[ughazi93]

It's between the Samsung PN51E550, the Panasonic TC-P50UT50, and the LG 50PM6700.


I'm upgrading from a 4 year old 42" LCD. Glare isn't an issue as my living room stays relatively dark. Most of the viewing will be at night too. I'll be using it to do just about everything. Watching Cable TV (from fios), watching a ton of sports (mostly football and hockey but some basketball too), watching blu-rays, and playing video games. Won't be using 3D too often but on occasion.


I personally love everything about the samsung and would buy it in a heartbeat but after researching it, I saw that many people reported brightness pops and fluctuations while watching hockey. I have yet to see anyone find a solution to that problem so I am hesitant buy it.


Any input is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[sonyfan]

The new Samsung plasma's have superior image-signal processing power

and you DO NEED that if you watch mostly sports cable/sat.

The new 'Real Black Panel' is VERY resistant to image retention

unlike the current Panasonic line.

Those were the deal breakers for me anyway.

I'm very happy with my 3 week old E450.

http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-33199_7-57449881-221/samsung-plasma-wins-cnets-accidental-burn-in-test/

 

[mr. wally]



Quote:
Originally Posted by sonyfan  /t/1420689/need-to-decide-between-these-3-plasmas#post_22227715


The new Samsung plasma's have superior image-signal processing power

and you DO NEED that if you watch mostly sports cable/sat.

The new 'Real Black Panel' is VERY resistant to image retention

unlike the current Panasonic line.

Those were the deal breakers for me anyway.

I'm very happy with my 3 week old E450.
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-33199_7-57449881-221/samsung-plasma-wins-cnets-accidental-burn-in-test/

you may want to consider the panny st 50, gt50, or vt 50 which were recently released and have received good reviews

 

[toby1015]

Sonyfan likes to spread Samsung propaganda like crazy. Image signal processing? You said the same thing about the e6500 and on the cnet review they said standard def image quality was POOR! On top of that you obviously bought the cheapest tv you could find. A 720p base model tv. Obviously you were concerned about pq when you made your buying decision. Despite all I just said the e550 is a great value with wifi, plenty of connectivity, and picture adjustments that the ut50 lacks which is why I would lean that way. Not a big fan of LG plasmas. If its in the budget the panasonic st50 is a fantastic set and value. And the louver filter greatly reduces glare. Lol...... image signal processing. You crack me up. Next your gonna talk about the limitless loop micro snap circuitry with variable output.

 

[ughazi93]



Quote:
Originally Posted by toby1015  /t/1420689/need-to-decide-between-these-3-plasmas#post_22228088


Sonyfan likes to spread Samsung propaganda like crazy. Image signal processing? You said the same thing about the e6500 and on the cnet review they said standard def image quality was POOR! On top of that you obviously bought the cheapest tv you could find. A 720p base model tv. Obviously you were concerned about pq when you made your buying decision. Despite all I just said the e550 is a great value with wifi, plenty of connectivity, and picture adjustments that the ut50 lacks which is why I would lean that way. Not a big fan of LG plasmas. If its in the budget the panasonic st50 is a fantastic set and value. And the louver filter greatly reduces glare. Lol...... image signal processing. You crack me up. Next your gonna talk about the limitless loop micro snap circuitry with variable output.

Yeah I looked into the st50 but it's more than I want to spend. Do you own the e550? If so, have experienced that brightness issue with hockey games. That's really the only thing holding me back from buying it.

 

[Baumer582]

I bought the Samsung PN51E550 about a month ago and I love it. 3D is great, and after messing with settings, everything from Blu-Rays to games look great. Skyrim and MLB the Show look stunning.


I'm also a big hockey fan and I was worried about the brightness issues. From what I've watched on the NHL Network, I haven't seen anything out of the ordinary. There are "pops" of brightness, but that's camera flashes. Maybe because it's a plasma it detects it more, I dunno. Still, I was also very concerned about that and so far it isn't an issue. (FYI, I have my brightness set to 46)


I've been taking care of it as best I can. I make sure to have the pixel shifter on at all times, and at the end of every day, I run the screen saver for 30 minutes on a timer just in case there's any image retention.



So far everything is great and I'm very happy with the purchase. I highly recommend the set.

 

[toby1015]

I don't own it but see it at work everday. Seen NHL on it before and nothing caught my eye that bugged me. I've sold several of them and the only legit complaint was glare but thats rare. Its a nice set and easily the best deal of the three. I've been sellin tv's for 11+ years and could certainly recomend the e550.

 

[sonyfan]



Quote:
Originally Posted by ughazi93  /t/1420689/need-to-decide-between-these-3-plasmas#post_22227555


I saw that many people reported brightness pops and fluctuations while watching hockey. I have yet to see anyone find a solution to that problem so I am hesitant buy it.

Any input is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I have the E450 and just checked the current Stanley cup game in play

and switching from all 3 picture modes with Cell Light at 20, Contrast 100, Brightness 50

and NO brightness pops or fluctuations while watching hockey.

I watch Ice Road Truckers (yea it gets boring after a while) and no brightness pops.

 

[ughazi93]

Alright thanks for all the responses everyone. I think I'll go with the e550.

 

[tre74]

I went with the PN51E550 a few weeks ago after returning a Samsung 46" LED. I am very happy with this set. No buzzing issues, perfect picture. There is some glare to be sure. This can actually make blacks look lighter as the darkest portions of the screen will reflect the most light and make one think the blacks aren't very dark. Watching this thing in a completey dark room was a real eye opener. The quality of the picture detail and color uniformity was very nice. I was a bit worried at the beginning as I thought the picture to be too dark. This thing has warmed in nicely and now the picture is brighter and sharper and hasn't lost any of its black quality. I've never experienced the set switching off during fade outs and ins. I've watched many different HD movies and TV shows to see what looked best on this TV. I have to say, any Blu-ray of a new film looks great. I was most impressed with a recent baseball game. It truely looked as though one was looking through a window at the game. The lighting looked amazing. The colors of the uniforms were rich while the white parts of the uniforms popped out. Motion pixels occur as a result of the input source. I use an antenna and the TV tuner pulls in channels nicely, though I use it very little of the time as I use a TiVo for watching and recording broadcast television. The iPhone app works well as a remote control. The Smart Hub is nice. The Netflix, Hulu Plus and Pandora apps work well. The TV feels lighter than it is and hangs well. It is not the thinnest set, but is still thin. The POWER OFF light is red and in the lower left corner. This light goes out when powered on so there is no light on while watching the TV. The light does blink with inputs to the remote, but does not blink from inputs to the remote app as they go through the network. I have to say that I do wish it changed from one input to another just a bit more quickly. Its not slow, but its not lightning fast.

 

[ughazi93]



Quote:
Originally Posted by tre74  /t/1420689/need-to-decide-between-these-3-plasmas#post_22234317


I went with the PN51E550 a few weeks ago after returning a Samsung 46" LED. I am very happy with this set. No buzzing issues, perfect picture. There is some glare to be sure. This can actually make blacks look lighter as the darkest portions of the screen will reflect the most light and make one think the blacks aren't very dark. Watching this thing in a completey dark room was a real eye opener. The quality of the picture detail and color uniformity was very nice. I was a bit worried at the beginning as I thought the picture to be too dark. This thing has warmed in nicely and now the picture is brighter and sharper and hasn't lost any of its black quality. I've never experienced the set switching off during fade outs and ins. I've watched many different HD movies and TV shows to see what looked best on this TV. I have to say, any Blu-ray of a new film looks great. I was most impressed with a recent baseball game. It truely looked as though one was looking through a window at the game. The lighting looked amazing. The colors of the uniforms were rich while the white parts of the uniforms popped out. Motion pixels occur as a result of the input source. I use an antenna and the TV tuner pulls in channels nicely, though I use it very little of the time as I use a TiVo for watching and recording broadcast television. The iPhone app works well as a remote control. The Smart Hub is nice. The Netflix, Hulu Plus and Pandora apps work well. The TV feels lighter than it is and hangs well. It is not the thinnest set, but is still thin. The POWER OFF light is red and in the lower left corner. This light goes out when powered on so there is no light on while watching the TV. The light does blink with inputs to the remote, but does not blink from inputs to the remote app as they go through the network. I have to say that I do wish it changed from one input to another just a bit more quickly. Its not slow, but its not lightning fast.

Good stuff, thanks. If you can, do you think you could put on a hockey game at some point and let me know if you have issues with the brightness auto-adjusting?

 

[tre74]

Watched different hockey clips. Lots of flash photography going on. I can't say the TV did anything unusual. I'd have to wait and see a live game.

 

[hoozthatat]

I own an LG plasma personally, the PZ950, and its honestly performed very well. I upgraded from a Sammy A530 and I feel as though this out performs in color reproduction, but does lack in the black levels category in some cases but not all. I am also a huge hockey, football, basketball and MMA fan and all look pretty impressive on my LG display. I know the ST50 would out perform my TV, but I feel as though the E550 would be a bit below. That being said I love LG's color management system and find it very beneficial from a calibration stand point. If 3D interests you then the $20 Sammy active glasses have to be attractive. Ultimately make the choice you feel comfortable with, again I love LG's CMS, but if you're looking at plasma, which hands down is the best flat panel display, then Panny is HARD to pass on.

 

[ughazi93]



Quote:
Originally Posted by tre74  /t/1420689/need-to-decide-between-these-3-plasmas#post_22237558


Watched different hockey clips. Lots of flash photography going on. I can't say the TV did anything unusual. I'd have to wait and see a live game.

Thanks for trying

Quote:
Originally Posted by hoozthatat  /t/1420689/need-to-decide-between-these-3-plasmas#post_22237809


I own an LG plasma personally, the PZ950, and its honestly performed very well. I upgraded from a Sammy A530 and I feel as though this out performs in color reproduction, but does lack in the black levels category in some cases but not all. I am also a huge hockey, football, basketball and MMA fan and all look pretty impressive on my LG display. I know the ST50 would out perform my TV, but I feel as though the E550 would be a bit below. That being said I love LG's color management system and find it very beneficial from a calibration stand point. If 3D interests you then the $20 Sammy active glasses have to be attractive. Ultimately make the choice you feel comfortable with, again I love LG's CMS, but if you're looking at plasma, which hands down is the best flat panel display, then Panny is HARD to pass on.

I would go with the Panasonic if I were looking at the ST50 and not the UT50. I think the E550 is better than the UT50 though.