Hi folks.
Quote:
Originally posted by plasmamaniac
I said that people buy it because of economics or that they can't tell a difference. |
If that is a report on
your experience selling plasmas to customers that's totally fair. But maybe it should read more like "
my customers tend to buy ED plasmas for these reasons..." rather than "here's why people buy ED plasmas..."
You just have to be careful making those type of statements on a forum filled with people who own the ED plasma, and who understand thoroughly why they own it. I've seen countless interactions of customers with salesmen about plasmas, and the vast majority of those customers were not AV aficionados who inform themselves through rigorous research, as is the case with most folks on this board. That is why, perhaps, the reasoning on this board doesn't necessarily match those of your customers (although sometimes it certainly does).
I didn't buy an ED plasma because my I relaxed my criteria for image quality. I bought it because I kept my personal criteria high.
In my home theater environment (in a small room) I watch movies, as many HT people do, with the lights low or out. Like many a HT geek before me I understood the values of appropriately deep black levels to maintaining a dimensional image, especially under such conditions.
When testing plasmas over two years ago, financially I had the choice of buying any 42" model out there, including any Hi-Def model. I tested practically every 42/43" model. I ended up choosing the Panny ED model because:
1. It was one of only
two 42" plasmas in the entire marketplace that did close-to-crt black levels. I found that made a significant difference in my viewing enjoyment, given that I watch in low light conditions.
2. The other 42" plasma that did the same black levels was Panasonic's 42" HD model. However, direct comparisons showed me the ED actually looked better to me - more precise, with smoother-looking scaling - with both cable signals and DVDs. Given those were the two sources that by far would comprise my family's viewing, that made it a no-brainer.
Hi-Def? We have a high-def cable box, and like the next guy I'd like everything I watch to be in Hi-Def too. But despite breathless promises over the years, there is still little of the content we actually want to watch in Hi-Def. So I find myself flicking to the HD channels just occasionally, more for a bit of eye-candy. And the ED does an amazing job with HD signals too.
As an AV geek and movie fan, I have been tremendously happy that I went with this panel over any of the Hi-Def 42/43" displays. And I bet I watch with a lot more critical eye than many of plasmamaniac's plasma customers. The reason is that even today, all other companies are
still playing catch up in trying to achieve the black levels/contrast that the Panny ED has offered me for years. (Not to mention the sheer smoothness of scaling DVDs). I continue to demo the latest plasmas and haven't found a similar-sized HD panel yet that I'd choose over the Panny ED. (In fact I wrote recently about getting to demo Pioneer's yet-to-arrive-in-the-stores, new generation of 50" panel. As truly great as that panel was with my demo DVDs, the black levels of my Panny ED still allowed it to do
some things better image-wise than even the very expensive HD Pioneer model could muster. Personally, I would keep my Panny over the Pioneer until Pioneer catches up with the black levels.).
When I finally do replace the ED model, I'll buy it at a much lower cost than I paid for the Panny ED. (In fact, I can now buy the 50" Panny on-line for significantly less than I paid for the ED).
All in all, it's been a thoroughly satisfying purchase, and definitely not made out of naivete, lack of acuity or lack of being able to buy the HD model. I know other Panny ED owners on this board share a similar story.
Cheers,