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Why I Bought a Plasma HDTV in 2014

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#1 · (Edited)


After considering his options for a sub-$1000 HDTV that's good for watching movies, Mark Henninger decided to buy a 60-inch plasma. What led him to invest in a TV technology that is on the decline?

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I pity the typical TV buyer who walks into a store unprepared for battle. Figuring out what's important and what's marketing hype is quite challenging, even for people who know the industry well. I'm very grateful for the knowledge I've gained as an AVS member—so much so that I have a piece of advice for TV shoppers: Ask your salesperson if they are familiar with AVS Forum; if they say "no," politely tell them you'd prefer another salesperson.

A few weeks ago, I attended a press event held by Panasonic, where I saw a demo of the company's latest UHDTV, the AX800U. Based on my observations, I gave the article a provocative headline: "Panasonic Beats Plasma Picture Quality with TC-AX800U Series." In the ensuing discussion in that thread's comments, I encountered a lot of resistance to my assertion. The conversation got me thinking about my own viewing habits and needs, which led me to realize that I needed to pick up a plasma TV.

I don't have enough disposable income to justify the purchase of a reference-level plasma like the Samsung F8500 or Panasonic's discontinued ZT60—which currently sells for considerably more than the original MSRP. Still, I wanted a TV that could offer a significant serving of what makes plasma a pleasure to watch. I chose Samsung's F5300—a "dumb" TV with no smart features. It is not the sort of TV that's going to get a videophile too excited; even so, it does give an object lesson in the advantages plasma can offer for dark-room viewing of cinematic content.

Before I committed to the plasma purchase, I sent an email to a very well-known TV reviewer and asked, "For a 60-inch TV under $1000, Vizio E or Samsung F5300?" The reply I received was, "Vizio E all the way." At that moment, I knew that plasma was essentially a dead technology, so what did I do? I went out and bought the F5300 from my local Best Buy.

The mere act of buying a 60-inch plasma and bringing it home illustrated why TV manufacturers and retailers probably want the technology to disappear. The box the F5300 comes in is too tall to fit upright in an SUV, and you cannot transport plasmas with the box lying flat—I had to get a van! It's evident that lighter, less fragile LCDs offer an advantage in terms of warehousing, shipping, and handling—qualities that must appeal to big-box retailers. Still, I was after a first-class dark-room viewing experience at a budget price, and for $800, the F5300 offered the most screen real estate per dollar than other TVs that I'd consider acceptable for critical viewing.


The F5300 required a van to transport
by ImagicDigital, on Flickr

After I had my TV home, I prepared to break it in prior to calibration. As a rule of thumb, it's a good idea to put 100 hours or more on a new plasma before attempting a calibration. However, I had an issue: The bottom of the screen had a pinkish hue to it. After about 120 hours of break-in, the hue was still there. I decided that the best approach was an exchange, so I lugged the whole thing back to my local Best Buy and exchanged it. To the store's credit, the exchange went smoothly and quickly.


Pinkish Tint
by ImagicDigital, on Flickr

The replacement panel did not have any issues, which serves as a reminder that TVs are not all the same—there is variation from one panel to the next; in fact, I've seen it referred to as the "panel lottery." I started the break-in process all over again.

The F5300 may be short on smart features, but it includes a full 10-point grayscale calibration option. That's the key to performing a highly accurate calibration, and I was excited to see it included in such a stripped-down model. I have not yet performed a 10-point calibration on the F5300—for now, the 2-point method yields a very accurate, natural-looking result. When I get to about 200 hours of use, I'll see if I can get anything more out of the TV using the 10-point method.

Even though my new plasma is a bargain model, it manages to achieve picture quality that makes my other HDTV look inferior—but only under controlled lighting. In a room full of ambient light, the F5300 lacks the "pop" of an LCD or of a top-tier plasma like the ZT60 or F8500. In fact, in a bright room, my 2012 Vizio M3DK550D looks quite a bit crisper than the F5300. With controlled lighting, however, the tables are turned, and the plasma struts its stuff compared to my edgelit LCD—colors are richer and contrast is better. In addition, regardless of the lighting conditions, the Samsung F5300 beats my Vizio M when it comes to viewing angles and motion blur. At night, watching Vudu HDX or a Blu-ray, the F5300 provides a very satisfying experience.

One of the factors that pushed me to buy a plasma is watching movies in the dark. I grew tired of my Vizio's distracting edgelit artifacts and yearned for a movie-watching experience that allowed me to stay in the film—to achieve immersion—even when a dark scene played. For the past few months, I've watched various scenes from Gravity repeatedly, on many different displays. My Vizio M is incapable of putting on a good 2D presentation of the film; sometimes it looked like there was a search party just off screen, shining flashlights all over the place. The Vizio did much better showing Gravity in 3D, but I've grown tired of 3D viewing, and I find that accurate color combined with excellent contrast provides its own sort of 3D pop that is non-fatiguing and doesn’t require glasses—and works with any movie.

I'm just getting started with my new plasma, but so far, I'm blown away by what the technology offers at that price point. I've seen LCDs that beat it, but none that offers the same dark-room viewing experience for anywhere near the price. A plasma's rendition of dark scenes is visibly superior—there are no blooming or flashlighting artifacts with plasma, whereas with inexpensive LCDs, I can still see the local dimming at work—even in the 2014 M series Vizio I checked out last week, I could see its backlit-LED local dimming working in the background. In a brighter room, I'd go for a current-generation LCD in a heartbeat, but in this case, I wanted an affordable TV to dedicate to watching movies and TV in a darkened environment. To this day, plasma is the most appealing option for that application. I do wish that I'd had the foresight to buy a Panasonic ST60 last year; c'est la vie. If anything, I can see how the F5300's extreme value proposition made it the "last plasma standing" on Best Buy's showroom floors.

In the coming weeks and months, I plan to take an in-depth look at some of the latest LCD HDTVs and UHDTVs. When I do, those TVs will have to go up against my much less-expensive plasma, and I can already predict that many will fail to match the overall image quality of the F5300, at least in a dark room. While the F5300 is certainly not a "reference" plasma, it's still a very compelling performer for videophiles on a budget. The ability to produce a bright, sharp, punchy, and color-accurate image at such a low price is why I bought a plasma display even though it's 2014—the year UHD/4K LCDs took over.

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Update: After more than one hundred hours of use, my replacement F5300 shows slight signs of a magenta cast near the bottom of the screen. It's quite similar to what I saw on the first model, but much milder. Even so, it's a visible defect that I did not see on the store's display model. Therefor, I've contacted Samsung for service. A technician is coming on Friday, June 20—it's time to find out if Samsung's service is as good as I've read/heard it is.

Update 2 (6/27/14): Service did not go well. I'll summarize the entire experience soon.

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#2 · (Edited)
Uh oh! screen uniformity issues! that's why I'm very picky with open items especially TVs ,either the tv is sitting there because of dead pixes or screen uniformity issues.
 
#3 ·
Mark, I know what you mean about 3d. When I first got my VT60 I spent a lot of time watching 3d as it was new and fun. But the novelty wore off fast. I soon grew tired of wearing the glasses over my existing prescription frames combined with the lessened picture quality (in my case) and the fact the LCD glasses would 'tint' the picture if your head wasn't tilted just right. Recently I was watching the second hobbit and while I started the film in 3d my eyes quickly got tired and I decided to finish the film in 2d. I remember thinking to myself how much better the picture looked and while the 3d is done very well in the hobbit I spent more time noticing the 3d and all the little idiosyncrasies of it's implementation than really focusing on the film.

At the end of the day I prefer a good movie on a quality display with a nice, punchy image in 2d over it's 3d counterpart. Although I still buy the 3d copy for when company comes by! ;)

You mentioned you are using a bias light-- which model do you use?
 
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#18 ·
Mark, I know what you mean about 3d. When I first got my VT60 I spent a lot of time watching 3d as it was new and fun. But the novelty wore off fast. I soon grew tired of wearing the glasses over my existing prescription frames combined with the lessened picture quality (in my case) and the fact the LCD glasses would 'tint' the picture if your head wasn't tilted just right. Recently I was watching the second hobbit and while I started the film in 3d my eyes quickly got tired and I decided to finish the film in 2d. I remember thinking to myself how much better the picture looked and while the 3d is done very well in the hobbit I spent more time noticing the 3d and all the little idiosyncrasies of it's implementation than really focusing on the film.

At the end of the day I prefer a good movie on a quality display with a nice, punchy image in 2d over it's 3d counterpart. Although I still buy the 3d copy for when company comes by! ;)

You mentioned you are using a bias light-- which model do you use?
I'm going to write about that soon. DIY, so far—I've even experimented with using a monitor (facing the back wall) as a bias light. I am considering an ideal-lume.
 
#4 ·
AVS noob here...

I bought this model from Sears.com yesterday for $665 after tax (Sears has been dropping it to $680, plus I got 10% cashback from ShopDiscover, and I chose store pickup.) I think I got a really great price; I have been doing a TON of research on displays (AVS and elsewhere.) From everything I've researched, I totally feel like plasma is the way to go in this small window we have until they're gone from store shelves.

  • Projector screens are too big for my area, don't handle motion as well, and have a high cost for bulb replacement.
  • CRTs and DLPs are too large and heavy...and discontinued.
  • LCD/LED is okay, but plasma is superior (except in bright light.)
  • OLEDs sound like they will be the way to go, but I'm guessing it will be at least five years before prices are even close to affordable.
  • 4K is stupid for the general consumer; I hate how it's being pushed on LED-lit displays.
Like you, I can't afford to drop over $2K on an PNxF8500, and honestly, I don't think I would even if I had the dough. Although the Samungs and LGs are the only plasmas left, this fits the bill, and I hope I couldn't be happier. I'll be viewing mainly OTA, DVDs, BDs, online streaming (mainly Netflix), and some last-gen console gaming.

Anyway, great write-up. I'm super-excited to get mine up and running. :grin:
 
#7 ·
I bought this model from Sears.com yesterday for $665 after tax (Sears has been dropping it to $680, plus I got 10% cashback from ShopDiscover, and I chose store pickup.) I think I got a really great price; I have been doing a TON of research on displays (AVS and elsewhere.) From everything I've researched, I totally feel like plasma is the way to go in this small window we have until they're gone from store shelves.

  • Projector screens are too big for my area, don't handle motion as well, and have a high cost for bulb replacement.
  • CRTs and DLPs are too large and heavy...and discontinued.
  • LCD/LED is okay, but plasma is superior (except in bright light.)
  • OLEDs sound like they will be the way to go, but I'm guessing it will be at least five years before prices are even close to affordable.
  • 4K is stupid for the general consumer; I hate how it's being pushed on LED-lit displays.
Like you, I can't afford to drop over $2K on an PNxF8500, and honestly, I don't think I would even if I had the dough. Although the Samungs and LGs are the only plasmas left, this fits the bill, and I hope I couldn't be happier. I'll be viewing mainly OTA, DVDs, BDs, online streaming (mainly Netflix), and some last-gen console gaming.

Anyway, great write-up. I'm super-excited to get mine up and running. :grin:
FYI, projectors come in a variety of options, and many would argue a decent DLP projector offers the best motion currently available in display technologies. there are also LED based projectors that completely eliminate the hassles associated with bulbs. there are some things(like they need to be used in light controlled rooms) that apply to all projectors, but not much. like 'TVs' it's better not to group them all into one category


I really think it's too bad the market for great value plasmas is dwindling. for a 1000 and under display, I don't think lcd will ever match the quality of plasma. it really seems to take a lot more to get a great image out of an lcd, and that adds to the cost for sure. I feel like Panasonic could have sold s60's and st60's at their msrp's for years to come still :(
 
#5 · (Edited)
my reasoning is a lot shorter.


I bought a plasma because until recently, lcd manufacturers seem more interested in making their TV's thin than good, and the only way to get an acceptably uniform backlight is with FALD units that seem to be released once every 2-3yrs. if they made high end models with CCFL backlights, or a FALD unit that was readily available, I may have bought one of those when I was in the market, but at the time my options were plasma, CHEAP lcd, or edgelit led. and to be frank, I find edgelit led lcd's unwatchable in my viewing environment. so between something like the st60, vt60, f8500 or a entry level lcd, it was an obvious choice for me.


I definitely welcome the return of FALD TV's. and I still don't really understand why edgelighting is considered acceptable, at least the ultra thin ones with virtually no diffuser. I have an led in the bathroom with a white bezel, and the flashlighting actually glows THROUGH the plastic bezel it's so bad...
 
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#8 ·
Welcome to the dark side.

I love new tech but I love new tech that actually works (without side effects) even better.

Sometimes sticking with proven tech is the best place to be.
I agree, but if we compare first gen oled to first gen plasma, it definitely makes me excited and hopeful to see what it brings 5-6yrs down the road.


LCD has been around long enough, I think we've already seen what it's capable of. the only thing left to hope for is sharp elite picture quality at lower prices. a tv like that in the 3k range would certainly ease the pain of plasma dieing!
 
#9 ·
Slightly off-topic perhaps, but I just can't imagine these Behringer speakers sounding good. I've had to use them a couple of times in small venues for mixing live pop bands. No matter what I tried, I couldn' get a decent, dynamic and intelligible sound from them. Even cd's didn't sound close to what I'd come to expect from a small, portable PA. The rest of the system was familiar gear with which I have gotten pretty goud sound in the past (Shure sm58 mic's, Mackie analogue console, Tasker cables, Crest amp).

What did you (have to) do to make them sound good?
 
#10 · (Edited)
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#11 · (Edited)
He likes to use PA for movies ,not the only person using PA speakers for movies , I don't see anything wrong.

Commercial movie theaters have been use JBL speakers for decades.

For home music listening probably not the best option, depending how strictly are your listening habits.
When I first bought them, I thought I'd agree with statements that they are not all that musical; however, I cannot find a genre the B215s don't flatter.
 
#14 ·
The comment about wishing to have bought a ST60 when they were available makes me chuckle. It seems technology fanatics are always torn between buying now or waiting for the next best thing. In this case some of us wish we could buy the old instead of waiting for the new.
 
#16 ·
The ST60 from 60" and below was a gem in the ruff and I think a lot of people here knew that. The 65" was a steep jump up in price from the 60" so that bargain feeling was not as strong at that size.

What you got for a money was a crazy good picture with great black levels, great contrast levels, color accuracy and saturation. Even had a a decent light filter for daytime viewing. Why anyone would have purchased any other TV in it's price range or even more was beyond me. The ST60 even looked good setup in Best Buy in their highly lighted room where they displayed it as one of their 3D demo TV's.
 
#15 ·
I do have a question to the below statement you made.

"Before I committed to the plasma purchase, I sent an email to a very well-known TV reviewer and asked, "For a 60-inch TV under $1000, Vizio E or Samsung F5300?" The reply I received was, "Vizio E all the way." At that moment, I knew that plasma was essentially a dead technology, so what did I do? I went out and bought the F5300 from my local Best Buy."

What was the reason for the reviewer recommending the Vizio over the Samung all the way and what made made you go against his recommendation?
 
#17 · (Edited)
Evidently the new Vizio E series impressed them more than the Samsung. I don't know the reasoning behind that recommendation, I only know the answer I got. I went against that advice for all the reasons you know so well... The plasma offers better motion resolution, better viewing angles, richer (more accurate) colors when viewed in a dark environment. Motion is handled better, across the board. Also, I've become overly sensitive to any local dimming scheme that isn't 100% transparent. If I can tell there are lights turning on and off behind the screen, I get distracted. Since I was able to detect a hint of that in the latest Vizio M series, which has twice the zones of the E, I figured I'd pass on that and the E as well. However, if I only had one TV, I'd probably have gone with a backlit LCD. However, I have two TVs in my studio, so that's not an issue.
 
#19 ·
The "panel lottery" is not about uniformity issues with a specific make and size of panel. Its about different panels being used on the same make and model (for example an S-PVA and a AUO MVA panel on the same Samsung LCD say like the 40F6300). Sony and LG have also been known to do this....but much more rarely.
 
#21 ·
The "panel lottery" is not about uniformity issues with a specific make and size of panel. Its about different panels being used on the same make and model (for example an S-PVA and a AUO MVA panel on the same Samsung LCD say like the 40F6300). Sony and LG have also been known to do this....but much more rarely.
OK got it, I guess I've read people misusing the term. Then again, it's not exactly inaccurate to use the term the way I did. :)
 
#24 ·
How do you like the Pentile matrix screen?
 
#25 ·
Plasamas remind me of all tube TVs....even when turned off. The dark gray glass.
 
#40 ·
if you don't give them a chance, you'll never find out the truth...


what you think they ALL look like:



what most of the GOOD ones look like:



anything that can be put over the screen of an lcd to make it look 'black' can also be put on the plasma to make it look 'black'.
 
#27 ·
Currently have an older Panasonic plasma, and looking for something bigger. I am in the same boat as you and leaning towards the 5300. Even in a store like HHGregg, you can see a noticeable difference in picture quality with the plasmas. I have a Roku 3 so all my streaming needs are taken care of, I just want a good TV to watch movies/sports and stream. I would love to keep my Panasonic but 42" is a little small for my living room.
 
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#29 ·
I went through 2 different 60F8500s earlier this year. The constant buzz when sitting directly in front of the panel in my main watching position was too much to handle, especially in a $2500+ television.

Finally went with a 65F8000 and I'm very happy (although I do miss the inky blacks).

Have you noticed any audible buzz with your new plasma?
 
#32 ·
I went through 2 different 60F8500s earlier this year. The constant buzz when sitting directly in front of the panel in my main watching position was too much to handle, especially in a $2500+ television.

Finally went with a 65F8000 and I'm very happy (although I do miss the inky blacks).

Have you noticed any audible buzz with your new plasma?
It is completely inaudible from my main listening position, which is exactly seven feet back. I can hear it starting at about 3-4 feet away, it's not silent.
 
#31 ·
Like you, Mark, I became overly sensitive to the edge-lit LCD artifacts, particularly in low-light conditions. That is what drove me to look at TVs last year and eventually settle on a Panasonic S64 plasma to replace my Samsung 6000 series LCD. The Samsung was a nice TV, actually, so getting rid of it wasn't easy. I liked the styling and PQ, particularly during the day.

Having had a Panasonic plasma previously, I was concerned about reflections and ambient light. My intention was to get the ST60, or perhaps the Samsung F8500, albeit at a smaller screen size, probably close 50" since anything larger was out of my budget. I even drove to the north side of Indianapolis to view the F8500 next to the VT60 and ZT60. But alas, Sam's Club had the S64, the S60 but with the anti-reflective filter of the ST60 added, and at less than $1300 for 65" I was sold...er, it was sold! Best Buy had the ST60 in 60" for about $200 more and it only went on sale once for $50 less, if I recall correctly. So I opted for the extra screen size and lower input lag and got the S64. But the other issue was the generous return policy at Sam's (90 days) that allowed me plenty of time to evaluate the TV in my environment as opposed to Best Buy's 15 days. A 65" TV is not easy to move around!

Since then I have been very happy. Within weeks of buying the S64 Sam's had a sale and the TVs were quickly sold out, never to be seen again. The floor model was sold for just under $1000. Gravity, Skyfall, and pretty much everything looks great. Daytime watching isn't a problem on this set like it was with the earlier plasma I had which lacked the AR filter. Plus, this one is set back a little farther in the room since it is wall mounted. No longer am I annoyed by clouding, light-bleeding, and other artifacts. There are times I think perhaps I should have held out to get an ST60 or VT60 on sale, but that would have been a huge risk. The S64 offered an excellent value on a terrific TV at the time, when Panasonic hadn't officially yet announced they were halting plasma production. So, I am thankful that I bought the plasma when I did and I hope to enjoy it for many years to come.

Welcome to the plasma family!
 
#37 ·
If I didn't play so many video games, I'd go plasma, all the way. Although, burn-in has lessened over the last several years, I still don't want to take the risk, because there are occasions when I'm playing the same game for several hours in a row. That and video games really pop and look sharp on a nice, bright LCD. But, for movie watching, plasma can rarely be beaten, unless you have the sun beaming straight into your room.
 
#38 ·
Thanks imagic! That is very helpful, and it seems that this really is a non-issue. I would be sitting about 10 feet away so I should be fine with regards to the pixel grid.
 
#39 ·
Congrats on the purchase. I still enjoy my entry level Samsung I purchased a few years ago. This weekend the family was at the in-laws lake house where they have a 60ish (not sure exact size) Sam LED. My wife, of all people, told me that "it looked weird". I had noticed the soap opera effect and how poor it was handling motion but I just thought that was me being overly aware and critical. Granted, it wasn't calibrated, but I couldn't get passed the quality and neither could she. Much to my surprise!

I just hope there are plasma-like TVs around when my current set dies... (I'm too cheap to replace something that works and there's no other space for it).
 
#41 ·
My current Panny has some glare when it's off, but when I am watching something there is no issue with reflections.
 
#42 ·
Mark-

You never seem to talk about the glare/reflectivity issue. I find the the reflections in the black rectangles of your checkerboard distracting.
 
#43 ·
It is an issue for bright rooms. I don't watch that TV with the lights on. I had the lights on to take that picture so you could see the TV itself. The screen is reflective and you can see that quite clearly in the photo. My room has all gray walls and a gray carpet, so reflections are not an issue with the lights down or off. I still have a LCD HDTV for daytime use and computer work, as well as 3D viewing.
 
#48 ·
UHD is a moving standard with HDCP still in the wings along with other variables in a potential 4K disc format. Most of those upcoming UHD displays will still suffer in the screen uniformity, black level, and shadow detail departments (though I suspect more than a few of them will eclipse a lower tier Samsung plasma). The only exception I could acknowledge is if you intend to grab one of those costly FALD units from Sony (or the rumored Vizio R) or the LG OLEDs.
 
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