Samsung's F8500 plasma promises top picture
Samsung has a single high-end plasma this year and two entry-level models, with the new PNF8500 promising the best picture the company has yet produced.
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LAS VEGAS--While Sony jettisoned its plasma televisions more than seven years ago, its competitors have clung tenaciously to the format. However, the cracks are starting to show as both of the Korean companies have halved their plasma lineups for 2013.
Samsung has a single high-end plasma this year and two entry-level models, with the new PNF8500 promising the best picture the company has yet produced.
Get ready for marketing buzzwords with the PNF8500 using Real Black Pro, a third-generation Real Black Filter with nanocarbon compound, and Deep Black Algorithm II. So what does all this mean? Last year's plasmas struggled to output enough light to even meet our test standards, so Samsung says the new TV should have 2.5 times the brightness while also deepening black levels.
The F8500 TV boasts some beefed-up smarts with improved voice interaction and a quad-core processor. If you wanted gesture control on this year's top plasma -- or, even more usefully Skype, integration -- then unfortunately the F8500 misses out. The Smart Hub application has been enhanced with more content -- movies, videos and music -- and a new TV program guide. This augments Samsung's new S-Recommendation engine, which lists suggested content in thumbnails at the bottom of the screen.
The flagship TV incorporates a quad-core processor that should assist with the speed of the smart TV interface as well as provide grunt for picture processing tasks such as the Frame Rate Conversion engine and the Motion Judder Canceller.
The 8500 offers a number of connectivity options including Samsung Smart View, which streams content between the TV and a Samsung mobile device, and AllShare has now been extended to incorporate Samsung's "smart" appliances enabling monitoring of air conditioners and washing machines from the TV screen.
While Samsung retained the same design for its plasmas over the last few years, in 2013 the F8500 has had a new lick of paint with a new "Metal Craft Design" with a corresponding "Metal Flow" stand.
The Samsung PNF8500 is due to be released in the first half of 2013, with pricing to be announced.
