Best Plasma TV?

[Sledgehammer70]

Hey Guys,

Well I was granted a New side project that will be paying more than I can dream :) The goal is to start paying hospital bills and get myself a nice new Plasma TV.

So here is what I am looking for and what I have found. If anyone wants to chime in and direct me to what they think would be better please do so.

The Details:

50" Plasma TV
Must support 1080i "1080P is also good"
Wall mountable
Screen to frame layout... I only want to see screen and less trim crap.
HD support, and just about all the new technology out there.
Must work with my PS3 :) "When I get it"

So far I am looking at the following TV's I have seen these in person and they are both picture perfect sharp quaility.


Dell (http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&sku=221-9495) W5001C - $2,799

Samsung (http://www.samsung.com/Products/TV/PlasmaTV/HPS5053XXAA.asp) HP-S5053 - Best price "from trusted seller" $2,522

Panasonic (http://www2.panasonic.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/vModelDetail?storeId=15001&catalogId=13401&itemId=97563&catGroupId=24973&modelNo=TH-50PX600U&surfModel=TH-50PX600U&cacheProgram=11002&cachePartner=7000000000000005702) TH-50PX600U - Best price "from trusted seller" $3,098

So what do you guys think?

[Cyclonite]

Well, I can't give much advice on the plasma aspect, but I do have a Samsung LCD TV and LCD display for my PC. They both looks absolutely wonderful. My vote would be for the Samsung just from my experience.

[madmat]

I'd say that the "best" would constitute the one that falls within your budget with the best specs.

[airbornflght]

Well, I will chime in with this:

I would only get 1080i if your budget disallows 1080p, 1080p has around twice the definition of 1080i. I would also get an lcd, as you cant game or plug your computer into a plasma afaik,as it will cause burn in. Im not sure if anyone makes 50" panels yet, but I will do some looking really quick. Is there any reason you would rather have plasma over lcd? The only thing that I know of that a plasma does better is it has richer blacks.

[Missileman]

One other thing to take into account is the horrible life expectency of a plasma (less then 2 years). They then require a very expensive gas purge and re infusion.

If you do get a new set it MUST have DLP for picture improvement.

I have a 56" LCOS set with ILA (DLP) which I absolutely love. It has a high intensity bulb which must be replaced every 2-4 years, but costs less than $200.

[fatcat]

yes, I would recommend a LCD over Plasma also. a nice 46" one should be fine:thumbsup:

[RWB]

My uncle has a DLP right now and used to have the plasma, he only gets the bestbtw, and OMG I WANT THE DLP!!! On the LCD HDTV my neighbor has... it doesn't show normal TV shows very nicely, this DLP does it just fine... very fine in fact. I'll have to find out what it is...

[airbornflght]

I thought you could only have dlp on a projection tv? cause DLP is just digital light projection, and I have been told it is like a imaginary spinning color wheel or something

[Missileman]

I thought you could only have dlp on a projection tv? cause DLP is just digital light projection, and I have been told it is like a imaginary spinning color wheel or something

Actually it's Digital Light Processing.

A processor chip built by Texas Instruments that is kind of a super pixel shader. Processing each pixel for correct color, placement, etc....

Yes it is primarily for a projection system, but it far outperforms plasma on appearance.

Here's an info link : http://www.dlp.com/Default.asp?bhcp=1

[airbornflght]

Actually it's Digital Light Processing.

A processor chip built by Texas Instruments that is kind of a super pixel shader. Processing each pixel for correct color, placement, etc....

Yes it is primarily for a projection system, but it far outperforms plasma on appearance.

Here's an info link : http://www.dlp.com/Default.asp?bhcp=1

I knew that it outperforms them, but has the disadvantage of being more bulky too.

[V|P]

Actually it's Digital Light Processing.

A processor chip built by Texas Instruments that is kind of a super pixel shader. Processing each pixel for correct color, placement, etc....

Yes it is primarily for a projection system, but it far outperforms plasma on appearance.

Here's an info link : http://www.dlp.com/Default.asp?bhcp=1
That video is amazing! They need to make video cards that can display a minimum of 35 trillion colors.... :rarr:

[primesuspect]

See? That DMD chip was developed in 1987 - so about 20 years from working silicon to your living room :eek3:

[airbornflght]

See? That DMD chip was developed in 1987 - so about 20 years from working silicon to your living room :eek3:

of course.

[felix46]

Hey Guys,

Well I was granted a New side project that will be paying more than I can dream :) The goal is to start paying hospital bills and get myself a nice new Plasma TV.

So here is what I am looking for and what I have found. If anyone wants to chime in and direct me to what they think would be better please do so.

The Details:

50" Plasma TV
Must support 1080i "1080P is also good"
Wall mountable
Screen to frame layout... I only want to see screen and less trim crap.
HD support, and just about all the new technology out there.
Must work with my PS3 :) "When I get it"

So far I am looking at the following TV's I have seen these in person and they are both picture perfect sharp quaility.


Dell (http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&sku=221-9495) W5001C - $2,799

Samsung (http://www.samsung.com/Products/TV/PlasmaTV/HPS5053XXAA.asp) HP-S5053 - Best price "from trusted seller" $2,522

Panasonic (http://www2.panasonic.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/vModelDetail?storeId=15001&catalogId=13401&itemId=97563&catGroupId=24973&modelNo=TH-50PX600U&surfModel=TH-50PX600U&cacheProgram=11002&cachePartner=7000000000000005702) TH-50PX600U - Best price "from trusted seller" $3,098

So what do you guys think?

I am also in the market for Panasonic TH-50PX600U 50" Plasma TV. I have been reading expert reviews and that has been useful to me. It may be help you too. I had been using PCWorld.com, cnet.com to find reviews. Yesterday I also used PriceGrabber’s expert review tab (http://www.pricegrabber.com/info_expertreviews.php/masterid=20953836) and found a site (www.smartratings.com (http://www.smartratings.com)) that aggregates expert reviews.
It only covers a few categories but it is pretty neat. Just my $.02.

[leishi85]

Well, I will chime in with this:

I would only get 1080i if your budget disallows 1080p, 1080p has around twice the definition of 1080i. I would also get an lcd, as you cant game or plug your computer into a plasma afaik,as it will cause burn in. Im not sure if anyone makes 50" panels yet, but I will do some looking really quick. Is there any reason you would rather have plasma over lcd? The only thing that I know of that a plasma does better is it has richer blacks.

i thought burn in effect is only when there is a certain static image on your screen in the same position for too long, gaming would hardly have that happen.

[shwaip]

any sort of hud is mostly static. The start menu is pretty static, but that's only a problem if you're chilling on the desktop a lot. If you're watching tv, a lot of channels have a static watermark. Lots of possibilities.

[Sledgehammer70]

I am also in the market for Panasonic TH-50PX600U 50" Plasma TV. I have been reading expert reviews and that has been useful to me. It may be help you too. I had been using PCWorld.com, cnet.com to find reviews. Yesterday I also used PriceGrabber’s expert review tab (http://www.pricegrabber.com/info_expertreviews.php/masterid=20953836) and found a site (www.smartratings.com (http://www.smartratings.com)) that aggregates expert reviews.
It only covers a few categories but it is pretty neat. Just my $.02.

I purchased a Panasonic Plasma just before Christmas, and love it to death. Have played PS3, Wii and XBox 360 on it with no "Burn in issues" most high end plasmas these days don't have the issues that Plasmas had 3 years ago...

The biggest thing I love about Plasmas is the color is so much more rich and crystal clear over an LCD. Just when gaming, if I pause the game I make sure to turn the screen off "If I leave the room" One reason is because plasma screen suck up tons of power... kind of like a light, I find it easy to switch on and off :)

I am also connected to Verizon's Fios TV and have tons of great HD channels to saturate my graphic sense's :) Plasma maybe on its way out, but I have yet to see anything provide a better picture :)

Burn in only happens when you buy very cheap plasma's in todays market, Panasonic TV's have no Burn in time, and Samsung offers some great panels as well. Be afraid of the Dell plasma's as they do not provide the same rich colors as the Panasonic screens and claim to have a anti burn in time thing, but I have seen some of the screens that have been used for over a year and they have very short maximum brightness life... "which means short lifespan of the TV"

[Madball]

I love my Panasonic plasma too. I have a new 46" Toshiba LCD in my bedroom and the plasma in my family room, and I'm kicking myself over getting the LCD at all. It's picture doesn't even compare to the plasma. The LCD seems to amplify any little flaw in the signal, whereas the plasma gives me a very clean, smooth picture, with much better colors.

My brother has a Sony 60" LCD projection. Basically their version of DLP. It has a great picture, except from the sides where you get picture fading. That seems to be the draw back of projections.

As long as your careful, screen burn in isn't that great of a problem on a plasma.

[felix46]

"Burn in issues" most high end plasmas these days don't have the issues that Plasmas had 3 years ago...

I guess Sledgehammer is right. I have come upon this interesting article when I tried to find a resolution to this recurring problem. Here is the link:

http://www.plasmatvbuyingguide.com/plasmatv/plasmatv-burnin.html

[Rustynuts]

One other thing to take into account is the horrible life expectency of a plasma (less then 2 years). They then require a very expensive gas purge and re infusion.

WHERE did you hear that! Totally false, well not totally, the plasmas can slightly fade over many years of normal TV watching, but definitely NOT 2. PLUS I don't think you purge and "re-fill" the plasma. Each pixel is hermetically sealed. I think you bought into some salesman's bunk. Essentially plasmas are like mini-CRT's, just like our old bulky direct view TV sets. Each "pixel" is made up of 3 mini-cells filled with red, green, or blue phosphors which the actual plasma excites with UV waves (not sure if there is any UV hazard due to this!).

Since the phosphors are the same, this gives the plasmas the potential to burn-in just like old CRT televisions. The newer sets aren't as bad as the intial ones, but it is still possible.

I too vote for DLP even with a slightly bulkier projection chassis (these are much slimmer than the old days also). In a commercial DLP, there is only one DLP chip which produces essentially white light. This light does go through a spinning color wheel which is precisely timed to give you the right color needed. WIKI says this color wheel has been replaced by colored LEDs in new sets.

For even better results, high end DLPs will use 3 DLP chips, one for each color and do away with the goofy spinning wheel. This type of DLP (in actual projector mode, is what movie theaters use for digital presentations. Cheaper versions can be had for the home (can you say 100+" movie screen?)!

A good alternative would be a direct view LCD screen, but it's limited in size. The bigger LCDs are all projection just like DLP. I'd still take LCD over plasma due to durability/longevity and sacrifice whatever minute performance advantage plasma has in the short term.

[CB]

:zombie: Mrraaarrr.... Braaiinsss....

[tmh88]

my friends dad just got a 52" sony plasma shipped directly from some chinese store and it is amazing. Probably the best picture I have ever seen on a plasma tv. I think it supports 1080p....i know it does 1080i for sure though.

[Sledgehammer70]

Plasma's will show the best color and sharpness over DLP, LCD, and the old rear projection, but after about 10 years the brightness will go down. I decided if 10 years go by and I still am using this TV as my main TV than i don't need a new TV :)