Samsung PN50B650

Pros: Beautiful bright display. Colors are amazing. This TV brings together so many great features. Samsung hit the mark. Easy interface to all functions. The USB conection to photos, music and videos is really nice.

Cons: Slightly more TV glare than I expected. Using the supplied TV stand makes the TV lean slightly forward. I wish the remote had the capability to program other devices (DVD, Cable etc..)

Summary: I spent over 6 months looking at just about every Plasma on the market. I'm a research freak when it comes to spending my hard earned money. I don't beleive in the statement "You get what you pay for", I prefer "You get what you don't pay for". Which means you can get screwed by just buying the most expensive product, be a smart consumer and do your research. Pay for the things you need and want. 6 months ago I was dead set on the Pioneer Kuro 5020, it was the king from everything I saw. The price was a little more than I wanted to pay, but the TV was beautiful. My neighbor has one and to me the picture wasn't very bright in a bright room. In a dark room the picture was fantastic. The TV also got very hot. When the company pulled out of the plasma TV market that made a statement to me. Why would I buy a product from a company that pulled out of the business. I was then convinced that he Panasonic was the was to go. Nice TV's overall and the 09's are even sweeter. I wanted the V10 or G10 but after beeing the Samsung B650 next to them I wasn't convinced anymore that the Panasonics were hands down better. Everytime I went to look at the TV's the Samsung always looked slightly brighter and with more intense colors. I watched on both TV's (G10 and B650) a scene from the movie Transformers and the G10 just had some minor blurr/grainy issues that I didn't see on the Samsung B650. This is personally preference, you have to go make the choice for yourself. The battle came down to the G10 or B650. The B650 is a way more stylish TV, it has great features and is user friendly. I wasn't sure about the "Touch of Color" of the Samsung but once in my living room it really looks regal. I love it now. The pictures are almost the same between both TV's. Both are awesome no doubt. As for the V10 was it REALLY worth $450 more? Not for me, I'd rather have the $450 for something else. Also as for Panasonic customer service, well I called 4 months ago to order the 50" Z850U from Panasonic because they had a great sale. After dealing with the sales associate on the phone and her attitude I wan't sure about what future service might be like. It really drew me away a bit, she didn't know the product at all and only cared about selling one now. I believe that either the G10 or B650 will make most buyers happy. The bottom line is which is right for you. For me it was the colors, the TV design/style, the USB feature, and the friendly menu system. This is my first Samsung product and so far I'm very satsfied. I paid $1599 for mine. An okay deal, the G10 was on sale for $110 less. Tough choice overall but I'm very happy with my selection.

Updated on Jul 19, 2009

Well after owning this TV for 3 weeks I decided to return it. I still like the TV but decided I don't like plasma technology. I believe this is one of the best plasmas for the money. I don't like plasma as much as LCD, several reasons. Plasma TV's run hot, you can feel the heat walking by and Image retention is annoying. My son would watch the Disney channel and later you could see the Mickey Mouse ears in the lower right hand corner during dark scenes. I would eventually go away but I found it disappointing. I decided to go with LCD. I heard about motion blurr and was hesitant but my new Samasung LN52A850 seems great. I like it much better than the plasma, and the picture quality is the same in my eyes. It was more money but it is on sale now at BB and thought it was a good deal. Samsung makes a great TV.