[Whitestar60]

Hey, I've been doing some heavy research lately for the first display we'll have ever purchased for our apartments living room and to this end I've been trying to track down a quality display of each type for an eventual discussion on the subject with the miss and our roommate while also keeping on a reasonable budget. I've already settled on the DLP option, as can be seen in the RPTV sub forum, and for the Plasma category I was considering a Panasonic ST30 either in 42" or 50" flavors. Any thoughts on the plasma selection I've made or quirks I might want to be aware of?

 

[KidHorn]

The ST30 is a solid choice.

 

[chunon]



Quote:
Originally Posted by KidHorn /forum/post/20858293


The ST30 is a solid choice.

Agreed it is a great perfomer for the money.

 

[Whitestar60]

That seems to be the impression I've gotten. I have considered a possible upgrade, if the budget allows, to a GT30 at the same sizes but I'm not sure if the added performance would warrant the increased price. Doubly so as I am on a bit of a budget with picking these options.

 

[Steve S]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Whitestar60 /forum/post/20858616


That seems to be the impression I've gotten. I have considered a possible upgrade, if the budget allows, to a GT30 at the same sizes but I'm not sure if the added performance would warrant the increased price. Doubly so as I am on a bit of a budget with picking these options.

Typically you can buy an ST one size larger (55" vs 50") than a GT for the same price. IMHO a 42" will be too small after a few days or weeks and will either be returned or relegated to a bedroom.


The ST and GT are so close in pq as to make the choice of the larger size ST for the same price a no-brainer.

 

[Whitestar60]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve S /forum/post/20858678


Typically you can buy an ST one size larger (55" vs 50") than a GT for the same price. IMHO a 42" will be too small after a few days or weeks and will either be returned or relegated to a bedroom.


The ST and GT are so close in pq as to make the choice of the larger size ST for the same price a no-brainer.

Heh, if thats the case ST30 it is. Thanks muchly.

 

[hillcrest6]

I echo the size factor. I am in an apartment as well, actually a condo, but I have a 50ST30 I bought for the bedroom and I am now considering a 64" or 65" to replace my 55"B8500 for the living room.


I cannot stress enough that whatever size you 'think' you'd be happy with, get the next size bigger!!

 

[Whitestar60]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hillcrest6 I echo the size factor. I am in an apartment as well, actually a condo, but I have a 50ST30 I bought for the bedroom and I am now considering a 64" or 65" to replace my 55"B8500 for the living room. I cannot stress enough that whatever size you 'think' you'd be happy with, get the next size bigger!!

I've been told that a few times by different posters both here and on the High Def forums so its advice I do plan to consider at this point, and reinforces the need for a trip to the local best buy to at least look at similar sized displays in person (or if we're lucky some of the actual displays on the list) to get a 'feel' for them. Honestly I was just somewhat concerned that something larger then a 50" in the front-room/living-room would come off as dominating due to the rooms small size; however given the above maybe its not such a bad idea after all.

 

[Steve S]

^^d'ja ever notice that on all those interior design shows on HGTV nobody ever gets a tv larger than 46"?


I am not one of those around here (and there are a lot of them) who'll tell you to buy the biggest set you can afford. What I will say is that they shrink after you get 'em home. How much they dominate the room can depend a lot on how it's placed and whether it's on a stand or wall mounted. If you put the set in a large all-surrounding

" home entertainment center" it can look like some kind of ostentatious shrine, whereas a simple stand or neat wall mount can make it a lot less imposing.

 

[kheovnien]

have you ruled out the samsung sets? the D550 is a great choice if you're on a budget but if you want the internet and apps the D6500 is a great choice as well (no peeling filter to worry about). not sure if styling/thin tv is attractive to you or not but the D6500 is super thin as well as having a small bezel. just food for thought!

 

[homerging]



Quote:
I cannot stress enough that whatever size you 'think' you'd be happy with, get the next size bigger!!

Do you realise in many countries everything or nearly everything is still broadcast in SD? Bigger isn't always better.

 

[Tigerriot]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve S /forum/post/20860418


^^d'ja ever notice that on all those interior design shows on HGTV nobody ever gets a tv larger than 46"?


I am not one of those around here (and there are a lot of them) who'll tell you to buy the biggest set you can afford. What I will say is that they shrink after you get 'em home. How much they dominate the room can depend a lot on how it's placed and whether it's on a stand or wall mounted. If you put the set in a large all-surrounding

" home entertainment center" it can look like some kind of ostentatious shrine, whereas a simple stand or neat wall mount can make it a lot less imposing.

I never thought I'd see someone who agreed with me on this. I don't think bigger is always better when it comes to tvs. Unless you've got a large room, anything over 50 inches might begin to look a little silly.

 

[par4]

Really?

 

[Whitestar60]



Quote:
Originally Posted by kheovnien /forum/post/20861724


have you ruled out the samsung sets? the D550 is a great choice if you're on a budget but if you want the internet and apps the D6500 is a great choice as well (no peeling filter to worry about). not sure if styling/thin tv is attractive to you or not but the D6500 is super thin as well as having a small bezel. just food for thought!

I haven't yet actually, and actually I'll be giving them another look tonight. Style isn't very important to me as I place 'go' before 'show' so to speak. On the other hand I'm not big into built in internet capability either as for that I already have a fairly nice computer.

 

[jdutton24]

i just bought the 55st30 and i couldnt be happier. coming from an older lcd, the first couple of hours took a little adjusting but the pic quality imho is amazing for the price. i was torn for a long time between the samsungs or panasonic. i can honestly say that im extremely pleased with my decision. even my wife, who could care less and told me so, said that the pic was beautiful. this set is really colorful and natural at the same time. im seeing so much more detail just in the few hours ive watched this set vs my other one that i keep saying to myself wow!! also i strongly reccomend getting at least the 55st30 vs the 50. it wont take long to get used to the size of the tv and with the deeper blacks from a larger panel it def worth it more to get the larger size. like others have said it will shrink when u get it home after a day or so and u will be glad u got the larger size. i didnt personally feel that the gt offered anything substantial over the st and u can go bigger for the same price. if u do go to best buy, they matched amazons price for me which was approximatley $100 cheaper than they had it listed for. so keep that in mind as well.