Hi,

Was wondering if someone could steer me in the right direction. I am in the Market for a new TV and have previously had a LCD and rear projection Dila. I was always against Plasmas because of the Half life issues of the past and image burn in. But, after reading here and on the net for the last several weeks, I have come to realize that the technology has progressed nicely were these are not problems anymore. So I have decided that I will get a plasma because of the better blacks, No motion artifacts, 100,000 hour half lifespan and most importantly no burn-in issues. Now I have been researching and am looking for something in the 60" + range. But cant decide which set to get LG 60PG60 or the Samsung PN63A650. Can someone tell me which is the better of the two sets and why....Thanks in advance Alex! :D

I think I should also add that the TV will be used for HDTV, Sports, Blu-Ray and X-box 360. The room is not very bright 1 window and not that much sun exposure. Gotta love NYC! Viewing distance is about 9 - 10 feet..moving in this week so forgot to measure distance..Oops!

Have you looked at both? I prefer Samsung for overall picture quality but you really should look at both and let your eyes decide.:cool:

I have seen both sets side by side, and while the LG is nice, I would go with the Samsung hands down.

I have not looked at either....I am planning to do that his week. Right now I am going on reviews from the internet and here at AVS. I mostly trust the reviews here as this site is loaded with people who know their stuff and in the past this site was very helpful in my past purchases. I keep reading about the KURO's but I think they may be out of my price range. I would like to keep it no higher than $3,500 with Tax and Shipping and both these sets can be had for under that. I'm in no rush, as I hope to purchase this set in the next 3 - 4 weeks. I am new to Plasmas and just want to make sure I get the most bang for my buck...any other suggestions would be welcomed! Thanks Alex:D

I have seen both sets side by side, and while the LG is nice, I would go with the Samsung hands down.

Does this model Samsung come with the auto pixel shift I believe its called? So that image burn-in is a thing of the past? Also, this may be a dumb question, (remember I'm a noob in regards to plasmas) But are plasmas wall mountable like LCD's? I mean considering the weights at these sizes?

Does this model Samsung come with the auto pixel shift I believe its called? So that image burn-in is a thing of the past? Also, this may be a dumb question, (remember I'm a noob in regards to plasmas) But are plasmas wall mountable like LCD's? I mean considering the weights at these sizes?

Yes to both. The plasma as you noted is heavier but as long as you have two studs, you're fine.

Cnet has a good review of the Samsung 63A760 (the successpr to the 650 i think). I was considering the Samsung and am now trying to decide between the LG60PG60 and Panasonic 58PZ800U. Viewing all 3 TVs at BB was not overly conclusive sue to their settings and the feed. What has caused me to remove the Samsung from consideration is CNet's comments about the 760 (per the review: "Judging from their spec sheets, the two Samsung flat-panel plasmas are basically identical") Key deficiencies were:

"Samsung loaded its behemoth plasma with plenty of features, and we expected this set to exhibit the same solid picture quality we saw on smaller models, such as the PN50A650. But something was lost in the expansion."

"Overall, the Samsung PN63A760 is a good performer, but not up to the level of other high-end big-screen plasmas we tested from Panasonic and LG."

"We were able to compare the Samsung directly with a pair of other huge-screen plasmas, the 58-inch Panasonic TH-58PZ800U (which looked somewhat puny next to the PN63A760) and the 60-inch LG 60PG60"

BLACK LEVEL: "Compared with the other displays in the room, the Samsung couldn't display as deep a shade of black. The next-lightest model, the LG, still appeared visibly darker than the PN63A760 in dark scenes"

COLOR ACCURACY: "The Samsung again had a hard time keeping up with the other displays in this department. As we mentioned, its uneven grayscale was an Achilles heel, especially in near-dark scenes."

The Samsung was rated better than the Panasonic and LG in bright lighting environments and was a "solid" SD performer.

For the size and price, I'd love to be talked into the Samsung but there were too many negatives in the CNet article and the review compared the Samsung to my other 2 finalists.

Yes to both. The plasma as you noted is heavier but as long as you have two studs, you're fine.


Thanks Dude! That pixel shift is huge!

Was just doing research on the Pioneer KURO PDP-6020FD 60-Inch and it looks from what others say as the best of the best...now I'm torn??? Is the extra $$ Worth it??? Wondering if I can see this in a B&M Store??? DECISIONS DECISIONS DECISIONS!!!!

I have the 50pg60 and the pn50a550 (very similar to the 650). Both of these sets are very comparable. I've heard many say that Samsung or LG has better blacks, however based on what I've seen they produce very similar blacks. I find that the LG has a better SD picture and it's computer (vga) connection is much less picky. I still can't get the samsung to accept a 1080p connection through vga from my laptop. For picture quality, both are very close. The LG has better color calibration controls and the Samsung handles reflections better (if I were to ever watch my plasma TV in a sunlit room that is). If you can get them at the same price, I would go with the Samsung for the 3 extra inches. If you can get the LG slightly cheaper, go with that.

Now the Pioneer is a little different. It will provide the best black levels of any TV, period. It's problem is that it (and all non-elite models) has poor color calibration controls based on the information I've read on these forums (not sure about what controls it's service menu provides). So you may not be able to tune it as close to your liking as you might wish. In my opinion it is definately not worth the price difference (in Canada at least) as I can buy two LG or Samsung TVs, a blue ray player, and a home theatre system for the same price as the equal sized, non-elite pioneer. If you can get the pioneer at a price that is somewhat close to the other two TVs then you should go for it, otherwise stick with the Samsung or LG, save a great deal of money and use it to buy your next TV.

I have the 50pg60 and the pn50a550 (very similar to the 650). Both of these sets are very comparable. I've heard many say that Samsung or LG has better blacks, however based on what I've seen they produce very similar blacks. I find that the LG has a better SD picture and it's computer (vga) connection is much less picky. I still can't get the samsung to accept a 1080p connection through vga from my laptop. For picture quality, both are very close. The LG has better color calibration controls and the Samsung handles reflections better (if I were to ever watch my plasma TV in a sunlit room that is). If you can get them at the same price, I would go with the Samsung for the 3 extra inches. If you can get the LG slightly cheaper, go with that.

Now the Pioneer is a little different. It will provide the best black levels of any TV, period. It's problem is that it (and all non-elite models) has poor color calibration controls based on the information I've read on these forums (not sure about what controls it's service menu provides). So you may not be able to tune it as close to your liking as you might wish. In my opinion it is definately not worth the price difference (in Canada at least) as I can buy two LG or Samsung TVs, a blue ray player, and a home theatre system for the same price as the equal sized, non-elite pioneer. If you can get the pioneer at a price that is somewhat close to the other two TVs then you should go for it, otherwise stick with the Samsung or LG, save a great deal of money and use it to buy your next TV.

Thanks Dude! I think you make a good point and I think I am leaning towards the LG because the price is about $600 less than the Samsung and about $1000 less than the Non-Elite Kuro 60". I am contemplating waiting for about a month to 2 months to see if the Kuro or Samsung come down a bit in price. But, at this point in terms of bang for the buck I am leaning towards the LG!

For the size and price, I'd love to be talked into the Samsung but there were too many negatives in the CNet article and the review compared the Samsung to my other 2 finalists.

Have you read this review on the Samsung 550, which is nearly identical to the 650? Home Theatre Mag and Ultimate Home Theatre Mag is a more professional review than CNet IMO. The Samsung did pretty well in these reviews. I'm also in the market for a plasma right now, and have narrowed it down to the Panny 850u and the Samsung 650/760

http://hometheatermag.com/plasmadisplays/808samup/
http://ultimateavmag.com/flatpaneldisplays/708sampn50/

Well, if you want to see them side by side, the PC Richard's on 23rd near 6th has them right next to each other. A terrible setup, but they are there.

FWIW, I'm looking hard at the PN63A650. I need as much size as I can get for the money. But having looked at the LG vs the Sammy, if the price difference isn't the issue, I like the Sammy.

While on my recent plasma search to replace the Pioneer 6070 I sold I looked at the 60" LG, the 63" Samsung, the 58" Panasonic and the 6020 (bought the 6020, gets delivered tomorrow).

Anyhow, picture wise, seeing them all side by side, to me, (not including the Kuro) the Samsung and the Panasonic looked way way better than the LG.

Just my 2 cents for what its worth,

Cheers
Davyo

Well, if you want to see them side by side, the PC Richard's on 23rd near 6th has them right next to each other. A terrible setup, but they are there.

FWIW, I'm looking hard at the PN63A650. I need as much size as I can get for the money. But having looked at the LG vs the Sammy, if the price difference isn't the issue, I like the Sammy.

I went down there last week and saw them side by side. I think I am leaning hard towards the Samsung as well. Not to mention it's 3 more inches of real estate. They had some concert playing on the Sammy, and the set-up definitely sucked. But, even still the Samsung looked way better than the LG. I am getting my Plasma some time this month once my tax check arrives! YEAH BUDDY! :D I can imagine professionally calibrated the Samsung must look sweet!

Samsung PN58A650s have IR. To the point that I decided against it.

More than any other plasma? Where did you get this from?

Samsung PN58A650s have IR. To the point that I decided against it.

IR is NOT an issue with the 650 plasma. Even brand new it is not a real concern. Maybe if you intentionally try to produce IR you'll get it, but on the two sets I've had it was a complete non-issue. As long as you're using common sense during the first 100-200 hrs you'll be just fine.

If you check the 650 owners thread you'll find that IR is the least of the concerns with this set.

Can you provide a link to the 650 owners thread please?