Help buying a new Plasma..........

Panasonic 50" UT50. I believe it's $700 at Best Buy, or most places.

What are they going to be using it for?

I'm guessing they're not gamers, so regular TV watching? Movies? Will the TV watching be SD or HD? Her parents might be oblivious to the fact that watching 4:3 content day after day might result in the black bars being burned in.

Maybe LED would be a better choice for them???

I'm also trying to decide which plasma to get. I've narrowed it down to the 51" Samsung E530 and the 50" Panasonic UT50.

I simply need to know which has better BI/IR prevention and that will be my choice.

There are trade-offs. There are those that say Samsungs don't have IR/BI issues, but have bad buzzing issues. There are those that say Pannys have IR/BI issues, but no buzzing....and vice versa.

What are you going to be using it for? Gaming, PC'ing, normal TV watching, movies, etc.

Mainly PS3 gaming, DirecTV, and the occasional Blu-Ray.

I was also wondering since I have a PS3 and don't really need a smart TV, should I instead look at the U50 instead of the UT50 and still keep the Samsung in the running?

Yeah, also the UT50 is going to give you 3D, the U50 is not.

If you're going to be gaming a lot, I've read many comments on here that plasma might not be for you, because of the IR/BI from the HUD's on the games. Have you looked at LED's?

Not trying to steer you away from plasma understand, just trying to recommend alternatives perhaps.

Also, there are comments from plasma owners that IR/BI is not a problem when playing games. It appears that some panels are more susceptible to IR/BI than others.

Are you going to get the TV local? Like BB? They have a good return policy, so maybe try out the U50 for 20-25 days and see how you like it. If no issues, then keep it and enjoy. If you experience any issues, return it and try the Samsung.

Just gotta dive in and now is a good time, since the new models are on the horizon and retailers are trying to make room.

I've looked at LED, but I'm not a really big fan on the light black levels and backlight clouding issues that they are prone to.

I will be getting the TV from Best Buy, and I have been looking at the plasmas extensively for a while now. I've also been talking to a friend of mine that has been gaming exclusively on plasma for a while now, and he absolutely loves it. He's a pretty heavy gamer as well, has always owned Panasonic's and has never had a problem with IR/BI.

Then I guess you have your answer...the U50!!! Jump in with both feet and go get it!!!

Just don't go looking for IR/BI....I think that is the basis of most of the "I have IR/BI on my plasma!!!"

The U50 is a really great plasma, but what keeps steering me towards the UT50 is the fact that is has CinemaSmooth where the U50 doesn't. So the UT50 handles blu-rays better.

Then I guess you have your answer...the UT50!!! Jump in with both feet and go get it!!!

Just don't go looking for IR/BI....I think that is the basis of most of the "I have IR/BI on my plasma!!!"

I use my UT50 for everything. Its my computer monitor, I use it for watching TV, movies, and play games for hours on end. After almost a year of this I have yet to have any real image retention issues. All ghosting disappears after I change the content for a little while. The concern over burn-in is old and no longer valid. I get tired of reading and hearing people warn others about this.

The only real deterrent from choosing a plasma would have to be a person's viewing area. Just have to be careful in bright rooms as some plasmas can wash out.

Dude, you're hilarious And I think you're right.

It's also what type of content you watch as IR is most noticeable on light screens. So things like hockey ice, basketball courts (light wood), snow scenes in shows/movies is where things like game HUD IR can really stand out.

I noticed it enough during normal watching the couple weeks I had the 55" UT50, and was annoyed by buzzing (I think my ears are just very sensitive to it as I've never been around a plasma I couldn't hear buzz on bright quiet scenes from viewing distance), I decided plasma wasn't for me. But I also watch ESPN for hours on end, game 4+ hours a few nights a week etc. IR is less of an issue if it's shorter bursts of static images. Yes, it was all temporary IR and went away with in a few hours of watching other stuff. But it was still enough to worry me. But the buzzing was the main deal break for me.

And again the buzzing is somewhat subjective--they're are bad units that buzz really loud for sure, but I also think some (like myself unfortunately) are just very sensitive to hearing and being annoyed by it. I loved the plasma PQ, but just couldn't live with those annoyances. I'd still hesitate to recommend anyone use one for "mainly" gaming though. But you are right that most people probably won't notice it if they don't go looking for it on white screens--again unless they watch a lot of hockey or other things with lots of solid lighter colors on the screen.

I mainly watch stuff on the Travel Channel, History 2, and NatGeo Wild. I do quite a bit of gaming, i.e. a few hours daily.

All of those channels have static logos if that would be a major problem.