As a top-line model, Samsung endows the F8500 with its full SmartHub suite of apps and connectivity, as well as the ability to watch 3D formats (native or converted from 2D). Built-in Wi-Fi lets you stream content from the Internet, a NAS array, or other resources attached to your home network. There’s WiDi functionality as well, facilitating streaming from another WiDi-enabled device with or without a local wireless network.
I spent a few afternoons watching movies and surfing through online material. For testing with Blu-ray media, I connected an Oppo BDP-93 3D player via HDMI. Audio was played through the built-in speakers, which I set to the Amplify option.

First I wanted to try out a few dark-scene torture tests, so I chose Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. The opening of the film takes place at night on a dimly-lit street. Most LCD panels look gray and washed-out trying to reproduce this. But the F8500 rewarded me with truly rich blacks that were loaded with detail. Roof shingles and dirt on the sidewalk were plainly visible. Close-up shots of Harry and Dumbledore revealed every pore and hair on their faces.
I took some time to try the Motion Judder Cancellation (frame interpolation) feature, too. On the Standard setting, it increases motion resolution to the point of perfection. It also imparts a soap-opera effect, however, which I personally don't like. Aside from an occasional tearing artifact, the algorithm works well. I prefer to use this feature for sports and games. Then I turn it off while watching movies or TV shows.
Next up was Alfonso Cuaron’s superb film, Gravity. Only a plasma or OLED TV can pull off a black starfield with bright objects in the foreground. In 2009, when I added a Pioneer Kuro to my living room, I wondered if anything could match its black levels. As it turns out, Samsung comes really close. But the F8500 is just a hair less black than my PRO-111FD. That didn't diminish my enjoyment of the movie, however. And I didn’t miss the motion blur I’m accustomed to seeing when I watch the same disc on an LCD television.
I finished my 2D viewing with Baraka, which represents the pinnacle of image purity. There are no computer-generated scenes whatsoever. It’s just some of the cleanest and most beautifully shot 70 mm film ever. Created from an 8K transfer, this one makes a great test for a display’s color and detail rendering. The F8500 passed the test with flying colors, to draw on the old cliché. I loved how natural and perfectly saturated the palette was in both indoor and outdoor scenes. And detail was tack-sharp. With no anti-glare layer to speak of, you’re able to see the TV’s absolute maximum resolution.

3D displays have come a long way in just a few years. The technology still hasn’t caught on, but manufacturers continue making each new model year just a little better. I dropped A Christmas Carol into the player mainly to check out its darker scenes. The F8500 puts out plenty of light for an excellent 3D effect. Even the dimmest content was loaded with detail. Contrast was the best I’d seen on any 3D display to date. And detail was off-the-charts sharp. I managed to see hairs on Scrooge’s nose I hadn’t noticed previously.
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs is an older title that can expose crosstalk and ghosting on some displays. There was none of that on the F8500. Every scene was perfectly rendered with a nice deep stereo effect.
I finished up with a vintage 3D title, Dial M For Murder. Even though it’s a 60-year-old film, it was originally shot in 3D. The transfer is poor with a general softness throughout. Its color is solid though. I initially saw a lot of crosstalk, but then I adjusted the Perspective slider in the 3D menu. Moving it to the left a few clicks helped clear up the artifacts. Samsung's F8500 is the only HDTV I’ve seen with this feature, and it certainly came in useful.
- 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.