Which is better Panasonic TC-P54S2 or Samsung LN55C650?

The Panasonic is clearly the best value. Are the extra features worth the extra $$$?

Do you leave the menus up as much as you watch TV? Most sets have soem sort of "orbiter" function that helps with burn-in. I use it on mine and haven't seen the WMC menu burn in.

Your not going to get burn-in from that. Your not even likely to get any IR from that. I certainly don't on my P65S1 and DISH DVR.

These models are widely available in most areas...have you had a chance to view them in person? Take a look and see what you prefer. Additional features and their cost-value are a rather subjective determination.

I know the Samsung has full picture controls (with an excellent CMS) available in the user menu, (don't know what the S2 provides).

I have last years "B630" model and would recommend the samsung 6 series to anyone-best value of any product on the market imo. I purchased off amazon and had no problems with service or delivery.

My in-laws purchased a 09 panny S1 PDP shortly before I bought my samsung.... I'll just say that I have no regrets with the samsung LCD purchase.

Here's a recent review of the C650.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2366907,00.asp

Also you can check the LCD and PDP forums for these particular models to research the issues owners of these sets are experiencing.

Panasonic s2 ten times over.

After watching a display model next to various plasma tv's in a showroom, I decided to sell my Panasonic 46" for an LCD TV. Big mistake. I tried two models before this one, a Sharp back lit led and the 55" 3d led Samsung. The 3d model had uniformity issues which is why I returned it. I thought I would get used to it but I was wrong. The Sharp has the best image quality and viewing angle of the three but the sound sucks. And so I moved to the 650. Viewing angle on the 650 is very small. As soon as you move from dead center, the colors shift and all the skin colors start looking an unnatural pink hue. Black levels are very very good, as well as color reproduction. But, under controlled lighting, these sets have uniformity issues. Maybe not as bad as the LED models, but it can be clearly noticed. Auto motion plus is also a joke. On TV programing it is not so bad but on my blue ray player, it is awful. The one thing that I do like about this TV is the sound which is very decent for a flat TV. My 30 days return period passed and I cannot longer return it, but if I could do it all over, I would have kept my panny or the Sharp.

I've left static images up on my Panny plasma for 8+ hours atleast 50 times and never had any burn in so i wouldn't worry about menu's.

The new S-PVAs from Samsung are quite impressive. The low-end LTF400HM01 can produce blacks deep as 0.03 @ 120cmd2 (native). When dimmed, it can produce blacks just below 0.02cmd2 without visibly affecting the APL.

The image is also extremely clean with no noise. However, pixel lag and viewing angles could be an issue due to size.


If you can fine one with S-PVA (LTF550HJ01), you will not be disappointed.

Who spends $1.5K+ on a display then uses the $2.00 internal TV speakers?

Ummm... precisely because I spent that amount of money, I expect everything to work as it should.

If you have burn in on your crt by all means get lcd. I just dont understand how it could possibly get burn in unless seriously abused (or defective). My 4 yr old Panny plasma has no burn in and I NEVER see any image retention. The only disadvantage of lcd is cost compared to plasma.

You're in for a serious let down. TV speakers on most of today's displays are weak, no matter how much you spend. It isn't like the 90's when high end displays had 1/2 decent sound built in.

Yeah that amount of money on.. a TV! It's job is the video.

Don't be surprised as flat panels get thinner and thinner they might have no speakers at all.

Why is it people spend 2k on a TV but won't bother to even use $500 on speakers is beyond me. If your TV costs 2k then so should your sound system.

Movies on a 60" screen with no speakers or movies on a 50" with a 5.1 and a sub.. I'd take option 2.

More like movies on a a top of the line display with built in speakers or movies on a mid level set of the same size with a 5.1 sound system. Buy the $1k TV and a $500 sound system instead of the $1.5K TV of the same size.

It's odd that speaker technology hasn't change much over the years.

Well there's always electrostatics, they aren't exactly new but they would fit the bill for thin speakers. However something tells me it wouldn't be cost efficient to use such a technology in televisions.

As for sound innovation I don't think there is really much to improve on when it comes to the basic concept of a speaker. What needs to improve isn't speakers but the quality of production and recording.

Speaker technology still has a way to go but it's difficult nonetheless. One can only improve so much before hitting the limitations of the standard design principal. In less than 10 years, we will have transparent OLEDs approximately 1mm in thickness and we certainly can't embed a general purpose speaker without having to vibrate the entire screen, which could pose a problem if the panel is auto-stereoscopic.


Hopefully someone will make a breakthrough in creating the first high-efficient, general purpose, cost-effective (not to mention maintenance free) Massless Speaker.

http://www.nutshellhifi.com/library/...r-design1.html

http://everything2.com/title/Massless+Speakers

You wont go wrong with either set, but i am leaning towards Samsung LN55C650 side
I have old LN46A650 and PN58A550, still running and good.

Hey if you save up fro the TV it takes some time to get the speakers. Give him a break I COMPLETELY understand where he is coming from. I am goig to have to do the exact same thig. Not all of us are rich enough to get the TV & speakers at the same time!!