Samsung PS-50P91FD

The Samsung's PS-50P91FD is a 50-inch 1080p plasma display panel. Its high-definition performance is excellent, although some minor issues with gaming and standard definition hold it back from perfection. Nevertheless, it comes at a great price and is an attractive option for those looking for a dedicated high-definition display.

High-definition performance is the highlight of the PS-50P91FD's functionality, as would be expected of a 1080p panel. While watching a range of Blu-ray and HD-DVD titles, we observed excellent image quality with deep blacks and a well represented range of colours. We were unable to detect any flaws or problems with image quality during our tests. We did have to make some adjustments to the default contrast and sharpness settings to suit our viewing environment, but this was easy with the intuitive and extensive menu system.

Our gaming tests weren't quite as good. While the panel generally handled games well, with no motion blur and well rendered dark areas, we did notice some significant pixelation on curved edges. Nevertheless, it was hardly noticeable in fast-paced action scenes, which the television handled extremely well.

Standard definition is always difficult for 1080p TVs to handle due to the amount of scaling necessary to bring DVD resolution images up to high-definition resolution. The PS-50P91FD's standard-definition performance is quite impressive, although we did notice the same pixelation on curved edges that we saw in our gaming tests. This was also especially apparent in high contrast areas. Nevertheless, the level of detail was excellent, and most users should find that this panel will handle standard-definition content quite well.

The inbuilt speakers deliver an impressive amount of volume, but a lack of clarity in the highest treble ranges and the lack of a subwoofer may make audio enthusiasts wish to consider a separate home theatre system to complement this TV. The integrated digital TV tuner picked up all the local channels quite quickly, and we were pleased with the quality of the reception.

As with the vast majority of 1080p panels, the Samsung PS-50P91FD's is designed primarily to handle high-definition content, and does this excellently. A few minor flaws in gaming and standard definition can generally be forgiven, and at 50 inches the screen has quite an attractive price, making it great value compared to a lot of larger screens. A fine choice for those primarily looking for a high-definition display, but not yet willing to completely forsake their DVD collection!