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Date: 2008-08-17 My first HDTV; nothing short of amazing! After nearly a year of intensely researching not only the top market contenders, but also the fundamentals of LCD/Plasma HDTV technologies themselves, I arrived at the conclusion that this was the right television for me. I'm a technophile and gadget lover but am rarely an earlier adopter, opting to let the bleeding edge consumers play "beta tester" before spending my hard earned cash. I took my time stepping into the world of HD, the end of the format war and overall high-def content availability increase being the final event to push me toward purchase. And so, after much reading and even more deliberation, the decision was made to purchase this Samsung PN50A550. The folks over at avsforum.com were beyond helpful in explaining their experiences and comparisons with higher-end models in detail - I highly suggest visiting that site if you haven't already. On to the TV. First, shipping. It was shipped extremely fast, and was delivered by CEVA several days sooner than the expected delivery date. I was called beforehand by a friendly staff member to schedule a time. The delivery men were quick and courteous and arrived at the beginning of the time window I selected. They unboxed the set for me, placed it on my TV stand, turned it on and let me inspect it both physically and functionally. They suggested I keep the materials for a few days to rule out any problems. Very happy with the shipping! Next, the TV itself. This is my first HDTV, upgrading from a 27" Sony Trinitron I purchased in 2000. Needless to say my jaw dropped when it was unboxed and placed on my television stand. This set is just absolutely GORGEOUS when it's off and standing on it's own. I was worried about it seeming ominously large, but it's perfect! I don't have cable (yet) so I hooked up my PS3 via HDMI, which I purchased for this occasion and threw in a Blu-Ray demo disc... Now, I would say that I was blown to bits by the image - and I was - but there seemed to be something 'off' that was distracting me. I knew that the set needed to be calibrated a bit but I couldn't place my thumb on what seemed strange. I waited until later that evening when the sun went down (I have lots of windows) and put in BATMAN BEGINS on Blu-Ray to scrutinize. I used the CNET suggested settings and began to criticize the picture. BATMAN BEGINS is a pretty dark film and probably not a good movie to use when criticizing black levels, brightness, etc. However, after tweaking the settings to my own liking I started to realize what I was perceiving; it was the very same perceptual shift that occured when I switched from CRT monitors to flat-screen LCD monitors. It's just a whole different type of light, and a very different experience overall. One of my first revelations happened when I played a game in HD (Devil May Cry 4), which is only 720P but showcases the sharpness, brightness and color this set is capable of. Ratatouille on Blu-Ray even more so! Since then I've watched numerous films on both DVD and Blu-Ray and am continually blown away by how great this TV is. For the price ($1700 when I purchased) there is nothing that comes close. The black levels are excellent, the calibration controls are suberb - everything about it from the menus to the exterior just spell quality. I'm really turning into a Samsung fanboy! I still find myself tweaking settings here and there (I never move from "Movie" mode, as all the others seem to blow the image out too much and lose detail) and am debating having it professionally calibrated, but I've arrived at some overall settings that work beautifully for everything from downloaded HD content, to video games, to blu-ray and DVD (from drama to anime). Even though I've had the set for one month, I'm still under my first 100 hours of use so I always stretch everything to Wide-Fit and am careful not to leave anything up on the screen. I have had some slight IR that had me a little worried initially, but realized that only stays there until an image is displayed or the burn protection features are used (example, if you use the TVs menu for a number of minutes, then view a pure black screen, there is slight ghosting. Playing a few seconds of a movie washes it clean away). All in all, I have to give this 5 stars - for both Samsung and Amazon.com. Date: 2008-08-12 Love the TV First HDTV, and I have had no issues with it whatsoever in the first month. Great picture. Hooked up some cheap compact stereo speakers to it, and feel as if I am in a theatre. The Blue Ray movies are otherworldly. Love it. Date: 2008-08-11 Why 3 stars and not 5? Samsung PN50A550 50-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV all in all, it was a good expierence. I Bought my TV for a good price and the delivery was prompt. They were very prompt in sending me confirmation emails, as well as follow up phone calls. My only complaint is that I was misled. Immidieatly after purchasing the TV I called to unquire on the whether this was the newest series (Series 7) and I was told imphatacly that it was. Well, it wasn't. When the TV arrived it had a big sticker that said "Series 5". I'm not fond of being misled about a product that I was Date: 2008-08-04 Five stars for the TV; zero for delivery service Many have extolled the virtues of this TV before, and I will only briefly say that they're not kidding--the picture is amazing. The only better picture IMHO, after months of looking and hours of staring at different sets, are the newer pioneer kuros, but those are about double the price of this samsung 5-series or more. Comparable panasonics may have better black levels, and consequently "pop" more, with better shape definition and more detail in shadows/dark areas, but the colors are a bit off, especially greens, and they have a lot of video noise, especially in darker scenes. Plus, the sammy's cheaper than them as well. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a 50" TV, period. Much better picture--deeper colors, etc., than an LCD. And for all the complaints about the Filterbrite screen, i have it mounted in a pretty well-lit room w/ windows all around, and as long as you don't have a window/light source shining directly on it (which is easy enough to control!) it looks bright and sharp even in the middle of the day with no glare or reflections. EDIT: I should also add that I was torn for a while between getting 1080p and saving $500 going with the 450 model at 720p. I am very glad I spent the extra dough. Don't judge the difference in the pictures at bestbuy/circuit city/etc.--they only feed it a 720p signal so you're not going to notice a difference. I thought the picture was better on the 550 anyway because it has a slightly better contrast ratio and truer colors, but not worth enough to spend $500 extra. That all changes, however, when you pop a blu-ray disc in. The difference is absolutely noticeable and after watching several movies on blu-ray, regular old 720p hi-def doesn't look quite as stunning anymore. Since eventually every movie is going to come out on blu-ray--and since this day is not too far in the future--it absolutely makes sense to opt for the better resolution. (note: i sit between 8-10 ft away from this 50" tv. if you're 12 or more feet away then the difference is probably less noticeable). The only reason it gets four stars is because of the delivery. Order through amazon if possible! Unfortunately, the prices on amazon fluctuate almost daily, and the day i bought it their price had jumped up $100. So I bought from electronics expo, which amounted to the previous amazon price once shipping was factored in. I have no problems w/ electronics expo other than that they choose third-rate shipping companies to ship their stuff, like Manna Distribution Systems. I was at work so my mother came over to accept it, and said that the deliveryman was rude, refused to take it into the house until after much arguing (even though the order specifically said he was to take it past the threshold into the house), and made my mother sign a paper saying it was in good condition before he would bring it inside. The tv was unharmed and worked fine, but there's no excuse for such ridiculous service. Anyway, order directly from amazon and you will absolutely love this tv. Date: 2008-08-03 Samsung & Amazon a great Combo After much research and visual comparison I finally ordered the Samsung PN50A550. Ordered it on a Friday night, was notified that it had shipped Monday afternoon. Received a call from CEVA on Wednesday to schedule a delivery. They offered to deliver the next day but I elected a Saturday delivery. Delivery man arrived at 10:30 on Saturday, unpacked TV, set up, made sure it worked, cleaned up all the trash and went on his way. TV has beautiful picture, very easy to hook up. Have not found any problems, complaints, issues with the TV. It's exactly as good as most of the reviews here say. Saved $400 plus tax from local retail and delivery time was excellent. Also, have to give a excellent mark to FIOS for their delivery of cable box and their resolution of a problem quickly on a Sunday morning. All and all, between Samsung, Amazon, CEVA and FIOS a fantastic experience.
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