kylejn Posted May 13, 2006 Share Posted May 13, 2006 I'm debating between the following two televisions: Panasonic 50" Plasma HDTV (TH-50PX60U) Samsung 50" Plasma HDTV (HP-S5053) The Panasonic web page says that their screen is a 9th generation plasma, whereas the Samsung web page says that their screen is a 5th generation plasma. Are these "generations" company-specific? A 9th-gen Panasonic might be just as good as a 5th-gen Samsung? I don't think I've gotten to look at the Panasonic screen yet, but I have seen the Samsung and thought it was a real nice display. That said, seeing these in stores where they might not be properly configured isn't necessarily the best way to judge the quality of the screens. Both have two HDMI inputs (!), as well as built-in HD tuners. What do y'all think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangbang023 Veteran Posted May 13, 2006 Veteran Share Posted May 13, 2006 Up until this year, I would have recommended the Panasonic, but I really believe the Samsung is better his year. The colors tend to be more vibrant and there tends to be a bit less grain in the image. Im really impressed with the Samsung plasmas for the first time ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylejn Posted May 13, 2006 Author Share Posted May 13, 2006 Awesome. Thanks so much! You're definitely the one to know about this stuff. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonComet Posted May 13, 2006 Share Posted May 13, 2006 I would recommend that you go to a store and play around with the settings on each of them before you buy either. Maybe bring some of your own dvds and test them out, etc. Just make sure you turn image killing settings like dnie and color management, and take the sets out of the typically hideous torch modes. I haven't seen the samsung yet, but when I saw the panasonic at best buy I thought it was horrible looking. However, after tuning the image to my liking at frys I found that this years model probably has one of the worst vivid modes ever on a tv. When tuned it looked much much better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gn!uz Posted May 13, 2006 Share Posted May 13, 2006 Up until this year, I would have recommended the Panasonic, but I really believe the Samsung is better his year. The colors tend to be more vibrant and there tends to be a bit less grain in the image. Im really impressed with the Samsung plasmas for the first time ever. IMO, the Panasonic really is the one! I was highly doubting between the new Pannie PX600 and the new Samsung. I prefer the design of the Samsung.. But when you compare the 2 screens, it's pretty obvious the Pannie has more details and a more natural look than the Samsung. The blacklevels of the Samsung seemed pretty good to me at first (even better than the Pannie Champion) but later I noticed it was set on dynamic mode with the contrast all the way up to 100%. The imagequality can easily be compared when you look at people's faces.. On the Samsung it seems they all have too much make-up. FLickering which is can become nasty on a Pannie was worse on the Samsung.. But just try to find a store that shows both screens next to eachother and it will become an easy pick! I wish the Sammy was better.. The design is friggin awesome! The image still isn't :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangbang023 Veteran Posted May 13, 2006 Veteran Share Posted May 13, 2006 (edited) Flickering? I haven't noticed flickering on any of the sets. The only general problem with the Samsung, as set up in stores, is that the details in dark regions can be missing unless you properly tune the contrast and brightness a bit. I think the DNIe is to blame for that. I'm not 100% sure it can be turned off on that particular model. I'm pretty sure on their 1080p DLP it can be (trying to remember menus), but I'll have to double check on the plasma monday. What I don't like about the Panasonic is how evident the 3 panel (two panel depending on what you consider a panel) design is. If I get more than, say, 50 degrees to the side, I start noticing the reflections of all wording on the screen and such. That's really my only gripe. The picture is pretty good, but I've been spoiled by the Pioneer models so I tend to be less reserved in my enthusiasm for the Panasonics. If you get the Panasonic, don't expect to be disappointed, by any means. I just, in my personal opinion, think the Samsung is right there, if not a slight bit better this year around. One thing to keep in mind as a distant thought, is the external design. The panasonic is brutally ugly on the outside lol. Edited May 13, 2006 by bangbang023 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonComet Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 (edited) I believe the flickering he's referring to is the poor dc restoration on many panny sets that causes the brightness of the blacks to change in dark scenes that have many different/changing quantities of bright objects on the screen, sometimes to the point of making it look like it is flickering/strobing. Most people never notice it, and I know it can be fixed in the service menus of some of the commercial models. Also, I heard that the dc restoration works in cinema mode or something, but I'm not sure. That would be something you would have to test for yourself if you even notice it in the first place. Another thing you might want to watch out for an all plasmas is the green phosphor decay time. Since the green phosphor decays slower than the red or blue phosphors you can sometimes see green flashes during quick movement in high contrast scenes. However, this is supposed to be extremely rare to be able to see (much more rare than dlp rainbows which I see constantly). However, when watching movies like serenity and pirates of the carribean on a pioneer 5060 I noticed this effect a couple of times (some people see it constantly and can't stand it). But I have always seen it on crt's too, albeit its a much dimmer green trail on a crt. Most people don't notice it, atleast none of my friends or family can see it. But just like rainbows on dlp's you should make sure you can't see it and it doesn't bug you before you buy. Edited May 18, 2006 by SonComet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malik05 Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 dont go for a plasma, go for an LCD... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonComet Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 dont go for a plasma, go for an LCD... For basically everything but gaming a plasma offers much better image quality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangbang023 Veteran Posted May 18, 2006 Veteran Share Posted May 18, 2006 dont go for a plasma, go for an LCD... Let me guess.......you read something someone wrote online on some site? Please provide reasoning when you jump in and make a baseless directive like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+virtorio MVC Posted May 18, 2006 MVC Share Posted May 18, 2006 I was looking at two new Samsung and Panasonic plasma's the other day, they weren't 50" though. I personally thought the Panasonic has a clearer and more vibrant image. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyDelta Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 I am curious to know what would you guys recommend for a all rounded tv - Plasma or LCD? All rounded as in, watching TV, movies, as PC monitor, playing PC games as well as consoles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoGro123 Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 I'm sure BangBang will jump in here to give you the technical low down between LCD and Plasma. In the meantime though, I thought I would point out that there are is only a small size range where the two compete. Plasmas are generally larger, LCDs are generally smaller. There are, of course, exceptions to this rule but I am going to assume for the moment that you are a competitive buyer. Generally LCDs run up to around 40 inches and plasmas begin about 37. I find that that question, therefore, is rarely asked because size requirements will push you to one or the other. Other competiting technologies such as DLP, LCOS are a whole other story. Hope this helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonComet Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 (edited) Depends on how much gaming we're talking about. For basic TV, light gaming (15% or so of the time you use the TV), and movie watching a plasma will offer you the best image quality possible other than a very high-end crt (basically non-existant after the demise of the 34xbr960). However, if you want to use it as a monitor and under much heavier gaming then I would look into lcd, lcos, or maybe the new led dlp tv's. My second choice, other than a plasma, would be a Sony SXRD (in spite of the sse, green blob (most people have no issues with this), lamp replacement, and convergance problems (a defect that can occur but is not entirely inherent) that they have been known to have). I can't watch color-wheel dlp's because of the rbe, I find rp-lcd to produce hideous image quality, and my third choice (after lcos) would be a flat panel lcd tv. You basically just have to determine your needs from a TV, research like crazy, go look at and play with them, read reviews and make the decision yourself. Every technology has a myriad of problems, you just have to figure out which has the least problems and most benefits for you. Here's why I choose plasma for myself. Better black levels than the other digital tv technologies, smooth image that has a "I'm looking out the window appearance" rather than an "I'm being projected onto the screen appearance", excellent color accuracy, grey scales, viewing angles, contrast, and that's all I can think of for now. Would I game on a plasma? Maybe after 200-500 hours were on the set, and only since I don't play more than a few games a year due to lack of time. Also, I am not speaking for plasma universally, I am speaking for top quality brands like the commercial panasonics, consumer pioneers, necs, fujitsus, etc. I've gone over the difference between the technologies in numerous other threads here, and tried to debunk some of the myths about the various technologies too, so I don't feel like going into that here. Edited May 18, 2006 by SonComet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starcom826 Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 Head over to avsforum for information on plasams. That's the place to go to to find out which big screen tv to get. Panasonic and Pioneer generally have the best reputation in terms of image quality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangbang023 Veteran Posted May 18, 2006 Veteran Share Posted May 18, 2006 SonComet: He mentioned wanting to use the screen as a PC Monitor. That sole factor may rule out plasma, unfortunately. Granted, it's being proven more and more that plasmas usually experience image retention and not burn in, burn in is still possible and having a taskbar or anything stationary that a PC would present would risk damaging the set. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonComet Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 SonComet: He mentioned wanting to use the screen as a PC Monitor. That sole factor may rule out plasma, unfortunately. Granted, it's being proven more and more that plasmas usually experience image retention and not burn in, burn in is still possible and having a taskbar or anything stationary that a PC would present would risk damaging the set. Yeah I know, that's why I just mentioned that it wasn't right for heavy gaming and pc use (I mentioned that its only considered ok to use a plasma for those things for 15% or less of its overall lifespan, according to the manufacturers). Guess I should've been more direct, heh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangbang023 Veteran Posted May 18, 2006 Veteran Share Posted May 18, 2006 Yeah I know, that's why I just mentioned that it wasn't right for heavy gaming and pc use (I mentioned that its only considered ok to use a plasma for those things for 15% or less of its overall lifespan, according to the manufacturers). Guess I should've been more direct, heh. bah, sorry I misread your post. Didn't realize you had said it all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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