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Samsung PN50A650 Review
Samsung PN50A650 - Lifelike colors
The PN50A650 used to lord it over Samsung’s plasma line, being the largest and latest model. However, only a few months after it came out in May 2008, Samsung released the 63-incher mammoth under the same Series 6 line, and later, the complete Series 7 line. The Samsung PN50A650 thus became just one of the products instead of being the top product. Still, it’s an impressive and feature-packed item that shows a lot of potential, perfect for those looking for high performance plasmas.
Design
Part of the Touch of Color (ToC) line, the PN50A650 sports the same reddish accent on its frame that distinguishes the ToC TVs from the rest of the products in the vaunted Samsung arsenal. Besides colored bezel, the PN50A650 has other design elements like the stylish clear coating over the frame, invisible speakers and rounded corners that work together to present a sleek and gorgeous piece of equipment.
Samsung’s remotes were refurbished for 2008, and the one included in this HDTV is undoubtedly one of the better ones. With backlight and some fresh ideas like the Tools option that efficiently gives quick access to sound and picture modes, picture-in-picture controls and sleep timer, this remote is definitely great - if not for its glossy black finish. Samsung should remember not to put a glossy finish on anything that is frequently hand held, as the glossy finish promptly becomes smudged only after a few minutes.
Screen/picture clarity
The PN50A650 HDTV exhibited good black levels, though not as good as the top-of-the-line plasmas.However, that weakness is more than compensated by its exceptional color accuracy - skin tones look natural and greenery are really green - making pictures quite stunning despite the slightly washed-up black levels. Moreover, the Ultra Filter Bright anti-glare feature seems to work well, adding to the picture clarity. A little tweaking of the settings and one would surely find acceptable greyscale and color temperatures to make the images even more breathtaking.
This full 1080p HD resolution TV, powered by the DNIe Pro video processor, has no trouble resolving HD and standard sources, scaling 720p and 1080i resolutions seamlessly into its 1080p native resolution. This set also has no problem rendering standard definition (480p) sources, producing no jagged edges or artefacts that frequently come up when resolving 24fps sources.
Features
As expected, Samsung has designed this HDTV overflowing with features. A step up from its less distinguished cousins in the 550 series, Samsung added another HDMI port, bringing the total to four. Other connectivity options provided are the component video inputs, VGA port, USB port, RF input for the combo analogue/digital/cable tuner, and an Ethernet port that can connect to the InfoLink system. With three picture modes and three additional Entertainment modes, viewing your favourite shows or movies or playing your favourite games is easy and intuitive.
While this may not be the top-of-the-line in plasma HDTVs, it surely has enough pizzazz to be among the cream of the crop. Some may find the price rather steep, but if you consider that it’s a Samsung, and a Touch of Colour at that, the extra expense is well worth it in the end.
<< Click HERE to Read The Latest Samsung PN50A650 User Reviews >>
Doesn’t get any better than this! What can I say? This 50″ plasma is simply the best on the market. I compared and compared and compared for close to 4 months before pulling the trigger on this baby. Managed to even get the local Ken Krane’s store to put this unit side-by-side with the Pioneer Elite Kuro set that sells for 2000 dollars more. Frankly, the Samsung looked better, even though the sales dink at Ken Kranes told me I was “wrong” (which is why I decided to purchase elsewhere). Sure, you can spend upwards of 4g on a set like this, but don’t. Unless you spend all day and all night in front of the t.v., this is the one for you. Thanks to Amazon, it showed up with the white glove treatment and it was worth the wait. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!
Bought this Samsung Plasma 50 inch A650 model 1/30/09 - my wife and I both love it. Very easy to use and the picture is great. We have it hooked up to Direct TV with HD channels….
Absolutely Amazing! The picture on this set is amazing. I’ve been watching the Austrialian Open on it and can not get over how crisp the picture is. My only two complaints are that it is heavier than I was expecting and the unit itself runs very hot. I was in the market for the LN52A650 but couldn’t find a price I liked. When I saw the LN52A650 and the PN50A650 side by side I knew that Plasma was the way I wanted to go. I currently have 2 50″ Samsung Plasmas and one 46″ Sharp Aquos LCD, and have been very happy with both of them. However this tv smokes them all.
I bought it off amazon but the seller didnt have it in stock and basically told me I wasnt getting the tv. I found it at Circuit City 40% off, the day before they closed the doors. It is an amazing TV! Just about any movie is a good one, when watching it on this tv. If I had to make a complaint, it would be the brightness. Not at all bad, I just dont like cranking the settings up to do it.
This showed up in my Gold Box in December (this is written in April; I wanted a chance to live with it for a while). Gee, I wonder how Amazon knew I wanted this very TV?
Price was fantastic, and White Glove delivery was great; the only hang-up–it was chilly on delivery day, and the guy couldn’t turn the set on to run down his checklist. No biggie, but it was hard to wait for the set to acclimate before getting the chance to turn it on. There aren’t enough good things to say about it. Touch of color is very subtle and the clear band around the edge of the bezel is cool. After dialing back the settings for a break-in period (say what you will, I felt better doing it), I calibrated the set and am still amazed at the picture. High Def sources are excellent (over-the-air and U-Verse’s HD signal). Even component 480p out of the DVD player looks great. No Blu-Ray yet; waiting for another Gold Box deal. The sound isn’t world class, but I knew that going in and have a very nice amp and speakers for when it matters. Love this set–not like, love!
I have been using this TV for more than 6 months now. WOW, what a great TV and for a great price point. I researched and looked at many makes and models and after some reading reviews, I selected the this model and have never regretted it since. Very good picture quality.
I got this TV when Circuit City was in it’s final days. I kind of wish I hadn’t bought it though. If you are looking to buy your first flat panel this TV will impress, but I own 3 and this one is probably the weakest one I have. I bought this TV to replace my Hitachi 42″ plasma for my main TV room. My wife and I moved to a new house and the size of the room needed a bigger TV. Actually according to viewing standard I really need a 65″ as we sit roughly 17′ from the TV….but I can’t afford that, but I wish!!! Things that annoy me with this TV are the incredibly slow boot time, and when I am viewing a channel that is letter-box by standard I change the picture size to “wide-fit” and there is a 1-2 inch vertical black line on the left of the screen. I actually think that is a defect that I need to talk with Samsung about. Going back to the boot time; it takes about 10-15 seconds from the time you punch the power button until you have picture and sound. My Hitachi is on all most instantly. I should point out that I’m using my Hitachi for comparison because they are both plasma technology. My third flat is LCD. feature wise the Samsung is average in connectors, and less than average in usless stuff. The info-link is kind of dumb I think. If I want to see the weather on my TV I will tune into the weather channel or just go online and get it, and the same goes for stocks and etc.. With my 2-1/2 year old Hictahi I got the same connections the ability to view photos via USB (but not with the cutesy environment of the Samsung) PLUS the TV is cable card ready (great for those wanting to loose the cable box) and it also has TV guide built in. For those that don’t know this feature uses the coax cable to deliver channel line up and schedules for up to (I think) 8 days. It looks pretty much (and really better) like the on screen guide you get with the cable box. COOOOL!! THOSE are useful features and that TV is now 2-1/2, and seeing what you get 2 years later with Samsung is pretty weak. Even the ethernet connection is not able to automatically download new firmware upgrades…WHY? You still have to download it from their website to USB and load it. I figured by now these manufacturers would have incorporated a PC with DRV in the TV. God knows they can do it. Insted they invest in new technologies like OLED which is great if you want it thinner TV with the same features and a lot bigger price tag. After bailing on CRT’s I’m perfectly content with the size of plasma/LCD. 3 stars.
This showed up in my Gold Box in December (this is written in April; I wanted a chance to live with it for a while). Gee, I wonder how Amazon knew I wanted this very TV?
Price was fantastic, and White Glove delivery was great; the only hang-up–it was chilly on delivery day, and the guy couldn’t turn the set on to run down his checklist. No biggie, but it was hard to wait for the set to acclimate before getting the chance to turn it on. There aren’t enough good things to say about it. Touch of color is very subtle and the clear band around the edge of the bezel is cool. After dialing back the settings for a break-in period (say what you will, I felt better doing it), I calibrated the set and am still amazed at the picture. High Def sources are excellent (over-the-air and U-Verse’s HD signal). Even component 480p out of the DVD player looks great. No Blu-Ray yet; waiting for another Gold Box deal. The sound isn’t world class, but I knew that going in and have a very nice amp and speakers for when it matters. Love this set–not like, love!
I bought this TV 2 months ago and have to say I made a right choice. At the time when I was looking for 50″ HD TV, I had researched several different and much more expensive Panasonic models. What finally helped me to decide was the visit to the local TV store to see the difference between different sets. Unless you are looking for a TV to brag about how much you have spent, you will never be able to justify to cost difference of $1,000!
The picture quality will blow your mind and the Blu-Ray pictures will keep you glued to the screen of this TV…
Last thing is the sound quality that is somewhat average. If you really want a superior sound quality, then this model will not deliver it to you: you will need to buy an extra sound system for the total experience to be perfect. But if you are like me, you would rather spend $1,000 less knowing that you will never be able to see a much of a difference as compared to much more expensive models.
Ordered Sunday 3/28/09, got a call from CEVA on 4/1/09 saying they were going to deliver on 4/2 between 12:00 and 5:00 PM. Delivered on 4/2 at 12:15 PM. NO box damage. Delivered into room where it was going to be installed. Perfect!!!
Stuck red pixel smack dab in the middle of the screen after 6 months. Samsung does not cover this under warranty. Apparently there must be several dead or stuck pixels to be covered under warranty. Very annoying, especially after spending $1500.
I bought this TV in December 2008. 1 year later, as soon as the warranty was up, I started getting this crazy burn-in on the left side of my screen. It looked like the black boxes on the side when you are viewing a 4:3 channel in 16:9 mode. Now, I’ve had this TV for awhile so I consider myself an expert. The only time those black bars were visible was during commercials. I never watched SD channels in 16:9 for fear of burn-in.
Now I have this box that is a different shade of black than the rest of the screen on the left side. Also, since it’s over a year I cannot get it fixed without spending my own money. The TV was great for a year, but now I wish I had waited for an LED or got an LCD. This was very poor judgment on my part, but it’s also poor build on Samsung’s part.
I’ve tried all of the screen burn-in protection. I left the scrolling bars running overnight for 5 hours and it didn’t get rid of it. I tried the all white screen for 2 hours and still no success. I guarantee that it is burn-in, but from what? I never watched an SD channel in 16:9, ever. I never had black bars on the side for more than 30 seconds.
I’ve been a loyal Samsung customer for years. My 3 computers monitors in my house are all Samsung LCD’s. That’s what I should have stuck with, LCD’s.
The worst part of this is, I still haven’t paid it off yet.