Samsung LN46A550 or Panasonic 46pz80u

[ougrad02]

I currently have a sony 40v2500 and am looking to upgrade to a 46". I am stuck between the Samsung LN46A550 and the Panasonic 46pz80u. I can get either at roughly the same price. My usage will be 50% tv with majority hd, 25% movies, 25% gaming. The room it is going in stays pretty dark so reflections shouldn't be much of an issue. Any suggestions to sway me one way or the other?

Thanks in advance.

 

[ParkerAudio]

I recently was in the same price range and size that you were. I ruled out any Plasma due to burn in issues, particularly a concern if you are going to do gaming. If the Panasonic had not been a Plasma, that would have been the set that I would have bought. I think that the Samsung has the weaker speakers of the top flat panel units, but that might not be a concern if you are using the TV mostly with your receiver.
I ended up buying the Sony Bravia S-Series KDL-46S4100, due to the better speakers. I also considered the Toshiba REGZA 46RV530U. Both of these units are new this year.
Just my thoughts, if it was just between the Samsung and the Panasonic, I would take the Samsung.

 

[bandphan]

Panny. Ive been gamming on my panel(pio) and have had no ir what so ever. Panny makes an excellent panel for the money

 

[acacia987]

if you don't have to worry about reflections and you can control the light, then go panny (no reason to go with lcd). i got the 42pz77u last year and its amazing, with the new technology Burn in is a thing of the past. i use it for gaming/movies/tv and it looks great. to bad plasma is slowly fading away.

 

[ParkerAudio]

I think you better look to the manufacturer pertaining to burn in, or image retention, it still is a problem. And if you look through the manuals before you buy a television you will be able to see the warning. This is not covered by warranty, and is considered normal wear. In particular you can go to Panasonic.com, search for your TV and find on page 5 a warning about image retention. Unfortunately it is the nature of the beast, and one of the reasons that Plasma is a dying technology.

 

[Hi Ho]

I would go with nothing other than a plasma. I have a Panasonic TH-42PZ77u and It shows NO signs of image retention even after mistakenly leaving my DVR on pause for 3 hours straight. I realize the manual warns about burn in and it is not covered under warranty. Yes it IS still a possibility but the reality is that you really have to TRY to burn in a modern Panasonic panel. If you bought an LCD souly due to fear of burn in I say you're really missing out on a fantastic picture that LCD simply cannot match.

The store I work for displays plasmas from Panasonic, Pioneer, Samsung, and Hitachi with the same channel all day long 6 days a week and no plasma has every shown any signs of burn in.

 

[acacia987]

I think you better look to the manufacturer pertaining to burn in, or image retention, it still is a problem.

No its not. end of story. if you have an ounce of intelligence you will probably never get IR (and remember IR is not permanent) and you definitely will never get any burn in(talking about the newer plasmas). If you look at a hair dryer manual it tells you not to use it in the bathtub. Companies have to take an umbrella stance cause they have to assume the consumer has the intelligence of a 2 year old or they will be sued.

 

[ougrad02]

When I first set out to get a tv I was actually dead set that I would be getting the panasonic. Then after looking in the stores the samsung really stood out. I'm hesitant to take what I saw in the store as gospel though seeing as how it will look different in my space and also once it is calibrated. After reading lots of threads I was leaning towards a plasma but I have also read threads and reviews of the pz85u that talk about a lot of noise in the picture. So thats my dilemma. I don't want to feel like I'm giving up a great picture by going lcd but I also don't want to get the plasma and be frustrated by noise in the picture. Anyway just sharing some of my thought process. Thanks for the comments so far.

 

[Seth=L]

After reading the horror stories behind Samsung's customer service I would avoid them all together. Panasonic makes great Plasma sets, as did Pioneer.

 

[ParkerAudio]

Uhhh, okay, I will let you argue with the instruction manual for the tv he cited. That can be your defense in court, or when you have to call Panasonic support, "but I read on the internet burn in is not a problem."
They could have just left it out if burn in wasn't an issue. As for the legal issue you would have to show that the TV had burn in. Dead body in a bath tub, pretty much sealed the deal for a mention in the hair dryer handbook.

http://www.wltx.com/news/story.aspx?storyid=56171

I can see that Plasma versus LCD is much like Bluray versus HD DVD. That is unfortunate, I was merely pointing out that Panasonic does still cite it as a problem. Plasma has a great picture, but LCD has been gaining, and in some cases the LCD, although few, has the better picture.

Here are facts from Panasonic on Plasmas, pay particular attention to the break in period, recommendations on gaming, and notice that there has been a great reduction in burn in, but it still can exist.

http://www2.panasonic.com/consumer-electronics/support/FAQs/details-FAQs+for+Plasma+TVs-UCM_PRD_CNT_001993#tv4

If Panasonic would have stated that they didn't have any more problems, I would have bought the Panasonic. I have had great success with their TV's in the past 10 years, and I just bought a 26 inch LCD, so I am a firm believer in their products, just didn't want to take the risk or have to worry about a problem, just because I wanted a hair improvement in picture.

 

[bandphan]

in regards to burn in, im a firm believer in the 100hr rule, just like with some car manufactures and engine break in. If one is completely neglegent with their higher end plasma imo ir can happen. If one purchases a low end plasma imo ir will happen, and burn in with neglegence.

 

[acacia987]

If a company can not be 100% sure that no matter what a consumer does it wont have an negative affect they have to state the possibility/disclaimer.

from Panasonics website:
"The rule of thumb: if you don't worry about your traditional tube TV, you don't have to worry about a Panasonic plasma TV. "
Panasonic imo is only second to pioneer in quality.(although pioneer will soon be getting there screens from panasonic) I am also a believer in break in period, a couple days worth of being mindful is worth it to me.

As far as the noise in the picture, i have not heard anything on that issue. can u link to those? I haven't noticed any on mine.

ParkerAudio, so u agree with the manuals having to be really general? kinda didn't understand your stance on it.

 

[ParkerAudio]

My stance is that it can still be a problem, it is not a urban legand, certain rules need to be followed to prevent IR. These rules are small, such as the break in period or increasing your image to full screen size, using the grey bars, instead of black, or being aware that certain kinds of crawlers being displayed for long period can cause damage.
I could not own a Plama due to the fact that I sometimes come home and Fox News, or CNBC has been left on all day by my wife. Now the technology is getting better but IR does still happen in some cases pertaining to certain situations. You can look at the weblink I posted from Panasonic, CNET, or PlasmaTV.com, wherever. All will tell you there is still a chance of IR.
This is all fresh in my head, because I just did all the research. Here is a reasonable position from CNET, IMO.

http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6449_7-6844370-1.html

 

[ougrad02]

As far as the noise in the picture I read about in the cnet review of the 85u. It was also in some random threads I read from owners of the tv. I would have to go back and search to find them again though. I think it may just be something some people see based on their signal and settings possibly? The cnet review about the noise those is probably whats holding me up the most. Even in the store the picture of the lcd look cleaner in my opinion.

 

[acacia987]

ok OUGRAD02.
this should boil it down for you. this quote was from the link provided by Parker Audio(thanks).

"Look, if your primary use for your TV is watching stations that have stock or news tickers running on them eight hours a day, buy an LCD. The reason you want a plasma is because you can get a big-screen model (50 inches or larger) that offers deeper blacks and better off-axis viewing for less money than an LCD. And if you're a day trader sitting at home, playing the markets during the day and watching movies at night, get a small LCD for daytime use and a big plasma for nighttime viewing. End of story.

good summary.

since you can control the light and i assume your not a day trader(although i could be wrong), plasma would be a good choice.

 

[bandphan]

As far as the noise in the picture I read about in the cnet review of the 85u. It was also in some random threads I read from owners of the tv. I would have to go back and search to find them again though. I think it may just be something some people see based on their signal and settings possibly? The cnet review about the noise those is probably whats holding me up the most. Even in the store the picture of the lcd look cleaner in my opinion.

1. I have never seen a LCD that has a better picture than a Panny ot Pio panel.
2. All TVs need to be calibrated to their room
3. What is a cleaner look
4. Cnet?
5. see #1

 

[Hi Ho]

Panasonic makes great Plasma sets, as did Pioneer.

Pioneer still makes plasmas. The only difference is that they are getting together with Panasonic to produce panels. R&D is done seperately. They aren't buying panels designed by Panasonic. They are sharing technology. It's similar to what Sony and Samsung do.

 

[ougrad02]

I wasn't saying the samsung had a better picture just cleaner as I put it. I guess by that I meant it looked sharper or didn't have the noise I saw in the panny at the store. I agree about the calibration though and like I said before it could be purely source related or due to lack of calibration in the store.

 

[annunaki]

...Yes it IS still a possibility but the reality is that you really have to TRY to burn in a modern Panasonic panel. If you bought an LCD soley due to fear of burn in I say you're really missing out on a fantastic picture that LCD simply cannot match...

Hi Ho is completely correct here. The manufacturer cannot warranty against it, because if a person was not happy with a set and INTENTIONALLY burned it in they would have to replace it.

My parents have a 600 series Panasonic Plasma with NO sign of IR or burn in. It is a fantastic set.

 

[ParkerAudio]

Pioneer still makes plasmas. The only difference is that they are getting together with Panasonic to produce panels. R&D is done seperately. They aren't buying panels designed by Panasonic. They are sharing technology. It's similar to what Sony and Samsung do.

Pioneer doesn't make Plasmas anymore, they have them out sourced, just buying them direct from Panasonic.

http://blogs.consumerreports.org/electronics/2008/03/pioneer-to-exit.html

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/GadgetGuide/wireStory?id=4406486

And they are getting their LCDs from Sharp.

Panasonic and Hitachi are the last Plasma producers.

http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/03/pioneer-says-goodbye-to-plasma-manufacturing/