NTSC/ATSC tuner with Clear-QAM
Customer Reviews:
Money well spent 
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
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
I bought this TV last month and it is great! My recommendation is to
buy the Plasma and not the LCD.
Great TV
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!!
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.
