Wall full of beautiful
Careful with that Samsung E530 - you'll pop somebody's eyes out
The Samsung PS51E530A3R is a great TV if you just want a large screen without 3D capability and Internet or Smart TV functions. The 51-inch plasma TV is highly affordable and features Full HD resolution of 1920x1080 pixels.
It uses high-gloss panel with Real Black and Clear Image Panel technology to display high-definition movies with good, sharp details that contrast well against the deep black picture. The motion pictures are also smooth and clear with its 600Hz Subfield Motion technology.
It comes with only two HDMI ports and one USB 2.0 port. The former should be sufficient if you use an HD home-theatre receiver as a centre for all HD signals.
Samsung says the E530 has a digital tuner of the DVB-T/C type, but I haven’t tried it because so far there’s been no terrestrial digital broadcast.
The TV doesn’t look bulky. It’s about 56mm thick and with its stand weighs just over 22 kilograms.
I like the glossy screen that reminds me of the old CRT sets. Viewed in a dark or dimly lit room, there’s no problem with light reflecting off the glossy panel.
Nor does this new model have a problem with heat like the older sets. Standing in front of it, I could feel little heat. The E530 consumes about 186 watts of power.
It’s equipped with technology to prevent “screen burn” from logos or static pictures, another drawback with older plasma TVs.
You get three picture modes – Dynamic, Standard and Movie, with advanced settings for the last two. Among the advanced settings, you can adjust the colour space, white balance, gamma, dynamic contrast, flesh tones and motion lightning to suit your surroundings best. There are also Film Mode and Game Mode, the latter for use with a game console.
The sound is good with modes including Standard, Music, Movie, Clear Voice and Amplify as well as SRS TruSurround HD.
The E530 has as suggested retail price of Bt26,990. I got mine for 10 per cent less during a promotion, though the 7-per-cent VAT put the price at Bt24,291. I signed up for a 10-month interest-free instalment plan with 5-per-cent cash back from Krungsri Credit Card, so the deal was really good.
I’m enjoying watching full-HD movies from my ViVo Legacy on the TV. The picture is sharp and clear with great colour and deep blacks. And hi-def viewing from HBO, Fox Movies, ESPN, National Geographic and iConcerts look great on the E530 too, a pleasure to watch for hours on end.
Key specs
_ Screen: 51-inch plasma, 1920x1080 pixels
_ Audio: 10wx2 sound output (RM
_ Ports: Two HDMI, one USB, one headphone set, one component, one composite in, one optical out, one scart, one RF in, one DVI Audio in
_ Tuners: Analogue, DVB-T/C
_ Dimension: 1187.8x706.6x56mm
_ Weight 22.1kg with stand, 19.6kg without
