51" Samsung PN51E550 1080p 600Hz 3D Slim Plasma Smart HDTV with Built-In Wi-Fi + 2 Pairs of 3D Glasses $698 + Free Shipping

Quote from luvgisele : pulled the trigger - what clinched it for me was no tax in CA for Paul's...thnx op... Can anyone point me to the best calibration settings for this one?

huh? how did you get no tax on this when Pauls TV has stores in california? is there something im missing?

Quote from doco : huh? how did you get no tax on this when Pauls TV has stores in california? is there something im missing?

pauls was paying the tax as a promotion.

Quote from yourwhiteshadow : 1920x1080p. i tried everything, i think people on AVS had problems with it too. even if the overscanning issue got solved, it would still be too bad that it flickered like a strobe light on 24p content at 48Hz... for a home theater TV that TC-P50U54 was not ideal. but for people who watch nothing but 60p content that was the way to go, in my opinion.

Interesting. I just sought out a 24p video on my HTPC to see what happens. Not the least bit of flicker/strobe in it. Pretty much similar to a Blu-ray source (plus some compression artifacts).

I did notice on my Panny GT50 that the HTPC picture was not as sharp when the Pure Direct mode was off...causing mild blurring of small fonts. But it was only ever off when I was initially setting things up. Maybe my video card is always converting to 60p output regardless of source material?

Anyways, my HTPC is working very well so far with the Panny.

I run a fairly low-end 4000 series ATI video card.

Quote from Slee_Stack : Interesting. I just sought out a 24p video on my HTPC to see what happens. Not the least bit of flicker/strobe in it. Pretty much similar to a Blu-ray source (plus some compression artifacts). I did notice on my Panny GT50 that the HTPC picture was not as sharp when the Pure Direct mode was off...causing mild blurring of small fonts. But it was only ever off when I was initially setting things up. Maybe my video card is always converting to 60p output regardless of source material? Anyways, my HTPC is working very well so far with the Panny. I run a fairly low-end 4000 series ATI video card.

did you have the 48Hz mode on? also, i'm unfamiliar with that GT50, it might actually be perfectly fine, but i know for sure the U50/U54 have flicker problems (confirmed by cnet, and i ran into the issue as well).

its possible that you don't have your output set to 24p on your radeon, check catalyst control center?

No audio out. I would buy this but it would make my soundbar useless. There are only 2 inputs on my soundbar and I need to hook up 3 components. Am I wrong?

Quote from skippyfab : No audio out. I would buy this but it would make my soundbar useless. There are only 2 inputs on my soundbar and I need to hook up 3 components. Am I wrong?

audio splitters are really cheap.

Quote from luvgisele : pulled the trigger - what clinched it for me was no tax in CA for Paul's

Why were they charging me tax in my cart then? That's the reason I changed my mind. I am in CA, where are they?

Quote from XeoNoX : i dunno what to do. If i should get the 51 inch with 3D for around $700 or if should just go 60 inch with no 3D for around $700, its a tough one for me, i keep thinking about it and keep coming to the conclusion that i probably wont watch much stuff in 3D as i normally watch sports although having the 3D option is nice. this is a good deal though, its a tough one for me to figure out.

This is the same exact debate that I have right now. I think I will use the 3D as much as I can, but I want the 60 inch. What did u decide to do?

Quote from mike1650 : Why were they charging me tax in my cart then? That's the reason I changed my mind. I am in CA, where are they?

Me too.

I could have sworn I've seen Paul's TV commercials on TV and they seemed to have locations in So Cal. No?

Yes, there are Paul's TV in So Cal. Never bought anything from them but the employees where pretty attentive and much more knowledgeable than most other electronics stores I've been to.

Quote from dwmorrison33 : This is the same exact debate that I have right now. I think I will use the 3D as much as I can, but I want the 60 inch. What did u decide to do?

Where did you find the 60 inch for $700??

i just picked this up when it was $100 more at bestbuy and got them to drop the $100... the tv is good the smart tv functions are kinda slow the 3d looks even better than my previous samsung 51" tv i had the pn51d550c and it was great while it lasted

Quote from syusufali : Where did you find the 60 inch for $700??

I haven't found one for $700, the cheapest I've seen for a 60 inch is $776.

Quote from jpk1080 : i bought this tv last week but also have the 530 which supposedly is the same screen. i could not for the life of me get the 550 to look as agood as the 530. i took the 550 back and kept the 530. the reviews all seems good i'm just not sure i want to chance another one.

Really? Both televisions are the same price but the 550 is a smart tv and has 3D. Your testimony has me now siding with the 530 despite having less features. Picture quality for my video games is what's most important to me.