Hey guys,

I'm not new to technology, but I am new to the HDTV market. I've done a ridiculous amount of research these past few weeks and I've just about narrowed down my choices.

I don't watch tv, so performance in that area isn't such an issue. I do however play games and watch movies. Gaming being the priority.

I had made up my mind on getting a Panasonic G10, but after seeing videos of the phosphor trails, I've became hesitant. My eyes are very sensitive and after seeing videos on youtube of people playing games on the G10 series, I know that phosphor trails will definitely be noticeable and they will bother me.

I'm now leaning towards the Samsung PN50B650 which caught my eye at a store and overall I like the picture better than the Panasonic. Slightly better colors are more important to me than slightly better black levels. I've read reviews and visited several forums and the main issue with the 650 seems to be the potential buzzing that many people have reported. I'm not sure how loud it will be and whether it will bother me or not, but it doesn't seem to be something that would bother me more than the phosphor trails on the G10. I'd also rather go with the Samsung because it handles 1080p/24 content better than the G10 which apparently has enough flicker to make it's cinema mode useless.

I do my gaming currently on a LCD with a response time of 2ms. I know that response times are almost non existent in plasmas, but input lag is also something that is a concern.

Does anyone know whether input lag is an issue on the G10 series or the 650?

As of right now I'm still leaning towards the 650, and I've pretty much made up my mind. I still wanted to ask some people of these forums because I know there is a lot of good advice to be found.

Thanks guys and I apologize for bringing up this debate again. I know it's been covered here, but I mainly wanted to get opinions from people who do a lot of gaming on either of these tvs.

Does anyone know whether input lag is an issue on the G10 series or the 650?

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1166196

I sometimes miss the good old days of massive CRTs.

There are just too many things to consider now. I'm stuck again and I'm not sure what I'm going to do.

Thanks.

I guess you should do some more research then to decide what you want.

i game on a 58B560 and have no problems with it. i would recommend it.

i game on a 58B560 and have no problems with it. i would recommend it.

It's mainly first person shooters I'm concerned about. I play a lot of call of Duty, it's extremely fast and input lag could ruin the experience. Especially after I saw the numbers where it was anywhere from 30 to 100ms.

The 15ms for the G10 seems like a much more reasonable number. It's only because I know my eyes are extremely sensitive. I have trouble going from an LCD with a response time of 2ms to anything above 5ms. I know response times aren't the same as input lag, but I think I would feel it.

Now I'm back to leaning towards the G10 even though I definitely prefer the overall image quality of the 650. I guess I could used to it, but the fact that I've seen both and knowing that the Samsung looked better might always bother me.

Where did you see those number? Besides I game, COD4, Rainbow 6, Gears ect. on my plasma and have no issues.

If the G10 has the same minimal lag input as the S1, then get it. I purchased a 54S1 plasma to replace Samsung b750 and a750 for gaming and its much more enjoyable. Spot on controls and better motion handling win out. Also a picture that is not as "tiring" as a lcd.

Where did you see those number? Besides I game, COD4, Rainbow 6, Gears ect. on my plasma and have no issues.

The guy above, Orta, posted a link to another thread showing tests done on a G10 and the 650.

I guess I'm fine with the G10, the phosphor lag is the biggest issue though.

It's mainly first person shooters I'm concerned about. I play a lot of call of Duty, it's extremely fast and input lag could ruin the experience. Especially after I saw the numbers where it was anywhere from 30 to 100ms.

The 15ms for the G10 seems like a much more reasonable number. It's only because I know my eyes are extremely sensitive. I have trouble going from an LCD with a response time of 2ms to anything above 5ms. I know response times aren't the same as input lag, but I think I would feel it.

Now I'm back to leaning towards the G10 even though I definitely prefer the overall image quality of the 650. I guess I could used to it, but the fact that I've seen both and knowing that the Samsung looked better might always bother me.

my last tv was an HD CRT. i sucked just as bad at shooters on my CRT as i do on the plasma. i mostly play racing games, but i'll sometimes put in Killzone 2. i have never experienced any obvious lag though on any game i have played. i don't have any numbers to give you as proof though, sorry.

Its my feeling that the cameras used to show phospher lag in various youtube clips greatly exaggerate the effect. I wouldn't go by that unless you saw it in real time.

That being said I am in a simiar situation. I am a heavy gamer and am trying to decide between the Samsung 650 or a Pansonic. The Samsungs tend to look better in store, but I've seen panasonic's alone and they have looked great...

Let me know what you go with and what you think!

Plamas refresh rate or ms is .005 so refreshing will not be a problem. i game on panny plasma with no problems.

Plamas refresh rate or ms is .005 so refreshing will not be a problem. i game on panny plasma with no problems.

yes, but there is still input lag. refresh rate is the pixel response time. two totally different things.

I have been a LCD guy for a few years and just this August i decided to go Plasma. I am a huge gamer as you can see from my title. I did my research and decided to go with the Panasonic G10, for gaming this set is flawless. I play a lot of FPS and i cannot sense any lag at all.

I say go for it. Plasma's are great for gaming if you use common sense and switch up your viewing from time to time.

I game a lot (FPS and 3P fighting) and it's been fast, fluid, and furious on my 58V10. No lag that I've noticed.

The 15ms for the G10 seems like a much more reasonable number. It's only because I know my eyes are extremely sensitive. I have trouble going from an LCD with a response time of 2ms to anything above 5ms. I know response times aren't the same as input lag, but I think I would feel it.

this who i was responding to MCJASONB.

Its my feeling that the cameras used to show phospher lag in various youtube clips greatly exaggerate the effect. I wouldn't go by that unless you saw it in real time.

That being said I am in a simiar situation. I am a heavy gamer and am trying to decide between the Samsung 650 or a Pansonic. The Samsungs tend to look better in store, but I've seen panasonic's alone and they have looked great...

Let me know what you go with and what you think!

Since gaming is what I will be doing most with the new tv, I've decided to go with the G10. It doesn't look as good in the stores, but I think I'll get over that when I have it in my room without another display to directly compare it to. It's not like it looks bad by any stretch of the imagination.

I think you're right about the cameras exaggerating the phosphor lag. I've gone to the store and stood in front of the G10 for literally 10 or 15 minutes on several occasions trying my hardest to see any green trails, but I haven't been able to. That might be because the video on display isn't panning fast enough or the scene isn't high contrast enough, but I'm sure I would have noticed something after watching for so long.

Will be picking up the 46 or 50 inch G10 soon. I'll put it through it's paces and get back to your guys. I really appreciate all the advice. Thanks