Samsung HPR5052 50-Inch Flat Panel HD-Ready Plasma TV
Some good...Some bad
Perhaps once everything goes hi-def, my plasma tv experience will improve. I have approx 25 hi-def channels in my area with the rest being digital. To start with, this was not my first choice. I'd originally tried to buy a Toshiba 50\\" but it was on national backorder and after approx 30-day wait, the online dealer I was working with said it was unlikely it would ever be available. So I bought the Samsung based on what looked like top notch specs and good picture when I checked it out at Best Buy. The picture I get on my high definition channels is quite good with the exception of nagging problems with occasional unnatural skin tones. This isn't always the case but happens often enough and is much more noticeable on the non hi-def channels. The picture that you see at Best Buy will not necessarily be what you see at home. But it still easily beats my 10 yr old 31\\" JVC. Shortly after I got the set, I noticed random fits of static in the audio. It got worse so I had to call Samsung for a service call. The service man also pointed out that we should be able to program the HP-R5052 to fill the entire screen no matter which channel I'm on. This option was \\"grayed-out\\" on virtually all channels. He also pointed out I'm also starting to get \\"burn-in\\" where the gray or black bars are at the edges of the screen when not watching a hi-def channel and I've only had this for 4 months. The set had to go to the shop for the repairs and we're in about the third week without it. It's probably good for us to find other ways to entertain ourselves but I paid for the thing and can't use it. Irritating. Samsung customer service was quite easy to deal with but parts order takes 1 to 2 weeks. Come on...are these parts coming by pack mule? If I had it to do over, I'd look much closer at skin tones before buying and probably choose something other than Samsung.