Samsung or Panasonic 3d plasmas?

MCCLIPSE

I just bought my house and I got a brandsmart gift card to use with my rooms to go package and I'm looking at 2 different deals and need opinions. I can get the samsung 3d 50" 1080p plasma with (2) pairs of 3d glasses, the shrek blu rays and some kind of extended 2 year warranty for $1100. This tv can be found here:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Samsung+-+50%22+Class+/+1080p+/+600Hz+/+3D+Plasma+HDTV/1201387.p?id=1218232915584&skuId=1201387

OR

I can get the Panasonic 50" 3d plasma 1080 for $1100 without the glasses or blu rays but with the 2 year warranty.

Here is the link for this TV http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-VIERA-TC-P50GT25-50-inch-Plasma/dp/B0040Q93PI

Now I know that Panasonics have a way better reputation for their plasmas but I like the value of the Samsung package since all I need then is just a 3d bluray player to go along with the 3d channels directv already offers. What would you guys do?

Knucklehead

I own a Panny plasma so from a quality standpoint I would say the Panny. On the other hand both products are very highly rated so it may come down to price.

Earthy

I personally think the 3D technology is not quite there. Too may reports of headaches and strained eyes. I would go for the best picture with the thought that when 3D finally does come of age, you can replace it with a better system. If you like the look of the Samsung then at least you can dabble with 3D now since you get the "free" glasses.

I personally opted for a new Samsung LCD since it uses less energy and puts off less heat. It didn't review as well as the plasmas, but I am perfecty happy with the picture.

Glowrdr

Without having compared the Sammy's - I can at least say that I Just replaced a Hitachi Ultravision 55" DLP, with a Panny 50" Plasma and I'm blown away by the performance. I really think people take black levels for granted. I'd say 90% of the TV's out there are good enough for watching. The other 10% is $99 doorbuster deal TV's, and the other 5% are the displays that will make you drool (Think Kuro's). The panny is the first TV (they say in reveiws) that has a chance to be a decent contendor for the defunct Kuro's.

Either way, you will probably be happy though - but I cannot vouch for the Samsung (though they seem to be known as the leaders in TV's right now)

MCCLIPSE

Glowrdr wrote: »

Without having compared the Sammy's - I can at least say that I Just replaced a Hitachi Ultravision 55" DLP, with a Panny 50" Plasma and I'm blown away by the performance. I really think people take black levels for granted. I'd say 90% of the TV's out there are good enough for watching. The other 10% is $99 doorbuster deal TV's, and the other 5% are the displays that will make you drool (Think Kuro's). The panny is the first TV (they say in reveiws) that has a chance to be a decent contendor for the defunct Kuro's.

Either way, you will probably be happy though - but I cannot vouch for the Samsung (though they seem to be known as the leaders in TV's right now)

Yeah I don't think I can make a "wrong" choice here and the samsung looks pretty awesome but I just know that the world usually prefers panasonics picture quality for 2d over just about anything else. It might just be a money thing for now and in the future since getting the Panny means I have to spend a good amount of money later on to get the necessary accessories.

gmm141

I compared the Samsungs and the Panasonics and preferred the latter. Shop around for packages and the price difference should be small.

dvran

Had my Samsung for 2 years now and love it.

I had the Panasonic 50S2 and took it back for the Samsung 550. I did a calibration on both and I still thought the Samsung was better in terms of vibrant colors.

DMara

If you choose Panny, go with a package that includes the Avatar 3D movie. It's exclusively sold with a Panny until 2012:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20015478-1.html
http://www.tgdaily.com/games-and-entertainment-brief/53032-avatar-blu-ray-3d-tied-to-panasonic-until-2012

dvran

Say no to the service plan dude!

MCCLIPSE

dvran wrote: »

Say no to the service plan dude!

I know they're BS but he just offered it with the glasses deal and the $1100 on the panasonic which on both TV's are great prices. I don't believe I can get them any cheaper if I decline the warranties so why not you know?

larry777

Best Bang for the Buck is Samsung and they offer excellent quality for the price. I'm starting to wonder who all these people are who say Panasonic is the Best ( And some in a big way ). I bet some of them are people who say Panasonic because someone else said Panasonic...and they want to appear knowledgable. Its easy to start a trend that way. The reviews comming in on Samsung TV's are as good as those for the Panasonic's. From what I have seen Samsung is easily as good and in some cases better.

grif32

larry777 wrote: »

Best Bang for the Buck is Samsung and they offer excellent quality for the price. I'm starting to wonder who all these people are who say Panasonic is the Best ( And some in a big way ). I bet some of them are people who say Panasonic because someone else said Panasonic...and they want to appear knowledgable. Its easy to start a trend that way. The reviews comming in on Samsung TV's are as good as those for the Panasonic's. From what I have seen Samsung is easily as good and in some cases better.

Panny is better but not buy much. I currently have a Panny Plasma in my living room and a Samsung 3D plasma in my Bedroom. Panny is better all around TV IMHO. But you can not go wrong with either.

Best bang for your buck is by far the Panny G Series..

blueboxer

Sometimes I am just temped to pick up a used Kuro.

danz1906

blueboxer wrote: »

Sometimes I am just temped to pick up a used Kuro.

The Kuro still has the best Black level, if you can find a deal-Go for it!

danz1906

MCCLIPSE wrote: »

Now I know that Panasonics have a way better reputation for their plasmas but I like the value of the Samsung package since all I need then is just a 3d bluray player to go along with the 3d channels directv already offers. What would you guys do?

If you think the Samsung is the Best Value for you, that's the one you
should get.

Glowrdr

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20016466-1.html - HDTV shootout (Panny wins)

http://hd.engadget.com/2010/06/19/cnet-review-of-the-panasonic-tc-p65vt25-its-the-best-2d-tv-we/ - Panasonic TC-P65VT25, "it's the best 2D TV we've ever tested"

http://www.hdtvgizmo.com/panasonic-viera-vt25-plasma-full-hd-3d-series/ - better put the Panasonic Viera VT25 Plasma 3D TV on your list of must buys this 2010

http://www.flatpanelshd.com/news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1274347515 - with Pioneer KURO out of the picture (no longer available in stores) it will be fair to say that VT20/VT25 is the best TV on the market today

http://www.theaterdesignnw.com/2010/09/panasonic-vt25-3d-plasma-hdtv-review/ - Panasonic’s 3D/2D VT25 series plasma HDTV displays just earned a Best of CES 2010 award at this year’s CES show for their incredible image quality. It also was rated the best picture quality of 2010 HDTV models bt CNET and won hands-down in Value Electronics’ 2010 Flat Panel TV Shootout.


This may have been a little more than you were looking for, but this should be enough to prove that we aren't just a bunch of Panny fanboys. It seems like they have really stepped up their game with this new lineup. After reading some of these reviews - I did not realize 2 things... 1) connect an external HDD and the TV becomes a DVR, and 2) Panasonic bought the patents to KURO in 2009. There is some speculation that this line encorporates some of the Kuro bloodline in it. They still say the Kuro's are the best TV that has ever been - but this is the most recent, and only available now.

jbooker82

Earthy wrote: »

I personally think the 3D technology is not quite there. Too may reports of headaches and strained eyes.

I have a LG Infinia 50PX950 50 inch Plasma 3d tv. I havent had any head ach problem and it has a really good picture. Some people might just be more prone to getting them and the tv sets it off. Kind of like when people get a head ach after getting new perscription eye glasses.

steveinaz

Ford or Chevy?

You didn't think you'd get a consistent answer did you?

I'm not married to my equipment, so let me be as unbiased as possible. I own both a Samsung 50" DLP and the Panasonic 58" plasma. I've had the Samsung for over 5yrs, the Panasonic is new. I've owned several Panasonics and Samsungs over the years, because I prefer both brands. What I can say is this, the Panasonic's tend to have more realistic color--less of the neon effect. This is real evident with greens. The Samsung tends to push blues, where the Panasonic tends to push reds. Of course black levels are far superior with the plasma (not a fair comparison), but the Panasonic also has a sharper image, and more accurate color temp. Color calibration showed the Panasonic to be more accurate, with very little decoder error when compared to the Samsung; and shadow detail is also better, giving a more 3-dimensional feel to the picture.

MCCLIPSE

sounds like it's pretty much comes down to what I see when I look at them head to head tomorrow in the store and if I think the Panasonic is worth that much more to me right now.

Earthy

If you do end up with the Samsung and the extra glasses. If 3D is not your cup of tea, you could sell the glasses and bring your net cost down even more.

MCCLIPSE

Earthy wrote: »

If you do end up with the Samsung and the extra glasses. If 3D is not your cup of tea, you could sell the glasses and bring your net cost down even more.

This is true, more and more I'm leaning towards the Samsung I think. It's a shame that they can't work up the same deal on the Panny. I suppose I can ask again...

steveinaz

TV's are getting so much better, every year, it's hard to make a bad choice. Mostly look for a pattern of "issues" with certain sets/models when doing your research.

I'd also recommend buying locally when it comes to large TV's; I refuse to buy a TV on line, I want a store I can take it back to, should things go wrong.

MCCLIPSE

So I ended up getting the TC-P50G25 Panasonic Viera 2d 1080p Plasma TV. I got to Brandsmart and I saw the 3d Samsung and the Panny 3d but I ended up getting the G25 for $800 as it was the last new one they had in stock and they were blowing it out cheap. Apparently it's the same TV as the 3d GT25 just no 3d which was more than acceptable for me since it had a badass picture and great features. It's last years mid-level model and it was cheaper than this years low-level Panny so it was a no-brainer. Needless to say I couldn't be happier with the picture. As an added bonus I ordered a Panny blu-ray player and a pair of Monitor
70's to go along with it and spent the same as I would have with the 3d Panny alone. Thanks for the opinions guys.

bikerboy

My wife and I looked at tvs at fryes and sears. After reading this thread and many others I was ready to go to a store and be baffled. We decided on a 3d panasonic tc-p42gt25 at fryes. The 3d tv was $20 more ($900)than the 2d so what the hell! We were most impressed with the overall picture and the black levels compared to the other tvs. We have a corner area and a 42" is the biggest possible. We also got the avatar br and 2 glasses and a samsung c5900 3d dvd player(the cheapest 3d brp they had in stock). I am able to use off the broadcasts or the 3d avatar movie and see how good the tv is. Need to change the direct tv to a new hd dvr and get the multi room dvr feature. The old dtv box can only connect to the tv via composite so the pic is only ok. But ota is very good and the 3d avatar is very impressive. Happy so far. Still need to run a cat6 wire and connect to the modem and see what the online features are like. I also will need a 3d avr! More research needed on that. Any ideas around $500-$1000?

MCCLIPSE

bikerboy wrote: »

My wife and I looked at tvs at fryes and sears. After reading this thread and many others I was ready to go to a store and be baffled. We decided on a 3d panasonic tc-p42gt25 at fryes. The 3d tv was $20 more ($900)than the 2d so what the hell! We were most impressed with the overall picture and the black levels compared to the other tvs. We have a corner area and a 42" is the biggest possible. We also got the avatar br and 2 glasses and a samsung c5900 3d dvd player(the cheapest 3d brp they had in stock). I am able to use off the broadcasts or the 3d avatar movie and see how good the tv is. Need to change the direct tv to a new hd dvr and get the multi room dvr feature. The old dtv box can only connect to the tv via composite so the pic is only ok. But ota is very good and the 3d avatar is very impressive. Happy so far. Still need to run a cat6 wire and connect to the modem and see what the online features are like. I also will need a 3d avr! More research needed on that. Any ideas around $500-$1000?

congrats on the purchase. I think I'm fully converted. PANASONIC for LIFE!

inthewoods

We picked up a 58" Panasonic Viera S2 (plasma) and love the picture... UPS is delivering the HT tomorrow! :biggrin:

Glowrdr

Steveinaz just bought that same set ITW - I went to go and get it, but its sold out by me. lol Ended up with the 50VT25. Finally got my backordered Avatar tonight. Also picked up Alice in Wonderland and My Bloody Valentine while I was there.

I know the feeling on the 3D taking over. It started with the Oppo, then I found I NEEDED a new TV. Got the TV, now I found I NEEDED a new receiver. Got an SC-37 coming from Audioholics on Wednesday for just over $1300. A little over my original budget, but I found if you're only going to do it once - do it right.

I'm hoping this SC will be my version of your 80's equipment 20 years from now. lol

themainviking

I have had the Samsung 58" Plasma since last summer, and have watched a lot of movies on it, including Avatar, which totally blew me away on this TV. It isn't 3D but I am totally sold on it. I tried a Sharp Aquios first and it went back the same day with a green line down the middle, and I had wanted a Plasma anyway, so I popped for the Sammy after reading just about everything I could find on the web. I vote for the Samsung, as I think I read that they have a contract to make Panasonic's screens now anyway.