Samsung UN60D8000

Value Comparison

The Samsung D8000 series is the top of the line for 2011. On the one hand, you have the UN60D8000, an LED-edgelit LCD, and the PN59D8000, a plasma. No matter which you pick, you’ll probably be satisfied because you’re getting the best of the best. Both are 3D, offer the Smart Hub and streaming content packages, and the fancy remote control. There are obvious trade-offs, though. The plasma can’t get nearly as bright but has deeper blacks. The Samsung UN60D8000 is thinner and more energy efficient and has a wider contrast ratio.

Core Attributes Comparison
	Samsung UN60D8000	Samsung PN59D8000
Size	60 in.	59 in.
General Type	LCD	Plasma
Format	1080p	1080p

Blacks & Whites

The Samsung PN59D8000, being a plasma, did the expected thing and produced a much better black level. And again, as expected, the peak brightness was no match for an LCD TV like the Samsung UN60D8000. All in all, the UN60D8000 ended with a wider contrast ratio.

Color Accuracy

The TVs were equally matched in color performance, for the most part. The PN59D8000 was more uniform across all three channels, but showed more banding in the highlights. The Samsung UN60D8000 showed a strange knee in the blue channel, which means you’ll see more details in the shadows but less in the highlights.

Color Temperature Comparison
Samsung UN60D8000 (Score: 6.97)
Samsung PN59D8000 (Score: 6.54)

RGB Comparison
Samsung UN60D8000 (Score: 8.01)
Samsung PN59D8000 (Score: 7.76)

Motion

The Samsung PN59D8000 produced more artifacting in our motion tests than the Samsung UN60D8000. Though plasmas are typically smooth, they’re not perfect. We noticed some slight discoloration and judder, but not much. The Samsung UN60D8000 has a lot of problems, but the Auto Motion Plus feature removes most of them.

Motion Scores
	Samsung UN60D8000	Samsung PN59D8000
Motion Score		0.0

Viewing Effects

The Samsung UN60D8000 has a terribly narrow viewing angle. The Samsung PN59D8000 was unusually narrow for a plasma TV, but still bested the UN60D8000 by quite a bit.

Viewing Angle Comparison
Samsung UN60D8000: 2.93	Samsung PN59D8000: 6.33

Connectivity

The Samsung PN59D8000 features on additional component AV input but are otherwise equally matched.

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 3D performances of these two TVs were very closely matched. This is something of a breakthrough for LCDs, which have lagged behind plasmas in effectively conveying a smooth 3D experience. There was still some crosstalk and foreground figures tended to break the illusion. All in all, though, they’re equally good in this regard.