Samsung PN51E530A3 Plasma HDTV Review

Performance

The E530 series is one of the simplest of Samsung's 2012 line-up. Where plasmas are concerned, deep blacks, good motion performance, and consistent picture dynamics win the day. With a contrast ratio over 3000:1, the low-end E530 has plenty of white/black differentiation. This strong contrast is also maintained where dynamics are concerned. We hoped for accurate color production as well--for $1000, a TV this plain had better deliver good performance. While its color gamut is one of the best we've seen this year, it showed us blurry motion with mild shape trailing and no way to correct it through motion smoothing. Despite this unfortunate drawback, we feel that the E530's strengths outweigh its flaws.