Samsung PN51E550

• Average user rating: 4.5 stars out of 7 reviews
• My rating: 0 stars

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• 9 stars

  LED to Plasma Review!

  by JamesKVanmeter on February 22, 2013

  Pros: + Great Picture, Great 3D, Vibrant Colors
  + Detail and color range is amazing
  + Smart TV with lots of Apps
  + Easy to set up, easy to wi-fi and connect to internet streaming

  Cons: - Reflective screen
  - Sounds is a bit tinny

  Summary: I bought a 2010 Samsung 3d LED tv. I bought as a reward for becoming full time computer support. I spent about $2300. Problem was it started having issues in ...

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  Summary: I bought a 2010 Samsung 3d LED tv. I bought as a reward for becoming full time computer support. I spent about $2300. Problem was it started having issues in 2013 with a dim and flickering corner of the screen. It was a great tv. To repair it I was going to have to spend about $1300, so I opted to just buy a new tv. I was going to get a LED tv, but I discovered I could get a plasma and get the same kind of quality as my led tv.
  
  The plasma came in yesterday. I put in through it's paces and tried playstation game play, 3d playstation game play, 3d blu-ray, sd dvd playback, low quality sd playback, and directv playback. Results, amazing. Not only is this tv 5" bigger which is great, but the picture quality is better than the LED. I had to recalibrate it since it was a little dark out of the box.
  
  Everything is sharper. Blacks are darker. Colors more vibrant. White is brighter and true white. The led did have a slight blue tint, but when it was calibrated it was next to nothing with only really rare whites showing the tint. The 3d on the tv is better. The active glasses have less noticable flicker, but my led glasses was 99% unnoticable unless I was looking for it.
  
  The 3d on the plasma is smoother in playback as well as having a brighter image which wearing glasses. The led was a lot more dark and usually I had to nudge the brightness a bit on the tv or in the game settings. Motion on this tv so far has been flicker free. My led couldn't say that. Even with mpeg noise filter off about 8% of high motion scenes had minor blurring or a flicker (blinds mainly). So all in all when it comes to video and 3d this beat my $2300 led tv from back in 2010!
  
  Now the led to first plasma tv concerns.
  
  1. Burn in. None yet, knock on wood. First thing I did was activate the burn in protection features as well as adjusted them to run sooner. I am going to break in the tv by avoiding static images or movie bars for the next month. I did have this during testing, but I limited those sessions to about 20 minutes to test. So far none. I even watch the news for 30 minutes and switched channels with no signs of image retention. Samsung during tests are a little less prone to image retention than panasonic. Still happens. I'm going to be careful and watch new in short bursts, game sessions for only a few hours, and no pausing or leaving menus up for too long.
  
  2. Hum. Virtually none. If you put your ear up to the tv at about 8" you will hear an old crt kind of screen hum. Any further away in a completely silent house you can't hear it. I'm an audiophile and huge movie and game nut. Trust me, no really hum to worry about.
  
  3. Glare. When the tv is off it has a lot of glare. We have two lamps. One at about 25 degrees and one at about 140 degrees. You can see them if lit and watching tv. However, the led did this too and I had a matte screen. The reflections while watching a video playing is only about 15% more noticeable. As for the blinds on the glass door at about 160 degrees those have to remain shut. Not really an issue since they are adjustable and I can angle them to hide the light and still have the sliding glass door open during attic fan use.
  
  All in all I say hum is a none issue. The glare is more noticeable, but the led had it too and you have to remember your going to a glass front. Unless you have to have multiple lights on in the room, the glare can be managed. As for the image burn that is the only thing scary about having this tv. I'll just be smart. I will break it in for the first month so it is a little more resistant. I've also warned the fam about burn in as well as they have to pay for a new tv if they cause it. :)
  
  Since I was burned on a $2300 after 2 years I can't really endorse Samsung fully. They still make great tvs. I almost went panasonic, but again best buy proved this Samsung was the right tv for me at under $1300. I could have spent more and got a led, but so far I am loving this plasma and I may be sold on plasma for quite a long time. If you buy a Samsung make sure to factor in a warranty as well. Don't get burned like I was.
  
  PS: I suggest you have to check for best price of this sammy at: 3d-plasmahdtvs.blogspot.com/p/samsung-pn51e550-plasma-hdtv_22.html
  
  I hope this review is helpful.

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  7 out of 7 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 10 stars

  Nervously ended up taking a chance on this TV. - Happy!

  by mrgoteman on June 13, 2012

  Pros: Stunning 2D & 3D picture quality. Fantastic value for the price. Relatively light weight for a Plasma. Reasonably nice design. 3D Glasses included.

  Cons: Relatively basic/limited picture style settings, but I still found the available settings to be pretty sufficient. No headphone output. Only 3 HDMI ports. No dedicated PC input (HDMI works fine though).

  Summary: A have been trying to decide (for about a year) which seems to be the best 46-55inch Plasma with stunning 2D AND 3D picture quality for right about $1000. I ...

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  Summary: A have been trying to decide (for about a year) which seems to be the best 46-55inch Plasma with stunning 2D AND 3D picture quality for right about $1000. I decided to wait for the 2012 lineup, and ended up choosing between this and the Panasonic UT50. The ONLY reason I decided against the Panasonic UT50 was because of the criticism of its 3D performance in the reviews I read.
  
  There weren't that many PN51E550 reviews out yet when I decided, but I took a calculated risk based on reviews of other and previous Samsung plasma reviews. After having had it for a couple of Months I couldn't be happier with my decision. The TV performs phenomenally with anything I throw at it. 3D, Blu-Rays, Using it as a secondary iMac monitor, Gaming, Pictures... you name it. I'm thrilled with every aspect of use that I've been able to think of for this TV.
  
  I truly believe the Samsung PN51E550 is the best decision for a $1000 budget when you want 46-55" and stellar 2D and 3D performance.
  
  Also good to know:
  - The 2 included 3D glasses are very cheap and obviously not the same as buying these separately. One pair didn't even work right out of the box but Best Buy replaced these for me free of charge with another $20 pair (even those were slightly better built than the included ones)
  - The record the built in speakers and "Smart Internet Features" work fine, but I'm not really using these anyway due to external sound system and other connected hardware (PS3, iMac, Apple TV).

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  3 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 9 stars

  Best TV you can buy for $1,000.

  by mas_y_mas on April 16, 2012

  Pros: Deep blacks
  3D
  SMART TV apps
  Low profile
  Excellent factory calibration

  Cons: Heavy
  Internet browsing

  Summary: If you are looking for a mid-priced TV for movie watching with 3D capability, this is what you have been waiting for. Right out of the box I calibrated the ...

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  Summary: If you are looking for a mid-priced TV for movie watching with 3D capability, this is what you have been waiting for. Right out of the box I calibrated the unit and was very impressed to find that in movie mode, it was very close. For anyone wanting a new TV, but is scared by the garish options at the big box stores, the pn51e550 will give you instant satisfaction.
  
  The SMART TV internet connectivity is a great option to have and Samsung has made this an integrated feature. With apps like Netflix, Hulu Plus and Pandora, it is easy to justify what could be thought of as a gimmick. Netflix streaming is cleaner and faster than through my Wii. The one issue I have is the method of moving the cursor while browsing the internet. You use the arrow keys to move and your choice of speed is pixel by pixel or very quick.
  
  Watching movies on this TV will drop your jaw. On both dark movies like Harry Potter/LOTR and more vivid films like Disney, the pn51e550 excels. The smoothness of the picture and beautiful display will make everyone of your friends envious.
  
  The bottom line: This is an excellent TV in the $1,000 range and should be on the radar of anyone serious about their next TV purchase.

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  1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 9 stars

  Solid sufficient TV

  by sevletch on August 11, 2012

  Pros: Integrated wifi, Smart Hub internet browsing and apps, affordability, plus 3D and many more features ...

  Cons: No Evolution Kit.

  Summary: The reason I began looking at Samsung TVs was for their new replaceable processor technology. This model does not have that, but you will have to pay quite a bit ...

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  Summary: The reason I began looking at Samsung TVs was for their new replaceable processor technology. This model does not have that, but you will have to pay quite a bit more to get that feature. If you're not worried about using the TV for more than Netflix, HuluTV and such this is probably not an issue. This TV is great for me since I am not a gamer and do not have a console to connect to the internet and watch Netflix. One could always connect their PC to do this, but I find the extra cords and controlling the programs through your laptop a bit cumbersome. Great TV for the money.

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• 10 stars

  BEST bang for the buck!!!!!

  by xMAJORBULLDOGx on July 23, 2012

  Pros: -Best plasma picture for the money. I can say this because I own a Panasonic TC-P50UT50 as well. I also have a 65" Panasonic plasma.
  -3D is AMAZING!!
  -Comes with two free pairs of glasses.

  Cons: -Remote isn't easy to surf through the menus with.
  -The power outlet on the tv is directly behind the mounting brackets. Make sure you have the power chord plugged in to the tv before you put the mounting brackets on!

  Summary: First and foremost, I am a true believer in plasma. I have two Panasonic plasmas which I absolutely love, but the picture on this Samsung blows both of them away. ...

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  Summary: First and foremost, I am a true believer in plasma. I have two Panasonic plasmas which I absolutely love, but the picture on this Samsung blows both of them away. The Panasonic 3d technology does not hold a flame to the Samsung's deep picture, which brings the 3d to life!

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• 10 stars

  An excellent Plasma TV!

  by androidsm on June 19, 2012

  Pros: Great picture, Marvelous built in player capable of supporting all the video formats I've tried with a portable hard drive connected to USB
  SMART TV with built in WiFi, DLNA streaming support, very nice set of applications

  Cons: Internet browser needs improvement, it supports FLASH and it would be nice if it would support more direct streaming formats

  Summary: Best TV you can find in this price, loaded with features, easy settings and most of all have superb picture quality both with SD, FULL HD and 3D material,I ...

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  Summary: Best TV you can find in this price, loaded with features, easy settings and most of all have superb picture quality both with SD, FULL HD and 3D material,I would highly recommend!

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• 9 stars

  GREAT TV, Well worth the price

  by ZDAGGS on April 28, 2012

  Pros: - Better PQ then last years d550 and it packs more features with Samsung's Smart TV application. Although most are useless some like Netflix and Pandora work great.
  -Great 3D
  -2 free sets of 3D glasses and new ones are 19.99!

  Cons: -Toggle switch controls on TV instead of individual buttons for channel, sound, and power.
  -No PCI connection
  -one less HDMI(3 now instead of 4)
  -No 10 point calibration

  Summary: A definite consideration when looking at TV in the 1k price range.

  Summary: A definite consideration when looking at TV in the 1k price range.

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