Samsung’s flagship and top-of-the-line plasma (PN50A650) is basically an upgraded version of the older but equally awesome PN50A550. Most of the technological advances in the former are found in the latter, with some enhancements added to the PN50A650 to make it the top Samsung plasma. Thus, the relatively inexpensive PN50A550 is a great alternative for budget conscious buyers who want top-notch performance without hurting the pocketbook.
Design
The handsome styling is what strikes buyers immediately upon seeing the mid-range Samsung PN50A550. Glossy black finish covers the entire body, including the bezel surrounding the screen, to present an
Samsung PN50A550
unassuming yet elegant design. The speakers concealed below the screen, blue light that can be toggled on/off, and the stand that affords slight swivelling complete the beautiful package.
The new Samsung remotes shipped this year are nicer than last year’s. The bigger buttons, inclusion of dedicated keys for often-used features, and the cool backlighting make the clicker delightful and easy to use, though Samsung should really consider having their remotes finished in styles other than smudge-prone glossy finishes. The revamped menu system is also better, with the easy to read text, new graphics, helpful explanations, and intuitive arrangements of menu items one of the best we’ve seen in HDTVs.
Screen/picture clarity
If there is anything that makes the PN50A550 distinct from other plasmas is its superb picture quality – resulting from its accurate color rendering, effective noise reduction and solid video processing. While it certainly can’t match the deep black levels produced by the top-rated plasmas, it nonetheless gives reasonably inky shades of black. Still, the impressive primary and secondary color accuracy along with near-perfect decoding which together render natural looking skin tones, clear white areas and brilliant images, are enough reasons to consider this plasma.
The PN50A550 resolved 1080i and 1080p film-based and video-based sources handily, with noise-free pictures that bests even the top plasmas. The uniformity across the screen is also excellent, even on off-angle viewing. A major downside to this set is the poorly-performing anti-reflective screen which isn’t at all effective in attenuating reflections in brightly lit environments.
Features
This full 1080p HD resolution plasma offers three adjustable picture modes and three more presets under the Entertainment Mode that can’t be adjusted. It also has numerous picture controls to tweak light output, color temperatures, white balance, aspect ratios and noise reduction options. Aside from picture-in-picture capability, a set of protection mechanisms are installed in the PN50A550 to combat potential burn-in, and three energy-saving modes are available to minimize power consumption. Like all Samsung HDTVs released this year, this plasma is rich in connectivity choices: three HDMI ports, RGB connector slot for PC, USB port, and a slew of composite input/outputs jacks that are already standard in high-def TVs.
The PN50A550 is far from being a perfect HDTV, but it’s a feature-rich one which strikes a nice balance between performance and cost. And with its beautiful styling that will surely blend well in most modern homes, it becomes a perfect HDTV for consumers who aren’t too particular about black levels.
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