Help requested - Differences between Panasonic plasmas?

[Alex2507]

You already mentioned bandphan as a source for info on the Pannys. Another is annunaki. He is definately worth PM'ing. bandphan will be around after last call.

 

[wyllisx1]

Man based on these measurments 5.6' for 50" seems really close. Almost like you might actually feel the heat from the display. Or too me like sitting in the second row at the theater.

I was thinking of jumping on the plasma bandwagon on BF with the Panny 50" 720p. Some new distance measurments are in order. Based on the chart I may be able to sit at my percieved & hopefuly correct distance of 10'. If I'm any further back than that I'm out of my price range (small as it is now).

Of course there's always DLP but then I just don't have wall space for anything bigger really.

 

[jostenmeat]

Or too me like sitting in the second row at the theater.

Why do noobies keep saying this?

THX recommendations are for the center of the theater.

If I had 50", at my present angle, I'd be closer than 5 ft. BTW, I've recently been entertaining a film director of 10 years, just inducted into the Director's Guild of America, and he tells me its the most beautiful pic he's ever seen.

FWIW, maybe the most prolific reviewer of BD titles at AVS forums sits at 6ft away from a 60" Kuro...

...A lot of videophiles use a certain rule of thumb of 1 ft viewing distance for every 10" of display.

Those with anamorphic setups are often using a 1:1 viewing distance:screen width ratio. That's over 50 degrees.

You should check out some dedicated home theaters, and you will see very quickly. Obviously, you haven't yet.

 

[bandphan]

O bandphan, bandphan, Wherefore Art Thou bandphan?

On this damm barstool
. Looks like you have some info now. Ill check in in the am when im off the harp.

 

[bandphan]

The temptation is strong today. Assuming that the Best Buy at the new shopping center down the street is open, I might just stop by today. We'll see.

The 80U at $1300 seems like the best deal to me. I figure that it saves me $1000 compared to the bleeding-edge model...money that I could spend in two or three years on a newer and better TV if I feel the need to upgrade. I'm curious if anyone disagrees with that thinking? I know that ultimately it comes down to what features and price work best for me, but I don't want to miss something obvious that I'm going to regret later. This is my first TV purchase in over 14 years.

Thanks again!

The 85u has the vga input for you computer display, however if you have hdmi out on your computer it might not matter( ive seen handshake issues with some video cards). The 85 also gives you more aspect control( that doesnt mean much to me, as I watch all programs as native). 24p playback on all sets (except 850 and new Q series) has been average (not many displays pass with flying colors). If the budget is there the 85 has a slight edge to the 80, moving all the way up to the 850 gives imo the most control over video adjustments, however the extra cost vs pq is hard to justify(also the audio system is upgraded, but id never use it) Motion resolution is excellent on all sets. Jostenmeats seating charts are dead on, im 6.5' from my 50, as is the bigger is better Going from crt to plasma, you will not miss a beat which is more than i can say for most all lcd displays. One last note the 850 is the only display the make that has a serial(rs232) interface for intergration, which shouldnt matter to most. Im shaking off the HARP and the last two washington apples, ill try to find some of test specs for ya

scott

 

[Adam]

Thanks, Scott! I appreciate the info and opinions.

I just measured, and I'm 9.5' away from my screen when I'm sitting on the floor in front of my couch. I need to add one or two feet for the plasma, because it will be closer to the wall (and thus further away from me).

I was at my friends' house last night, and they have a (I think) 36" widescreen Panasonic CRT. Thing looked pretty big to me when I was over 10' away. Granted, I'll get used to the size once I have it. I'll check out the sets at Best Buy and see what I think.

Thanks again to everyone.

 

[bandphan]

How far are you from the Showcase stores? You might get a heck of a deal on the liquidation

 

[adk highlander]

Hey Adam. Glad you are going to make the leap! I'm not here to offer any real help (you have bandphan for that) but you have my full support to spend you cash.

 

[Adam]

How far are you from the Showcase stores? You might get a heck of a deal on the liquidation

I've never heard of them, so I'm guessing that I'm at least three blocks away.

 

[bandphan]

I've never heard of them, so I'm guessing that I'm at least three blocks away.

They were part of soundadvice fl, and got aquired by tweeter during the merger...so the should still be liquidating.

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&client=opera&rls=en&hs=kN6&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=showcase+home+theater+az&fb=1&sa=X&oi=local_group&resnum=4&ct=image

 

[Adam]

They were part of soundadvice fl, and got aquired by tweeter during the merger...so the should still be liquidating.

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&client=opera&rls=en&hs=kN6&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=showcase+home+theater+az&fb=1&sa=X&oi=local_group&resnum=4&ct=image

Ahhh, thanks. I live in Tucson, about 160 miles from Phoenix. So, I think that I'll stick with the Best Buy that's about two miles away, and the internet which is at my fingertips.

 

[wyllisx1]

Why do noobies keep saying this?

THX recommendations are for the center of the theater.

If I had 50", at my present angle, I'd be closer than 5 ft. BTW, I've recently been entertaining a film director of 10 years, just inducted into the Director's Guild of America, and he tells me its the most beautiful pic he's ever seen.

FWIW, maybe the most prolific reviewer of BD titles at AVS forums sits at 6ft away from a 60" Kuro...

...A lot of videophiles use a certain rule of thumb of 1 ft viewing distance for every 10" of display.

Those with anamorphic setups are often using a 1:1 viewing distance:screen width ratio. That's over 50 degrees.

You should check out some dedicated home theaters, and you will see very quickly. Obviously, you haven't yet.

You're right I haven't checked any out. I have spent all my time working on the sound. Now that I have the way I want it I was going to venture into the video side. I wouldn't in any way consider myself a videophile. I'm just dipping my feet into the water.

But thanks for pointing out my ignorance.

 

[bandphan]

BUMP for new display pics

 

[Adam]

BUMP for new display pics

Hee, hee. I didn't actually make it to Best Buy yesterday. I will, just haven't yet.

My electronic purchases are on a geological timeframe. Very slow progress followed by short periods of enormous change.

 

[Mort Corey]

If you are near a Costco, it's worth a look. Prices should be comparable (or less) plus their return policy is much better. IIRC, Costco will also double the manufacturers warranty (to two years on the Panny).

We went from a 27" tube to a 42" PDP about five years ago and the difference was huge.....for a little while.....the display shrunk after about six months. I would have purchased a 50" unit but the cost was a little steep(er) at that time. I purchased a five year extended warranty (seemed like a good idea at that time and turned out it was) that expires in two weeks....I'm waiting for the smoke to pour out in three......then it's the 50" model and I can be amazed all over again

Mort

 

[Adam]

Well, I made it to Best Buy today. As soon as I walked through the double doors of the newly opened store down the street, I was immediately reminded of why I don't go there: the mind-numbingly boring store atmosphere and the not-quite-educated employees. Oh, well, enough of that. I got a chance to see some flat panel TVs in person. They had the 50" Panasonic 80U and 85U models on display, as well as some Samsung LCDs that I was thinking about.

Here's the thing - the Panasonics had a pretty crappy picture, IMO. Both of them, hooked up to different video feeds (one was a Blu-ray disc of Top Gun) had a lot of digital artifacts. Well, that's what I'd call it. Blockiness, pixelation. The Samsungs seemed better to me. It certainly has me rethinking my desire to switch back from LCD to plasma.

On a related note, the road ways through the shopping center that got put in down the street (a huge strip mall that really detracts from the surrounding landscape) are really poorly laid out. Made me even more upset that it got put in. Yeah, I'm bitter. Makes me feel like Tom and Dina.

 

[jostenmeat]

If one is ever checking out LCD's, I would make absolutely sure if frame interpolation is being used. Then I would read up on it. Some people love it. Some people hate it. Everyone agrees 120hz is a good thing, but the same can't be said for interpolation. People have even seen 3 footballs in the air. So if the video is slow, it'll look smooth, if the video is too fast, VP might not keep up.

My friend was raving about his parent's new LCD tv. He said he couldn't believe that the animators for Meet The Robinsons would mess the kid's shoe up when he was running. He truly believed that they "must've thought that they didn't need to care, because they underestimated the quality of today's displays". I then proceeded to educate him on frame interpolation. Backlight scanning also reduces the "scan-and-hold" blur inherent to LCD's, but this I know nothing about.

Every LCD company has their own name for interpolation. I don't know what Samsung's version is called.

I don't mind judder at 24p. If that's what the source gives me, that's what I'll take I suppose. (even if doubled to 1080/48, then displayed at 96hz in my PJ).