50PHD7UY vs. LC45GX6U

absabs,


I'm also fortunate, that I am in a position where I can (and eventually will) buy the TH-50PHD7UY. I guess the bottom line for me (other than price) is every time I've been to BB or CC, the biggest "wow" factor I've experienced is from viewing a 50" Plasma display. That alone (admittedly my own personal preference) has made my decision to go Plasma. With Panasonic addressing the burn-in and half-life issues, I have more confidence to buy this kind of technology. Beyond that, the other factors influencing my decision are:


Because I have to use TW cable for DTV with their Explorer 8300HD DVR I do not require a TV with an internal tuner. The down-side to this is I am limited to using TW's poor PIP feature provided with the DVR.


Since I own an Onkyo HT (which is sufficient for the family room in my home) I have no need for a TV with speakers.


The idea of buying a display that supports 1080p is attractive, but given the short supply of programming using 720p or 1080i formats, makes me wonder when 1080p will become the predominate standard?


Given all the competing technologies: Plasma, LCD, LCoS, DLP, CRT, etc... Each has it's own advantage / drawback. The bottom line is to buy what personally meets your needs and once the decision is made hopefully there will be no buyer's remorse.


I do have one question regarding picture quality:


If I am confined to using TW cable, and my Plasma supports 480i/480p/720p/1080i which picture will be better (or are they equivalent)?


8300HD DVR / set to pass-through using HDMI interface, or:


Cable to CableCARD (presuming I buy the consumer model)?


Good luck, and enjoy whatever you purchase!!!

I don't know if I can help decide either if you take away the price factor. But I would say that it is odd to say on burn-in, it is a "tie". No, I am not going to open the traditional can of worms here. But if I bought an LCD set this large, I would watch 4:3 programming with black bars on each side as this would produce a sharper image (no stretching) and no distortion from variable stretch modes (or cropping with zoom which also softens the image). I would never dare doing the same on a Plasma.


Sure, if you don't watch any 4:3 programming, the above may not be a consideration for you. But we watch a ton of it and I don't want others in my shoes being confused this way.


As to Optivity's comment regarding lack of 1080 resolution programming, tremendous amount of content is being broadcast in HD that has horizontal resolution of 1440 today (1080x1440 transmitted in 1080i as 1080x1920). Furture HD DVD formats will all be encoded at 1080p and this format is about two years away (sooner for the enthusisats who spend so much on a display ). So I would not say at all that this is not a consideration.


Most importantly though, if you feed a 1080i signal to displays without native 1920x1080 resolution, a downconversion occurs which can introduce artifacts and/or image softness.


Despite all of this, it is still hard to decide which way to go. For me, the ultimate issue is the black level. You need to be comfortable with how LCDs look in darker surroundings.


Amir

I almost made the same thread/post you just did. But, I decided to just go with the Sharp. My viewing is in a sunlit room and I couldn't resist the extra pixels as well as some other features. Here are some added Pros/Cons:


7UY:

Better blacks

Better response time

Weight - panel is twice as heavy

Inputs must be purchased (dvi/hmdi), no sep box

Better off axis viewing


Sharp:

swivel stand

speakers

sep avc box with many inputs

full HDTV resolution

response time slower, possible ghosting

blacks/ viewing in the dark , not as good

bright, probably does better with sun on it

weight (50 lbs for panel) This makes it easy to move around.


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Like I said, I am going with the sharp. I can bring it in to my bedroom easily if I get sick. If (heaven forbid) I get married in a few years, it goes into the bedroom (attach speakers), and a new 70 inch 1920 1080 plasma/lcd goess in the living room. I am single and move often. My 200 lb sony crt is just a beast to deal with and this is why I am going with flat panel. [It is important to remember the goals that you originally made] I don't like off-axis viewing of LCD, but I can swivel it towards the kitchen when I cook. sep AVC box makes it easy for me to play with inputs. Which I will be doing for months probably. I am pretty bummed with the sedated PC and PC card resolutions, but at least I have a 1080p panel for future HTPC.


There are many pros & cons here, but for my usage, I felt the sharp matched well.

I am also facing the same decision. You seem to have nailed the issues but I would think that if you really analyzed it you would find the one difference that is the deal breaker for you.


In my case I was headed for the 7uy but I started thinking about three years from now and I would maybe want something newer (and probably much bigger) by then. The Sharp can be more flexibly fit into my bedroom (because the AVC gives greater placement options), or be used as a dedicated PC monitor, or, should it last longer, it can prolong my viewing on this investment because of the 1080P feature as programming catches up with demand. Finally, in my case, the unit was going in a brightly lit room where the PQ issue is closer to a draw.


Anyway, these are how my thoughts have pushed me into the Sharp camp. Hope this helps.

Thanks for your inputs.


My tiebreaker will be watching the two side by side at CC or BB.

I do believe if I saw the two together well calibrated, then I would go with the 7UY (not bad).

I have been waiting for the 45" TV to hit one of these stores but they have not yet.

I kept my last TV (40" CRT Mitsu, 250 lbs) for 7 years, I expect to keep this one for at least 5 to 7 years, so the Sharp sounds attractive.

Thanks again, I shall try my best from getting buyers remorse.


ABSABS

Quote:
Btrvalik:

Yeah. Me. About weekly for a couple years. BB, CC, Ultimate, High-Enders.

Conclusions:

1. Plasmas, regardless of brand/cost, make me crazy with their SDE(screen-door-effect). I can see it from 8'-10' out--either stair-stepping or softness of PQ. Complete waste of money, that is, if you have any interest whatsoever in true current and future value.

2. Sharp HD LCD's are superior to anything on the market today, bar none.

FWIW,

AMc

PS: So why are they so expensive? The market rules! Quality counts, after all. You pays your money and you takes your choice....

A.