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Take your home entertainment experience to the next level with the Samsung PN58A550 plasma HDTV.
The Samsung PN58A550 58" Widescreen Plasma HDTV with 1080p resolution is big enough to transform any space into the ultimate home theater.
Advanced features like a FilterBright to protect against glare and 1,000,000:1 dynamic-contrast ratio will simply amaze you and your guests. 1920 horizontal x 1080 vertical pixel resolution presents video and text with outstanding clarity and resolution.
Select Game mode with the touch of a button for advanced video-game action. The ACE silhouette editor eliminates visual noise from the deepest dark tones.
SRS TruSurround XT offers natural, lifelike HD sound. TruSurround delivers a compelling, virtual surround sound experience through the two speaker internal playback system.
Samsung Digital Natural Image engine dramatically improves the picture by enhancing the contrast, detail, and white balance.
WiseLink plays MP3 and JPEG files through USB 2.0 connection. Entertainment Mode allows customized picture settings, optimized for different content.
Universal Anynet Plus HDMI-CEC allows peripheral devices such as a DVD player to be controlled by TV remote control. Side A/V ports provide easy connections so you can connect a camcorder, digital camera, or any other digital device with no hassles.
V-Chip system allows blocking of rated TV and movie programs determined by the parent to contain objectionable content.
1920 x 1080 pixel resolution
175-degrees viewing angle
Natural True Color with 18 bit color processing
NTSC/ATSC tuners with Clear QAM
Sports/Game/Movie modes via hot key
10-watt per channel built-in audio amplifier
Direct down-firing speaker system
Auto pixel shift (user programmable)
Signal pattern processing function
Ports - 3 HDMI High Definition Multimedia Interface (2 rear/1 side), 2 component video inputs, Side and rear A/V inputs, WiseLink (USB 2.0), He
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 Awesome!!! |
| Review Date: May 1, 2008 |
| Reviewer: DVP, Dayton, OH, USA |
Hi guys
I generally do not write reviews but this is such a new TV without many reviews in the public domain and so decided to put my two cents;
1. Why plasma not LCD...well, plasmas, are cheaper once you are in the post 50" realm. Past 50", plasmas rule when it comes to price. They are also not limited by 60/120 Hz. cycling issues like the LCDs (remember we never had a "triple ball" effect with our old CRT based TVs, that we have used for the past 50 years; well, plasmas are an extension of that technology, just way more sophisticated.
2. [...]
3. Amazon service: 5/5 Top class. Ordering on line was a breeze.
4. Free white glove delivery included delivery, unpacking, set up, and trash haul. Also, if you do not like what you see, Amazon will take the TV on the spot at their expense. On my TV, there was a free white glove delivery! CEVA tracking promised delivery on 7th May but delivered the TV on 1st May. How is that for under promise and over deliver. 5/5 to CEVA for white glove! It took 2 guys to haul this beast in. I had the cart ready and they spent half an hour unpacking and helping me screw the TV to the stand (M8 36 mm screw). The screws on the back from Samsung are not long enough (though M8 type). You will need to undo the swivel base (the CEVA guys did that and hauled my old 36" (read heavy) clunker into the basement also).
5. Return policy: 30 day no questions asked on Amazon as opposed to 15 days in bricks a mortar stores.
6. The TV picture quality itself blew me away. For the price, it is a no brainer. Sound quality does need enhancement with a home theater system for a full HD/HT experience. The picture out of the box is truly marvelous. I did not have to tinker with the settings much. Just make sure you have either an HDMI or a component cable that is able to display 1080p/i signal (the old coax does not display 1080p/i).
7. Blue ray player: For people with children, Sony PS3 is an obvious choice for a blue ray/game player combo.
8. This TV has higher contrast ratio than their earlier FTP5884 model, and therefore, whilst both were available, it was a no brainer to go with the newer PN58A550 model.
9. One last comment. If money was not an objective, I would have bought a bigger (65") panel. I had the hunch and it is now confirmed, no matter how large a panel you buy, you may end up feeling that it is not big enough.
Overall, Amazon saved me mucho dinaro, and delivered as promised. No fuss, no muss, no questions asked! Good luck guys/gals. |
Couldn't be happier!
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| Review Date: June 4, 2008 |
| Reviewer: S. McClaren, OKLAHOMA. United States |
After 6 months of looking and comparing I decided on either the Samsung 52" series 550 LCD or this 58" series 550 plasma. I finally decided that size DID matter. Boy am I happy! The pix is fantastic, color and blacks are superb, according to the instructions (and reviews) it takes up to 2 hours of static pixels to have a threat of burn in (which I never foresee) so I couldn't be happier. Some have written about the sound, but my family can't find anything to complain about. When we watch something really important we use the BOSE Lifestyle Dolby 5.1 anyway. I read that plasmas put out heat which is true. When watching an evening of TV we have to use the ceiling fan in the great room when it's unnecessary in the rest of the house. But it's just the nature of the beast and it is 110 degreees outside. It has nothing to do with this unit.
[...]
But what I really wanted to write about was the delivery service. I had read some real horror stories concerning Amazon & CEVA delivery. So when I was told that my [...] investment would be coming via 'Inept Shipping Inc.' (CEVA) I almost backed out. But, I can't tell you how beautifully the transaction went!!!!
Now you've got to understand, I ordered this set about midnite on Friday of Memorial Day weekend so nothing was going to happen until Monday or Tuesday. The set arrived in the nearby 'big city' (we live 90 miles from Oklahoma City in a small town of 36,000) on WEDNESDAY!! I took the initiative and called the local CEVA office to setup a time for delivery. (Most complaints seemed to deal with waiting for them to call you and dealing with the 800 number rather than the local office. The local office is available via their website by simply clicking on a map of the U.S!) They were willing to deliver it the very next day on Thursday but I was unavailable. So we set it up for between noon and 2:30 on Friday. The guy called when he was 20 minutes away, 1pm, unloaded the TV, helped me unbox it, lift it up on the new credenza, set up the channels and gave me some tips on usage, LIKE DON'T EVER USE THE POWER BUTTON ON THE FACE OF THE TV. ALWAYS USE THE REMOTE. THE PRESSURE PAD SYSTEM ON THE SET ITSELF IS SENSITVE TO MOISTURE SO IF YOU HAVE DAMP HANDS YOU CAN BURN OUT THE PAD TO THE TUNE OF AN ALMOST $400 REPAIR. I have since checked this out with Samsung and they say yes, it is possible. That sure isn't in the book! Thanks Mike the delivery guy at CEVA for ALL the great service and help! I got my 58" plasma TV delivered to my home with true service and set up in under a week at a [...]! Can't beat the price or the service! |
Great 58in. HDTV for the money!
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| Review Date: May 13, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Mr. J. Caldito, Glendale, CA |
I had my eyes set on the Pioneer 6010 or the 6020 but never pulled the trigger because it was over $4200.00. Then came the Samsung PN58A550. Had some good features and was very affordable. So much affordable that I ended up buying it from Amazon with their 12 months no monthly payment/no interest offer and had so much money left over that I bought a PS3 for Blu-Ray, a 5 year extended warranty, and a new sound system.
The carrier was Eagle and two guys unpacked the Samsung and they were in and in and out about 15 minutes. They did stay while I hooked up a HD-A35 player to the TV to check if it works. This TV is huge! I mounted it on a Salamander Triple Mount Stand and have it tilted down 7 degrees. It took 4 guys including me to mount the heavy thing. The TV faces a large window across the room but due to the TV at an angle there is barely any glare/reflection at all. Now if the TV was not tilted I would experience some glare/reflection. A550 doesn't have the best glare filter vs their top end models like the A650 which has Ultra Filter Bright.
Black levels and picture quality looked great to me. Now some people say that plasma TVs produce too much buzz or too much heat. There is some heat coming off the screen but it's not HOT. Just a bit warm. Sitting about 10ft away there is no audible buzz from the TV. When I was behind it though doing the wiring there is some humming but it's nothing to complain about.
Please check out the pictures that I added on the product image.
The TV speakers are nothing special but I have mine hooked up to an Onkyo TX-SR705 receiver with BIC Acoustech Home Theater system. Other devices that I have for entertainment are Toshiba HD-A35, PS3 for Blu-Ray, and a Xbox 360 for games.
I am very happy with the Samsung 58A550 and I highly recommend it for medium to large living rooms. I don't recommend this TV for a small or medium size bed rooms.
PROS:
1080P. Great picture quality. Great black levels. Great value for a 58 inch plasma. No buzzing noise that some plasmas are plagued with. Decent glare filtering. 3 HDMI inputs. Supplied TV stand swivels and is very strong.
CONS:
Screen does give off noticeable heat and will increase room temperature a bit. May not be friendly to your electric bill depending on your Energy Savings setting. |
Superb deal with a major catch!
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| Review Date: May 10, 2008 |
| Reviewer: E. Adams, Los Angeles |
First, buying from Amazon is the BEST! Delivery came a week early and with NO problems or hitches.
On to the TV, I was going to get the Viera 2008 model but realized that its specs were the same as this Samsung [...]. Slightly deeper blacks are not worth that...
[...]
The TV is large, but surprising not as bad as I thought. It is thick on side width. Swivel stand is very functional.
The picture, is superb. You can opt for a High Black setting that really pops the picture. I use an upscaled DVD (OPPIO) and TW HD DVR. Digital Cable (SD) looks great. HD is superb.
I recommend against the DYNAMIC picture setting, sadly this setting is only one that allows DNIE to be used, since it causes severe color bleeding with SD TV.
The audio is good not great. The surround effect is spotty.
The glare issue for me, since our condo is fairly dark, is not an issue.
Remote is MUCH improved from my last Samsung PMDP
Best VFM (value for money) deal!
(UPDATE 2/5)
Sadly I found a major problem - BURN IN! After a few months, the Time Warner 4x3 window outer borders are burned into the set. All the burn in prevention tools did not work. I can reduce it with the grayscale sweep, but the problem lines are there.
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Stunning
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| Review Date: February 4, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Pyanfar Chanur, USA |
I did a lot of research before purchasing this TV in September, and now that I've had a few months with it, it's changed my life. This isn't just about how making that upgrade to flat-panel makes a difference, it's about how nicely this Samsung Plasma TV is put together.
When comparing LCD and Plasma side by side, there was no question as to which had the better color depth--it was definitely plasma. When examining pros and cons, Plasma technology has come a long way. For example, Samsung has a technology called "Pixel Shifting" that will prevent image burn-in by subtly shifting tiny areas of the picture at random. I have yet to be able to see this happen--it seems invisible (but you can also configure how it runs if for some reason you can actually see it). Even if I start to see after-images, Samsung offers me 3 ways to clean it up, all of which are simple: you access the menu, run the cleanup routine for an hour or more, then hit a button and it stops. We also run in a power-saving mode and haven't seen any drop in picture quality.
Meanwhile, we have a plethora of inputs: S-Video, Component, Composite A/V, and HDMI. Some of these inputs are even handily located on the side of the TV, which makes it easy to connect my PSP or a laptop and have my eyes cross and my jaw drop. The TV comes in-the-box mounted to the stand, so no assembly is required: just open the crate, lift onto a stand, and plug in.
The viewing angle of this TV is as close to 180 degrees as I can imagine: I can easily watch the picture from another room when I peek around the edge of the doorway. Glare was a big consideration for us, and thus far the only time we have a problem with it is when a light is on that's directly reflected from the TV. In other words, if you have a lamp on behind you, you'll see it reflected, but if you have a lamp off to the side, the light won't wash across the surface and make it hard to see. I'm also familiar enough with flat-panel technology to watch closely for color bleed, motion blur or other refresh rate problems, and I haven't seen any that were the fault of the TV (watching a home video, for example, will do these things on any screen).
There are only a couple of drawbacks to the Samsung PN58A550:
- The menus can get pretty complex
- The menus take a while to disappear if you don't have the TV remote handy and use it to tap "Return" when you're done
- I haven't actually used anywhere near all of the features of this television. I don't even know what all of them do.
- flipping from one input or size of screen to another can take several seconds
One thing that seems to be important, in general: if you're buying a TV like this, you really need to have it professionally calibrated. That's the system where a technician comes in with gadgets they stick to the screen, they read the signal into a device like a laptop, and manually tune every last way the TV projects its picture. It takes about an hour, but it evens out the color balance and makes the circuitry run more efficiently. We had ours professionally calibrated and it seems to run cooler. |
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