Tour & Design
The front of the PN58B550 has the same clean, simple design as the other models Samsung announced this year, with a stand made of aluminum and glass. There are some differences from the other models, though; the bezel is slightly wider than the more expensive 7 and 8 models, and the glass panel has a more rounded edge. You can see this detail better in the close up below.
*The Samsung PN58B550
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The edge of the Samsung PN58B550 has a rounded edge
We weren't able to get a photo of the back of the PN58B550, as the back of many of their new models were veiled in secrecy.
On the left side is a recessed indentation that contains the side ports. There are no major features on the right side, but you can see the interesting profile of the back; the display is about 3 inches deep.
Caption
The stand has the same styling as all of Samsung's 2009 line, with a large piece of aluminum forming the base plate, and a glass pillar holding up the main part of the screen. It's a very attractive look that makes the panel look rather like it is floating on air.
The stand of the PN58B550
The PN58B550 has the same clean, stylish design as the other models in the 2009 lineup, and we like it; the glass pillar gives the illusion of the panel floating on air.
The 58-inch PN58B550 (bottom) and the 40-inch PN40B550 (top)
Performance Features
Display Size & Technology
The PN58B550 is built around a 58-inch plasma panel. Samsung told us that this is the same panel that is used in some of their 2008 models; only the more expensive 7 and 8 series plasmas get the newer panel.
Caption
Format & Resolution
The panel is a Full HD panel, so it has 1920 by 1080 pixels and can handle a 1080p signal without having to scale or process it down to fit.
Brightness, Blacks & Contrast Ratio
There were no specific figures for the technical specifications of the panel released by Samsung, so we don't know the details here. However, as it uses last year's panel, it won't have some of the new innovations that are on the 7 and 8 series, such as the extended contrast range and the deeper black. And this was definitely visible on the model that we looked at; the blacks were definitely not as deep as the more expensive models.
Refresh Rate & Motion
All of Samsung's plasma models use 600Hz sub-field processing, and the PN58B550 has the same. This shouldn't be confused with the refresh rate of LCD HDTVs; plasmas use a different form of processing and screen updating, and the two aren't comparable. In sub-field processing, the plasma display divides the screen up into different areas, and updates them in between frames of video to make motion smoother and to compensate for a problem called dynamic false contouring, where the process of updating the screen creates false areas of color.
Viewing Angle
Plasma HDTVs generally have excellent viewing angles, and the PN58B550 looked to follow this trend; both contrast and colors remained strong to very wide angles.
Connectivity & Media
Audio & Video Ports
We were not able to get behind the TV and find out how many ports there were, but we were able to work out the ports on the side; there is a single USB port, one HDMI port and a composite and analog audio input. That's a reasonable selection that should allow for connecting cameras, camcorders and other devices.
Media & Other Connectivity
Although it has a USB port for connecting devices such as thumb drives or USB hard drives, the PN58B550 only has limited capabilities to display the media they contain. It can play music or show photos that are stored as JPEG files, but it can't play back videos. Also missing is the media streaming capabilities that we've seen on many other displays this year; it cannot play back YouTube videos or display other Internet content. It also does not support the DLNA standard, so it can't play back media from these devices.
Placement
The ports on the left side are well located; it should be easy to reach around and plug in a device by touch.
Audio
Details on the speakers on the PN58B550 were not available, and we were not able to test the ones on the pre-production unit that we looked at.
Controls, Menu & Remote
Remote
The remote that will come with the PN58B550 was not available for testing.
Controls
Because the model we looked at was a pre-production unit, we were not able to access the controls. However, Samsung did tell us that they are planning on using their now-standard touch-screen controls on the bottom right corner of the front.
Menu
Because the model we looked at was a pre-production unit, we were not able to access the on-screen menus.
Conclusion
The PN58B550 is at the bottom of the scale in terms of features, but this is also likely to be reflected in price. We don't have any details on pricing yet, but it is likely to be significantly cheaper than the Series 7 and 8 plasma models that Samsung announced at the same time. And, for users that don't care about the features that you loose for the lower price (such as the media streaming and Internet@TV features), it will be worth considering to save money. But it is also worth remembering that this is pretty much last year's model in new clothes, so the price difference between this and the models with the upgraded panel will be the critical criteria.
Meet the tester
Richard Baguley is a veteran writer who has written about technology ranging from Alphabet to Zip file utilities. He has contributed to pretty much every major tech publication, including Amiga Format Magazine, PC World, Wired, CNET, Toms Guide, Forbes, and many others. He lives in the Boston metro area with his wife, dog, and an indeterminate number of cats.
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