LCD/LED Picture Quality Can't Compete,
In my research, I found that LEDs were closing the gap for LCDs and Plasmas. So when I was making my selection I had the following TVs on my list to choose from; Samsung UN55C690 LED, LG INFINIA 55LE8500 LED, LG INFINIA 55LE5500 LED, and as a late add the Samsung PN58C8000 Plasma. I have experience with Plasmas as I already had a Panasonic 50" and I really enjoyed the picture quality. So I had this constant internal dilemma that I LCDs were just not going to match up with the picture quality. I searched high and low for an LCD/LED HDTV and just could not find any within an affordable price range with comparable picture quality. For me that was the tie breaker, and trumped any feature an LCD could offer. Because ultimately that is what you do is watch TV so it made sense for that to be the highest priority when searching for a new HDTV.
So I took my list and started to go to stores to scout the TVs and started at Best Buy. The salesman there pointed out something when I asked "why should I get an LCD over a Plasma?." He said "look at the TVs we feature in our showroom, 95% are Plasmas because they still have superior picture quality over LCDs." So it re-enforced what I believed all along that Plasmas were the way to go. So I turned my focused to Plasmas and found the Samsung PN58C8000. This attractive thin flat-screen really caught my eye. The picture quality is stunning! I love the Dynamic Picture and Movie modes. The blacks are fantastic and it has a nice bright picture in a lot of sunlight. My wife laughs at me when I sit back in appreciation of the quality and my satisfaction in my selection. I honestly really didn't want 3D but I looked at it as an additional feature rather than an added incentive to buy it. Maybe I'll use it in the future but the side effects of watching for long periods in 3D freaks me out. The Samsung PN58C8000 has a lot of menu settings to customize the picture or the TV overall which I like. The Tools menu setting allows for quick changes to the picture and sound whether its a lot of sunlight or to enjoy the darker settings for watching movies. Out of the box, the settings are a mess so take your time getting them just right. Another great feature is the Internet TV and the Samsung Apps. With this feature, you can get quick weather/news/sports updates as well as save some money by not paying for premium cable movie channels and instead stream Netflix movies. With a decent wireless router, you can stream pretty seamlessly with little delay while watching a picture. I was impressed! However, I was disappointed that I couldn't use any wireless adapter since the Samsung adapter is expensive. I actually tried a Cisco wireless adapter but it didn't work. But once I did get the Samsung wireless adapter, it worked like a charm. It was very easy to install. I had to put on the extension it came with as it was too close to the TV and interfered with the signal. For my other HDTV that is not internet ready, I hooked up my Wii and now I'm good to go with Netflix on that one as well.
Now I may be impressed with the TV overall but it does have some drawbacks. For instance, the factory settings gave the picture a Soap opera look which was really annoying and worried me a bit at first. It really changes the feel of a show/movie and not for the better. Once turned the Motion Judder Function off, it eliminated the soap opera feel. It really should be called soap opera function because it didn't improve the motion picture but moved the picture slowly like a cameraman was filming it in real-time. One key that that truly concerns me is that the TV runs extremely hot. Now although this is normal with Plasmas, the Samsung PN58C8000 seems to be much hotter. I did an unofficial comparison with my other Plasma and I touched both to see and the Samsung PN58C8000 was much hotter. This hasn't caused any issues at this point so as of now I'm not too concerned about it. I've had the TV over a month now. The remote control it comes with is sleek but it's not an universal remote therefore it's useless for the long term. Lastly, the TV packaging was minimal which surprised me for a TV this thin and fragile. The first TV shipped to me was damaged with cranks throughout the picture screen. Fortunately, the company provided good service and replaced it with no problem. I was relieved I didn't have to fight like a mad man for a new one. LOL
Overall, the Samsung PN58C8000 is an excellent TV with superb picture quality, great extra features with minor issues. If you are looking for great picture quality, a slim look at a decent price, this TV fits the bill. I'm REALLY happy with the purchase! BTW, Avatar looks AWESOME on this TV! ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE!
