the black levels aren't even close.
The Panasonic however has a very soft picture (not near as sharp). This only seems to matter on long shots and doesn't seem to affect fast motion. If you want great color, go with the Panasonic. If you want a razor sharp picture, go with the Samsung. Both are a great deal at this price, but the drawbacks of each are noticeable.
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This review is from: Samsung PN50A450 50-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV (Electronics)
Only had the TV for a week, and I use the settings that CNET recommends for a dark room, and all I can say is WOW! I wasn't planning on purchasing an HDTV until next year, but with the baseball playoffs and total price of this set ($999); I just couldn't wait any longer. I spent hours in stores looking at TVs and reading online sites (consumer reports) and this was by far the best TV for the money. I cannot tell the dif between 720 and 1080, though it doesnt matter anyway because I do not have an HD DVD. I have had no issues with burn-in or reflections, even when all of the lights on or sun shining into my living room. My old CRT TV had more reflection issues than this TV does. This TV is just amazing, and I now find it impossible to watch sports in anything, but HD!
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