Customer Reviews
Fabulous Product, Great Service !!! 
2008-03-30
Ordered this through Amazon after researching for quite a while. Its my 6th purchase of a HDTV
and by far the best. The price was $600 less than Best Buy (when it was on sale). The ordering process
was easy. The shipping was free and saved another $150 on sales tax. The trucking company arrived
when scheduled and unpacked it and set it where it was to go. The picture quality is excellent.
I have a PS3 attached. The Blue Ray DVD picture quality is unbelievable. I have Direct TV with about
80 HD Channels. The picture and sound quality is great. I have a Denon sound system attached
so I don't use the speakers on the TV, but it has a simulated surround sound which is very good.
The only negative is the picture quality on the on HD channels. With a picture this size it shows many flaws
of the non HD reception, but that would be the same with any other high quality HDTV. Would recommend this TV highly.
Great Plasma TV! 2008-03-29
Short and sweet..... Looking for a large plasma???.... this is the set for you that offers the best value and total combination of options and performance. I see most of the other reviews echo this sentiment as well. We are pleased with the price, the image, the black contrast and the ease of use and set-up. Delivery was great, but I had low expectations, and they were exceeded by the courteous and helpful delivery men. Just be prepared when you move it to its final spot.... have strong assitance.... it is heavy. Once installed ansd hooked up you will be pleased too. I was also very happy with the customer service and assitance from Amazon and very happy I bought it there!
Great TV 2008-03-02
No problems at all. Shipper installed and took boxes with him. Installed and checked out before he left. The tv itself is really nice and has a great picture on hi def and digital. The standard or low def channels are not the clearest but are no worse than with any other tv.
The tv is easy to use and is the perfect size for our family room. I would definately recommend it.
Oh. My. Gosh... 2008-02-19
The wife said we couldn't afford a new TV. The money was socked away a little at a time, and the price kept falling... the order was placed and the Magic Day arrived.
First off, let me say that there was NO problem with Ceva Logistics who handled Amazon's White Glove delivery. I (naturally) kept track of the progress of the shipment, and when it got to the regional distribution center, I called and gave them my cell number (turns out they already had my home phone number - thanks Amazon!) For the day of delivery they gave me five-hour window, which is typical for deliveries - from 12noon to 5pm. I received a call at 1pm from Paul who said I wasn't scheduled 'til the very end of the delivery cycle and didn't want to leave me sitting at home waiting. Cool - left me free to do some errands. Got the call about 30 minutes before arriving, just as promised. Paul and another person brought the unit in, unpacked it, placed it on my stand and hooked it up. Checked the remote, ran through the antenna hookup to be sure all was good, and made sure I was happy. Offered to take the box if I wanted (I didn't - never know what's going to happen) and were done within 15 minutes. Courteous and friendly - I couldn't ask for better service.
Now, as for the television. Blacks are black. Sound is great. Image is bright and sharp. Viewing distance is about 12 feet, which is just about perfect. Glossy bezel, but glare-free screen. Nice swivel stand. Touch-sensitive switches are a nice touch (no pun intended...)
What would I change? All of the input connectors are on one side (the left as you face the screen). One on the right would give some flexibility. [Actually, most are on the left BACK of the unit although there is a set on the left SIDE.]
Samsung promotes their "AnyNet" system for using the TV remote to control downstream HDMI-connected items (like the home theater system). It may be a convenience eventually, but I implore you - LEAVE IT OFF WHEN CONFIGURING YOUR TV AND HOME THEATER SYSTEM. Holy cow - I hit the wrong button and I had image but no sound! Or sound and no image! It took me 10 minutes to get it sorted out - and I'm a computer geek! It's not that AnyNet is no good - it's just too confusing keeping track of which device you're controlling/configuring at the same time you're learning all the features. Leave it off until you're comfortable with the features and remotes.
The wife is in love with the TV now - I guess I done good. I also purchased the Samsung HT-TX75 home theater system with its optional wireless speaker module, and the Samsung 62" wide TV stand. As a set, I cannot imagine a nicer setup, and neither can my wife. I hope it lasts forever!!
Very VERY happy with this TV. 2008-02-18
I bought this before the superbowl and am VERY happy with it. I have it connected only with a single HDMI cable to an Onkyo reciever. Everything looks great on it - DISH network, PS3, Wii, it all looks awesome
I hung it on the wall with a SANUS VMPL-3 mount, very sturdy and easy to install. I sit 13' away and it could actually be larger but overall very very happy with the TV. Love the black levels, rich darks that blow my old LCD out of the water.
Money well spent 2008-07-11
I did not buy the TV from (or through) Amazon.com. Instead I purchased it from another West Coast retailer, because back in February, 2008 it was cheaper.
In 5 months since I bought it the only problem I'd had was a single flickering pixel close to the middle of the screen, and it was visible only in 1080p "Just Scan" mode. After two visits from a Samsung technician, the central logic board was replaced, and that issue does not happen anymore. For settings, I am using slightly modified CNET recommendations. Picture quality is just perfect in HD mode and very good in SD. Even VGA input from my HTPC looks fine at 1920X1080 resolution. I wish the TV had 4 HDMI inputs like this year Samsung models, and that is the only complaint so far. Otherwise, I see no improvement in the picture quality comparing it with 2009 58" models. Pretty sure that the super-high contrast ratio all new plasma models claim is just that - claims :)
And, since nowadays the cost of this TV dropped to below $[...] (I paid way more) - I wish I waited a bit. On the other hand, I've thoroughly enjoyed this plasma for some time now. LCD TVs picture quality is not even close, especially for movie watching.
58" 1080p for less than $2,500 2008-07-09
There is still a somewhat limited market for plasmas larger than 50"; basically you have Panasonic, Pioneer, LG, Samsung, then maybe a Vizio or a Hitachi, depending on model year.
I compared the 58" 1080p versions from Panasonic and Samsung against the 60" from LG and Pioneer. The color, contrast, moving images, and contouring on this Samsung was obviously better than the LG, about the same as the Panasonic, and maybe a little less color intensity than the Pioneer.
THE difference with Samsung comes down to price. A very comparable picture with the Panasonic for $300 - $500 less on Amazon or other sites, and over $1,500 less than the 60" 1080p Pioneer, which was still over $4,000 as of May 2008. If you can see $1,500 of difference from the Pioneer to the Samsung, then God Bless ya' and you should opt for the Pioneer. 98% of us can not see a $1,500 difference from the Pioneer, and that's what the Samsung came down to for me. I couldn't notice a single difference from the Panasonic picture side-by-side in Circuit City, and the Samsung was even $400 less than the Panny. Everything else between the two was basically even, so the $400 lower price on Amazon pushed me to the Samsung.
Features are pretty darn close on most of these models, so the option this Samsung had that 2 others did not was PIP. Not having PIP isn't a deal breaker for most people, but it's pretty darn nice to have since each side-by-side picture is the equivalent of over a 30" TV sitting there.
In conclusion, the SD and HD pictures on the Samsung were just too equal to the Panny and the Pioneer, and it costs much less with the same warranty. If you can find a better 58" plasma picture for less than the $2,500 I paid for the Samsung, the calendar will say 2009 or beyond by the time you find one.
Great TV 2008-04-06
I bought this TV last month and it is great! My recommendation is to
buy the Plasma and not the LCD.
Great TV 2008-04-05
This was sold by vans and came a day early. There was no damage and was in perfect condition. The TV itself is as good as I expected. The black-levels are the best I have seen (this is my 3rd flatpanel) and picture quality is fantastic. When watching hi def content, I do not see any artifacts. The speakers are on the side and face the rear of the TV, causing poor sound quality. They have a very weak sound, but I usually use my home theater speakers anyway. I hung this on the wall with a PeerLess mount myself. I also use it play my Xbox 360 and have not had any problems with burn-in. The picture quality is just stunning and at 58" it just sucks you in.
Overall, I am completely satisfied with the purchase and got it at a great price.
Great Plasma!! 2008-03-31
I've been researching this TV for about 4 months now and I was torn between this 58" plasma and the 52" lcd Samsung 71 series. I play a lot of video games and burn was a major concern, so I was leaning towards the lcd. But I ultimately decided to go with the 58" because face it, bigger is better. Let me tell you that I couldn't have been more right. This TV is amazing. The picture is nothing short of spectacular. This is my 3rd HDTV. My last one was a Hitachi CRT. I didn't think the picture would improve too much over the Hitachi, but boy was I wrong. Setup was easy as cake. I set all of the settings to my liking and then watched the Suns-Warriors game..... it looked like I could've reached out and touched Shaq. I've also been playing Call of Duty 4 on my XBox 360 for hours straight and guess what.... NO BURN IN!! If you're considering getting this TV, trust me, it's well worth it. The only cons are that the sound could be a little better, and the TV does get hot. But the manual says that it may get hot, depending on the settings, but it's nothing to be alarmed by. Oh there's one more big issue, I don't have a Playstation 3 yet to enjoy Blu Ray movies, but that should be coming soon LOL.
