HDTV Roundup: 50-58 Inches : Samsung PN50B550
By
Digital Versus,
published on September 21, 2009
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6. Samsung PN50B550
Our readings
| Black levels: | 0.07 to 0.09 cd/m² |
| ANSI contrast: | 1631:1 to 2038:1 |
| Average gamma: | 2.23 |
| DeltaE on PC: | 5 |
| Relative energy consumption : | 422 W/m² |
| Homogeneity of whites: | 5/5 |
| Clouding: | 5/5 |
| Light leak onto dark greys at 45° : | 0.02 cd/m² |
| DeltaE at 45° : | 5.1 |
We take these measuements using the best settings for watching a movie. Cinema mode is generally the one we use. Wherever possible, we set the white levels at 200 cd/m².
It must be at least two years ago now that people started to say plasma technology was finished but you’ll still find plenty of plasma screens in manufacturer catalogs. This Samsung PN50B550 is one of them. Of course with plasma you can make a large TV quite cheaply. Two good reasons to keep making them.
The kit
As the basic design of TVs becomes pretty standard (HDMI sockets, HD tuner, digital audio out etc), it is the secondary equipment that is making the difference between ranges. Here for example, the remote is not backlit, there is no Ethernet connection and you can only read mp3 photos via the USB socket. All the same, unless you need it for something specific, the PS50B550’s connectivity is fine for most usage.
Image quality
As we often say, plasma screens are not as bright as LCDs, with their brightness varying according to the image displayed. The brighter the image, the more a plasma screen lacks brightness in comparison. On the other hand, with darker images, bright zones will be very bright. It varies between 50 to 150 cd/m² for whites. At 50 cd/m² it looks grey but you’ll only see this on a totally white image. Blacks are between 0.07 and 0.09 cd/m², which are excellent scores. For realistic images, the contast is between 1500 and 2100:1. This is excellent and gives nice images if you’re in a room where the lighting is controlled. However, given that it can’t go over 150 cd/m², this PN50B550 soon shows its limits in a very bright room.
With good readings overall – such as this DeltaE – this plasma only loses out on brightness, a less than convincing ''1080 Full HD Motion'' and its reflectivity.
Angles of vision are excellent as usual on plasmas.
Overall the image is good apart from a few small negative points, 1080 Full HD Motion to start with. We don’t really understand the point of this feature. In contrast to Samsung’s Motion Plus, it does not make films more fluid. Indeed the demo mode means you can split the screen in two with the filter activated on the right and disactivated on the left. We couldn’t make out any difference between them. This isn’t the first time that Samsung has made a strange choice of movement filter on a plasma screen. The PN58B850, tested on the next page, didn’t have a true Motion Plus either like on LCDs, and was far from good in this area. Why didn’t Samsung retain its usual Motion Plus?
Another negative point is the shiny coating on the panel. This can be a real problem in a well-lit room. The image is certainly flattering but will only give of its best in a dark environment. It’s no coincidence that the demo areas in shops are often much darker than the rest of the sales floor. Still on the PS58B850, if you look at the video at the end of the article, you’ll see how a reflective panel can affect your viewing experience. This reflective panel means we have to remove a fourth star from our rating of the PN50B550 as it only scored 3.4 out of 5.
Sound quality
Up until now audio has never been a strong card with Samsungs. This TV is no exception. It’s ok, even good if you play around with the settings, but you won't get as good a sound as on the best models, themselves light years behind surround sound systems.
Energy consumption
At an acceptable 0.1 W on standby, however it consumes 291 W when calibrated and on. Note that with default settings and at low brightness it already consumes 250 W. Our readings seem moreover to show that plasmas generally consume more energy than LCDs.
The kit
As the basic design of TVs becomes pretty standard (HDMI sockets, HD tuner, digital audio out etc), it is the secondary equipment that is making the difference between ranges. Here for example, the remote is not backlit, there is no Ethernet connection and you can only read mp3 photos via the USB socket. All the same, unless you need it for something specific, the PS50B550’s connectivity is fine for most usage.
Image quality
As we often say, plasma screens are not as bright as LCDs, with their brightness varying according to the image displayed. The brighter the image, the more a plasma screen lacks brightness in comparison. On the other hand, with darker images, bright zones will be very bright. It varies between 50 to 150 cd/m² for whites. At 50 cd/m² it looks grey but you’ll only see this on a totally white image. Blacks are between 0.07 and 0.09 cd/m², which are excellent scores. For realistic images, the contast is between 1500 and 2100:1. This is excellent and gives nice images if you’re in a room where the lighting is controlled. However, given that it can’t go over 150 cd/m², this PN50B550 soon shows its limits in a very bright room.
- PN50B550 50" Plasma TV...
With good readings overall – such as this DeltaE – this plasma only loses out on brightness, a less than convincing ''1080 Full HD Motion'' and its reflectivity.
Angles of vision are excellent as usual on plasmas.
Overall the image is good apart from a few small negative points, 1080 Full HD Motion to start with. We don’t really understand the point of this feature. In contrast to Samsung’s Motion Plus, it does not make films more fluid. Indeed the demo mode means you can split the screen in two with the filter activated on the right and disactivated on the left. We couldn’t make out any difference between them. This isn’t the first time that Samsung has made a strange choice of movement filter on a plasma screen. The PN58B850, tested on the next page, didn’t have a true Motion Plus either like on LCDs, and was far from good in this area. Why didn’t Samsung retain its usual Motion Plus?
Another negative point is the shiny coating on the panel. This can be a real problem in a well-lit room. The image is certainly flattering but will only give of its best in a dark environment. It’s no coincidence that the demo areas in shops are often much darker than the rest of the sales floor. Still on the PS58B850, if you look at the video at the end of the article, you’ll see how a reflective panel can affect your viewing experience. This reflective panel means we have to remove a fourth star from our rating of the PN50B550 as it only scored 3.4 out of 5.
Sound quality
Up until now audio has never been a strong card with Samsungs. This TV is no exception. It’s ok, even good if you play around with the settings, but you won't get as good a sound as on the best models, themselves light years behind surround sound systems.
Energy consumption
At an acceptable 0.1 W on standby, however it consumes 291 W when calibrated and on. Note that with default settings and at low brightness it already consumes 250 W. Our readings seem moreover to show that plasmas generally consume more energy than LCDs.
| Samsung PN50B550 | |
|---|---|
| Pluses | Minuses |
|
|
This is good TV with the absence of ''Motion Plus'' being its main default. Don’t confuse this with ''1080 Full HD Motion'' which is ineffective.
I am so sick of everyone testing lcd and plasma only. Where are the dlp televisions. Mitsubishi dlp are in my opinion one of the best hd tv's you can buy. Accurate colors, black blacks, no burn in, no lag, and they are cheaper than the lcd or plasma alternatives. Not everyone cares if thier tv is flat. I would rather have a 70inch dlp than a 50inch lcd or plasma any day of the week.
Samsung has two remotes now? What an amazing idea. I hardly ever use my remote for more than turning the TV on or adjusting the volume, so this would be absolutely perfect.
The prices on the tested sets are way to high and as thackstonns says the Mitsubishi DLP's are great sets not to mention their new laser HDTV.
Why so little LG screens ? Only 2 ? There are alot better LG LCD's out there!
I found this article generally helpful but there are other brands/models I would have liked to have seen (Mitsu, Toshiba, Sony). Where are the rest tom's? Why 4 Samsungs and no Sony or Mitsubishi?
Hmmm I wonder which of this HDTV that is true 8 bits / color or 24 bits?
I agree with thackstonns. I have no beef with flat TVs, but my speakers are effectively 2 feet deep (if you count the space to the back wall), so a flat TV would look stupid in such a setup. Also, are there really people who would buy high-end TVs and not spend anything on audio? Who cares about the quality of built-in speakers?
I know Pionner has left the TV business, and that the very last models they made are now getting a bit on the old side. Nonetheless, it would be interesting to see how some of the TVs in this review stack up against a PRO-151FD or a KRP600A, especially when it comes to black levels, or the possibility of ISF calibration.
I am so sick of everyone testing lcd and plasma only. Where are the dlp televisions. Mitsubishi dlp are in my opinion one of the best hd tv's you can buy. Accurate colors, black blacks, no burn in, no lag, and they are cheaper than the lcd or plasma alternatives. Not everyone cares if thier tv is flat. I would rather have a 70inch dlp than a 50inch lcd or plasma any day of the week.
Right on, I completely agree.
thackstonns: DLP and LCoS TVs are always rear-projection (or front-projection, but then you don't call that a "TV"), not direct-view like LCD and Plasma and LED flat-screens. Personally, I've never seen a rear-projection TV that I've liked, they all suffer from hot-spotting which absolutely drives me nuts. I'd rather gouge my eyes out with a spoon than watch a rear-projection TV.
I don't think plasmas still suffer from the burn in that is mentioned in each one of the plasma reviews. I have read on AVSforums that users have unintentionally left a static image on their Panasonic plasmas for hours at a time and had no ill effects. I'm not sure of other manufacturers, but Panasonic has somehow figured out a way to prevent it. So to say that it's not good for games and "entirely unsuitable for use with a PC" is false. If you disagree, maybe you should test for this while you still have your review units.
I also agree with cdillon. I have never seen a DLP I would ever consider over a plasma or lcd. The only advantage they have over plama and lcd is their screen size, and PQ is much higher on my list than screen size. And just because your speakers don't sit flush with your wall dones't mean that your flat-screen has to. Most people have their screens sitting on stands that house their A/V equipment and would not be flush with the wall anyway.
I gotta say I'm dissapointed with this article. 4 units from Samsung? Why? If you are going to do a review like this, be more specific in your product selection.
For your average reader, doing a review of the entry level models for 7 different manufacturers would have been more useful. Show me how Panasonic's entry level 50" 1080P plasma compares to Samsungs, or LG's LCD, or Vizio's. I want to know which model offers the best value, apples to apples, not 55"LCD versus 50" plasma.
Samsung not only has some of the best prices, but they also makes some of the best units. I have found Samsung to have the best value overall than any other brand. If he didn't show other brands, did you stop to think that maybe it's because they're not worth mentioning?
Samsung does make great TVs, but this article should have had another focus if they wanted to tout the company's products. Do an article where you compare Samsung's large panel lineup against the competition. To only have one plasma from Panasonice (the undisputed king of plasma now that Pioneer is gone) is suspect to say the least.
I am looking to purchase a large screen LCD or plasma in November, and this artcile is of little use to me. I want to know how the Panasonic 54" plasmas compare to equivalent sized LCDs from Samsung, LG, and Sony. I think most people who would get any value out of an article like this are going to be dissapointed.
If Tom's Guide wants to do an article like this, they have to make it more extensive. Do what Tom's Hardware does and make it far more in depth and then break it up into several pieces so they can publish it over a few days time.
The only thing this article did was make me want to subscribe to Consumer Reports so that I can get a real comparison of large screen TV's. At the very least I'm going to Google some more in-depth comparisons and ratings. All I can say is that I expected more from Tom's.
With all the talk of DLP, Plasma, and LED’s each one has its advantages and disadvantages. I hope that the new OLED TV’s come to market soon and at a reasonable price. While the 11” is now available from Sony at $2,500 Sony is working on larger models to be released in the future. There are several advantages of OLED TV’s , they are very thin – so thin the can be bent around curved surfaces , use very little power, contain no hazardous materials such as lead, have an extremely high contract ratios and wide viewing angle. For those interested one can go to YouTube and search for “OLED” to see presentations of the technology”. For now I am happy with my old projection set and converter box and will wait until the OLED TV technology is made available.
All I can say is that i use a 50" panasonic plasma connected to my HTPC at 1080 native. I have never had any burn in issues etc. May be a little image retention that is gone in seconds, but then again you get this on LCD's too.
I use it for Movies, gaming and evrything PC related.
No need to worry about issues with static images these days. An old problem, but not anymore.
Used to be a big fan of Tom's website. However, the quality of writing, limited scope, lack of focus, absence of comparison charts, etc on all their reviews has really turned me away. All of their stories feel like watered down advertorials. Somebody made a comment about Consumer Reports - it's sad when a jack-of-all-trades review publication can trump this site on a TV/tech roundup.
I would like to see toms hardware return to glory.
I agree with thackstonns. I have no beef with flat TVs, but my speakers are effectively 2 feet deep (if you count the space to the back wall), so a flat TV would look stupid in such a setup. Also, are there really people who would buy high-end TVs and not spend anything on audio? Who cares about the quality of built-in speakers?
Actually I know quite a few people that get a TV that fits their needs spatially but are perfectly happy with the sound they get.