Samsung PN50C8000
Samsung PN50C8000
3:34

Samsung PN50C8000

TVs
Hi there, David Katzmaier here from CNET.com and this is the Samsung PNC8000 series video review. This is the 50-inch version of the series. There is also a 58- and a 63-inch version. We expect similar picture quality from all sizes so this review will apply to all of them. This is Samsung's flagship plasma TV for 2010. That means it has all the features that the company can offer and that's quite a few but we'll talk about that in a little bit. They styling here is first thing on the menu. You can see the TV is not your standard glossy black around the edge of the frame. It's actually a grayer color, relatively light gray with kind of a transparent border around the edge here and equal width on all sides. We really like the look of this TV. It's a very sleek look. There's a little bit of accent provided here by the stainless steel top stand and, of course, it does swivel. That feature set does include 3D compatibility meaning if you connect a 3D compatible device and 3D content and watch through 3D glasses, you can enjoy third-dimension television on this TV. The TV also converts 2D content to 3D which isn't found on all 3D TVs available. It does allow you to play around with a couple of the settings with 3D as well so, all told, the 3D feature set on this TV is as good as it gets, although it does include a free pair of glasses. Another prominent feature on the Samsung is the App Suite. If you connect the Internet to this TV via wire or an optional dongle for Wi-Fi, you can get access to a whole bunch of apps. Samsung currently has the most apps of any TV provider, that includes Netflix and Hulu Plus in addition to YouTube and a whole bunch of other video streaming apps. There's also a separate Yahoo! widget section that can be a little confusing because there's apps and widgets on this TV. Widgets will include Facebook and there's also a Facebook app so, again, if you want your Facebook, you can get it in two ways on this set. We did like the apps implementation overall, however, and it's nice to see all that content. Samsung does have a 3D streaming video content app, for example, that allows it to show video previews and stuff like that so we look forward to seeing the platform can bring. More features include some of the best adjustability we've seen on any TV. That includes a ten-point grayscale adjustment, gamma and color management system. You can also play around with dejudder on this TV. It's the only plasma on the market with dejudder processing. That's not really a good thing in our opinion but if you want to, you can engage the dejudder in a couple of presets and see how smooth the picture looks. If you turn off dejudder, however, you'll find that the Samsung is one of the best performing TVs on the market. We really did appreciate its deep black levels, although they're not quite as deep as some of the other TVs. It does have excellent color and the video processing, very good. You can actually get it to handle 1080p24 content correctly, again, if you turn off dejudder. Another highlight on the Samsung is its excellent bright room capabilities. It will preserve black levels a lot better under the lights than most plasma TVs. It also reduces reflections relatively well, although all things considered, it's not as good as a matte-screened LCD for a bright room. And, of course, like any plasma, it beats LCDs in terms of uniformity and being able to view the picture from off angle. Finally, in terms of 3D performance, the Samsung was one of the best we've seen so far. It had very little crosstalk compared to a lot of the LCD models this year and color accuracy was quite good in the presets and, of course, you can adjust a lot of the picture parameters in 3D which is really nice. There's also four HDMI inputs on the back panel and one component video input. That's a little bit less analog connectivity than most TVs in this price range. There's also a pair of USB inputs on the back. It's nice to have the second one in case you use one for a Wi-Fi dongle. That's a quick look at the Samsung PNC8000 series and I'm David Katzmaier.

Up Next

Super Bowl TV Shopping? Here Are Our Favorite Picks
superbowltvs-00-00-05-01-still001

Up Next

Super Bowl TV Shopping? Here Are Our Favorite Picks

Best TVs of CES 2024
ces-besttvs-00-02-21-17-still001

Best TVs of CES 2024

The Hisense 110UX Could Be the Brightest TV Yet
240110-cnet-hisense-tvs-ces

The Hisense 110UX Could Be the Brightest TV Yet

I Saw C-Seed's $200,000 Folding TV
cseed-folding-tv-seq-00-09-21-18-still003

I Saw C-Seed's $200,000 Folding TV

This 115-Inch TCL TV Makes Your Screen Seem Tiny
screenshot-2024-01-08-at-15-35-59.png

This 115-Inch TCL TV Makes Your Screen Seem Tiny

LG's 2024 OLED TVs Cut Wires, Boost Brightness
ces-lgm4-00-00-15-19-still001

LG's 2024 OLED TVs Cut Wires, Boost Brightness

LG Transparent OLED Turns From TV Into Animated Art
240107-site-lg-tv-oled-t-first-look-v2

LG Transparent OLED Turns From TV Into Animated Art

Samsung Shows World's First Transparent MicroLED, 8K Wireless Projector
samsungces024

Samsung Shows World's First Transparent MicroLED, 8K Wireless Projector

Best TVs of 2023: From High-End to Budget, to the Price-to-Picture Sweet Spot
samsunglgcompare-v2-00-00-07-23-still002

Best TVs of 2023: From High-End to Budget, to the Price-to-Picture Sweet Spot

Samsung's 98-inch 8K TV Is Big, Bright and Really Expensive
samsung98in-2

Samsung's 98-inch 8K TV Is Big, Bright and Really Expensive

Tech Shows

The Apple Core
apple-core-w

The Apple Core

Alphabet City
alphabet-city-w

Alphabet City

CNET Top 5
cnet-top-5-w

CNET Top 5

The Daily Charge
dc-site-1color-logo.png

The Daily Charge

What the Future
what-the-future-w

What the Future

Tech Today
tech-today-w

Tech Today

Latest News All latest news

New Xbox Leaked
240328-yt-xbox-leaked-image-v01

New Xbox Leaked

Hands-On with Ford's Free Tesla Charging Adapter
pic3

Hands-On with Ford's Free Tesla Charging Adapter

Apple and Meta Are Competing for Your Memories
screenshot-2024-03-22-at-17-41-16.png

Apple and Meta Are Competing for Your Memories

Nvidia's Project GR00T vs. Tesla Optimus: Competing Robot Strategies
240321-site-nvidia-project-groot-vs-tesla-optimus-v1

Nvidia's Project GR00T vs. Tesla Optimus: Competing Robot Strategies

What Google Gemini AI on the iPhone Could Look Like
240321-site-apple-and-gemini-ai

What Google Gemini AI on the iPhone Could Look Like

DOJ Sues Apple: Everything to Know About the Antitrust Suit
240321-site-doj-sues-apple-for-antitrust-on-iphone-v2

DOJ Sues Apple: Everything to Know About the Antitrust Suit

Most Popular All most popular

First Look at TSA's Self-Screening Tech (in VR!)
innovation

First Look at TSA's Self-Screening Tech (in VR!)

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review: More AI at a Higher Cost
240123-site-samsung-galaxy-s24-ultra-review-4

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review: More AI at a Higher Cost

'Circle to Search' Lets Users Google From Any Screen
circlesearchpic

'Circle to Search' Lets Users Google From Any Screen

Asus Put Two 14-inch OLEDs in a Laptop, Unleashes First OLED ROG Gaming Laptop
asus-preces-00-00-25-11-still003

Asus Put Two 14-inch OLEDs in a Laptop, Unleashes First OLED ROG Gaming Laptop

Samsung Galaxy Ring: First Impressions
samsung-galaxy-ring-clean

Samsung Galaxy Ring: First Impressions

Best of Show: The Coolest Gadgets of CES 2024
240111-site-best-of-ces-2024-1

Best of Show: The Coolest Gadgets of CES 2024

Latest Products All latest products

Hands-On with Ford's Free Tesla Charging Adapter
pic3

Hands-On with Ford's Free Tesla Charging Adapter

Nuro R3 is an Adorable Self-Driving Snack Bar
240320-site-nuro-r3-first-look-v1

Nuro R3 is an Adorable Self-Driving Snack Bar

First Look: The $349 Nothing Phone 2A Aims to Brighten Your Day
240304-site-nothing-phone-2-first-look-v3

First Look: The $349 Nothing Phone 2A Aims to Brighten Your Day

Best of MWC 2024: Bendable Screens, AI Wearables and More
240229-site-best-of-show-at-mwc

Best of MWC 2024: Bendable Screens, AI Wearables and More

This Concept Laptop from Lenovo Has a Transparent Display
240225-site-lenovo-translucent-laptop-concept-v3

This Concept Laptop from Lenovo Has a Transparent Display

Motorola's Rollable Concept Phone Wraps on Your Wrist
240225-site-motorola-rollable-concept

Motorola's Rollable Concept Phone Wraps on Your Wrist

Latest How To All how to videos

Windows 11 Tips and Hidden Features
240311-site-windows-11-hidden-tips-and-tricks-v2

Windows 11 Tips and Hidden Features

Vision Pro App Walkthrough -- VisionOS 1.0.3
VisionOS 1.0.3

Vision Pro App Walkthrough -- VisionOS 1.0.3

Tips and Tricks for the Galaxy S24 Ultra
240216-site-galaxy-s24-ultra-tips-and-hidden-features-2

Tips and Tricks for the Galaxy S24 Ultra

TikTok Is Now on the Apple Vision Pro
tiktok-on-vision-pro-clean

TikTok Is Now on the Apple Vision Pro

Get Your TV Ready for the Big Game: Super Bowl Setup Tips
superbowl-tv-settings-thumb1

Get Your TV Ready for the Big Game: Super Bowl Setup Tips

How to Use a Quest 3 Like the Vision Pro
240202-site-spatial-computing-on-meta-quest-3

How to Use a Quest 3 Like the Vision Pro