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Which of these two tvs - Samsung 50" or Panasonic 42"?

post #1 of 19
11/27/11 at 1:58pm
Thread Starter 
I'm looking at spending around $500 for a tv mostly to play xbox. The guys in the xbox forum said 720p plasma > than a 1080p LCD 120Hz, so now that I've eliminated the LCD, I need to decide between these two tvs:

Samsung 50" PN51D430 720p

Panasonic 42" TC-P42S30 1080p


Searching the forum I didn't see much on the Samsung, and not exactly glowing reviews on the Panasonic.
TIA
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post #2 of 19
11/27/11 at 2:21pm
Spend more... buy this:

http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-VIER...2432352&sr=8-1

or an even better deal:

http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-VIER...2432379&sr=1-1

only $20 more for 4 inches O_o
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post #3 of 19
11/27/11 at 3:40pm
Thread Starter 
I can't. I work for a non-profit after school program for inner city kids, so not much $$. I'm pretty much set at that limit.
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post #4 of 19
11/27/11 at 4:13pm
This forum is definitely Panasonic biased; sometimes unreasonably. I would go with the Samsung you won't be disappointed. You'll enjoy the larger screen and the PQ isn't much different from the Panny you mentioned.

A friend of mine bought the Samsung at the $498 price and loves it.
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post #5 of 19
11/27/11 at 4:29pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by SRJbb99 View Post

This forum is definitely Panasonic biased; sometimes unreasonably. I would go with the Samsung you won't be disappointed. You'll enjoy the larger screen and the PQ isn't much different from the Panny you mentioned.

A friend of mine bought the Samsung at the $498 price and loves it.

Not biased jutst best bang for now plus pana fixed some if their issues unlike sammy
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post #6 of 19
11/27/11 at 4:44pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by pokekevin View Post


Not biased jutst best bang for now plus pana fixed some if their issues unlike sammy


It's all personal opinion. To me, the difference in PQ doesn't justify the $200+ premium for the same sized S30 model Panny over a PV450 lg, even with the black level issues. So I say unreasonably biased sometimes because many recommend paying the premium no matter what, without realizing that not everyone is a die hard videophile that notice the slight differences in black levels and color saturation. Some come to these forums as an average consumer looking to learn more and spend as little as possible for the largest size screen and would sacrifice small PQ issues that most don't notice anyway.
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post #7 of 19
11/27/11 at 5:43pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks. I'm definitely not a videophile, but I do like to buy the best equipment that I can afford. For instance my Honda is no Ferrari but I know it's better engineered than an Audi.

I can't get the Panasonic xxST30, which I gathered already is held in high esteem, as the reviews for the xxS30 seemed like it's definitely lower tier.

I've heard Panasonics are the best rated plasma, but if the Panasonic I can get is not that great and the Samsung is bigger and better/just as good, I'll go with it. But if a lower tier Panasonic still beats the Samsung in terms of quality and picture, I'd rather that in a smaller tv.
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post #8 of 19
11/27/11 at 7:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by SantosLH View Post

Thanks. I'm definitely not a videophile, but I do like to buy the best equipment that I can afford. For instance my Honda is no Ferrari but I know it's better engineered than an Audi.

I can't get the Panasonic xxST30, which I gathered already is held in high esteem, as the reviews for the xxS30 seemed like it's definitely lower tier.

I've heard Panasonics are the best rated plasma, but if the Panasonic I can get is not that great and the Samsung is bigger and better/just as good, I'll go with it. But if a lower tier Panasonic still beats the Samsung in terms of quality and picture, I'd rather that in a smaller tv.

If you're able to see the two in store I definitely would. While I do agree with many here that the ST and up series of Panasonic plasmas are generally better than other brands as far as PQ goes, I wouldn't put the S series in the same category, not that they are bad sets at all, just not as good as ST.

In regards to the two you mentioned, I personally believe them to be of the same quality, so I would go with the larger set. Both are great sets and you'll likely be happy with either, though as a general rule most say they wish they would've gone with a larger screen. And 50" is a huge jump over 42".
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post #9 of 19
11/27/11 at 10:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by SantosLH View Post

I'm looking at spending around $500 for a tv mostly to play xbox. The guys in the xbox forum said 720p plasma > than a 1080p LCD 120Hz, so now that I've eliminated the LCD, I need to decide between these two tvs:

Samsung 50" PN51D430 720p

Panasonic 42" TC-P42S30 1080p


Searching the forum I didn't see much on the Samsung, and not exactly glowing reviews on the Panasonic.
TIA

Plasma TVs from Panasonic are generally better but if given a choice between a 50" 720P model and a 42" 1080P I would probably go for a 50" model. 1080P is not going to make significant difference on a 42" display.
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post #10 of 19
11/27/11 at 10:31pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by SantosLH View Post

I'm looking at spending around $500 for a tv mostly to play xbox. The guys in the xbox forum said 720p plasma > than a 1080p LCD 120Hz, so now that I've eliminated the LCD, I need to decide between these two tvs:

Samsung 50" PN51D430 720p

Panasonic 42" TC-P42S30 1080p


Searching the forum I didn't see much on the Samsung, and not exactly glowing reviews on the Panasonic.
TIA

Panasonic also makes a 50" 720p set that fits in under your budget. Best thing to do is go to a store and view them both and see which one you like. Probably both will give similar performance but one might look better to you both quality and aesthetic wise. Also look for features that each has and compare.
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post #11 of 19
11/28/11 at 10:48am
I think you would be much happier with the larger screen, and 42 v 51" is a big difference. Go with either the Samsung 51D430 or 440 that is within your budget. The Panasonic version has an ugly bezel and lower resolution, and is short an inch.
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post #12 of 19
11/28/11 at 10:54am
amazon has the 50" panny TC-P50X3 for a really good deal now that is within your budget.
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post #13 of 19
11/28/11 at 10:56am
Quote:
Originally Posted by SRJbb99 View Post

If you're able to see the two in store I definitely would.

Sound advice.
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post #14 of 19
11/28/11 at 10:59am
I have the 1080p version of the Samsung. It looks great. The 720p version isn't really that far off in picture quality. It's not really noticeable on Blu-rays, so you would literally see no difference with most, if not all, Xbox 360 content.
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post #15 of 19
11/28/11 at 12:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by SRJbb99 View Post

It's all personal opinion. To me, the difference in PQ doesn't justify the $200+ premium for the same sized S30 model Panny over a PV450 lg, even with the black level issues. So I say unreasonably biased sometimes because many recommend paying the premium no matter what, without realizing that not everyone is a die hard videophile that notice the slight differences in black levels and color saturation. Some come to these forums as an average consumer looking to learn more and spend as little as possible for the largest size screen and would sacrifice small PQ issues that most don't notice anyway.

VERY well said, sir.
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post #16 of 19
11/28/11 at 3:35pm
My 2c about this...

If they are wanting to play XBox they'll probably want to sit close to the TV. With recent 768p panels there is alot of screen-door effect when sitting close. Additionally, for non-television usage the lower resolution will be more of an issue for text and line-art. I would sooner take a 1080p TV.

The advantage of an LCD would be it won't become burned in though heavy use, which would concern me with the plasma in a usage environment where a HUD may be displayed non-stop all day.

I wonder if there is a 120Hz LCD without terrible viewing angles that does 1080p over VGA with low response times in your price range.
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post #17 of 19
11/28/11 at 6:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by homerging View Post

I wonder if there is a 120Hz LCD without terrible viewing angles that does 1080p over VGA with low response times in your price range.

Not in the $500 price range, except maybe a non-name brand.
Even a good name brand (Samsung) 32" 1080p LCD 60hz is barely under $500, 40" on sale. 120Hz 1080p models are more.
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post #18 of 19
11/28/11 at 6:38pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by hakstone View Post

Sound advice.

Indeed. I found a bestbuy that had the Samsung and the Panasonic 50" HTGuru mentioned side by side. The 42" 1080p Panasonic S30 was down the wall of tvs.

The Samsung, which because of taxes will cost $12 more than the Panasonic (I can buy on amazon), looked sharper than the Panasonic 50", but quite a bit less bright across the color spectrum.
The 42" 1080p did not look that much different than either.

Not being calibrated, I'm assuming getting the tv brighter is an easier adjustment than the trying to get the Panasonic as sharp so it looks like I'll get the Samsung. Now if only I could find a car I can fit it in so I can pick it up at the store

homerging, good points, but I won't be playing all day. I'm not home enough . I did stand about as far away as I would sit and I did see the screen door effect, but it was at a level where I just stopped noticing it until I thought about it.

Thanks for the help all, I appreciate it. There don't appear to be a lot of threads on this tv, so hopefully a few days after I get it I can throw on some calibration numbers
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post #19 of 19
11/28/11 at 6:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by SantosLH View Post

Indeed. I found a bestbuy that had the Samsung and the Panasonic 50" HTGuru mentioned side by side. The 42" 1080p Panasonic S30 was down the wall of tvs.

The Samsung, which because of taxes will cost $12 more than the Panasonic (I can buy on amazon), looked sharper than the Panasonic 50", but quite a bit less bright across the color spectrum.
The 42" 1080p did not look that much different than either.

Not being calibrated, I'm assuming getting the tv brighter is an easier adjustment than the trying to get the Panasonic as sharp so it looks like I'll get the Samsung. Now if only I could find a car I can fit it in so I can pick it up at the store

homerging, good points, but I won't be playing all day. I'm not home enough . I did stand about as far away as I would sit and I did see the screen door effect, but it was at a level where I just stopped noticing it until I thought about it.

Thanks for the help all, I appreciate it. There don't appear to be a lot of threads on this tv, so hopefully a few days after I get it I can throw on some calibration numbers

word of advice. Go back to the store and tell them you want the remote to do picture adjustments and adjust each set to your liking. You might want to go into the owners thread of each set or check out tweakTV to see if they have any settings to start with. That way you can make an at best judgement as to which picture you really like. I would never buy a TV that I can't first adjust as so often in store settings are pretty poor.
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