Cheap Samsung PN50C490 50-Inch 720p Plasma 3D HDTV Discount Review Shop
Been in the market for a new Master Bedroom HDTV since our 30" HD CRT broke (yay!). Been following this model (PN50C490) since it was announced recently. I found a great deal at a local B&M store the week this was released (2 free pair of 3D glasses included) for the same price as elsewhere. I've been watching this plasma for over a week, and just love it!
We feed it HD service from DirecTV and it looks stunning. Realistic colors and very dark blacks, no ghosting on sports (it is a plasma after all), and we love the upgrade in the size (30" to 50") as viewed from 12-15 feet away in bed. The 2D picture quality beats the old CRT and even our main DLP set in the family room. DirecTV has a few 3D channels, so those were demoed immediately. The X-Games replay looked awesome. I think most sports are recorded in 720p anyway, so there was no loss of quality on this 720p set. I was able to watch the football games this weekend in a pseudo 3D upscale (I'm calling it 2.5D). It certainly did something to the picture, and I liked it. It really added some depth that made the game more enjoyable to watch. Not quite as good as a proper 3D broadcast or actually being there in person, but given the little bit of 3D programming available, the 2.5D conversion was pretty impressive and worked on demand.
No eye strain noticed when wearing the glasses as I was able to watch 3 hours of football without issue. Waiting for the PS3 firmware update to try some 3D Blu-rays on this set, but I don't think that there will be any issues in the 720p versus 1080p resolutions. I'll try to post an update on PS3 3D gaming impressions as well (which Sony limits to 720p anyway). Overall, I am VERY impressed with the 2D quality of this set. Love the size improvement for our master bedroom given our viewing distances. And both 2.5D and 3D viewing was great at 720p. From what I have seen, there is nothing to worry about this set not being 1080p. Just pull the trigger, buy it, and enjoy the money you'll be saving over the competition.
Cheap "Samsung PN50C490 50-Inch 720p Plasma 3D HDTV" Discount Review Shop
