CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

AFryia · Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2006 2:02 am Post subject: What Plasma would a CRT'er Choose

Wife wants a flat screen TV for the living room.

What are front running mid price plasma out there ?

I'm thinking 42-50" range mostly for broadcast/cable TV but PQ is important also.

WanMan · Joined: 19 Mar 2006 Posts: 10270

What makes you think CRTers would take plasma over other forms of flat panel technology? Smile

The upper-boundary for flat-panels is ~$100K. Mid-price would be a lot. Very Happy

Broadcast/cable TV could easily include 1920x1080. Are you looking at resolution to be a component of PQ?

AFryia · Posted: Fri Aug 04, 2006 2:02 am Post subject:

Kent Berry · Joined: 03 Jul 2006 Posts: 94 Location: Central Florida

From what I've read, the Panasonic TH-XXPH9UK series (or the older TH-XXPHD8UK series) is the way to go. It is what I'd get for our family room right now if I didn't have so many other expensive home projects currently underway. The online price for a 50 inch in the 9UK series is around $2800 - $2900.

It's their "Professional" series. No tuner, no speakers, swappable input modules, serial control, etc. I haven't been able to find any local B&M dealers stocking them so I haven't seen one, but they are supposedly very nice sets.

I know where you're coming from. The 3 eyed monster rules in the theater, but I'd like to get a flat panel for just "watching TV" and get rid of my CRT RPTV and associated entertainment center and increase the length of my small family room by about 3 feet.

WanMan · Joined: 19 Mar 2006 Posts: 10270

As you might have noticed, I just bought the Vizio 42" LCD (GV42L). Wife and I are giving it a whirl while we re-do our family room. Its $1600, but on Monday a sale takes effect and its $1300. Compare this to the PD50M (?) plasma from Vizio and the deal was easy.

Kent Berry · Joined: 03 Jul 2006 Posts: 94 Location: Central Florida

I have a couple of 32" LCD sets for bedroom and exercise room use. They're nice. The big problem (as I see it) with the LCD sets is that the price climbs in a hurry when you start looking at the larger sets. My current RPTV is a 55" (16:9) set, and I'm reluctant to get a new set which is smaller. Cost constraints have me looking at the 50" plasmas. I wouldn't be able to afford one of the larger LCD sets.

Come to think of it, the OP stated an interest in a large range of sizes. He probably needs to settle on a size (or price) before he can make a good decision.

emdawgz1 · Joined: 14 Mar 2006 Posts: 7949

Sony 60 SXRD

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000GZUN9W/sr=1-22/qid=1155845988/ref=sr_1_22/103-6602307-3122240?ie=UTF8&s=audio-video

WanMan · Joined: 19 Mar 2006 Posts: 10270

This CRTer isn't impressed with his 42" LCD. I guess LCD is ... LCD. This means really limited on/off & ANSI contrast, high black level, etc., etc., etc.

I watched a couple of pre-season football games and they looked terrific. This is a venue with plenty of light and the perceived blacks were perceived in a very acceptable manner. Other than that, anything else I've been watching in HD (or just DTV) has been mediocre in terms of PQ performance.

If images were to be portrayed in a relief map (topo-style) with the darker areas the valley and the brights the peaks then a lot if getting lost in mid-shadow and below. I tried to watch 2+1/2 Men the other night and the nighttime front-door scenes were mostly lost due to what appears to be the high black level.

Since I know of no one near me that can conveniently show me what a decent plasma can perform like I can only hope its not as bad as LCD. I am now thinking of trying the P50HD via the buy & try & return gambit. I hate that kind of activity, but when the reseller fails to provide even a family-room style condition its difficult to really compare or evaluate beyond the bright sporting event.

Hey dawg, SXRD (like the LCD) ain't a plasma. lol

AFryia · Posted: Sun Aug 20, 2006 2:03 am Post subject:

WanMan,

Was that one a 1080p version?

WanMan · Joined: 19 Mar 2006 Posts: 10270

No, its the 1366x768 panel. The on-sale Westinghouse 42" 1080P LCD is $500 from Bad Buy though. Of course, this is a hit & miss game and I'm looking at it 'out of the box' but such is the case.

**Curt Palme** · Posted: Sat Sep 09, 2006 9:53 pm Post subject:

Check out my slightly dated CES report from January. My overall impression is to go with a known Japanese brand. Mind you, a lot of the Samsung and LG stuff looked good, but I've heard opposing views as to the reliability of the Korean stuff in general...

WanMan · Joined: 19 Mar 2006 Posts: 10270

You will find that LG is an OEM part-source partner for other manufacturers not on the island of Japan.