Compare Prices : Samsung PS-50P96 - Expert Reviews

Review summary: Whatever benefits for movie viewing plasma technology may have over LCD - and there are arguably many - there's one area where the latter technology traditionally leads and that's on resolution. No longer

Pros: Low price, Great HD pictures, Lovely pictures, Impressive specification

Cons: Motion could be handled better, Rather feeble audio

Verdict: Samsung shows that a feature-packed, high-performance full HD plasma doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg

Review summary: Here we have Samsung's first full HD gas flatscreen, the PS-50P96HD

Pros: Low price, Great HD pictures, Lovely pictures, Impressive specification

Cons: Motion could be handled better, Rather feeble audio

Verdict: Deep Colour is dependent on a particular source disc actually carrying the format. But another of the 50P96HD's colour talents, dubbed Natural True Colour, works with any material. The term describes the screen's use of 18-bit processing to produce a ...

Award: Editor's Choice!

Review summary: Samsung's PS50P96 is a stunning 50-inch plasma TV that boasts incredible picture performance. It's not for the tight-fisted, however those who part with the cash will be rewarded with astounding black levels and smooth movement

Pros: HD picture quality ; full range of inputs ; styling ; sound

Cons: Freeview doesn't scale well to 50-inch screens ; slow remote control response ; needs to have settings tweaked to get the best possible picture

Verdict: Samsung's PS50P96 is a fantastic 1080p plasma TV that offers great HD performance while still managing to make the most of Freeview

Award: Qualified Recommendation

Review summary: But building a 1080p plasma TV is not just a straightforward case of replacing existing 720p panel with one of higher resolution; the entire circuitry has to be redesigned from scratch to adequately drive the panel while minimising processing ...

Pros: Excellent shadow detail and black level ; Outstanding primary and secondary colour chromaticities ; Accepts 1080p/24 from PS3 with considerable reduction in judder ; Detailed picture when 1:1 pixel-mapped for 1920x1080 ; Easy to achieve near-D65 ...

Cons: Intermittent stutter when watching Freeview using internal tuner ; Noticeable dynamic false contouring especially with poor source ; More motion blurring compared to top-tier plasmas ; Inflexible film mode deinterlacing – [Movie Plus] is needed for 3 ...

Verdict: Constructing a 1080p plasma is not as easy as it sounds: existing subfield distribution has to be scrapped, and more advanced motion compensation algorithm needs to be devised to adequately drive the panel while keeping motion artifacts to a minimum. ...

Review summary: No longer just a budget option, this Samsung is easily good enough to justify the price tag.

Pros: Snappy design ; good specs ; fine TV tuner ; full-bodied, vibrant video images

Cons: A little more insight into black levels would be welcome