[schwarz]

I have the opportunity to pick up a sammy dlp for $3100 from a distributor around here. This makes it roughly $500 more than the Panny LCD. I like the DLP black levels slightly more and the panny colors slightly more. Overall.. i'd say i like the aesthetics of the sammy better too. However, my main concern is PC connectivity and blown pixels on the LCD. Is the LCD significantly better for PC connectivity? Any info appreciated.

 

[Mit07]

You like the Sammy's better black levels, aesthetics and lack of blown pixels. And the price is comparable. Don't be silly - get the Sammy DLP.

 

[schwarz]

I guess my question is then, how is the overscan on the LCD? Is there any? Which is better for PC's?

 

[bebopdeluxe]

schwarz:


With all due respect to Mit07, you do not have to be "silly" to choose the Panasonic. You like the colors of the Panasonic better, and while the LCD format does have the issue of "blown" pixels, its not like the Samsung does not have issues of its own (a detailed review of threads over the past few weeks will explain the pros and cons that BOTH the Panny and Sammy have).


The Panasonic seems to also be well-liked by its owners for its abundant input capabilities, and many around here have raved about it as a PC monitor...I am sure that the Samsung can deliver the goods there as well - I just have not seen as many posts raving about its PC capabilities as I have seen about the Panasonic.


The Samsung costs $600 more - but you may like the smaller form factor better. The Panasonic does have a bit of a bluish-black tinge on the screen when it is fully black, but to my eye it still does a reasonably good job of blacks with content. I also found the Panasonic to be a "brighter" picture - which works well for me as my family room has no curtains and the TV will have to deal with a fair amount of sunlight during the day.


Bottom line is that BOTH sets are fine options - neither is perfect, but each has MUCH going for themselves. My suggestion is let you own eyes decide...put each of them through their paces, and choose the one that hits your hot buttons. Good luck!

 

[DLiquid]

If DLP rainbows and dithering don't bother you, I would go with the DLP, since you can get it for a good price. I personally can't stand the motion dither artifacts on the Samsung DLPs, but if they were to be fixed tomorrow I would likely buy a Samsung DLP over the Panasonic LCD.

 

[schwarz]

i havent noticed the rainbows in the stores and i havent had one to mess with to see if i can see dithering... ghosting is another concern of mine.. will either be better at not ghosting for 1st person shooter games?

 

[Mike_in_FL]

I can't speak to the Panasonic (I am sure it is a fine set, btw), but you can have a huge impact on the Samsung color performance with a few tweaks.


Mike

 

[Gr8reb8]

The Panasonic has two VGA inputs in addition to DVI and Components. I connect mine to my PC with a regular VGA cable and I'm happy using it as a standard PC Monitor (nice and big) and I also use it with WinDVD and I think it looks great!

 

[Mayor McCheese]

I believe I read in a thread (search for arungupta and pixel) that the Samsung can be set up with no overscan for PC applications. The Panasonic does have overscan although at least one person is thinking about removing the outer bezel to get access to the full screen.

 

[ftlee]

Quote:

the Samsung can be set up with no overscan for PC applications

Mayor McCheese,


If your are using the DVI port for your HTPC, I can 100% say that you cannot reduce the overscan on the Samsung. I have read that it may be possible to reduce the resolution using the VGA port thereby reducing your overscan but, I have not seen any proof that anyone has successfully done it.


Thanks,


Frank

 

[ConceptVBS]

Panasonic makes many LCD RPTV's and Samsung makes many DLP RPTV's. What specific models are we talking about here?

 

[Mayor McCheese]

Quote:

Originally posted by ftlee Mayor McCheese, If your are using the DVI port for your HTPC, I can 100% say that you cannot reduce the overscan on the Samsung. I have read that it may be possible to reduce the resolution using the VGA port thereby reducing your overscan but, I have not seen any proof that anyone has successfully done it. Thanks, Frank

Doh! You are absolutely correct. I searched and could not find where I read that. Arun's document says that in TV-Wide mode for VGA/DVI you get a few pixels of overscan on all sides. I wish I knew the exact number of pixels though. A few makes me think 3 or 4 which isn't too bad at that resolution. I did see a post from Tecman that suggested fiddling with the optics to achieve no overscan, but that's not something I would be comfortable with in a $3K+ TV.

 

[Mfusick]

THE DLP IS BETTER

 

[vfrjim]

I would go for the DLP, but of course the dithering and rainbows are not an issue for me.


Jim

 

[ftlee]

Mayor McCheese,


The Overscan is more than just 3-4 pixels. It is about 5% of the image all the way around. I can fiddle with it to try and find out just how many.


Frank

 

[schwarz]

Panasonic makes many LCD RPTV's and Samsung makes many DLP RPTV's


I meant to say in my first post.. The PT50LC13 vs. the HLN507 (or 5065).


So both of them have the same overscan problems, huh?


Hmmmmm.... i suppose i'm gonna decide based on my fear of being stuck with dead pixels.. DLP looks like the way to go

 

[Ein]

Quote:

Hmmmmm.... i suppose i'm gonna decide based on my fear of being stuck with dead pixels.. DLP looks like the way to go

You are not going to see them from more than 3 feet away, unless your are an eagle.

 

[Instarx]

Quote:

Originally posted by ftlee Mayor McCheese, If your are using the DVI port for your HTPC, I can 100% say that you cannot reduce the overscan on the Samsung. Frank

Maybe I don't understand the question, but this is not correct. I use the DVI input from my HTPC and I have two aspect options using the Samsung remote: Wide(PC) and Wide(TV). The Wide(PC) option has no overscan while the Wide(TV) option overscans. Irritatingly, the text is noticably sharper and crisper in Wide(TV) for computer output where seeing all the screen is important, but for movies from the HTPC I can't tell a difference in the image.

 

[Instarx]

Quote:

Originally posted by bebopdeluxe schwarz: The Panasonic seems to also be well-liked by its owners for its abundant input capabilities, and many around here have raved about it as a PC monitor...I am sure that the Samsung can deliver the goods there as well - I just have not seen as many posts raving about its PC capabilities as I have seen about the Panasonic.

Well, here is a rave about the Samsung DLP as a PC monitor to balance out the Panasonic raves. I simply cannot imagine _any_ monitor being any better than my Samsung HLN507w. When people see my 50 inch 16:9 PC monitor with 8pt text you can read from across the room all they can say is "My God!". Then when I display some of my scanned artwork on the monitor they can barely speak. Being a graphics/PC/art professional my standards have always been high for PC monitors and the HLN507w (using DVI - it is only so-so using analog) exceeded my every expectation - both for text and graphics and movies. If you are worrying that the Samsung is a second-class PC monitor, have no fear - it is not.

 

[Foxbat121]

There is no doubt DLP is a superb TV. However, the question is: it it really $1000 better than Panasonic LCD? It's up to individuals to make up their own mind on this.


One thing no one really mentioned here: Sammy DLP has very quirky video inputs. Video 1 only accepts 480i and 48p while other inputs only accepts 480p/720p/1080i. It's a hassle for owners of XBox.