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Cannot decide on 42" Plasma

871 Views 5 Replies 5 Participants Last post by AstroSaberIII, Dec 30, 2005

amarnj

Discussion Starter · Dec 30, 2005

I have been looking to buy a new TV for long time now. Initially I was looking for DLP, but the plasmas have been winning on the points of viewing angle and the bulk. Somehow, I like Plasmas better than LCDs.

I have narrowed down my choices to Panasonic 42PX500u (which I beleive is not available) and Hitachi 42HDS52. I think 42HDF52 is qually good but does not have HDMI and/or cable card slots.

I went to Circuit City to look at both the TVs, and I wanted to like Hitachi but somehow Panasonic looked better - it showed the green colors better than Hitachi. I tried some color tweaking with the remote, but didn't help much. However, the salesperson at CC insisted on Samsung (I beleive it was 4252 or 4262) which looked fine to me. Next stop was 6th avenue electronics, but they did not have Hitachi 42HDS52, but they had top of the line 42HDX52-too pricey and samesperson did not seem to care much about what I was looking for.

Today I went to BestBuy and they had Panasonic 42PX50U, Phillips (don't know the model), LG (don't know the model) and Pioneer 4361 side by side and I must say Pioneer looked simply great. Panasonic came second and Samsung, Philips and LG were almost same. I could notice that the black color looked better on Pioneer. I beleive it was around $$$. My wife did like Pioneer too, but its way beyond my budget.

Someone please help me decide. I know there are many threads out there, but I think I narrowed down my choices from 2 to three or four or I must say I widened my choices.

Also, Pioneer website does not list PDP-4361, but it has PDP-4360 instead. Does anyone know what is the difference? Does Costco carry this model (4360 or 4361)? I don't know if I can justify additional 1+ grand for Pioneer or not.

I really want to like Hitachi, but may be Panasonic is just better or equally same. Hitachi has better resolution (1024 x 1024) which no other TVs listed above has. I might visit other stores and see if Hitachi was better caliberated to show its realy strength.

Too many TVs, Too many stores, Too much confusion. Help!

EDIT>>

mod note: no price other than MSRP, please. Thanks

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lipcrkr

· #2 · Dec 30, 2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by amarnj
I have been looking to buy a new TV for long time now. Initially I was looking for DLP, but the plasmas have been winning on the points of viewing angle and the bulk. Somehow, I like Plasmas better than LCDs.

I have narrowed down my choices to Panasonic 42PX500u (which I beleive is not available) and Hitachi 42HDS52. I think 42HDF52 is qually good but does not have HDMI and/or cable card slots.

I went to Circuit City to look at both the TVs, and I wanted to like Hitachi but somehow Panasonic looked better - it showed the green colors better than Hitachi. I tried some color tweaking with the remote, but didn't help much. However, the salesperson at CC insisted on Samsung (I beleive it was 4252 or 4262) which looked fine to me. Next stop was 6th avenue electronics, but they did not have Hitachi 42HDS52, but they had top of the line 42HDX52-too pricey and samesperson did not seem to care much about what I was looking for.

Today I went to BestBuy and they had Panasonic 42PX50U, Phillips (don't know the model), LG (don't know the model) and Pioneer 4361 side by side and I must say Pioneer looked simply great. Panasonic came second and Samsung, Philips and LG were almost same. I could notice that the black color looked better on Pioneer. I beleive it was around $4300. My wife did like Pioneer too, but its way beyond my budget.

Someone please help me decide. I know there are many threads out there, but I think I narrowed down my choices from 2 to three or four or I must say I widened my choices.

Also, Pioneer website does not list PDP-4361, but it has PDP-4360 instead. Does anyone know what is the difference? Does Costco carry this model (4360 or 4361)? I don't know if I can justify additional 1+ grand for Pioneer or not.

I really want to like Hitachi, but may be Panasonic is just better or equally same. Hitachi has better resolution (1024 x 1024) which no other TVs listed above has. I might visit other stores and see if Hitachi was better caliberated to show its realy strength.

Too many TVs, Too many stores, Too much confusion. Help!

Are you in So Cal? The 42PX500 is available at "Star Club". Ad in L.A.Times today advertising it on sale and now in stock.

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RandyWalters

· #3 · Dec 30, 2005

Quote:

Same here - i was trying to decide between DLP or LCD RPTV a few years ago but found myself drawn to plasma for it's PQ and viewing angle and of course the flatness even though it was double the price back then. So i decided to wait and learn more about plasma and wait till prices came down. Two years later i bought one (in May '05).

Quote:

I have narrowed down my choices to Panasonic 42PX500u (which I beleive is not available) and Hitachi 42HDS52. I think 42HDF52 is qually good but does not have HDMI and/or cable card slots.

I briefly considered the HDF52 and thought it looked maybe 95% as good as the Panny 42PX50U, but i think i crossed it off because of a lack of inputs if i remember correctly. This was before the HDS52 was released.

Quote:

I went to Circuit City to look at both the TVs, and I wanted to like Hitachi but somehow Panasonic looked better - it showed the green colors better than Hitachi. I tried some color tweaking with the remote, but didn't help much. However, the salesperson at CC insisted on Samsung (I beleive it was 4252 or 4262) which looked fine to me.

I initially set out to get the Samsung for it's rich feature set and nice looking cabinet, but the PQ wasn't as good as the Panny at the 3 stores where i could compare both so i ended up crossing it off my list. Some people here have returned their Sammy and replaced it with a Panny and liked the Panny much better.

Quote:

Today I went to BestBuy and they had Panasonic 42PX50U, Phillips (don't know the model), LG (don't know the model) and Pioneer 4361 side by side and I must say Pioneer looked simply great. Panasonic came second and Samsung, Philips and LG were almost same.

I also prefer the Pioneer (has more pop and more features) but i couldn't justify the extra $1500 back in May (prices are lower now). The Panny was the best bang for the buck back then, but now with the Pio and Hitachi being priced closer they should be considered instead. Both have more features than the Panny and to me they'd be worth the extra cost at today's prices which are much closer to one another than they were in May.

Quote:

Also, Pioneer website does not list PDP-4361, but it has PDP-4360 instead. Does anyone know what is the difference? Does Costco carry this model (4360 or 4361)? I don't know if I can justify additional 1+ grand for Pioneer or not.

The 4361 is apparently the same as the 4360 but BB gets their own model number, probably so they (or their competition) don't have to price match and everybody can keep the prices high.

Quote:

I really want to like Hitachi, but may be Panasonic is just better or equally same. Hitachi has better resolution (1024 x 1024) which no other TVs listed above has. I might visit other stores and see if Hitachi was better caliberated to show its realy strength. Too many TVs, Too many stores, Too much confusion. Help!

If i had waited a few more months i'm pretty sure i would have ended up getting the Hitachi 42HDS52 instead of the Panny. I like my Panny, but the Hitachi has better stretch modes for SD and also stretches HD signals, plus that motorized swivel, separate picture settings for each input, a screensaver, and a much nicer looking cabinet.

So if i were to buy right now, my first choice would be the 42HDS52, 2nd choice would be the Pioneer 4360/4361, neither of which existed when i bought my Panny. The Panny 42PX50U would actually be my third choice. I wouldn't consider any of the Korean brands.

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amarnj

Discussion Starter · #4 · Dec 30, 2005

Thanks for the reply Randy... Looks like Many Plasma shoppers are in the same boat as me. I have not gone to look at the Hitachi again, may be I will visit another store and see if I can like Hitachi better than Panny. Also, I want to see how Panny 42PX500U looks like.

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Juc

· #5 · Dec 30, 2005

What about the Toshiba's? 42HP95 or HPX versions---same glass as panny's and more inputs at better prices. I love mine (other than an audio noise issue I am having but it appears it is not widespread among buyers).

JUC

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AstroSaberIII

· #6 · Dec 30, 2005

RandyWalters.......... Very interesting comment about different model numbers for different stores, so they don't have to price match. That makes perfect sense.

I feel like I learned something new today - thanks.

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