Hey all. It seems this topic in general is beat to death. Should I get X or X. I guess I am just looking for more justification one way or the other for the $100 price difference between the two models.

Here is what I have heard:

The 5064 model has a different glare coating, USB 2 port...

Is there anything else I should be aware of ? Right off hand it wouldn't seem like it's worth the extra bucks.

Second question - Extended warranty. I figured I would - where is the best place to purchase? 3rd party? Direct from Samsung? I bought my HDR-HC7 extended warranty direct from Sony. I heard good things about their plan. I don't know if Samsung would be the same.

I know, I know...jutter.... I am not too concerned about it (yet). I trust they will have a firmware fix out sooner or later. MSNBC is not on my tv very often.

Thanks in advance

Bman.

Maybe I will just stick with my 27" tube tv :)

From the poll so far I can guess either
A) all the tvs in the market are sweet (within reason)
B) There isn't much difference between 5054 and 5064 - the choice is up to me...

Hmm...

Hey all. It seems this topic in general is beat to death. Should I get X or X. I guess I am just looking for more justification one way or the other for the $100 price difference between the two models.

Here is what I have heard:

The 5064 model has a different glare coating, USB 2 port...

Is there anything else I should be aware of ? Right off hand it wouldn't seem like it's worth the extra bucks.

Second question - Extended warranty. I figured I would - where is the best place to purchase? 3rd party? Direct from Samsung? I bought my HDR-HC7 extended warranty direct from Sony. I heard good things about their plan. I don't know if Samsung would be the same.

I know, I know...jutter.... I am not too concerned about it (yet). I trust they will have a firmware fix out sooner or later. MSNBC is not on my tv very often.

Thanks in advance

Bman.

I would get the 54 if I had to chose between those two TV's.

I would get the warranty through a 3rd party vendor, such as one of the forum sponsors.

Judder is certainly an issue with most Plasma displays. The only ones that I know of that don't have it are the 8th generation Pioneer Kuro's. And for what it's worth, the 5080HD is the best 768p 50" screen money can by, IMO.

Yeah, I like the 5080 as well...but uhh, it's twice the price! Ouch. Don't get me wrong, you get what you pay for in most cases.


Do most people get screen protection also? I see that RepairMaster offers that in conjunction with their service plans.

Bman.

Neither - Consider this 50" tv: Samsung 5084

I need some justification to spend another 1/3+ of the cost.
$2300 versus $1700 to get 1080p.

When will broadcast truly move to 1080p when they are only mandated to be HD in general (720p)? I don't own an HD player. How much is currently broadcast 1080p on HD networks?

I don't know - It just seems like a lot of extra $ when 720p is pretty stunning to begin with.

There isn't any 1080p broadcast available - and probalby won't be for a very long time. Currently, only BD DVD or HD-DVD are 1080p - also some PS3 games.

Best advice I can give you is to go to the store, spend some quality time to compare the 720p and 1080p panels and decide for yourself. Or, buy both panels from a chain store like BestBuy (good return policy), bring them home and make a decision. Return the other.

Reasons why I chose a 50" 1080p:
- viewing distance is about 5ft (love being close to the panel - more engrossing experience)
- to take full advantage of PS3 and Blu-ray DVD
- computer hooked-up
- can't bare to look at SDE: viewing 12ft is too far away!
- room for future-proofing (well atleast the next 8-10 years before I consider buying a new TV)
- premium price is negligible becuase I've not a single regret (or any buyers remorse) - buy one that you like and you'll enjoy it to the full for many many years!

Hope this helps you. Good luck.

Thanks BriS2k - I think those are all valid points for the 1080p.

-My viewing distance will be around 10' (as currently set up).
-I don't own a PS3 or blue-ray. I don't anticipate one soon but never say never for sure. I mean, HD is the future (look at blockbuster)
-I think I can hook a PC up to the screen using RGB


Here is my think I really like - how well does this do with channels that are SD? I hear that the PQ is horrible. Is this true? I mean should I really consider how well SD will work on a 1080p unit given my wife watches nearly all network television and not Discovery HD?

What I really like is the future proof.... that would be nice.

Some one tell me about SD on 720p versus 1080p.

Bman.

PS - I can't buy at BB or Circuit City. They are 20% more expensive than online + taxes. That adds up to easily $400 bucks. I asked them to price match an authorized retailer (not a fly by night place) and they wouldn't. Sure, it's nice to have the piece of mind to have them locally but to be honest, I think I would have better luck dealing with my online store of choice.

The 5064 is worth about $100 more than the 5054 (to me). At 10ft forget about 1080p. The 5080 Pioneer is the best but at a heavy heavy premium. Two years from now 768p will be a memory.

Here is my think I really like - how well does this do with channels that are SD? I hear that the PQ is horrible. Is this true? I mean should I really consider how well SD will work on a 1080p unit given my wife watches nearly all network television and not Discovery HD?
I recently purchased a 5064 and I find the SD performance to be very good. In fact, it's much better than I expected. Keep in mind that not all channels are the same but that will always be the case no matter which TV you have.

Tell me about the viewing distance? Why does 1080p not work at 10'? Too far...too close?

768p? I am confused...

1080p works great at 10ft. However, your eyes don't. It has been mentioned here many times that the human eye cannot reap the benefits of 1080p at 9 feet with a 50" display... "cnet", "unless your getting a set of at least 50" or more (8ft) we don't recommend basing a buying decision on whether or not a TV has 1080 resolution".

I see. The displays are so good now that they work the reverse logic of tube tvs (the further back the better). I guess not the opposite but you would be missing the benefits of high resolution.

Sort of like printing pictures at 600 dpi versus 1200 dpi. You eye can't tell the difference.

Sounds like the 720p may be my better option. 5064 and 5054 are neck and neck on the votes.

Bman.