hey guys...
this is a review for all of you out there who are pretty techy, like to do your research, and get the most bang for your buck. i spent hours and hours on my decision, sifting through review after review, and actually ordering and returning this item. read more if you are curious with my results.
plenty of forums on the internet will compare this tv to the panasonic g15 plasma. initially, i chose the samsung pnb650 over the g15 because:
1) reviews showed high color accuracy
2) the TV stand swiveled
3) DNLA content, including the ability to stream MKV and other HD video through the TV, with no need for a media extender.
when i received my unit, i was extremely happy with the picture. colors popped, black levels were good (though seemingly glitchy when there was a perfectly black screen - almost like the picture turned off). but, one thing i have never expected happened to be a deal breaker for me - image retention (IR).
the forums and reviews you read on the net go on and on about how IR and burn in are issues of plasmas' past. what i did not quite realize was that IR and burn in are TWO SEPARATE ISSUES. read this link for a spot on analysis of the difference, and the factors you should consider when buying a plasma [...]
i had image retention from the get go. i used my tv on the "dynamic" setting when playing madden the first week i bought the tv. another thing you will read is that plasmas should never be placed on "dynamic" or "vivid" modes (at least until you "break-in" your set). i personally believe that if the setting is offered on the TV, you should be able to use it no problem. long story short, the EA emblem on the bottom left hand side of the screen remained on the screen after i turned off the game. although it slowly faded away (and i mean very slowly), you could make out that emblem on the screen for THREE WEEKS after i played it. that being said, remember that this was in the first 20 hours or so of use, and that after about a week and a half, you could only see it when you came up to 8 inches from the screen. such issues may not occur after 150 or 200 hours of use, but i was not going to risk it. not only did items like the madden EA sports emblem remain, scoreboards from NFL games, network banners, and tickers remained on the screen far too long for my liking.
another thing to note about the tv is that the DNLA functionality is more a novelty than something that is useful. it does not recognize half the MKVs i have, nor does it play the audio of several WMVs i have. also note that it cannot stream such content over the network; you have to plug in your hard drive directly to the usb jack.
the IR issue was something that was too big a deal for me to overlook. if you do not play much video games, watch CNN, or watch channels with some static emblem, logo, or scoreboard, i dont think you will ever have this issue. you wont have this issue watching movies.
besides that, the TV provides a great, bright picture. 4 HDMI ports and the USB connectivity is great. I loved the swivel stand. however, i like my panasonic g15 plasma much better, and here's why:
1) image retention, seriously, is almost a non issue. only very rarely do you see images retained on the screen, and if you do, if you watch a movie or use the IR scrolling bar, it disappears quickly.
2) blacks are outstanding. i thought they were good on the samsung, but in all honesty, it doesnt compare.
that being said, there are some issues with the panasonic, being:
1) its a bit dark for my tastes, the samsung was brighter. this is really a non-issue if you are watching movies / playing games in dark rooms.
2) the stand does not swivel, though its easy to move the base
3) there are no USB ports, so it limits the amount of content that can be streamed (only pictures and videos through the SD card)
4) the infrared receiver (for remote control) is squarely in the middle of the TV. i place my front speaker there so it was a bit of an issue for me.
5) there are very few picture controls - i cant turn the screen brighter even if i want to!
6) only 3 hdmi... not an issue now i suppose
its also worth mentioning that im no longer trying to stream content through the TV. i got a ps3 and got ps3media server. works like a charm; highly recommended.
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