Which Plasma 50" TV?

[davidshu001]

I'm waiting for the Black Friday sale to come out in the next couple of months. I'll be in the market for a 50" plasma. I've seen good reviews for the Panasonic G10 as well as the Samsung 650. Any other suggestions? My price range is $1000-$1300. All opinions and commentary welcome.

 

[FirstReflection]

Well, ranking 50" plasmas is pretty easy, IMO.

The Pioneer Elite Kuro plasmas are at the top, but the PRO-111FD and PRO-101FD are out of your price range and not likely to ever get that low before they are all gone.

The Pioneer KRP-500M monitor (no TV tuner, no stand, no speakers) is lower in price, but still above your price range and disappearing fast.

The Pioneer PDP-5020FD gives up a bit in terms of color accuracy, but is still excellent. Still above your price range though and discontinued, just like all the other Kuro, sadly

Next, the Panasonic V10 series picks up the mantle. A very small step down from the Pioneers in black level performance. The biggest step down is black level retention in lighting (the Panny's wash out a bit and look a bit dull and grey in room lighting) and the Panny screen is more reflective as well.

Don't take those comments out of context though - we are talking about SMALL differences and the V10 Panny plasmas are excellent! The TC-P50V10 is above your price range right now, but it might drop within range by Black Friday, so keep it on your radar!

The G10 series takes a small hit in color accuracy, but it's still the black level champ of the more affordable plasmas. That said, the Samsung plasmas have excellent color accuracy and their black levels are only a very small step down. The biggest issue for the Samsung plasmas, IMO, is their rather reflective screen. Your own reflection is quite visible in normal room lighting if you're looking at a dark scene. Seeing reflections bothers me a lot. This is something you should really see in person. Just turn off the TV at a local store and take a gander at how visible your own reflection is in the screen surface!

So your choice is going to depend upon your room lighting IMO. In a dim room, I would personally probably go for a Samsung over the Panny G10 because I prefer the more accurate colors of the Samsung and the hit to black level performance isn't something you'd notice without a side-by-side comparison.

With room lighting, the Panny does wash out a little, but it's screen is less reflective and that's a bigger deal to me.

If the V10 is within reach though, that's the one to go for, regardless.

Good luck!

 

[davidshu001]

Thanks, First Reflection

Yeah, I'm aware of the Pioneers and I've also eyed the Panasonic V10 very closely. Reflection or glare is non issue, because the tv is going in the basement. I have one small window that is both tinted and has a blind. Also, my lights are on dimmers. If I can't get the V10, I probably fall back on the Samsung 650. Thanks for your input. Until Black Friday, I'm still window shopping.

 

[DaleAV]

Actually, my understanding is the latest Samsungs have a one layer glass screen, where the Panasonics still have two. This should mean 'less' light reflection under most conditions, and a bit more clarity.
Don't get me wrong, it's a minor difference and not likely to be a deal breaker.
I would say the biggest difference is reliability where Panasonic is king.
Did not keep me from getting a Samsung 650 (last year) and it has been flawless.
Samsungs can also be tweaked tighter when professionally calibrated.
But again, either display will give you a great picture that will certainly satisfy.

 

[davidshu001]

Thanks, Dale

Thanks for the advice.

 

[davidshu001]

Panasonic G10/V10 Onkyo Compatibility Issues?

Does anyone know of issue with the new Panasonic G10/V10 handshake issues with Onkyo receivers? I read this being a potential issue in AVS Forum. I have a TX-SR 806.

 

[jostenmeat]

I'm waiting for the Black Friday sale to come out in the next couple of months. I'll be in the market for a 50" plasma. I've seen good reviews for the Panasonic G10 as well as the Samsung 650. Any other suggestions? My price range is $1000-$1300. All opinions and commentary welcome.

Yeah, I'm aware of the Pioneers and I've also eyed the Panasonic V10 very closely. Reflection or glare is non issue, because the tv is going in the basement. I have one small window that is both tinted and has a blind. Also, my lights are on dimmers. If I can't get the V10, I probably fall back on the Samsung 650. Thanks for your input. Until Black Friday, I'm still window shopping.

In contrast to what First Reflection was saying, I was under the impression that the V10 was superior to the 5020.

In this review of the V10 that bandphan had linked, it does certain things favorably compared to even their reference Sig 141.

"The TC-P 54V10 really excelled overall in visual contrast, consistently creating more "pop" to the image than our reference Pioneer Pro-141FD monitor...

However, the Pioneer sometimes obscured dark details that the Panasonic presents".

http://hdguru.com/the-new-king-of-hdtv-displays-panasonics-tc-p54v10-reviewed/458/


regarding sales, Black Friday, well, I'm not a fan of that kind of insanity. Also, something I know vendors already did last year, and so I suspect the same for this year, is that they roll out good sales much earlier now. They realize with the state of the economy, that people just have a limited disposable income now. So, they try to get you to spend it with them, by having sales earlier, in order to beat the competition.

Here is one interesting sale at Amazon, about a week left, and they might have the same kind of thing at Panasonic Direct. Basically, buy the bluray bd60 (roughly $200 value) in combination with a display on this list, and get $200 rebate. This roughly means "get a free bluray player with TV purchase". The BD60 is an excellent bdp, and IMO is the best choice in its price class.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=amb_link_85203631_5?ie=UTF8&docId=1000419881&tag=bluraynews-20

Does anyone know of issue with the new Panasonic G10/V10 handshake issues with Onkyo receivers? I read this being a potential issue in AVS Forum. I have a TX-SR 806.

It seems to be that it's often source related, even perhaps just due to settings on the source. If you ever have issue, another thing to try is to fire things upstream from the display. Display first, receiver next, source last... I guess trying the opposite is worth a shot, but I usually hear the advice given that way. Otherwise, it's hard to imagine a handshake defect so to speak with a NEW product.

 

[DaleAV]

I would agree all the most recent from Panasonic & Samsung likely surpass the 5020. They might still not the absolute black level performance of any Kuro (but a lot closer), but shine equally in other areas.

 

[finishers]

I'm waiting for them to upgrade the 81-series with more LED's...I think they use like 70 individually dim-able regions...but the original prototype by Brightside (bought by Dolby) used around 1400 regions, and used some super-bright capable LED's to achieve HDR imaging.

Even if they use cheaper/less-bright LED's, using more of them will improve the picture quality methinks.

 

[DaleAV]

Personally, while LCDs have improved significantly in the last year, I think LED is a stop-gap measure, and a more solid technology will replace it in the future.
Maybe still LCD based, maybe not. Time will tell. Technology moves to fast to hold our breaths for one thing to change.

 

[jostenmeat]

I'm waiting for them to upgrade the 81-series with more LED's...I think they use like 70 individually dim-able regions...but the original prototype by Brightside (bought by Dolby) used around 1400 regions, and used some super-bright capable LED's to achieve HDR imaging.

Even if they use cheaper/less-bright LED's, using more of them will improve the picture quality methinks.

But, the Samsung plasma of today already uses 2,073,600 individually dim-able regions.

 

[bandphan]

But, the Samsung plasma of today already uses 2,073,600 individually dim-able regions.

Maybe one day everyone will understand the tech.

 

[njedpx3]

All that tech data pixelates my brain

Maybe one day everyone will understand the tech.

All that tech data pixelates my brain. What happened to the good ole days of a Tektronix 4014 when the entrie mainframe only had 128K bytes?

 

[chargedmr2]

If you can flex your budget, I would definitely search out a 500M. If you have the extra cash to do so, then the choice is fairly easy as far as what's the best panel to buy.

 

[DaleAV]

If you can flex your budget, I would definitely search out a 500M. If you have the extra cash to do so, then the choice is fairly easy as far as what's the best panel to buy.

I were buying a 50" today, no doubt that's what I would do!

 

[smitty78]

If you can flex your budget, I would definitely search out a 500M. If you have the extra cash to do so, then the choice is fairly easy as far as what's the best panel to buy.

Agreed. The best part is you can upgrade it with an ISPccc "patch" and then it's basically an Elite model (minus speakers and a few other features). You will need either a wall mount kit or stand (sold seperately). Some places are selling them for ~ $1600-1700, but make sure they are an authorized dealer if you plan to get an extended warranty. For the best flat panel period, it's a steal!

I just sent a deposit for mine. I opted for the patch and pro calibration prior to arrival. I can hardly wait!!!

 

[Amherst]

The best part is you can upgrade it with an ISPccc "patch" and then it's basically an Elite model (minus speakers and a few other features).

Where can I find more details on this patch? Would like to know the upside and any possible downside (problems). Thanks.

 

[HDPCsound]

Consider on getting a
Panasonic VIERA TC-P50V10 50"
It's one of the best 50" plasmas at the moment.

 

[DaleAV]

Agreed. The best part is you can upgrade it with an ISPccc "patch" and then it's basically an Elite model (minus speakers and a few other features). You will need either a wall mount kit or stand (sold seperately). Some places are selling them for ~ $1600-1700, but make sure they are an authorized dealer if you plan to get an extended warranty. For the best flat panel period, it's a steal!

I just sent a deposit for mine. I opted for the patch and pro calibration prior to arrival. I can hardly wait!!!

That's the 'package' I would go for! It will be interesting to see if Panasonic will fill the gap once Pioneer is no longer on the display scene. Big shoes to fill.

 

[Big AV]

I think the new LED TV's are really impressive, have you seen the new Sharp models? They have excellent picture quality and are fantastic value for money.