Samsung 2009 Plasma HDTV Range – Overview and Comparisons

Samsung’s 2009 Plasma HDTV range delivers impressively high contrast ratios, deep blacks and lower energy consumption.

Samsung Plasma HDTVs 2009

Notable features of Samsungs 2009 plasma HDTV range include:

Crystal Full HD Engine: Samsung’s latest Full HD video processing chip including all their advanced imaging technologies.

Cinema Smooth: playback of 24p movies to digital cinematic quality without any judder as may be introduced by 3:2 pulldown. A 24p video source is required.

600Hz Subfield Motion Technology: To achieve superior motion resolution the sub-field drive flashes the pixels 10 times, resulting in 600 flashes per second (600Hz) for 6o frames per second video content.

100Hz Motion Plus: Analyzes and extends action frames smoothing fast onscreen action such as in gaming animation and sports broadcasts.

Wide Color Enhancer-3: brings out deeper shades of the most natural colors like magenta, cyan and yellow.

DLNA Certified access for sharing videos, music and photos from connected DLNA compatible devices using a single remote.

Internet@TV which using an Internet connection delivers content via Yahoo!, Flickr, and other online TV Widgets. Content can be viewed in a sidebar of full screen. (Series 7 and 8 only)

InfoLink RSS Service lets viewers see stock quotes, real-time weather and news.

Samsung’s Content Library feature comprising hours of built-in entertainment features which can be personalized by adding online content.

Home Network Center which connects the HDTV with Samsung mobile phones through a network. Call arrivals and text messages can be viewed onscreen. Also allows multimedia content on mobile phones to be accessed and played. An optional Samsung Wireless LAN Adapter (USB) is required.

Picture-in-picture (PIP) with TV picture as a sub-window.

Samsung’s Pebble Shaped remote control is a significantly different design based on simplicity

Electronic User Manual on USB drive for browsing on-screen

USB 2.0 Movie: Multi-Media Center user interface simplifies movie and music playback and photo browsing from your connected digital camera, USB drive or mp3 player

The table below highlights those features which distinguish between the various models in Samsung’s 2009 Plasma HDTV range. Check the full specifications, read our series reviews by clicking the series designations and find prices from Amazon by clicking the individual model links.

Samsung Plasma HDTV Series 8

Series 8 is the flagship plasma HDTV series for Samsung. The B860 model is the one to choose if you are very particular about movie playback and want the same quality as the digital cinematic release.

Common Features Series 8

Full HD – 1080p Resolution
Ultra-slim 1.2 inch design
Contrast Ratio 3,000,000:1 (dynamic)
Wide Color Enhancer-3
Ultra Filterbright (improved glare reduction)
Crystal HD Engine – enhanced imaging performance
Internet@TV
USB 2.0 Movie : Multi-Media Center
Samsung’s Content Library
PIP (Picture in picture)
DLNA Certified Connectivity
Game Mode
4 HDMI (3 rear, 1 side)
2 USB (side)
Anynet+ (HDMI-CEC)
Speakers 2x 15W (58 inch) else 10W
Touch of Color (Grey)

PN58B860, PN50B860

Cinema Smooth – 24p movie playback from 1080p/24 sources

PN58B850, PN50B850

Cinema Smooth not included

User Manual B860 and B850 Plasma HDTV (pdf)

Specification Samsung B860 Series 8 Plasma HDTV (pdf)

Samsung Series 6 Plasma HDTV

Series 6 is Samsung’s premium 1080p plasma HDTV series. It features a higher 3,000,000:1 contrast ratio than less expensive models. Major additions to the series are improved connectivity and content access with Internet@TV, USB 2.0 Movie:Multimedia Center and Content Library. Wide Color Enhancer-3 with the most advanced video processing technologies replaces Wide Color Enhancer-2. A headphone jack is not included.

Features Series 6

PN58B650, PN50B650

Contrast Ratio 3,000,000:1 (dynamic)
1080p Resolution
Wide Color Enhancer-3
Crystal HD Engine – enhanced imaging performance
Internet@TV
USB 2.0 Movie : Multi-Media Center
Samsungs Content Library
Anynet+ (HDMI-CEC)
DLNA Certified Connectivity
Game Mode
Speakers 10W x 2
4 HDMI (3 rear, 1 side)
2 USB (side)
Touch of Color (Amber)

Specification Samsung Series 6 Plasma HDTV (pdf)

User Manual B560 Plasma HDTVs (pdf)

Samsung Series 5 Plasma HDTV

Entry level 1080p plasma HDTV series. 590 and 560 models have 24p movie playback offering quality matching digital cinema releases. 590 model has the Ultra-Filterbright anti-reflective screen coating as opposed to the standard Filterbright coating on the less expensive models.