The F8500’s accessory pack includes pretty much everything you need. You get four pairs of 3D glasses, Samsung’s latest touchpad remote, and a power cord with right-angle plugs at both ends. There is no printed documentation, but you can download a user manual online. Other bits include stick-on hooks for cable management, ferrite cores for the power cable, and a component video-to-mini-plug adapter. We would like to see a Bluetooth keyboard included, though if you have one lying around, it will work just fine.
When you first power up the TV, it runs through a setup sequence. I was able to connect to my Wi-Fi network on the first try. Once you have Internet access, the user manual can be pulled up on the screen. You can also contact Samsung support through the menu system if you’re having trouble.
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The F8500’s bezel is metal in the front with a finely brushed finish. It's not quite black; however, it still blends in nicely and makes the panel look high-end, even when it's turned off. Measuring one inch around the top and sides, and 1½ inches across the bottom, the bezel is fairly narrow, too.
Samsung's screen has a glossy finish. You'd think that make it susceptible to reflections. In reality, though, it's not bad. Still, if you can, place your room’s light sources carefully so as not to diminish the stunning high-contrast image. Clarity is top-notch thanks to a top layer of high optical quality and extremely small pixel gaps.
Attaching to the TV with several screws, the cast-aluminum base is stylish indeed. It appears to simply grow out of the panel’s bottom edge, providing excellent stability and a small footprint.

When you access Skype or use the Motion Control feature, a little camera pops up from the top-center of the F8500. You wouldn't choose it for filming a movie, but the little sensor's picture quality is adequate for video calls.

Plasma TVs are usually bulkier than their LCD counterparts. However, Samsung manages to get the F8500 down to a mere two inches-thick. You do need a little extra air gap if you hang this TV on the wall in order to clear the vents on the upper-rear.

You can see the main ventilation grilles on the top edge and back of the F8500. During regular operation, the set draws 155 W, with a peak load of 467 W. That means a fair amount of heat is generated. As we all know, cool electronics equal happy electronics. Make sure to follow Samsung’s recommendations for proper installation and airflow. Its mounting lugs comply with the 400 mm VESA spec.

All of the inputs face sideways or downwards for easy access when the TV is wall-mounted. There are four HDMI connections, one of which is MHL-compatible, and three USB ports. Also, the RF, component, and analog audio inputs point towards the floor. You get a digital optical output as well, feeding your sound system from the antenna feed. If you have an A/V receiver with HDMI/ARC (Audio Return Channel), you can feed the sound that way too.

Samsung includes four pairs of active 3D glasses. They're so light in use that I was barely aware of them. If you enjoy 3D movies, there's a good chance you'll be able to wear them for hours without fatigue. And they fit over my eyeglasses just fine. Power comes from an included button battery that is not rechargeable. Synchronization happens through RF rather than IR, so pairing is quick and you stay locked on as long as you're within about 20 feet of the F8500.

Samsung departs from the typical wand covered with buttons in favor of a more minimalist handset. Its face is brushed metal, and the whole thing feels very expensive. The center is dominated by a touchpad that responds to swiping gestures as you navigate the menus or SmartHub interface. It’s very responsive and I mastered it quickly. There’s even a backlight activated by a button in the lower-left.
- Samsung PN51F8500 51-Inch Plasma HDTV Review
- Packaging, Physical Layout and Accessories
- Setup And Calibration Of The Samsung PN51F8500
- Real-World Testing: Movies and 3D
- Real-World Testing: SmartHub
- Measurement And Calibration Methodology: How We Test
- Results: Brightness and Contrast
- Results: Grayscale Tracking and Gamma Response
- Results: Color Gamut and Performance
- Results: Viewing Angles and Uniformity
- Results: Pixel Response and Input Lag
- Video Processing and 3D Crosstalk
- Samsung PN51F8500: We Still Love Plasma
@n3cw4rr10r It's not overpriced at all, but rather an outstanding value (though not as good a value as the sorely-missed Panasonic P50ST60). The image quality is tremendously better than any 4K TV, even with perfect 4K source content, even if they sold the 4K TVs for $1500 or less. The difference in contrast(dynamic range) is the most important, and it is huge. Side-by-side with the plasma, no one would pick any 4K LCD.
I got a Panasonic VT60 at the beginning of the year, just as stock was running dry. I'm still amazed by the picture quality.
Actually OLED is arguably already there or getting there. Some people were able to pick up LG's 55" OLED TV for $2000 (not a typo) via in-store at Microcenter.
For a more universal price-point, it's newest revision is now going for $3500.
Most HDTV's have a "GAMING MODE" option which disables video processing inside the HDTV for a particular HDMI input such as your game console might use.
Having said that, burn-in issues have never been completely solved so I wouldn't game on a Plasma anyway (seems an important thing to mention doesn't it?).
It's a very important factor for plasma and OLED screens, particularly for anyone who wants to use them for gaming. Permanent burn-in is almost nonexistent with modern plasmas, but a bright spot from a network logo or HUD element that takes dozens of hours to clear up is a major deterrant to buying a plasma or OLED screen. And some plasmas handle this much, much better than others do.
I'm still on a 2005 Sony flat screen I got for $15 last year. I don't know how to express this properly, but it's one of those TVs with a... big back? It's not one of those thin TVs.
My only regret is being talked into paying $195 for an extended warranty at Circuit City which was never used...but this was still new tech back, then. My only complaint is that it sucks a lot of power and produces a lot of heat (short winters where I am)...hence the reason for only being used at night and for a limited duration in the bedroom anymore. I know the newer ones run cooler and are more efficient but I would never pay $1800+ for a 50"+ 1080p HDTV ever again unless it's OLED.
With that said, it's great to see sites like Tom's still taking the time to review plasmas!
It's got a nice, good quality image and it says it's assembled in Poland. To be quite honest I did find it provided the best bang for buck and since I wanted plasma anyway ( I think it's better than LCD for TVs ) I'm super happy.
Didn't even know LG made plasma TVs but I wouldn't be surprised if the actual screen is made by Panasonic or something.
Yes, I'd really like OLED but OLED would be great as a smaller PC monitor first and then for a large TV. For a TV I think plasma is fine but even though I got a good IPS LCD I'd just love an OLED 23-24 inch monitor.
It's got a nice, good quality image and it says it's assembled in Poland. To be quite honest I did find it provided the best bang for buck and since I wanted plasma anyway ( I think it's better than LCD for TVs ) I'm super happy.
Didn't even know LG made plasma TVs but I wouldn't be surprised if the actual screen is made by Panasonic or something.
Yes, I'd really like OLED but OLED would be great as a smaller PC monitor first and then for a large TV. For a TV I think plasma is fine but even though I got a good IPS LCD I'd just love an OLED 23-24 inch monitor.
I bopught my 50" Plasma last year. I just bought my LG 65" 4k TV this year because while 4k may not be prime right now i got a steal on it. My 4k is equipped with one of hte best IPS displays (after calibration) that I've encountered so far. The picture quality on this set easilty surpassed the other 4k TV's I was looking at in the electronics store probably because the display gets so dang bright.
Side by side with my Sammy 1080p content in my basement is a hit or miss. Blu-rays look great on both so its hard to say which one is "better". The upscaler on the 4k does a hell of a job processing the image because even up close I can't detect pixels. However on the Plasma with 1080p content I can see obvious pixelation while standing right in front of the television. Dark space scenes look better on my plasma thought w/o a doubt but only when the room is dark. Any amount of light seems to bring the IPS 4k display back in range with the Plasma.
Now on to 4k. Native 4k content on this TV is breathtaking; and takes the viewing experience beyond what my Plasma could ever offer. The clarity, sharpness, and amount of detail is simply stunning and I'm not wowed easily.
So will a good 1080p Plasma offer better contrast levels In a dark room than a good 4k LCD? Yes, Yes it will. Does that benefit translate into a better picture than a good 4k display showing native 4k content? Not in my viewing experience. Not even close. It's debateable @ 1080p as it is with my 2 TV's.
Also, as far as I recall, 2.2 gamma and the sRGB gamma are not exactly the same.
Image retention would have been useful to see as part of the testing. I have a 2008 Panasonic Plasma and although it has no problems at all with television and movies it has drastic IR with games. I don't know if it has something to do with me using a DVI to HDMI converter, but it is completely unusable with PC gaming because of IR and that is with the set even set to minimum brightness.
Also, as far as I recall, 2.2 gamma and the sRGB gamma are not exactly the same.
Image retention would have been useful to see as part of the testing. I have a 2008 Panasonic Plasma and although it has no problems at all with television and movies it has drastic IR with games. I don't know if it has something to do with me using a DVI to HDMI converter, but it is completely unusable with PC gaming because of IR and that is with the set even set to minimum brightness.