Help choosing a TV!

[midnightfxgt]

Hey Guys,

I need some Hi-def help :)

I am looking at a new plasma tv, and think I have narrowed it to the Panasonic TH42PZ700 and the Pioneer PDP-4280HD.

The downside of the Pioneer is I want something capable of 1080 (dont really care about i or p). The screen res is very low in comparison.

I was sold on the Panny until I saw them both side by side last night, and the Leaf game was on. The ice was much whiter, and everything was much crisper on the Pioneer! WAY better. I spent 5mins or so adjusting the Panasonic to look better, but it didnt match the quality

Does anyone have any info? All reports say the Panny is the best in its class :whoa

Thanks
John

[Kevin@nextmod]

May I ask why plasma and not LCD?

[midnightfxgt]

Mostly viewing angle and black reproduction. I also havent liked the look of many LCDs with a regular non-HD source hooked to it.

-John

[DingBat]

no matter what the specs or even reviews say, you have to go with the tv that looks better to YOU.

[Wild Weasel]

Be wary of side-by-side tests in the stores. One may have been running non-stop for 6 months while the other is fresh out of the box.

Ask them how old they are and look at them in different stores if you have to. When I was shopping for a TV last year, I saw some that should have been good that looked like absolute garbage!

[midnightfxgt]

That worries me too though... why should the TV look that much worse in that little of time? The Panny is new to the market, so it couldnt be more than 6mos at most.

I was also weary of the LCD due to watching a lot of sports... but now I see the Toshiba REGZA series.... hmmmmm

-John

[bluntman]

LCD refresh rates have sped up to keep up with fast movements and to prevent ghosting. The newer models have a 129Hz refresh rate, last year's models had a refresh rate of 60Hz.

The way I've understood things is that if your viewing room is bright, look at an LCD since they inherently have brighter colours. If your room is dark, look at a plasma.

[b3GS]

I'm with John on the Plasma choice

LCD almost look 'too sharp' to me most time.. it's not natural looking
and unless you're watching HD cable...
the picture looks pretty shitty for regular TV cable shows

[midnightfxgt]

True... But I still notice pixelation on LCDs frequently when in stores.

PS - Regular cable and Satellite is going to be a lot of the viewing time.

[nicker]

As stated side by side comparisons are not equal. And not so much the time they have been running becuase their is no way that the picture should be degraded becuase its been running for 6 months and if it is then its a crap tv from the get go.

How ever the feed is important. The best way to truly test is have the exact same feed and switch it back and forth.

Keep in mind plasmas are nice (great size etc) but they do get burn in. That is what kept me away. I actually went with DLP. I liked the picture quality on it better then LCD. But both those are a good choice as generally its only a bulb replacement and BOOM new tv picture again.

But TV's really are all about personnal preference and BUDGET! As well as what you are going to mainly be viewing etc.

Good luck and take you time.

[midnightfxgt]

Burn in used to be an issue with first plasmas, but is almost a non issue anymore as they use pixel shifting technologies to move the image 1 pixel at a time, unoticably. Apparently its hard to actually burn them in. I dont have much static content anyways :)

Leaning at the Pioneer, but would prefer 1080 :(

[S.F.W.]

another item that could effect the side by side viewing, is the adjustments. Sometimes stores will tune down a certain TV if there is low margin on it. As for LCD's, have you looked at the Sharp Aquos line...best LCd's out there

[midnightfxgt]

I played with the adjustments and couldnt get it to match :(

[bubba1983]

chimin into this thread...as im in teh market for a 32incher lcd for the compy....just hearing everybodys thoughts...

[SW20 MR2]

The Pio sets are the best, but the're just expensive. You can't go wrong with either one. I have a Panny TH42PX60 and like it.

[midnightfxgt]

Pio makes no 1080 in a 42" Plasma :(

[Flagrum_3]

Pioneer has always built the best Plasma (picture&quality) and as far as I'm concerned they are still unmatched.Also the plasma is the way to go if you watch alot of sports, LCDs still have a way to go for this.


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[Chuckie]

Project Kuro FTW!
The last pioneer model the 70 was out for two years instead of one. From what I know, basically, pioneer mandated its team to create the best television experience in the market and hence released the 80 series now.

Can you go 50inches? maybe the pioneer 5010FD is the answer (pioneer + 1080p ftw?)

For sure though, when watching high definition, the PZ700 picture is a lot more defined, detailed but thats really only when you're sitting 4 feet from the tv.

I have the both sitting side by side at the Future Shop btw. =)

-Chuckie
Let me know before you make any decisions to buy the tv. i'll see if i can get a better price for you (than your lowest quoted price).
/shameless fs sales drone plug.

[IMHIP2]

Also looking to get HDTV
I am currently leaning towards the LCD camp and looking at the Sony KDL52XBR4 (70%) or the Samsung LNT5271F (30%) mainly due to the room it would be going into being bright. The Sony is suppose to reproduce SD better than most and both have 1080P HDMI 1.3 with 24fps and 120 Hz refresh rate. The Sony also has an anti-glare screen to help difuse reflections which the plasmas are bad for in bright light.

I also have looked at various plasma and came to the conclusion that if I was to get one it would be a Pioneer.

I'm still researching and gazing in the stores so I will also be watching this thread.

Chuckie - you work in the TV department at FS?

Edit - Also want to see what the HDGuru has to say about the latest crop of HDTV's. He performs tests on the various tv's and platforms to determin such things as do they show the full 1080 lines, etc. I believe the 2008 list comes out today in Home Theatre Magazine but you can look up the 2007 tests and find how each set fairs. Just search for HDGURU.

http://www.hometheatermag.com/ discusses various equipment etc including the XBR4 i mention and the Kuro Chuckie mentions as well as many others discussed above.

[midnightfxgt]

Thanks guys.... May have to go for the 50" Pioneer 1080p!

I know 1080p on a 42" set isnt going to be an amazing experience more than a few feet away. I will be about 8ft away, which is an estimate, as the house isnt built yet :)

-John

[stevenlung]

tons of Samsung refurbished LCD TV on sale at Canada Computers, check it out!!! I got 2 for myself

[chinsterr]

If you ever do cross over to LCDs ... the sharp Aquos is a very very good unit for the price. Picture quality is better than the bravia's IMO, and many will tell you the same.

1080P or bust :)

Seriously though, 1080i/720p is 3 years ago .. 1080P is "true HD" hahah marketing ploy.

[IMHIP2]

If you ever do cross over to LCDs ... the sharp Aquos is a very very good unit for the price. Picture quality is better than the bravia's IMO, and many will tell you the same.

1080P or bust :)

Seriously though, 1080i/720p is 3 years ago .. 1080P is "true HD" hahah marketing ploy.

Are they still having the banding issues on the Sharp? That's why I wasn't considering the Aquos.

[dentinger]

ive been thinking about getting a LCD tv recently....mostly cuz i wanna get an Xbox 360, and i dont wanna ruin the graphics on my shitty 20" tube tv.

what would you guys suggest? i dont wanna spend alot of money.... the less, the better. and i want something around a 26" to a 32".

any suggestions??

and would i notice the pixels alot if im about 4 feet away from the tv? or would it not matter since im playing video games?

sorry to threadjack, but it seems on topic

[chinsterr]

Are they still having the banding issues on the Sharp? That's why I wasn't considering the Aquos.

apparently they refunded all customers that purchased a tv with banding ..

Sony on the other hand, refuses to admit that their LCDs have clouding issues !

[whiteomega]

Sony refuses to admit their LCDs have issues, full stop.

they just don't care; in my PSP manual, it says: "LCDs are high-precision displays; it is not unnatural to have a small number of stuck or dead pixels" yadda, yadda.

i tried to get Sony to fix the screen (i have 10 stuck pixels on my PSP), and they refused...so i'm not going with any sony LCDs anytime soon.

the Toshiba Regza i saw at Best Buy, on the other hand...geez, that looks pretty good (though to be fair is probably still a low-end display, given the price)

[Chuckie]

Regza isn't bad for the price.. everything is okay except for the contrast.. playing dark scenes on that tv kind of sucks.

10 stuck pixels is ridiculous... would of thought sony would do something about it. their service is usually pretty good.

[Chuckie]

tons of Samsung refurbished LCD TV on sale at Canada Computers, check it out!!! I got 2 for myself

i think most of Canada computer's refurb Tv's and to an extent their refurb computers are FS or BBY rejects. I.E. Depot Repair.
I went there, saw it myself some of the FS depot repair tags weren't totally ripped off.. and cause they had supposedly refurbs of the FS exclusive tv's

You may get some good ones... but if you picked up a unit that went to depot that really did need repairing, i bid you good luck.. personally.. i don't trust the depot repair too too much.... I don't think the tv goes back to manufacturer for fixing.

of course, people usually are stupid and make up some dumb excuse like, oh its broken, it turns off every few minutes cause they think they will get hassled at the returns desk, all they gotta say is, i do not want it. its not right for me.

all luck of the draw i guess as with any refurb.

Thats my take on the issue.

[MazdaTree]

OK Guys its my turn now :)!
I was originally thinking about the Sharp Aquos line, but then I saw the Samsungs and the higher contrast ratios changed my mind a bit. I'm looking for something between 40-50 inches, 1080P and 120hz. Sometimes I even think about Plasmas, just because it seems that they look better watching SDTV. I plan to strike on boxing day! What do you guys think?

[S.F.W.]

If you are going LCD stick with the Aquos. A friend of mine recently purchased the 42" D64U Sharp Aquos. It is an amazing TV, great colour, great refresh, and no banding issues. He originally purchased the Samsung model which is similar, but it wasn't very good in terms of real colour quality.

[whiteomega]

the problem with Samsung is that if you want a good tv, you pay through the nose for it. the Sharp Aquos TVs are not as good as the expensive Samsungs, but they're not that bad either. As bang for your buck, i would go with the Aquos D64 line too.

[Flagrum_3]

Sony refuses to admit their LCDs have issues, full stop.

they just don't care; in my PSP manual, it says: "LCDs are high-precision displays; it is not unnatural to have a small number of stuck or dead pixels" yadda, yadda.

i tried to get Sony to fix the screen (i have 10 stuck pixels on my PSP), and they refused...so i'm not going with any sony LCDs anytime soon.

the Toshiba Regza i saw at Best Buy, on the other hand...geez, that looks pretty good (though to be fair is probably still a low-end display, given the price)

It is a common fact that all LCD displays will tend to have a few bad pixels (even top of the line units)...its normal.
It is up to the purchaser to inspect the screen at purchase or asap and if there is a excessive or 'bundled' amount of dead-pixels, the manufacturer or retailer will usually replace the TV....there was a percentage amount of dead pixels they used to warrant a change, but I can't remember the number.


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[midnightfxgt]

I may be picking up a Panasonic TH42PZ77 - $1600 at The Source on Sale for one of the best Plasmas out there :)

-John

[Caz]

Last week I picked up a 50" Panasonic Viera (TH50PZ77) from a friend at Futureshop, he got me a deal the wife and I counldn't refuse.
It is awesome, I spend all weekend watching HD channels. I would highly recommend this TV to anyone.

[sunnyhomeboy]

just dont go for a refurb.

[boogie]

I may be picking up a Panasonic TH42PZ77 - $1600 at The Source on Sale for one of the best Plasmas out there :)

-John

Good choice man...I've been eyeing this TV out for a while now as well. Hoping to see it for a little cheaper around Christmas/Boxing day.

[sunnyhomeboy]

Last week I picked up a 50" Panasonic Viera (TH50PZ77) from a friend at Futureshop, he got me a deal the wife and I counldn't refuse.
It is awesome, I spend all weekend watching HD channels. I would highly recommend this TV to anyone.

what kinda deaL? i need one for xmas too~did you get something called extended service warranty?

[bubba1983]

possibly lookin at a 32inch Aquos to replace my 19inch computer monitor
can't friggen wait

[Caz]

what kinda deaL? i need one for xmas too~did you get something called extended service warranty?

I paid a little over cost for the TV. I was going to wait until after Christmas to grab a deal but I figured this was a can't miss chance to get the TV I really wanted instead of settling for what was on sale or in stock.

I bought the warranty because of the problems I had with the Plasma TV it was replacing. Even with the 4 year extended service warranty I paid much less than than the regular price. And I have peace of mind.

[PlatMS6]

I may be picking up a Panasonic TH42PZ77 - $1600 at The Source on Sale for one of the best Plasmas out there :)

-John


http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/showthread.php?t=528037

[midnightfxgt]

Thanks dude... will keep an eye on that :)

[PlatMS6]

NP, whenever I buy tech I always perform a quick search on that forum first

[Chuckie]

good price. waiting is always the key.. =)
hmm.. i need to start bugging my managers to let me see whats on boxing day door crash/special. im sure they got the list already.

[midnightfxgt]

Yeah, same here... Didnt see this one though. I saw the TSCC $1600 thread though :)

-John

[boogie]

http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/showthread.php?t=528037

Good find. I wonder if that'll be available online. I hate dealing w/ shopping malls on boxing day. I'd rather pay the extra couple hundred bucks.

[bubba1983]

i line up at 2am on boxing day :D:D im hardcore liek that
i hope the bocing day flyers come out this weekend...
im dyin to know the door crashers....chuckie, you better keep us informed!

[ZeroChalk]

i'm also looking for a new tv, peferably in the 42"-46" range... let us know if there is a fantastic deal. .. as I am willing to try and line up for a door crasher.

[FLIPDADY]

I'm quite happy with my Dell Plasma. Except they dropped the damn prices!:flaming

[boogie]

Futureshop & Best Buy online boxing day sale starts at 8pm on December 24. There should be some good deals available.

[Chuckie]

pm me for "the list"

only to people i know though. can't have this shit going onto rfd or something.

[MazdaTree]

So I've narrowed it down to these 3:

Sharp Aquos 1080p 52" LCD HDTV** (LC52D82U)
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0770HDS0010085434&catid=

Sharp 52" 1080p LCD HD-TV LC52D92
http://www.2001audiovideo.com/product_info.php?id=LC52D92&clr=

Pioneer 1080p 50" Plasma Widescreen HDTV** (PDP-5010FD)
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0770HDS0010091821&catid=
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++

What do you guys think?

Where do they sell nice stands for tvs?

[bubba1983]

im down to 2 choices myself now....37inch bravia, or a 32inch LG

[baymoe]

http://store.viewsonic.com/canadianspecial

Got my eyes on that 37 incher.

[Flagrum_3]

So I've narrowed it down to these 3:

Sharp Aquos 1080p 52" LCD HDTV** (LC52D82U)
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0770HDS0010085434&catid=

Sharp 52" 1080p LCD HD-TV LC52D92
http://www.2001audiovideo.com/product_info.php?id=LC52D92&clr=

Pioneer 1080p 50" Plasma Widescreen HDTV** (PDP-5010FD)
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0770HDS0010091821&catid=
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++

What do you guys think?

Where do they sell nice stands for tvs?

If money ain't a problem than I'd tell ya to grab the Pioneer, those other two will never match the depth and smoothness of the Pioneer IMO.As for stands check out FS's stand booklet for some options.


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[MazdaTree]

I think I'm finally ready...well almost... Just wanna hear what you guys think about these 2.

Sony XBR4
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0770HDS0010092829&catid=


Sharp 82 Series Aquos
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0770HDS0010085434&catid=

[cwp_sedan]

Personally I would go with the Sharp because it's $1000 cheaper. The differences between the 2 are minimal. The Sony looks to come out on top in a compare but the response time for the Sharp is 4ms faster which is always good.

My brother has an Aquos and it's pretty sweet. Sony has always put out good TVs but I just find them to be too expensive.

[m_a_t_r_i_x]

I had sony bravia and its been ok.....but if i were to choose now ill take sharp aquos, looks sharper! :).....enjoy watchin' pron in full HD! :).........

also btw take into consideration the size of your room, the sitting/viewing distance from the TV (size) will make a difference.

[firstmazda]

:).....enjoy watchin' pron in full HD! :).........


Yeah, you can see their rashes! :chuckle