Plasma TV Reviews Blog

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Samsung PN50B560 50 Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV

49.9″ screen (measured diagonally) * 1920 x 1080 pixels * 1,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio * 600Hz Subfield Motion anti-blur technology * FilterBright anti-glare filter *

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Far better than we imagined.
We bought this set back in late June 2009, and it’s our first HDTV so I can’t compare firsthand with other models. All I can say is, through HDMI connections it displays everything we feed it much better than I even imagined. I assumed standard-definition content would look grainy but this TV, in combination with a great Panasonic blu-ray player (the DMP-BD60) or even our old Samsung progressive-scan DVD player, somehow shows literally everything in its native mode, or at 720p (PS3 games and 720p TV content). Composite-video feed is as feared, somewhat grainy, so I don’t even use it.

There’s been a lot of buzz about Samsung plasmas being “buzzers.” Fortunately, we have been spared. Also, I’ve read comments about the CinemaSmooth feature (that displays 24p content at 96 Hz) disrupting black levels. We haven’t seen any of that, either, and I use CS 90% of the time (even with DVDS, thanks to the abilities of the Panasonic BD player!).

Having moved up from a 32″ full-screen Wega to this 50″ widescreen plasma, I have a lot more glass that catches lots of ambient glare and reflections from new angles, but it’s not nearly as bad a nuisance as I’d been led to believe, reading the AV forums, and we do use this TV in a fairly bright daytime setting as well as at night when we’re more “serious” about what we watch.

We didn’t break-in our TV and I haven’t had any calibration done, either, but the only image-retention I occasionally see is from those stationary news-channel logos. I have used the built-in anti-IR scrolling feature maybe once a month to remove those, and recall it took about 4-5 minutes in each case. Although calibration is something I have pondered, the intensity and balance of colors produced by this TV seem fine to us; I’ve seen a few of the Samsung and Panasonic demo models at local retailers that were calibrated and thought they weren’t any better than the set now in my living room. Not dissing calibration, just wondering if I’d really notice any improvement.

My review is that of just one owner, and I’m not really versed in the AV lingo or all the features available in the marketplace from different makes/models or technologies.

On a closing note, I am not really a football fan, but the HD game content leaves me drooling over the capabilities of this TV whenever one is showing, and I end up watching the whole game! I’ll have to be more careful in the future with this “feature” because it sometimes prevents me from getting other, more important things done.

5 Stars Stunning
We had bought the TV as an upgrade from our 720P 32 inch LCD, and the upgrade has put me at a loss for words.

The picture, clarity, and black levels from this set is the best I have seen after shopping around.

Very fast setup with the Plug and Play feature!

On top of that, aesthetically beautiful.

5 Stars just what you expect from a samsung plasma (bang for the buck)
notes:

i’ve owned this television for 2 months

usage: 90% tv and 10% video games

#1 thing to remember when you buy a plasma…BREAK IT IN. avoid channels or video games with stationary logos or else you’ll get image retention (not permanent). fyi, typical break in time for a plasma is about 100-200 hours. what i love about this plasma, there’s a build in scrolling black to white screen which helps with break in of the plasma and with image retention. so every night for the past 2 months before i go to sleep, i would set sleep to 30 mins, turn on the picture mode to dynamic (for high contrast and high brightness), and use this screen of scrolling black to white. after about 2 months, image retention is almost non existant. any questions about break-in? go to [...] and look up their plasma break in thread.

picture quality is on par with panasonics in this price range. but if you have the money, go for the panasonic. slightly better picture quality. panasonics also have their break-in period built in. so you don’t have to worry about it.

didn’t test the speakers, since i use a home theatre setup.

glare is a slight problem for me (depends where you put it). my room is small. walls are white. so glare is expected, but it is not a deal breaker.

i have almost no complaints about this television. everything i expected. one complaint but it’s a small one. my set has a little buzz sound coming out of it, but it isn’t loud. my home theatre system easily drowns it out. but if you stand next to the plama, you can hear it.

the plasma is REALLY REALLY heavy. make sure you have a solid spot to mount it on your wall, not just dry wall. don’t go cheap on the mounting bracket!

5 Stars The B560 is an excellent value for the money.
I already knew I wanted Plasma over LCD. So I spent weeks reading reviews and comparing specs of everything from Panasonic G15/G10 & S1 to Samsungs B650, B560, and B550. I came to the conclusion that Samsung has better color accuracy and Panasonic has better black levels. However, Panasonic also has better customer service and a lower percentage of TV’s with issues. There has been numerous reports of the Samsung 2009 B series Plasma’s having a “buzzing” issue. While they scared me a little, I decided that the TV for me was the Samsung PN50B560.

If you are comparing Samsungs, the B560 has the Crystal Full HD Engine with Cinema Smooth, while the B550 does not. The B650 also has Crystal Full HD Engine with Cinema Smooth, but an with an added feature, an ethernet port for using widgets, like weather, sports, stocks, etc… Something I’ve read is very slow and not very impressive. The 650 also has the red touch of color bezel. The 550 and 560 both have charcoal blended in, which I preferred.

I am pleased with the colors and black levels of this TV. I also have a Panasonic 50PX80U and I can’t tell much of a difference. Physically, the TV is also very attractive, much nicer than Panasonic, and the swivel stand is also nice to have.

Defending the common CONS:

Buzz: My TV does not buzz

Speakers: They sound fine, my Panasonic sounds slightly better. But speakers in flat panel TV’s are not going to be impressive, I think people just expect to much out of them.

Glare: Yes, there will be some glare, its a Plasma. However, compared to other Plasma’s I looked at in the store, it’s not a big difference. I didn’t make it a factor.

In summary, if you are on a budget, I recommend the Samsung B560 or B550. If you can spare an extra few hundred more, go with a Panasonic G15 or G10. When it comes down to it, you’ll be happy with any of these choices, unless you are a videophile, you’ll never notice the difference.

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