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Panasonic TH-42PZ800U or Samsung LN-T4081F ??

post #1 of 9
9/6/08 at 8:28am
Thread Starter 
Hi all!

Recently my ~5yo Samsung HLM507WX DLP decided it was time to give-up on the world and venture to the great beyond.

I've been debating what to replace it with, realized I didn't really need 50' or want to spend the money for another Samsung DLP and so have come down to these two choices:

1. Panasonic TH-42PZ800U
2. Samsung LN-T4081F

The Panasonic has received some great reviews, has THX certs and 480Hz Sub-field Drive (which I presume is their marketing speak for 120hz?) whereas the Samsung has excellent black levels and LED backlighting (does it do 120hz?).

So I'm torn. I've read over the owners threads here on AVS mostly but they're hundreds and hundreds of pages long so I'm sure I missed some crucial details.

I have to say last night I went to bed convinced that I should save some money and go with a Vizio SV420XVT but given the price range of the above Panasonic & Samsung, it seemed silly to make such an investment somewhere that had mixed opinions.

Any input or clarifications on the various features would be really, really helpful! Also I'm not in a must-buy-this-weekend hurry so if there's a new set that isn't out yet but at the same price point ( ~$1,400 ) I'd be more than happy to wait.

Thank you!
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post #2 of 9
9/6/08 at 12:36pm
Well, I'm not too good at this, but I'll give it a shot

The pz800u is a very nice tv, no blur. 480Hz is just kinda a high refresh rate I guess.

The Samsung is last year's model, but their highest-end one. No 120Hz, but you might not need it.

If you have a lot of ambient light, go with the Sammy, not so much, go with the Panny. (you could also replace the bulb in your DLP, if that is the problem with it)

I hope that helped!!!!! (you'll get better answers latah)
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post #3 of 9
9/6/08 at 1:52pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for your input Darth!

I am a big fine of higher refresh rates as flicker has always bugged the heck out of me. Is the Samsung simply "refresh independent" because it's an LCD or something? Does it have refresh-related benefits over the Panasonic?

The room this would be in is the family room, neither dark nor terribly light so I'm not too worried about that aspect.

As for replacing my DLP bulb, well I have a sneaky suspicion that it's not the bulb at fault. One day it simply wouldn't power up. It's try 3 times, then all 3 lights on the front would simply blink. I pulled the bulb/lamp out and it "looks" fine, although I've not got another to compare it to. Is there some definitive way to tell how a blown DLP bulb looks at all? I don't really want to spend $150 on this 1st gen set if the bulb isn't even the problem, you know?

Thanks again Darth! I look forward to anyone else chiming in!
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post #4 of 9
9/6/08 at 7:22pm
No prob, dude!!!

Well, I guess the Sammy doesn't really need 120Hz it, because of the LED stuff in it. I guess this is one time LCDs and Plasmas are on equal footing

Yeah, I guess your DLP is really dead. Those flashing lights seem to be a problem, and most people got new sets. You could try resetting it and stuff, but it might be best to move on.

Good luck!!!!!
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post #5 of 9
9/7/08 at 7:43pm
dark sorry alot of miss information, lcd needs speed as its only 60hz but 120hz isnt really fast its just add this frame inbetween to interpole, and is in no way anywhere NEAR a plasma

if you want best PQ and fast response get plasma, if you want a better product get a plasma. if you want accurate colors / PQ blacks plasma again

if you want to plug to your tv to pc and leave it there all day without doing anything else get an lcd,

plasma is a better choice if not all choices,

why? lcd was sopposed to be better agaisnt reflection but the glossy screen make it sometims worse the plasma.

also lcd led add more issues like blooming zone flashing or someting along those lines,

but its that reflective screen that is one of the main issues
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post #6 of 9
9/7/08 at 10:17pm
Just another comment, I've read people's reactions the Sammy, and they all sound along the lines of "Wow, this LCD looks even better than a plasma!!!"

Good luck!!!
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post #7 of 9
9/7/08 at 10:53pm
dark harrington so your telling me motion blurr motion resolution uneven unfiromly viewing angles clouds blooming effect zone lighting inaccurate colors inaccure super bright whites and among other things that lcd is better then plasma?

please ~.....
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post #8 of 9
9/8/08 at 5:00pm


Sure, some LCDs have those problems...SOME I could list off a LOT of Plasma problems, but most sets wouldn't have those...

Yes, LCDs are better than Plasmas...in some situations. And in others, it's the other way around. And in others, a DLP is better!!!

Good luck volve!!!!!!
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post #9 of 9
9/8/08 at 5:20pm
you can list alot of problems yet i have see none im done here if you cant seem to give facts right up, keep it up new poster

the only situation where an lcd is better then plasma is to use it as a pc if you only use pc and that it, most newer lcd use glossy screen that makes it very hard to enjoy during daylight. sometimes worse reflection/glare the plasma.

how is lcd better then plasma besides use of pc?

lol on the dlp i thought we were talking about lcd and plasma point only, in that case CRT TUBE is the best PQ then theirs future Oled > laservue > fed/sed which we dont consider sine none of this tech is out yet.

but again lcd vs plasma....
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