Samsung UN60D8000

Value Comparison

The TC-P50VT30 is Panasonic’s top-of-the-line plasma TV and the Samsung UN60D8000 is Samsung’s top-of-the-line LED LCD. They’re both very strong TVs and you won’t be disappointed with the picture quality. We think Panasonic plasmas offer the best 3D experience right now, but that’s not saying much because we hate 3D. The Samsung’s interface and streaming content is undoubtedly better. The Panasonic has much deeper blacks, while the Samsung has a much brighter screen. Perhaps from that you could surmise that the Panasonic is better suited to an entertainment room with controlled lighting, while the Samsung is better for sunny rooms. Most important, perhaps, is the fact that plasmas are cheaper when you get to the 50+ inches screen size. That’s definitely something to consider.

Core Attributes Comparison
	Samsung UN60D8000	Panasonic Viera TC-P55VT30
Size	60 in.	55 in.
General Type	LCD	Plasma
Format	1080p	1080p

Blacks & Whites

The Panasonic TC-P50VT30 is a plasma TV that offers a much deeper black. However, the peak whites are significantly dimmer than the Samsung UN60D8000, resulting in a narrower contrast ratio.

Color Accuracy

The Panasonic VT30 offers a near-perfect color temperature has a more uniform response curve across all three channels, which the Samsung UN60D8000’s blue channel is a little long in the shadows and short in the mid-tones and highlights. However, the Panasonic gets a little uneven in the highlights, which creates color banding.

Color Temperature Comparison
Samsung UN60D8000 (Score: 6.97)
Panasonic Viera TC-P55VT30 (Score: 9.68)

RGB Comparison
Samsung UN60D8000 (Score: 8.01)
Panasonic Viera TC-P55VT30 (Score: 7.83)

Motion

The Samsung UN60D8000 is a little stronger in the motion performance, thanks to the motion processing features that can smooth out artifacts. Without it, the Samsung has as many artifacts as any LCD. As a plasma, the Panasonic is naturally smoother, but susceptible to its own artifacts that it offers no way of overcoming.

Motion Scores
	Samsung UN60D8000	Panasonic Viera TC-P55VT30
Motion Score

Viewing Effects

The Panasonic VT30 has a far wider viewing angle than the Samsung UN60D8000.

Viewing Angle Comparison
Samsung UN60D8000: 2.93	Panasonic Viera TC-P55VT30: 7.94

Connectivity

The Panasonic VT30 has one fewer composite AV input, but adds an SD card slot that can you take from the camera straight to the TV.

Connectivity Comparison
	Samsung UN60D8000	Samsung PN59D8000	Sony KDL-46HX729	Panasonic TC-P55VT30
HDMI	4	4	4	4
Component	1	2	1	1
Composite	2	2	1	1
S-Video	0	0	0	0
VGA	1	1	1	1
Analog Audio In	3	2	3	2
Digital Audio Out	1	1	1	1
Analog Audio Out	1	0	1	0
Ethernet	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Wi-Fi	Yes (Included)	Yes (Included)	Yes (Included)	Yes (Included)
USB	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Memory Card Types	None	None	None	SD/SDHC/SDXC
DLNA	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

Other Comparisons

The Panasonic VT30 remains the TV to beat for 3D performance. It’s only winning by a slim margin now, as the Samsung UN60D8000 did much better than we expected, but Panasonic continues to offer a more immersive experience. That is to say, there are fewer breakdowns in the 3D effect.