It's easy to be impressed with Samsung's new line of plasma sets, including the new 50-inch PN50A550, a full HD 1080p model, which includes support for the latest HDMI 1.3 x.v.Color technology. While x.v.Color isn't widely integrated on new sets and is still more hype than reality, it's a welcome addition to any mid-range-priced set such as this one.

The PN50A550 has a sleek look with a glossy black bezel, and the speaker bar is neatly hidden below the screen. The overall look of the set offers an air of class, which seems appropriate in larger sets. There is no hiding that this is a big set--and at 82.3 pounds (without stand), it's no lightweight, either.

Burn-in, or image retention from static images is still an issue with plasma, and we were pleased that Samsung included a few features to prevent this from happening. These include a slight pixel shift to move the image slowly around the screen, as well as options between light and dark sidebars for 4:3 programming. Should you experience some minor image retention, the set features scrolling gray bars and a white field to help remove it. The other main downside to plasma TVs besides burn-in is that they don't perform well with excessive ambient light. While the Samsung PN50A550 does offer an anti-reflective screen, called FilterBright, we still found this picture difficult to enjoy with any bright lights in the vicinity of the screen.

If you can darken the room a bit, you'll be treated to a very good picture. Again, it is a full 1080p set with a native resolution of 1,920x1,080 and can thus display every pixel from 1080i and 1080p source material. 720p HD content is upscaled accordingly, and the Samsung DNIe technology will also help smooth the quality of images from standard definition content as well. Furthermore, we liked that this set has a few extra bells and whistles, which serious videophiles will appreciate.

The set includes five color temperature presets, three modes of noise reduction and a film mode to engage the 2:3 pulldown and reduce judder when watching film content. The set featured special entertainment modes, but we were disappointed to find that these can't be adjusted--and since there are adjustable picture modes that are independent per input, these extra modes seemed like an unnecessary addition. Additionally, the set features multiple aspect ratio modes, including four for HD sources with two that allow for subtle movement of the image, as well as four modes for standard definition content. The black levels were good, but we've seen better--they were not quite on par with the latest sets from Panasonic or Pioneer. However, we did find the color with the PN50A550 to be very vibrant and lifelike.

We found a great array of A/V connection options on this 50-inch model. The PN50A550 features a total of three HDMI 1.3 inputs; this is adequate, but a fourth would be ideal. One of the HDMI inputs is on the side of the panel, but Samsung earns kudos for placing the rear inputs very close to the side inputs for easy access. In addition to the HDMI inputs, there are two component inputs, a composite video and a PC input at the back of the panel, but oddly no S-Video. While S-Video is on the way out, the lack of the input at the back was a slight disappointment. The sole S-Video input is on the side of the panel, along with the second composite input and headphone jack. We also appreciated a USB port on the side of the panel for viewing photos or playing MP3 files.

The set's two 10-watt speakers are adequate, and while they support the SRS TruSurround XT technology, they fail to make the impact of a true multi-channel surround sound system. For a 50-inch panel you'll likely want to get a true home theater system for the full experience.

As a step-up model from the A450, the A550 line features some great additions, and this is a very good set. If you can look past the fact that the black levels aren't the deepest out there, and focus on the big screen and vivid colors, this set has a great picture and at a reasonable price.

Pros: Reasonable price, great design, lifelike colors
Cons: Some screen glare, black levels could be deeper

Warranty
1 year, limited