The Samsung PS64F8500 is yet another extremely impressive plasma television from the Korean manufacturer, representing the boldest (and forgive us for saying it, but brightest) move yet from the company when it comes to plasma. It’s without a doubt the best flat-screen TV they’ve ever produced, and it’s a very strong rival to Panasonic’s own gas-and-phosphor-powered Viera HDTVs. Relative to what the Japanese brand is doing, the F8500 offers much of the same quality – and also some strengths of its own – for a good amount less. In the UK, the PS64F8500 has very little competition, given that the only comparably-sized panel being brought to these shores is the Panasonic TX-P65VT65B, which is some £600 more expensive. That move could mean that Samsung dominate huge-screen plasma sales in the United Kingdom (which admittedly is not likely to be a gigantic market). However, for some users, the cost savings are dented slightly when you remember that calibration is more necessary on the PS64F8500 due to its less impressive out-of-the-box greyscale tracking (although this varies from unit to unit, and we’d always recommend getting it done regardless).
On the whole, we were very happy indeed with the PS-64F8500′s performance. It produces outstanding picture quality with extreme contrast performance (deep blacks and very bright whites) commonly only seen on prototype OLED TVs, which will have astronomical price tags when they finally become available at this screen size (hell, given the constantly missed shipping dates for OLED panels, maybe we should be saying “IF they become available at this screen size”). Its greyscale, gamma and colour accuracy are all first-rate, and its handling of SD content is the industry’s best – and it’s here now.
It isn’t entirely free of quirks, however, and while those mean we can’t technically label the PS64F8500 a “reference level” product, please do keep in mind that it’s only a hair’s breadth away. We have a hard time imagining the few small issues we found being deal-breakers for too many people, especially when you consider the image quality and value for money on offer. The improvements which Samsung have been making to their plasmas in recent years are astonishing, and that’s before you consider the rate the improvements have been coming at. In fact, by promoting largely the bright whites, but being quieter about the incredibly deep blacks, Samsung have underpromised and overdelivered with this display. We strongly recommend you check the PS64F8500 out if you’re looking for a top-grade, large-sized HDTV.