Samsung PN50A550 Plasma HDTV
Posted by hdtv buying guide on April 19, 2009 under Plasma HDTV, Samsung | 
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Samsung plasma offers high quality, low price
The technology world is a funny place. The options are wide and varied; competition is intense. As such, “survival of the fittest” is usually the rule.
Think of it this way: Apple’s iPod wasn’t the first portable digital music player, but it was the best. Everything else has been crushed in its wake.
In the high-definition television world, plasma is seen by many as the superior flat-panel technology. It produces deep, vivid colors and razor-sharp detail even in fast action scenes. Unlike the iPod, however, plasma is losing out to LCD flat-panels, which generally appear brighter and snappier under the harsh glare of florescent big-box store lights.
As such, great televisions like the Samsung PN50A550 are going unnoticed by many consumers. It features beautiful 1080p resolution and loads of connectivity for $1,999. A comparably sized LCD television will cost, on average, about $500 more.
The PN50A550 includes features that debunk many of the plasma-screen myths that have slowed sales and pushed the technology to the sideline. Screen burn in, which is the result of static images displayed for hours on end, is eliminated with Samsung’s Anti-Burn In technology. The feature “washes” the image on the screen to avoid damaging, stationary pictures.
Also, the PN50A550 is designed to create far less heat, and therefore use less energy, during operation. On standby, or turned off, it uses less than one watt of electricity. The days of energy-hogging plasma screens are over.
With those two problems out of the way, the PN50A550 delivers a number of other great features. Its Wiselink USB 2.0 port allows the display of jpg files from digital cameras — including high-caliber DSLR models — as well as MP3 playback.
The Wiselink connection also allows updates via PC to the television’s operating software. Periodically, manufacturers will issue software fixes and updates, which are then used to keep televisions up to date.
The PN50A550 has a number of entertainment modes, which adjust screen brightness and color saturation depending upon what’s being viewed. Each setting — sports, movies, gaming, etc. — can be activated with just the touch of a button on the remote.
If there is a downside to the PN50A550, it might be the built-in sound. Samsung speakers, especially on larger formatted screens, have traditionally been a bit weak. While most users have a 5.1 surround system hooked up, speaker performance is something to keep in mind if you’re going without an additional system.
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