Samsung PN59D7000

Black Level (11.49)

Plasma televisions are famed for a deep black level, and the Samsung PN59D7000 doesn’t disappoint at 0.02 cd/m². What’s more, when the TV notices it’s displaying an all-black screen, it will drop the light level even further. This can either be good or bad, depending on your preference. More on how we test black level.

Read Reviews of Comparison Products
Samsung PN59D8000	Panasonic Viera TC-P55VT30	Sony Bravia KDL-46HX729

Peak Brightness (5.27)

A peak luminance of 124.69 cd/m² is dim, but surprisingly bright for a plasma. We’re pleased to see that brightness has improved, and curious why the more expensive PNxxD8000 series does not get these results. More on how we test peak brightness.

Contrast (9.70)

Plasma TVs usually have an acceptable level of contrast by taking the ratio of a great black level with an awful peak brightness. The Samsung PN59D7000 hits it out of the park with its typically great black level, combined with a medium brightness level. The resulting ratio of over 6,000:1 might even begin to approach the consistently fabricated numbers that TV manufacturers list under their specs! More on how we test contrast.

Tunnel Contrast (9.57)

Our tunnel contrast test measures the black level of a solid black rectangle surrounded by white. As the rectangle shrinks, plasma TVs usually have trouble maintaining a good black level, because the plasma technology makes it difficult to keep black areas from being washed out by adjacent bright areas. The steep drop on the chart below is, therefore, typical. More on how we test tunnel contrast.

White Falloff (6.00)

Our white falloff test is an inverted version of tunnel contrast, presenting a white box on black. Representing other side of this same problem intrinsic to plasmas, the brightness of the rectangle dims as it’s surrounded by darkness. More on how we test white falloff.

Uniformity (9.63)

The screen was supremely uniform. A completely white screen showed virtually no discernible defect in smoothness, even at its edges. A black screen exhibited slight flashlighting at its extreme edges, but it was impossible to notice except by looking at a mostly-black screen for a long period of time. You will notice it even less on an all-black screen, since auto-dimming turns off the screen luminance entirely when it notices that the screen is entirely black. More on how we test white falloff.

Greyscale Gamma (10.00)

Greyscale gamma, the progression with which black shifts to white, was fabulous on the Samsung PN59D7000. It had a perfect slope of 2.15, smack dab in between the ideal range of 2.10 to 2.20. This means that the transition is exactly as fast as it ought to be. There is a very small tail at the end, that could indicate loss of shadow detail, but it is not very significant. Additionally, the flatness of the white end means that you might actually lose details in bright areas, an uncommon problem for TVs. The only thing you might have to worry about are the jags in the curve: they could indicate color banding in gradients of these shades. More on how we test greyscale gamma.

Other Models in the PNxxD7000 Series
For more information on other models in this series, check our Series Comparison Page.
Samsung PN51D7000 51 in.	Samsung PN64D7000 64 in.