Samsung PN50A550 Plasma HDTV

Plasma HDTV sales are slowly going down these days. One factor that affects this is that LCDs are slowly catching up to Plasma quality. Also, Plasmas are without argue much more expensive than LCDs. But still, without any argument, Plasmas do produce generally better images than LCDs. So, even if Plasmas slow down, it still won’t be totally forgotten.

The 50-inch Samsung PN50A550 provides a typical example of what plasma can do right. Its color accuracy is superb, it produces a very clean image, and like all plasmas, its picture is much more uniform than that of any LCD.

For those videophiles looking for dark black levels and brilliant color displays, then the Samsung PN50A550 will definitely satisfy your needs.

The PN50A550 is designed classicaly and looks very much like any other Samsung HDTVs. The PN50A550’s main difference is that it is a bit taller and narrower due to its built-in hidden speakers mounted along the bottom of the panel as opposed to the sides. The frame is entirely gloss-black, about average thickness for a plasma, and there’s a blue accent light below the Samsung logo.

With its stand, the PN50A550 measuers 48.5 inches wide by 32.7 inches tall by 12.6 inches deep and weighs 91.3 pounds, while when divested of stand it comes in at 48.5 by 30.3 by 3.8 inches and 82.5 pounds.

Now, on to the set’s features. The P50A550 has one of the more-complete feature sets available today among plasma TVs. It has a 1,920×1,080 or 1080p resolution and Samsung has added a few picture tweaks on this set. The PN50A550 has three adjustable picture modes that are each independent per input. In addition to the standard picture controls, there’s an additional one called Cell Light that affects overall light output.

The most dangerous part of using plasmas is the burn-in factor which do happen under certain conditions. Samsung includes a rash of features designed to address that issue. There’s an adjustable pixel shift, which moves the image slowly and imperceptibly around the screen; a choice between light and dark sidebars for 4:3 programs; and a pair of settings, one that scrolls gray bars across the screen and one that simply fills it with a white field, available to address burn-in in the unlikely event that it does occur.

The PN50A550 also comes in with the most basic connectivity options. Its got two HDMI inputs and a third one can be found in a recessed bay along the panel’s left side. There’s also a pair of component-video inputs; an AV input with S-Video and composite video; a single RF input for cable and antenna; and a VGA-style RGB input for computers. The recessed bay offers an additional AV input with S-Video and composite video, a headphone jack, and the aforementioned USB port.

Overall, the Samsung PN50A550 produces an excellent picture, with highly accurate colors, very little noise, and solid processing. Its can deliver relatively deep blacks.

Sources:
http://www.hdtvlounge.net
http://review.zdnet.com
http://wordpress.com