Samsung PN59D8000 59-Inch 1080p 600Hz 3D Plasma HDTV (Black)
- 59″ screen (measured diagonally)
- Ultra-slim bezel with Touch of Color? accents
- 25,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio
- 600Hz Subfield HD Motion for clear video motion
- 2D-to-3D conversion adds a 3D-like effect to non-3D video sources
Samsung PN59D8000 59-Inch 1080p 600HZ 3D Plasma HDTV
Price:
Samsung PN59D8000 – Excellent Networked HDTV,
I just up-graded my older DLP rear-projection HDTVs to new flat screens. I chose the PN59D8000 plasma for my main TV due to its superior 3D performance compared to LED LCDs. I’ve lived with it for about a month, so can’t comment on long-term reliability, but my previous Samsung LCD & DLP HDTVs had no problems over several years.
The picture on this TV is amazing – easily among the best that I have seen among all other plasmas. Blacks are very black and the color can quickly be adjusted from fairly intense (dynamic) to muted (movie) by the standard pre-sets. As usual, there are multiple picture adjustments that can tailor the picture to one’s exact preference.
The 3D image is very good, with no ghosting and with very good depth. Samsung moved this year to Bluetooth shutter glasses and this makes a world of difference. My previous experience with IR shutter glasses from several manufacturers required that one not move around much (or even look around the room). Now I can wander into the kitchen for popcorn and still be seamlessly in synch when I return to the TV.
Sound is OK and includes a pseudo-surround sound setting, but I run sound output run through my home theater receiver, so I can’t really comment.
The PN59D8000 is among Samsung’s net-enabled “Smart TVs” which gives you access to a lot of apps as well as a net browser. I have the TV connected via ethernet, so I can’t comment on the quality of the wireless access, but the ethernet connection works very well for most apps. Any problems with connectivity appear to be due to Comcast (since any problems seem to be shared with my computer). The QWERTY side of the remote works as advertised, but does take a little getting used to. **** An important note: For the initial pairing process for the remote, make sure that you hold the remote directly in front of the TV (as in 5″ or so) or it will fail to pair properly. Once paired, however, it works all over the room. My only complaint is that the browser seems vvvveeeerrrryyy slow.
Finally, Samsung has moved to an “e-manual” (even including a specific button on the remote labeled “E-MANUAL”) rather than including a detailed paper manual. A major advantage is that it is easily searchable (as contrasted with the poor and inadequate index seen in most paper manuals) and can be constantly updated if accessed over the net. Given all of the potential adjustments and inter-connectivity options, an e-manual makes sense but I am sure there will be those that miss a 200-page paper manual to clutter up their coffee table.
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|After years of dragging feet, this TV made me JUMP to HD…,
…although I should thank Amazon Warehouse for first sending me a busted-up 50″ version of last year’s C8000 or I may never have experienced the awesomeness of the 59″ D8000!
The great (and exhaustive) information at AVSFourm lead me to this beauty, which I purchased from BuyDig due to Amazon Warehouse hanging me up on a C8000 replacement, and then Amazon taking forever to get the new 2011 Samsungs into inventory and listed for sale. I’ve got mine paired up with a Samsung BD-D6700 3D Blu-ray Player using AmazonBasics High Speed HDMI Cable. I wall mounted the set with a Sanus Vlt14-B1 Super-Slim Tilt Mount bracket. I’m using Samsung’s SSG-3100GB 3D Glasses that came as part of the Shrek/Megamind 3D Starter Kit, which was included as a promotional item with this set.
Regarding picture quality:
– Simply outstanding. Crisp definition. True colors that aren’t overly bright or artificial. Inky black blacks.
– No ghosting or shadows. Great with fast action and camera panning. Haven’t tried video games.
– No sign of jutter or film effect; the high refresh rate makes any motion smooth and realistic, especially noticeable in-store when comparing this side-by-side with a lower refresh TV.
– Not so hot as a PC monitor with respect to reading tiny text.
If you’re worried about the size possibly being too big:
– I thought I was pushing my luck after my wife commented that the broken 50″ C8000 that showed up at our front door (but was never mounted) looked “too big.” And I’ll admit, this 59″ TV is huge, but once we sat back to enjoy it, I don’t know how we suffered (*cough, cough*) with out 32″ Trinitron tube for the past 14 years.
– With whatever up-convert happens between our DVD player and the TV itself, standard definition movies still look fine on this set. No, they’re not as amazingly crystal clear as high-def Blu-ray content, but they’re not at all blocky as I had expected.
– You will want to take advantage of any HD cable, satellite or over-the-air broadcasts you might have available. Standard definition television picture quality will make you crazy after knowing the cleanliness of HD. (In our case, we’re sticking with Comcast’s most basic service but added their converter box, and are paying them about $28 per month.)
– The VESA mounting pattern on the back is 800mm x 600mm, the largest size the Sanus mount I linked to supports. It’s probably worth checking that whatever mount you select is compatible with this pattern.
3D movies on this set are simply outstanding. So far, I’ve only got the Shrek discs that came with Samsung’s starter kit to view, though I’ve got a couple more on the way. The big screen gives a really perceptible depth effect when viewed from my normal sitting position approximately 10 feet away. But we have a wide room and even from viewing angles of 45° the effect is still present with only very minor drop-offs in color and brightness (the picture noticeably dims once the 3D glasses are powered on, especially when the room is bright).
3D setup and playback is a cinch — the sync signal is bluetooth, so each pair of glasses needs to be paired the first time used. Pairing involves nothing more than turning the glasses on, and since the bluetooth signal is bi-directional, the television recognizes when the glasses are activated and provides a brief pop-up indication in the lower left corner saying so.
After that initial setup, inserting a 3D disk and pressing play is all that’s required to get the show going. The TV even automatically powers on and switches to the correct input when I power up my Samsung player and insert a disk.
During the day I’ve watched my movies with the bright overhead lights on, and daylight lighting the room through two large windows. The anti-reflective coating on the screen is excellent! There’s no apparent glare, and the brightness of the screen even at the factory setting (if I recall correctly, it’s initially set at brightness level 48) is more than enough overcome this ambient light, without washing out the deep, dark black levels. (The 3D glasses reflect lighted…
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|Excellent picture, good features. Happy owner.,
Pros: Very, very good picture. Black colors are very dark, inky for my first time. 24fps, 1080P full HD is what it does best. 3D is better than what I was expecting. Apps are cool and launch pretty quickly. Off angle viewing is good, better than my older LCD.
Cons: Pricey. Qwerty keyboard remote is funky, a little awkward. Browser needs improvement. 3D requires glasses, wish they didn’t. Plasma uses more power than LCD.
Summary: I have owned my PN59D8000 for about two weeks now. So far it’s been excellent to good. First the excellent; the picture. This is what it’s all about to me. What’s the point of getting a new TV if it doesn’t produce a great picture. The PN59D8000 makes a great picture. I’m no Cnet David Katzmaier, I haven’t seen hundreds of TV’s, but I do know what I like when I see it and I think this TV makes a very good, to great picture. I really enjoy watching a good, well made, high visual content movie in full 1080P HD, 24fps. I have watched standard def, 1080 I/P HD and high def 3D. The standard def is good, better than my older 52″ A650 Samsung LCD in several ways, but no matter how you cut it, it’s still standard def. The HD picture is what it’s all about, it’s excellent, with blacks so dark and inky, the best I’ve seen so far. The contrast and detail is excellent. Very smooth transitions, panning. 3D is cool, different, awkward. At first, I tried watching some ESPN 3D NBA (Directv) during the daytime in a well lit room & I really noticed the flashing, pulsing of the 3D glass lenses off screen of the TV from the sides. To me this was a little nauseating, but during night or with the curtains closed in a dark or darker room, the effect was very good and comfortable. The 3D depth and detail was excellent, better than what I was expecting actually. I now wish that there would be more good 3D content available, kind of limited. The Good; the browser and qwerty keyboard is a little bit of a let down, but still good. I have a Home Theater PC with a hand held qwerty remote, at first I thought that setup was only OK, but compared to the Samsung qwerty remote/browser, the Windows 7/IE9/Firefox browser is really much better. Who would have thought. The Samsung browser is good, to get online and putz around, but the remote needs a touch-pad/trackball big time. The Samsung commercial showing the couple just breezing through web pages is a little unreal to me. Maybe with more practice and understanding I could be more proficient. Your mileage may vary. The Samsung apps are cool and launch quickly. Netflix pops up quickly and plays smoothly. Wired Ethernet here. 5 star picture. 1/2 a star ding for the browser/remote. 4 1/2 stars overall. The other TV’s that I was considering were the new upcoming 2011 Panasonic plasma’s. The 2010 Panasonic VT model plasma are very good as well, but at this moment the 2011 VT model is not out yet and the 60″ VT appear to be too expensive for my budget. So there it is, a LCD owner converting to Plasma, because of the picture, because of the picture. Enjoy.
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