EnemaEms Posted February 6, 2007 Report Share Posted February 6, 2007 So my g/f bought a new 37" LCD TV over the weekend and she is very happy with it. The TV outputs a great HD signal and the PS3 and 360 look phenomenal on it. TV shopping with her got me itching to buy a new set. I loved the look of the plasma sets, but I have a fear of burn in do to the large amounts of gaming that I will do on it. Is burn-in a thing of the past with Plasma? Is it still there, just not as common? How does SD programming look on the set? I am looking at getting a 42" display with a budget of about $1800 max. Any recomendations? 1080p is not important, but the set must do 720p and 1080i. -Dean- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce B Posted February 6, 2007 Report Share Posted February 6, 2007 Man I have no idea how this set looks in person but its aesthetically appealing: http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-TH-50PX60U-50-Plasma-HDTV/dp/B000F4CTUK/sr=8-1/qid=1170726641/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-7222405-1620107?ie=UTF8&s=electronics http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-TH-42PX60U-42-Plasma-HDTV/dp/B000F6SR0O/sr=8-2/qid=1170726641/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2/102-7222405-1620107?ie=UTF8&s=electronics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenMonkey Posted February 6, 2007 Report Share Posted February 6, 2007 It's practically impossible to burn in a good plasma any more. Even years ago when I was considering a plasma the chances of burn-in were greatly overrated. Now, from what I hear, a good plasma like a Panasonic is about as hard to burn in as a CRT. Especially with the burn-in prevention stuff on (pixel orbiter, screen saver, etc). Plus there's also anti-burn in stuff on a lot of 'em now - a mode to whitewash the screen with white (basically wear down all the phosphors faster), reverse image option, etc. If you're paranoid about it, be nice to it for the first few hundred hours or so - this is the time that a plasma is most likely to burn in. The phosphor wear curve is not an even curve, but sharply declining at first and levels off later. So the older the plasma gets the less likely you are to burn it in. The danger period is really this first few hundred hours when the phosphors wear down much quicker. And of course, calibrate it with DVE. Honestly if you take it out of torch mode right away you'll probably never have a problem with it. There's lot of dudes on AVSforum that are avid gamers for years without a problem. The one and only thing that isn't a good idea on a plasma is a computer. Things like the start menu, close and minimize buttons, File menu on IE, etc are all very persistant and almost always in the same place. As far as brands, you can't go wrong with Panasonic. They are now the plasma market leader for the same reasons that Sony used to be the CRT market leader. Simply a great product. Last I knew they also had better contrast ratios & black level detail than the other brands as well, but lately I think the other brands have gotten a lot closer to them in that regard. If you're willing to buy online from someone like Visual Apex you can get the commercial model Panasonics very cheaply (no speakers). The neatest part IMO is the upgradeable inputs - you can buy blades to plug in to the TV to add extra inputs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reeldeal Posted February 6, 2007 Report Share Posted February 6, 2007 Just got the 42"-9uk from avdeals. Very happy with it so far, we sit a touch close to the set but SD programming is definitely passable. It is made to look worse by the fact HD programming is miles ahead Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Posted February 6, 2007 Report Share Posted February 6, 2007 Been playing games on my Samsung HPS-4253 plasma since August. No burn in whatsoever. There are some reports on AVS of some buzzing from the back of the set, but I haven't experienced it, and apparently it was limited to one batch of sets that came off assembly in Mexico. It's picture quality is on par (a bit better imo) than the Panasonic, but you would not go wrong with either set with the price range you are looking at. If you are willing to stretch the dollar limit up a bit more, you would also be very happy with a Pioneer Elite as they make the best looking plasma sets my eyes have seen, but I wasn't willing to shell out the $$$. Best thing to do is go and spend a lot of time at an HT store. All the opinions here are one thing, but everybody's eyes are different, so go let them tell you which one looks best (after making sure the store hasn't miscalibrated the hell out of the thing. ). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EnemaEms Posted February 6, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2007 I have been eyeballing the hell out of the Panasonics for a couple of months now. I also like that Panasonic is offereing a 5 year warranty on the set Mark purchased for free until March 31st. -Dean- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reeldeal Posted February 6, 2007 Report Share Posted February 6, 2007 I have been eyeballing the hell out of the Panasonics for a couple of months now. I also like that Panasonic is offereing a 5 year warranty on the set Mark purchased for free until March 31st. -Dean- unless you're a sucker living in canada! my gf bought it for me. We had a deal where I bought her a big-ass engagement ring and she'd buy me a big-ass tv. i've never understood why the engagement presents only went the one way, luckily she agreed with me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angry the Clown Posted February 6, 2007 Report Share Posted February 6, 2007 Dean, the Panasonic's are pretty bullet proof when it comes to retention and burn-in these days - so long as you don't max out the image setting levels...etc. The VIERA consumer models share the same glass as the 9uk commercial panels, thought the 9uk's are more versatile and as a result can have a better image - especially since they lack many of the image processing algorithms found in the consumer sets. Of course they're not anywhere near as convenient as the VIERAs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Zot Posted February 7, 2007 Report Share Posted February 7, 2007 So my g/f bought a new 37" LCD TV over the weekend and she is very happy with it. The TV outputs a great HD signal and the PS3 and 360 look phenomenal on it. TV shopping with her got me itching to buy a new set. I loved the look of the plasma sets, but I have a fear of burn in do to the large amounts of gaming that I will do on it. Is burn-in a thing of the past with Plasma? Is it still there, just not as common? Pretty much, yes it isn't a problem anymore. How does SD programming look on the set? OK, about as good as SD looks on any HDTV 16:9 set. Pioneer does the best job in this area IMHO, panasonic isn't bad. Some of the 3rd tier value brands can have some crappy handling of SD. I am looking at getting a 42" display with a budget of about $1800 max. Any recomendations? 1080p is not important, but the set must do 720p and 1080i. At 42" and $1800, all the plasmas you will find are going to do 720p (no 1080i.) Just the way it is, you need to get up to the 50" and $3000+ range to even start seeing 1080i native sets. This really isn't a big deal, I find the difference between 720p and 1080i to be overrated and the quality of the picture to be much more important than the native resolution. My new plasma at 720p looks 10x better than my old RPTV ever looked at 1080i. Note that most plasmas will accept 1080i (or even 1080p), but they then convert everything to the native resolution (usuaully 720p) for display. As far as brands go, Pioneer is just the best. I tried several different sets and it is head and shoulders above the rest. Between the great picture and the ease of use, it is a charmer. But of course it will also run you an extra $900 over other similarly sized plasma sets. That's not an insignificant amount of dough Panasonic is the very best of what you'll see at $1800. I really liked the picture and color of the Philips Ambilight 42" set, but people have had mixed results with the reliability. Really, your eyes must be your guide here. Just because everyone says Panasonic or Pioneer are the best sets, if you just love the Samsung look and feel, then you should get the Samsung. This is a lot like picking out speakers, there is no right and wrong because it is largely a matter of personal taste. I love our new plasma. The picture is the best of any set I've ever owned and it mounts on the wall like a piece of art. Sexy and pretty, what's not to love? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave C Posted February 7, 2007 Report Share Posted February 7, 2007 My new plasma at 720p looks 10x better than my old RPTV ever looked at 1080i. This is quite the statement. I'm wondering if my 57" Sony 1080i/720p RP HDTV (KP-57WV700) holds up well to today's flat panel offerings. Mind you, I'm extremely happy with my current picture, especially after it was ISF'd but with your 10x better statement, you have me wondering how much I could potentially improve my PQ with a new display. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Zot Posted February 7, 2007 Report Share Posted February 7, 2007 Again man, eye of the beholder. Part of the improvement is that the Plasma is bright from any sitting position in the room (or lying on the floor, standing up, ???), the RPTV had a narrow 'sweet spot' for seeing the projected image as intended. The colors are incredibly rich by comparison which adds to the 3D effect of the picture, there is zero bleeding (pixels vs. guns), and the geometry is spot on (again, this is a sort of computer monitor vs. electron gun prjected image issue.) So all those factors together vs. losing a little resolution from 1080i -> 720p makes it a much better TV for us. It's not like it couldn't be better if it was in 1080i native, just that as the sum of it's parts the picture quality is greatly improved. All personal preference Dave. We only did this because our Mitsubishi HD RPTV died - we had to buy a new TV this year. The longer you can hold out the more you can get for your hard earned dollar, plasma prices are still racing to the bottom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Posted February 7, 2007 Report Share Posted February 7, 2007 Agreed with Snakefish. I'm a permanent Plasma fan until something better comes along (which I haven't seen). It's the perfect blend of digital and film-like image quality with unparalleled contrast, blacks, geometry, brightness, and - best of all - flexibility. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce B Posted February 7, 2007 Report Share Posted February 7, 2007 Tweeter has a great sale on the 42" Pioneer Plasma. It says $1799.00 but when you add to cart it goes to $1599.00 http://www.tweeter.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2440356&siteID=Es5Ekr9eEBk-tKLfx_oBK.Lr.WQsLQqbtw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EnemaEms Posted February 7, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2007 My only need for 1080i is because of the PS3 Blu-Ray issue. I suppose as long as the set can accept a 1080i signal, the discs will play at 720p, not 480p? -Dean- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angry the Clown Posted February 7, 2007 Report Share Posted February 7, 2007 I suppose as long as the set can accept a 1080i signal, the discs will play at 720p, not 480p? -Dean- Correct. The panel itself would downconvert the 1080i feed to 768p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EnemaEms Posted February 7, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2007 How is that going to look? Comparable to 1080i? -Dean- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Zot Posted February 8, 2007 Report Share Posted February 8, 2007 If you could tell the difference beyond 6 ft of the screen you'd have better eyes than mine. If you could get a true, pure 1080i feed that isn't compressed to hell maybe that would be noticable. I have yet to find a true, pure 1080i feed Maybe OTA HD feeds get close. Everything is typically either compressed a bit too much for bandwidth needs or isn't truly a 1080i feed (like lots of xbox 360 games - sure it scales the signal to 1080i but did the designer produce all the art and textures at that rez? Not likely.) Once you are 10+ ft away from the screen 720p=1080i IMHO. Again Dean, go and judge for yourself. Head into a Magnolia Home Theater in BestBuy and look at all the TVs side by side with the same HD feed. I couldn't tell the 720p ones from the 1080i from the 1080p ones to save my life (to be fair it wasn't a 1080p feed to the TVs.) I get picked the ones I thought had the best picture and did my online research from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EnemaEms Posted February 8, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2007 I got a pretty good idea what sets I am interested in. My only concern was the 1080i PS3 thing. Sounds like I have no worries on that as long as the set can take a 1080i signal. Thanks for all your help guys. Now I just have to hope my bonus check will make all these questions worth the time. -Dean- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelley Posted February 8, 2007 Report Share Posted February 8, 2007 The 50" Panasonic from Visual Apex is an awesome deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angry the Clown Posted February 8, 2007 Report Share Posted February 8, 2007 To echo what Snakefish wrote. If one were to view a 1080 and 768 panel of the same size side by side, but from a certain viewing distance, you’d quickly lose any noticeable resolution advantage on the higher resolution panel. Would a 1080 panel make more out of a 1080i or p feed? Of course, but at 1024x768 (or 1366x768 for a 50inch set) the result you’ll get will certainly be no slouch in the “wow” department in my opinion. I’d still take overall best image quality for my money over resolution… and I say that as someone who has been known to [over] evaluate this stuff a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exile Posted February 8, 2007 Report Share Posted February 8, 2007 Just the way it is, you need to get up to the 50" and $3000+ range to even start seeing 1080i native sets. There are no 1080I native HD plasma displays. 480P, 720P, 768P or 1080P. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EnemaEms Posted February 8, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2007 That damn 42" 1080p Westinghouse LCD has my interest too. Decisions, decisions. -Dean- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelley Posted February 8, 2007 Report Share Posted February 8, 2007 Scott seems really happy with his. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exile Posted February 8, 2007 Report Share Posted February 8, 2007 The Panasonic and moreso the Pioneer would crush it in the realm of Picture Quality. For daily TV watching an LCD is fine but for serious movie watching and the best in the picture quality realm, it's plasma all the way. It's the most CRT like digital display out there. The others have a certain digital look to them and generally lack the inky blacks and contrast found on a CRT. The Pioneer would especially stand out when playing SD material thru it. It's video processing is alot better than the Panasonic or any LCD I've seen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angry the Clown Posted February 8, 2007 Report Share Posted February 8, 2007 The Pioneers are also amongst the few panels out there to pass 3:2 cadence tests...etc with flying colours. I'm seriously leaning toward the 42 inch model, I'm just still a bit concerned about image reteniton in the Eruopean models Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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