2. home-theater
  3. 1161897469

In the market for a plasma.........suggestions?

I've been researching plasma tv's for quite some time now and would like to hear any suggestions which brands to check out. My sitting distance is around 12.5' from couch to wall where I'd like to wall mount the plasma. The screen size would either be a 42 or 50 inch. Been reading over on avs forum and it seems many people are happy with the Panasonic and Hitachi displays. I've looked at the Panasonic th50px60u and Hitachi 42HDS69 and really liked them. Apparently though with the Hitachi, many people were having macroblocking issues in dark scenes. Do all plasma's have problems such as the Hitachi? I'd like to keep the purchase under 3k. Thanks for your help.
128x128bradz
bradz's avatar
bradz OP
229 posts
 
Well, after reading up on the Panasonic plasma's, I found out that the Panasonic professional models do have more adjustments such as the gamma level. Went over to my local BB to look at displays, and noticed a Pioneer 5070 model that looked very nice. Has anyone had a chance to compare a Panasonic 60u to the Pioneer 5070 and with what results? Thanks.
brianmgrarcom
1,317 posts
 
One thing is for certain Brad, you will be far more critical about TV's looking at them in store than once you have one at home.

There are so many different technologies right now that it becomes near impossible to select a TV. That said, I suspect most are very good and once you make your choice you'll be.
55dok
162 posts
 
Your price range will keep you from true 1920 X 1080 Hi def plasmas which run $10,000. For the best plasmas in the $3000 range (1366 X 768) the new 50 inch Panasonic, Pioneer (NEC screen), and LG models are the ones to check out.
dgarretson
2,593 posts
 
Question about the Panasonic 60 vs. 600 models. I've seen the 60s but not the 600s in store displays. Don't know if it's poor setup or endemic to the budget model, but I've observed mild problems with jagged razoring along edges during motion sequences. Are the 600 models any better in this respect?
fplanner2000
616 posts
 
After a ton of research, I just purchased a SONY KDL-46XBR3 LCD TV, with 1080p capability for my office. I was going to get Plasma (Panasonic, etc) but since I will be hooking my laptop to the TV to give client presentations, the higher resolution capabilities and computer-friendliness of the Sony won me over. While doing paperwork this weekend at the office, I had the TV on - big mistake - I got very little work done. The picture in High Def was amazing, to say the least. I was truly in AWE of how good the picture was - no artifacts, no problems at all.

I then went home to my 65" Hitachi Diamond Series rear-projection HD TV and found myself yearning for the better picture of the Sony. I had been perfectly content with the Hitachi prior to the Sony LCD, but now that I see what is possible visually, I'm afraid the Hitachi may have a shorter life than originally intended. I just have to wait until the LCDs get bigger and less pricey.....
More to discover