63in Plasma Picture Sound Features Usability Value Not the best plasma out there but easily the best value 50 in + screen. HD Ready: yes Resolution: 1920 x 1080 Rating: 88%

 

Reviewed: 04 February 2008

Design

At 63in and with Samsung's trademark glossy black finish this new plasma from Samsung certainly won't go unnoticed, but its stylish and compact design ensures that its impact is a pleasing one.

Features

Samsung's trusty 'Digital Natural Image Engine' (DNIe) forms the picture processing heart of the PS-63P76FD. With a proven track record on similar products, the technology has been designed to improve black levels, colour saturations and tone.

	Screen: 63in 16:9 Tuner: Digital Sound System: Nicam Resolution: 1920 x 1080 Contrast Ratio: 15,000:1 Brightness: 1000cd/m2 Other Features: Ultra FilterBright, DNIe, Movie Plus, Natural True Colour. Sockets: 3 HDMI (1.3), 2 SCART, Component Video, Composite Video, S-Video, PC input.

 

DNIe has four main feature areas, Motion Optimizer, Contrast Enhancer, Detail enhancer and Colour Optimizer. With elements of the technology designed to 'clean' a standard definition source, we are hoping the leviathan 63in screen will do well with SD material.

Complementing DNIe is 'Natural True Colour' which essentially comprises an 18-bit colour processing engine, which enables the PS-63P76FD to generate a mind boggling quadrillion shades of colour.

By attaching optical films on the front glass filters Samsumg's 'Ultra FilterBright' technology has been designed to achieve a more vivid picture. Ultra FilterBright blocks intrusive external light while utilising internal light to its fullest effect.

With a Full HD resolution (1920 x 1080), 3 HDMI inputs (1.3) along with the usual Composite, Component and S-Video inputs, the PS-63P76FD's spec sheet reads very well.

The Movie Plus Mode has been designed to reduce 'film judder' inherent on most films. By adding interpolated frames between each actual frame, a smoother frame transition is achieved.

Performance

High Definition (HD) performance is where the PS50P96 excels. Blu-ray playback is absolutely pristine with a level of sharpness and detail that is a match for any flat panel on the market. Colours have a depth and level of realism which enables some of the most realistic skin tone reproduction we have seen.

Black levels can't quite match the peerless 'Kuro' range from Pioneer, but they come close, and shadow detailing actually matches the Pioneers for subtlety of graduation across darker scenes.

Not so long ago we would have marvelled at the PS50P96's motion handling capabilities, but things have moved on rapidly in recent times. The Samsung is a good performer in this respect, but a hint of motion smearing with HD is enough to relegate it to one of the chasing pack.

Sky HD loses some of the precise detailing and pin sharp pictures we experience with blu-ray playback, with just a hint of noise, but we are still witnessing excellent performance in this respect.

The shortcomings of the PS50P96 are revealed with terrestrial Freeview, which at its worst reveals noticeable smearing with the fastest motion action. To be fair to Samsung, there are very few 50in screens out there, Plasma or LCD which can claim to excel in this respect, but the PS50P96 cannot match more accomplished rivals from Panasonic and Pioneer when it comes to Standard Definition performance.

With better quality SD sources such as Sky (1080i) we noticed a marked improvement, with the conversion of source to display obviously benefiting from a transfer without any scaling to fit a lower resolution screen.

Conclusion

Retailing for around £1500 and sporting some impressive high end features, Samsung have produced a compelling package. While this set cannot match the best 50in Plasma's out there, it comes close, especially if you focus on HD. As the centrepiece of a medium range home cinema system the PS50P96 warrants serious consideration.