Purchased the PN50C7000 + the 3d starter kit (2 3d glasses, do not have a 3d bluray player so did not test the included Monsters vs. Aliens disc) at BB a couple of days ago and here are my observations:
I am a passionate newbie just trying to find the best TV that can also play 3d, my TV is about four feet away from a side facing large window so both daylight and nighttime performance is important. My previous TV was a 52' samsung lcd glossy screen lcd.
Black Level on an overcast day: Not as black as I hoped, very dark gray but not black, especially the black bars on sides. I can now believe the reviewers that say the 2010's do not have the black levels of the 2009's or Panny's. A little darker at night but still not 'black'.
Buzzing: Yes, my couch is about 8ft in front of TV (TV and is on a 1.8 foot TV stand) and with TV volume set around 20 (low volume) you can definitely hear the constant buzz (slightly annoying, not overpowering, just discernible in a quiet room or when I press pause). Buzzing became a touch louder after 15 hours of use but has since stayed constant. I do not know if these are any louder than the 800 series plasma Samsung's of 2009.
Daylight performance: Good if on 'Dynamic Mode' setting but way too dark on other settings (maybe I am used to lcd level brightness of my previous samsung). Although Dynamic mode at daytime is bright, it also introduces more noise and artifacting and greens are way too bright. Maybe my calibration settings are wrong.
Heating: Back panel gets very hot after long use (2+ hours).
Screen: Reflective, can still see myself and couch, even on a cloudy day and only slightly better than my super glossy screen lcd samsung. Disappointed as I thought Samsung introcuded a new anit-reflective coating for the 2010 C7000 & 8000 series.
3D performance of the Masters Tournament: Not bad but I do see some cross talk/ double image (more than I would like) on some clips. Turning your head has no effect on 3D performance which was a relief as the 3d led tv's from Samsung would go 'dark'. The time cursor bar (that pops up when using the play/pause/ff/rw buttons) that is used on my Motorola DVR produces a overlapping dizzying double image (cursor bar) when I was watching the tournament.
2D-to-3D feature - One of the main reasons why I bought this plasma. Why not watch everything in 3d? After extensive viewing and testing, this feature does not produce a believable 3d image and nothing close to native 3d content. I tried this on all types of broadcasts = movies, news, sports and the resulting effect was so mediocre I quickly grew tired of this function. The converted image gets noticeably darker and soon the inconvenience of wearing the glasses outweigh any benefits of this feature. Disappointed as I was expecting a little more from this feature and my main reason to buy this Samsung over the Panasonic. If I have to put on the glasses I want to be blown away by the realistic 3D effect - I think this would be the only way 3d will be accepted by the masses.
Just an FYI - When I was at the BestBuy they had the Kuro 2007 Test Disc in the Blu Ray player hooked up the PN50C7000. I ran all the major tests and I remember that the tv failed the cross talk test (the one with the four ties on a black backdrop) and the fast rotating propellor test (I guess this tests image processor robustness). It seemed to do ok on the other tests though.
I was expecting great things from the PN50C7000 but the mediocre black levels, reflective screen, slight buzzing, and disappointing 2D-3D function will probably make me look at the VT20/25's from Panasonic and I will be returning the PN50C7000 soon. When I saw Panasonics' 3d demo material in store I did not see any cross talking which was constantly present during my time with the PN50c7000 viewing the Masters in 3D (is it just a bad broadcast?).
I am a passionate newbie just trying to find the best TV that can also play 3d, my TV is about four feet away from a side facing large window so both daylight and nighttime performance is important. My previous TV was a 52' samsung lcd glossy screen lcd.
Black Level on an overcast day: Not as black as I hoped, very dark gray but not black, especially the black bars on sides. I can now believe the reviewers that say the 2010's do not have the black levels of the 2009's or Panny's. A little darker at night but still not 'black'.
Buzzing: Yes, my couch is about 8ft in front of TV (TV and is on a 1.8 foot TV stand) and with TV volume set around 20 (low volume) you can definitely hear the constant buzz (slightly annoying, not overpowering, just discernible in a quiet room or when I press pause). Buzzing became a touch louder after 15 hours of use but has since stayed constant. I do not know if these are any louder than the 800 series plasma Samsung's of 2009.
Daylight performance: Good if on 'Dynamic Mode' setting but way too dark on other settings (maybe I am used to lcd level brightness of my previous samsung). Although Dynamic mode at daytime is bright, it also introduces more noise and artifacting and greens are way too bright. Maybe my calibration settings are wrong.
Heating: Back panel gets very hot after long use (2+ hours).
Screen: Reflective, can still see myself and couch, even on a cloudy day and only slightly better than my super glossy screen lcd samsung. Disappointed as I thought Samsung introcuded a new anit-reflective coating for the 2010 C7000 & 8000 series.
3D performance of the Masters Tournament: Not bad but I do see some cross talk/ double image (more than I would like) on some clips. Turning your head has no effect on 3D performance which was a relief as the 3d led tv's from Samsung would go 'dark'. The time cursor bar (that pops up when using the play/pause/ff/rw buttons) that is used on my Motorola DVR produces a overlapping dizzying double image (cursor bar) when I was watching the tournament.
2D-to-3D feature - One of the main reasons why I bought this plasma. Why not watch everything in 3d? After extensive viewing and testing, this feature does not produce a believable 3d image and nothing close to native 3d content. I tried this on all types of broadcasts = movies, news, sports and the resulting effect was so mediocre I quickly grew tired of this function. The converted image gets noticeably darker and soon the inconvenience of wearing the glasses outweigh any benefits of this feature. Disappointed as I was expecting a little more from this feature and my main reason to buy this Samsung over the Panasonic. If I have to put on the glasses I want to be blown away by the realistic 3D effect - I think this would be the only way 3d will be accepted by the masses.
Just an FYI - When I was at the BestBuy they had the Kuro 2007 Test Disc in the Blu Ray player hooked up the PN50C7000. I ran all the major tests and I remember that the tv failed the cross talk test (the one with the four ties on a black backdrop) and the fast rotating propellor test (I guess this tests image processor robustness). It seemed to do ok on the other tests though.
I was expecting great things from the PN50C7000 but the mediocre black levels, reflective screen, slight buzzing, and disappointing 2D-3D function will probably make me look at the VT20/25's from Panasonic and I will be returning the PN50C7000 soon. When I saw Panasonics' 3d demo material in store I did not see any cross talking which was constantly present during my time with the PN50c7000 viewing the Masters in 3D (is it just a bad broadcast?).
When I saw the 3D under GOOD conditions SAME MOVIE both were amazing.....
