Confusion

[avnetguy]

It was 2008/2009 I believe and I ended up with the panny 50PZ800.

Funny story actually, I was at one place with a good HT room where I could compare all the models (narrowed it down to one of a few Pannys) and I was on the fence between the PZ800 and the PZ85 which was $600 less. I was just about to buy the PZ85 when the sales guy there told me that one of their competitors had a smoking deal last week on the PZ800. So long story short, went to their competitor who still honoured the expired sale price, now only about $150 more than the PZ85, and bought it.

The deciding factor was the THX colors on the PZ800 were near perfect to my eyes and the blacks were a slight bit better, just not $600 better. While the reviews do state this I always like to see the difference myself.

Steve

 

[Alex2507]

I ended up with a 50" PZ77U and shortly after had my sister get 50" PZ85U all due to the available deals at the time, probably around 3 years ago. When I got mine home and compared it the calibrated off branded Korean LCD there wasn't that big a difference in static image quality which kind of disappointed me but once the calibrations an Avia II disc allowed got done, the Panny got the upper hand.

 

[mlail]

Of those that have posted to this thread, all seam to be plasma believers. Are the LCD/LED that much worse or more expensive?

 

[Alex2507]

Are the LCD/LED that much worse or more expensive?

BMX outlined the pricing:

I do like Samsung LED lit LCD displays a lot.

It's about $1,300 MORE

... and talked about the pic quality too:

That's a huge jump in price for what actually amounts to a reduction in quality.

The only thing that would make sense for getting an LCD is being able to afford it in a very bright room where you can't mess with curtains because your wife would stab you in your sleep. It's okay to say you're afraid. We understand.

 

[jonnythan]

Of those that have posted to this thread, all seam to be plasma believers. Are the LCD/LED that much worse or more expensive?

No matter what, you will never avoid the soap opera effect with film on an LCD. You will also be very hard pressed (and have to spend a lot) to get plasma-like black levels and shadow detail on an LCD. The big advantages over plasma for LCD are higher total brightness levels, less glare, lighter weight, and less power consumption.

 

[Adam]

The big advantages over plasma for LCD are higher total brightness levels, less glare, lighter weight, and less power consumption.

I beg to differ on a couple of those, Jon, although my knowledge is from 2009 and might be out of date.

I found that my Panasonic plasma screen had a lot less glare than most of the LCD screens because they had the "glossy" screen. Granted, there are (or were) mat finish screens for some LCDs, but I think my plasma does a great job. Also, the power consumption numbers typically posted for plasmas are max values, and I recall reading values from Crutchfield on real-world usage values that showed them to be very, very close to each other.

 

[jonnythan]

Really? The last time I remember seeing actual average power consumption values, LCDs beat plasmas pretty handily. Could be different now though.

And the AG coatings on some of the new plasmas is pretty good, but IMO they're still not as good in that regard, especially in bright rooms where the plasma can't drown out the glare with brightness the way an LCD can.

 

[Adam]

Really? The last time I remember seeing actual average power consumption values, LCDs beat plasmas pretty handily. Could be different now though.

I was pretty surprised myself, but they were close back in 2009. I don't know what video material they were using to do the measurements, though.

And the AG coatings on some of the new plasmas is pretty good, but IMO they're still not as good in that regard, especially in bright rooms where the plasma can't drown out the glare with brightness the way an LCD can.

Because I do so much off-axis viewing, that's what I checked out at the Best Buy near me. The LCDs (which were all glossy screens) were horrible due to the glare, but the Panny plasma was really good. I hadn't thought about the brightness overcoming it for on-axis viewing, though. Thanks.

 

[avnetguy]

Of those that have posted to this thread, all seam to be plasma believers. Are the LCD/LED that much worse or more expensive?

As always it comes down to personal preference but for my eyes, in a room with controlled light, plasma wins out. That being said, if you're comparing lower end LCD or Plasma, all bets are off.

Steve

 

[avnetguy]

I ended up with a 50" PZ77U and shortly after had my sister get 50" PZ85U all due to the available deals at the time, probably around 3 years ago. When I got mine home and compared it the calibrated off branded Korean LCD there wasn't that big a difference in static image quality which kind of disappointed me but once the calibrations an Avia II disc allowed got done, the Panny got the upper hand.

Both good units, the 77 and 85. My friend got the 42" PZ77 and also enjoyed the colors more when he changed the calibration.

Steve

 

[mlail]

Well that opened things up a little! I started the typical spreadsheet and am comparing the specifications. I have plasma screens on the list but what I need next are some LCD/LED screens. Today I am heading out to Best Buy to see what is on display. Maybe next week I can visit our local Audio Advice store to see some more. I can only hope that Best Buy and Audio Advice carry the models that I have whittled the stack down to!

While I understand everyones points about the plasmas. I still need to see which one is the best fit for me.

Thanks for your opinions!

 

[mlail]

Well here is what I found in my visit to the Magnolia (Best Buy) store. I used my Ipad and took some pictures of their sore tags so I could get the models correct. However, the pics didn't have enough light so some models might be off a bit.
I reviewed the following models:
Samsung UN65D6000XFXZA
Samsung PN64D6000???A
Samsung 59"
Sharp LC70OLE735U
Panasonic TC-P60GT30 and a couple other Panasonic models

The short story is that all screens but the Sharp all had highly reflective screens. Some were worse than others but the Samsung and Panasonic LCDs and plasmas all reflected the store lights almost as good as a mirror.

I guess after a couple years, the manufactures still do not feel that anyone has windows that would let in enough light to matter. Our south facing 8' tall windows are the exception.

The story with the Sharp LCD screen is that it produced good blacks and has a decent matt screen. Its downside is the large bezel, mediocre speakers, and no 3.5 mm audio out (needed for our wireless head set). Also the 3D glasses were heavy and did not fit me that well. My wife was comfortable with them. Others may find other faults but these were ours.

I did some more research with Samsung and found a posting on their forum. Samsungs basic take on this in 2008 is that LCD screens are bright enough for the average person to deliver clear enough picture to offset any ambient light issues. They acknowledge that some will disagree but Samsung this is a personal choice.

So we are reconsidering buying a new screen. Mainly because of the glare issue. I also read somewhere that the use of matt screens also take away from a screen delivering deep blacks. The matt affects make the blacks more like grey. That is the problem with the DLP. That and it eats bulbs...

Maybe something will come along but technology is still lagging (IMO).