| Design |
| It’s hard to get overly excited over a black box that doesn’t really differ too much from what’s available. But this is a nice looking TV. The large 50 inch screen is encased in a solid, chunky piano black frame that looks and feels solid. And while previous Samsung black TVs have had the amazing ability to collect more fingerprints than Forensics, somehow this one seems to shrug those smeary prints off with ease. The plasma screen on the PS50P5H had been coated with a reflective layer that bounces sunlight away leaving a crisp image. The TV comes on a sturdy stand and is chocker block with inputs including two HDMI ports, a PC input, audio in and out and DVI input. In addition to a well designed plasma Samsung has also provided a very sexy looking remote control. The control fits comfortably in your hand and comes with lots of soft touch buttons, some of which light up – making it easy to know what you’re doing in the dark. And for all you energy conscious buyers this remote control earning the international standard, ENERGY STAR, by reducing standby power to under 1W. |
| Setup/Installation |
| It took us about 10 minutes to set the TV up on the stand and to get it started. The Samsung PS PS50P5H scans through the channels and selects all the programmes for you. |
| Features |
| We love it when a product doesn’t just look good but comes packed with more goodies than a Marks & Spencer hamper. Like all Samsung HD TVs the PS50P5H comes with the Digital Natural Image Engine (DNIe), which helps with colour, contrast and detail levels. It also has the FilterBright Plus technology giving more definition to the programmes you view. This all adds to the 10,000:1 contrast ratio, 1300CD brightness and 549 billion colours the HD plasma TV provides. The Smooth Motion Driver provides a picture that doesn’t judder or blur and gives smooth contours. The SRS TruSurround XT which claims to improve base and clarity are pumped out of speakers hidden away under the monitor so they don't detract from the aesthetics. The screen is coated with a special layer that stops sun from reflecting into the screen meaning no more drawing curtains during the day or tilting your head to agonising positions in order to watch the programme properly. Now on to connectivity – Samsung have been very generous. To start with they’ve given two HDMI ports which is an improvement on the single one provided on the Samsung Q7 series. It’s also got a 9-2 memory card enabling connection to nine different multi-memory cards from two slots, PC connectivity, digital audio in and out, a USB socket (they call it Wiselink), S-Video, Video, PictBridge, two Scart plugs and a headphone jack. Hopefully with that long list we haven’t missed anything out. Oh yes, there’s also picture to picture, digital tuner and teletext thrown in for good measure. |
| Performance |
| The Samsung P5 TV series is a definite advancement on the Q7 series. The picture quality was really good. The colour contrast was great, the blacks were really black and definition of image as a result was very good. The motion handled really well and even on fast car chases it was smooth and free of any jagged edges. We were lucky enough to test the TV out on a sunny day and are pleased to report we were able to get a clear image. Games mode was really good and thanks to the Samsung processors (and the two HDMI ports) you could live the game rather than just play it. The only thing that wasn’t 100 per cent were the speakers, but with a TV this size you really want to have it hooked up to a decent sound system like the Yamaha YSP-100 we used. |
| What's In The Box? |
| Samsung PS 50P5H Plasma TV and remote control. |
| Overall Opinion |
| If we could shake Samsung’s hand we would do. It seems like they’ve paid attention the consumers’ whinges and produced a HD plasma that is close to the finished product. Our check list is full of ticks connectivity, HD quality, picture quality and shear entertainment – the only thing that makes it a bit of a disappointment is knowing there’s a TV out there (Toshiba WLT68) that has three HDMI inputs. But other than that, we've liked the Samsung TVs so much we've bought one for ourselves. |
