Samsung PN58B650 58-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV

Product Description

Samsung's new PN58B650 plasma flat panel HDTV exemplifies the design and performance refinements for those with discerning tastes and a passion for innovation. Picture your favorite room filled with 58 inches of 1080p Full HD picture performance artistically accented in a new Touch of ColorTM design. Samsung's 6 Series E-Panel technology delivers improvements with our Ultra FiterBrightTM technology that further reduces glare in brighter rooms and our advanced Crystal Full HD Engine expands the picture viewing experience with less power consumption. The new Medi@2.0 connectivity package offers customizable online content via user-friendly 'widgets,' networking capability via the DLNA standard, and playback of your camera and camcorder via USB 2.0. Add 4 advanced HDMI inputs that feature Samsung's Anynet+ (CEC standard) technology making system control of compatible A/V devices like a Blu-ray player or HTIB system a one-touch operation. Experience Full 1080p performance and advanced connectivity on Samsung's new B650 series plasma HDTVs that are designed to meet higher pride of ownership expectations and lower the cost of ownership.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #46 in Television
• Color: Black
• Brand: Samsung
• Model: PN58B650S1FXZA
• Released on: 2009-05-01
• Dimensions: 36.10" h x 13.20" w x 55.20" l, 85.80 pounds
• Native resolution: 1920 x 1080
• Display size: 58

Features

• 58-inch high definition TV with 1080p resolution
• Four HDMI, two component, and one composite video input; two 15W bottom speakers and SRS TruSurround HD for a rich surround-sound experience from two speakers
• Samsung E-panel technology like Ultra FilterBright Plus, 600Hz Subfield Motion, .001 response time, and a Mega dynamic contrast ratio for a stunning high contrast picture
• Medi@2.0 connectivity package offers customizable online content via user-friendly "widgets," networking capability via the DLNA standard, and playback of your camera and camcorder via USB 2.0
• One-year parts and labor warranty

Customer Reviews

THE Plasma TV with all the Bells and Whistles
It has been a while since I wrote my last review on Amazon so in light of my recent purchase of this PN58B650 HDTV, I think now is a good time to put another review under my belt.

If you're reading this review, you're probably in the same boat I was in several weeks ago when I was shopping for a 55+" LCD/LED/Plasma HDTV. If you're in the "should I get an LCD/LED or Plasma TV" mindset, read on. If you're set on getting a Plasma and really care to just know more of what's so great about this specific model, skip to the next paragraph. Yes, I was in the market for EITHER an LCD/LED or Plasma. During the many days I spent researching differences/advantages/disadvantages of LCD/LED versus Plasma, I came across a lot of pros and cons for both platforms. There are supporters and bashers of both and at the end of the day, it all comes down to personal preference. I'm not really going to go into the differences between the two platforms as there is a plethora of information on the Internet that goes into great details laying that down (just google 'plasma vs lcd'). Instead, I'm going to give you my reasoning for going with Plasma. It is a known fact that LCD TVs exhibit a "blurring" of the image during fast motion. This is why all the different manufacturers out there have 120Hz and 240Hz models -- and you pay a premium for these over the standard 60Hz LCD TVs. However, if you get the chance, go to your nearby electronics store and take a look at these 120Hz and/or 240Hz LCD TVs with a BluRay movie playing. (And be sure the 120Hz/240Hz is not turned off as there is a way to turn that off -- which defeats the purpose of paying a premium for the feature in the first place). Observe how the movie doesn't have that cinematic motion-picture feel. It looks a lot more like watching a TV show recorded with a camcorder, or commonly described as "the soap-opera" effect. Now watch that same BluRay movie on a Plasma screen... ahhh... doesn't that look amazing! Okay, for me, that put me into the Plasma camp. Onto the PN58B650.

Knowing that I wanted to get a plasma TV and knowing that I wanted a tv 55" or larger, my choices were limited to three manufacturers: LG, Panasonic, or Samsung (Pioneer had already exited the Plasma market by the time I was searching for a TV but still could be found in various places). I had previously owned a 42" Panasonic Plasma TV and have read a lot of good things about the picture quality of the Samung Plasma TVs. Anyhow, to make a long story short, after some researching, I decided on getting one made by Samsung (but if you're in the market for a Panasonic, the PN58B650 would be comparible to the higher-priced Panasonic TC-P58V10).

If a Samsung Plasma is one of the choices you're considering, you're probably comparing the various different Samsung 58" plasma models: PN58B550, PN58B560, PN58B650, PN58B850 (not available through Amazon), and PN58B860. So many models to choose from in a 58" from one manufacturer -- it gets very confusing. So what the heck is the difference between the different models. As you can see, the last three numbers in the models indicate the major model differences -- Samsung distinguishes the models as 5-series, 6-series, and 8-series. There are two each of the 5 and 8 series while there's only the PN58B650 for the 6-series.

So why the PN58B650 over the others?

Since we're purchasing a television, picture quality is the number one important feature/factor to consider. The 650, 850, and 860 all produce the same picture quality with the same level of contrast (3,000,000:1) and same color reproduction technology (Wide Color Enhancer 3 -- which also gives you much more control in color calibration if you ever decide to professional color-calibrate your TV). All three also have a built-in Media Player (more on that later) and Internet-based widget "apps" (which I don't really care for since I do all my Internet-related activities on my computer). The difference between the PN58B650 and the 8-series is the physical thickness of the units... 2.9" vs 1.2", respectively. The major difference between the 850 and the 860 model is that the 860 has a Crystal Full HD Engine with Cinema Smooth feature that enhances the smoothness of BluRay movies whereas the 850 does not. Here's the kicker... the PN58B650 ALSO has that feature -- so in comparing the PN58B650 to the PN58B860, it all comes down to whether or not you can live with a 2.9" thick TV and save hundreds of dollars compared to the PN58B860 since feature-for-feature, these two are comparible. If money is no object, go for the thinner of the two!

Now many of you are probably comparing this PN58B650 to the lower-priced PN58B560 and PN58B550. The 5-series does lack quite a bit of features I just mentioned when comparing the PN58B650 to the 8-series. For starters, the overall picture quality won't be quite as nice on the 5 series over the 6 or 8-series. The range of the contrast ratio on the 5-series is less (2,000,000:1) and the color reproduction is not quite as nice. Don't get me wrong, though, the 5-series does still yield a stunning picture, nonetheless, and you definitely can't go wrong. Next, the 5-series models also don't have a built-in Media Player. Let me tell you why this is such a cool feature to have. I have various movies/video/photos/music stored on an external USB hard drive, which I normally play on my computer. Wouldn't it be nice to play those directly on your new 58" Plasma TV? Well, that's where the built-in Samsung Media Player comes in. Simply plug your USB drive into the USB port of the PN58B650 (or the PN58B850/PN58B860) and the TV itself will read the movie/video, audio, photo you select from your USB drive, and play it directly on the TV (yes, the TV has a built-in hardware decoder). This is a feature the 5-series lacks. And finally, the 5-series units do not have Network connectivity. This may not be a feature needed by many people but again, if you had movies/video, audio, photos stored on your computer, you can simply stream it to the TV and have the TV play the media files directly off your computer's hard drive!

After owning, using, and playing with all the different features of the PN58B650 for the last two weeks, I have been just amazed at the picture quality and features of this TV. I have watched four Blu-Ray movies on it (sooo sharp and the colors are so vibrant and true to life), played a couple different PS3 games on it, and watched various TV shows. I also plugged in a Western Digital 1TB USB hard drive directly into the TV's USB port and watched a 1080P HD movie straight from the Hard Drive. It had no problems playing the file (the movie was 1920x1080 x264 encoded (~9000kbps video bitrate) and had a DTS soundtrack in an MKV container in case any of you were curious).

Now I've read in various reviews about how various Samsung Plasma TVs emit a buzzing noise (sort of like an electrical buzzing noise coming from the tv, not the speakers) but I'm happy to report that I have not noticed a buzzing noise (even when I mute the speakers) and I've used it for quite a number of hours.

I hope this review has helped you make a decision on your next big screen flat panel HDTV. Please click the "Yes" button below if you found my review helpful. :)


UPDATE (01/20/2010): In my review, I mentioned that I was able to play 1080P (1920x1080) MKV movies. Apparently, it seems the built-in Samsung Media Player in the Samsung TV will not allow you to fast forward or rewind MKV movies (though it will play them just fine). If you plan to transcode any of your home movies, be sure to transcode it to an MP4 container (instead of MKV) if you want the ability to fast forward or rewind through the movie.

So far so good
I recently bought this TV from Amazon along with this TV I purchased the following item Bell'O SFP-9901HG Color Accented Flat Panel Audio Video System. I have yet to receive the stand but it says it can hold up to 58" inch plasma, I'll edit the review later to let you know how that works.

I wanted to write this review since I saw another review stating that they had issues watching 480i content with this TV. I haven't found anywhere where this is well documented and on top of that, I had absolutely no problem watching regular DVD's on this TV with my HD DVD player Toshiba HD-A35 1080p HD DVD Playerthrough an HDMI cable. They played stunningly (especially for a regular DVD). The picture was crisp and clear on DVD not to mention how it looks when I play an HD DVD. Perhaps the reviewer may need to update their firmware on their hardware; otherwise I'm not sure why they couldn't watch a standard DVD on an HD DVD player. I have yet to try any games on this TV so I can't rate it in that area.

I have had no issues with the volume controls or loudness of the regular speakers. I currently do not have a home theater and these controls are set lower than what I've had to set my other 2 TV's at (a 42" inch and 52" Toshiba Regza LCD TV). The speakers get a + from me.

I was very worried about burn in after purchasing this TV. I have only had LCD's therefore the issue of burn in never arose. I have researched this problem a lot and it seems although it can still be an issue it isn't as prevalent as it once was. Most of my DVD's including HD DVD will leave the block boxes at top and the bottom while watching and this worried me. However, they say as long as you integrate watching regular TV or swap it up so that it isn't there all the time, the burn in issue really isn't an issue. The biggest thing is to be careful for the first 200 hours as this is when burn in can occur the easiest. Just don't leave anything paused or sitting there for an extended period of time and your average semi-cautious user won't experience any problems.

I did a lot of research before I purchased this TV, including checking prices, visiting local retailers and just viewing articles on the Internet. Overall, for me, I think this was a very good buy. I think anyone who purchases this TV definitely won't be disappointed.

UPDATE: (September 7, 2009)

I've owned this TV for about 3 months now and just wanted to do a little update since it can be hard to review something correctly after only a week. The stand I got for the TV works great for me. A little low even at it's highest but I don't like high level TVs as they put a kink in my neck. I played an old Nintendo NES game (Tiny Toons 2) about a month ago which left some burn in and made me extremely unhappy. I started to berate myself for not buying an LCD and not have to worry about burn in. I ran the 'screen wash' that is built in and it took it out within 10 minutes or less. I had no retention of any image any longer. Since then, I have played Zelda, Twilight Princess and haven't had any issue with any burn in (most newer console games come with game mode built into the consoles as well). In addition, I also purchased a surround sound system since I've always wanted one. I ended up getting the Yamaha YHT-791 Yamaha YHT-791BL Home Theater in a Box (Black). I still use the TV speakers for regular TV but use the surround sound system for movies, games, etc. I have to say that overall everything works beautiful together and I still couldn't be happier with my purchase. The TV is amazing and I always get a lot of compliments on picture quality and the size of the TV (oh yeah). For the price you can't really go wrong. I purchased mine with a coupon in June for $2189.00.

As others mentioned there is a buzzing sound, sometimes it irritates me sometimes it doesn't. Just depends on how low I have the TV. It still wouldn't be enough to make me downgrade to the Samsung 55" inch TOC LCD TV, which was my first choice.

Best 2009 Plasma TV
This TV is the best thing I have spent my hard earn money on in the last 9 years. Picture quality is amazing. Everything from HDTV, PS3, Xbox 360, PC, and Blu-ray looks jaw dropping compared to my old rear projection set. It has PIP. It can properly render 1080p/24Hz without any flickering even with the cinema smooth feature turned off IMO. No undesirable soap opera effect like the LCD's. I noticed some minor image retention within the first few hours of use while watching Transformers the first night of owning the TV with the black bars on the top and bottom of the screen, and the date and time on the PS3 XMB. I can only see it faintly on an all black screen. I switch to HDTV and could not see it at all. After one day of watching the TV I do not see any more image retention at all. I play video games with health bars and ammo count displays for many hours with no problems. IR is not a problem with this TV. The TV sits next to sliding glass doors where sunlight comes in and I can see the picture just fine. My rear projection TV picture was so terrible in the light I had to close my blinds most of the day. This TV is perfect for anyone who wants an amazing picture quality. Two things that some people might not like is that you can feel the heat the TV produces if you are right up on it, and the digital out is only two channel audio. No multi-channel decoding of any kind. The heat is noticeable but not a problem for me. I am finally indulging myself in the 1080p world.