The Samsung FPT5084 50 in Plasma HDTV is capable of creating a display that is a true (1080p) high definition picture. The widescreen TV is Samsung's first venture into the 1080 hd market. Typically, plasmas have had issues displaying dark blacks. However, this television does a pretty decent job. In my opinion, the FP-T5084 is definitely on par or better than many of the plasmas being sold today.

Although the picture quality is pretty good right out of the box, some adjustment was needed to achieve the best possible picture. Luckily, the Samsung FPT5084 provides plenty of picture controls that are user friendly. Once adjusted, the Samsung delivers a bright and colorful picture. The HDTV is able to manage a broad color range equally well.

The Samsung FPT5084 HDTV is sleek and visually pleasing. Samsung has placed the speakers (hidden) to the side of the 50 inch screen, as opposed to the bottom. This makes the panel shorter and wider, which, in turn, makes it easier on the eyes. The sides of the TV also consist of chrome colored strips, which curve towards the outside of the TV and conceal the hidden speakers. The top and bottom frame of the Samsung FPT5084 is thin for a plasma of 50 inches. The bottom panel includes Samsung's logo and blue light. However, this particular feature can be turned off.

The Samsung FTP5084 Plasma is a quality television that is recommended to someone who is looking for an affordable 1080p HD set. Samsung has done a lot of things right, even if it is not perfect. I would like to see a screen that better reduces glare and better processing of non-hd programming, but these are in no way a deal breaker.

Hopefully Samsung will address these issues with their next set. Overall, I was extremely pleased with the performance of the Samsung FPT5084 and believe that it is a great buy.

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HDTV is all the rage these days, but very few people really know what HDTV is. Here's a FAQ that answers the most common HDTV questions.

What is HDTV?

HDTV (high definition TV) is a television broadcast medium that uses digital technology to create super-sharp images. HDTV is broadcast in widescreen format and Dolby Digital audio producing a lifelike picture and CD quality sound.

What are the benefits of HDTV?

The benefits of HDTV are:
* Lifelike picture - HDTV images are twice as sharp as standard analog TV.
* More colorful images - HDTV images look more realistic than analog TV.
* Three-dimensional sound - HDTV is broadcast in Dolby Digital surround sound.
* Movie theater picture - HDTV is broadcast in a 16:9 aspect ratio just like a move screen.
* Less interference - HDTV signals do not produce snow, lines, or ghosting.

What equipment do I need to get HDTV?

In order to receive HDTV you need an HDTV compatible television and an HDTV antenna or satellite TV dish.

Where do I get HDTV equipment?

You can purchase tube, plasma, or LCD HDTV televisions through your local electronics store or discount store, or you can buy them online through a number of discount retailers. HDTV antennas are also available through these retailers.

Satellite dishes and HDTV receivers are available through DISH Network, DIRECTV, and Sky Angel. DISH Network and DIRECTV will give you a free dish and a free HDTV receiver when you subscribe to their satellite TV service (click on the links below for more information).

Where can I get HDTV programming?

HDTV programming is available through over-the-air networks or through DISH Network, DIRECTV, and Sky Angel.
DISH Network subscription prices start at $19.99 per month for 40 satellite TV channels. DIRECTV prices start at $29.99 per month for 155 channels. And Sky Angel prices start at $14.99 per month for 20 channels.
Visit http://www.TheSatelliteTVGuide.com/dish-network-hdtv.htm for more DISH Network HDTV information, ordering information, and their latest special offers. Click on the following link for more DIRECTV HDTV information.
The author, Brian Stevens, is the senior editor for TheSatelliteTVGuide.com and has written extensively on HDTV.

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The expansion of hdtv is High-definition television. The hdtv means television signals broadcast with a higher resolution than traditional formats like NTSC, SÉCAM, PAL. The hdtv is broadcasted digitally, except for early analog formats in Europe and Japan.

Historically, the term high-definition television was also used to refer to television standards developed in the 1930s to replace the early experimental systems, although, not so long afterwards, Philo T. Farnsworth, John Logie Baird and Vladimir Zworkin had each developed competing TV systems but resolution was not the issue that separated their substantially different technologies. It was patent interference lawsuits and deployment issues given the tumultuous financial climate of the late 20's and 30's. Most patents were expiring by the end of WW2 leaving the market wide open and no worldwide standard for television agreed upon. The world used analog PAL, NTSC, SECAM and other standards for over half a century.

The terms HD ready and HD compatible are being used around the industrial world for marketing purposes. They indicate that a TV or display is able to accept video over an HDMI connection, using a new connector design, the main purpose of which seems to be to ensure that digital video is only passed over an interface which, by agreement, incorporates copyright protection. Even HD-ready sets do not necessarily have enough pixels to display video to the 1080-line (1920x1080) or 720-line (1280x720) HD standards in full resolution without interpolation, and HD-compatible sets are often just standard-definition sets with an HDMI input. This is a confusing use of the terms HD and hdtv.

MPEG-2 is most commonly used as the compression codec for digital hdtv broadcasts. The hdtv is capable of "theater quality" audio because it uses the Dolby Digital (AC-3) format to support "5.1" surround sound.

Japan has the earliest working hdtv system still in use, with design efforts going back to 1979. Japan began broadcasting analog hdtv signals in the early 1990s using an interlaced resolution of 1035 lines (1035i). The Japanese MUSE (Multiple sub-nyquist sampling Encoding) system, developed by NHK Science and Technical Research Laboratories (STRL) in the 1980s, employed filtering tricks to reduce the original source signal to decrease bandwidth utilization.

Japan is forerunner of hdtv in the world. Japan terrestrial broadcast of HD via ISDB-T started in December 2003.

The hdtv transmission in Europe started in 2004. Euro1080 is the pioneer in hdtv transmission in Europe. Australia started HD broadcasting in January 2001.
CHUM Limited's Citytv in Toronto was the first hdtv broadcaster in Canada and CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) officially launched hdtv programming on March 5, 2005.
Mexican television company Televisa experimented hdtv broadcasts in the early 1990s, in collaboration with Japan's NHK.

The hdtv specifications are defined by the ATSC in the United States. An hdtv-compatible TV usually uses a 16:9 aspect ratio display with an integrated ATSC tuner. Lower resolution sources like regular DVDs may be upscaled to the native resolution of the TV.

The hdtv services were made available in the Republic of Korea in 2005 and Brazil is expected to go for it in 2006.

There are numerous online sources carrying volumes of info on plasma hdtv, lcd hdtv, hdtv antenna, hdtv receiver, dlp hdtv, hdtv cables, hdtv tuner etc. Scores of sites are offering hdtv reviews, hdtv articles and hdtv news that are very helpful for the potential customers to buy hdtv.

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