OK! Your Plasma! You Tell Me! Got a new one? post it here - Page 68

The only reason I was allowed to was because the room is a dedicated movie room. Otherwise she never would have agreed to it.

I'll have to measure when I get home. We tried a bunch of different heights (that was fun re-mounting it on an ultraslim mount 8 or 9 times, let me tell you), and in the end decided this was the best. I may need to take a better picture as the wide angle lens is distorting things. The speakers aren't nearly as far away from the TV as it seems, and that might translate to the height too.

I can tell you the general rule of thumb I see referred to everywhere is to have the center of the screen roughly even with the height of your eyeballs in the primary seating position. For me, that was 37" when sitting, relaxed, in my sofa. So if your TV was mounted with the bottom edge right at 37", it definitely would be too high for a screen that size (unless you have really tall seating!).

I figured that my old CRT RPTV (65") had the viewing height pretty much nailed (and center height was just a few inches above 37"), in terms of how I should mount my new 65" plasma this past weekend, so I measured floor to the bottom of that screen and it was about 25" from the floor. I did decide to move it up a few inches, just for aesthetic purposes, given this is a living room and not a dedicated HT, but mostly I kept to the height of the old CRT TV. It looks a little low, visually, in the LR when it's off or you're walking around, but when you're sitting and watching, it's fantastic.

You can compensate a bit with a tilting mount, but if possible, I think you'll be happier if you move that down as much as the missus will tolerate.

Very beautiful & neat set up !

Thanks!

I didn't get around to measuring, but like already mentioned, the center of the screen is at eye level (give or take). If I had to take a guess, I'd say the bottom of the tv is probably 2'6" from the floor?

Probably a hair high from the theoretical "optimal" setup, but within 6" or so no one will mind, and I agree it looks way better on the wall than having it quite so low. Your average ~65" panel should be roughly 24" from the floor for the majority of seating arrangements, but that ends up looking a little odd (when the lights are on and you're looking at a blank screen). Adding that extra 6" higher makes things look much nicer, and still looks great when viewing.

Tell me the following:

1. The "Model" you have. TCP 55Gt30

2. What convinced you to purchase this particular "Model".
Reviews and seeing it in person
3. What you like best about your Plasma.
Black Levels and color rendition
4. What you don't like about your Plasma.
hmmm, none for now
5. What "Feature(s)" you wish your Plasma had.
still thinking about it,, maybe no Burn-in. hahah
6. What advice or suggestion would you make to the "Manufacture" about your Plasma.
- after owning a 42G10 with rising black levels, i HOPE that Panasonic will not go down this path again. and maybe improve on their service menu to make tweaking a little easier.

7. What was your biggest "Surprise" after you received your Plasma.
- what a size. my viewing distance is about 8 feet and a 42 for my eyes is ok. but this 55 is a whole lot bigger

8. What "Problems or Issues" have you had with your Plasma.
- hopefully non !!! i owned the 42g10 for about 6 months before I started reading about the rising blacks and just about 1 month ago, I could not watch (w/o cursing the tv) because all dark / black scenes or objects are totally washed out causing the image to be "blurry" (maybe not the best word but you get the drift). i was wishing the TV to last at least 5 years

9. Do you really think that todays "Prices" are worth it.
- heck ya. what I paid 3 years ago for a 42 is more that what I paid today for the 55

10. Any additional information that you want to add is encouraged.
- Thanks to all the forum members for sharing their expierence

Thanks.

Yeah, the way I see it, as long as it looks "right" in the room and I don't feel like I'm looking up or down to view it, it's all good.

Yeah, I definitely need to lower mine. If you recline then you're looking straight at it. However, when not reclined - one would be looking up at it unfortunately.

I don't think I've ever encountered the issue of looking down at a set as that would look quite awkward to ever have a TV that low, but I made sure not to place my TV at Fireplace-esque heights that cause major neck strain (typically 4'+ high). Though at 3' high mine is probably still 6" too high, but maybe I'll cut the difference and drop it down a few inches assuming it's not bad on my wall studs to do so?

Great pictures and discussion, also love how this thread is mostly new Panasonic's/Samsung's being purchased - I wonder what LG's sales numbers are or if LG purchasers don't strongly correlate with AVS members?

Well I just got a Zenith Z50PV220, which as I understand it just a rebadged LG set, so chalk one up (actually two, since my brother also bought one.) for LG. I couldn't afford to be a brand snob because of my budget, and this was kind of an impulse buy because of the absolute rock bottom price Sears was selling them for. Just the price I paid alone tells me it won't match the more expensive panels from Sammy/Sony/Panny, etc., but half the fun is trying to tweek budget stuff to get every last drop of performance out of it, and one of the reasons I belong to this forum, besides haunting the dvd, movie and concert section in the basement, is to learn as much as I can. So please take pity on us poor LG slobs.

I thought one of the BIG pluses of plasma, was the wide viewing angle. That always seemed to be a selling point of a plasma. Maybe I didn't understand that correctly.

It is. But just because you CAN, it doesn't mean you SHOULD.

If picture is be too high, it will be uncomfortable to watch. It won't seem natural (can you imagine a tv on the ceiling above a bed? Dead on, yes, but weird to watch... Lay down and hold up your laptop directly above you o see why), you can get a crick in your neck from looking up for two hours, the speakers will need to be positioned oddly to ensure proper imaging (or as close to it as possible under the circumstances), etc... But the picture quality, color and focus will be perfect, even if the angle isn't perfect.

With my plasma, I can see the screen from the next room, at nearly a 20 degree angle. The color is fine, as is the focus. That doesn't mean it's optimum for me to watch that way.

The point to the wide viewing angle is that more than the one person sitting in the sweet spot dead center gets a good picture. Even the people on the far ends of a long sofa see fine, without washed out colors or brightness shifts. It's more of a left to right thing than up and down thing, although plasma works there, too: your perfectly positioned picture (measured from reclining in your sofa) doesn't wash out when you stand up to grab another beer from the kitchen.

I understand what your saying and agree with you. I just don't see the worry about four inches here or there. I'm not talking about on the ceiling above a bed.

Who is worried? My TV is fine, and I sleep soundly at night.

4" is only a problem IF it turns out to be a problem. 4" CAN make the difference between comfortable and "just a little too high", or it can make no difference whatsoever.

I start at the ideal, and tweak in real world considerations from there, striving for close enough to the ideal that I'm still satisfied.

Well just pulled the trigger on a 65VT30. Already had the 55ST30 in the family room but wanted this size for the media room. Was thinking about waiting for the VT50 coming out but the price was too low to pass up with my companies employee discount....

Very wise decision,and i have noticed that in the name of advancement the new PDP are far thinner than the older models.So the vt50 series components appear far compact and flimsier that the old model and the vt50 series has a ugly looking shinning bezel around the side edges.Making it appear like a product made in china.but like always taste differs from person to person.

love,
kris.

the bottom of my panel on the 58 inch Panasonic is 29 inches above the floor. This appears to be a good placement when I sit and recline in the sofa. That puts my head just below the middle of the screen. It looks good overall for my uses. I would not want it much higher but I couls see going another 6 inches if I had to.

Mind if I ask how far back you're seated? I'm about 9-10' back, wall-mount tilted 10-degrees, and bottom of 59" panel is 3' above floor. While it seems fine, I also feel it could be a few inches lower and be even *more* fine. Though I fear drilling more holes for the mount in the same studs just a few inches down as I don't want too many holes in too close of proximity and can't find anywhere if this is ok/not/etc.

Other than that, I once debated between a 50" and 58" Panasonic for my first Plasma in '08. The 50" was 1080p and the 58" 720p and the prices weren't that far off. I fell into the resolution trap and got the 50", and regretted many days following not sacrificing the resolution and going bigger with the 58". Recently I got the best of both worlds with 59" and still 1080p, though I still have that itch for 64/65"...

I have no idea what other Plasma enthusiasts have done once they max out at 64/65" and their furniture set up doesn't allow "sitting closer"... I guess they break out of their plasma cocoons and become projector butterfly's (pardon the analogy)?

My primary seating directly across from the screen is puts my head 13 feet from the screen. I sometimes sit closer on the side sofa which puts my head about 8.5 feet from the closest part of the screen. Also, just to be specific, when I say my panel is 29" above floor I am talking about the lit part of the panel, not including the surrounding bezel. Mine sits on its stand on a TV stand.

My HT room has its limits too. I could probably fit a 65 incher just barely and may in fact upgrade to that size when this one craps out on me (no rush though love the picture).

1. The "Model" you have.
PN59D8000

2. What convinced you to purchase this particular "Model".
Wife broke DLP and most reviews.

3. What you like best about your Plasma.
Brightness level compared to panny's

4. What you don't like about your Plasma.
Slight buzz when volume down very low

5. What "Feature(s)" you wish your Plasma had.
A Money dispensing slot.

6. What advice or suggestion would you make to the "Manufacture" about your Plasma.
Please make them quieter

7. What was your biggest "Surprise" after you received your Plasma.
Actual brightness level compared to my st30

8. What "Problems or Issues" have you had with your Plasma.
Faint Buzz/hum

9. Do you really think that todays "Prices" are worth it.
Yes

10. Any additional information that you want to add is encouraged.
I am a strong supporter of plasma tv's, best pq IMO..







P.S. Sry for crappy piks I am using a 5 year old digi cam lol..

Beautiful & Neat set up.And also your pet looks great !

Kris Achar - Love the couch. I'm on the hunt for a new one for the man cave.

May I ask what brand and model and also where you purchased it. Price would be nice too if you can share.

I believe you are referring to my couch lol, not 100% sure though.. It is a coaster furniture leather/microfiber sectional, I am waiting on the wedge to be delivered.

As far as price goes my father in law owns a freight company so I get everything at cost, let's just say It didn't break he bank .. very comfy though can't ait to get more seat time on her to break it in more.

You know what, I was talking about Vikschimmrs set up. Yours is cool but I'm looking for something closer to Viks.

1. The "Model" you have.
TC-P60S30

2. What convinced you to purchase this particular "Model".
Price and Panasonic name

3. What you like best about your Plasma.
Picture Quality

4. What you don't like about your Plasma.
It shows the flaws on directv that my DLP kept hidden

5. What "Feature(s)" you wish your Plasma had.
built in wireless

6. What advice or suggestion would you make to the "Manufacture" about your Plasma.
Allow more controls in the menu

7. What was your biggest "Surprise" after you received your Plasma.
Sharpness of the picture

8. What "Problems or Issues" have you had with your Plasma.
Factory settings were way off color wise, it took a week and Disney WOW disc to set properly

9. Do you really think that todays "Prices" are worth it.
Yes! paid $899 and feel like I stole it

I got it from a Rooms to Go store I think. They were about $1k for the entire set.

well here's my new baby....

That'll buff right out

yeah may try the windshield repair kit from AutoZone

surprisingly the bottom half of the screen is ok

Just got a Samsung PN64D8000 on Saturday. Can't believe how much better it looks than my old LCD right out of the box.


Old TV

Nice set up.