Superior blacks/colors or higher resolution?

I'm not promoting the Samsung but before you buy the X1 spend some time looking at it in the store. IMO, this is the worst HDTV made in the last 5 years. The dithering and motion artifacts are off the charts. It's always the worst tv on display and don't blame the store because all the sets are using the same cabling and source. With this set don't worry about the blacks or color. I would be more worried about all the video noise on the screen. IMO, this TV has set panasonic back to 2004.

I actually think the Samsung will have better blacks and colors than the X1.

I agree with Omeletpants, I bought the 50X1 and was totally dissatified with the PQ. I took it back and ordered a Sammy 50B530 at a great price, less than $100.00 more for the Sammy and I got 1080 to boot, PQ is amazing compared to the X1.

Why do you think the X1 color will be better than the Sammy, actually it's the other way around. If you're considering the X1 take a look at the PN42B450, about the same price as the 42X1, both are 720.

i second, the 42b450 plasma. you're comparing an lcd to a plasma, and the plasma you're considering is budget and you're not getting much bang for your buck. i'm not sure how much the x1 is, but the b450 is usually $600-650 in my area. i've seen it as low as $550 on sale before though. and @ 42" you really don't need 1080p. blu ray movies will benefit from it, but @ 720p, you'll overall get much better picture from tv viewing, video games and dvd viewing due to LESS or NO upscaling. the only reason i would recommend the samsung lcd is if you plan on using as a computer monitor frequently.

Lower resolution sources may possibly appear a little sharper on a 720p display (I personally think it's because the display's pixels are visible, not because they require "less" scaling), but all sources will need to be scaled -- you'll never have NO upscaling on a 1024x768 display.

less scaling compared to a 1080p television. and yes, you are correct about scaling when dealing with 768 lines but it's less obvious for some sources compared to scaling to 1080p. but, yeah, no upscaling is a wrong statement.

personally, i don't think more sources look better because pixel's are visible, because they shouldn't be if sitting proper distance. it's because 480i, 480p, 720p and 1080i usually scale better on 720/768p screens. and also, upscaling can look very washed out on a 1080p, making it look like an older generation lcd. this is why some people prefer samsung plasma's over panasonics, because the samsung plasma's generally scales content better. i haven't compared scaling on lcd's lately (just general picture) so i don't have an opinion about lcd's general upscaling ability. i'm still waiting for lcd's to display the picture and not some modified monster that makes everything look like it's live and pseudo 3d/2d.

yes the b450 is better... but the sound is better on the X1.

I got a good price on the X1... it is a gift for my Mother.... and now I am wondering if I made a mistake....

Omelet did an expert review and determined the X1 is on par with there 2004 Plasma TV's

get the 450 plasma

I own a Samsung pn42b450, and my father owns a 50x1 and I can tell you that I prefer the b450 picture over the x1. This is just my opinion, but hey, I made my decision and I wasn't disapointed. That being said, the final decision rested on me and what my eyes told me. It should be the same for you. Regardless of your decision, you won't be disapointed, as they are both solid sets.

The LN40B500 is a de-contented Black Friday special model. It's pq is halfway decent for a bargain priced LCD but not nearly as good as the 42B450 especially with regard to color reproduction and black level. It also is severely limited by having only 3 inputs-2 HDMI and one combination component/composite.

At a 5' sitting distance, 720P could be a problem for you if your eyes are ok. Best to check in person first.

Samsung LCDs in general have extremely accurate colors, almost certainly superior to the X1. If you're going to sit directly in front of it and not off to the side at all, I would get the LCD.

your first mistake would be to get lcd technology, second resolution is the last thing you should consider when buying a tv set, 3rd dont believe what the reviews say look at the tv with your own eyes afterall its tv is for you.

with above said i would consider plasma and my choice is panasonic over samsung but either of these sets are fine. I think you should consider a higher end model (not entry level models) as little amount in price can result difference that is noticeable.

the s1 is an excellent choice. if you can swing it get the g10. if not, get the s1 and don't look back. just look at your television and enjoy.

Get the S1, it's worth the extra money.

I think you will just alone the fact that to ME IMO panasonic is more reliable. Note i have a samsung CRT TUBE which works awesome and i have panasonic plasma and pioneer plasma so its not a fanboy stuff.

you dont have to break it in but i would suggest just so you can speed up the process and enjoy a better picture sooner or inbetween the time that you dont watch tv and sleeping or so on.

or plug it in and enjoy it no harm either way.

I bought a Panny 42" S1 for my girl, on the BF weekend. I've been running the break-in slides and I admit, some slight watching now and then. lol It is a fantastic display! I am a little jealous as my TV is a 4-5 year old Sammy 720p plasma. Although, I still think my aged plasma holds its own.

You made a wise choice, IMO.

Actually that is not true. I have an Xbox 360 connected to a 720P set via the VGA connector and I have it set to 1:1 pixel mapping. There is NO scaling at all (I do end up with a 1" border but it is worth it for the sharpness). With this setting I get super sharp images. I have seen the same 360 image on a 1080P set and it actually looked blurry due to the upscaling.

I think you need the VGA cable to do this though, component or HDMI will scale.

He was talking about a 1024x768 tv, and he's right. It is impossible to do 1:1 pixel mapping on that display to 1280x720. If your tv is 1366x768 like mine, of course it's possible.