Samsung PN50C8000

• Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 24 reviews
• My rating: 0 stars

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• 4 stars

  Beautiful picture, but the buzzing is unbearable

  by pbischoff on August 10, 2010

  Pros: Beautiful picture. Great menus and control options. Wonderful apps platform.

  Cons: Loud buzzing sound from front of screen. Lots of image retention. High heat output.

  Summary: The C8000 has the nicest picture of any set I've ever owned, but I ultimately had to return it because I just couldn't stand the buzzing eminating from ...

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  Summary: The C8000 has the nicest picture of any set I've ever owned, but I ultimately had to return it because I just couldn't stand the buzzing eminating from the front of the screen. There has been endless discussion on the web about Samsung's buzzing problems. One take is that some sets buzz and others are silent so you just have to get lucky or keep trading in buzzers until you find a quiet one. My take is that they all buzz and some people are probably just less sensitive to it. (And by the way, the buzzing is apparently much worse on the larger screens). Also, it is a directional buzz, meaning you really only hear it if you are sitting directly in front of the screen's center. But this is a 3D set, so you are definitely going to want to sit in the center. If you are considering a C8000, just be sure you buy from someplace that has a clear return policy. I bought from Crutchfield and they were fantastic. A 60-day return policy instead of the typical 30 days and they paid for return shipping since my set was clearly defective.
  
  Other negatives are a disappointing amount of image retention and rather high output of heat. These are both 'normal' plasma issues but they seem more prevalent on this set that on other plasmas I've tried. I had the set for 7 weeks, and I ran the break-in slides, but IR continued to be an issue. It disappears fairly quickly once you change up the image, but I found myself worrying about it and that's annoying. Likewise with the heat output, I know that all plasmas put out more heat than LCDs, but the C8000 seems especially toasty to me.
  
  The good news is that this set delivers fantastic PQ and deep blacks. The quantity of picture controls means that you can really fine tune this set, which will be a real boon for videophiles. Don't freak out when you hate the PQ right out of the box. A few tweaks of the settings and the picture really looks sweet. The menus are easy to read and navigate, and the apps platform is the best around. The 3D functionality is cool, although I found myself feeling a little dizzy when using the 2D-to-3D conversion. Native 3D is beautiful, though, and I didn't notice any crosstalk issues.
  
  The bottom line is that I would have kept this TV if the buzzing hadn't driven me completely crazy. I was going to try the new Panasonic Vieras, but ultimately decided that the markedly better PQ wasn't worth all of the baggage that comes with plasmas. I traded the C8000 for a Samsung 8000 series LCD and I'm very happy with it.

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  7 out of 8 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 9 stars

  The picture quality is one of the best HDTV available

  by wmarin01 on July 14, 2010

  Pros: Cost less than Panasonics vt25 and 2D-3D quality is great. The achievement on the black level is exceptional. The samsung design is pretty attactive.

  Cons: Small buzzing sound but hardly noticable.

  Summary: Get the most band for your money.I t trully represents why Plasma is still the choice or TV for movie viewing. The picture quality is just a shade down ...

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  Summary: Get the most band for your money.I t trully represents why Plasma is still the choice or TV for movie viewing. The picture quality is just a shade down in comparison to Panasonic's VT25 series however the it cost much less

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  5 out of 6 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 10 stars

  Best TV ever!

  by bmw74 on October 1, 2010

  Pros: Incredible image quality on both 2D and 3D.
  Handles 1080p/24 frames smoothly

  Cons: Generates a lot of heat
  Internal sound is a little weak
  Some TVs experience buzzing sound. Best Buy exchanged it and the buzz is gone.

  Summary: I love this TV, would not trade it for the world. I only wish I had gotten the 58".

  Summary: I love this TV, would not trade it for the world. I only wish I had gotten the 58".

  4 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 9 stars

  Perfect picture, excellent features, great value

  by rpd444 on October 19, 2010

  Pros: Picture quality is outstanding and the feautres are on the razor's edge, not to mention in includes 3D capabilities. The anti-glare feature functions well in blocking out sharp glare on the screen. For the money, (~$1,800), it's hard to beat.

  Cons: Speakers (because of its thickness, about 1 inch, the speakers are not very robust, but they are still perfectly functional for everyday viewing). But for the speakers, the product would be a 5-star.

  Summary: I have a unique perspective on this product, as I've literally been able to try both the PN50C7000 and the PN50C8000 for an extended amount of time. (The C7000 ...

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  Summary: I have a unique perspective on this product, as I've literally been able to try both the PN50C7000 and the PN50C8000 for an extended amount of time. (The C7000 I originally ordered came with blown speakers, go figure, and since the speakers were on such a back order with Samsung at the time, they simply gave me a C8000 upgrade for free. Not too shabby, huh?)
  I originally purchased the C7000 combo which came with an accompanying Blu-ray player and set of 3D glasses for $1,699 from Crutchfield. They exchanged the C8000 roughly 3 weeks after I discovered the C7000 speaker problem (I use a Sony surround sound system, so I survived...thankfully).
  I'm sort of a techno geek and I researched TVs for weeks before selecting the Samsung plasma. Previously, I had heard the mantra that "LCDs are the wave of the future" and that "plasmas still have burn-in problems." Let me tell you first hand, this Plasma (oh by the way, the picture quality on the C7000 and C8000 are virtually identical) has been great. I own an LCD for our bedroom which is also from Samsung, but is an LN40B750. The picture quality on plasma is superior, don't believe the LCD hype.
  Though I've read it isn't needed, I went ahead and allowed for a "warm-up" period of 100 hours TV viewing where I kept all the brightness and contrast settings at a minimum setting. After the 100 hours, I turned up the settings to what I thought would be the best (not "torched", but nice and robust for good all-around viewing). Not only is this TV nice and bright (some people also fear that Plasmas aren't as bright as LCDs), but I've had literally no image retention or burn-in problems.
  The picture is almost too-high def; sometimes it feels like you are looking through a window at what you are watching, rather than seeing it on TV. Though the 3D content is not very extensive (for now), the actual 3D effect is impressive, and better than what I saw on the Samsung LED; I would chalk that up to the frame rate being so much higher on a plasma (there again...LCD-ophile would say that once you get above 240hz, it doesn't matter. I suppose there's some truth to that).
  The black levels are rich (and adjustable), and the color is as accurate as I have ever seen. When watching 3D shows natively (in particular, over Blu-ray) the 3D is great, however, I wouldn?t rely on this TV to convert 2D shows to 3D. For some reason, it just doesn?t seem to do as well. (But I think that is an issue with all non-natively produced 3D pictures.)
  The TV is also form friendly, with a svelte profile of a little over an inch and is surprisingly light. If you hadn't told me that it was a plasma TV, I would have thought it was one of those new, low-profile LCD or LED TVs.
  Samsung, as you know, has bought into the over-the-internet-viewing options heavily. It comes pre-loaded with Hulu Plus, Netflix, YouTube, ESPN and a slew of other Samsung apps which allow you to watch TV shows right over the internet. It doesn?t come with a wireless WiFi dongle, unfortunately, but I would argue it is better to use an internet cable anyway. The apps are fast and easy to navigate. I can?t tell you how often I?ve sat there going through various YouTube videos instead of watching normal TV.
  The only ?problem? I have with the TV is that the speakers aren?t particularly robust. They aren?t bad either, just average. Of course, they do the job just fine for normal TV viewing, and you wouldn?t even notice it that much if what you watch is cable news and sports center. If you intend to watch big-time action movies, then I would recommend jumping on Craigslist and purchasing a decent surround sound system. You can find them for under $100 that work very well.
  As to the ?Buzzing? issue of the TV: I have not had that problem, thankfully. That is not to say that the problem doesn?t exist, as I?m sure it might it some of them, but mine sounds fine. I did notice some buzzing at one point, but that was due to the fact that my DVR?s volume had been turned down and my daughter had turned up the TV?s volume to compensate. When I turned the DVR volume up, the buzzing went away and the sound was full again.
  I would recommend this TV for the person who wants the most bang for their buck (which is basically all of us.) If you are going to spend around $1,800-2,000 on an HDTV, you really can?t get more value than this.

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  3 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 4 stars

  Loud Buzing ruins this otherwise amazing TV

  by elpablo_ on October 5, 2010

  Pros: One of the best pictures of any TV ever made

  Cons: Continuous very loud buzzing noise which can be heard even with stereo set to very high volumes can always be heard and makes viewing unbearable. T

  Summary: CNET is definitely not non bias and is in bed with Samsung for not even mentioning any possibility of the horrible buzz this is effecting many panels with wide spread ...

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  Summary: CNET is definitely not non bias and is in bed with Samsung for not even mentioning any possibility of the horrible buzz this is effecting many panels with wide spread reports that have been posting on line for a long time. See this thread at the AVS Forum about the buzz that has over 400 posts and 43,000 views: his issue is very well documented on the web. See this thread at the AVS Forums with

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  4 out of 8 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 9 stars

  A mystical experience.

  by jasminfrenette on November 21, 2010

  Pros: - 600hz makes 3d smoother than life
  - 2d to 3d for games works a lot better than you might think.
  - movie is nothing but phénoménal
  -3d picture is good as ... no word here

  Cons: - 2D games pictures still not good as Del tv and have no soul.
  - White screen tend to be gray
  - In 3D the black ain't black at all.

  Summary: First, i'm french so be aware of my pretty low vocabulary, but my review will worth something!
  
  I will tell you first my background with Hdtv. This TV is ...

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  Summary: First, i'm french so be aware of my pretty low vocabulary, but my review will worth something!
  
  I will tell you first my background with Hdtv. This TV is my fift hdtv in 7 years. First i got Sony trinitron 720p, secondly BenQ projector 800x600, and Plasma 720p Samsung, also ACL 120hz 30k black Samsung , Finally this PN58c8000.
  
  I must tell u that my plasma 720p was the worse i have, and i was really really sceptical about the new plasma. So i have bring my Ps3 to two shop to try every 3dtv they have. I was left with four choices ! The Nx810 by Sony, delc8000 from samsung, pnc8000 and the panasonic vt25. The nx 810 was awesome but the shop was lit by neon fluorecent, so the glasses wasn't working perfectly and something was catching my eyes at the end of a movie; When the text are scrolling the text have some hook in it. It was not perfectly smooth as other tv? I was scared by a low bravia engine performance for this tv.
  
  Now the Del from Samsung is the only one i have not test cause it was at futureshop, but everyone doesn't seems to like it. The Panasonic for me is ugly and don't have 2d to 3d convertion, so not for me. Here we are with the choise left, the pn58c8000. 2 weeks of tweaking and testing out everything possible things on this tv and happy to tell you the truth...It's a strange tv, it was created by some sort of a thecno GOD. I have play and finish Call od Duty black ops in 3d and IT JUST KICK ASS. I have have show this to someone who just not love tv and games ( my syster ) and she just tell me How the Hell they do that ? I have played gears of wars 2 convert to 3d and it?s ... No word i know... Awesome. I?m not a foul and u are not, it?as 3d convertion, but man it Works so better than you think.
  
  Ok lets make a Roundup of the good and the ugly, cause this tv ain?t perfect in certain way. If u buy this tv for movie, 3D or 2D games :
  
  Movie
  10/10 and wow wow wow
  3D
  9.8/10 wow wow but the black ain?t perfect for some reasons, cause they double the brightness For the glasses. But maybe it can be upgrade with future software upgrade. But don?t be afraid with that comment, the 3d is delicious.
  2D games
  8.5/10 It?s where this tv struggle a bit, the picture is less stellar than Led tv with no punch on your face. But who care, convert it to 3d and it come alive!
  
  I?m not rich, and it take me a years to have to money for this tv and not all the money lol. But just to have play COD black ops Worth the price of admission. Now My little tweak difference than cnet setup for this TV in 3D MODE.
  
  Start with cnet setup as a base .here?s the change:
  Sharpness : 21
  Colors tone : warm 1
  Dark tone : Darker ( From Memory this one ?)
  Digital noise: ON
  Motion Jud : Smooth
  Edge ench : ON
  3D : -5 thats right !!! -5
  2D to 3D : 4 or 5 of Level
  
  If u have any questions, write to me Jasminfrenette@gmail.com And sorry for my poor English but it?s the kind of review i wish to see before buy ! ;)
  Thanks cnet to ease my choice to.

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  1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 1 stars

  Most expensive mistake I've ever made

  by gilgongo on February 21, 2012

  Pros: Lots of internet options.

  Cons: Ghosting, burn-in, entire panel fried after just over 1 year

  Summary: Started ghosting immediately out of the box. Not when I paused it... it would just randomly happen. I lowered the contrast and obsessively used scroll. Nothing worked. Kept ghosting and ...

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  Summary: Started ghosting immediately out of the box. Not when I paused it... it would just randomly happen. I lowered the contrast and obsessively used scroll. Nothing worked. Kept ghosting and after about 2 months, permanent burn-in. None of this was covered under the warranty. Then the audio output broke. ALSO not covered under the warranty. Then 1 year & 1 month after I bought the TV, the screen went black. Had a repair guy look at it, and the entire panel needs to be replaced. I was told it would cost over $700. Samsung was no help as it's now 1 month out of warranty. This thing is going into the dumpster. I'll never buy a Samsung or a plasma again.

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• 10 stars

  Great Overall Picture

  by dsran87 on June 4, 2011

  Pros: - Color quality
  - 3D images
  - Picture Accuracy
  - Refresh rate

  Cons: - TERRIBLE out of box picture settings
  - Remote control
  - Stand
  - Black levels

  Summary: Its a great TV but the picture settings out of box are absolutely horrible. Once you calibrate the picture to your liking the images are great! Some of the parts ...

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  Summary: Its a great TV but the picture settings out of box are absolutely horrible. Once you calibrate the picture to your liking the images are great! Some of the parts feel cheap and the black levels arent as good at the Panasonic. The 3D is really good and you can make anything you are watching into a 3D image. It is wireless ready and the programs are really cool. Overall, I have to say this was a great buy.

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• 1 stars

  DO NOT BUY! SAMSUNG WEASELS OUT OF WARRANTY

  by geff_99 on May 29, 2011

  Pros: Excellent image and excellent features.

  Cons: Just watching the TV and not touching the TV causes the internal panel to crack. Samsung claims that this is physical damage. DO NOT BUY

  Summary: I bought a Samsung PN50C8000 plasma tv in January. On Wednesday, May 11, 2011,the screen went black while no one was watching TV. I called Samsung to tell them ...

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  Summary: I bought a Samsung PN50C8000 plasma tv in January. On Wednesday, May 11, 2011,the screen went black while no one was watching TV. I called Samsung to tell them this. Later while trying feverishly to make it work, I noticed a star shaped crack on the inside of the panel. The outside had no damage what so ever so there was nothing that impacted it.
  
  The Samsung repairman came today and told that he cannot do anything to help me. He tried to take some pictures to send to Samsung. He barely could because the outside glass and the structure was undamaged and the glare of the glass (untouched by anything) made it very difficult for the star to show on his camera.
  
  Many places on the internet have people with the same problems. CNET and AVS forums are full of people with the same problem. Their TV all of a sudden develops a crack in the panel without anyone touching the TV physically. Samsung keeps saying that this was caused by physical damage and was not to be covered by the warranty that came with the TV. I have 36 payments left on a TV that does not work and has a crack that was created by something mystical.
  
  The repairman told me that there were many cases with this type of TV. He told me that if you just touch it too hard, you will crack the inside panel. It is very fragile. Samsung likes to blame improper installation on the wall for the reason that those TVs get cracks. Basically, if you hang your own TV as opposed to having a professional do it, Samsung will blame you. The repairman told me that in my case, my TV was properly hung on the wall with the right type of frame. Both Samsung and the stores, in my case Amazon, clearly fail to tell people that those TVs are fragile and that if you blow too hard, they will break.
  
  When I talked to Samsung on the phone, they told me that someone in New Jersey, who did not see my TV determined that this was caused by physical force hitting my TV. I live in Florida. When I kept insisting that no one touched the TV, they told me that they will still void my warranty and that this was caused by physical damage. I do not have pets. None of my kids touched the TV when it cracked. They are implying that I am a liar.
  
  I think that it would be less painful if Samsung had stuck a gun to my head and stolen $1600.00. I will be paying for this TV for the next 3 1/2 years. If it would have no effect on my credit record, I simply would stop paying until they fix the TV. Unfortunately, I am on the losing end of this stick. It is being financed through Amazon.com store credit card. Amazon was willing to help me at first. Then they spoke to someone supposedly named Sheryl at Samsung and are now telling me that they can not help.
  
  Based on my experience and what I am reading on the internet, Samsung is knowingly selling crap. They know that their TVs are cracking. They are hiding behind a wall of not covering physical damage to cover their buts.

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• 9 stars

  buzzing noise update

  by john63131 on March 23, 2011

  Pros: DON'T OWN YET

  Cons: LOOKING TO BUY THIS MODEL

  Summary: CALLED SAMSUNG TECH CHAT ROOM. WAS TOLD THE BUZZING IS NORMAL NOISE AND SHOULD BE VERY FAINT. ALSO IF YOU RESIDE ABOVE 6500 FEET ALTITUDE THE BUZZING NOISE WILL BE ...

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  Summary: CALLED SAMSUNG TECH CHAT ROOM. WAS TOLD THE BUZZING IS NORMAL NOISE AND SHOULD BE VERY FAINT. ALSO IF YOU RESIDE ABOVE 6500 FEET ALTITUDE THE BUZZING NOISE WILL BE VERY LOUD.

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