Looking to buy a 50 inch plasma, need help on some questions

lv426

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I posted this on a different forum, but didnt get much help.

Looking to buy a 50" plasma soon, and would like you opinion.

The two I am looking at are the Panasonic TH-50PZ70B(£1500) and TH50PX70B(1000)

The first one is 1080p (1920x1080) the other 720p (1024x768)

Q1. if they are both 16:9 format, how come the 720p model Pixel rez is 1024x768

Q2. I realize the 1080p model has a higher rez, but if both sets were sitting next to each other, playing the same movie, sitting 3m away, would I be able to tell which was which

Q3. I looked on the net regarding screen burn, and out of the three technologies (crt,lcd,plasma) if a static image was placed on all three, the plasma would be first to show signs of screen burn. In one article the person stated when watching a 2.35 format film to zoom the picture to remove the black bars (he said the edge line between the black bar and picture can cause problems). Now I prefer to watch films in its correct format, so what sort of time frame are we talking about before it can cause damage to the screen.

Q4. Am I right in saying Sky hd is 720 and Blu-ray 1080. the issue with scaling. Would the sky image look better on the 720 model than the 1080 model as there is no scaling needed, and vice versa using blu-ray on the 1080 better than the 720 (similar to Q2)

Q5. I am crazy paying a extra £500 to get 1080p as the 720 is good enough.

Thanks
 

rexter

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The same thing when two similar pictures with the same size becomes almost identical, only if look closely 1 have more details than the other.

Q2. I realize the 1080p model has a higher rez, but if both sets were sitting next to each other, playing the same movie, sitting 3m away, would I be able to tell which was which
when you test the TV did you notice any difference? But make sure they are playing 1080p resolution and not 720 resolutions

Q3. I looked on the net regarding screen burn, and out of the three technologies (crt,lcd,plasma) if a static image was placed on all three, the plasma would be first to show signs of screen burn. In one article the person stated when watching a 2.35 format film to zoom the picture to remove the black bars (he said the edge line between the black bar and picture can cause problems). Now I prefer to watch films in its correct format, so what sort of time frame are we talking about before it can cause damage to the screen.
Burn in differ from usage, you can't really say when? Unless manufacturer says it guarantee that it will take X amount of hours before burn in.

Q4. Am I right in saying Sky hd is 720 and Blu-ray 1080. the issue with scaling. Would the sky image look better on the 720 model than the 1080 model as there is no scaling needed, and vice versa using blu-ray on the 1080 better than the 720 (similar to Q2)
Q5. I am crazy paying a extra £500 to get 1080p as the 720 is good enough.

Again if you can tell the difference then that maybe something you'll consider.
 

fazers_on_stun

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It really depends on your budget as to which to get. But whatever you decide, you should hurry up - I know Pioneer and I think also Panasonic have declared they are ending their plasma TV manufacturing this month. As soon as I read that news (a couple weeks ago now) I ordered a Pioneer 50" Kuro Elite, since according to many reviews it has the best picture for HD movies. Just 3 days later, the price went up $700. Methinks a lot of the fence-sitters like myself are snatching them up which is why the price is going up.

Luckily I jumped off the fence just in time :).

 

spencer mccredie

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Samsung LN46A650

I spent over a year and a half researching flat panels. I came close to purchasing a Samsung 71F series, but when the salesman told me that new 2008 models were coming out in March, I decided to hold and do more research on those models. I almost purchased the 5 series, but when I found out that it does not have 120hz refresher rate, I decided to research the 6 series and ended buying the 46A650.

I briefly looked at the 7 series, but when I found out the only difference between the two was that the 7 series has a USB port for your MP3 player and 1 GB of cache, I figured it was not for me. I use a dock connected to my receiver when I play my MP3, so to me that was a useless function to fork over extra $$$ for. In addition, I have a PS3 so I don't really need the 1GB of cache to use the TV as a multimedia center. If you don't have a PS3 and plan to use your TV to view pictures and play music then the 7 series might be for you.


Pros:
I have the 46" and I was amazed at how light it was. I was able to pick it up by myself and put it on the stand. The red is absolutely amazing. That's the favorite thing my Fiancée likes about this TV. Personally, I like the red because it is very subtle and goes great with our family room.

The first night we got it we watched the movie Ratatouille on Blu-Ray Disc. Let me tell you after watching the movie my jaw was sore because I think I spent more than 3/4ths of the movie with my jaw open from the amazing picture. The picture was so clear and concise that we paused it and we were able to even see the little freckles on the mice throughout the movie, including the separate hairs.

As I said earlier I play video games with my PS3, so the 120 hz refresher rate was critical to have. MLB the Show 08 is insane. Just looking at the players faces and even the fans blew me away. My brother has a 46" inch Vizio 1080P and he recommended it to me saying that there is not much difference from the two so I am better off saving. Let me tell you, he is absolutely wrong. I've watched his Vizio and to be honest, it can't even hold the jockstrap of the 46A650 if it was a male. There is a big difference believe me. The only TV that could probably match-up to this one is the XBR Bravia with 120HZ. That would've been what I would have purchased if I had not gotten this one. Up until now, I have absolutely no regrets.

The reason I researched for over a year and a half is because I wanted to get a TV that if something new came on the market a few months later, I would not regret my purchase. I feel very strongly that I will not regret this purchase down the line.

I love having 4 HDMI inputs. This was very important for my purchase also, since I have separate HDMI components. The TV also has an ethernet port, so I have it plugged into the internet. I can get weather, news and stock quotes through it. I'll admit, I haven't used it much, but it's nice to know, I can check the temperature at the touch of the button.

The blacks on this TV are awesome and I can have my curtain open on my huge family room window and I can see the tv clearly during the day. I love the TruSurround feature, since right now I only have two speakers and a subwoofer. This feature is meant to improve the sound quality for people who use two speaker systems. I plan to get a surround sound system eventually, but it's going to be a while. That's where this tool comes in handy

The screen is glossy, but I don't have an issue with it. I like the glossy look and besides, it is meant to make the colors more vibrant and intense. I've played with the different viewing modes, but actually, I like standard the best. The movie mode is a little too dark for me and the game one is a little too bright. Standard mode is my desired preference.

The remote is oddly shaped and takes a while to get used to. It also has an ipod like scroll. Some people complain that it is an ugly remote. This is ridiculous; I'm sorry, but I did not purchase this TV for its remote. Anyway, I'm planning on upgrading to an RF Logitech remote this summer anyway.

Cons:

The TV is so good that on the tv stations with weak signals, you can see the weakness of the signal. On some you could see the lines and imperfections, due to having a weak signal. That is only a with a few channels. It's a negative, but that's what you get when the picture is very detailed; You will not only get the good qualities, but the bad also, if the signal is not strong. Regardless, that issue will be moot when the tv stations will be required to broadcast by digital signal.

Another issue is, that when you turn it on it takes about 3-4 seconds to pick up my digital cable signal from my DVR box. In addition when you switch between sources it takes around the same amount of time to pick up the signal. I'm impatient, which is a negative quality of mine. In our household, it seems like it is an issue only with me, since it does not bother anyone else in the house.

Those are really the only two issues I have with the TV and to me they are very minor ones.

Overall:

I am very happy with my purchase and feel this TV is worth every penny I paid for it. I hope this review helped you, even if it was only a tad bit helpful, before making your investment on a flat panel television. Good luck with your search.


http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001413D94?ie=UTF8&tag=burtoa-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=B001413D94

And this is the 52 Inch

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001413DF8?ie=UTF8&tag=burtoa-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=B001413DF8



 

fazers_on_stun

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Although I have not personally seen the Samsung, overall I would tend to agree with this. I think the better LCDs within the last year, with the wider color gamut (due to improved CCFL lamps) and 120Hz refresh (for motion blur reduction) and faster panel response times put the LCDs pretty close to the plasmas. I have a Sony Bravia 3000 model and a Bravia XBR4 model, both with the above features, and frankly there is not that much difference between them and the Pioneer plasma. Even a decent upscaling DVD player will show remarkable detail on any of them, let alone Blu-Ray or HDDVD. And I think once the LED backlighting replaces the CCFL lamps, the color gamut and contrast ratios will definitely be competitive if not superior to most plasmas. I was looking at the Sony XBR8 series before I bought my Pioneer, but the retailers are gouging on the price at the moment and it'll likely stay high until next Christmas shopping season or more competition appears (although in the current economy, Sony may decide to drop the price in a hurry since they lost a large amount of $$ last quarter).

Best bet is to go to a store and see all the models you are interested in, after reading as many reviews as you can.

If they ever get OLED perfected that would probably blow away anything before it - should have infinite contrast ratios, color gamut well over 100%, <1 ms response times, and a simpler and cheaper technology once the bugs get worked out - supposedly the panels can just be "printed" out on a flexible transparent substrate.
 

fazers_on_stun

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Update: I wrote the above before watching The Dark Knight, Enchanted, and several other Blu-ray movies via a DVI-to-HDMI cable connecting my laptop to the Pioneer Elite plasma, in lieu of an RGB (analog) cable that I used previously. Now that I have, I must say the Pioneer picture is the best I have ever seen, for Blu-ray movies anyway. For ordinary TV or non-upscaled DVDs, the Sony LCDs do just fine compared to it. But when you watch a pristine HD signal source on it, even my wife who is still bashing me for spending the $$ on the Pioneer, says its picture is absolutely astonishing.

Even with Wall-E being displayed at 480p, the Pioneer picture is ahead of the Sony LCDs using the all-digital cable. Color range is just remarkable. I had no idea I was losing that much quality with the analog connection...