Comment on Samsung PN64F8500 64-Inch 1080p 600Hz 3D Smart Plasma HDTV by KD.
I can’t wipe the smile off of my face,
I did lots and lots of research before I settled on this TV. I am not the type of person who buy a TV only to find issues with it then do the old swapperoo with another one only to find another thing I dislike about it. I bought this only after very extensive research and due diligence.
What I look for in a good TV: great picture quality, great side viewing quality, accurate colors, bright and punchy whites, high contrast, black blacks, great SmartTV features, Netflix, media streaming, good enough input lag to play games, and as future proof as possible.
It looks like I’m asking a lot right? There couldn’t possibly be a TV that fit all these criteria could there? Fortunately for me, there is!
When it comes to great picture quality and side viewing, LCD/LED TV’s are quickly eliminated. Winner Plasma. That was quick! I absolutely hated the faded contrast from side viewing, uneven brightness, and graish blacks on the LCD/LED TVs. The problem with most Plasmas are that they look faded during the day. Some of the top modern plasmas have done fairly well in that area.
I narrowed my TV’s down to the Samsung F8500 and the VT60/ZT60. I did comparisons of the TV’s at a brick and mortar store and found that I’m drawn more toward the F8500 with each comparison. Every single reviewer out there claims “black blacks” as if that is the epitome of great picture quality. Do I buy a TV to stare at a black screen? I tried as hard as I could, but I just could not see the differences between the blacks of the ZT60 and the F8500 in a normal lit area. I’m sure in absolute darkness, I can probably see a difference. However, this TV will be my main TV in my living room with windows all around and 4 recess lights above it. I do not have a “man cave” like some lucky few out there.
Next comes the comparison of the whites and color production. In a normal viewing environment, there’s no contest in my eyes. The almost LED-like brightness of the F8500 trumps the VT60/ZT60. The contrast, the pop, and the blinding whites (for a plasma) makes the picture jump out. The problem with most plasma is that the picture is usually washed out during the day. The F8500 seems to have solved this problem. The goal of many plasma makers were always to go as black as possible, but no one ever thought about going the other way–make whites as white as possible. Why is darkness more important than brightness? Why is a .002% difference in black level make one TV superior to the other when the other TV has 30% better whites and deeper contrasts? Am I going crazy here? I don’t understand why the “experts” think that makes one TV “better” than the other as if black blacks is the single defining criteria for picture quality.
The SmartTV features of the F8500 seems to be better than the Panasonic as well. The F8500 has a built-in camera which allows for the use of Skype and gesture (something I don’t use and think it’s a gimmick). However, being able to video call on your TV is a pretty cool added feature. The camera on the Panasonic is an extra added cost. The F8500 offers HVEC (.265) which future proof it. This may not be important now as .265 is not wide spread, but once it’s adopted, better quality streaming will be available through Netflix, Youtube, and home streaming. It’s good to know that this future technology is available right now on the TV you purchase. The TV may produce great picture quality, but if you have a low quality stream, then the picture quality will be bad. Garbage in, garbage out.
The one thing that this has going against it is the input lag. This is the pitfall of the excellent Samsung video processing algorithm. I believe the VT and ZT has a slightly better input lag of 47ms. On PC mode, the F8500 averages around 53ms. This is not great, but it’s absolutely playable and I don’t notice much of a difference when I game. Another thing to consider is that when playing over the network, the 60ms lag for the screen is far faster than the 120-400ms ping lag for your packets going over the network. How often have you played a game and you swear up and down you shot the guy but missed and ended up dead? That’s network lag spike. The biggest killer of your K/D ratio (besides your skill of course) is the spike in the network and not your TV. I think input lag is overblown unless you’re playing over a LAN. In that case, a nice 24″ LED monitor would be your best bet, not this beast of a plasma that you use for movies and sports.
CONS
– I don’t like the remote and the sensitively of the touch pad. Often times I scroll down, and the thing goes left. What-The-F. I’m purchasing the keyboard for this TV to eliminate messing with the remote more than I have to.
– Speakers. Not a con for me as I don’t use it. If I can afford to pay for this TV, I can afford an AVR with nice speakers or at least a decent soundbar.
– The finicky ARC port. I think this is…
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