See settings at the end of the review.
I spent weeks looking at 52" LCDs, 50" plasmas and even some Samsung DLP TVs. I was prepared to fork over close to two thousand dollars for a TV until I got the chance to view this set at a local store with a Blu-ray player hooked up. I was instantly sold and felt a bit stupid for having put so much effort into the higher end TVs. Sure they are 1080p with better processing and darker black levels, but was it worth the price difference? No way. For the money saved over, say, a 650 series or 800u Panasonic, I am now able to afford some much-needed furniture and window curtains for my whole house.
The accurate colors in this set really give you a great cinematic experience. The black levels could be better, but they're about the same as you'd see in the theater. With the correct settings, the shadow detail is great and far better than the LCDs I've seen, which seem to lack in this area. I also LOVE the natural sharp image from plasmas in general (720p OR 1080p). LCDs and DLPs always seem to have a smeared/unnatural kind of look to me and always seem to either be soft looking or over-sharpened no matter how much I play with the settings. The lack of motion blur really shows in gaming and movies alike. Again, a very theater-like experience. Plasma is THE way to go, and this TV is the best way to get into it without breaking the bank.
I play Xbox360 with this and the picture is sweet. The racing games have a cool arcade-like feel with no motion blur! That alone makes it seem sharper.
As far as burn-in goes, just keep the settings reasonable (see below) and you don't have to worry about burn-in. For good measure, I run the scrolling burn-in protection occasionally just to even things out. I went through the break-in with a break-in DVD I got from the AVS forums, do a search. Thus far, I have NO problems with any sort of burn in or even temporary image retention (IR) and I don't bother to stretch letterbox movies to take up the whole screen.
For watching standard-def DVDs, I have a Phillips 5990 upconverting DVD player hooked up via $1.80 HDMI cable (all purchased on Amazon). This will squeeze out every last drop of quality from the DVDs. I was amazed at how good the DVDs look with this combination. Still nothing close Bluray, but you will appreciate your DVDs all over again.
Then of course, HD content will blow your mind for the price. For Bluray, I'm using a PC. For TV, I'm pulling OTA HD digital channels from a super cheap RadioShack UHF antenna. I find myself turning the TV on and watching the news or Nightrider just for TV eye candy. My fiancé was making fun of me for watching Private Practice with her the other day.
Pros:
CHEAP!!!
Incredibly sharp picture
Perfect colors when calibrated
Built in burn-in protection, but not really needed
It's a plasma! (A very pleasant and naturally sharp looking picture over LCD)
Cons:
Black levels could be better
Here are my settings, as taken and slightly modified from a calibrator in the AVS forums. Those not mentioned are default. Please note, that if you are used to defualt "Dynamic" or "Standard" settings, the following settings will initially appear very dull and not as bright. I promise, give it a few days, watch a few movies to get used to it and you will appreciate it. Go back to the way you were watching it and you'll see how garish and overblown the default settings really are
Settings were changed on 1/27/09 to match a new, more accurate calibration from the AVS forums. Stunning picture quality. It makes LCDs look terrible.
(Viewing distance is 10')
Mode: Movie
Color Temp: Warm2
Cell: 10
Contrast: 77
Brightness: 46
Sharpness: 15
Color: 47
Tint: G48/R52
Detailed:
Black Adjust: Off
Dynamic Contrast: Off
Gamma: +1 (actual calibration calls for zero, but I like +1)
Color Space: Custom
Red: R50 G0 B5
Green: R0 G44 B6
Blue: R0 G0 B50
Yellow: R47 G48 B7
Cyan: R0 G54 B50
Magenta: R63 G0 B50
White Balance:
R-Offset: 21
G-Offset: 25
B-Offset: 20
R-Gain: 30
G-Gain: 25
B-Gain: 46
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