Samsung PN50B860 50" Plasma TV

Samsung PN50B860 50" Plasma...Awesome, June 24, 2009

Well, I did not buy this TV from Amazon but found an authorized online retailer that had a fantastic price with free shipping. Let me tell you, I researched televisions for about three months straight. I had been debating between the Samsung LN52B750 LCD, which had a razor sharp picture and at the time was priced right. Aesthetically, it was a...read full review Well, I did not buy this TV from Amazon but found an authorized online retailer that had a fantastic price with free shipping. Let me tell you, I researched televisions for about three months straight. I had been debating between the Samsung LN52B750 LCD, which had a razor sharp picture and at the time was priced right. Aesthetically, it was a beautiful television in just about every way. My biggest hang up was that certain movies and shows looked too realistic (distracting) and not movie like, especially when watching animated films or TV shows and even with the 240Mhz refresh rate for motion, the motion in fast scenes felt a bit off or distracting. The picture was/is extremely bright and the features hit the sweet spot.

I had also been comparing the LN52B750 with several different plasma televisions, mostly from Samsung, several Panasonic Plasmas that were/are highly rated from several review websites and the Pioneer Kuro Plasmas. So, I read all of the reviews I could find on about 10 televisions total that were highly rated or new to the market for 2009. My buddy has the 50" Pioneer Elite Kuro PRO-111FD which I might add, has a beautiful picture! It is almost unmatched. Then I went to BestBuy and directly compared several lower model number Samsung plasmas and LCDs and the Panasonic TC-P50G10 50" plasma. I honestly do not see what the big deal about the TC-P50G10 TV is. The picture is okay, it even looked okay playing a Blu-ray movie, but I was not impressed. The picture was a bit green, the casing of the TV was not the most eye pleasing design and that huge Panasonic logo on the front "chin" with a grey back ground was not appealing to me. I also compared several LG Plasmas and LCD TV's for 2009 and the new Toshiba Regzas (nice picture for the price I have to admit).

Ultimately, it came down to comparing the Pioneer Elite Kuro PRO-111FD to the Samsung PN50B850 (which has one feature less than the PN50B860 Samsung, as no one had a PN50B860 on display that I could find) and was amazed at how awesome the picture detail, flesh tones, natural colors, fast motion, contrast, brightness and motion was on the two Plasma televisions. They are very comparable and I consider them dead on as competitors. I ended up choosing the Samsung PN50B860 having seen the PN50B850 in person at BestBuy. The PN50B860 has the Cinema Smooth feature which the PN50B850 does not. I got it for under $2k with free shipping online with the optional 802.11N wireless Samsung Linkstick (WIS09ABGN) for less than $60.

The picture on the Samsung PN50B860 is phenomenal. Not only is the picture on this TV one of the best I've seen after months of extreme research, I got the best price on it and it cost less than the Pioneer and the Samsung LN52B750!!! I've been watching Blu-ray movies on it via my Sony PS3 gaming console for the last few days through HDMI. Movies like Hellboy II and Casino Royale are stunning and unbelievable on this set!!! Motion resolution/rendering is phenomenal. I recommend it over the Pioneer Kuro because I think it is a bit superior in quality (build and picture), features, aesthetic and Energy Star rating. It's SUPER THIN! You would not be sorry for purchasing this set! It's simply stunning. The remote is surprisingly nice as well. I'm not a huge fan of Samsung's remote controls or TV interfaces (Sony and LG rule when it comes to remote control design an TV interfaces) but I'm happy with the one that came with the TV.

Audio is very acceptable in my book on this television. It's not super loud and robust but what television is, but for a small condo or apartment, it's perfect and very usable and enjoyable! The picture from the digital TV tuner for Over-The-Air broadcasts is pretty impressive as well.

Get it! You won't regret it! As for the other review regarding the buzzing...mine does not buzz at all. I'm guessing the person must be at a high altitude or may have received a bad set but this TV is pretty much flawless. minimize

Looks great... but same buzzing problem, September 17, 2009

I'm extremely disappointed. After reading every review I could find on this TV (and others) I finally settled on the PN50B860 here. I was aware some people were experiencing a buzzing noise, but read many more reviews of people who loved their TVs with no such problem. The TV arrived literally 2 hours ago, plugged it in, turned it on with the...read full review I'm extremely disappointed. After reading every review I could find on this TV (and others) I finally settled on the PN50B860 here. I was aware some people were experiencing a buzzing noise, but read many more reviews of people who loved their TVs with no such problem. The TV arrived literally 2 hours ago, plugged it in, turned it on with the delivery guys here and it looked great. The second they set foot out the door and it was quiet in the house I heard the "buzz". And it's annoying enough to the point where I can hear it while watching TV at normal audio levels. So I went to the Samsung website and looked at the FAQs (should have done this ahead of time - but probably wouldn't have affected my decision to buy) and found the following:

"The buzzing sound your plasma TV makes is normal. It's caused by the electrical charges that are used to create the images on the screen. The buzzing, however, should not be so loud that you can hear it when the volume on the TV is set at normal levels.

If your Plasma TV is buzzing loudly, follow these steps:

1. Set the volume of the TV to the setting you normally use.
2. Stand at least 15 feet away. If you do not hear the buzz, your Plasma TV is working normally. "

And this is the case with my TV. However, it's a 50-inch, and as such the optimal viewing distance is 6.25ft - 12.5ft. WTF? So according to Samsung you SHOULD hear a humming (buzz) while watching TV normally. I'm sitting 9ft back and directly in front of the TV (where my couch is located) and the Buzz is very distinct from the moment it turns on.

Anyway, Samsung has a technician coming out to the house to check it out. I hope it's actually defective, but my fear is that they tell me it's normal and I'll have to go through the return process to Amazon. As-is, I cannot keep this TV. Which is a shame because the picture is beautiful. Colors are sharp and crisp and the blacks are deep. Aesthetically the TV is gorgeous, nice lines, super thin, just a very attractive set - I couldn't be happier with the way it looks.

Samsung Customer Service was also very pleasant and agreed to send someone out right away, without giving me the run-around, so that's a huge plus.

Anyway, like many others have mentioned, beware of the buzzing with this TV. If you'll be off-center and 13-14+ feet away it may not affect you. But as even the Samsung website says, there is a buzzing loud enough to hear while watching TV normally.

********* UPDATE *************
Another issue surfaced where the TV would turn off by itself and back on randomly, so it offered more incentive for me to get the TV looked at. Samsung set up a technician to come to my house. The first one they set up called me and said they didn't service my area. I called Samsung and they apologized for the confusion and set me up with another shop. That shop called and said they could come out but had to order parts so they'd call me back when they came in to set up an appointment. Fast foward 2 weeks, no call. I call them back he says they haven't come in yet yadda yadda yadda... forget it.

So I called up Amazon and setup getting a new set shipped out and them picking up the old one. I just did a 1-for-1 swap, so I now have a NEW PN50B860. And..................... it buzzes just like the last one. I did a lot of research on the issue since I found the defect and the bottom line is some people here it, others don't. Samsung has yet to fully acknowledge the issue or own up to soooo many of their 2009 Plasmas having this issue where the 2008 versions did not. For me it's still annoying but I'm not sure if it's annoying enough to replace it again... I'm still sitting on this issue.

So again, for a lot of people depending on TV placement and your own personal hearing, you may or may not hear the buzz. I still hold that it's unacceptable for a $2200 retail TV to have this issue (or all of Samsung's 2009 plasmas for that matter). I still love the look of the TV in my living room and everyone comments on how amazing the picture looks. Not sure if that's quite enough to keep me from returning it though............ minimize

Incredible Picture!, June 22, 2009

I did a lot of research before I purchased a Samsung PN50B860. And I am totally pleased with the purchase! The picture is out of this world. I kept debating between the crisp picture of a quality LCD or the motion handling of a plasma. Because I like sports and action movies, I had pretty much decided on the PN50B550 when I saw the right...read full review I did a lot of research before I purchased a Samsung PN50B860. And I am totally pleased with the purchase! The picture is out of this world. I kept debating between the crisp picture of a quality LCD or the motion handling of a plasma. Because I like sports and action movies, I had pretty much decided on the PN50B550 when I saw the right price. But I went into the store and saw the PN50B860 right next to it, and could obviously see the difference. The picture was so crisp, but it had all the motion handling benefits of a plasma! Plus, it's the latest technology, so it's energy star rated (not the normal power consumption like older plasma's).

It is also DLNA certified and has a cool internet functionallity with Yahoo widgets. I really didn't buy it for the internet functionality--thought that was more of a gimmick. But it's actually pretty neat. I can bring up the weather (today, or extended) for several cities I program in, plus pull major news headlines for politics,business, sports, etc while still watching TV.

One slight drawback are the speakers. Not a deal killer for me, since any movies or sporting events I run through my stereo system. But at 1 1/2 inches thick, it's pretty impossible to put top notch sound in a TV. And the speakers work fine for regular TV. But to get the full movie experience, you'll want to hook to a home theater.

Go look at this set in a store with a quality feed, and you'll be amazed at the clarity, color and definition. minimize

This TV is a "buzz" kill, June 10, 2009

The good:

The new 2009 Samsung plasmas look incredible, have tons of features and options, handle 24p content properly and even have decent sounding speakers and the styling is top notch. However, they have one fatal flaw which brings us to...

The bad:

This TV buzzes constantly! It buzzes even when the...read full review The good:

The new 2009 Samsung plasmas look incredible, have tons of features and options, handle 24p content properly and even have decent sounding speakers and the styling is top notch. However, they have one fatal flaw which brings us to...

The bad:

This TV buzzes constantly! It buzzes even when the volume is muted and connected to just the power outlet and nothing else. I own a PN50B860 and I can't even watch it anymore because the buzzing noises it emits are so annoying it makes watching the TV unbearable. The buzz changes pitch depending on the content being viewed and gets even louder during brighter scenes. Samsung really screwed up on this one as many people will be returning these TVs for something else. I'm looking at the Panasonic TC-P50V10 as a replacement. Check out the thread on avsforum about the buzz issue for more info.

[...]

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Great tv....if only it was silent!, September 22, 2009

I'm not going to go into full detail on what I think of this tv, I'll just say that what most people say about the set as far as picture quality and the nice sleek, thin look are completely accurate. Its a great tv, it just happens that I got one of the buzzing sets.

Someone posted and will try to tell you that the buzz is normal...read full review I'm not going to go into full detail on what I think of this tv, I'll just say that what most people say about the set as far as picture quality and the nice sleek, thin look are completely accurate. Its a great tv, it just happens that I got one of the buzzing sets.

Someone posted and will try to tell you that the buzz is normal plasma buzz, and that is completely false. Do a search about the set, or samsung B series in general (avsforum is a great start) and you will see its not normal. I even went to local stores and listened to various plasma tvs, the majority did not buzz...they were silent. The one that did, was a samsung. My parents own a plasma, no buzz at all...and they leave their tv on all day and all night. The buzzing noise can be heard from a good distance(15+ feet), and it gets louder when brighter scenes are being displayed. It's very annoying, unless you like to watch your tv like you are in the theater every day, all day.

A tech is coming out to look at it, but I know from researching the issue that s/he will not be able fix it and so I will look to get it exchanged and hope for a non buzzer or attempt to get a refund through either amazon or samsung directly. If I can get a non-buzzing set, I will adjust my review a star up.

It really is a shame that this issue happens as often as it seems to occur, because this really is a beautiful set with a great picture. minimize