My six-year-old Pioneer 435HDE plasma conked out, that's why I bought the Samsung PS51D8080 plasma. Turned out that it was the Pioneer receiver that was bust, so I brought it to Pioneer in Bruegg and they replaced the main board for CHF300, so now I have both.

No burn-in on the Pioneer at all and I'll bet the picture is as good as it was new, which was and still is outstanding, but if asked to compare the two, I'd have to answer "different". Comparing the two, the Pioneer was 7k new and the Samsung is 1.6k, however the electronics tricks of the Samsung are so far advanced beyond the Pioneer it's silly, and I couldn't believe the Samsung's low price.

Yesterday I got the Cablecom DigiCard and set it up in the Samsung. The DigiCard/Samsung PS51D8080 combo blows the Cablecom STB off the map in picture and sound quality and gives you the whole palette of menus and tricks missing from the STB. Before I had to take what the STB delivered, now the Samsung takes the signal out of the wall and serves it up in various option for me to choose. I also bought a 750GB USB HDD for CHF66.- to plug directly in the Samsung for recording.

Yes, in the reviews, I read a pile of them, the Panasonic VT30 may edge the Samsung D8000 series slightly in some aspects of the image, though you can apparently tweak the Samsung to match, but in terms of the whole package, the Samsung whupped up on the Panasonic...and the Panasonic costs more.

good one! I think there is hardly any meaningful difference between the V and the G - only stuff like the sound quality and built in wi-fi, and the G is a lot more affordable.

I haven't thought about that! Was always annoyed with the quality of the cablecom box, so I have been investing in rather expensive satellite set up. Could you get the whole cablecom package including teleclub and sports like this as well?

Agreed. But not completely.
Power consumption is one area in which the V is far better.
The others I did not really check.

I got the Digicard Comfort, which is about everything, don't know about Teleclub though. It's listed, but I don't know how it would be decoded.

Check it out here:

http://www.upc-cablecom.ch/en/b2c/tv/comfort.htm

http://www.upc-cablecom.ch/en/b2c/tv...t&regionstyp=2

BTW, looks like Cablecom has taken a warp jump since UPC took over, but I would advise going to one of their Service points for your transactions:

http://www.upc-cablecom.ch/en/b2c/su...vicepoints.htm

I just checked it out - seems that everything is available, and only everything. Which means that there is no option for the most basic (cheaper) package.

Anyway, more of a problem right now is that some of the TV's mentioned here have only a single tuner, so you cannot record while watching another. I have not found a TV with twin tuners yet...

No, there is the Mini version of the DigiCard, zero subscription charge and the same CHF99.- card purchase price. You have to buy the card on any of the three channel packages.

http://www.upc-cablecom.ch/en/b2c/tv...uebersicht.htm

...as for the TV's, yeah, seems all have one tuner, but at least there is a USB HDD recording option direct from the TV.

Plasma burn in IS still a bit of an issue albeit nowhere near as bad as they used to be and plasma still has a very finite life.

It is still recommended to keep the brightness and colour contrast way down for the first 100 or so hours or you will dramatically reduce your display's life.

You can fire a static single colour source at them to reverse burn in most times anyway (can't remember what colour tho...lol)

For J_T these stttings are a good start point with Samsung:

http://www.ehow.com/how_5171662_cali...sung-hdtv.html

Thanks for the tips, just about to start on that segment.

...as for plasma screens, I have heard/read all about that, but my 6 year-old Pioneer plasma never showed a hint of burn-in, ghosting or what not with a lot of hours on it, and the screen image doesn't appear to have degraded at all over this time, but now it has been retired to the bedroom where it won't have to work so hard or be viewed so critically, Samsung's turn in the spotlight now.

i just got this PS51D8080 yesterday, does your one make a humming sound?

While watching Lotr, when there would be bright light scenes the humming increases, but for low light its not that noticeable. It really sucks, watching a slow motion bright scene to only be ruined by the humming sound

how do you calibrate the TV, found any good tunning settings?

sounds like a capacitor in the TV's internal power supply is broken. During bright scenes the screen draws a lot of power, corrupting the what should have been clean power supply for the TV's audio part. What also could be is that the power wire to the wall plug is too long. Or maybe this looks familiar ?

i do have about 3-4 plugs in one strip.

i will remove it and see if that works.

also i got these magnet clamps, u put one on the power cord.

i tried plugging it into its own outlet, then plugging it in to another outlet far away, still makes that sound on bright scenes. Was watching Lord of the RIngs, any bright scenes it gets louder, the sound is always there.

I might call Samsung, i dont like this at all...

Sorry, think I have the same Samsung model and I have no such noises, either through the built-in speakers or the external cinema sound system.

Thanks,

this sound is coming from the actual unit,

behind the tv top right side.. its so annoying. i sent an email to samsung, no one speaks english when i call the swiss helpline. Ich lerne deutch

Also i called the UK, but they cant help me, they are in UK only.

The humming sound - so, if it is not emited by the speakers that it might be a coil either in the power supply or in a unit driving the display.
If this is this kind of a problem then actually the part needs to be replaced as this is mechanical issue - some loose wire winding or core.

Mine is still silent as a ghost, just a couple of muted clicks when turned on.