Samsung vs. Panasonic black levels: Why does Samsung look darker in store? - Page 3  

Not buying it. Take a look at all the pics here of various set ups and 90% of them are in living room type environments with windows

If a plasma is not calibrated, then in-store comparisons can not be made.

"owned" doesn't mean they are gone. I'm looking at one right now

Wow, all of what you've said above is so relevant to this thread. Good to have such informative people such as yourself on this forum.

Whether or not I wear glasses and how much so-called experience you have with TV manufacturers is completely irrelevant to StinDaWg's dilemma of whether to choose a Samsung plasma or a Panasonic plasma.

I was in the same situation a few months ago, and had both displays in my viewing environment, calibrated them with an EyeOne DisplayLT colorimeter and here are my conclusions once again for StinDaWg's benefit:
- Reddish hue in the center of the screen on Samsung A550 and A650 plasmas.
- Blacks noticeably not as dark on Samsungs in dark viewing environments.

I had both sets in-home, and both sets were calibrated with the same equipment, same test patterns, and same sources.

One more time, my conclusions for StinDaWg's benefit:
- Reddish hue in the center of the screen on Samsung A550 and A650 plasmas.
- Blacks noticeably not as dark on Samsungs in dark viewing environments.

Maybe you only have 1 tv but some of us have a few

If you actually would read his signature, you'd see that he has three.

Yeah, that's why you can find many comments from me where I have recommended and praised Pioneers. Your strategy is to label everyone a troll when they don't agree with you

Is a plasma 'properly' calibrated with this? You tell me: EyeOne DisplayLT colorimeter

Then the 510 will certainly be a great choice. If you can find a comparible set from Panasonic with the same price then that is just as good. In the end of it all, there is no good or bad plasma set, just different. If you like what you see then that's the one for you.

So now you want to turn this into a colorimeter discussion?? Please, give it up. There are plenty of threads on this forum validating the accuracy of the EyeOne DisplayLT.

If I were to stoop to your level then I'd take a stab at your laughable home-theater-in-a-box. 1250W

Who cares? His entire spiel is name calling

Go talk to another BB employee and preach somewhere else.

Is that where you were convinced your home-theater-in-a-box is 1250W???

Stin, reads like your decision is really the Sammy.
Really, the top plasmas are all good with only some relatively minor differences.
You wont be dissapointed in the Samsung. You can take that to the bank!

Sting,

My experience matches yours. I had both the Samsung 550 and a Panasonice 800u in my home within the past three months. The Panasonic was too soft, most noticeable on SD, but it appeared even in HD. SD on the Samsung was not as detailed as my old Pio 5060, but it was perfectly acceptable.

The blacks on my Samsung were obviously better than the Panasonic. In the store the same is true, even in Sears where I can change settings all I want. In Charlottesville, Va, Samsung beats Panasonics on blacks and detail to my old eyes regardless of which store I'm in.

I don't care what this magazine or that reviewer says a particular set's black level measurement is, my eyes tell me that at the moment, the Samsung's black is blacker. Maybe Samsung has improved it's blacks since whatever magazine measured the set it reviewed. I don't know. But my eyes can easily tell the difference both in the store and in my home in any lighting at this point in time. And that says nothing of the depth of the picture where my experience says that Samsung bests the Panasonic, again, based on the one set sample of each I've personally had in my home. BTW, the Samsung's depth beat the 5060's as well. But the 5060 was pre Kuro and had poor blacks (great processing though. the best I've seen).

I returned the Panasonic because I watch a lot of SD and couldn't accept the softness. I sadly returned the Samsung because it had horizontal banding, which I don't see on the 650s now in our local stores, or on any Panasonic, and because it started popping loudly every so often. A buyer's review on the CC website told of his Samsung bursting into flames. I returned mine during the 30 day return period and am now waiting patiently for the '09 models.

Trust your eyes and your experience. Most folks on the forums are simply consumers, but I'd guess the variablility of experience must be great, and you never know. When the Sony SXRD was about to be released, it's forum featured a couple of guys whom I will always believe were company reps in some form or another. They would occasional give a nod to a competitor but it seemed clear to me that they were not so skillfully attempting to pump up the SXRD. And I'll trust my eyes over a magazine review every time unless I know the reviewer and the magazine's financial arrangement with the manufacturer whose product he reviews.

To those who favor the Panasonic, or Pio, or whatever, more power to you. Your experience clearly differs from mine, but the number of ways to account for that are great. If you bought a great set, enjoy it! I wish I had one for the superbowl, but maybe I'll have one in time for march madness!

Depends ENTIRELY on viewing environment. For example I own 2 Pio Kuros, a G1 and G2 and their black-levels are wonderful at night but turn to gray in daytime. (As does my older Panny)
So, I wouldn't be too quick to dismiss the daytime advantages of of Sammy's bright filter technology.

If you can't afford both an LCD for daytime and a plasma for night viewing, it could be a real good compromise.

The thing is that the Samsung's filter isn't nearly as good as the Pioneer's. That's what makes this thread so confusing for me. The Pioneer has better actual black levels and a better filter.

That's because the thread's comparing the Samsung to the Panasonic, not the Pioneer.

Ok, this needs to end. buylongterm needs to buy a Samy and do a 3-way shoot out in his living room

Taken from your favorite manufactuers website, if you do not understand any of the below, let me know and I will walk you through it. Perhaps I should have surfed the net in a pitch black room to get more accurate results.


RMS and FTC, perhaps you would be happier if I only listed FTC specs? Please....


Output Power - Home Theater Mode (RMS) Total Power: 1250W
Front: 250W x 2 (1kHz, 6ohms, 10% THD)
Center: 250W (1kHz, 6ohms, 10% THD)
Surround: 125W x 2 (1kHz, 3ohms, 10% THD)
Subwoofer: 250W (100Hz, 6ohms, 10% THD)


Output Power - Home Theater Mode (FTC) Total Power: 483W
Front: 104W x 2 (120Hz-20kHz, 6ohms, 1% THD)
Center: 101W (120Hz-20kHz, 6ohms, 1% THD)
Surround: 34W x 2 (120Hz-20kHz, 3ohms, 1% THD)
Subwoofer: 106W (45Hz-120Hz, 6ohms, 1% THD)

Hey Stin kinda sucks when you have moderate your own thread eh

What the heck, so sammy plasmas have deeper blacks compared to panny plasmas because of the AR coating (when viewed in a non-pitch black setting). How come no reviews i read ever mention this.

From user and professional reviews i thought panny black level would be better in any environment over the sammy plasmas.

I almost never would watch in pitch black, i should take another look at the samsungs.

Do the sammies crush the black detail then?

Those Samsung Plasmas hanging on the wall of Best Buy looked real good. The Pannys look terrible there. The a550 I was eyeing appeared to have better blacks. I was not interested in the Panasonic as they were displayed at Best Buy. The only plasma that it didn't beat was the Pioneers. That was at Best Buy. I went to a smaller retailer and that's when I learned to appreciate the Panasonic 800u. The PQ was excellent and the faces looked so real I couldn't stop watching and admiring. My point is that the environment can play a huge part in how good a display looks.

Just thought I'd chime in,
buy an 800U from Panny (equivalent to the 650) and don't look back....

No seriously, each TV will have it's own issues.

The Panasonic 800U when calibrated rivals the KUROS in picture quality.
just my two cents.
I heard that SAMMY's customer service is pretty bad, just what i gleamed from the forum....
And yes the pink band on a pure white screen is a flaw in the Sammy....

No!
All sets if improperly set will crush blacks. No need to worry about the Sammy. It's easy to set it for excellent shadow details and deep blacks.