Quote:
Originally Posted by
laststop311 
I don't see how these samsungs will be successful when they enforce UPP so strictly. The only reason people buy samsung plasmas is because they are cheaper per sq inch of screen space than the comparable model from panasonic. With this UPP enforced so strict samsungs price advantage vanishes and it would be foolish to pay the same for a lower quality picture.
That's not the only reason they buy Sammy over Panny. I could get the VT30 right now for the same price as the D8000 (actually probably a little less) and within $150 of the D700. Yet the one I would get, if any, is the D7000, with the D8000 second and the VT30 last. The PQ seems more or less a trade-off of comparable -- slightly better blacks from the Panny and better color accuracy from the Sammy. So that being equal it comes down to features and aesthetics and the Sammy wins both (in 2011). I prefer the bluetooth 3D glasses, the glasses cost one-fifth as much per set for the Sammy, the Sammy is much lighter, it has the swivel stand, etc. Both sets had problems int he first half of the year and both have fixed them (with the exception that Panny decided not to fix the color decoding issue). So even if the price were the same per inch I would have gone with the Sammys.
Now 2012 may be a different story. So the early reports on the VT50 and the actual measurable results from the ST50 suggest they evolved meaningfully over 2011, while the early buzz (no pun intended) on the Sammy's suggest a mild improvement (which is still great). I also like the look of the VT50 and they finally embraced bluetooth glasses. And, pre-order prices on the VT50 are meaningfully cheaper than the E8000, though that could change. But in any event Panny has not announced any universal pricing plans.
