Reviews of the PN50A760 HDTV

I was looking at some of the reviews of the Samsung PN50A760 HDTV a little while ago. I already purchased one a couple of weeks ago, so I guess I'm kind of going at this a little backwards. Anyway, I was just wondering if the reviewers were calling it like it is, or if maybe some of them are getting a little something to lean towards another HDTV.

The first review that I looked over was one at PC World, I value their site and magazine, and they usually steer you in the right direction in reviews. I honestly didn't read the article word-for-word, but just skimmed it. I did see quotes like, "best out of all tested," and "Samsung's PN50A760 ($2500, as of November 4, 2008) combines cool multimedia capabilities and great image quality. In our lab tests, this plasma HDTV crushed the competition. It is the only model in its size category to earn a rating of Very Good for image quality." I knew that it was an honest review. I can't imagine an HDTV having better video reproduction, or more features. Here is PC World's PN50A760 review.

Also, I should note that the PN50A760 is available for much less than the quoted $2,500. (See my previous post)

Another review I 'skimmed' was one at the Washington Post. Here's one quote from the review, "The Samsung PN50A760 is an impressive Plasma television." The writer also offered, "Available for around $2000 at a size of 50 inches we feel that the PN50A760 is an excellent value." Here's the Washington Post PN50A760 review.

Please not - the first review was in November 2008, with the second being in March 2009. Even the $2,000 still isn't what it can be purchased for. Read my previous post for links to the best deal on the PN50A760. It's really hard to believe that a 50 inch plasma HDTV of this quality can be had for such a ridiculously low price. It wasn't very long ago that a plasma HDTV of this quality would have set you back several times the amount.

There's many more reviews around the Internet, if you're one that likes to get several opinions before you buy. It's always a good idea to research a major purchase. I knew the quality of this Samsung, but it still makes me feel good to see so many positive reviews.

Samsung PN50A760 HDTV

If you've yet to see the new Samsung PN50A760 HDTV, you're in for a treat. For about half of what this beautiful piece of technology would have cost you a few years ago, you can have a display for viewing your movies that is second to none. Even much less than this writer paid for a rear projection Hitachi 57" a few years ago (that doesn't even have a digital tuner) :(.

To say this HDTV has it all, pretty wells sums it up. The final icing on the cake of features is what you'd expect out of a cutting edge plasma display - an absolutely stunning image that will nearly hypnotize you.


1,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio. That should be enough to tell you that Samsung’s PN50A760 50″ plasma TV (and its two larger siblings the PN58A760 and PN63A760 that make up Series 7) are serious about performance. There are few others in all of TV-dom to feature a contrast ratio that high. The PN50A760 is also quite bright at 1300 cd/m2. With this kind of brightness, you’re most likely able to enjoy the 50″ plasma even during the day. Speaking of which, the PN50A760 can be calibrated for day and night viewing. Professionally that is. Also aiding the 50″ plasma during the day is the company’s Ultra Filter Bright anti-glare technology that brings down reflections in bright ambient environments to make it a bit more enjoyable to watch. There are a ton of other features, after the jump.


The DNIe Pro is an advanced version of Samsung’s DNIe video processing technology that makes use of its 18-bit Natural True Color. 8-bit generates 16 million colors so 18-bit would generate somewhere in the many billions, more than enough for accurate colors. Plug in a USB stick with pictures, music and video and the WiseLink technology automatically allows you to view them. Smart. Of course, like all new Samsung TVs, the PN50A760 sports the Touch of Color design. With a feature called InfoLink you can get RSS feeds which is powered by USA Today that gives you news, weather and stock information.


Here's the full press release announced July 23, 9:00AM EDT:

Source: BusinessWire via Engadget

Samsung’s Series 7 Plasma HDTVs Expand the Horizons of Luxurious Home Theater Design and Multimedia Capability

Enhanced Connectivity and Superior Picture Performance Deliver a Premium Experience

RIDGEFIELD PARK, N.J.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Samsung Electronics, the market leader in HDTV design and innovation, continues to deliver the ultimate form of “functional art” to consumers with the Series 7 Plasma HDTV featuring Samsung’s ToC™ (Touch of Color™) designed bezel. Born from the craftsmanship behind delicately blown glass to the balanced beauty of a sunset, the ToC design features a hint of red color blended into a piano black bezel. In addition to boasting a cutting-edge design, the Series 7 Plasma HDTVs deliver a superior Full HD1080p picture with up to a 1,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio for crisp detail and vibrant colors, all supported by Samsung’s Ultra FilterBright™ technology. For the home theater connoisseur, the Series 7 offers the option to calibrate the TV for both day-time and night-time viewing to ensure optimal picture quality in any setting.

“With the Series 7 plasma HDTV, Samsung looks to elevate consumers’ home theaters with a premier design and an encompassing viewing experience,” said Steve Panosian director of Visual Display Marketing at Samsung Electronics America. “By combining superior connectivity and networking options with the latest audio-visual technologies, the Series 7 Plasma is certain to further refine most any home theater setup.”

Touch of Color™

Reflecting Samsung’s mantra for design creativity, the Series 7 leaves the traditional look of HDTV design and employs the aesthetically pleasing ToC bezel. Samsung is the first manufacturer in the HDTV industry to use dual-injection molding technology which infuses color to the bezel rather than using spray paint. By controlling the density of the color injection, the resulting bezel shows a natural gradation from red to black color for a distinct yet elegant appearance.

Superior Picture Performance

The Full HD 1080p Series 7 features a dynamic contrast ratio of up to 1,000,000:1 for deeper blacks and purer whites onscreen. Samsung’s Ultra Filter Bright anti-glare technology keeps the picture clear and bright even in well-lit environments, while the next-generation DNIe™ Pro video processing and 18-bit Natural True Color ensure the subtle details are not sacrificed.

Day / Night Calibration Modes

For consumers looking for the ultimate home theater experience, the Samsung Series 7 Plasma HDTV features a professional day-time and night-time calibration mode for optimized viewing. The two special customization and enhancement modes can only be accessed once a professional calibrator makes the necessary adjustments and saves the picture settings made to match the ambient lighting in the room. Then the consumer can instantly select the saved picture settings, and experience the best possible HDTV viewing at any time of the day.

InfoLink™

The Series 7 Plasma HDTV features the one-button, on-demand InfoLink™ RSS service. Powered by content from USA Today, InfoLink instantly displays news, weather and stock information onscreen via adjustable overlays. As the ultimate form of luxury and convenience for the always-connected consumer, InfoLink allows users to view stock quotes from their personal portfolio and local weather information. There is no need to change the channel to get a five-day forecast of the weather or instant access to stock quotes and news once connected to a home network with Internet access.

Superior Connectivity

The Series 7 Plasma offers a host of connection options to enjoy a growing library of digital content. Simply plug a memory drive or digital camera in the side-mounted USB 2.0 port and WiseLink™ Pro turns the television into a jukebox or photo album. The TV recognizes not only MP3 and JPEG files but also XviD and MPEG4 files to enjoy video playback. In addition, it comes with a Digital Content Management feature that allows the user to sort images based on usual parameters like time and even more uncommon ones like color and composition. Additionally, the Series 7 Plasmas are compatible with DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) for easy connection to and content sharing with other DLNA-CERTIFIED™ products, such as a computer.

Recognizing that more consumers use their HDTV as the cornerstone of their home entertainment centers, Samsung also added enhanced connectivity to the Series 7 Plasma. Consumers can connect to, access, and manage more of the latest HD devices than ever before with a total of four HDMI 1.3 inputs (three at the rear, one on the side). Beyond their ability to handle the latest color and HD audio processing, all four connections include CEC networking, allowing control of multiple components using only the TV’s remote control.

The Samsung Series 7 Plasma HDTVs will be available in August in 50-inch, 58-inch and 63-inch screen sizes (model numbers: PN50A760, PN58A760 and PN63A760).


Wireless LinkStick Accessory

For added convenience, the Samsung Wireless LinkStick allows consumers to access the InfoLink feature on their Series 7 Plasma HDTV wirelessly. While a connection to the Internet via an appropriate modem and wireless router is still required, consumers will no longer need to run an Ethernet cable directly to their HDTV. The Wireless LinkStick (WIS-08BGX/XAA) is available now with an estimated selling price of $34.99.