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50" Panny, Pioneer, NEC

1643 Views 23 Replies 13 Participants Last post by Brap, Oct 27, 2004

Brap

Discussion Starter · Oct 25, 2004

I know I've been asking many questions on this forum about these sets prior to my purchase. It seems a bit slanted towards Panny products and rightfully so basd on what I have seen and read.

My brief synopsis tells me this:

*Panny has better blacks, higher native rate than Pioneer, need to buy input boards and in a darker room, this plasma is preferred. (7UY)

*Pioneer has better colors than Panny, worse blacks, need a off brand (Aurora) board, lower native rate than Panny and in a brighter room this is the preferred plasma (504CMX)

* Enter NEC with native rates as good as Panny, excellent blacks from what I read and all inputs are already installed (50XM4)

All three are competitively priced.

So, now I'm thinking NEC could be the best of both?

Your comments are appreciated!

Thanks

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1 - 20 of 24 Posts

Mishu2000

· #2 · Oct 25, 2004

Quote:

Originally posted by Brap
...

My brief synopsis tells me this:

*Panny has better blacks, higher native rate than Pioneer, need to buy input boards and in a darker room, this plasma is preferred. (7UY)

*Pioneer has better colors than Panny, worse blacks, need a off brand (Aurora) board, lower native rate than Panny and in a brighter room this is the preferred plasma (504CMX)

* Enter NEC with native rates as good as Panny, excellent blacks from what I read and all inputs are already installed (50XM4)

All three are competitively priced.

So, now I'm thinking NEC could be the best of both?

Your comments are appreciated!

Thanks

You've pretty much summed up my thoughts exactly---but the "open architecture" of the Panny sure is a nice feature!!!

I'd be interested in comments from other knowledgable forum members

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Barrybud

· #3 · Oct 25, 2004

Quote:

Originally posted by Brap

So, now I'm thinking NEC could be the best of both?

Thanks

Brap,

This was the same conclusion that I came to. I was lucky enough to find a business AV firm that had the Panny commercial 6 and the 50XM3/S that I could do a side by side.

The Panny blacks were slightly better, but also had less shadow detail than the NEC. NEC colors were better.

Is 720P an issues with the Panny? I don't know. I recall some concern in the past, but that may be a non-issue now.

Both are excellent panels and I don't think you can really go wrong.

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overtime

· #4 · Oct 25, 2004

I really like the 'open architecture' of the pannys as well but I'm a little concerned that panny will actually make new cards for older models. We see that already with the 6uy and no current plans for an HDMI card (at least that is what I recall??? could easily be wrong).

overtime

SanMateo

· #5 · Oct 25, 2004

I recently purchased an NEC 50 xm4. I absolutely love it. The colors are fantastic. For what its worth, I actually like the blacks better on the NEC than the Panny? Why? The blacks on the Panny are blacker, but at the expense of shadow detail. For this reason, my personal preference is the NEC.

Before making my purchase, I liked the Marantz 50" better than just about any other Plasma I looked at, including the Fujitsu. After doing some research, I had a strong hunch that the Marantz 50" consumer model is the NEC XM3 (the previous generation). I have compared my NEC and the Marantz, and I can't tell the difference. I only mention this because I could not find a NEC to demo before I made my purchase. Take a look at the Marantz at a local shop. If you like it, consider the NEC.

kyyuan

· #6 · Oct 25, 2004

Quote:

Originally posted by SanMateo
I recently purchased an NEC 50 xm4. I absolutely love it. The colors are fantastic. For what its worth, I actually like the blacks better on the NEC than the Panny? Why? The blacks on the Panny are blacker, but at the expense of shadow detail. For this reason, my personal preference is the NEC.

Before making my purchase, I liked the Marantz 50" better than just about any other Plasma I looked at, including the Fujitsu. After doing some research, I had a strong hunch that the Marantz 50" consumer model is the NEC XM3 (the previous generation). I have compared my NEC and the Marantz, and I can't tell the difference. I only mention this because I could not find a NEC to demo before I made my purchase. Take a look at the Marantz at a local shop. If you like it, consider the NEC.

SanMateo,

Thanks for your comments on the 50XM4. I, like others above, am trying to make a decision between the 50 panny and the XM4.

- Have you noticed any image retention?

- Would you mind sharing other thoughts that may be helpful to us?

thanks much,

Ken

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dlksf

· #7 · Oct 25, 2004

Hi, I have a question for those of you considering the XM4. What are the reasons prompting you to prefer the XM4 to the consumer version (I believe it's the XR4)? The NEC 3-year warranty on the consumer version seems like a big plus.

Thanks!

Deb K.

SanMateo

· #8 · Oct 25, 2004

I do notice some image retention after the TV is turned off. It is only noticable if you stand 3-4 feet from the screen and look for it. You would not notice it from afar.

I read somewhere (maybe this forum, but I don't recall), that the image retention goes away after several hundred hours. I am not quite tehre yet, so I don't know.

In any event, it is not a problem even if it does not go away. It is absolutely not visible during viewing. If it is a concern, I would call tech support at NEC. Contact them at www.necvisuals. com

If the price is approximately the same, go with the consermer NEC. The warranty is hard to beat.

For what its worth check these reviews out:

http://www.planetdtv.com/PLASMA_DISP...C/50PHD6UY.htm

http://www.planetdtv.com/PLASMA_DISP...0PRICE%20QUOTE

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Barrybud

· #9 · Oct 25, 2004

DLKSF,

I wonder the same. I Just spoke to one of the forum sponsors and there is only a $100 between the XM4 and the XR4. So is that difference worth 2 more years of warranty on the XR? It should be a no brainer. How much would a 2 year EW cost? The difference in the panels is the XR is silver like the XM3/S that I have. Split screen on both of these is done by picking 2 different inputs, there is no internal tuner. Si I presume that there could be 2 HD sources?

The image retentions is just something that happens when the panel is new. Mine now has over 500 hours and this happens rarely. Even if it does, its wiped clean in a few seconds of full screen operation. Its nice to be told that its going to happen, but its gone in seconds. We are not talking burn in here.

Interesting to see that the NEC outscored the Panny in those reviews.

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Ross in Toronto

· #10 · Oct 25, 2004

Quote:

Originally posted by Brap
*Panny has better blacks, higher native rate than Pioneer, need to buy input boards and in a darker room, this plasma is preferred. (7UY)

What's the native rate (I presume we're talking about refresh rate) on a Panny? The Pio's in 3:3 pulldown are running at 72Hz.

CrocD

· #11 · Oct 25, 2004

Brap,

Several new 7uy owners like myself think that the 7uy is a significant jump forward from the previous Panasonics. We may or or may not be right, so I would highly recommend you try to find one to check out before you make your final decision.

Nick

BodegaBay

· #12 · Oct 25, 2004

Quote:

Originally posted by Barrybud

Interesting to see that the NEC outscored the Panny in those reviews.

Try this EVAL .

While not reference material, it is more comprehensive than the links above.

"With an HDTV signal displayed accurately on this monitor[Pansonic], this is likely the best picture you can see today...

...There is little to find wrong with the Panasonic 50" in the picture category. Sometimes, the unit does not look as bright as some of the competitors, but that is a trade off for more realistic color reproduction and gray scaling. In a lone setting, a competitor model does not matter, and realistic color will matter much over time."

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SanMateo

· #13 · Oct 25, 2004

Bodega:

The evaluation you posted is a comparison between the 6th generation panny vs. the 3rd generation NEC. It would be interesting to see a head to head match up of the latest offerings from both companies.

caeguy

· #14 · Oct 25, 2004

The specs alone on the NEC seem quite impressive.

4096 levels

68.7 billion colors

CR?

Brightness?

I don't know how I could ever see these units in person. That's what makes the decision more difficult.

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dlksf

· #15 · Oct 25, 2004

Does anyone have thoughts on whether an external scaler (such as a Lumagen) could be useful with either the Panasonic or the NEC? I guess the question boils down to whether either would accept "native rate" input from the scaler. Unfortunately, since I know only enough to be dangerous, I don't know how to figure that out.

Thanks!

Deb K.

wojtek

· #16 · Oct 25, 2004

NEC does not specify CR and Brightness.

On the other hand, Panny claims improved shadow detail in the 7UY series, while still retaining 50" 3000:1 CR.

I really think you can't go wrong with either one.

BodegaBay

· #17 · Oct 25, 2004

Yes, they are previous gen but the article should still be a good guideline for the current gens. I would tend to think the 7th gen Panny and the 4th gen NEC would have similiar designs as their prior versions. Unless one manufacture has produced a current gen unit that is significantly better than the other, I would tend to think the outcome to be the same -- which according to the review is pretty much kneck-in-kneck.

BTW, didn't you compare your current XM4 vs. the previous gen Marantz/NEC XM3 and found them to be virtually identical?

caeguy

· #18 · Oct 26, 2004

Not to muddy the waters anymore but Samsung has a nice new 50" unit. The HP-P5071 boasts a 3000:1 CR 1000 cd/m2 brightness as well as a 50K life. Has anyone seen one of these units? The frame looks attractive. Speakers on the bottom too.

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SanMateo

· #19 · Oct 26, 2004

I actually found it very frustrating shopping for plasmas. It is nearly impossible to do direct comparisons of the different plasmas. It seems no one bricks and Mortie store has all the brands you are interested. Different stores have different lighting, source material, DVD players, etc.

I liked the Pioneer better than the consumer panny in a head-to-head comparison.

I like the Marantz better than the Fujitsu in a head to head. Both had mazing picture's, but I liked the colors and shadow detail of the Marantz better.

I actually purchased the NEC sight unseen. I assumed the Marantz is the same as the NEC, but half the cost. I have since purchased a DVD player from the place that sells the Marantz. I also spoke to several retailers that sold both. They moreless confirmed my distinctions between the two. I can't tell the difference between my NEC and the Marantz after demo-ing the same DVD player and movie at the store and at home. I have not done a head to head.

Both the Panny and the NEC are outstanding. It really comes down to personal preference and cost.

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BodegaBay

· #20 · Oct 26, 2004

Quote:

Originally posted by SanMateo
I like the Marantz better than the Fujitsu in a head to head. Both had mazing picture's, but I liked the colors and shadow detail of the Marantz better.

I actually purchased the NEC sight unseen.

SM,

What Fujitsu model did you review. Bravo to you for doing your emperical research then making the leap (of faith) to purchase the NEC sight unseen. Glad you liked it.

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