A Review of the Samsung PN50A510 Flat Panel Plasma Providing 50 Inches of Fun

Even during this tough economy consumers are still finding room in their budget for big screen flat panel televisions. With costs rapidly dropping thanks to cheaper newer technologies and a competitive market right now turns out to be a true buyer's market when it comes to big screen plasma TV's. A popular item has turned out to be the Samsung PN50A510 which is one of their more competitively priced 50 inch big screens. Because of it's recent success I decided to take one of these home and see just how well it performs away from the bright lights of the electronic store.

Picture: 4/5

Styling: 4/5

Value: 5/5

Overall: 4/5

Product Overview:

While Samsung is known for its flashy bezels this screen won't turn any heads. That's not to say that it is unattractive, it just doesn't stand out among Samsung's sharp touch of color models. The money saved just might be worth it. The framing is the standard glossy black with a glossy black stand. I found the stand to be sturdy but light and it does swivel. The weight of this set is considerable as often is the case with plasmas. It is relatively thin but slightly bulkier than Samsung's LCD televisions.

This plasma is a rare 1080p big screen and it produces an incredible picture. I noticed very deep shades of black as could be expected with the plasma technology. My primary complaint would be the glare. I have a very bright living room and the majority of the time I have my LCD TV in there. While I had this Samsung I noticed that it's glossy screen produced a considerable glare during the daylight hours. This maybe something to consider if you plan on using this set it a bright room. The viewing angle is fantastic though if you can avoid the glare. Overall though I felt that I got a nice cinematic experience when I hooked up my blueray player and provided the TV with a true HD signal.

It does appear that they took a few shortcuts when it came to overall connectivity. This set only has 2 HDMI ports but includes 2 additional component inputs. For the size of the screen I would have expected more (if there is room why not add them?).

Product Value:

The 50" Samsung PN50A510 is very competitively priced at around $1300. It is difficult to find a big screen television of this size for much less than that. I expect these sets to continue to be popular and for prices to stay fairly steady in the near future, so if it is time for a big screen this may just be one of your best options.