Samsung PS50C6900 review

Fantastic value 3D TV with Freeview HD tuner and web access

Samsung PS50C6900
This plasma TV offers great value for money, however the 3D suffers from some crosstalk

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Samsung ps50c6900

For anyone very keen on 3D but less so on the high price demanded by most suitably equipped TVs, the Samsung PS50C6900 could be a dream come true. It offers 50in of full HD 3D pictures for a mere £1,300 - or quite a bit less, if you look around online.

What's more, this budget 3D offering is no one-trick pony, for as well as that headline-grabbing 3D capability, it's also very easy on the eye, crammed with handy connections and multimedia features, and even enables you to go online with Samsung's impressive Internet@TV platform.

Yet more good news comes with the PS50C6900's 3D performance, which mercifully suffers far, far less from crosstalk noise than any of Samsung's LED/LCD 3D TVs.

The TV doesn't have the best black levels we've seen in the plasma world (we're hoping Samsung's step-up C7000 models might improve this) and nor is it a particularly good standard-definition performer, with evident colour and judder issues.

But with its sound performance proving rather better than expected, it still delivers an awful lot of bang for not very much buck.

We liked

Although not as stylish as some of Samsung's previous TVs, the PS50C6900's has a simple elegance.

Also impressive is how far the TV goes to jack into today's multimedia world and the fact that its 3D pictures aren't spoiled by oppressive amounts of crosstalk noise and even look punchier than you'd expect from a plasma.

It's also a good HD performer, though it's standout feature is its stunningly low price.

We disliked

The PS50C6900 doesn't hit the sort of black level depths we would hope for from a plasma TV these days, and its standard-definition pictures are a little rough around the edges.

There's also a touch more crosstalk during 3D viewing than you get with Panasonic's 3D TVs, but its 3D pictures are eminently watchable and crisp.

Final verdict

While it's certainly possible to find fault with the PS50C6900, it's also got plenty going for it, including pretty looks, tons of connections, copious quantities of multimedia support and, of course, full HD 3D support, all built in with a free pair of glasses to boot.

All of which turns out to be merely an appetiser for that exceptionally affordable price, which makes it easily one of the biggest TV bargains of the year.

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John Archer

AV Technology Contributor

John has been writing about home entertainment technology for more than two decades - an especially impressive feat considering he still claims to only be 35 years old (yeah, right). In that time he’s reviewed hundreds if not thousands of TVs, projectors and speakers, and spent frankly far too long sitting by himself in a dark room.