Is this used Plasma worth buying?

[Braddock]

Im kind of partial to plasmas and want to go the way of a used display instead of a new one. Ive found a Samsung PN64F8500 for $900 that was purchased new in 2014. Im concerned about the Y sustain boards that Ive read about. Should I even worry about that? Is it like any piece of electronics you buy? Theres always something that has an issue in any given electronics we buy. Or, should I worry about it in that model. Any opinions appreciated. Thanks

 

[lovinthehd]

No experience with the issue of Y sustain boards (let alone know what they are in particular). Many used to say the Samsung plasmas had buzzing and burn-in issues but I never had them with with my PN59D8000. Recently picked up a used PN59D7000 for $200 and it's fine, too. YMMV.

 

[TLS Guy]

Im kind of partial to plasmas and want to go the way of a used display instead of a new one. Ive found a Samsung PN64F8500 for $900 that was purchased new in 2014. Im concerned about the Y sustain boards that Ive read about. Should I even worry about that? Is it like any piece of electronics you buy? Theres always something that has an issue in any given electronics we buy. Or, should I worry about it in that model. Any opinions appreciated. Thanks

Samsung plasma TV,s had a poor reputation for reliability. A close friend bought one of the last ones. The power supply blew up and I had to find an aftermarket rebuilt one and replace it. That is my only experience with Samsung plasmas.

If you want plasma, and I agree they are better then anything I have seen on the market to date, then I would try and find a Panny, Pioneer Kuro or a Fujitsu Plasma Vision.

I bought a Fujitsu in 2006 and still have it. I have two Panny Plasmas and would not part with any of them. All give wonderful detailed pictures with very natural colors.
I can say the Samsung I referenced above does not have the PQ of the ones I have.

 

[tyhjaarpa]

I have had PS51F5500 since 2011/2012 and I have been happy with mine. 900$ for used sounds little high to me tho.

 

[lovinthehd]

Looked on fleabay, they have one for $225 and another for $800 (the one for $800 says it's been professionally calibrated). Looked briefly at sold/completed listings, one for $423 on 12/5, another for $731 11/5.

 

[lovinthehd]

Another thought is checking the number of hours. For mine it's keying in when the tv is on the sequence " mute-7-3-7-enter " on the remote and then look at the value for MRT for number of hours of use; then power off to exit

A brief search for the PN64F8500 didn't turn up the particular command sequence, if it's different, maybe search over on avsforum.com.

 

[Braddock]

Looked on fleabay, they have one for $225 and another for $800 (the one for $800 says it's been professionally calibrated). Looked briefly at sold/completed listings, one for $423 on 12/5, another for $731 11/5.

You misread, that was the stand for that model tv for $225! The other one for $800 is the starting bid and has been re-listed several times because it doesnt sell. The TV im looking at was purchased brand new in the Spring of 2015. $900 doesnt sound bad for a $3800 display thats not even 4 years old yet. Thats 23% of the original cost. The Panny VT60s were originally pricier, but both were neck and neck when it comes to performance. I have a Kuro currently thats 10yrs old, but Im having issues with it. Im almost certain Im down to one HDMI port and Im having an issue with my Directv that I just cannot figure out. I cant tell if its the DVR RCVR or the Kuro thats casuing the issue. Ive hooked up the same HDMI cable to another cheapo LG and I dont have the problem and no other device has the problem when connected to my Kuro. Its the same setup Ive had for 10yrs, so to the best of my knowlege, no settings have been changed. Heres a video of whats happening on my Kuro while watching TV. Ive scoured the internet and can find no mention of this problem.

 

[Braddock]

Another thought is checking the number of hours. For mine it's keying in when the tv is on the sequence " mute-7-3-7-enter " on the remote and then look at the value for MRT for number of hours of use; then power off to exit

A brief search for the PN64F8500 didn't turn up the particular command sequence, if it's different, maybe search over on avsforum.com.

I had the guy selling the model I mentioned check the hours and he sent me screen shot of it. It has 5700hrs on it. That seems pretty low for a tv thats rated, I believe, for 100,000hrs.

 

[Braddock]

Samsung plasma TV,s had a poor reputation for reliability. A close friend bought one of the last ones. The power supply blew up and I had to find an aftermarket rebuilt one and replace it. That is my only experience with Samsung plasmas.

If you want plasma, and I agree they are better then anything I have seen on the market to date, then I would try and find a Panny, Pioneer Kuro or a Fujitsu Plasma Vision.

I bought a Fujitsu in 2006 and still have it. I have two Panny Plasmas and would not part with any of them. All give wonderful detailed pictures with very natural colors.
I can say the Samsung I referenced above does not have the PQ of the ones I have.

I actually found a TC-P60VT60 much closer to me for only $400! If he still has it, and it comes from a good home, I may pull the trigger on it. That seems like a really good deal.

 

[Auditor55]

I actually found a TC-P60VT60 much closer to me for only $400! If he still has it, and it comes from a good home, I may pull the trigger on it. That seems like a really good deal.

What does that mean, is it a pet?

 

[Braddock]

I also found a Pioneer Elite Pro 60" 150FD for $400. Thats an old set, but is that worth it for the price?

 

[Braddock]

What does that mean, is it a pet?

No, you can usually get an idea of how well something has been taken care of by the part of town its in, but ultimately it boils down to how they keep their house. If its messy, despite being in an affluent part of town, and there are fingerprints all over the screen and dust all over it, I might be a bit leary of how well it was taken care of. On the other hand, a pristine theatre room thats dust free and immaculate might be a good indicator that it was babied and taken care of.

 

[Verdinut]

I also found a Pioneer Elite Pro 60" 150FD for $400. Thats an old set, but is that worth it for the price?

No. In my opinion, it's preferable to put your money on a newer TV or a brand new one.

 

[highfigh]

Samsung plasma TV,s had a poor reputation for reliability. A close friend bought one of the last ones. The power supply blew up and I had to find an aftermarket rebuilt one and replace it. That is my only experience with Samsung plasmas.

If you want plasma, and I agree they are better then anything I have seen on the market to date, then I would try and find a Panny, Pioneer Kuro or a Fujitsu Plasma Vision.

I bought a Fujitsu in 2006 and still have it. I have two Panny Plasmas and would not part with any of them. All give wonderful detailed pictures with very natural colors.
I can say the Samsung I referenced above does not have the PQ of the ones I have.

I installed two Hitachi commercial plasma displays in 2003 for one of my customers and because I couldn't find some needed parts for the Samsung commercial displays he wants to use as replacements, guess what I installed in the living room at their new place so they would have a TV for the holidays. 15 years and neither has had any problems. I have a 42" Panasonic that I bought at the end of their run and it looks great.

 

[Verdinut]

With my Panasonic Plasma which i bought 9 years ago, the picture is still amazing, but I'm starting to have HDMI handshaking problems with it.

 

[Auditor55]

No, you can usually get an idea of how well something has been taken care of by the part of town its in, but ultimately it boils down to how they keep their house. If its messy, despite being in an affluent part of town, and there are fingerprints all over the screen and dust all over it, I might be a bit leary of how well it was taken care of. On the other hand, a pristine theatre room thats dust free and immaculate might be a good indicator that it was babied and taken care of.

That doesn't mean anything. A person could care more about the A/V equipment than the cleanliness of the house. The person could be immaculate and not know anything about proper maintenance of a PDP. That is why you should check for burn-in whether or not someone's fingerprints and or dust is on the screen. Screen burn-in/stubborn IR is was ruins plasmas, not fingerprints and dust.

 

[Speedskater]

An Ham radio operators in your neighborhood will hate you if you do! Plasma TV's are a major source of RFI interference.

 

[lovinthehd]

I had the guy selling the model I mentioned check the hours and he sent me screen shot of it. It has 5700hrs on it. That seems pretty low for a tv thats rated, I believe, for 100,000hrs.

LOL yeah that's pretty low. My older one has 24,000 hrs and the used one I just picked up only 7000....

 

[lovinthehd]

An Ham radio operators in your neighborhood will hate you if you do! Plasma TV's are a major source of RFI interference.

Wouldn't the ham have to be like in the apartment next door or something along those lines? How big an "aura" could a plasma tv generate?

 

[lovinthehd]

You misread, that was the stand for that model tv for $225! The other one for $800 is the starting bid and has been re-listed several times because it doesnt sell. The TV im looking at was purchased brand new in the Spring of 2015. $900 doesnt sound bad for a $3800 display thats not even 4 years old yet. Thats 23% of the original cost. The Panny VT60s were originally pricier, but both were neck and neck when it comes to performance. I have a Kuro currently thats 10yrs old, but Im having issues with it. Im almost certain Im down to one HDMI port and Im having an issue with my Directv that I just cannot figure out. I cant tell if its the DVR RCVR or the Kuro thats casuing the issue. Ive hooked up the same HDMI cable to another cheapo LG and I dont have the problem and no other device has the problem when connected to my Kuro. Its the same setup Ive had for 10yrs, so to the best of my knowlege, no settings have been changed. Heres a video of whats happening on my Kuro while watching TV. Ive scoured the internet and can find no mention of this problem.

It was a really brief look....and most of the stuff connected with the model were parts. $900 does seem high, tho. I was looking maybe to take the step to 4k but for another set almost identical to the one I already had years of experience with for $200 was a no-brainer for now. I'm fine with 1080p for a while longer. Don't know what to tell you about the Kuro, have not had even a hiccup with my PN59D8000 and neither did the guy selling the 7000. Could well happen down the line, but....

Good luck in your search....I think it's a good time to search out the plasmas people are giving up on for 4k now....