Really happy I found this thread. Was eyeing the 51H4500/51H4900 at SM Appliances last Saturday due to their low price (sub-30k) but was disappointed with the resolution - 720p on a 51" panel really showed the pixels even at a distance. Because of this I dejectedly decided to go for an edge-lit LED panel either from Samsung or Sony, and at a smaller size of 40". Wasn't really looking for a feature-rich TV, just wanted one with excellent picture quality and color rendition.
Buti nalang I didn't jump the gun and decided to trawl the net for local TV reviews - which is when I found this thread. I didn't know Samsung had a full HD PDP available locally since it was only SM Appliances that I looked at in passing, but boy was I enthused about it. Long story short it took me just overnight to decide on getting a 51H5000 since I really wanted a plasma over an edge-lit LED unit - it's either plasma or OLED (but the price difference is worlds apart). Called Abenson Greenhills Sunday morning, it was mine (along with a Samsung 28H4100) for the regular price of Php39,997 in the afternoon. I could've gotten it for only 32k but the 28" LED TV for 8k was a steal, and a good upgrade for my in-law's CRT oldie.
Really, really happy. Also inputted the calibration settings from AVS Forum (
http://www.avsforum.com/forum/167-plasma-flat-panel-displays/1503133-samsung-pn51f5300-what-little-gem-i1pro-calibration-results-inside-33.html - North American counterpart). It's staggeringly good for the price - color rendition is excellent, black levels are really deep, and motion blur is nonexistent and comparable to gaming monitors a step below the best. Another relative wanted to buy one almost immediately upon finding out its price! And this is a guy who has screens in every room of his house (nothing less than 40") with varying technologies (I dunno he collects?) like his rear-projection TV from the 90s to his pride and joy - a 78" curved Samsung Series 9.
Really really happy. I've no need for 3D or any of that Smart TV crap that gets obsolete almost immediately with nonexistent support so the 51H5000 really fits my needs. It sucks though that connectivity was skimped on (to cut costs) but dang, nothing comes close in terms of raw performance (except probably for OLED which costs an arm, a leg, and probably one of my balls).
If you can afford one, get it. I mean it. And thanks to the community for providing a lot of info on pricing, good deals, and tech info which really helped get the ball rolling for me to get the 2014 version of the 51F5000.
One question though, which I'm not sure if it has been answered before in this thread - is the pixel layout pentile on the 51H5000, or a regular RGB stripe?