[HDTV/PLASMA] Panasonic 50"


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Can someone move this into Home Theater Discussion? woops. :blush:

I am currently looking into a Panasonic 50" Plasma. I am not wholely interested in even considering something [sony, Pioneer, etc] else because the Panasonics are so damn nice. All prices will be in CAD.

At Costco, they are selling a TH-50PX6U for $2,800.

At Futureshop/BB they are selling a TH-50PX60 for $2,700.

The Futureshop model is +1 on the Costco one. And it's cheaper [Well that's a no brainer, get the FS one!]

I am leaning towards the Costco one, just because it will end up being drastically cheaper. The Futureshop one has a $500 2-year warranty that expires if you get a new TV on a warranty (if broken after three fixes then goto new TV).

But if you look at the Costco one for comparison, they have an indefinate return policy. If its broke, get a full refund. The advantage of the Futureshop price goes away right there.

What would be the smart choice to get?

What are differences between the 6U and the 60?

Found on SlickDeals : Check the technical specs. Everything is identical to the 60U but the costco model does not have the photoviewer via SD card reader.

I could personally care less about an SD card reader. I do not even own a SD card. And if I really wanted to view pictures, I could either use the card reader on my DVD player, or use the X360 I am going to be connecting to it.

Edited by bobp
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I know you are not looking at any other brand. I have seen the Panasonic and compared it with Samsung 50" and I know for sure that Samsung has better quality. Do you know whether Panasonic has built-in tuner and built-in cable card slot? I am looking to by 50" Plasma or LCD myself. I am leaning toward Plasma b/c of the price. The most important thing for me is that the tv should at least do 1080i, has built-in tuner, built-in cable card slot, and the picture quality is better than most brand 50" tvs.

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I know you are not looking at any other brand. I have seen the Panasonic and compared it with Samsung 50" and I know for sure that Samsung has better quality. Do you know whether Panasonic has built-in tuner and built-in cable card slot? I am looking to by 50" Plasma or LCD myself. I am leaning toward Plasma b/c of the price. The most important thing for me is that the tv should at least do 1080i, has built-in tuner, built-in cable card slot, and the picture quality is better than most brand 50" tvs.

Yeah, I'm not a fan of either one personally, but the Samsung does have a better picture when you're company the 5053 to the 60u. I haven't seen Panasonic's 600 series, so I can't comment on those, but their 60 series leaves a lot to be desired.

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Here is what I need in a 50" tv and my price limit is around $2500. I can add $100 to $200 if the tv is worth it.

  1. 1 The picture quality has to be pretty good. I won't be using it for gaming console at all. I have a Comcast and Dish Network (Indian channels).
  2. 2 The TV should be able to do at least 1080i.
  3. 3 I would prefer tv to have built-in tuner.
  4. 4 TV should have built-in cable card slot.

Thanks for the your input.

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I looked at a few sets but I haven't really made a decision yet about which one I want to get. I am open to suggestions. I do not want to get Sony. Other than that I don't have any opinion yet.

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Samsung HP-S5053 is 1080p or 1080i? Can I determine the 1080i or 1080p from a resolution of the tv set? If yes, how can I do that? Is there a table that tells you what resolution is 1080i, 1080p, 720p etc?

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The 6U is manufactured specifically for Costco, it is a 60 without the SD card slot. That is the only difference.

Why would you not recommend this TV? The quality looked good.

The Samsung is on FS [http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0770HDS0010076631&catid=] for less than either of the Panasonics. Would you recommend *that* over the 60?

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You are right that it would cost me at least $2600.

I looked at the Samsung one and the manual says:

Video input: AV1, AV2

S-VIDEO1, S-VIDEO2

COMPONENT1 - 480i/480p/720p/1080i

COMPONENT2 - 480i/480p/720p/1080i

PC

HDMI1 (DVI Compatible)

HDMI2

Doesn't this mean that the tv set is capable of doing 1080i?

Edited by Koolslacker
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I would definitely recommend the Samsung. I've never liked the coloring on the Panasonic 60's this year. They have a beautifully smooth image, but the colors lack depth and vibrancy enough that it detracts way too much from the set. I've even tried to do quick adjustments on the sets to try to get them to a slightly better level, but the lack of colors appears across the line from 42 - 58. A few other here were also unimpressed with the set when they saw it.

That said, don't let me opinion be your major deciding point. If you liked the picture, then get the set. You are going to be the one watching it, not me.

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I remember last time I asked you about TVs, you said that

You have to understand, when I sing the praises of pioneer, I do so because I spend way too much time in front of all these sets and I have the mind and eyes to fully appreciate the beauty of their televisions. However, there's no way in hell you would be unhappy with the Panasonic set. I've simply become very very picky over the few years I've had with all the technology.

Does this statement still stand, or has Samsung put something out in a decent price range to blow Panasonic out of the water?

On the other hand, you could basically say that I have not watched decent HDTV. I have a friend who played Gamecube on an Akai 42" (ugh... akai) and another friend who played Gamecube on a 42"+ Samsung. Both looked horrible [480i FTW!]. I guess I'm not in much of a position to make notes on picture quality ;)

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Here is what I need in a 50" tv and my price limit is around $2500. I can add $100 to $200 if the tv is worth it.
  1. 1 The picture quality has to be pretty good. I won't be using it for gaming console at all. I have a Comcast and Dish Network (Indian channels).
  2. 2 The TV should be able to do at least 1080i.
  3. 3 I would prefer tv to have built-in tuner.
  4. 4 TV should have built-in cable card slot.

Thanks for the your input.

If you consider good picture quality. I would highly recommend Olevia HDTV. Their picture quality are brilliant, far better than Panasonic, JVC and other brand. Samsung, Sony might be just a little bit better but you have to pay premium price for their brand, not worth it. Olevia, on the other hand, is very affordable.

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I remember last time I asked you about TVs, you said that

Does this statement still stand, or has Samsung put something out in a decent price range to blow Panasonic out of the water?

Blow Panny out of the water? No, but the color richness does stand out, though it does cause problems in darker scenes since a lot of the color depth can be attributed to the debated DNIe software. The best way to try to see which is best for you is to stand in front of both of them. Most Best Buy's should have the remotes out finally so you can get your hands on it and adjust the settings and all on both sets and I'm sure other chains are similar. If you want, give me a day. I'll go in to work tomorrow and try to find a few minutes to spend with the Panasonic and see if maybe I can get some acceptable color reproduction out of it. I've tried in the past, but it's been a while.

If you are willing to wait, understand that I go in at 9am EST and won't be home and online until after 8pm EST.

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The 6U is manufactured specifically for Costco, it is a 60 without the SD card slot. That is the only difference.

Why would you not recommend this TV? The quality looked good.

The Samsung is on FS [http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0770HDS0010076631&catid=] for less than either of the Panasonics. Would you recommend *that* over the 60?

I work for Panasonic in the UK and they did release some LXD6 models and a few PX6 models, the main differences apart from slight aesthetics were that the '6' models only had 1 x HDMI slot, so you might want to check that.

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If you consider good picture quality. I would highly recommend Olevia HDTV. Their picture quality are brilliant, far better than Panasonic, JVC and other brand. Samsung, Sony might be just a little bit better but you have to pay premium price for their brand, not worth it. Olevia, on the other hand, is very affordable.

1. Olevia doesn't make plasmas.

2. These budget sets often get great ratings because of their awesome price tag. Have you seen a JVC LCD? They have some amazing pictures on them (enough for me to admit I was wrong with my initial judgments of them).

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Kerm: On the TV on display at Cosco, I could physically see 2 HDMI slots. So that isn't a problem, and I don't even own any HDMI capable devices at this moment anyways. Even if it does come with [a single] one, I can get a full refund.

So would I be disappointed with the Panasonic, or is it still a good TV, but just not 'the best'?

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