Samsung HP-R5072 50-Inch Widescreen Flat Panel HD-Ready Plasma TV
An INCREDIBLE TV - At A Great Value.
Ok, I feel compelled to share my initial thoughts on my new Samsung HP-R5072 50\\" plasma TV.  After comparing many options in person, and doing a great deal of research online - including reading through every review I could find - I decided on the Samsung over my other top finalists: the Pioneer PDP-5060HD and the Panasonic TH-50PX500U.  All, I'm sure, are great TVs.  But the Samsung won out mostly b/c it offered the best value (it seemed to be priced around $400-$1000 less than the other two options), with little-to-no perceptible difference in offerings.  In fact, I felt the Samsung was the best looking TV between the three (Pioneer a close second); and let's face it, one gets a plasma not just for its picture, but for what it does to a room (and trust me, if you replace a large standard TV like I did, a plasma TV changes the entire look of the room, in a very favorable way).  Anyway, the sleek black look was a selling point.  As was the price - I paid $3750, before tax, at a local high-end retailer in my city; I could've saved a few hundred by buying online, but I chose to spend a little more and buy the security that comes from buying locally.)  Other selling points were, of course, its picture.  And what an AMAZING picture this TV has.  High-definition images (I have DirecTV) are absolutely amazing.  These college bowl games on ESPNHD are phenomenal.  DVDs look great (with HD DVDs coming soon).  The HD Tivo I have is amazing: I had Shrek 2 recorded (from HBO HD), and its clarity is stunning!  Regular TV looks fair, but I'm used to that, and don't watch much regular TV (and when you watch two regular 4:3 images simultaneously using the split screen, they look pretty good).  The aforementioned retailer had an entire wall of 50\\" plasmas to look at, so it was easy to compare the options.  And I want to dispel a myth I think is out there in other reviews (some of which I feel are not legit) - that is, as long as you're choosing between any of the \\"quality\\" options in plasma (or LCD, as I was considering those an option too) - like the others I've mentioned, plus Fujitsu, Sony, etc., you'll find you do NOT really get a better picture from one over another - you'll simply get (slightly) different picture *characteristics*.  By that I mean there is no option that looks noticeably better over another, just slightly different; and it really is only a matter of personal preference which image characteristic looks best to you (that is, if you can even differentiate between the options).  For example, I felt the Panasonic may have been a bit sharper than the Samsung, but not really in a good way.  It's hard to explain, but the Samsung's slightly softer image appeared more pleasing to me.  Also, the Panasonic uses a greater deal of image enhancing, such that the colors appear a little less natural.  The green of the football field seemed somewhat synthetic on the Panasonic...a bit more natural on the Samsung.  Point is, the picture quality on any of the options (outside of the ED models sold at Wal-mart/Sams/Costco/etc.), will ALL look great, but will ultimately be a matter of personal preference on which one you think looks best to you.  That said, other selling points included the PIP options, including the split screen capabilities, and the side connectors for quickly attaching your digital camera or camcorder.  Speaking of, your digital photos at 50\\" are amazing - very clear and sharp. <br /> <br />A review wouldn't be complete w/o listing what I feel are the shortcomings of the Samsung.  I'll cover them in order of magnitude - most to least annoying.  To me, about the worst thing I can say about the Samsung, is that what are normally the black bars you see when you watch something other than the native 16:9, are GREY, and therefore more noticeable.  If you watch a 4:3 broadcast, the grey bars are on the side; if you watch two 4:3 split screen images like I do, the grey bars are top and bottom.  It would've been nice had they madethese black so that the non-image part would've faded away into the nice black exterior of the TV.  Instead, it's more noticeable and takes something away (BTW, this is an option I could change on my DirecTV/Tivo).  Another shortcoming I feel, is the remote.  It's a bit light-weight and unbecoming a TV of this stature.  I think they should've made it feel a bit more quality-like; and you can't engage the PIP function without having to open the slide portion at the bottom.  Lastly, it has only one HDMI input (but so does the Panasonic), although it does have sufficient other options via component video inputs. <br /> <br />All in all I think this is a great TV.  I do not work for Samsung, or even in the industry for that matter.  I'm just a guy that bought a plasma and wanted to give back to the reviews that helped me decide.  I hope this helps you. <br />