Samsung PN51E8000 3D Smart Plasma HDTV Review

Resolution & Formats

The Samsung PN51E8000 is a 3D, Smart, 1080p, plasma HDTV. It supports all NTSC resolutions and formats.

Viewing Angle

Despite not having the largest contrast ratio, this plasma's off-center viewing result was outstanding. We test each TV to see how well its contrast holds up as viewing is done further and further from 90°, or looking straight on. The E8000's contrast doesn't drop below 50% of total even at 89.97° off center; that's almost a full, 180° total viewing angle (which is impossible, of course). The comparison plasmas we pulled already had impressive viewing angles, but the E8000 beat 'em all. We haven't seen this result since the Insignia NS-42P650A11.

Pack as many blokes as you can into the room; everyone will have perfect contrast, unless they're watching from behind the TV.

Motion Performance

We were disappointed by the motion performance result we saw for Samsung's entry-level E530, and unfortunately, that's only been slightly improved upon in the E8000. We slide complex photographs--faces, hatched brickwork, intricate brushed metal details--as well as barred montages of pixels across a TV's screen to see how well it preserves detail during motion. While there was no artifacting or shape/color trailing, lines of detail blurred just enough to be noticeable during the E8000's motion test.

We'd hope for perfect motion from a flagship plasma, but it seems like Samsung's motion technology is still playing catch-up to their impressive interfacing features.

Screen Uniformity

Smooth all-white, all-black screens from center to corners. The only problem with this plasma's uniformity has everything to do with it being a plasma. Like the ES8000, the E8000 has embedded microphones and a built-in camera at the top-center of its bezel. Unlike the ES8000, it's a thicker TV (due to being a plasma) with more bezel around its face plate. This extra bezel causes some shadowing along the edges of the screen during bright content.

Bezel shadow aside, the E8000 has great uniformity.