Home > Reviews > Samsung FPT5084 50-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV

Samsung FPT5084 50-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV

List price: $2,699.99
Prices subject to change.

Used price: $1,200.00

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Product Details

Binding: Electronics
Brand: Samsung
Color: Black
EAN: 0036725250802
Label: Samsung
Dimension: 0.2 x 3.7 x 0.3 inches
Manufacturer: Samsung
Model: FPT5084
Publisher: Samsung
Studio: Samsung
Warranty: 12 months parts and labor

Features and Descriptions

1920(H) x 1080(V) pixel resolution
15,000:1 contrast ratio
Natural True Color with 18 bit color
Ultra FilterBrightÂ¿ anti-reflection filter
NTSC/ATSC tuner with Clear-QAM

Samsung's 50" HP-T5084 offers full HD 1080p resolution. Watch its astonishingly crisp picture from any angle Â¿ even in a brightly lit room, thanks to its Ultra FilterBrightÂ¿ anti-reflection filter. Enjoy the dazzling color array of 18-bit processing; a 15,000 contrast ratio reveals the deepest blacks, the whitest whites, and every detail in between. SamsungÂ¿s powerful anti-burn-in technology assures a long screen life. SRS TruSurround XTÂ¿ technology and 10-watt per channel audio amplifiers deliver sound through bottom speakers.

Ratings & Comments(Average: 4.5

)

- Purchased this baby on July 13, 2007 and...
This is my initial review of this television after owning it for about three days.
What I love:
Watching Blu-Ray in 1080P is just spectacular! I own a PS3 and have a 1.3a HDMI cable for connection and the picture is superb. I watched 'The Prestige' and 'Casino Royale' in 1080P and was blown away. No pixelation or judder during fast-moving action scenes and the colors and details were impressive. This is clearly what this TV was designed to do. No complaints
I played Ninja Gaiden Sigma(720P) on PS3 and it looked amazing. The background was so beautiful I couldn't even play the game. I was just staring at the details and vivid colors. Once I have broken-in this TV (at least 100-200hrs) I will play more games. I get nervous about image retention. However, this TV comes with 'Pixel Shift' which is supposed to help prevent this problem. Also, there are several built-in programs that will help alleviate the problem if, God forbid, there is image retention. I like that very much and it is a nice feature. I talked to an ISF-trained tech from a local store and he told me with these new plasmas that you would have to leave an image for several hours for 'burn-in' to occur. He also said that there is no 'break-in' period like I said above, but that I should NEVER use the DYNAMIC picture setting because it will turn your plasma into toast. So take this for what it's worth. I am being very cautious with my $3000 newborn.

What I like:
I have DirecTV HD service and the picture is VERY NICE. There is some pixelation during extremely fast action or explosions, but trust me that is the crappy satellite feed and NOT the plasma. No complaints here.

What I think is OK:
The SD channels are good, but not great. It definitely varies from channel to channel and this, again, may just be DirecTV. Don't get me wrong they are MUCH better than on my Samsung LCD, just not amazing or anything. I am so spoiled. It's funny, you'll be watching a show in SD and the picture is not so good and then it goes to commercial and they look awesome. I guess what they say is true 'Garbage in, Garbage out.'

Other observations:
I only listened to the sound for about 10 minutes because I have 7.1 surround, but it sounded good and that is all I will comment on that. I read that the pevious model Samsung 5054/64 has problems with judder or skipping frames with tickers(CNN,ESPN,etc.) on the bottom of the screen. I don't see this problem and I am LOOKING for it big-time. Nothing that I can detect. Do not worry about this cause it is not a problem. Sorry about the long review, but I know there is not much out there on this one. I can't wait to see what the fellas/gals at CNET or CR have to say. Good Luck and feel free to ask me about anything specific.

Update Jan. 7, 2008
I have had this tv for 6 months now and I have no regrets. I will say that it can get very hot and doubles as a heater. Especially after watching for several hours. But it is a minor annoyance. The picture is still fantastic and I would put it up against a Pioneer Kuro anyday. It will absolutely destroy a Panasonic. They are very good plasmas, but I would go with SAMSUNG everytime. I saw the price has dipped below $2000 for this set now. People, if you want a 50" 1080p Plasma, DO NOT WAIT. THIS IS YOUR SET. I love it and it is my baby...You can thank me later.

- Mixed feelings about this plasma
I just purchased this TV a few days ago and I have mixed feelings about it. Here's what I like and dislike about the set.

Likes:

- Aesthetically it is one of the nicest flatscreen TVs I've ever seen. I also purchased the SANUS Flat Panel TV Stand for the set and it looks fantastic on the stand
- Picture quality is stunning Dynamic mode.
- Sound quality is above average for a television
- Excellent value for the money, 50" 1080P for under $2400--what a steal!

Dislikes:

- picture quality (PQ) on older non-HD channels is terrible. I was watching an old NBA game on ESPN Classics and it was unwatchable. I tried tweaking the settings, but nothing really improved the picture.
- the PQ was about the same--and at times--not as good as my wife's Panasonic 720p Plasma. I'm hoping it was due to a weak cable signal.
- The picture seemed somewhat washed out while using 'Movie' mode
- Phoned Samsung for a minor issue and they were no help

Conclusion:

I'm on the fence about this TV and will probably swap out my TV cables and try some setting I found on the Internet. I'll update this post with my results.

Updated on 8/21/07:

The PQ on HD channels is mesmerizing; especially, Discover HD and NFLNet. I find myself watching these channels more and more because of their excellent PQ. I've decided to deal with the poor PQ on the non-HD channels since they'll probably be going away in the year or two. Also I'm planning on purchasing a Blueray DVD player to experience the full potential on this set.

After a couple of weeks and endlessly tweaking the settings on the TV, I've come to the conclusion that the default settings provide me with the best PQ. However, I did change the following setting:

Color Tone: Cool1
Digital NR: Auto
DNIe: On

Under the 'Detail Menu':
Black Adjustment: High
Color Space: Auto
Edge Enhancement: On

Hope this Helps

- Buzz is horrible
I would not recommend buying samsung plasma sets. They give off this horrible buzzing sound. Samsung says to hit the mute button...this does absolutely nothing. I do have bose noise canceling headphones, so if I am buy myself I use these with the set and all is well...if you want to watch with other and with speakers...this is a piece of junk. DO NOT BUY SAMSUNG Plasma...I am regretting it. The buzz gets worse over time. Tried the ferite cores, tried dimming the brightness (one of the other suggestions) to no avail.

- Excellent Value
This TV is nothing short of spectacular. I'm not really sure how you improve on the picture quality. I'd love to compare it to the $10,000 Pioneer plasmas and see for myself exactly what the difference is. I bought mine through Amazon.com for $1358 and had zero problems with delivery and setup. I was leary about buying a plasma TV through the internet and having it delivered without damage. It was fine.

I have a HD cable box hooked up to this TV. Within the range of HD channels, some are better than others in terms of picture quality. It's not the fault of the TV, but rather the signal strength and how the video was originally created. I would say the overall range is from very good to absolutely stunning. Even on SD channels, the quality is good to very good, but not HD quality. Fortunately, there are a lot of HD versions of the most popular channels out there and I would expect more to be added.

I also bought a Samsung home theater with the wireless rear speakers and the sound is amazing. Don't rely on the speakers that come with this TV or you will be disappointed. My home theater came with a up converter for DVDs and there the quality ranges from OK to excellent. My DVD copy of "War of the Worlds" was pretty disappointing, but "Pirates of the Carabean: At Worlds End" was excellent. I have to believe there's a range of quality among DVDs. I believe Blue Ray is the way of the future, but the price of movies is still pretty high compared to DVDs - at least $10 more per movie.

- Great TV!
I have had the TV for over a month now. It is more than worth the money! The picture is amazing. The sound is fine (I only heard a buzzing sound once the second time I used the tv. Since then I have not heard it).

I would highly recommend this product!

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