Samsung PN50A450 50-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV

Hello everyone,
I have been searching for a 50 inch for a while. Like everyone else I had concerns and questions and couldn't imagine what do I actually need and if I can spot the difference between 720 and 1080.

I had 2000$ to spend which is enough for decent 1080, but then I saw this plasma for little bit over 1100 $. They say - don't go with the plasma cause it doesn't last as long as lcd. WTF? 8 years they say, 8 years before it needs to be replaced. I'm sure that after 5 I will be shopping around for a 100 inch plasma since technology progress is so fast.

Difference between 720 and 1080. If you have regular cable - don't even think about 1080. If you don't watch Blue Ray - forget about 1080. 720 is ENOUGH and more. Even if you plan to watch Blue Ray - you must be the MAN to spot the difference. I could only tell the difference when you put 720 and 1080 next to each other displaying the same image. Otherwise I can't point out anything.

I'm using this tv for regular cable and my xbox360. I know - xbox could do 1080 but I had smaller 37 inch 1080 and after switching to 720 50 inch - I see small difference - I could say there is none.

Instead of throwing 2200$ for 50 inch lcd I spent 1200 on this Samsung and started building the sound system with extra 800$ left. I got Pioneer receiver and 2xfloor standing speakers + huge subwoofer - everything from Polk Audio. Hey - it is a great way to start your adventure without spending 10.000 $ at once.

Really people - read reviews. They help a lot - don't listen to sales people. I was shopping around Circuit City with BB in my hand reading reviews and prices of each model they had - and I finally picked this one.

Great picture, sound is average, menu navigation is clear and simple, lots of inputs and outputs and BIG MINUS for delay between tv speakers and tv audio output. If you plug in this tv to the stereo system and leave the regular tv speakers on - you will hear echo. The sound is definitely not synchronized.

If you plan to plug it into your home theater system, then don't worry, but if you don't have one yet - the sound might be a small disappointment. Overall I give this tv 4/5 rating.

Good luck !

Apparently, Sears isn't pricematching Fry's any longer but the sales person made an error and agreed to 110% difference match on the $999 special with Fry's....Got it for $989, free delivery and 24 months zero interest...Can't imagine getting a better deal...Set arrives in a few days and I'll followup with a review of my initial impressions...For now, couldn't be more pleased.

I just ordered it from Sears for Just 1000 dollars with no payment for nearly 2 years. Cant wait to pick it up on wed.

I bought this as a second set for the recreation room and I couldn't be happier. For concerts and movies this set is spectacular. With proper placement and a little bit of care, a plasma of this size cannot be beat for entertanment value and all the drawbacks of plasmas are taken care of, all that is left is the pluses. The colours, contrast, black levels and features are top notch. Of course, if you only have one set and you want to use it for gaming, sports programming, news, and other programming with lots of static, high contrast graphics, you need to be extra careful, as burn-in is still being reported. how I use it, I don't even see any image retention, even less than on my LCD, or CRT. I don't think pixel shifting is the solution, I don't even engage it most of the time.

The set is solidly built, but the speakers are a bit of a let-down. Good enough at moderate level, but a home theatre seems almost a requirement to match this TV.

For those in the know, 720p is just as good as 1080p. Cable TV, of course, will not carry 1080p for many years. Just consider that usually blu-ray content comes in 2.35:1 aspect ratio. It does NOT have 1080 lines of vertical resolution, more like 738, each of which this set can display in a zoomed-in, full screen picture (as you SHOULD view it with a plasma). If, on the other hand you want a 50 inch LCD, most experts don't consider them equal to the plasma in picture quality at this size. So there, the extra $500 or more you'd pay for a 1080p is simply for the bragging rights.

Very happy with my purchase. Good price, great delivery. I was worried about shipping a flat screen, but there was absolutely no problem. You just have to pull off the top of the box and plug in the TV to verify it works before the shipping company leaves. TV has everything I need. Great picture. Very pleased with it.