Is 24p worth 600 bucks?

[Guiria]

Any one have experience with 24p playback plasmas?

I am getting a good deal on a plasma which is making me change HT upgrade priorities (was about to build a couple subs) but should, nonetheless be totally awesome.

I'm looking at 2 models:

The Panasonic PZ800U and the PZ85U. One of the major differences between the two is that the 800U has 24p playback which I've heard is good but have never experienced it. The price difference between the two sets is roughly 600 bucks. Is the 24p feature worth it? I currently don't own a blu-ray player but will eventually so the feature won't benefit me in the short run but I'd like some enthusiast opinions on using 24p.

I am also one who upgrades almost never so I will be using this set until it croaks.

 

[brulaha]

From CNET's review:

"We tested the Panasonic's "24p direct in" mode by setting it to 48Hz and switching our PS3 to 1080p/24 mode. After doing so, the first thing we noticed was significant flicker, which was most obvious in brighter areas of the picture, such as the overcast sky or sun-scorched desert hardpan, but was present throughout. The flicker made the image basically unwatchable, and we much preferred the look of standard 60Hz mode. If it weren't for the flicker, however, the 24p mode would be great, because it did make movement appear more natural, removing the hitching in motion associated with 60Hz's necessary 2:3 pull-down process. We feel most viewers will notice and object to the flicker enough to abandon the 48Hz setting, however."

Read more here...

http://reviews.cnet.com/flat-panel-tvs/panasonic-viera-th-50pz800u/4505-6482_7-32886472.html

 

[MDS]

Film is 24p and when played on a normal DVD player, 3:2 pulldown must be engaged. I don't know how the Panasonic Plasma deals with it, but the newest LCDs (at least Toshiba) use 5:5 pulldown to display each frame 5 times to match the 120 Hz refresh rate.

I don't know how well it works because I don't own a Blu-Ray player but I'd say it's a worthwhile feature to have, just not sure if it is worth $600...considering we've all been watching 3:2 pulldown processed film for years.

 

[Soundman]

Just wanted to mention a couple things. I started a thread on the PZ800U recently. This TV is still very new and I haven't gotten a chance to see it, but the main reason this set is priced higher then the pz85u is b/c it is a higher end product. A lot of the cost that went in to this set was for the THX certification. This is expensive to have done so the cost is past onto the consumer. The reason I've been interested in it though (THX certified or not) is b/c it outperformed the 85u during testing. It's suppose to have black levels that rival the Kuro, although still not quite as good, but very very close, according to the review, and as far as color accuracy and uniformity, etc, it actually outperformed the Kuro in these areas , so I have been very interested to see this set in person. I believe it probably is worth the extra money, and may be a more affordable option then getting a Kuro. Of course I'd like to see this set for myself in person before recommending it, but it scored right up there with the kuro in performance. Anyway, just my thoughts.

 

[Guiria]

The Panny deal didn't work out which is a little dissapointing but my friend can get me a 50" Samsung FP-T5084 for a lot less than he was originally talking for the new Panasonics.

Even though it isn't the TV I was hoping for it is too good a deal to pass up. I'll post pics once I get it mounted (which may be a while).

Beggers can't be choosers I guess.

 

[Soundman]

The Panny deal didn't work out which is a little dissapointing but my friend can get me a 50" Samsung FP-T5084 for a lot less than he was originally talking for the new Panasonics.

Even though it isn't the TV I was hoping for it is too good a deal to pass up. I'll post pics once I get it mounted (which may be a while).

Beggers can't be choosers I guess.

I have seen the FP-T5084 on display and I must say that it looked pretty darn good. I'f you are able to nab it for a good price, I say go for it. Sounds like a great value.
According to CNET, just keep in mind that this was in 2007:
Performance

In short, the Samsung FP-T5084 is an excellent performer, although not up to the image quality of the best plasma we tested this year, Pioneer's PDP-5080HD. The Samsung's black level performance is on-par with that of Panasonic, and while its primary colors are better, its grayscale is a bit less linear. It still deserves a place among the best plasmas we've seen this year, however.

You can read the full review here:
http://reviews.cnet.com/flat-panel-tvs/samsung-fp-t5084/4505-6482_7-32460966.html?ttag=rev_spon_prod&tag=mncol;lst