Our Verdict
Without a doubt, Samsung has created the best plasma TV for use in bright rooms. The Samsung F8500 Plasma TV can get almost twice as bright as the competitors while still maintaining a respectable black. There is pretty much no downside to this TV. If it is within your budget, it is a no-brainer.
- Brighter than any plasma. It is the only plasma that can be put in a bright room.
- Good anti-glare filter with very few reflections.
- Low input lag.
- Although its blacks are good, they aren't as good as in equivalent models from Panasonic.
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Test Results
The F8500 has deep blacks and good detail in the shadows. However, it is about the same as the lower-end models from Samsung. Also, the Panasonic ST60 performs slightly better in a dark environment for a significantly lower price.
The horizontal viewing angle is really good, but its vertical one is limited by its anti glare filter to about 30°.
When setting the input type to PC, the input lag of the F8500 is very low.