Samsung PN63A760

Theres nothing understated about the design of the PN63A760. Aside from the fact that its a God awfully large television, you have the fact that the top and bottom edges of the frame bear a red tinge that fades to black closer to the screen. Unlike other red tinted "Touch of Color" models, this Samsung goes one better with a stand thats also tinted red. And, as always, if you dont like red on this TV, youre out of luck.

Samsung doesnt make any other colors for its high end plasmas. Were not the biggest fans of this design, but we can see how some people might like the red, and its subtle enough to blend in without drawing too much attention, especially in a dark room. That stand swivels, which takes some serious support on a TV this large.

Including the stand, the Samsung PN63A760 measures 60.3 inches wide by 39.6 inches tall by 16.5 inches deep and weighs a prodigious 185 pounds. Chop off the stand for wall mounting and the panel measures 60.3 inches wide by 36.7 inches tall by 3.9 inches deep and weighs 146 pounds. It goes without saying that youll want to have a professional mount this massive television.

Samsungs glossy, fingerprint magnet remote control is the same as the one included with other higher end models, and its principal standout feature is a rotating, iPod esque scroll wheel that can be used for everything from menu navigation to changing the volume. Were not fans of the wheel its either too jumpy or not responsive enough, depending on how quickly you crank it so we preferred simply clicking it to get around.

Orange back lighting illuminates most keys, and we did like the remotes general layout, which features distinct groups of buttons that are differentiated well. However, we didnt like the lack of a dedicated button to change aspect ratios. To adjust aspect ratio, youll have to enter the menu system. We are fans of Samsungs 2008 TV menus. Big, legible type overlays almost the entire picture, and text explanations accompany just about every item.

Drilling down is a logical process and most everything is easy to find, although were a bit baffled by the logic of which items belong in the "Picture Options" submenu versus which ones get dumped into "Detailed Settings." The A760 menus get a different stylistic treatment from other Samsung systems weve seen this year, sporting a colorful trim that fades to black along the top and bottom edges.

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