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"wow amazing tv" on by lor332
Pros: perfect picture right out of the box. watching all the holiday specials, we were blown away with the picture
Cons: owner manual for setting up other compents is a little shady
Summary: i am electrician, bulk of my work is lowvlotage alarm security data, and phone. for the last couple years i have been doing target store remodels. and we build out the tv wall, so i see what the tv s can do set up new. but i read everything i could before this purchase. and samsung 58b860 and panny 54v10, i went back forth the local bestbuy guy s knew i didn't help. i would just watch both for hours. finally setteled on the samsun 860. wow once i got it home it' s big. so you might want to rethink about the 50. the pic is flawless, the colors, omg spongebob and other cartoons were amazing. crystal clearand perfect right out of the box. i just tuned it on great pic,
so for all you out there like me, the specs mean a lot, but the bottom line you have to be happy with your purchase, and someone like me, i always get home and say, i should have gotten that. NOT THIS TIME . i happy
for this big of a purchase, your like me, you read everything you could,so you already know about sammy vs the panni, there both nice, but im really happy with this purchase -
"Buzzes like a hornets nest!" on by zpop
Pros: The new 2009 Samsung plasmas look incredible, have tons of features and options, handle 24p content properly and even have decent sounding speakers and the styling is top notch. However, they have one fatal flaw which brings us to...
Cons: This TV buzzes constantly! It buzzes even when the volume is muted and connected to just the power outlet and nothing else. Check out the following thread on avsforum about the buzz issue. http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1144869
Summary: Steer clear of this TV. Beauty is more than skin deep.
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"Excellent value compared to other TVs in its class." on by PhiPsi32
Pros: Excellent black levels. Adequate user settings and calibration options. Yahoo! Widgets including Netflix and Amazon On Demand. Plenty of media inputs including four (4) HDMI ports. Ultra thin chassis gives it a sleek and attractive form factor.
Cons: Yahoo! Widgets are VERY slow. No support for Hulu Plus and other advanced features. Built in media player has limited file support. It does not play .MKV files for example. No built in WiFi.
Summary: Samsung is still a player in HD plasma TVs. At the time this model was released, it offered a rich feature set and video quality which rivaled or beat CFL and LED LCD TVs. It sold at a substantial discount to LCDs. It's sleek, ultra thin chassis and anti image retention features make it a compelling alternative to popular LCD TVs. The expansive 58" screen is larger than most LCDs which usually max out at 55". And, yes, the extra 3" does make a difference.
The PN58B860 is not all raves. While it's one the first TV to feature Yahoo! Widgets, the widgets are extremely slow. It takes about two minutes to load, and there is a substantial delay when scrolling between widgets. Social networking features like Twitter are nice. It's pretty cool to update your Twitter time line from your TV. Sadly, the on screen keyboard is also very slow and clunky. But it's not bad for a first release. On a brighter note, streaming services such as Amazon On Demand work beautifully (provided you have an internet connection of at least 4.5Mbs). While streaming services like Amazon only offer 720p for HD streaming, most viewers won't notice the difference except for films heavy on visual effects like Avatar.
Unless you need the latest internet widgets, this Samsung plasma will deliver superb video quality with enough internet add-ons to satisfy your On Demand needs. -
"Best Color Saturation Around" on by Leo_730
Pros: True-to-life color saturation
Excellent 1080p/24 output
Excellent standard definition picture
Good black levels
Picture needs virtually no adjustments other than contrast/brightnessCons: None on this particular plasma that I got. However, the 50" version that I traded up from did have the notorious buzzing. Although my current 58" model does buzz, I have to put my ear next to it to hear it. There is some slight image retention.
Summary: First of all, let me address the buzzing issue. I owned the 50" version before trading up to the 58". The previous had a loud buzzing. Was it a deal breaker? No it was not, but I can see how some people would be annoyed. Buzzing is not Samsung specific, it is an inherent flaw in current plasma technology. I believe Samsung is more prone to louder buzzing due to the thin design of the TV. There is good news for everyone though, not all of them buzz loudly. My current 58" buzzing cannot be heard unless you stand right next to the set. And that is when it is muted. Any volume of sound drowns out the very slight buzzing.
Let's talk about the picture on this beast. MAGNIFICENT! This set easily beats out any Panasonic I have seen. Sure, the Panasonic V series has deep black levels, but this Samsung is not that far behind. Where this TV excels is the color saturation. It needs 0 white balance adjusting. The colors are very realistic which is what I personally favor. If you are into over-saturated colors, stick with another brand. I personally do not like cartoony colors on non-cartoon content. Blu-Rays on this TV is absolutely gorgeous. Cinema Smooth works as promised and looks outstanding. I am now a plasma fan. One thing I hated about LCDs was the "Soap Opera" effect. Plasma doesn't have this issue. Just crisp, clean motion. None of that frame filling nonsense from LCDs. This Samsung blows my in-laws' two Sony Bravias out of the water.
There is one downfall of plasmas though and this Samsung is no exception. Image Retention. It has some slight IR problems with static images such as letterboxed content. However, my TV is not broken in and any IR problem goes away within a few minutes. This is something I can live with considering how great the picture quality is.
Overall, I am beyond satisfied with this TV.
By the way, don't talk about stock speakers. Point me to a flat panel TV with great sound and I'll show you a pig with wings. -
"Beautiful!" on by kindlewood
Pros: Huge! Very attractive design and style. Awesome Picture! No buzzing at all!
Cons: The Wigets are a little slow to come up and access. Built in speakers don't produce the greatest sound.
Summary: I just received this TV this week and I haven't been able to pick my jaw up off the floor yet. My last HD tv was a 40" 720p LCD Samsung that I purchased a little over 4 years ago. About 6 months ago, it developed a small vertical line, which grew over time. After finding out that there wasn't a reasonable way to fix the problem, I decided it was time for an upgrade. I did some serious research before buying this TV and am not disappointed. I was a little bit concerned about the reports of a buzzing noise, but the dealer I purchased it from said that they've sold several dozens of this very model and have yet to have someone complain about a buzzing noise. When it arrived and was set up, the first thing I checked for was the buzzing sound, but it didn't even make a whisper.
This is a beautiful TV, that has gorgeous picture quality, with very precise colors and very good black levels. It is set up in my living room, which can get a bit bright on sunny days, but I haven't had any problems with glare. The 1080p/24 worked flawlessly, making my movie viewing that much more enjoyable. Also, it does a nice job showing non-HD channels, which is nice, since most of my kid's channels aren't in HD.
If there's anything I can complain about, it would be that the built in speakers aren't spectacular. The widgets also tend to load slower than I expected, making it less appealing to use than I was hoping for. Still, I had read this and expected it, I was just hoping the review had been wrong...it wasn't.
If you are considering purchasing this TV, you won't be disappointed!
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