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Top of the line plasma, money is no object  

post #1 of 45
6/21/06 at 8:55am
Thread Starter 
I've been asked by my very wealthy father to pick out a tv for his new apartment. He wants a flat panel display and given the room size I'd say something between 42-50" would be best. He told me, and I quote, "don't worry about how much it costs, we want the best." So here I am asking for your suggestions. The tv will be used only for cable and watching DVD's, he doesn't play video games at all. I warned him about burn in and he didn't seem to concerned, so I'm thinking plasma. Thanks in advance to all who respond.

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post #2 of 45
6/21/06 at 8:59am
Does he plan on wall mounting it or using a table stand? I'd suggest looking into the new Pioneer PDP5070HD or the current NEC 50XR5A. They both have excellent PQ, and have been known for their vibrant + true to life colors. Plus they both have 2 HDMI inputs so he can connect an HD cable box and DVD player through digital connections.
post #3 of 45
6/21/06 at 9:15am
Assuming performance is all that matters, not color of bezel, etc, here's my list:

1) 50" Fujitsu
2) 50" NEC
3) 50" Pioneer Elite
4) 50" Panasonic 600U

If price is no object, and he's sitting more than 8 feet away, get the 50" size.
post #4 of 45
6/21/06 at 9:21am
Fujitsu
Marantz
Runco

if $ is no object.

Panasonic, if it is.
post #5 of 45
6/21/06 at 9:29am
Thread Starter 
he's not sure whether he's wall mounting or not. they have a nice stand right now but they might still decide to wall mount it. Color of the bezel doesn't matter, all the cares about is performance. He's torn between 42" and 50" (he kinda wants 50" but my step mom wants 42") so suggestions for both would be great. Thanks :)
post #6 of 45
6/21/06 at 9:30am
If money is no object get the brand new Pioneer FHD1. The Pioneer is just coming out these days. According to reports I've read it should have great image quality. Many considered it best of plasma at CES 2006.
post #7 of 45
6/21/06 at 9:35am
Vidikron PlasmaView VP-60

http://vidikron.com/vp60.html
post #8 of 45
6/21/06 at 9:45am
Quote:
Originally Posted by madshi
If money is no object get the brand new Pioneer FHD1. The Pioneer is just coming out these days. According to reports I've read it should have great image quality. Many considered it best of plasma at CES 2006.
Ooh, good point :) forgot that one.

I didn't mention Marantz or Runco in my listings because I haven't seen them with my own eyes, but I hear they are fantastic as well.
post #9 of 45
6/21/06 at 9:48am
Get an external scaler - it will make as much (or more) of a difference as the specific brand of display.
post #10 of 45
6/21/06 at 9:51am
Quote:
Originally Posted by billybob_jcv
Get an external scaler - it will make as much (or more) of a difference as the specific brand of display.
Well, get an external scaler *and* the best in class plasma. Again the Pioneer FHD1 should be spectecular. It allows native rate in with all 24Hz, 48Hz, 50Hz and 60Hz. That makes it a perfect partner for e.g. a Crystalio II video processor.
post #11 of 45
6/21/06 at 9:56am
Quote:
Originally Posted by billybob_jcv
Get an external scaler - it will make as much (or more) of a difference as the specific brand of display.
Depends on how nice of a display you bought - Runco, Fujitsu, and NEC, to name a few are highly respected for their scaling and processing capabilities.
post #12 of 45
6/21/06 at 10:03am
Quote:
Originally Posted by tdavis21484
Depends on how nice of a display you bought - Runco, Fujitsu, and NEC, to name a few are highly respected for their scaling and processing capabilities.
I don't know about Runco, but neither Fujitsu nor NEC can compete with top of the line external video processors. E.g. Fujitsu doesn't even do proper inverse telecine for PAL SD film! Let's not even talk about HD processing.
post #13 of 45
6/21/06 at 10:41am
Go with the 50". Most everyone I know that bought the 42" plazmas regretted buying it and wished for the bigger one.

My personal choice would be the 60U Panny, I have been quite pleased with it.
LL
post #14 of 45
6/21/06 at 11:23am
Quote:
Originally Posted by tdavis21484
Assuming performance is all that matters, not color of bezel, etc, here's my list:

1) 50" Fujitsu
2) 50" NEC
3) 50" Pioneer Elite
4) 50" Panasonic 600U

If price is no object, and he's sitting more than 8 feet away, get the 50" size.
I'll second this!
post #15 of 45
6/21/06 at 11:58am
The two 1080P plasmas supposedly out in the next couple months the Pioneer FHD1 50" and the Panasonic 65" should both be in the $8-10K range. And get them a Toshiba HD A1 HD DVD player to go with it. very good upscaling for dvd and of course the HD DVD quality to feed one of those bad boys. What a good son you will be to them:)

A Pansonic 50px600u would be around $3.5K and he probably would never know any difference.

Money can matter even when someone tells you it doesn't. My mom told me and my brother to pick her out a car. and money didn't matter to her either. We picked her out a nice E class Mercedes at $45K, we could have picked a S class at $90K+. Well she picked a Mercury Grand Marquis instead, wrote them a check and was happy.

Sit your dad down and discuss it a little with him, see if he will go with you to view sets or if not then at least you narrow it down what he wants.
post #16 of 45
6/21/06 at 12:04pm
I know there is a lot of Panasonic love here and don't get me wrong, I like them also. But, if money wasn't a factor, there is no way I would buy one over a Fujitsu. My list would be

Fujitsu
Pio elite
Runco

I don't know if looks are a factor also as these are 3 of the best looking bezels that I have seen.
post #17 of 45
6/21/06 at 12:05pm
I love guys who say "we want the best". Tally-up the total for a FHD1, external VP, BR or HD-DVD player, and an ISF calibration and see what he says.

Of course, if you're going to go there, you can't forget the audio! How about a nice set of separates for power & prepro (Rotel, Lexicon, Anthem, Arcam, etc) plus a set of speakers (Paradigm Signature, Magnepan, Vandersteen, etc) and, of course, a subwoofer (SVS, Servodrive, Genelec, etc).

But wait! Did you say an apartment? I hope it's a big one, because unless he has a dedicated HT room he's going to be disappointed if he wants the "best". Of course, if he has a dedicated HT, he should be looking at a 1080p front projector, not a flat panel. Then room treatments, theater seating, bass transducers, a wet bar and munchies - he needs much more if he wants "the best"!

:rolleyes:
post #18 of 45
6/21/06 at 12:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by billybob_jcv
I love guys who say "we want the best". Tally-up the total for a FHD1, external VP, BR or HD-DVD player, and an ISF calibration and see what he says.

Of course, if you're going to go there, you can't forget the audio! How about a nice set of separates for power & prepro (Rotel, Lexicon, Anthem, Arcam, etc) plus a set of speakers (Paradigm Signature, Magnepan, Vandersteen, etc) and, of course, a subwoofer (SVS, Servodrive, Genelec, etc).

But wait! Did you say an apartment? I hope it's a big one, because unless he has a dedicated HT room he's going to be disappointed if he wants the "best". Of course, if he has a dedicated HT, he should be looking at a 1080p front projector, not a flat panel. Then room treatments, theater seating, bass transducers, a wet bar and munchies - he needs much more if he wants "the best"!

:rolleyes:
OK. On second thoughts here is my top list:

1. Pio FHD1 - score: 10/10
2. Fujitsu - score: 8/10
3. Pio Elite - score: 8/10

Anything else is a compromise (IMHO). I believe the Runco is an NEC OEM.
post #19 of 45
6/21/06 at 12:19pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by plazman
OK. On second thoughts here is my top list:

1. Pio FHD1 - score: 10/10
2. Fujitsu - score: 8/10
3. Pio Elite - score: 8/10

Anything else is a compromise (IMHO). I believe the Runco is an NEC OEM.
I think I can second that. I've not seen any reviews of the Pio FHD1 yet, but reports have been *very* positive. Maybe it would be worth waiting a few days/weeks to see whether any real reviews show up, just to be sure, though.
post #20 of 45
6/21/06 at 1:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by plazman
I believe the Runco is an NEC OEM.
It is, but with a different scaler, I believe. Mitsubishi's plasmas are straight rebadges of NEC's Showcase series, menu, remote and all.

If you can, I would have a look at the NECs. They're not the end all be all best, but they're dang close, and the best for the money, IMHO.

Of course I own an NEC, but I own one because I believe it's the best - I don't believe it's the best because I own one. An important distinction to make, I think, ;)
post #21 of 45
6/21/06 at 3:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by madshi
Well, get an external scaler *and* the best in class plasma. Again the Pioneer FHD1 should be spectecular. It allows native rate in with all 24Hz, 48Hz, 50Hz and 60Hz. That makes it a perfect partner for e.g. a Crystalio II video processor.
Skip the external scaler; get an Anthem Statement D2 pre/pro to go with the Pioneer FHD1; that would be my vote.
post #22 of 45
6/22/06 at 9:46am
Quote:
Originally Posted by zaracsan
Skip the external scaler; get an Anthem Statement D2 pre/pro to go with the Pioneer FHD1; that would be my vote.
...which would be just like skipping the external scaler how? :p The D2 is a top notch pre/pro AND a top-notch scaler from the early reports of its performance. It is also $6k+ (aka more than all but the FHD1). You can also get abou 98%+ of the performance from the AVM-50, depending upon the rest of the set-up. The critical question is whether they want "a TV" or they want "a theater". If the former, then get them the best all-in-one unit you can find. If the latter, then we can talk about accessorizing. My guess, though, is that the OP's mother's stress level will climb exponentially with each new box brought into the house.

Later,
Bill
post #23 of 45
6/22/06 at 10:45am
For me, it's either:

Acura NSX (with special modification by dealer)

or

Pioneer Pro-FHD1 1080p plasma


I would say Fujitsu p50xha40us plasmavision avm2 would be the third op...
post #24 of 45
6/22/06 at 11:27am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bear5k
...which would be just like skipping the external scaler how? :p The D2 is a top notch pre/pro AND a top-notch scaler from the early reports of its performance. It is also $6k+ (aka more than all but the FHD1). You can also get abou 98%+ of the performance from the AVM-50, depending upon the rest of the set-up. The critical question is whether they want "a TV" or they want "a theater". If the former, then get them the best all-in-one unit you can find. If the latter, then we can talk about accessorizing. My guess, though, is that the OP's mother's stress level will climb exponentially with each new box brought into the house.

Later,
Bill
No doubt the AVM-50 is the value in the Anthem lineup, for those that want the Gennum image processor on the (relative) cheap. However, if I'm getting to do my surrogate spending though the OP's well-healed father (who wants "the best"), then I'm going to suggest he pony up for the other 2% of performance. I feel certain the D1 to D2 [Hey now, even the alpha numeric sequence is pure kismet!] combo would be nothing less than stunning!! Ain't it grand, spending other peoples money!! :D
post #25 of 45
6/22/06 at 12:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by fndngemo
he's not sure whether he's wall mounting or not. they have a nice stand right now but they might still decide to wall mount it. Color of the bezel doesn't matter, all the cares about is performance. He's torn between 42" and 50" (he kinda wants 50" but my step mom wants 42") so suggestions for both would be great. Thanks :)
Go BIG or go home.... haha
post #26 of 45
6/25/06 at 6:24pm
Thread Starter 
lol, well I went to him with some suggestions and it sounds like step-mom wasn't too happy about the total cost. I've now been asked to find the "best" TV out there for around $5k. Thanks for all the help guys.

*edit* What do you guys think about the Fujitsu P42XTA51US? I know it's only 42" as opposed to 50", but it's right at there $5,000 target price.
post #27 of 45
6/25/06 at 6:56pm
Does the $5K budget include a sound system and DVD player?

Think about getting a "balanced system", spend around 3K on the display, $300 on the DVD player, and $1K on the surround sound. I'm sure some people may say that you should spend more on the surround sound. Some suggestions.

TV - Panasonic 50PX60U or Pioneer 5070 50" plasma
DVD - Denon 1920 or oppo 971
Surround sound - Yamaha YSP-800
post #28 of 45
6/25/06 at 7:08pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by plazman
OK. On second thoughts here is my top list:

1. Pio FHD1 - score: 10/10
2. Fujitsu - score: 8/10
3. Pio Elite - score: 8/10

Anything else is a compromise (IMHO). I believe the Runco is an NEC OEM.
this man knoweth the troof! :p :D
post #29 of 45
6/25/06 at 7:09pm
Ha! I knew it - there aren't very many people who can really say the cost doesn't matter. I have actually known a couple of people in that category - but they both had very expensive AV consultants who designed and built their very, very cool home theater rooms, and in one case, it was a combination HT, band stage & mixing studio. You could watch a movie or, raise the screen, pick-up a Les Paul & jam. ;)
post #30 of 45
6/25/06 at 7:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by billybob_jcv
Ha! I knew it - there aren't very many people who can really say the cost doesn't matter. I have actually known a couple of people in that category - but they both had very expensive AV consultants who designed and built their very, very cool home theater rooms, and in one case, it was a combination HT, band stage & mixing studio. You could watch a movie or, raise the screen, pick-up a Les Paul & jam. ;)
I was in the HT room of the founder of Amway once. Let's just say, yea, billionaires can build really cool stuff.
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