Features
The PNB850/850 series has the numerous features we’d expect in a flagship plasma. Samsung and Panasonic share many spec sheet bullet points, including “600Hz” panels that are said to improve motion resolution/reduce blur. The best thing we can say about this feature is to ignore it; the number was made in response to the 120Hz and 240Hz refresh rates of LCDs. Plasma technology is inherently less subject to blurring than LCD, and in any case it’s really hard to see any difference with real material.

Like Panasonic, Samsung can also properly deal with 1080p/24 sources. The main difference between the PNB850 series and the PNB860 series concerns the options available with those sources. On the B860 models, there’s a Cinema Smooth option in the Film Mode menu that let you manually turn on or off the 96Hz refresh rate that allows proper show of 24p signals (but, it does not introduce dejudder processing). The B850 models lack that manual setting and simply switch automatically to the proper 96Hz refresh rate when you input a 24p signal. See performance for more details.

Samsung’s main interactive capability is supplied by Yahoo! widgets. The system gathers Internet-powered information nodules, called “snippets,” into a bar along the bottom of the screen. The model we reviewed came with widgets for stocks, weather, news, and Flickr photos, plus YouTube, Yahoo video, sports scores, games and, Twitter–and more are sure to appear in the near future. For more information, check out our full review of Yahoo widgets. That review is based on our experiences with a Samsung UN46B7000, and our impressions of the system on the PNB850/860 are mostly the same, including its relatively sluggish response time. Mainly for that reason, we still prefer VieraCast to Yahoo Widgets.

Other interactive features on this set abound. Unlike the Panasonic, it can stream videos, photos, and music from DLNA-certified devices via the network connection, as well from its USB ports–that can connect to MP3 players, USB thumbdrives, and digital cameras (we didn’t test this capability). There’s also built-in “content,” such as recipes, games, workout guides, and a slide show of high-definition art and photos with music. We went into depth discussing the underwhelming content features last year, which are similar this time around, so if you’re interested check out the Interactive section of the 2008 Samsung LN46A750 review.

There are five color temperature presets augmented by the capability to adjust each via a custom white balance menu; three levels of noise reduction, including an automatic setting; a film mode to engage 2:3 pull-down (it also works with 1080i sources) or, on the 860 models, manually take advantage of 1080p/24 sources with the CinemaSmooth setting; a seven-position gamma control that affects the TV’s progression from dark to light; a dynamic contrast control that adjusts the picture on the glide; a “black tone” control that affects shadow detail; and a color space control that lets you tweak the Samsung’s color gamut.

It’s also worth mentioning that the B860 models have a Night/Day mode, intended for professional calibrations, that must be activated via the service menu. In addition to Cinema Smooth, it’s the only difference between the 850 and the 860 models.

You can choose from four aspect ratio modes for HD sources, two of which let you go the whole image across the screen horizontally and vertically. As we’d expect from a 1080p TV, one of those modes, called Screen Fit, lets the PNB850/860 scale 1080i and 1080p sources directly to the panel’s pixels with no overscan–the best option unless you see interference along the edge of the screen, as can be the case with some channels or programs.

Duration : 0:3:3

more…