Plasma or LCD?

[Draug]

Do you know what model of Panasonic they are selling at that Costco?

The US Costco has the TH-42PZ700U for $1100 right now, which is a great, great deal. I was hoping to see a similar deal in Canada.

[Dodsdomd]

I've got a 43" Panasonic Viera Plasma and am in total lust with it. Use it in a room with lots of natural light with no problems. HD programming looks amazing(especially sports). SD is even pretty good. Did lots of research and seems Panasonic is near top of the plasma game, only bested by Pioneer.

[Wookie]

So i just got back from bestbuy, had a look, a quick look. But liked three plasma's that were side by side and in my price range.

http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/prodde...18&catid=23249
LG 50" Widescreen Plasma HDTV** (50PC5D)

okay, weird, the other two aren't on the website. I'll look on futureshop.

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pro...10086251&catid=#
Panasonic Viera 50" Widescreen Plasma HDTV** (TH50PX75)

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pro...10086389&catid=
Samsung 50" Plasma HDTV** (HPT5064) - Future Shop Exclusive
Those are probably all them.
The only three in the same price range, all 50"

[Incinerator]

Originally Posted by Wookie

So i just got back from bestbuy, had a look, a quick look. But liked three plasma's that were side by side and in my price range.

http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/prodde...18&catid=23249
LG 50" Widescreen Plasma HDTV** (50PC5D)

okay, weird, the other two aren't on the website. I'll look on futureshop.

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pro...10086251&catid=#
Panasonic Viera 50" Widescreen Plasma HDTV** (TH50PX75)

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pro...10086389&catid=
Samsung 50" Plasma HDTV** (HPT5064) - Future Shop Exclusive
Those are probably all them.
The only three in the same price range, all 50"

I was shopping between these exact three and was gonna pull the trigger on the LG last weekend...until I walked into BestBuy at Deerfoot Meadows and saw the Panny on sale as an exclusive in-store special...$1349!!! After that BS Enviro fee + tax came to $1464, still cheaper than the sticker on that LG for $1499+. Needless to say I was very happy with that deal. I did like the LG's picture better in the store but once I played around with the settings at home the Panny's awesome. Two Thumbs Up here.

[simmer2]

Originally Posted by Draug

Do you know what model of Panasonic they are selling at that Costco?

The US Costco has the TH-42PZ700U for $1100 right now, which is a great, great deal. I was hoping to see a similar deal in Canada.

I wish I could remember the model number but I can't. All I know was it was a 42" Panasonic Plasma, and I know they don't have a ton of models in that size, so it could have been the 42PZ700U.

[simmer2]

Originally Posted by Wookie

So i just got back from bestbuy, had a look, a quick look. But liked three plasma's that were side by side and in my price range.

http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/prodde...18&catid=23249
LG 50" Widescreen Plasma HDTV** (50PC5D)

okay, weird, the other two aren't on the website. I'll look on futureshop.

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pro...10086251&catid=#
Panasonic Viera 50" Widescreen Plasma HDTV** (TH50PX75)

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pro...10086389&catid=
Samsung 50" Plasma HDTV** (HPT5064) - Future Shop Exclusive
Those are probably all them.
The only three in the same price range, all 50"

Just to warn you, the TH50PX75 is not 1080p resolution (I'm pretty sure).

If you want to do a bit more research but don't want to do the work of it yourself, check out

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/

They have so much information on there it's scary. Be warned some of the guys go overboard on their system, but in general I got a lot of really good info from this forum. It actually helped me choose a Panasonic and a Plasma.

[Wookie]

Originally Posted by Incinerator

I was shopping between these exact three and was gonna pull the trigger on the LG last weekend...until I walked into BestBuy at Deerfoot Meadows and saw the Panny on sale as an exclusive in-store special...$1349!!! After that BS Enviro fee + tax came to $1464, still cheaper than the sticker on that LG for $1499+. Needless to say I was very happy with that deal. I did like the LG's picture better in the store but once I played around with the settings at home the Panny's awesome. Two Thumbs Up here.

HAHA, thanks, that's great to hear!

Now I saw them displayed on the wall, do they come with a stand? Short at least so you don't have to prop it on the wall?

And simmer, I've seen some stuff that says 1080 isn't all that important.

http://www.cnet.com.au/tvs/0,239035250,240036500,00.htm

6. Do I need to buy 1080p?
If you're a true high-def junkie who's keen to see every pixel of a high-res 1080i/p image reproduced pixel-by-pixel (providing you have a source that high, of course), then LCDs are seemingly the way to go. However, top-of-the line plasmas will also display 1080p content, so the choice isn't as easy as it once was.
Despite the current HD buzz, there is still very little content available in 1080p -- especially compared to the infinite amount of SD content like TV programs and DVDs. Though buying 1080p now may mean you get some degree of futureproofing, you may not be getting the best picture. It's not all about the resolution. For example, one of the best TVs we've seen yet is only 720p (HD) compliant -- the Pioneer PDP-508XDA -- and yet 1080p content still looks better on it than on any LCD you could name. Unless you measure your screen size in metres, 1368 x 768 resolution could still be enough for your needs.

[Flashpoint]

LCD for me. Plasma is more likely to burn in if you accidentally leave it paused.

[Wookie]

Originally Posted by Flashpoint

LCD for me. Plasma is more likely to burn in if you accidentally leave it paused.

From the same cnet article

LCD pundits also point to the fact that LCDs have a longer lifespan than plasma screens. This was true of earlier plasma models, which would lose half of their brightness after more than 20,000 hours of viewing. Later plasma generations have bumped that up to anything between 30,000 and 60,000 hours. LCDs, on the other hand, are guaranteed for 60,000 hours.
You might have also heard that plasmas suffer from screen burn in, an affliction not as commonly associated with LCDs. Screen burn in occurs when an image is left too long on a screen, resulting in a ghost of that image burned in permanently. Newer plasmas are less susceptible to this thanks to improved technology and features such as screen savers, but burn-in is still a problem. But after a few days of use most burnt-in images will fade -- they are no longer permanent.

[FanIn80]

Originally Posted by Wookie

From the same cnet article

Keerect! The whole "burn-in" thing just isn't an issue anymore.

[Old Yeller]

Originally Posted by Wookie

From the same cnet article

Yeah anybody who's complaining of burn in on a plasma hasn't done research in a good 5 years.

I bought the TH50PX75 a few months ago and couldn't be happier (although I've got mine in a dark basement).

But I've left video games paused, movies, sports, whatever and I may have had a bit of image retention that I noticed for all of 10 seconds before it went away.

I checked out both the Panasonic and Samsung plasmas you linked and I didn't see much difference in the TV picture, but after doing some research I found that panasonics just seem to be a little more reliable than most other brands.

Your mileage may vary, but I'm extremely happy with my TH50PX75. In fact it's one of the only major purchases I've ever made that I haven't experienced the dreaded buyers remorse with.

Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions.

[Incinerator]

Originally Posted by Wookie

HAHA, thanks, that's great to hear!

Now I saw them displayed on the wall, do they come with a stand? Short at least so you don't have to prop it on the wall?

And simmer, I've seen some stuff that says 1080 isn't all that important.

http://www.cnet.com.au/tvs/0,239035250,240036500,00.htm

At this price range I'd take the size advantage of the 50" over the 1080p 42". Buddy has a 52" Sharp 1080p LCD that cost $3500 last year and it doesn't even compare to my Panny when watching hockey. And SD feeds are terrible on the LCD.

The Panny came with a pedestral tabletop stand but I have mine mounted so it's still in the box. I think any Flat panel TVs today will come with the pedestral stand, I haven't seen one that doesn't have it yet.

[Incinerator]

Originally Posted by Old Yeller

Yeah anybody who's complaining of burn in on a plasma hasn't done research in a good 5 years.

I bought the TH50PX75 a few months ago and couldn't be happier (although I've got mine in a dark basement).

But I've left video games paused, movies, sports, whatever and I may have had a bit of image retention that I noticed for all of 10 seconds before it went away.

I checked out both the Panasonic and Samsung plasmas you linked and I didn't see much difference in the TV picture, but after doing some research I found that panasonics just seem to be a little more reliable than most other brands.

Your mileage may vary, but I'm extremely happy with my TH50PX75. In fact it's one of the only major purchases I've ever made that I haven't experienced the dreaded buyers remorse with.

Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions.

Agreed with the zero buyer remorse thing . I left mine on with the break-in DVD running for 5 days straight to satisfy Panasonic's 100 hours recommended break-in period. Now I don't even get the image retention at all even after watching TSN and the Score all night with the ticker on. Best of all it doesn't even get hot, just a slight tinge of warmth from the back after 5 days.

[Old Yeller]

Incinerator also mentioned something important. The Panny really handles SD channels well... my dad has a DLP and while the HD channels look great, the SD channels are barely watchable. It wouldn't be a problem if this were 5 years in the future and everything was in HD, but a lot of shows still aren't shown in HD.

Anyways Wookie, we'll just keep patting each other on the back here for our fine choice in plasma TV's while you decide.

[nfotiu]

I have a 768p Panny Plasma, 768p Samsung lcd, and a 1080p 120 hz Sony SXRD.

After watching any of the other TVs, every time I go back to the plasma I'm reminded of how good it looks. Overall the picture just looks better. Colours look better, blacks look blacker, and dark scenes are handled so nicely, and there are fewer annoying flaws that the other technologies seem to have. 1080p resolution is not nearly as important as all the other things.

[Incinerator]

Originally Posted by Old Yeller

Anyways Wookie, we'll just keep patting each other on the back here for our fine choice in plasma TV's while you decide.

what a fine choice you made Old Yeller, a fine choice indeed

[JayP]

Originally Posted by Flashpoint

LCD for me. Plasma is more likely to burn in if you accidentally leave it paused.

Most people don't leave their TV's on for several days, which is the length of time you'd need it to be on before any type of burn-in would occur.

Burn-in is so unlikely it's hardly worth considering in the plasma vs. LCD debate.

[JayP]

Originally Posted by Wookie

So i just got back from bestbuy, had a look, a quick look. But liked three plasma's that were side by side and in my price range.

http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/prodde...18&catid=23249
LG 50" Widescreen Plasma HDTV** (50PC5D)

I got this TV on boxing day and have no complaints with it thus far. I don't know a thing about the other two you listed, but I would highly recommend the LG.

[Draug]

Soundsaround's current flyer has the PX75U listed at $1600. I would try to find it somewhere else, and use the flyer to get a price match. Soundsaround has a terrible return / satisfaction policy.

I would get a plasma over an LCD. Plasma burn in is no longer an issue; sometimes, there is a few minutes of image retention that you can see when the screen is off and the room is dark, but with the tv on, you cant see any image retention even when coming from a static PC screen for a number of hours.

Between my brother and I, we have 5 Panasonics. One, a 42", is 6 years old now, and looks every bit as good as day 1. The 42" was rated with a 30,000 half life, and has so far been used for 6200 hours. Even if it ever does get dim, it wont be a problem, because proper image calibration has it running at less then 50% brightness anyway. The most recent purchase, is a 65" TH-65PZ750U, and it is great. I almost always get buyers remorse, but not with this. It is awesome. It handles SD great. It is big enough that I use it more for my PC screen now than I do my desktop monitor.

If you plan to hook up a PC to the display, you will want either a VGA input or a 1080p TV. You want those so you can map your PC pixels 1:1 to the display pixels, which makes the screen much more clear than otherwise. If there is no VGA input, you are forced to use DVI-HDMI to connect the PC, and that can only carry 720p and 1080p signals. TV's that are 720p are actually 1366x768 pixels, instead of the 1280x768 that true 720p is; the computer/dvi sends out 1280x768 which gets scaled to 1377x768 which makes it blurry. 1080p doesnt have this problem because both a computer/dvi and a TV view 1080p as 1920x1280.

Also, when dealing with Panasonics, consider if you have an external sound system or not. If you do, then the TV speakers wont matter. But, if you are planning on using the TV's speakers, and if you can afford it, try to get the higher models, which use better speakers (700, 750, 800, 850 of each size). The lower models (75, 77, 80, 85) dont use great speakers, so the sound really sounds like a TV.

Also, as someone mentioned, 1080p isnt the most important thing at 50" and lower sizes, unless you sit very close or want to hook up a PC. For 50", at more than 8ft, you cant see the difference between 720p and 1080p. For 42" TVs, its about 6 ft. I have a 720p 42" and a 1080p 42" and with how compressed HDTV is now, it is hard to tell the difference. All the image sloppiness is coming right from Bell, not either TV.

If you are not adverse to making a trip to Kalispell, consider buying the TV there, if you have a minivan with folding seats to bring it home. Panasonics (and I assume other brands) are still about 25% cheaper there. I am not sure about other brands, but Panasonics are now made in Mexico, so you only need to pay sales tax when you bring it back to Canada; you dont pay Duty. Note however, that the Panasonic warranty is only valid in the US, so if the TV fails, you'll be making another trip down.

Check out http://www.vanns.com - they have a box store right in Kalispell, and have great prices. I bought my 65" there without any problems (Except it didnt fit in the van so I had to unbox and bubble wrap it to get it home).

[Wookie]

Went shopping (sort of yesterday), they all look sooo good. Lot's of options. Was pretty set on one of the 50" plasma's mentioned. Then I went by my place I'm moving into and looked at the living room. Ughh.. 50" is pretty big.

Dammit, decisions, decisions.

I think I'll wait to see what happens with the playoffs. I don't need a TV for another month. So I'll see what happens in that time. Although I could just randomly go buy it one day lol.

Also hooking up a PC does come into the decision making, Draug I may have to ask you some more questions about that. Also was going to buy a HTPC for the room - I hate all this thinking.