OK! Your Plasma! You Tell Me! Got a new one? post it here - Page 4

Ordered the Sony KDE42S955 from onecall tonight and should be here in a few days. I wish to thank all of you who took the time to answer my questions and for your informative posts. Today, I am a man LOL I'll let you know how delivery and installation goes. Anybody with calibration info or a thread they think helpful please reply. Thanks again to all

XS955?

That's a great looking unit with a great looking picture

New Pioneer 5050HD

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1. The "Model" you have.

Pioneer PDP 5050HD


2. What convinced you to purchase this particular "Model".

It's PQ, and it's aesthetics. Just beautifull inside and out. Media Reciever. Competitively priced.


3. What you like best about your Plasma.

SD as well as HD great PQ.


4. What you don't like about your Plasma.

Nothing.


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

Simplified owner's manual.


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

Describe the technology in the manual, I have to read press releases to know what the unit does frolm a technology standpoint.


7. What was your biggest "Surprise" after you received your Plasma.

How nice it looks.


8. What "Problems or Issues" have you had with your Plasma.

None, very well packaged.


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

Yes, I got very good deal from authorized internet dealer.


10. Any additional information that you want to add is encouraged.

Truly a great set. Waiting for new Sony dvd changer with HDMI.

ell me the following:

1. Mitsubishi PD-6130 61" Plasma monitor

2. What convinced you to purchase this particular "Model".

Wanted a plasma to mount over fireplace for a large great room, so I wanted big. Ultimate Electronics store was having a going out of business sale and had a floor model that was 50% off....thought it was a good deal....and it was the last one. I had a 50" rear projection Mitsubishi for 9 years prior and had no problems with it, so I was comfortable with getting another Mitsubishi product.

3. What you like best about your Plasma.

Size and picture quality....jaw dropping video from HD broadcasts running at 1080i.

4. What you don't like about your Plasma.

Nothing yet.

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

Has only one DVI-D input....which is connected to the HD cable box. Might like another for DVD player.

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

Additional DVI-D inputs.

7. What was your biggest "Surprise" after you received your Plasma.

none

8. What "Problems or Issues" have you had with your Plasma.

none

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

I paid $7,500 which includes a 5 year extended warranty that cost $750. I think the plasma prices have become reasonable if you watch for a sale.

10. Any additional information that you want to add is encouraged.

I really wasn't ready to purchase a plasma.....hadn't done a lot of research on what exactly I wanted. But when I saw the 61"....all logic flew out the window..

Just got a new display? Post it here ONLY: please do not start a new thread

Tell me the following:

1. The "Model" you have.

Panasonic 37" HD Plasma

2. What convinced you to purchase this particular "Model".

Reasonable price. Best picture for the money. ATSC/QAM tuner.

3. What you like best about your Plasma.

Fantastic colors and black levels. ATSC/QAM Tuner! w/Cablecard. Sharp looking black/silve bezel!

4. What you don't like about your Plasma.

Not all that keen on the resolution 1024x720. I wish it was true 1900x1080.

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

Maybe two HDMI or a straight DVI in addition to the 1 HDMI it has.

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

Higer Res.

7. What was your biggest "Surprise" after you received your Plasma.

Good onscreen menu system. Sucky remote.

8. What "Problems or Issues" have you had with your Plasma.

IR receiver is on the left lower corner. It get hidden by my couch arm. Wish the receiver was on the top center of the bezel, or bottom center.

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

$2700 was "reasonable" compared to the competition.

10. Any additional information that you want to add is encouraged.

Excellent set considering I was choosing between this or a 34" Sony XBR960 direct view set.

Surprised how watchable SD content is on this set! Much better than some other PDPs I've watched.

I was going to Costco today to buy the Pioneer 5050 , but I called to make sure they had it and they said it was model #5040 instead of 5050. Can anyone tell what the difference is between the two??

Jay in NC

1. The "Model" you have.

Viore 42 HDTV Plasma

2. What convinced you to purchase this particular "Model".

What appears to be a great picture.

3. What you like best about your Plasma.

Great colors and features.

4. What you don't like about your Plasma.

The time it takes to display an HD signal when switching from a 480i signal.

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

Internal HD tuner.

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

Nothing yet.

7. What was your biggest "Surprise" after you received your Plasma.

Six inputs and solid construction.

8. What "Problems or Issues" have you had with your Plasma.

None yet.

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

For my plasma, yes.

10. Any additional information that you want to add is encouraged.

Great product so far, along with the great policy from Sam's you can't go wrong.
I am also extremely blown away by the HD picture 1024x1024.

awesome thread, it's sooooo helpful cuz i'm a noob. i was looking into a samsung or a phillips but you guys are making me look into a panasonic now. good job guys

This may be redundant with all the other reviews out there, but I got my Panasonic 42PD50U today and figured I'd relay some first impressions. (I'm upgrading from a 27" Sony KV27V20 CRT viewed at 10 feet, so I don't have any real Home Theater experience or expertise.)

The set came blazing in Vivid mode with Picture at +20, and sharpness at +15 (I think.) The settings I ended up with as my first-day halfass eyeball "calibration" were picture +11, brightness -2, tint -2, color -1, sharpness 0, black level "dark", color temp normal. I turned Color Management off. Like others have posted I noticed some green bias, on one of my DVDs with yellow subtitles, the subtitles have a slight greenish tint to them.

In general, the DVDs I've tried look great; the HD channels I've sampled look exquisite. It's incredible sitting here on my sofa and thinking how much this looks like a movie screen (heck, probably better than the average theater).

SD cable quality seems OK, but not as sharp as my old 27" Sony CRT. The stretch modes make the picture look softer than it does in 4:3 mode. I was hoping the "Just" mode would be more effective at simulating 4:3, but it looks almost the same as Full mode. Perhaps some more experimenting with settings will get my SD a little crisper without increasing noise. Videotapes are watchable, even crummy EP speed ones.

One thing that concerns me a little, that I wasn't expecting, is that black levels don't seem to get very black (compared to my old CRT). If I reduce the brightness setting below about -2, the picture loses detail, but the background brightness level doesn't really drop. Even a totally dead or blank input has some luminance to it. Where on my old CRT, black bars or a black screen were very very dark, even with the lights off. Maybe my contrast is set too high? But it doesn't look *overly* bright at +11.

Welcome to the world of plasma. You are not going to get the crt level of black on any current plasma. Maybe the next generations will finally close the gap. I see that you have the black level set to dark. Your current settings look like most others who have the current gen of Pansonics except for that black level setting. So far, everyone on this forum has it set to light as dark kills the details in the low light areas. It also looks as if you have the green tint issue that others have posted. You may want to use to service menu to correct that.

I'd recommend switching to light from dark on the black levels then readjust picture and brightness as your preference. I'm getting outstanding black level performance on my PD50.

Im gonna recomend a Pioneer elite, 43" can be had for 4999. I don't own one, I sell them. The piccture is amazing, but get a HT AVS by monster or something. Plasmas can last a good while, but there biggest issue is over heating which causes the panels to separate., If power goes out the screen gets hotter as the fans cant turn on to cool it. Just be sure to factor that in your budget. Otherwise I say enjoy the awesome picture.

$4999 is waaaay overpriced for a plasma that size, HD or ED doesn't matter, it's still only 43".

WHAT MODEL AND UNIT WOULD SATISFY ALL THE ISSUES YOU HAD WITH YOUR PANA 42PX5OU AMONTH AGO?

1. The "Model" you have.

Hitachi 55HDT51

2. What convinced you to purchase this particular "Model".

I felt the picture was good enough for me and it was the best bang for the buck.

3. What you like best about your Plasma.

Size...55" is nice. :-)

4. What you don't like about your Plasma.

Black levels could be better.

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

I haven't come across anything its lacking yet.

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

Why no marketing? I had a tough time finding information about this unit and a REALLY hard time finding someone locally that carried it so that I could view it.

7. What was your biggest "Surprise" after you received your Plasma.

The weight...man its heavy. Manual says 122 lbs but it feels heavier.

8. What "Problems or Issues" have you had with your Plasma.

Nothing yet.

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

I question that...I felt I got a great deal vs. the competetion, but its still alot of money for a TV.

10. Any additional information that you want to add is encouraged.

I'm really happy with this panel. There is very little information about it on these forums and elsewhere and I think it is a hidden gem....especially for the cost.

Many of the issues he posted would be resolved by getting the commercial unit instead.

All of the issues would be solved if he waited and spent twice as much on a Hitachi 42HDS52

Not sure what this really means, but will this be a problem for me if I plan to use OTA HD in combination with DirecTV HD DVR?

No.

When you first set up the PD50/PX50/PX500 models, you have to choose whether to set the internal tuner up for use with cable or for use with OTA. It has to be one or the other - it cannot do both. Since you don't have cable it doesn't matter; just connect a suitable HD antenna and put the tuner into OTA mode then scan for all the local digital channels.

This tuner system is screwy cause if you set it up for cable, you cannot simply change to an OTA channel as the tuner remains in cable mode at all times. Same if you set it up for OTA - you'll only have access to the OTA channels and none of the cable channels. If you want to switch from cable mode to OTA mode or visa-versa, it will have to scan for all the channels for that mode again and overwrites the previous modes channels. This takes upwards of a half-hour to accomplish.

Some other plasmas (like the new Samsungs for instance) have separate ATSC and QAM tuners each with their own RF input so it's capable of tuning both banks of channels.

As you can by the number of my posts, I have been on the search for a widescreen TV for some time. Started more in the DLP camp due to budget, but then the Plasma technology really started to see price reductions. When the 42" Panny 25U hit an MSRP of $2999 Sept 2004 I really started researching Plasma TVs heavily. Still above my WAF budget, but I knew the time was coming...

1. The "Model" you have.
42THPD50U - Panasonic 42" ED

2. What convinced you to purchase this particular "Model".
I carefully looked at all available 42" ED, including specs on the upcoming 2005 Hitachi and new Toshica 42"ED. Hitachi looks like it will have a DVI input, wanted HDMI. Toshiba does not appear to have a tuner, unknown glass or if HDMI and first generation. WAF ruled out any plasma with black glossy bezel. Limited to width of 44" so needed bottom speakers or no speakers. Fuji 42" ED out of my budget. Last year NEC consumer did not come out until Oct, so did not want to wait for 2005 NEC model to see if HDMI included.

Pannasonic consistently had the best PQ, silver color had WAF. I liked that the shiney black edge of the glass is covered by the bezel - so less reflections. Model has tuner, speakers and HDMI.

3. What do you like best about your Plasma.
Picture Quality - and the best black reproduction of plasmas.

4. What you don't like about your Plasma.
No per input memory settings for picture, possibly no 3:2 pulldown (I wish it were documented one way or the other for sure).

5. What "Feature(s)" you wish your Plasma had.
Cablecard, second HDMI, HD Zoom

6. What advice or suggestion would you make to the "Manufacture" about your Plasma.
Add HD Zoom + other items from 4 & 5.

7. What was your biggest "Surprise" after you received your Plasma.
Analog SD stations looked as good if not better than my existing 32" CRT.

8. What "Problems or Issues" have you had with your Plasma.
None yet.

9. Do you really think that todays "Prices" are worth it.
They are still a little high. When MSRPs hit $2000 (for 42" ED) I think the value of the TV outweighs waiting for additional price reductions.

10. Any additional information that you want to add is encouraged.

I received my Panasonic TH42PD50U yesterday. All that analysis paralysis was somewhat for nothing - extremely satisfied with the plasma. I thought the limitation of effectivly three memory settings (Standard, Cinema and Vivid) would be too limiting - but I am finding the settings are actually close enough for both the DVD and SA8300HD. Using standard setting for the most part, but have set up vivid to punch up some of the NTSC stations.

First comments from the wife was how big the screen was. The delivery person gave her a look like your nuts lady. Although using a table top stand, I placed the TV at the furthest part of the TV cart. As we get used to the size I can bring it closer.

While hooking up the TV, Battlestar Galactica came on in HD. I thought the PQ looked great out of the box, although I know from reading here it will get better with calibration. The cablebox was on zoom, the PQ improved (obviously) even more when I took off the zoom.

Watched parts of Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc and Spiderman for 1:85 movies during break in. Spiderman is a great test disc for eyeball calibration, until I get a copy of AVIA or DVE.

Pleasantly suprised at the quality of the analog stations. When leaving in 4:3 mode the PQ as good if not better than my 32" CRT. During first 100 hours, using the ZOOM to eliminate black bars. Maybe after time and I can get used to JUST mode, not there yet.

HD looks outstanding. Using the PVR SA8300HD, watched "The Insider". Lots of dark suits, happy with the black levels on the TV.

JCPZero

Randy, thanks! Once concern I have is the guys who are going to be doing my HD install (I live in a condo bldg. with DTV satellite dish & OTA antenna on the roof, shared by all the tenants of the bldg.) said they're going to run one line into my DirecTV HD DVR and that one line contains both OTA HD & DirecTV HD. I just want to make sure this won't be a problem for me.

The Panasonic internal tuner will not affect your DirecTV in any way. The DirecTV HD DVR has it's own internal OTA HD tuner. Your installer could make it possible to use your TV's internal tuner as well, if you wish, but it is entirely separate from your D* box and would just give you an additional input.

The issue is only of concern to those who want to watch both cable and OTA, and only affects those of them that want to do so without a STB.

<<>>

I'm a newbie so bear with me.
My cable system is Adelphia. Their lineup starts with...
CBS-Channel 2
Discovery - Channel 3
NBC - Channel 4
KTLA (local) - Channel 5.
etc.
Are you saying that if I want to go from Channel 2 (CBS) to Channel 3 (Discovery), I'd have to switch from OTA mode to Cable mode? That's horrifying.

Not if you are getting them all from your cable system.

You would, though, if you were switching from actually receiving Channel 2 OTA (not via cable).

What's up everyone I am new to the forum. I purchased a Sony KDE-50XS955 last week and I absolutely love it.

new here!

just picked up a Panny 42-PWD5UY, earlier model, it is practially brand new! & the price was a once-in-a-lifetime deal!

i am absolutely in LOVE!

1. The "Model" you have.

Hewlett Packard PL4245N

2. What convinced you to purchase this particular "Model".

Price, Style, Connectivity

3. What you like best about your Plasma.

Purity of color, Aspect and Zoom modes, Dual component connections plus DVI/HDCP and VGA

4. What you don't like about your Plasma.

Speaker brackets off spec causing a small gap between bezel and speaker.

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

HDMI

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

include a file for the brackets

7. What was your biggest "Surprise" after you received your Plasma.

White is white, black is black and a rainbow of colors in between.

8. What "Problems or Issues" have you had with your Plasma.

None.

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

under that magic $3000

10. Any additional information that you want to add is encouraged.

Model - Panasonic 42pd50u
Why? - price, PQ, reviews, ED for D* SD
Like best - saw my first HD on it last night - WOW - love true colors
Like least - break-in, noise in SD, having to stretch to avoid burn-in, silver bezel
Feature(s) missing - PC input, other connectivity
Advice for MFG - work on design - like the look of the Pio's and Samsung's better, more detail owner's manual (manually programing sub-channels)
Biggest surprise - watching crap I would never watch just because it's in HD
Problems - lack of programming and HD options
Worth it? - hard to say. I'm keeping it but my Sony 32 CRT had a great pic and and was about 1/4 the price - when more HD programming comes out it will be worth it.
Additional info - Thanks to AVSforum for all the info and advice!

1. The "Model" you have.

Panasonic 37PX50U

2. What convinced you to purchase this particular "Model".

Needed width less than 41 inches with built-in tuners/speakers for ease of use for family. It was basically LCD vs. this model vs. Dell 4200. The LCD picture quality didn't measure up to plasma and was more expensive. The Dell lacked a QAM tuner.

3. What you like best about your Plasma.

QAM tuner brings in a ton of digital channels including local HDTV and some pay-per-view with just an analog cable subscription. The digital picture is a huge leap over my previous 27 inch analog TV. HDTV seems to be a smaller leap in quality over digital but I haven't seen much of it (only Lost on ABC).

4. What you don't like about your Plasma.

Wish I could crank up the brightness from the start but will wait at least 100 hrs.

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

I haven't used this feature, but a VGA computer input would occasionally be useful for family gatherings/ showing photos

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

Add PIP/POP and VGA input and built-in DVR option with an HDMI out for DVD recorders would be nice for Cablecard users.

7. What was your biggest "Surprise" after you received your Plasma.

QAM reception

8. What "Problems or Issues" have you had with your Plasma.

None

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

Paid $2250 plus $200 shipping from Onecall.com. It arrived in perfect condition. I still think >$2000 for a TV is a bit much but the free digital/HDTV from my QAM is saving me $400/year from upgrading my cable service.

10. Any additional information that you want to add is encouraged.
Plasma still seems the best for 37 - 42 inch displays despite press that LCD is improving. I'd like to see more objective reviews of TV from reliable sources but this site has been a great resource, if a bit unwieldy sometimes.

1. The "Model" you have.
Panasonic TH-65PHD7UY
iScanHD+

2. What convinced you to purchase this particular "Model".
It was the biggest one that I could afford! The Fujitsu was so much more expensive. After many weeks of following the discussion on this forum I decided that this was very probably the device for me. I had a very hard time tracking down one on display, but I found one in the end.

3. What you like best about your Plasma
Picture quality - but I am still adjusting it. Variety of input options.

4. What you don't like about your Plasma.
So far nothing, but I have only had it working for 6 days

5. What "Feature(s)" you wish your Plasma had.
Cablecard.
At home warranty service; this plasma has carry in service only. Luckily there is a Panasonic Select Service Center just a mile from me, but even so, it weighs 190lbs and is very big!
Service manual - most people buying this 'commercial' version are going to tweak it.

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

7. What was your biggest "Surprise" after you received your Plasma.
My wife saying, "You know it's not that big really".

8. What "Problems or Issues" have you had with your Plasma.
Not really an issue with the plasma, but it took a long while to get 1:1 pixel mapping with the HD+

9. Do you really think that todays "Prices" are worth it.
Worth, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. I thought it was.

10. Any additional information that you want to add is encouraged.
Be prepared that you will have a very poor SD picture and there is practically nothing you can do to make it look good. The 'least worst' picture is the best that you can hope for.