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Which Panny Plasma to Buy(newb here)

post #1 of 20
1/13/07 at 4:18pm
Thread Starter 
im in the market for a new tv and ive deceided to go plasma(first hdtv).
these are the sets im looking at:

Panasonic TH-42PX60U
Panasonic TH-42PX600U

Panasonic TH-50PX60U
Panasonic TH-50PX600U

i watch alot of SD programming and i want to know which set will handle SD content better...thats my main concern and the only thing thats holding me back from my purchase..i was going to try and bring my portable dvd player with me to the stores but since ive been here reading some threads ive come to the conclusion that every store has different lighting and tv setting so bringing a dvd player to the store really doesnt help since ive seen low budget tvs look better than thier big brothers at higher value....i will be veiwing the tv at a distance of around 10-12' in normal lighting(not to bright or dark)...is there usually a noticable difference in PQ from a 42" to a 50" in SDTV?...will either do a better job or are they equal?

i know that im buying an HDTV and SD shouldnt be a major concern but with only 12-15 hd channels on TWC NYC i dont see why it shouldnt be a deceiding factor..

ive also read about splitting cable wires so that one goes to the cable box and one directly to the tv set...can anyone give me more info on this or point me in the direction of this info

thanks in advance fior any info...it will be greatly appreciated!

mat rivera
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post #2 of 20
1/13/07 at 4:34pm
Picture quality will look the same for the equivalent size models. The PX600's have more features and less silver on the bezel, but video processing is the same. SD may look a little worse on the 50-inch models just because they are a little bigger, but from 10-12' I don't think you would notice. And bigger is better. In fact, from that distance I would go for the 58 inch, but I like it to be more immersive. If you want better SD handling, consider the Pioneer 5070.
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post #3 of 20
1/13/07 at 5:41pm
Why not consider the TH-42PX6U? Wal-Mart sells them very cheap, just under $1300, it is basically everything the 60 is sans the front inputs and I think a flash card reader. The chassis may not be that attractive but unless you get the 600 I would say the 6 and 60 are both fairly unattractive. As koan has stated the picture quality (amongst the same sized models) will be the same, I would definitely advise you to check out the 42PX6U.
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post #4 of 20
1/14/07 at 12:08pm
Thread Starter 
thanks for the replys!

so is it safe to assume that any change in PQ from the 42"-50" would be minimal?
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post #5 of 20
1/14/07 at 12:10pm
I would advise to get the 50"
You can thank me later.
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post #6 of 20
1/14/07 at 12:47pm
I just installed a TH-50PX60U that I watch from about 10' and it's not bad. Bigger would have been better but also a lot more cash. That said, SD PQ varies widely on D* from my UTV depending on the channel I'm watching. I've done an initial calibration using DVE and upscaled DVD playback is just fine. I'm still waiting for my D* HD install before I worry about calibrating for D* and playback from the DVRs.
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post #7 of 20
1/14/07 at 3:50pm
I would definately advise you to get the TH-42PD60U 42" EDTV version. It can be had under $1,000 alot of places, and SDTV looks great on it. You will get alot of people telling you "NO WAY" get the HDTV version since its pretty close to the same price or "HDTV is the future" dont wast your money on EDTV. Let me tell you I would gladly pay $500 MORE for the EDTV version, as I ONLY watch SD content and DVD's and do not plan on getting HD programming until I absolutely have too.

Bought the EDTV 2 weeks ago and couldnt be happier.
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post #8 of 20
1/14/07 at 5:58pm
I agree with you, EDTV definitely looks better with SD and DVD (as long as you sit at least 3-4ft. back so you that you cannot see the pixel structure). Though with these prices it is hard not to go with the HDTV model.
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post #9 of 20
1/15/07 at 1:46pm
To the original poster, go the largest size you can afford. The universal lament seems to be "I should have bought larger". I can't comment on SD quality, on our 50" 600U that seems to vary by channel. I'd also like to point out that even though you only have 12- 15 HD channels available, once you experience HD you'll find that you'll be watching less and less SD content.
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post #10 of 20
1/15/07 at 7:21pm
The 600 series does have more bells and whistles with PQ being equal as the 60. I do have a 42" 600u and I 'm 100% thrilled with this unit. Even sd upgrades beautifully on it, which may be a little differnt on the 50.

BTW, you may be able to put an antenna to it and catch off air programming. OTA has a full bit rate that equates for a picture to kill for. Watching full 1080i will make you giggle
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post #11 of 20
1/16/07 at 6:13am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Elemental1 View Post

I would advise to get the 50"
You can thank me later.

At 10-12 ft, I agree. I own the 42PX600U (love it!) and I'm sitting @ about 9ft. Size is borderline, for me.
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post #12 of 20
1/16/07 at 6:17am
Quote:
Originally Posted by GG386 View Post

I do have a 42" 600u and I 'm 100% thrilled with this unit. Even sd upgrades beautifully on it, which may be a little differnt on the 50.

SD *can* be quite nice on a 42" or 50" plasma, but, unfortunately, my cableco (Videotron), sends me an overly compressed digital signal where SD channels have 2-3 mb/s of bandwidth, on average. Picture is not quite up to par, let me tell you So, in my case, I wish I had a 32" or less when watching SD, to make up for the poor PQ of my SD channels.. However, when watching glorious HD, I wish I had the 50"
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post #13 of 20
1/16/07 at 7:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by stripe View Post

SD *can* be quite nice on a 42" or 50" plasma, but, unfortunately, my cableco (Videotron), sends me an overly compressed digital signal where SD channels have 2-3 mb/s of bandwidth, on average. Picture is not quite up to par, let me tell you So, in my case, I wish I had a 32" or less when watching SD, to make up for the poor PQ of my SD channels.. However, when watching glorious HD, I wish I had the 50"

It's really not fair what these providers call picture signal- garbage! With all the improvements in hardware AND software, I"d bet my first born they can get us a decent signal with a relatively minor investment.

Give OTA a try, but I'm not quite sure what they have up there. I know what you mean, expanded noise is just that
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post #14 of 20
1/16/07 at 7:59pm
I do not know the technical details of my cable company, but I have WOW cable, and on my Panny 42px60U, the picture quality is excellent across the board. Standard def is very good.
It's also good for a laugh to switch between ESPN SD and HD. SD looks like a bad movie from the 80's in comparison.
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post #15 of 20
1/17/07 at 4:05am
Quote:
Originally Posted by GG386 View Post

It's really not fair what these providers call picture signal- garbage! With all the improvements in hardware AND software, I"d bet my first born they can get us a decent signal with a relatively minor investment.

Give OTA a try, but I'm not quite sure what they have up there. I know what you mean, expanded noise is just that

OTA, up here in Canada, is pretty much dead, unfortunately.

As for my cableco (any many others), they favor quantity over quality. Therefore, they shove 12-14 SD channels per QAM, hence the 2-3 mb/s bitrate. We even have a few channels that have < 2 mb/s. PQ looks real bad even on my 13" CRT in the kitchen..

To get decent PQ on digital channels, we would normally need between 4-6 mb/s. So, you can only imagine what my SD channels look like To get even more compression, Videotron goes as far as tuning down the colors and sharpness on many channels (they become easier to compress). Over here, TLC's and SpikeTV's PQ is barely better than watching the first moon landing...

HD channels, however, average 17 mb/s, which isn't bad at all.
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post #16 of 20
1/17/07 at 7:31am
I planned on the 50PX60U. I saw the Pioneer 5070HD and it blew it away! The prices are down now so the difference is minimal.

And the Pioneer looks SO MUCH BETTER when the TV is OFF! That silver looks cheap.
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post #17 of 20
1/17/07 at 8:54am
Black plastic is as cheap as sliver plastic, if you ask me
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post #18 of 20
1/17/07 at 9:31am
Quote:
Originally Posted by stripe View Post

Black plastic is as cheap as sliver plastic, if you ask me

Actually, the glossy black is lexan, not plastic. Big difference in quality. It looks much better. I wasn't talking about the plastic as much as the color. Something about the silver bezel reminds me of older tube TV's. The gloss black is a head turner.

Don't get me wrong--the picture quality on the Panny is fantastic. I was going to buy one. I'm just giving the new guy some options to consider.
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post #19 of 20
1/17/07 at 11:48am
Pioneer's are worthy competitors to Panny's any day, but they're not bashful for what they charge either. Probably explains the price cut.
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post #20 of 20
1/17/07 at 1:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by SRHookEm View Post

Actually, the glossy black is lexan, not plastic. Big difference in quality. It looks much better. I wasn't talking about the plastic as much as the color. Something about the silver bezel reminds me of older tube TV's. The gloss black is a head turner.

Don't get me wrong--the picture quality on the Panny is fantastic. I was going to buy one. I'm just giving the new guy some options to consider.

True. It's all a matter of personal taste. I purchased the 600U instead of the 60U because the 600U is more black and less silver. The combination of the two is quite appealing on the 600 series Panasonic. Pioneer PDPs are quite nice too, but there is something about glossy bezels that just disturbs me. I had a glossy black Samsung LCD no so long ago, which I returned 24 hours later because I couldn't stand the glossy black. It really distracted me too much from what's important, ie: the picture

I'm sure that for others, the glossy black works great.
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