Help me choose between these two TV's 60"-65" (SAMSUNG LED and PANASONIC PLASMA

[Riotvale]

Preamble: I live in Canadia, so access to other models are strictly prohibited(not really).
Looking to purchase something this week.

used in a dark room (re: no sunlight), wall mounted. Mainly used for sports, PS3 and BD watching.

would you go with this Samsung 60" Deal:

http://www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/categ...samsungtv.aspx
for $2400

or with this TV

http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/...122fa04338en02

I'm aware that both of these sets are NOT dual core processors. I don't believe i'm going to need the multitasking capability. I'm also aware that the Viera is the ST model, not the GT - so it doesn't have THX video certification. I'm mainly going for size as I wanted to get a 70" Sharp, but the TV looks OOOOOGLY and dated, so the wife vetoed that.

The Samsung panel looks sleek but it's not the high end model that's for sure. The Plasma is definitely better in terms of blacks, sports and fast moving images.

The Samsung comes with a HTIB and a wifi camera. That's the only part that really interests me about it. I mean the TV isn't bad, but what I guess i'm asking is:

Does anyone own/have one of these sets? I'm looking for the pros/cons for each.

Which one would you guys buy?

 

[Anubis]

id buy the Panasonic ST50, assuming its that. the GT50 is pretty much the same TV but costs more because of the THX badge which is pretty meaningless as you can calibrate the TV anyway

why - i prefer the way plasmas display content. you are light controlled so none of the brightness lmitations of plasmas will matter

 

[jpeyton]

I prefer plasmas over LCDs. The extra 5" is also good (bigger is ALWAYS better concerning TV size).

 

[Dari]

If you care about watching quality video and not something that looks like a post-production edit then you definitely want plasma. It's amazing how awful fancy lcds are when it comes to quality these days...

 

[Childs]

I'm getting a 60" ST50 delivered on Wed. I am upgrading from a 50" G15. If its as good as the G15, just bigger with 3D, I will be happy.

 

[boomhower]

Get the plasma. I've got an ST30 I picked up earlier this year and absolutely love it.

 

[Riotvale]

After much research and going to different stores to look at different sets with the wife, we've agreed to get the 65" ST50. We were blown away by how much crisper, and blacker the pictures were compared to even the high end samsung LED's. I'm gonna plunk down the cash later today, so wish me luck! Now.. i need to find a good receiver to power my aging (2005ish) Polk audio tallboys and bookshelves.

 

[jpeyton]

Now.. i need to find a good receiver to power my aging (2005ish) Polk audio tallboys and bookshelves.

If you're buying new, a Denon AVR-1613 is a great option.

A used Denon AVR-1611 would be a better option if you can find one.

Both have Audyssey MultEQ auto-calibration, but Denon mysteriously deleted 2 audio channels from the newer models (the AVR-1611 was 7.1 channels, the 1612/1613 are 5.1).

The 1613 is $400 new. A used 1612 or 1611 should be about $200.

 

[purbeast0]

if anyone here has an ST50 panel and would like to tell me how input lag is on gaming mode hooked up via HDMI, that would own!

 

[Wyndru]

Personally I would steer clear of Samsung TVs. I was a huge fan of their flat screens for the last few years until every unit died on me. I told my family to buy them because of their reputation and picture quality, and out of the 6 tvs we bought in the last 8 years, they all had defects that were too costly resulting in throwing them out.

A lot of power board issues, and most recently an overheating issue on 2 newer wifi enabled units in which the screens had to be replaced on both, and the tech suggested that we run a fan pointing to the back of the tv, otherwise it will happen again because Samsung didn't put adequate cooling in it.

At least I was eligible for class action lawsuits on 4 out of the 6 though, so I recurred some of the costs, but still not enough to make buying them worth it, especially my first 52" plasma that cost me $7000 when I bought it (I bought into the flat screen market waaaay to early haha).

 

[Childs]

if anyone here has an ST50 panel and would like to tell me how input lag is on gaming mode hooked up via HDMI, that would own!

I can do it on Wed if no one else does.

 

[Riotvale]

ordered the ST65 an hour ago. It won't arrive till next Thursday though (Sept 27th) so I won't be able to tell you how it is till then.
Color me excited!

 

[purbeast0]

Cool I am not in a hurry so whenever is cool!

 

[reallyscrued]

If the room has no sunlight, get the plasma.

 

[Childs]

So P60ST50 came in yesterday, and its a pretty nice TV. I was very impressed with the 3D. Do yourself a favor and watch Cave of Forgotten Dreams in 3D. It was like looking through a window. The depth is astonishing, and really adds to the overall picture quality. I also watched The Adventures of Tin Tin, and again was blown away. I cant wait for my copy of Piranha 3DD to arrive! The built-in 2D to 3D also works surprising well. Some scenes will look better than others, but if you really like the 3D effect you'll like it. It even worked on an episode of the Rifleman, which is black and white. The WMC UI looks kinda cool in 3D!

I am using Samsung 4100GB glasses, which are $20 on Amazon, and compatible with Samsung and Panasonic 2012 sets. The glasses worked well, but in some scenes it looked like there was some ghosting. I noticed the same thing in theaters with some scenes, so it might be my eyes. But for $20, these will make excellent guest glasses. I already ordered the Panasonic ones for myself.

ST50 also has this smooth motion setting, which is similar to turning on 120/240hz on LCD tvs. It can produce a soap opera look, but there are a few settings so you can find a balance. Using it in conjunction with the 24p settings removed all motion blur. The blacks seem much better. On my G15, I tweaked it for the best black levels. Out of the box on the "light" setting, the ST50 seemed the same or better. I didnt even bother to flip through the settings.

purbeast0, I tried Burnout Paradise on PS3 in game mode, and didnt notice any lag. I never noticed any on my G15, and thats a 5 yo set, so it may be that I dont quite know what to look for. But I always assumed game mode meant no lag.


All in all, a pretty good TV.

 

[purbeast0]

Yea game mode doesn't necessarily mean no lag at all. it usually means it drops as many filters as it can though which will reduce the input lag compared to other modes, but that deosn't mean no lag.

the game i would personally test it out on is SF4 because i just know the feel of that game and know what it feels like on a tv with a lot of lag vs a tv with minimal lag.

thanks for your input though

if you want to do a legit lag test with a laptop and a camera, lemme know i can help you set it up

 

[Childs]

Yea game mode doesn't necessarily mean no lag at all. it usually means it drops as many filters as it can though which will reduce the input lag compared to other modes, but that deosn't mean no lag.

the game i would personally test it out on is SF4 because i just know the feel of that game and know what it feels like on a tv with a lot of lag vs a tv with minimal lag.

thanks for your input though

if you want to do a legit lag test with a laptop and a camera, lemme know i can help you set it up

Don't you need a CRT to do a lag test? I need to look in my junk closet, but I don't think I have one anymore.

 

[purbeast0]

Don't you need a CRT to do a lag test? I need to look in my junk closet, but I don't think I have one anymore.

nah you can do it with just a laptop and have it dual outputting a running clock (with milliseconds on it) then take a few pictures with both displays in the picture. the difference between the times will be the input lag.

although if you have a laggy laptop monitor, then it could hinder the results a bit.

 

[Childs]

nah you can do it with just a laptop and have it dual outputting a running clock (with milliseconds on it) then take a few pictures with both displays in the picture. the difference between the times will be the input lag.

although if you have a laggy laptop monitor, then it could hinder the results a bit.

I would think the results would be just like using an LCD monitor. I do have a 120Hz PC monitor that I could use as a reference, since the TV is already hooked up to a HTPC. I'll check it out this weekend.