Samsung PN50A550 Much better than expected, based on reviews here, Fantastic Set!

This TV is my first large HDTV (I have a 24" Samsung 720p LCD), and after reading some reviews I was concerned about the black level and the reflectiveness of the screen, but after getting the set all of my concerns were laid to rest. I was originally in the market for a 46" LCD, but a fantastic deal came on this 50" plasma, and I am really glad I went for this instead.

The TV picture is absolutely mesmerizing. I feed in Verizon FIOS HD, and an XBOX 360 (HDMI) and the results are absolutely incredible! The colors are fantastic, and with minimal adjustment the contrast and colors are great. I also had some concerns about the sound on the set, however it is actually much better than I had figured it would be. I know that some of the more expensive sets, like the Panasonic Viera also have woofers built into the set, but the sound on this TV is good. Its obviously not on the same level as a dedicated surround sound system, but it is really as good as any other built-in tv speakers.

I also had questions about lag, which I really cant find any appreciable amount of, thankfully, even with video games and tv out (through a DVI-HDMI cable) from my computer. Also, I found the black levels were great after minor adjustment, and, for me, the reflectivity of the screen is not an issue, even with sunlight bouncing off of the wall behind me.

For me this TV really has changed they way I watch TV, and I think its a great thing. As far as any possible negatives, I would say the only thing I wish this TV had was the extra features of the 6-series tv sets. The two extra features I wish this had was 1) Wiselink Plus: This TV has Wiselink, where the 6-series has Plus, and Wiselink Plus gives the TV the ability to play xvid video from any usb source, whereas standard Wiselink does not do video (only does music and pictures). 2) Ethernet connection for the RSS widgets - this is probably fairly useless, but it would be an interesting extra feature to have. But in all honesty, I wouldnt use either feature enough to warrant the extra couple hundred bucks.

In summary, I took a gamble buying this set. I didnt even have a chance to look at it in person as a deal came along and I pounced on it over the phone, and so I was extra nervous when I finally got the set, but I am very happy with the result. When I finally got to compare this set to others in the store, I found that while the set did look slightly dull compared to some of the eye-searing LCDs, in the actual home this set looks clear, crisp, and you would be able to watch this set for hours without burning your retinas out like with some of the over-contrasted ultra bright "popping" LCDs.