Samsung PN50B560 50-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV Right now

We bought this set back in late June 2009, and it's our first HDTV so I can't compare firsthand with other models. All I can say is, through HDMI connections it displays everything we feed it much better than I even imagined. I assumed standard-definition content would look grainy but this TV, in combination with a great Panasonic blu-ray player (the DMP-BD60) or even our old Samsung progressive-scan DVD player, somehow shows literally everything in its native mode, or at 720p (PS3 games and 720p TV content). Composite-video feed is as feared, somewhat grainy, so I don't even use it.

There's been a lot of buzz about Samsung plasmas being "buzzers." Fortunately, we have been spared. Also, I've read comments about the CinemaSmooth feature (that displays 24p content at 96 Hz) disrupting black levels. We haven't seen any of that, either, and I use CS 90% of the time (even with DVDS, thanks to the abilities of the Panasonic BD player!).

Having moved up from a 32" full-screen Wega to this 50" widescreen plasma, I have a lot more glass that catches lots of ambient glare and reflections from new angles, but it's not nearly as bad a nuisance as I'd been led to believe, reading the AV forums, and we do use this TV in a fairly bright daytime setting as well as at night when we're more "serious" about what we watch.

We didn't break-in our TV and I haven't had any calibration done, either, but the only image-retention I occasionally see is from those stationary news-channel logos. I have used the built-in anti-IR scrolling feature maybe once a month to remove those, and recall it took about 4-5 minutes in each case. Although calibration is something I have pondered, the intensity and balance of colors produced by this TV seem fine to us; I've seen a few of the Samsung and Panasonic demo models at local retailers that were calibrated and thought they weren't any better than the set now in my living room. Not dissing calibration, just wondering if I'd really notice any improvement.

My review is that of just one owner, and I'm not really versed in the AV lingo or all the features available in the marketplace from different makes/models or technologies.

On a closing note, I am not really a football fan, but the HD game content leaves me drooling over the capabilities of this TV whenever one is showing, and I end up watching the whole game! I'll have to be more careful in the future with this "feature" because it sometimes prevents me from getting other, more important things done.Get more detail about Samsung PN50B560 50-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV.