Samsung PN58B860 58" Plasma TV

It came today..., October 28, 2009

From reading AVS forum I was ready to pull the trigger on a Panasonic G10. Then went to Best Buy to see them in person and this thing was just so much nicer in every way. I'm sorry Panny fanboys but the picture on the current models just looks dingy. The older ones were much nicer. Maybe they made too many compromises for the "eco" thing. And WAY...read full review From reading AVS forum I was ready to pull the trigger on a Panasonic G10. Then went to Best Buy to see them in person and this thing was just so much nicer in every way. I'm sorry Panny fanboys but the picture on the current models just looks dingy. The older ones were much nicer. Maybe they made too many compromises for the "eco" thing. And WAY reflective. Anyway, the Samsung came today, no more calibration that setting it to "movie" mode (will wait til after break-in for that). Watching a show about quasars & pulsars on DirecTV HD Channel (720p) and we are saying "whoo" and "wow" just like watching fireworks. The colors are vivid, but not harsh (like LCD's can be). No banding, jaggies. Incredibly detailed, but smooooth. It's just amazing. Flesh tones so natural it's like you're looking at a real person. This replaced a calibrated Samsung 56" DLP, which I preferred to anything I'd ever seen before (had it's caveats but LCD RPTVs were positively hazy at that time so I went with DLP since the rainbow thing was rare and didn't bother me - kind of pretty actually.) But this just blows it away. It's like the fog has lifted. Hot? Yes, it's putting off some heat; but I live in a cold climate (SF) so no big deal. Buzzing? If you put your ear right next to it (the hard drive in my DVR is way louder) but then I'm essentially at sea level, supposedly higher altitudes worsen that. Reflections? Yes, but nowhere as bad as CRT or (ahem) the current generation of MacBooks. It's glossy but subdued. For the first time I have an in-home viewing experience superior to a movie theatre. Just can't emphasize how natural the picture is. I hope Samsung & Panasonic will continue this technology. I love LCD TV for the kitchen, it's fine for watching the news, and great on the computer for static images, but this is a true videophile experience. Like MP3's (which sound great) vs full uncompressed quality digital sound. I can see how (especially sports oriented viewers) might prefer LCD - it's bright, sharp, vivid (especially if you're looking straight on - not so great off center). But if you want to see subtlety in light, shadow, cinematography - this new tech plasma is the way to go. Maybe the key is you need a technology where the pixels are producing their own light. The last time a picture was so smooth, natural, detailed to my eye were the last generation of Sony CRT Trinitron Wega sets. Perhaps OLED will be the next step up but I'm very happy with this. And Amazon's price, white-glove delivery, return policy can't be beat.The guys from Pilot unboxed it and made sure it was working before they left. Hauled it up 2 flights of stairs. I can't believe this marvel of technology was cheaper than a decent laptop. minimize

WOW AMAZING TV, September 21, 2009

I purchased this TV about 3 weeks ago from Amazon it arrived 1 day sooner than promised. The delivery people were very nice and put the tv in place and fired it up to make sure it all worked.
Now I had the Samsung 56" DLP with LED technology for about 2 1/2 years and that tv was very nice but we needed a little more room so we went with the ...read full review I purchased this TV about 3 weeks ago from Amazon it arrived 1 day sooner than promised. The delivery people were very nice and put the tv in place and fired it up to make sure it all worked.
Now I had the Samsung 56" DLP with LED technology for about 2 1/2 years and that tv was very nice but we needed a little more room so we went with the flat panal.
The picture clarity of this tv surpasses other tv's in the same class. I compared it to the Pioneer Kudo series and it puts the Pioneer to shame. Granted I had to shop local stores to compare them before buying from Amazon but the time it took to reasearch this item was worth it in the end.
The Hi Def is outstanding in all aspects I use Directv for my tv broadcasts and their Hi Def feed. I also have a Playstation 3 which is used only for movies and that too was very impressive. This model has a network connection that was easy to setup. I plugged in a network wire from my router to the tv and I was on line. This gives the abilty to have news, weather, stock qoutes, and even YouTube can be accesed directly through the tv. I also found the tv has built in entertainment moduals like recipes, stories and music for small children and exercise workout information.
I also like the fact that the remote lights up makes it very easy to see when the lights are dim in the room. As for contrast I do not think you could ask for better. The blacks are black and not grainy the colors are very true to life right out of the box. Now you may want to tweak the color and tint to your likeing but this is true with al tv's.
The 1080P is a true 1080P unlike some tvs that use a 3:2 pull down, what this means is that it can do 24 FPS and also 60 FPS. Some 1080P signals are only in 24 FPS like Directv on demand 1080P movies and some tv's can not display a broadcast in 24 FPS and Directv 1080P can not be displayerd on a tv that uses 3:2 pull odwn technology.
My wife even commented on how much nicer this picture is compared to others we saw in the stores while shopping this out.
If you like a nice picture with lots of features you will not go worng with this new Samsung tv and it is only 1.2" thick!!!!!!
And lastly when I registered the tv on line with Samsung they gave me 3 additional months of warranty. minimize

Incredible, but the buzzing?..Oh Samsung!, October 14, 2009

I have to say the Samsung PN58B860 58-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV is an impressive package, the picture incredible. I could really go on and on about but all the things I like about this unit, design, ease of use and setup, etc... But, like the previous postings, I can't get past the buzzing noise. I initially exchange my unit for another after...read full review I have to say the Samsung PN58B860 58-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV is an impressive package, the picture incredible. I could really go on and on about but all the things I like about this unit, design, ease of use and setup, etc... But, like the previous postings, I can't get past the buzzing noise. I initially exchange my unit for another after discussing the issue with Samsung, but the same buzzing noise was present in the replacement unit. The buzzing can be easily heard when the unit is turned on, muted, and in a quiet room from about 10' feet away, especially if you're sitting center stage to the unit. I can also occassionly hear buzzing during the quite scenes of a movie. Still deciding whether not to return it. I have not noticed this buzzing in units of this size from other manufactures.Sorry Samsung...this drops it from a 5 Star unit to a 3 Star, due to the annoyance factor. minimize

consumer/hobbyist with attention to details and perfection, November 5, 2009

After years of enjoying my Mitsubushi WS55819 RPT I decided it was time to part. All my other equipment was paired with HDMI 1.3 and I could not take advantage of what HDMI offers (let alone the amazing advances in picture quality and energy savings) I spent a great deal of time researching and viewing several plasma and LCD televisions (I loath...read full review After years of enjoying my Mitsubushi WS55819 RPT I decided it was time to part. All my other equipment was paired with HDMI 1.3 and I could not take advantage of what HDMI offers (let alone the amazing advances in picture quality and energy savings) I spent a great deal of time researching and viewing several plasma and LCD televisions (I loath viewing televisions at big box stores. all the sets need to be calibrated to make viewing an objective observation). After research and observations I chose the Samsung PN58B860. By purchasing the HDTV thru Amazon I saved enough money to pay for it to be calibrated. I decided I had paid to have the best, it seemed silly not to spend a little more money to provide the best video output the television can offer. I had David Abrams from AVICAL calibrate my plasma tv. He has a long and impressive referance list. David charged $300 to calibrate and $60 for travel (I live 120 miles away from LA and it was on his tour schedule). To be sure it did need calibrating and I can tell you my magnificent picture became even clearer, the colors more outstanding, and the darks as dark as midnight on a moonless night. The telvision is paired with an ONKYO TX-SR876 Receiver (purchased thru Amazon), OPPO Blue-Ray Disc Player Model No. BPD-83 and an Oppo DVD Player Model No. DV-983 (purchased thru Amazon), Bright House HD Cable DVR, Paradigm Monitor 9 front speakers, CC-370 Center cahnnel, ADP-370 surrounds (side and back). I have no regrets about my purchase of the set and I know it will deliver years of entertainmnet to my family and friends...oh, and of course me!
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Best Picture by far, July 14, 2009

I purchased this TV about a week ago and have really gotten to love the picture. If you do buy this you really need a Blue Ray Player. The Blue Ray movies are fantastic.

Overall this was very easy to set up and the picture looks great right out of the box with no adjustments. This is a big tv at 58" and the HDMI hook ups really make...read full review I purchased this TV about a week ago and have really gotten to love the picture. If you do buy this you really need a Blue Ray Player. The Blue Ray movies are fantastic.

Overall this was very easy to set up and the picture looks great right out of the box with no adjustments. This is a big tv at 58" and the HDMI hook ups really make things life like. I hooked it up to a Onkyo receiver with 7.1 surround sound for the ultimate theater experience. I really didn't like the sound coming from the built in speakers for a set this big.

My son hooked up Xbox360, Wii and Playstation 3 to the set and the motion in the games is great along with unbelievable graphics.

This set has pretty much run 24-7 since we got it without a flaw. The only thing that I really didn't care about was the internet connectivity. You really don't get to do much except look at weather, stock and a few other widgets. I do recommend a clean power source with this TV like one made by Monster to keep from getting power spikes.

I think there is no other choice for price and picture. I looked at the Pioneer Elite and felt this had a much better picture along with being much thinner at 1.2" but it still weighs 100lb's and that's pretty heavy to move.

This is one big, bright and sharp picture. I am very happy with my purchase. minimize