Which Plasma To Select

cheddar

Well, the hockey game was probably in 720p or at most 1080i. Either way it probably scaled great to a 720p plasma. If you really want it pretty much exclusively for sports than a 720p plasma might be a great way to save money since live broadcasts will be limited to those two resolutions for some time and the most important factor for you might be quick smooth motion response as opposed to detail.

G-2

janmike wrote:

Well, I partially disagree, but then again, that is my opinion.

For me, I love sports. Watching a hockey game for example on a plasma and LCD there was a big difference. The plasma ruled. I want to see the 50" Panasonic 1080p that should be out here next month.

+1000 There is simply no comparison when watching sports or any moving activity. LCD's are great to show beautiful STILL digital pictures. Just our $.02

SKsolutions

janmike wrote:

Well, I partially disagree, but then again, that is my opinion.

For me, I love sports. Watching a hockey game for example on a plasma and LCD there was a big difference. The plasma ruled. I want to see the 50" Panasonic 1080p that should be out here next month.

You are on the right path. Love em for everything, but for sports it's a must choose type of thing. For the vultures, yes, I own one, just not the 1080p. For the 1% difference between the Pioneer for 30% less $, it's a no brainer.



Brick,

Being in sales is a funny thing. When I sell a house, I don't claim to know it better than the Architect, despite my knowledge in the area. Talking with someone who is paid to get you to sell their product is not speaking with a disinterested party. So, regurgitating it here is not useful, but thanks.



Someone mentioned panel drivers. The driver. and the quality of it's electronics, to some degree, has as much to do with the picture as the actual panel. To take the scaler out or to go "direct", makes a panel look it's best. Another reason to go Panny Pro line, which are still made in Japan, and have one of the best drivers with removable, upgradeable, discrete interface boards.

MikeC78

SKsolutions wrote:

Someone mentioned panel drivers. The driver. and the quality of it's electronics, to some degree, has as much to do with the picture as the actual panel. To take the scaler out or to go "direct", makes a panel look it's best. Another reason to go Panny Pro line, which are still made in Japan, and have one of the best drivers with removable and discrete interface boards.

Hello SK-

I agree...

I thought the new 9UK's were made in Mexico? I know the older model 8UK, which I own is made in Japan.

Mike

Holydoc

Mine says it was made in Mexico. Of course that could mean it was assembled in Mexico and made all over the place.

MikeC78

^HD-

From what I hear, the parts are Japanese and they are assembled in Mexico. Whatever, doesn't matter to me, as long as they are reliable and produce a stunning picture is all that counts!

BTW, nice plasma you have there.

Mike

JimBRICK

I dont sell what I'm told I sell what I see. I get paid the same commision regardless of the brand or type. I sell what I see is the best and what I see is the bravia and sxrd out matching all the other tv's we sell

janmike

cheddar wrote:

Well, the hockey game was probably in 720p or at most 1080i. Either way it probably scaled great to a 720p plasma. If you really want it pretty much exclusively for sports than a 720p plasma might be a great way to save money since live broadcasts will be limited to those two resolutions for some time and the most important factor for you might be quick smooth motion response as opposed to detail.

Agreed. When the Panasonic 50" 1080p hits the shelf, the comparison between that one and the Sony XBR LCD will be the ultimate test. I can wait for the release.

Holydoc

Jim,

The funny thing is that I do not sell TVs. I do not get a commission. I only research, read, sample, and demo. Being an analyst, spending several thousand dollars is always a challenge. I have to be thoroughly convinced before I make a purchase. Nice thing about TV's is that there are some measurable absolutes that allows you to compare over just what a salesman is told or what popular opinion says. Those measurable absolutes narrow down the playing field quite a bit.

There are advantages and disadvantages to plasmas, CRTs, LCDs, and rear projection. My advice is to do your research on how you are going to utilize your TV (e.g., watching sports, movies, HD DVDs, gaming, web browsing, etc.), the placement of your new TV (e.g., on the floor, on a stand, on the wall, over the fireplace), the capabilities of your TV (e.g., SD, ED, HD, 720p, 1080p), and finally the research of experts (e.g., measureable absolutes such as blacks, longetivity, maintenance costs). After you do that, your choices become fairly easy.

If only audio was as straight forward.

janmike

Holydoc wrote:

Jim,

...
There are advantages and disadvantages to plasmas, CRTs, LCDs, and rear projection. My advice is to do your research on how you are going to utilize your TV (e.g., watching sports, movies, HD DVDs, gaming, web browsing, etc.), the placement of your new TV (e.g., on the floor, on a stand, on the wall, over the fireplace), the capabilities of your TV (e.g., SD, ED, HD, 720p, 1080p), and finally the research of experts (e.g., measureable absolutes such as blacks, longetivity, maintenance costs). After you do that, your choices become fairly easy.

If only audio was as straight forward.

Amazing. A non saleman that knows the value statements of making a sale. Bravo Holydoc, Bravo.

Now being in sales, these are the questions that you ask when potential clients are in search of a product and/or solution. Good sales people do this naturally, or at least they should. Holydoc you are the one that offered this advice and I tip my hat to you Sir. I knew what I wanted the "TV" for but did not reveal that info. Maybe I should have asked. Thanks.

MikeC78

janmike wrote:

Agreed. When the Panasonic 50" 1080p hits the shelf, the comparison between that one and the Sony XBR LCD will be the ultimate test. I can wait for the release.

The Panasonic 50" 1080p did hit the shelves, you can purchase one right now.

janmike

My understanding is that it is not out in Canada yet as per the Audiotronics dealer here. Perhaps they mislead me on that one. Ony know if it is out in Canada?

JimBRICK

janmike wrote:

I am on the edge of purchasing a Plasma screen and wanted to hear what other members had purchased and their level of satisfaction. I have decided on a few things.

1) The screen will be a 50 inch screen.

2) Panasonic is leading the race for my selection, although nothing definitive at this point.

I am a little confused on 1080p vs. 1080i. My DVDP will probably not be replaced in the near future (Panasonic RP56). As well, I do not rent a lot of movies. It seems that the cable and satellite worlds are a few years away from having the Full HD feed (1080p). That being said it would seem that a screen supporting 1080i may be sufficient for me and a lot less expensive.

As well, is there an optimum way to cable plasma? (HDMI, RCA…)
I did look at a 46" Sony (1080p) in comparison to a 50" Panasonic (1080i). From 12 ft. away it was difficult to tell the difference. The 50" Panasonic was a lot less cash.

My room is 19' X 15' with the viewing distance at approx. 11.5 ft.

Any feedback would be great appreciated. Thanks folks.

you did give us all the information about what you researched and what you wer looking for and we gave you our opinion. As far as I'm concerned I watch all these models daily and it doesnt matter what your watching, dvd, sat or video games. Our sxrd have no issues in all these programming choices.

JimBRICK

TH50PX600

this is the 1080p model of panasonic and we've had it on our sales floor for 2 months.
we actually had it on sale last week for $3299.99

PhantomOG

TH-50PX600U
» 1366 x 768 pixels
$2499 at Crutchfield
can accept 1080p signal from HDMI and scale though.

Panasonic link
$3299 MSRP

PhantomOG

TH-50PF9UK Cnet review
1080p resolution (no scaling)
no HDMI input included (add-in card needed)
no stand included
at least $4k

Panasonic Link
$6k MSRP

JimBRICK

I'm canadian our dollars a bit different

PhantomOG

yeah, I was mainly pointing out the fact that although it accepts a 1080p signal, its resolution is not 1080p. Still gotta wait a bit longer for those prices to come down.

goingganzo

actuley if your pannel is not a 1080p it will make it 540p is what happens when i set my ps3 for 720 and play movies. also as long as your refresh rste is lower than your responce time you dont have a problem with

cheddar

goingganzo wrote:

actuley if your pannel is not a 1080p it will make it 540p is what happens when i set my ps3 for 720 and play movies. also as long as your refresh rste is lower than your responce time you dont have a problem with

This is not true. My ps3 has output everything from 480p, 720p, 1080i, to 1080p flawlessly to my panel. What it can't do is scale 720p to 1080i. This is a problem only with very old tvs that only accept 1080i as all new HDTVs would simply scale the 720p signal to the native resolution of the panel.

cheddar

Also, since you specifically mentioned 540p, you could theoretically be experiencing non-HDCP down rezing. This happens when the anti piracy flag is on in the movie material. Unless the movie is viewed over an HDCP compliant digital connection (HDMI, component is analog), the movie is down-rezed so that people can't just copy the signal and pirate the movie.

But I wasn't aware of any movies that turned the flag on. What movies are you watching? If studios are turning the flag on, then the HD-DVD add-on for the 360 just became a paper weight...

harold280z

Well for me the Pioneer Elite is the best plasma one can get, I think it has the best picture of the all. I own both a plasma & LCD. I use the LCD in my bedroom & the plasma in my basement.

goingganzo

i do have to convert hmdi to dvi and i am useing a switcher box but i have a real hard time geting my samsung dvd to just display on my projector

AndyGwis

I'm not sure if the LCD vs. Plasma debate is still raging. . . in all honesty I only got through page 1 of the thread before wanting to add my $ .02.

Put me in the Plasma camp as far as PQ is concerned. Owning both types of displays, the Plasma is brighter, crisper, sharper, and the viewing angle smokes my LCD. The LCD is watchable from the side albeit with a much softer picture and a "glow." Still, both are better than DLP in terms of viewing angle, in my option.

The LCD is lighter, doesn't run as hot, a softer picture/less grainy (which is better for standard cable), no image retention, etc.

Pros and cons for each. . . but Plasma for PQ in my book.

krabby5

Reading through this thread makes me even more nervous about the prospect of finally going digital. I plan on getting an HD tv sometime in the fall or winter. I pretty much know enough about audio, where I'm "satisfied" with what I have, and how I have it set up...

But I really don't know enough about video displays..

You all have me too confused now:o

janmike

Here's is my take on this.
There are two ways in which to watch info on the screen.
1) TV - either cable or satellite
2) DVD

Internet is NOT an option nor will it be.

I guess the question is how well stocked are the video companies with HD formatted DVD's. My plan is not to purchase another DVDP soon.

The other question is how soon will the communication companies have 1080p formatted info coming down the pipe. As an employee of the BCE Group (Bell Canada) it will not be real soon. My guess would be a year or two.

I want to be ready for that technology (1080p) and if someone said it is at least 5 years away then why be concerned with 1080p. That is totally driving my decision process. That is my $0.02 worth.

Do the side by test (LCD and PLASMA) from a good distance and select the type of info you like to watch (Movie, Sports...). NOT 2 feet away unless that is your viewing distance at home.

JimBRICK

krabby5 wrote:

Reading through this thread makes me even more nervous about the prospect of finally going digital. I plan on getting an HD tv sometime in the fall or winter. I pretty much know enough about audio, where I'm "satisfied" with what I have, and how I have it set up...

But I really don't know enough about video displays..

You all have me too confused now:o

don't be nervous, we just had the toshiba canada rep come and inform us that they are out of plasma now and wont be bringing forth a new model for 2007. He told us there's a SLIM chance they will have only a 50 inch model. So thats another company getting out of the plasma market. SO wait another year and by then everyone will be outta them

JimBRICK

and now we have this to think about


" new television technology has been developed which is touted (by the developers) as far and away superior to both plasma and LCD. From The Age: 'With a worldwide launch date scheduled for Christmas 2007, under recognisable brands like Mitsubishi and Samsung, Novalux chief executive Jean-Michel Pelaprat is so bold as to predict the death of plasma. "If you look at any screen today, the color content is roughly about 30-35 per cent of what the eye can see," he said. "But for the very first time with a laser TV we'll be able to see 90 per cent of what the eye can see. All of a sudden what you see is a lifelike image on display."'

JimBRICK

JimBRICK wrote:

and now we have this to think about


" new television technology has been developed which is touted (by the developers) as far and away superior to both plasma and LCD. From The Age: 'With a worldwide launch date scheduled for Christmas 2007, under recognisable brands like Mitsubishi and Samsung, Novalux chief executive Jean-Michel Pelaprat is so bold as to predict the death of plasma. "If you look at any screen today, the color content is roughly about 30-35 per cent of what the eye can see," he said. "But for the very first time with a laser TV we'll be able to see 90 per cent of what the eye can see. All of a sudden what you see is a lifelike image on display."'

Novalux is the name of the company

AndyGwis

Does anyone remember a $4 per share stock, WEDX, that was toughted as the next big thing in TVs? They were supposed to come out with something 1/4 of the price of current LCD and Plasmas to build, and be lighter, and be better picture quality.

I just checked, the stock is now $1 per share, and they haven't come out with any products in the last year.

I guess what I'm saying is, I'll believe Laser TVs when I see them in the store actually being sold. . . but, the idea does sound cool! I did hear the first 5400p TV is supposed to be out in mid-november. . . .

. . . okay, I made that last one up.