Samsung PN58C680 58-Inch 1080p Plasma 3D HDTV
Since no one has posted a review on this wonderful set, I thought I would post something to give everyone an idea about the set. Just a quick disclaimer: this TV replaces a 3 year old Sharp Aquos 37" LCD which has performed admirably and I plan to place it in the guest bedroom.
There just isn't much online about this particular set since it has not been widely released yet. In fact, there is really no information on this set even on the samsung site although you can look up the pn50c680 on the site to find similar specs. In short, it is a wonderful TV at a wonderful price/performance ratio which has enough features for me... I don't really care about app support since I own both an Xbox 360 and PS3 which should have me covered on any apps that the more feature loaded TVs may include.
I've had this TV for roughly 5 days now and I've been putting it through its paces. The TV is wonderful and provides an absolutely stunning picture when properly calibrated. Colors are accurate and black levels are excellent! With my pioneer 1020 amplifier/Orb satellite/Anthony Gallo Adiva Ti/Hsu sub powered sound system, I really have a nice Home theater setup now! I will definitely be going to the theater less now with my current setup.
I used these settings for a dim/dark room environment:
White Balance Settings:
There just isn't much online about this particular set since it has not been widely released yet. In fact, there is really no information on this set even on the samsung site although you can look up the pn50c680 on the site to find similar specs. In short, it is a wonderful TV at a wonderful price/performance ratio which has enough features for me... I don't really care about app support since I own both an Xbox 360 and PS3 which should have me covered on any apps that the more feature loaded TVs may include.
I've had this TV for roughly 5 days now and I've been putting it through its paces. The TV is wonderful and provides an absolutely stunning picture when properly calibrated. Colors are accurate and black levels are excellent! With my pioneer 1020 amplifier/Orb satellite/Anthony Gallo Adiva Ti/Hsu sub powered sound system, I really have a nice Home theater setup now! I will definitely be going to the theater less now with my current setup.
I used these settings for a dim/dark room environment:
White Balance Settings:
- Red-Offset : 22
- Green-Offset : 25
- Blue-Offset : 12
- Red-Gain : 33
- Green-Gain : 25
- Blue-Gain : 33
- Picture Settings :
- Picture Mode : Movie
- Color Temp : Warm 2
- Brightness : 56
- Contrast : 90
- Cell Light : 8
- Color : 53
- Tint : G35/R65
- Sharpness : 10
- Black Tone : Off
- Dynamic Contrast : Off
- Gamma : 0
- Colorspace : Auto
- Flesh Tone : Off
- Edge Enhancement : Off
- Digital NR : Auto
- HDMI Black Level : Low
- Film Mode : Auto
Of course, many people are probably looking at purchasing this TV for its 3d capabilities and let me just say it is impressive! My wife has been very impressed with the effect and all of my friends who have viewed the effect at my house have been very "Wowed"! I have a PS3, Xbox 360 (both of which are capable of 3d) and have played a few games on the PS3 since there is just 1 xbox 360 game which take advantage of the tech currently (the very bad Avatar game). We received the 3d bundle w/ the TV which includes 2 active shutter glasses and the monsters vs. 3d movie which implements the stereoscopic effect very well! The TV exhibits literally no ghosting effect which has plagued some of the LCD/LED backlit TVs out there. Plasmas tend to fair better due to their high refresh rates. I also purchased it from an online vendor other than Amazon and got a very good deal on an amazing TV/3d glasses bundle. However, if Amazon had a similar price, I would not hesitate to purchase from Amazon.com. I have been very happy with their service and am largely loyal customer to the site when the price is right.
Overall, I am incredibly happy with this purchase, my previous 37" Sharp Aquos looks like a baby TV next to this beautiful monstrosity. Although, not the thinnest plasma (around 1.4" for the thinner plasmas) out there, the 2.8" thickness is actually thinner than my previous Sharp Aquos which is 4"! It is amazing how thin they can make these TVs nowadays. Heat output is also very reasonable on this unit. I detected no hotspots and after extended use, the metal backside and vents are just slightly warm to the touch.
Overall, I am incredibly happy with this purchase, my previous 37" Sharp Aquos looks like a baby TV next to this beautiful monstrosity. Although, not the thinnest plasma (around 1.4" for the thinner plasmas) out there, the 2.8" thickness is actually thinner than my previous Sharp Aquos which is 4"! It is amazing how thin they can make these TVs nowadays. Heat output is also very reasonable on this unit. I detected no hotspots and after extended use, the metal backside and vents are just slightly warm to the touch.