Introduction

Front

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The front of the Samsung PN51D450 is very pretty, with a very small bezel for its size, a clean face and stand.

Back

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The back of the Samsung PN51D450 is a fairly standard black metal casing, with all the ports located on the lower right of the TV.

Sides

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There is virtually nothing on the thin sides of the Samsung PN51D450, save for a single USB port near the main port panel on the left side of the TV set.

Stand/Mount

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It may have been a simple one-in-a-million manufacturing defect, but the stand of the Samsung PN51D450 that we got didn't fit quite right, and wobbled under the weight of the 50-pound plasma screen. Assuming that this was just an unfortunate coincidence, the stand itself is breathtakingly average. It doesn't swivel, which for plasmas enhances the annoyance factor because the heavier screen needs to be lifted and moved in order to reach the ports in the back.

As you can see from the picture above, the stand itself is a high-gloss black plastic. It goes without saying, but this finish makes it a magnet for fingerprints, so keep the included cleaning cloth handy.

Controls

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The Samsung PN51D450's controls are a touch-sensitive area of the lower left side of the front bezel.

Remote Control

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We love this remote: it fits well in the hand, is a good weight and it doesn't require repositioning the hand too often to reach all the basic functions on it.

In the Box

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The Samsung PN51D450 comes packaged with a stand, user manual, cleaning cloth, remote and batteries.

Black Level

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The black level of the PN51D450 was surprisingly low, which nets it a great score here. Testing was frustrating to get this recording, as the black level often dipped below what our testing equipment could read, so after making sure that the screen simply didn't shut off when it showed a mostly-black screen, we re-tested and replicated the same result. Plasma screens typically do well in this area, but the PN51D450 excelled. More on how we test black level.

Peak Brightness

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Like other plasmas, the PN51D450 tends to dim the screen when there's a lot of white screen area in order to prevent burn-in. Consequently, the peak brightness reading here isn't taken from a 100% white screen. Overall, the Samsung PN51D450 did a fair job for a plasma TV set, but be wary: while it did record a peak brightness of 152.67 cd/m2, 200 cd/m2 is usually the minimum brightness needed for viewing in a well-lit room, and like many other plasmas, the PN51D450 falls short of that.

This underperformance doesn't come as a big surprise simply because of the very nature of plasma screen technology, as these screens are far more prone to overheating when showing certain colors (like white) and permanently burning a certain image into the screen or even catching fire if there's a failure in the TV set. It can get annoying that the screen might not be as bright as you want it to be, but it's a safety and maintenance issue. More on how we test peak brightness.

Contrast

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Due to the low black level and adequate peak brightness, the PN51D450 has a great contrast ratio of 5089:1, giving it a solid edge on the competition in this area. More on how we test contrast.

Tunnel Contrast

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Like other plasmas, the PN51D450 has trouble maintaining a consistent black level depending on the percentage of white area on the screen. If you look at other reviews of plasma screens, you'll find that this is more or less a common problem among these screens, and as far as these screens go, we've seen worse performances. More on how we test tunnel contrast.

White Falloff

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The PN51D450 really dropped the ball in white falloff, rapidly dimming whites the more area on the screen they occupy. This is common in plasma screens, but not usually this dramatic, even if we know why they do this. More on how we test white falloff.

Uniformity

Greyscale Gamma

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Greyscale gamma is the metric by which we can gauge how well a TV transitions from black to white along several tiny increments along the greyscale. Looking at the chart below, you can see that the line is more or less smooth across the entire range of signal intensity, save for a hiccup at the beginning, which may or may not simply be an erratic result produced by our machine struggling with the low black level of the PN51D450. We typically look for jagged areas of the line that would indicate shade values that the TV couldn't produce, but they seem to be more or less absent here.

The second thing we look at to determine how well each TV does in terms of greyscale gamma is the slope of the line produced, and the PN51D450 did fairly well here too. Ideally, we would see the line's slope sitting in between 2.1 and 2.2, but the line produced by our measurements of the PN51D450's greyscale sits just outside this mark, at 2.09. This is very close to ideal, so the Samsung gets good marks here. More on how we test greyscale gamma.

Color Temperature

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As you can see from the chart below, the Samsung PN51D450 performs very well in terms of color temperature error: very seldom does it display an inaccurate color temperature that is perceptible to the human eye. More on how we test color temperature.

RGB Curves

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The Samsung PN51D450 gave us a fairly odd RGB performance, as you can see from the chart below. We typically look for smooth, uniform curves that don't shift their slopes downward or vary too much, but the blue levels of the PN51D450 did exactly that. It's not entirely clear why this happened, but what we can tell you is: because of this, there are going to be many shades of blue that simply aren't displayed correctly on your screen. Beyond that, there are also several small spikes in the other two lines, indicating color values that the TV simply can't display, so those of you with a strong visual acumen might notice some color banding in shadows. More on how we test RGB curves.

Below are linear representations of each color curve in a strip format, for each of the comparison models, as well as the ideal response. Take special note of any color banding you may see, as it indicates ranges of color values that a TV can't produce correctly.

Motion Performance

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Overall, the PN51D450 handles motion fairly well. While there are certain resolution issues, when displaying a moving picture, there doesn't seem to be much loss of detail or artifacting, which helps its score greatly.

Unlike many other TVs, there didn't seem to be much motion blur, but there was definitely a minor refresh rate issue where a moving box would change shape to a more rhomboid parallelogram than a square. This is fairly typical for TVs in this price range, so don't read into it too much. Still, if motion performance is a big issue for you, you may want to look at a higher-priced TV. More on how we test motion performance.

3:2 Pulldown & 24fps

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The Samsung PN51D450 has native processing to help it deal with 24fps content, but strangely enough it doesn't do so well. While it doesn't do terribly bad in showing slow movement, when it's called upon to show a high-frequency pattern, it shows strobing between the lines and loss of detail. More on how we test 3:2 pulldown and 24fps.

Resolution Scaling

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The PN51D450 has an inappropriately small resolution of 720p for its large 51-inch screen, and this is the biggest glaring deficiency of this television set. Because the size is so big for a resolution so small, if you're even four feet away from the screen you can see the individual pixels, and there are certain scaling issues that are simply unavoidable when you take a huge image and crunch it down to size, then blow it up again.

When viewing high-definition content in the lab, it was readily apparent that this TV was meant for users who either don't care so much about detail, or like to watch their screens from very far away, like at a bar or waiting room. Still, if you're using the PN51D450 in your living room, chances are good that there will be certain resolution scaling problems if you're watching a blu-ray movie or other HD content; images you know and love can look a bit different than they're supposed to.

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Regardless, we put the PN51D450 through its paces in our labs, and below is a rundown on how it handled rescaling with common NTSC formats. More on how we test resolution scaling.

480p

The Samsung PN51D450 lost 3% of its screen area to overscan vertically, and 2% of its screen area horizontally. The plasma struggled greatly in minimizing false coloration in high frequency patterns.

1080p

The PN51D450 lost 1% of its screen area vertically to overscan, and 2% of its screen area horizontally to overscan. In addition to this problem, the TV could not accurately display text, high frequency patterns (some requiring definition smaller than the pixel size itself) and had significant trouble with false coloration.

Formats

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The Samsung PN51D450 has a native resolution of 720p, and therefore does not support 1080i/p resolutions (without significant issues).

Viewing Angle

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We typically see plasmas with giant viewing angles, but that of the PN51D450 was below average for this type of screen. This is not to say that the viewing angle for the PN51D450 is bad, on the contrary: compared to LCD screens, the Samsung PN51D450 has a great viewing angle. Still, it could have done better in this regard, as we've come to expect from plasma screens.

Reflectance

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As with most plasma TVs, the PN51D450 has an extremely reflective screen, to the point where if there's enough light in the room, you will probably be able to see yourself when the picture darkens. Still, Samsung gave the PN51D450 a screen that at least attempts to minimize glare, but not very well.

Video Processing

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The Samsung PN51D450 has several additional video processing modes, some more useful than others. Below is a summary of our impressions of them:

Calibration

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In order to make sure we've given each TV a fair assessment of its performance capability, we calibrate each set to optimum settings using our lab software. For those of you who would like to replicate our results, or would simply like to know how to calibrate your PN51D450, below are the settings we determined to be ideal:

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All of our calibration is done in conjunction with the DisplayMate software.

](http://www.displaymate.com/)

Video Modes

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The Samsung PN51D450 has a tiny handful of video modes, each more suited to a certain viewing environment than another.

Connectivity

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On the back of the PN51D450, you'll find the rear input panel, home to the shared composite/component video ports, 2 HDMI ports, cable/ANT in, EX-LINK and S/PDIF output and input.

On the side of the PN51D450 is a single, lonely USB port. From the casing we can tell that there could have been more, but for the PN51D450 Samsung seemed to only want one.

Overall, though, the PN51D450 seems to be lacking a bit in this department. Still, it's not like there's a complete absence of analog and digital ports, but against the comparison models, it falls short.

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Placement

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The ports of the Samsung PN51D450 are all located on the back of the unit, with only one USB port on a side panel that was built to accommodate up to 4 total. Most of these ports are a pain to reach, as the stand does not swivel, and plasma TVs are heavy.

Audio Quality

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The audio quality on the PN51D450 isn't bad, but nobody in their right mind would ever mistake it for a true 5.1-channel surround sound system. In addition to a partial equalizer and a couple presets, there is a surround sound mode that ups the audio quality a little bit. If you have the ability to, take advantage of the S/PDIF digital audio out port on the back of the set so you can make the most of your experience.

Menu Interface

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Unlike many other menus of Samsung TVs, the PN51D450's menus are very basic in look and functionality. While they don't have much aesthetic flair, they allow for easy operation of the TV. When you hit the menu button, you'll be greeted by a toolbar on the left-hand side of the screen with all of your options.

The submenus appear as a window in place of the menu bar, equally as visually uninspiring and this time, in the center of the screen.

Due to the disappointingly long time it takes from button-click to motion on the screen, changing your settings will take longer than normal on the PN51D450. Still, Samsung helped out the consumer by making each menu list fit (mostly) on the screen so you don't have to scroll as far, but this is a major drawback to menu functionality.

Instruction Manual

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The Samsung PN51D450's manual isn't too amazing, but it gets the job done. Inside, you can find a comprehensive table of contents, a fair index, and a plethora of diagrams and charts of various usefulness You can find the Samsung PN51D450's manual online "here:.

Internet Features

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As the Samsung PN51D450 has no internet access, there are no native internet features. If you would like these, we suggest looking elsewhere or purchasing an HTPC or media streaming device.

Local Media Playback

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The Samsung PN51D450 is capable of limited media playback through its 1 USB port on the side of the set. As of the time we're writing this review, it only supports .jpeg and .mp3 playback. Each of the playback menus are very basic, as pictured below.

The music menu is straight-up awful, as you can hardly tell by any visual cue that the music is playing. In the picture below, a music file is playing, but there is no obvious indication of how long the track has left, if a track is playing, or what the controls are.

Other Media

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The Samsung PN51D450 supports no other media options.

Power Consumption

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As you can typically expect with a plasma screen, the power draw was more significant than an that of an LCD, but we're still only talking less than $40 estimated annual running cost per year. Still, for the more environmentally-minded consumer, this may or may not be a big deal.

Below we've compared the power draw of the PN51D450 to competitive models, and you can see that while it's not the biggest power-hog, it certainly draws its fair share of current under normal viewing conditions.

Value Comparison

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There is virtually no reason at all to purchase the PN51D450 over the PN50C550, unless that extra inch is absolutely essential to you, or you prefer pixels the size of Lego blocks. With the same MSRP, you can buy a TV of the same brand with internet content, more ports, a higher resolution and comparable picture performance. It's not very often that we find a no-brainer in our comparison models, but this is as close as we get.

Blacks & Whites

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As you can see from the chart below, both Samsungs do well in our black and white tests, but the PN50C550 produces a brighter screen without sacrificing much of its black level, allowing you to view in a broader range of lighting than the PN51D450.

Color Accuracy

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Both Samsungs performed well in our color temperature error testing, with the slight edge going to the PN50C550. In terms of RGB performance, however, the PN51D450 gave us much better test results.

Motion

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Both of these TVs have good motion performance scores, and you really can't go wrong with either one in this regard.

Viewing Effects

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Because both the PN51D450 and the PN50C550 are plasma screens, it's not surprising that they both have very wide viewing angles, as this is more or less characteristic of plasma screens in general. Still, if the comparison is important to your purchasing criteria, the PN50C550 has a much wider total viewing angle.

Connectivity

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This comparison isn't even really a contest: the PN50C550 is clearly as-good or superior to the PN51D450 in every way, unless having a large number of ports and dramatically expanded connectivity options available scares and confuses you.

Value Comparison

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Despite the Samsung PN51D450 being a full 9 inches bigger than the TC-P42X3, it does have some significant shortcomings in comparison to the Panasonic. Namely, the resolution on the Samsung is far too small for its screen size, whereas the TC-P42X3 has a more appropriate scaling on its screen, despite its smaller area. Beyond that though, there are only two major advantages of the TC-P42X3 over the PN51D450, and that's internet connectivity and price.

Blacks & Whites

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Both sets tested well in terms of blacks and whites, but the PN51D450 did much better in almost every single measure taken, with only peak brightness coming close.

Color Accuracy

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Both sets have great color temperature error measurements, but the PN51D450 has a much higher RGB curve score. If you're looking for color quality, you're probably better off with the PN51D450.

Motion

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Both TV sets had good scores here, so don't read too much into the disparity in scoring. Both TVs handle motion well.

Viewing Effects

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The Panasonic TC-P42X3 has a wider viewing angle, but given that both sets are plasmas with wide viewing angles, this isn't too much of a surprise. It would be difficult to go wrong with either set here.

Connectivity

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Despite their relatively similar number of ports, the simple fact that the Panasonic has internet connectivity and native internet content gives it a better score in our ratings system, but if internet really isn't that important to you, there isn't much of an advantage to buying either TV over the other.

Value Comparison

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The Vizio E321VL is a much more appropriately-sized 720p TV, even if the screen size is probably disappointing in comparison to the mammoth 51 inch screen of the Samsung. In reality, you're getting a picture with the same exact resolution, and it will look much better on the smaller, much cheaper Vizio than it does on the Samsung. Really, the only major objective advantage the Samsung has over the Vizio is viewing angle, as plasma screens tend to blow LCD screens away in this metric.

Blacks & Whites

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Simply because the Vizio E321VL is an LCD screen, we expected it to perform at a significantly worse level than the plasma comparison models, but it's scoring is bad even for LCD screens. The PN51D450 is the hands-down winner in this one.

Color Accuracy

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Both the Vizio E321VL and the Samsung PN51D450 haev very similar color performance, showing very little perceptible color temperature error, and recording a similarly-rated RGB performance to the PN51D540.

Motion

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The PN51D450 was clearly much better than the E321VL in motion performance, as it didn't share its artifacting or smoothness issues.

Viewing Effects

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Due to the nature of the differing screen technologies, you can expect the Vizio E321VL to have a much smaller viewing angle, as this is common with LCD screens. The PN51D450, being a plasma screen, has a comparatively massive viewing angle, and is a better choice if this metric is among your chief buying criteria.

Connectivity

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Both TVs have a similar amount of ports and no internet connectivity, so you really can't go wrong with either in this regard. There's no major upside to either over the other.

Conclusion

The Samsung PN51D450 ($799 MSRP) is a fairly overpriced buy for those looking for a 51-inch screen. Due to its inappropriately small native resolution of 720p and large size, picture quality suffers immensely.

The PN51D450 does have its bright spots, however, as its black and white performance is outstanding. Still, this isn't enough to excuse the terrible resolution problems it suffers, and it may be better to pass on this TV unless you are looking for a big screen to put behind a bar or at a huge distance away from a viewer.

Model Series Comparison

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The Samsung PNxxD450 series has two TVs: the PN43D450 and the PN51D450, as listed below. Both are 720p plasma HDTVs, with similar features.

Photo Gallery

{{photo_gallery "Front Tour Image", "Back Tour Image", "Sides Tour Image", "Stand Photo", "Controls Photo", "Remote Control Photo", "Connectivity Tour Image 1", "Connectivity Tour Image 2", "Connectivity Extra Photo", "Menu Main Photo", "Menu 2 Photo", "Internet Features 1 Photo", "Internet Features 2 Photo", "Internet Features 3 Photo", "Local Media Playback 1 Photo", "Local Media Playback 2 Photo"}}

Ratings & Specs

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