Hey,

I am stuck between 4 plasma tvs. Price is a factor, and the TVs I am comparing range between 2300-3000 Canadian.

Hitachi 42HDS69
LG PC1DA
LG PC3D
Panasonic TH42PX60

I know the Panasonic is suppose to be a lot better than the other TVs, but it is also more expensive. The TV is mainly for regular watching, and in the future will be set up with a Home Theatre.

thank you

 

Are they all HDTV? or EDTV?

 

All HDTV.

 

I like the picture on the panny, but I'm not crazy about the amount of silver trim on the thing.

 

Personally I'm a big Samsung fan since I have a Sammy 42" plasma and 50" DLP. Plasma is in the bedroom and is hooked up to HD. Superb picture. It was really a tight decision between that and the Panasonic, however, being that I love the picture on the DLP I put my faith in Samsung and went that route with the plasma. I'm very glad I did...

 

I got the Panny and love it. A friend of mine has it as well and has been pleased.

 

If the Panasonic is the 6U series, that's the clear winner.

 

panasonic and samsung are really good companies, compare both and see what you like. Also see if they are 1080p, or something like that. Thats the thing the new hd dvd players are using.

 

i dont think anyone is m aking a true 1080p plasma yet.

 

They are 780p/1080i. I think I am leaning towards the LG due to the price.

 

i think the only true ones are in dlp, and heres a tip, chose to use it or not

buy a better product that will be better in the long run if it costs only a bit more (100-300 not 1000)

 

I'm close to pulling the trigger on a set as well.

The LG's have noticably worse picture to my eyes. I.E. They are cheaper but it shows.

The Panasonic has a great image but like I said before - with the speakers at the bottom and all that silver, it doenst look very asthetically pleasing. The newer panasonic (PX600's), while internally exactly the same, have the speakers on the side and look alot sleaker. Oddly enough they are considerably more money and definately not worth it IMO.

If you dont mind the speakers are the bottom, go for the panasonic. If you want a sleaker design the hitachi might be worth a look.

 

I'm sure you meant 720p/1080i

And yeah, as FDL mentioned, don't worry about going 1080p on a plasma... b/c right now there are only 1 or 2 plasmas that handle 1080p on the market, and they're pretty expensive.

I also have to agree with FDL... don't cheap out on the plasma b/c of a few hundred dollars. The LG typically does not get good reviews for picture quality. If you're going to buy a plasma, buy a good one (Samsung, Panasonic, Hitachi) and stay away from the budget plasmas.

If money is such an issue that it would cause you to get a lower end plasma, maybe you should rethink the whole plasma thing and look DLP. You can get some killer deals on the DLPs now since they're clearing out the 720p/1080i models to make room for the 1080p sets which are become the norm. You'll be able to get a much larger screen for less money then a plasma... and the Samsung DLP's picture will be BETTER then the LG plasma picture... so you'd have that in your favor too.

 

What about Panasonic's professional series?

Their 50" is the TH-50PH9UK. Very similar to the consumer version, but strips out the speakers, has a sleek black frame, and you can swap out input connections via some board slots on the back.

I'm leaning towards this one, but was at Best Buy yesterday, and for some reason, the LCDs looked significantly sharper and clearer than the plasma. Is that odd?

 

I have the Panny professional series and love it. I got it b/c I did not like the look of the consumer versions and I already knew that my room would house a 7.1 audio setup so not having speakers was not an issue. I keep the 5.1 surround always on in our master bedroom now b/c of how much better the sound is.

I bought my plasma from Visual Apex www.visualapex.com I cannot recommend them enough. It's been two years but I worked with Candace. Ask for her...

Good luck

 

^^^^ don't trust what Best Buy is showing to determine which picture is better. Who knows how many tvs are hooked up to what source and what the 15 year kid did to what tv's settings. Go to a true a/v store to make that call.

 

Guys, how important is it to get a 1080p TV? Is it worth the extra cost?

 

Anybody has any experience with Philips Plasma or LCD flat panel? The one with ambi-lights?

 

Very, very, very true. I went to a true A/V store and did my comparisons, then read online, then bought it at Best Buy since they were the cheapest and had great financing at the time.

Don't ever go into a store like BB, Circuit City, or any other chain, and buy a TV based on what you see in there. Do all of your homework outside of the store and only go in to one of those chain stores when you're ready to buy.

 

Almost bought an Ambi-light plasma, but the picture on it was terrible when compared to the Sammy and Panasonic. In fact, the Sammy EDTV plasma had a better picture then it.

 

Interesting... they're kinda pricey, and I am concerned with them not supporting 1080p yet, but they seem really good. Hoping to bite the bullet in the near future.

 

Depends on what you use it for. The HD broadcasts via cable/SAT are either 720p or 1080i regardless. However, the TV will upconvert that signal to 1080p, so it will look better. If you have two 56" Sammy DLPs.... one in 720p and one in 1080p, the 1080p set will look better (more crisp, less artifacting, etc). If you're looking at sets under 47"... won't really make more of a difference.

The other thing is components like BluRay, HD-DVD, and the PS3. All 3 will support 1080p. This is the biggest reason why I will be getting a 1080p set. This way, when I hook up my PS3, I'll be getting true 1080p resolution. In addition, prices on the 1080p sets keep dropping, and are at the same levels the 720p sets were last year. This is b/c the current 1080p sets are the second generation sets, and 1080p is now becoming the mainstream. Even stores like Best Buy and Circuit City are clearing out the old 720p/1080i versions of sets and replacing them with the 1080p model. Last May I paid about $2100 on sale (regular price was $2399) for my Sammy 50" DLP (720p as 1080p wasn't out yet). Currently you can get the new 50" Sammy DLP 1080p for around $2400, which, as mentioned, was the regular price on the 720p set about 14 months ago.

So prices are back in line to where they were when 720p/1080i was mainstream, which to me means there's no point in getting anything other then a 1080p set. I mean, I was going to spend $2400 on a 720p set last year, so if I was in the market this year I'd spend that same amount and get a 1080p set

 

Don't be too concerned... there are only 1 or 2 plasmas out that support 1080p... and they just came out recently... so the rest of the companies will start following shortly.

 

Do you think it's worth waiting though?

I really like the Panasonic plasmas. They just came out with their 9 series.

Say they came out with 1080p sets by Christmas. Does it make more sense to get a "mature" plasma display that supports 720p/1080i ? Or, to get a "first-generation" plasma that supports 1080p?

 

Do you think 1080P prices will start dropping soon Junior?

 

It's really up to you and depends on what you'll be using the TV for. If it's just for HD broadcasts I'd get the 720p set. If you're planning to hook up a BluRay, HD-DVD, or PS3 player to it... I'd wait and get the 1080p set. But be prepared to spend some serious coin on a 1080p plasma. If the pricing of 1080p DLP sets at launch are any indication the 1080p plasmas will cost quite a bit more then their 720p counterparts for about a year...

 

Well, I pulled the trigger on the Panasonic tonight. In the end it was the super blacks that sold me, despite the ugly design of this TV (it kinda looks like a Wallmart special). I'll tell you, if I was willing to spend the money that Pioneer plasma kicks some serious ass.


username, if you are interested in the Panasonic, Best Buy has it on sale for $2699, and you should have no problem getting another $200 off that.

 

They have dropped a ton already since launch, and, as mentioned before, are in line with the pricing of the 720p/1080i sets and where they were when that was considered the mainstream technology. So I'd expect prices to stay where they are for a while since these seem to be the "normal" price ranges for mainstream technology.

Of course as time goes on you'll start seeing better sales. For example and as mentioned above, my 720p TV was regularly $2400 last year, but I got it for a tick under $2100 b/c of a sale. So later in the year I'd expect to start seeing some sales from places like Circuit City or Best Buy where you can get a few hundred off and good financing on the 1080p sets. Again, keeping in line with what they did with the 720p/1080i sets when they were the current technology.

 

So what will happen next year? What new technology will keep the manufacturers producing $2K+ products next year?

 

Haven't heard of anything. 720p/1080i has been around for years and is only now being replaced. Plus with HD broadcasts just becoming sort of normal at those resolutions and only a handful of products supporting 1080p (BluRay, HD-DVD, PS3), I wouldn't expect higher resolutions TV for a little while.

Which means that 1080p will be the top technology for a while meaning prices have no reason to drop that substantially. Probably a couple of hundred at the most, but I would expect 1080p prices to stay fairly close to where they are since the 720p/1080i sets are not being completely removed from shelves... and those sets are the ones that will be under $2k...

Also keep in mind this is just my speculation based on trends over the last few years. In reality, anything can happen... but you can usually spot the cycles based on historical info...

 

Just FYI on Panny plasmas. They come out with the new line every year right about this time. I bought my 6UY in late August b/c I HAD to have it for the new NFL season. As I recall, the 7 series did not hit the stores until mid-to late October. So, I can't imagine Panny selling the 10 series by X-mas. They would have held off the 9 series to include the 1080p technology.

I don't forsee 1080p technology hitting the "mainstream" plasmas until at least 2007. It's just being seen in more and more of the DLP and LCD sets now.

To the OP- Congrats on you purchase! I'm sure you will love it. I still get lots of ohhs and ahhs from visitors on my setup and it's 2 years old now. The picture is fantastic. The funny part is, you spend much time deliberating on several sets and in the end, they would've likely all done a great job. HD is a fantasic upgrade over "regular" SDTV....

Finally to "second" what JB said...I've been following tv's for several years now and you never KNOW what will happen. I've been reading for a few years about a new technology (forget the name of it) that was supposed to overtake plasma, LCD, and DLP and we're still waiting on it (and I'm still trying to remember the name of it!!!!)

 

We've had ours for eight months, you'll love it.

 

I pulled the trigger on the panny, $2600 from a&b. Haven't set it up yet, but soon hopefully. Thanks for all the replies.