Samsung PN50A650 user reviews (50" plasma TV)

3.5 stars

"Best value in its class" on March 1, 2009 by whycali

Pros: Stunning picture through Sony ps3 blu-ray
Have not noticed any of the heat issues many people are concerned with.
So many HDMI connections I don?t know what to do with em all.
Pretty even when off.

Cons: Grabs every bit of dust in the room. the rests of the things that weren't cons as much as peeves are listed below

Summary: Noticeable flicker with picture in movie mode. (a brightening of the entire picture apparently caused by some automatic adjustment) I have not found which one it is to fix it yet.

Bands of discoloration (apparently caused by anti glare treatment) every few inches noticeable if you are looking for it. Once you know its there, how do you not look for it?

No capability to expand picture to entire screen when watching 2.4:1 aspect ratio blu-ray movies (which is apparently the film industry standard) so you get to sweat burn in most of the time.

Such a nice picture it really points out how flawed most video sources really are (Direct TV) forced me to get the more expensive cable for my Wii.

Info link service fairly worthless if you have any other source of information. The stock ticker portion doesn?t function at all.

PIP function only works with analog television channels or cable in; does anyone else see the problem with this?

Sure would be swell if somebody could make a TV that fully utilizes the genius of HDMI. Any input that goes to the television should be able to output from the TV to the stereo in fully Dolby 5.1 with one wire. But, every component ps3, satellite box, hd DVD player, needs its own connection not only to the television but also to the stereo receiver.

Firmware "upgrade" available on Samsung website two versions behind what was shipped on TV?

Graphics displayed on screen such as channel guide because ghosting lines across the screen. But who is watching the tv with the program guide on anyway?

Updated on Mar 3, 2009

By the way, I have now watched several Blu-ray movies that forced black bars at top and bottom of the screen and am starting to think burn in wont be a problem at all as I have not seen any sign of it.

One thing I failed to mention in my original assesment is that the speakers for this television are more than adequate for watching television. I wouldn't watch The Who Live from the Isle of Wight from the television speakers but they are way better than they need to be.

Updated on Mar 15, 2009

After a whole bunch of fiddling around with the issue I talked about earlier where the screen has a noticeable flicker in movie mode, I have discovered that the problem is caused by engaging the Energy Saving mode in the Setup menu. That being said I will continue to use this function unless I am watching Blu-ray movies because who doesn't want to save energy?

Updated on Jun 11, 2009

Got tired of the bands of discoloration so I went back to Best Buy for service. They honored my service plan but buyer beware once they do that its over, dont have another problem because you have to buy another $250 plan, nice deductable jerks. Anyhow they had parts problems so they replaced my PN50A650 with a PN50B650. Holy Crap! the new B650 completely blows the A model away! DO NOT BUY A PN50A650!!!! Get a B model.

4.0 stars

"Great TV and for the price, it's hard to go wrong" on November 25, 2008 by s001awt

Pros: Fantastic colors, the number of configurable options in the menu seems limitless, good black level performance, HD sports look nothing short of spectacular, sleek design (I prefer to TOC red frame)

Cons: The sound is not as crisp and clear as I expected

Summary: Got this item at a steal of a price from a local retailer who was desperate for business. That aside, I had done plenty of research prior to purchasing and after a week, I can say I have no "buyer's remorse" for jumping on a TV at a great price. We've been looking to upgrade our old 27" zenith tube and the choice has been between this set and the 50" Panasonic PZ85U. Finally getting the opportunity to see these side by side in the store was where I made my final decision. I thought the Samsung looked a little more natural than the Panasonic as I come from a photography background. The Panasonic color just looks a little too warm for my taste next to this set. Now...I'm sure neither one of the sets were calibrated at the store, and honestly, I don't think anyone can go wrong with either of these TVs...both produce an exceptional picture, but I liked the A650 over the PZ85U. To boot, the final price on the 650 was 50$ cheaper than what the salesman would give me the 85U for, so we got the Samsung.

Now that I have it home, here are some impressions...

Video - The digital tuner built into the set means you don't need a fancy box to receive over the air broadcasts after Feb. 2009. Oh yeah...the hi-def broadcasts over the air look fantastic on this set. One thing I have not yet had the chance to test is a separate HD video source since I don't have an HD dvd or Blu-Ray player, but I can say that the 480p my current DVD player puts out is pretty awesome looking on this TV. We fired up Ratatouille over the weekend...conveniently, the DVD comes with a set of test-patterns you can adjust the contrast, brightness, sharpness, and color with so I did the best I could prior to hitting play. All I can say is wow...the shadow detail was fantastic compared to my old tube and we all thoroughly enjoyed watching the movie. I used the same settings to watch Sunday night football, and I tell you what, I don't know how I'm going to be able to watch standard definition sports anymore. No motion blur at all with this set, crystal clear and sharp pictures...the only distracting thing is that now I can tell when the cameras recording the action are having problems focusing accurately. You literally see every detail with this TV set-up correctly.

Audio - This is the only area where I "ding" this set. Now...for most folks out there, this is going to be part of a Home Theater or entertainment system, so they will have a separate audio source, but for me, this TV is all I have (for now). The audio is by no means bad...it is just not as crisp and clear as I would have expected. The audio is a little muffled and maybe after some more tweaking of settings, it will get better, but if I had an entertainment center, I would certainly buy a separate speaker for the center channel and turn the one from the TV off.

Looks / Usability - Wow...this set looks great in the family room, which is in our basement, so glare & reflectivity were not a concern of mine. The "Touch of Color" design is sleek, and it will look fantastic once it's mounted on the wall. The touch-pad power / channel / volume / menu controls are a 21st century feature and give it a hint of class. The remote and settings you can access is very well laid out and intuitive. There is almost nothing you can't tweak. Samsung even gives you the ability to tweak the white balance over the RGB color scale without having to access a special menu through a remote sequence. A nice feature that I don't recommend messing with unless you know what you're doing...being a part time photographer on the weekends, this is a welcome feature to get the absolute best color out of my TV.

The number of inputs on the back and side is more than ample...I don't ever know that I'll have 4 HDMI sources to input, but it's nice to know I can. There are 2 component video inputs as well, and an s-video connection on the side, so unless you have like 5 gaming systems and 3 DVD players, you should be fine with the number of inputs.

Overall, I'm very happy with this TV, and would have no hesitation recommending it to anyone. If they made a 46" version, my neighbor would buy one too as his space does not allow a 50" set and he wants to maximize his screen. He's going to go with the Panasonic 85U, but after seeing my Samsung A650, he might be re-locating his space to be able to step up to a 50" TV.

5.0 stars

"Best Bang for the Buck!" on June 17, 2008 by bombdigie

Pros: Great Price, Great Picture, Appealing

Cons: Black Levels

Summary: The PN50A550 got a great review from CNET. The next model has the touch of color (tint of red on the top and bottom edges), higher contrast, and added anti-glare that CNET complained about with the 550. There is also noise reduction from the 650 to 550. Also another HDMI input, but is that really necessary? It seems as though Samsung read and watched CNET's review for the 650. I was literally logging in every day to see if they were going to review the 650 and give it higher marks. We shall see what they do with it.

My one fear was that new THX Lucasfilm, Ltd was putting on TV's. I was afraid that THX was something extra special and spectacular. Turns out its just Lucasfilm cashing in on its name, its baloney. CNET even reviewed an LG with THX and confirmed that THX means nothing.

I got my 650 for $2150 with tax and free shipping. The competitor brands were ~$500 more expensive. That price was pretty great for such a high quality product. I'm very happy with my purchase and I recommend anyone interested in a large up-to-date HD to strongly consider this great home theater system.

1.0 stars

"Horrible product and costumer service" on August 30, 2011 by Livewire26

Pros: It broke down after 2 years

Cons: Shame on samsung

Summary: Shame on samsung and their technology