One of the best 720p Plasmas, April 16, 2010

By 

T. Smith “canestim” (Georgia) – See all my reviews

  

Samsung and Panny’s are 1a & 1b when it comes to plasmas. You really can’t go wrong either way, they both offer exceptional value in their 720p sets. And obviously if you are checking this TV out value and price are a big deal to you (me too!). So why did did I go with this set over a Panny? It just happened to be cheaper at the time of purchase, I would have went either way.

I could go into the big 720p vs 1080p debate and take up a whole page. I am sure you’ve read many reviews already making the case for each. But the truth is, you wouldn’t be looking at this TV if price didn’t matter. I am not calling you poor!! You just have some reason why you don’t want to pony up for 1080p, that’s cool, me too. The PN50C430 does exactly what it was meant to, a great picture for a great price. As for burn in/image retention, just don’t leave something static on there for hours and you’ll be fine. If you get image retention just watch some TV and it will go away. Don’t use the scrolling or white features, it’s better to exercise the pixels with TV to get rid of image retention.

Ok first the PN50C430 vs. the PN50C450 model. These are basically the same TV. The 450 model has 1 more HDMI port and Touch of Color (a little red/maroon stripe of color on the bezel of the TV). That’s it. I went with the 430 because I didn’t like the red TOC. I wish it would have had that extra HDMI port, but there are solutions for that. I also own the 2008 PN50A450 model. It has a nice silver stripe on the bezel which looks better than both of the 2010 models. Anyway, now with the quick pro’s and con’s summary.

Pro’s:

Great picture for cheap! HD looks very good.

Good colors and tones, realistic

Nice looking (would like to have the silver stripe though!)

Much thinner than the 2008 model

More power efficient than the 2008 model

Lighter than the 2008 model (+/- 20 lbs!)

Good warranty

Basic menus but enough to customize picture nicely

Not a surround system by any means but decent sound for a flat panel

Con’s:

No swivel stand, the 2008 model has it and it’s great

Remote, it’s cheap but serviceable. You could always buy a better one though.

Hookups, it’s manageable but it should have had 2 more HDMI ports and it doesn’t have VGA

Buzzing, but it’s not really noticeable unless right up next to the TV or with no sound on

SD picture is ok, it’s crisp enough but a little dark even with AVS Forum recommended settings

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 

Was this review helpful to you? 

>Report abuse
| Permalink

 Comments (2)

Great value, April 2, 2010

By 

P. Carew (Belmar, NJ USA) – See all my reviews

  

This was my first flat screen purchase so I did a lot of research. It paid off because this is a really nice looking set with a beautiful, crisp picture. Haven’t gotten a blu- ray player yet but I’m still stunned by the crispness of the picture at 720p. Previous reviewers claimed I would not be able to tell the difference on a 50″ set between 720 and 1080 and I have to agree. So the roughly 0 savings i gained on purchasing this set gives me a cushion for the next generation, 3d set I’ll probably buy in 3 yrs or so. By the way, the sound is very good as well. If you don’t need the full surround sound theater effect with a booming sub woofer, this electronically sophisticated sound system should make you happy.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 

Was this review helpful to you? 

>Report abuse
| Permalink

 Comment (1)

FINALLY……..MY SAMSUNG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, March 8, 2010

By 

S. Bailey “waterboy” (Socorro,NM) – See all my reviews

  

I feel like i’ve waited forever for this tv. not because of shipping or anything but because i’ve been researching HDTVs for over 6 months before i settled on this model. Actually the first model i ordered was the Samsung PN50B450. It showed up as promised,on time, Thanks Amazon and Pilot. but wait……… it had no picture, only sound. Not even any system menus, and it was the last in stock so all Amazon could do was issue a credit or i order another model shipped and sold by amazon. This sucked cause i couldnt figure out why i had to go this route. Though Amazon’s customer service explained all this to me, I was still upset that my TV was D.O.A. Amazon had the TV picked up immediately and issued me a credit plus knocked off (…) off my alternate purchase which put my new 2010 model Samsung PN50C430 at (…). SWEEEEEEET.

Well the TV showed up in a week’s time thanks to CEVA logistics. No problems so far.

right now, all i can say is WOW!!!!!!!! Great TV. picture is awesome. Right now i only have standard def. TV but i do have a Sony HTCT100 Sound Bar with Subwoofer – Blackw/ HDMI hook up plus an XBOX 360 Elite with HDMI cable and let me say the sound and picture is stunning. I watched a Netflix instant movie, The Big Lebowski in HD and holy crap what a great picture. the sound through the bar and woofer was stunning with HDMI cables and digital optical sound. What a match!!!!!!!!

Pros* easy set-up from the box. menus were simple and easy to follow

* Digital tuners even found some other music channels that dont come with co-ax cable.

* TV is loud. Of course not the best sounding but surround system takes care of that.

* Great picture quality at 720p. Standard Def cable is ok but its so big who cares.

*Best of all, the price for me @ (…). Thanks Amazon for all the follow up work you did on replacing my original purchase, thanks Samsung for a beautiful product and thanks CEVA for speedy and courteous service.

No cons yet, but we shall see. I recommend this TV and this Business called Amazon.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 

Was this review helpful to you? 

>Report abuse
| Permalink

 Comments (6)