Best Price Flat Screen HDTVs

Get a true cinematic experience without going to the cinema with a Samsung plasma HDTV. This Samsung PN50C430, with Mega Dynamic Contrast Ratio makes sure every frame is saturated with dense, rich color. Samsung is also ENERGY STAR compliant so you are assured that your 50 -inch plasma HDTV is helping the environment by using less enery while saving you money.

User Reviews about Samsung PN50C430 50-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV (Black)

I'm comparing this TV with an 2005/2006 Panasonic 50" TH-50PX60U 720p Plasma that I also have in another room. The Panasonic was considered the second best available vs. the pricey Pioneer standard available at the time. The newer model Panasonic plasmas are the primary competition for this TV.

Despite my happiness with the Panasonic, I purchased the Samsung because of reports of declining black levels after moderate usage on the 2009 Panasonics, and no similar report on Samsung. Despite being an early adopter of the flat panels, I was not ready to spend 2-4x as much on a 3D Plasma or LCS TV and am waiting for the price to drop and available 3D material to increase and hoping for removal of the expensive glasses requirement in a family of five, before making a 3D choice.

I am using this TV with very high quality Verizon FIOS (fibre optic) HD and SD sources.

Plus:
- Great value, especially compared to comparable LCD's of similar picture quality or more expensive plasmas with features you may not need; remember you can get all the internet features much more inexpensively through a blue-ray player or home theater in a box if you are adding a sound system than through a TV.
- Great picture, but see below for small qualification
- Very thin for a low priced TV - thinner than almost any other LCD or plasma except the higher end Samsung models.
- Power requirement is much lower than older plasmas and lower than prior years (at least the spec, I didn't measure!)
- Volume is much louder than expected - I never use more than 15% of full volume in a large (22x15, cathedral ceiling, 4000 cu feet) room with lots of fabric.
- "Grey" touch of color barely noticeable (looks like piano-black high gloss) for those who don't like the previous year's red touch of color design
- Controls (not visible in photos) are in front, not side, and operate with light touch.
- Amazon shipping was faster than expected and courteous inside, 2nd floor delivery at no extra charge.

Minus
- Connectors are perpendicular (not parallel) to TV, so you have to use a regular (not slim) mount or up to $100+ worth of right angle connectors for all connections. this somewhat defeats the purpose of a slim TV.
- Like Panasonic, source (input) selection "rotates" and cannot be selected individually, which makes it impossible to use macros e.g. on universal remotes to select the input, power up the source in one command.

In between
- Picture out of the box is excellent, on HD and SD, though not quite as sharp on HD as 5 year old Panasonic, even though black levels are better on the Samsung.
I do not have the equipment to adjust the picture to see if it will come up to the level of Panasonic, and have not spent the $ on a professional though the Samsung has more picture adjustments than the Panasonic.
- Connectors are limited, e.g. two HDMI, two component, no VGA (though some newer laptops like Macbook Pro have HDMI output, but not sound over HDMI). However, in most cases this shouldn't be an issue, and you can use it with a receiver with more HDMI ports and switching if required. I connected FIOS (Cable box), computer (and future blue-ray or similar), DVD/VCR combo and DVD recorder.

PS Like most professional reviews, I could not tell the difference (besides price!) between 720p and 1080i or P in side by side comparisons on a 50" TV with 1080p sources, at any normal viewing distance. However, see a slight difference in 55" TV and it becomes more obvious in 60" but is more apparent in 10' projectors. I can also see the difference between the higher priced models, but only in side by side comparisons, they are pretty subtle in most material. From what I saw, you have to pay 3x more for LCD for the same quality picture as this plasma in 50" category. Yes you get more features, lower power consumption (though not nearly justifying the price difference, even with expected power increases) and perhaps even a thinner TV, but its your money!


-- Great value but ..

I shopped for months and returned to Amazon to finally buy this product for $661 no tax and free shipping. This was my first big screen TV and I can say it is well worth the price. -- Shopped for months and returned to Amazon

We bought this as our second set for the bedroom. Our first set is also Samsung, but 240Hz LED LCD so any comparison would be unfair. However, the Plasma surprisingly performs well in picture quality where HD signal is available. Without DirecTV HD, the picture was grainy and unbearable. With HD signal, the color pops in Dynamic mode, with the sharpness and clarity almost rival our LED set. There is no noticeable pixelation when viewing sport - I watched game 7 of the NBA championship on this set and was pleased.
The sound is also a surprise, with its surround feature performs well. We keep it a 4 or lower, and we can hear it from 10 feet away at night.
The power source does make an annoying buzzing sound, but not to the point of interfering with our listening to the TV. It can be heard within 1 or 2 feet of the TV.
The size is big and generous.
Delivery was outstanding. It was actually early with complete setup.
The price was excellent at the time of purchase, but as with any electronic product, especially TVs, buyer remorse set in after only a month or so when comparable sets (with more HDMI ports and better resolution) became less expensive. We know this because we can now get the same LED set with 3D at the same price only 10 months later.
Overall, though, we are happy with our purchase. It took me a while to research other sets at 1080p or in LCD format, but in the end, this set meets our needs for viewing TV an hour or less a night, without a lot of sports content, at a reasonable price. -- Good product overall

Great TV! We waited and purchased on sale for $666 from Amazon. We were nervous as we've never brought a TV online. The TV was delivered within 5 days and the guy brought it in and ensured everything worked ok. Pic was ok out the box, but we tweaked the settings and couldn't be happier. We brought with cheetah wall mounts and mounted in our living room. Awesome combo! We're waiting for the 42" Samsungs to go on sale to add one to my man cave. I hope to get one before the football season starts in a few months. I honestly couldn't tell the difference between 720 and 1080. Definitely pick this badboy up if it goes on sale again for under $670.

My only complaint is 2 hdmi ports. 3 would make this perfect, but we love it just fine. -- Great TV