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When the PN50C8000 is switched off about the only distinguishing detail about its design is the Brushed Titanium Touch of Color bezel which Samsung describes, "as a hint of amber color."

When the thin clear stripe around the edge is added in, the frame is almost 2" wide on the top and sides and 3" on the bottom.

The traditional knobby operational buttons have been replaced by touch sensitive controls on the lower right of the bezel. I applaud the design concept, but I found that trying to actually use the system was a hit or miss process. You are much better served with the remote control.

I'm constantly amazed and pleased at how thin and light plasma TVs have become. In their formative years, I always thought of plasmas as the portly cousins of the svelte LCDs.

At 1.4" deep and 54 pounds (without the stand), the PN50C8000 is no longer the big boned relative. When attached to its stand, you can swivel the TV about 20 degrees front or back, allowing more flexibility when you place it in a room.

The connections for the TV are split between two panels on the back. The vertically aligned panel inset on the left edge supplies four HDMI inputs. The manual states, "This product supports the 3D and ARC (Audio Return Channel) functions via an HDMI cable. Note that the ARC function is supported by the HDMI IN 2(ARC) port only."

Also on the panel are two USB ports (for uploading photos, videos or songs), two Audio Outs (one optical SPDIF digital and one analog stereo minijack) and one PC/DVI analog Audio In (stereo minijack). An Ex-Link connector is for Service use only.

The connectors on the horizontal panel face down and include one set of Component Video (YpbPr) Ins (with matching stereo Audio Ins) and one VGA PC input.

If for diagnostic purposes you wish to run a Composite video signal to the TV, then you can plug the one video cable into the Component Y input. Basically, since the Composite shares one of the Component connectors, it's an either/or setup.

The one RF antenna connector links to integrated ATSC/QAM tuners. Since the tuner system is Clear QAM compatible, you can attach your cable TV signal directly into the RF connector and tune in unscrambled cable stations.

For those concerned about the DTV transition, the ATSC tuner is the key. With the proper antenna, you will be able to tune in digital signals broadcast over the air.

The PN50C8000 supplies a LAN port for connecting to the Internet and your home network. It does not have an integrated wireless adapter. If you want to cut the network cable, you will have to buy the Samsung LinkStick adapter and insert into one of the USB ports.

Once hooked up, you can feast on a veritable buffet of content through Samsung's Internet@TV feature that offers links to providers like Netflix, Blockbuster, Hulu Plus, YouTube, Pandora, and Facebook.

The remote also supplies a Yahoo! button that takes you directly into the world of widgets.

In addition, Samsung is growing its apps store. Some, like Six-Pack Pro, are free, most others, like Yoga Guide, cost under two dollars each.

To spur new app development, Samsung recently sponsored a contest with the winning app awarded $100,000.

With streaming services like Vudu and social networking and gaming apps, you could keep continuously entertained and informed without leaving the comfort of your couch.

This DNLA compatible TV can also tap directly into your home network through the LAN port and stream files from your hard drives or media server. I find this capability so much more convenient than transferring photo, music and video files from the computer to the TV via a USB flash drive.

This TV does supply Picture-in-Picture. But like most TVs that do, you are limited in your picture combinations. One of the sources always must be from the internal TV tuner. For example, you cannot pair two HDMI sources.

As for displaying 3D content from sources like 3D Blu-rays, the PN50C8000 requires that you wear the Samsung branded 3D active shutter glasses.

These are the type that require a battery to operate and are not inexpensive. Samsung is selling them for $149 each.

(The style with rechargeable batteries goes for $199 each.) You can do the math for outfitting family and friends.

For those with a smaller sized noggin, Samsung now sells rechargeable 3D glasses for kids, ($179 each).

As an enticement, Samsung often offers a free starter kit when you buy one of their 3D TVs.

Currently, the package includes the first three Shrek Blu-rays in 3D and two 3D glasses. (Purchased separately, the retail price is $499.)

The remote control is a chameleon that often fakes me out when I try to identify it from the lineup of remotes that I have on my bench. From a certain angle, it takes on that titanium sheen.

But when I look directly at it, the surface is much blacker. And when the remote's backlight is activated, the colorful buttons remind me of a Christmas tree.

As I mentioned, this full featured TV will take some time to explore, but Samsung is one of the best manufacturers in providing well written and well designed documentation.

And not all of it requires you to thumb through a manual. For example, they offer a step by step on-screen tutorial on the process of setting up your Yahoo widgets.

On May 1, 2010, the EPA implemented Version 4.1 of the ENERGY STAR Program Requirements for TVs. They are now publishing a list of TVs that that meet this stricter standard. (You can find it here.) The Samsung PN50C8000 is on the list.

The EPA states that this 50" plasma TV's On Mode Power is a respectable 135W and Standby Power Consumption is .1W.

Based on the formula that the TV is on five hours a day and in Standby for the other 19, the Estimated Annual Energy Use is 247.07 kWh/year.

You need to check your electric bill to see how much you are paying for a kWh. The rate that I have been using in my past reviews is 10.4 cents. Doing the multiplication, at that rate, the yearly energy cost is $25.70.

We should soon begin to see those yellow ENERGY STAR tags attached to 2011 models of TVs. But until they become more common, you will have to study the ENERGY STAR list to see how the PN50C8000 compares to other 50" TVs.

From a quick skim of the chart, I see that its power consumption is about average for plasmas. (The Maximum On Mode Power for Qualification for 50" TVs is 154W.)

LCD TVs don't usually come in the 50" size, but square inch for square inch, LCDs, as a technology, (especially the LED backlit type), are normally more power efficient than plasmas, though that difference has narrowed over the last few years.

For its part, Samsung does provide a few Power Saving options in the Eco Solution sub-menu. One of my favorites is part of the Energy Saving feature.

If you are streaming music on to this TV, there is no reason to keep the power hungry display on. Simply select Picture Off and pinch a few pennies while enjoying Pandora Internet Radio.

I could describe our usual setup procedures and detail the full set of tools that Samsung supplies for tweaking the PN50C8000. Indeed, being a high performance machine, this plasma can be fine tuned to your preferences.

It even offers CAL-DAY and CAL-NIGHT Picture modes for selecting a custom calibrated picture for daylight viewing or a lights off theater experience. (These modes are normally set aside for professional calibrators to adjust to your specific viewing environment.)

With that said, I think for the everyday Patrick and Patricia who just want to sit down and watch their favorite programs, I would suggest that you bypass the whole setup botheration.

Turn on your TV, press the Menu button on the remote, select Mode and from the list pick Movie. Exit out of the menu and you are finished.

The Samsung engineers have done a consistently good job of adjusting the Movie preset to display an accurate image. On the PN50C800, I found that Movie also gave that little extra oomph to the picture.

Of course, if you feel the urge to explore, you can start by sampling the other Picture Modes. You may find another that better suits your eye.

And if you are twitching to tweak further, all the calibration tools are provided to soothe the itch.

Though considering how feature rich this TV is, your time may be better spent connecting to the Internet and customizing your apps and widgets.

I found the process of hooking up to the Internet painless. The hardest part may be running the network cable from your router to the TV. (Or buy the LinkStick wireless adapter.)

I went with the wired solution and the first time I turned on the TV, it had already located my network and attached to it. I had to give it permission to tap into my Windows computer, but that was a one step process.

I don't want to sound cavalier about setting up a network. I know that it can send people into conniption fits. If you are unfamiliar with the process, find someone who is the know. Here's a hint, they are often younger than you.

If the thought still makes you nauseous, remember that the PN50C8000 is a great TV even if you never set up its Internet features. When you are ready to dip your toe into the streaming media waters, it will be waiting.

Now about viewing 3D content, in the normal configuration, you have a 3D enabled Blu-ray player connected with a High Speed HDMI cable to your PN50C8000.

When you insert a 3D Blu-ray, the player should sense it and the connection to your 3D TV and you should automatically see a message telling you to put on your 3D glasses and turn them on.

It should be that straightforward, and it usually is. Occasionally, I have seen a message that states that my TV is not 3D capable. Usually, the problem is solved by turning off both the player and TV and then turning on the TV first and then the player.

One last point, if you look in the Picture Options sub-menu, under Film Mode, you'll find a Cinema Smooth setting. It's only applicable if you are feeding your PN50C8000 a 1080p 24Hz HDMI signal, the native frame rate of movies.

If you turn on Cinema Smooth, then the TV multiplies the 24p content four times to create a 96 Hz output.

On this plasma, Samsung has added a Motion Judder Canceller feature with Standard and Smooth options. They even supply a Demo mode for you to see the effect in action.

The Samsung rep describes, "MJC is a comparable function to Auto Motion Plus in the LED sets and is somewhat the opposite of Cinema Smooth. The plasma is not running at 120 or 240 Hz like with AMP, but the MJC is doing the same motion interpolation for film-based (24-frame) sources so that the set can create a virtual 60-frame source.

"This will eliminate film's inherent motion judder and will increase motion resolution as a result. Admittedly, some might object to this artificial smoothing of film-based sources. In contrast, the ironically-named Cinema Smooth preserves the film-judder that the user would see in a theater."

He noted that MJC works the same on video content, but will likely have little noticeable effect.

I'm one of those guys who objects to the artificial smoothing. As always, I suggest, when you are playing a movie, that you experiment with both Motion Judder Canceller and Cinema Smooth (one at a time) and see what you prefer.