The Samsung PN58B860 is Samsung’s flagship Plasma HDTV model. Although its picture quality is not as impressive as the Panasonic TC-P58V10, it is still an excellent HDTV with many great features, proving that Plasmas are still in the race.

Design. LCD sets are currently considered more stylish pieces but the Samsung PN58B860 begs to differ with a striking design of its own, a design which can be summed up in one word - thin. Indeed, it is ultra-thin, measuring only 1.2 inches thick at most and its glossy black bezel which has no Touch of Color and few interruptions is slim, too. The same goes for its transparent outer edge which has just the right luster. Its stand is transparent for the most part but sturdy, while able to swivel both ways for convenient viewing.

Picture Quality. Picture quality is one of the strengths of Plasma sets, which is why it is not surprising the PN58B860 delivers amazing images across its screen, images made sharp and realistic with inky blacks combined with highly accurate, saturated colors thanks to its advanced Wide Color Enhancer. Reflections in bright environments are at a minimum, too.

Video Processing. The images on the PN58B860 remain clear and crisp no matter what the video source is or regardless of how fast the sequence is going, since it comes with a 600Hz Subfield drive and a MotionPlus dejudder processing system with its Cinema Smooth Mode.

Interactive Features. As expected from a flagship Plasma model, the PN58B860 offers various interactive features to justify its cost. These include Yahoo widgets to keep you updated on news, weather and stock market updates, and access to Twitter, Flickr photos and YouTube videos. Network streaming is also provided, which means you can access the media files from your networked computers and enjoy them using your HDTV. There is a built-in library of fun content, too, like recipes, children’s activities and fitness routines.

Picture Settings. If you’re not satisfied with the initial picture quality of the PN58B860, there are a few tweaks you can try. In fact, there are several picture settings at your disposal, including four adjustable picture modes, four aspect ratio selections and five color temperature presets. If you feel confident about tweaking the picture yourself, you will find the on-screen menu very easy to use but if not, you can also hire a professional calibrator who can also work with the Day/Night mode that comes with the PN58B860.

Power Consumption. The Samsung PN58B860 also comes with an Eco Mode, in which the light output is slightly lower than the other picture modes for less power consumption. There are also three power-saving modes to keep this Samsung HDTV energy efficient, though not enough to rival LCD sets, particularly those which use LEDs.

Connectivity. The Samsung PN58B860 offers great connectivity, too, highlighted by no less than four HDMI inputs arranged neatly on the rear panel, a component video input and a VGA-style PC input. Like other models, the component video can be converted into composite if you prefer. Even so, however, the options for analog connections are still limited. For convenient media sharing from portable devices, two USB ports are provided.

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