Samsung PN64D8000 user reviews

Pros + Picture is so good
+ Awesome 2D picture
+ Colors are delicious
+ Gaming on this TV is an absolute pleasure
+ Controls are extensive and easy to use

Cons - Interface confusing

Summary I will say first off that I am not a proffessional TV guy. I do not have a device to measure MLL, or light output.

That being said, I researched exhaustively as my little 37" Diamond series was getting a little small. For 3-4 months I had my heart set on the P65VT30, preordered at J&R. Then I started reading reviews by cnet, and other pros on the web about their previous sets. Blacks levels on pannys WILL degrade. That rating on their site which says it has better blacks will change, they will degrade over time, and very likely to a point worse than this set. I do not care how many people say that the VT30 has better blacks because 4300 dollars is just not worth it for a set that has worse color, temporarily better blacks, and a vizio-esque blocky design.

I cancelled my VT30 preorder shortly after reading review after review regarding the above issue. It is due to how the set adjusts brightness, and is just the way those sets work - the issue is unavoidable, so don't say I didnt tell you so when you notice while watching the super bowl later this year and the steelers jerseys are not as black as they once were!

Now the samsung PN64D8000 is about as good as you're going to get on a big screen pdp display - blacks ARE better on this set than the smaller ones, which I will address later. Blacks are Inky!! And I use that term because that is the most applicable word I can think of. Colors are delicious, with reds, greens, yellows, and blues all popping right off the screen and into your living room. I play a lot of HD games on ps3/360 and the first thing I noticed is how well the set responds to fast moving images. It is spot on, and at least twice as fast as my old LCD set was. Gaming on this TV is an absolute pleasure, and I cant stand it on my old mitsu anymore, as my eyes have become accustomed to nearly perfect response time.

On to BD's. I have read conflicting reports of Cinema Smooth degrading blacks when turned on. I have not seen this one solitary instance. I watched the Matrix Reloaded twice - the first time with CS on, the second with it off. Blacks did not decrease any that I could notice, and I have a good eye for detail. Yes, CS mode does improve PQ on bluray movies, and quite a bit I might add. The picture, for lack of a better word, just seems more "together." More details can be seen with CS mode on than off. This feature is really personal preference, but for me it improves an already amazing picture to a pq I have literally not seen before on a TV. This mode is what videophiles call the "96hz mode". Technically means that turned on CS will match the 24fps, with that of the bd, which greatly improves pq. Modern films are filmed at 24fps, and CS mode basically matches that, by reducing from 60fps to 24fps using 96hz mode. Techno-babble I know, but moving on.

Netflix. We've all got it, and we've all seen the input signal change mid-way through a movie much to our annoyance. It shows up even worse on a big hd set. Here is where I have one of my few complaints: while whatching netflix I have seen in only a few instances some mild fluctuating blacks. I'm not sure if it is due to the picture source(netflix) or the tv's processing. I'm still trying to figure it out.

I have seen FB only one other time. On the BD of Interview with the Vampire the blacks did fluctuate a few times, and if I was not so obsessed with detail I would not have noticed it. Its really a small issue, and most folks will probably not see it like some of us tech heads do. NOTE: Samsung did release an update for this tv, and after installation I watched the IWTV again. This time I did not see FB's. None.

The only time I EVER see fluctuating blacks now is when netflix is on a low quality for whatever reason. It only seems to happen when watching poorer quality signals like sd cable, or netflix, so really nothing to worry about.

My review is mainly regarding picture quality, and ive got a tower for my internet. That being said, the internet on the tv is ok. A little laggy sometimes, but its bearable. Netflix straight through the tv is quite acceptable, and at least as good as from a ps3/360. Netflix through the ps3 has been the best overall, if it makes any difference(1080p streaming).

Overall I would give this set a 9/10 just because the stand is so darn ugly, the bezel is not black like the d7000 and the few instances I saw FB's. Blacks are amazing, inky, and you will notice them the first time you turn it on. Colors are spot on!! Response time is absolutely fantastic, and despite what those 18 year olds at best buy say, plasma is far superior for gaming. Burn-in is a thing of yesteryear, and there is absolutely no issues with that on this set. I would take this set over the Panasonic P65VT30 ANY DAY!! Samsung is better with parts distribution, service, warranty claims(not that you will have any), and over picture quality. Blacks are videophiles obsessions, and this set does them perfectly.

So when you pull out your credit card for the VT30, just remember "i told you so" when youre cursing at your set come super bowl time, or neo's trench coat isnt as black as it used to be...

Hope this helps with your decision!

*** P.S. If you will buy this TV I suggest you have compare price before you decide at: www.amazon.com/gp/*************?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%****%2Foffer-listing%2FB004RTE5BA%3Fie%3DUTF8%26ref_%3Ddp_olp_new_map%26condition%3Dnew%23&tag=***************&********=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957

Pros No pros yet except I'm able to use the set in a very very bright room.

Cons The chrome plated base is very annoying. Why silver and why reflective? Don't expect to replace the pedestal base. Samsung says no other pedestal from other sets will work.
Very disappointed that last years 3D glasses don't work on this year's models.

Summary I bought the Samsung d8000 because the Panasonic had not yet released its VT30 series. I've owned 2 65" Panasonic Plasmas, 600 and 850 series. A Samsung 63" was returned a few years back because of their pink screen in that generation.

I still have not been able to adjust this set to meet my needs and desire. I've had it for a week.
The screen appears to be better than most for reflection. I'm finding the apps in the web screen confusing as far as logging on and using the different services.

Updated on Jun 10, 2011

I ended up returning thiis set. Thank you Crutchfield for being wonderful to work and deal with.
I was never able to adjust the picture to be pleasing on a wide variety of program source and stations. Either the set looked great or the picure had to much grain.
The set also emmitated a high pitch squeel. I think only people with great hearing would find this impossible to watch. Lastly there were way to many bad pixels, all in the same area. The bad pixels were most evident when a scene went to jet black, you would see flashing red from 14 feet away. I really wanted to love this. After reading David Katzmaier's review, I was going to try another set, but after rehookig up an old Hitachi plasma, I'm glad I sent it back.

Pros Black level when new; Color saturation/accuracy when new

Cons Screen (anti reflective/real black filter) peels away on almost every single panel manufactured; Black level lightens (worsens) as it ages; Color saturation/accuracy worsens at it ages.

Summary In spite of the fact that I had to exchange this television three times within the first two weeks after initially purchasing it -- I go into detail about why I had to exchange it multiple times below --I originally wrote a glowing review for it. The sad fact of the matter is that I didn't wait long enough to write my review. I just had a junk out exchange approved by Best Buy. They picked up my fourth and last D8000 today. These D8000 sets all experience the screen peeling -- more information below -- issue. They all experience their black level becoming much lighter and worse as the panel ages. And as a result of their black level worsening (becoming lighter) the color saturation suffers a great deal.

Obviously, the screen peeling issue is the biggest problem. Faulty engineering or manufacturing has led to practically every single D8000 (and D7000) panel in existence experiencing the peeling issue. This is completely unacceptable. If you have just purchased this television new, please check in the top right, top left, and on the entire top edge of your panel. If you see any bubbling, peeling, or anything similar, and you are within the timeframe for returns being allowed, you probably want to return this and buy a different television.

I'm hoping that most of the users on best buy will click on the comments and see this, because I am going to talk about what is obviously the most important information to be aware of before purchasing this set. I was overzealous, and wrote my review before I had to chance to see if this television experienced problems over time. I've never owned a Samsung that had it's performance deteriorate over time, so I didn't think I had any reason to believe the performance of this TV would. I was gravely mistaken.

Please go to avsforum online and look at all of the threads regarding the infamous "screen peeling" issue. You can just search for the model number, it will take you to over a thousand posts, with dozens of pictures of 64" and 59" D8000 panels peeling away. (The 59" and 64" D7000 models are also experiencing the same problem). Right now, you're saying to yourself, "A plasma panel is glass, it can't peel away." You're right, it's not technically the screen that's peeling away. The A/R shield/Real Black filter is manufactured right into the glass panel. It is this -- anti reflective filer/real black filter -- part of the panel that is peeling away on what is believed to be about 90% of all D8000 (and D7000) panels.

I've personally had three of them with the screen peeling problem. The first one I received back when I initially purchased this television had the screen peeling away on the top edge a little to the left of the middle of the panel. I figured it was just an anomaly or a fluke, and that it was nothing to worry about. The second one I received was made with such shoddy engineering/manufacturing that the best buy delivery guys couldn't even assemble to the stand. They tried everything they could, and the best they could do was to strip out the screws trying. When they placed it on my entertainment unit, it was wobbling to the point that it was clearly going to fall off. They wouldn't even leave it at my house. They brought out a new one, and low and behold, after two days, the top left corner was peeling away. I exchanged it for my fourth set, and that one was okay for two months. Best Buy finally approved a junk out exchange on Monday of this week, and my shiny new 65" VT30 arrived today. I'm going to hold off on posting a review until I have given it at least a month to see if it has any issues.

This problem typically manifests itself on the upper edges of the panel. Look at the top right, and top left corners, or all along the top edge of your panel if you have a 59" or 64" D8000 or D7000 Samsung plasma this year. Chances are, you are going to see the screen (anti reflective/real black filter) peeling away. Almost every single panel is doing this. I've spent hours on the phone with Samsung, as well as hours on the phone with Samsung repair technicians. I even spoke with a friend that owned a D8000 that had received 5 replacement panels, with all of them having the screen peeling issue.

On top of the screen peeling issue, these D8000 panels also have black levels that lighten (worsen) over time. If you want additional information, just check out cnet's review of the D7000. In that review, just go to the performance details, and look at their spreadsheet of 2011 plasma aging, and how it is affecting the black level performance of the plasma's they are testing. The black level of the D8000 has became essentially twice as light as it was when they first tested it for their initial review. They haven't had time to test the D7000 again, but they say that they expect the black level of the D7000 will also become much lighter as the panel ages. On the flip side, the Panasonic plasma's are actually experiencing black level improvement as their panels age.

The D8000 also experiences a worsening of color accuracy/saturation as the panel ages. I witnessed the colors drifting and changing so much over the course of time that I owned my last D8000 that I had to do a completely new calibration after about a month.

Pros Great remote, Smart TV loaded with features. Great color reproduction

Cons Brightness fluctuations and POPS. Screen (anti reflective/real black filter) peels away. Terrible banding! Black levels drop in time.

Summary Save yourself money and time and do not buy this panel or anything in the D series until Samsung steps up to the plate and corrects these issues. Up to this point they have done nothing for the consumers other than updating and adding things to the Smart TV. I wish they would work on the picture quality and issues as mentioned in the Cons above. This problem is reported all over the internet. I'm returning my panels this week.