Home > Consumer Reviews > Samsung PN58B650 58-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV

I recently bought this TV from Amazon along with this TV I purchased the following item Bell'O SFP-9901HG Color Accented Flat Panel Audio Video System. I have yet to receive the stand but it says it can hold up to 58" inch plasma, I'll edit the review later to let you know how that works.

I wanted to write this review since I saw another review stating that they had issues watching 480i content with this TV. I haven't found anywhere where this is well documented and on top of that, I had absolutely no problem watching regular DVD's on this TV with my HD DVD player Toshiba HD-A35 1080p HD DVD Playerthrough an HDMI cable. They played stunningly (especially for a regular DVD). The picture was crisp and clear on DVD not to mention how it looks when I play an HD DVD. Perhaps the reviewer may need to update their firmware on their hardware; otherwise I'm not sure why they couldn't watch a standard DVD on an HD DVD player. I have yet to try any games on this TV so I can't rate it in that area.

I have had no issues with the volume controls or loudness of the regular speakers. I currently do not have a home theater and these controls are set lower than what I've had to set my other 2 TV's at (a 42" inch and 52" Toshiba Regza LCD TV). The speakers get a + from me.

I was very worried about burn in after purchasing this TV. I have only had LCD's therefore the issue of burn in never arose. I have researched this problem a lot and it seems although it can still be an issue it isn't as prevalent as it once was. Most of my DVD's including HD DVD will leave the block boxes at top and the bottom while watching and this worried me. However, they say as long as you integrate watching regular TV or swap it up so that it isn't there all the time, the burn in issue really isn't an issue. The biggest thing is to be careful for the first 200 hours as this is when burn in can occur the easiest. Just don't leave anything paused or sitting there for an extended period of time and your average semi-cautious user won't experience any problems.

I did a lot of research before I purchased this TV, including checking prices, visiting local retailers and just viewing articles on the Internet. Overall, for me, I think this was a very good buy. I think anyone who purchases this TV definitely won't be disappointed.

UPDATE: (September 7, 2009)

I've owned this TV for about 3 months now and just wanted to do a little update since it can be hard to review something correctly after only a week. The stand I got for the TV works great for me. A little low even at it's highest but I don't like high level TVs as they put a kink in my neck. I played an old Nintendo NES game (Tiny Toons 2) about a month ago which left some burn in and made me extremely unhappy. I started to berate myself for not buying an LCD and not have to worry about burn in. I ran the 'screen wash' that is built in and it took it out within 10 minutes or less. I had no retention of any image any longer. Since then, I have played Zelda, Twilight Princess and haven't had any issue with any burn in (most newer console games come with game mode built into the consoles as well). In addition, I also purchased a surround sound system since I've always wanted one. I ended up getting the Yamaha YHT-791 Yamaha YHT-791BL Home Theater in a Box (Black). I still use the TV speakers for regular TV but use the surround sound system for movies, games, etc. I have to say that overall everything works beautiful together and I still couldn't be happier with my purchase. The TV is amazing and I always get a lot of compliments on picture quality and the size of the TV (oh yeah). For the price you can't really go wrong. I purchased mine with a coupon in June for $2189.00.

As others mentioned there is a buzzing sound, sometimes it irritates me sometimes it doesn't. Just depends on how low I have the TV. It still wouldn't be enough to make me downgrade to the Samsung 55" inch TOC LCD TV, which was my first choice.

This TV is the best thing I have spent my hard earn money on in the last 9 years. Picture quality is amazing. Everything from HDTV, PS3, Xbox 360, PC, and Blu-ray looks jaw dropping compared to my old rear projection set. It has PIP. It can properly render 1080p/24Hz without any flickering even with the cinema smooth feature turned off IMO. No undesirable soap opera effect like the LCD's. I noticed some minor image retention within the first few hours of use while watching Transformers the first night of owning the TV with the black bars on the top and bottom of the screen, and the date and time on the PS3 XMB. I can only see it faintly on an all black screen. I switch to HDTV and could not see it at all. After one day of watching the TV I do not see any more image retention at all. I play video games with health bars and ammo count displays for many hours with no problems. IR is not a problem with this TV. The TV sits next to sliding glass doors where sunlight comes in and I can see the picture just fine. My rear projection TV picture was so terrible in the light I had to close my blinds most of the day. This TV is perfect for anyone who wants an amazing picture quality. Two things that some people might not like is that you can feel the heat the TV produces if you are right up on it, and the digital out is only two channel audio. No multi-channel decoding of any kind. The heat is noticeable but not a problem for me. I am finally indulging myself in the 1080p world.

Great TV, love all almost everything about it... the remote that comes with it is kinda second rate but I'm using a Harmony one to control it so not an issue for me.

I'm amazed at all the Menu options, really makes it possible to "fine" tune your picture. Picture quality is awesome on this set, if your looking for great colors and have a brighter room don't be afraid to pick up this set. I looked at many LCD's and Plasmas before I squeezed the trigger on this item.

I have no buyer's remorse from this HD TV. Great TV for vivid colors and fast action movies/sports. LOVE IT!!!

LAST EDIT after 3 months of use:

I keep coming back to this review and revising as I look at this purchase in hindsight, so I will be brief:

1. I maintain my high praise for this unit, continues to deliver, and the impact of watching all kinds of content at such a high resolution, on such a big screen still has not gotten old. Still amazing and as enjoyable as it was when I first got it.

2. For those with an Xbox or PS3, or some other kind of media server (popcorn hour, WDTV etc) I think I would recommend you consider the model BELOW (560 or even 550) this one to save some money. The internet connectivity/Widgets function pales in comparison to what you can do with any of those dedicated components, so why pay extra for them on this TV model? The only thing is that the anti reflective coating is different on the two models (supposedly better one the 650), but I don't remember reading about anyone saying they could tell the difference.

Original review:

Let me preface this mini review (mini because I just got this TV a couple of days ago) by saying I spent more time researching plasma TV's online and in meat space than any normal human being should. An embarrassing number of hours were spent poring through every single morsel of opinion about this TV compared to other similar models.

Finally, finally, I decided to take a chance and order online, realizing full well that many had reported buzzing issues, or worse, a cracked or broken screen upon arrival.

Happy to report that mine was delivered in great shape and the buzz that is there is not enough to bother me (and I am very sensitive about stuff like that normally). Not only that, but the PQ was so gorgeous, I have been kind of sitting in front of it at night, just kind of staring at it and mumbling to myself like a crazy person. Caveat: I have only done minimal adjusting to the settings, like switching to movie mode, turning down sharpness and contrast, etc. so the picture is probably not close to what it potentially can do...which blows me away even more.

PROS: Where to start? PQ is out of this world - colors are so natural you might be tricked into thinking you are looking at the real thing. Black levels are fine (I do plan on tweaking this more), motion resolution is spectacular, size is PERFECT for me at 10' or so away - I think this is the perfect size to EXPERIENCE a movie rather than just "watch TV". Hard to describe, but you will just have to see what I mean. Price is LOWER than the comparable Panasonic unit I was considering (54V10) and larger to boot. Love the remote, but won't be using it long as I also bought a Logitech Harmony One. TV SWIVELS. Most underrated feature imo, and depending on the setup of your room and your viewing habits of course.

CONS: Spendy (but not relative to what you get imo). Potential buzzing issue - seems to be a crap shoot whether you get a "buzzer" or not. Lots of people on AVS forums reporting a loud buzzing from normal listening distances (with volume turned down). Cinema Smooth function seems to be broken (see CNET review for details on that) and has not been fixed by Samsung yet. Have not tried the Yahoo widgets, but word on the street is they are slow (compared to the zippier Panasonic version of the same thing - VieraCast) Blacks could be blacker, but they are fine.

Bottom line: I could not be happier with this TV, and still am in awe at the incredible picture it's capable of. I bought the Blu Ray disk BARAKA as many people use this as a reference BD, and it is literally breathtaking in some scenes...the size of this TV in conjunction with a pristine anamorphic transfer at 1080p...I thought I was in heaven. I had seen this "documentary" at least 5 times before, on regular DVD, but on HDTV's (both CRT), and the detail I had been missing on my previous viewings was immediately apparent using the Samsung (some credit to the blu ray format to of course)

To sum up, let me save you some time and highly highly recommend you buy this set if you are looking in this range. Ive done all the homework for you! :)

EDITED TO ADD COMMENTS AFTER A WEEK OF USE:

The hum is there, but I only ever notice it if the sound is muted and I am sitting directly in front of the TV at head level. Since I rarely/never watch the TV with no volume, this is not a problem for me (or anyone else at my house that watches TV), but it could be for some.

Noticed that the TV really raises the temp in my TV room as well after being on a while...surprised at how much it was able to affect temp!

I also watched about half of BARAKA the other night, with recommended settings (MOVIE, reduced contrast and brightness, etc) and I did notice IR where the black bars on top and bottom were. (Noticed them even 30 min after watching movie). I ran the IR tool they have built in to the TV for just a few minutes and it got rid of it no problem at all.

Picture continues to amaze me. I am seeing shadow detail I never knew existed in familiar material. And even if the black levels are not as good as the ex Pioneers, they are plenty good enough to give you a very good "3-D' effect when you are watching Hi def content at night or in a reduced light setting. Stuff just pops off the screen. Incredible.

I went from a Sony 40" to this. The picture is ALOT better. pretty much anybody who buys this TV will already have at least a soundbar and a sub so the audio (although pretty good) isn't really an issue.
The TV was delivered a week earlier than I expected. It was delivered and plugged in to make sure it was working fine. I was most concerned about that part. Returning it for any reason would have been a pain.
UPDATE: My TV broke after about 2 hours of use. I called Samsung first and they faxed the local certified repair guy immediately. The repair guy called the next morning, ordered a part overnight and was there with the part the morning after he first contacted me. The TV was fixed in 20 minutes. ALSO, I called Amazon who immediately overnighted me a new TV no questions asked and picked up the first (just repaired)TV. UNBELIEVABLELY FANTASTIC CUSTOMER SERVICE ON BOTH SIDES.
The repair guy told me Samsung is by far the best in taking care of their customers. He works on all TV brands except Phillips and Sony. That repair without warranty would have been $1400. I'm spending $223 to protect my TV for 2 additional years after Samsung's expires.