Plasma 720p or LCD 1080p?

[SandEagle]

ok, so my brother ended up buying this Panasonic PLASMA 42' 720p tv from Costco for $699:

http://www.costco.com/Browse/P...en-US&Sp=C&hierPath=79*2341*3314*74671*&topnav=



I told him this Sharp 42' 1080p LCD is a better deal for $100 more at $799:

http://www.costco.com/Browse/P...t.aspx?Prodid=11316143


Plus the LCD has 2 additional HDMI slots. He's under the impression that plasma is light years better than LCD. Which one would you guys choose between the two?

 

[spidey07]

The plasma - better picture quality (blacks/color). Even the lower lines of panasonic plasmas look awesome. If he wants to spend a little more money it would be better used to get a 50" plasma.

 

[Arkaign]

Sit far away, will look great. Panasonic sets usually have great scaler as well, so SD and 1080 feeds will look pretty good. Close up though, Plasma just looks weird to me. Sort of blurry/muddy.

 

[kalrith]

Originally posted by: Arkaign
Sit far away, will look great. Panasonic sets usually have great scaler as well, so SD and 1080 feeds will look pretty good. Close up though, Plasma just looks weird to me. Sort of blurry/muddy.

Are you referring to all plasmas, or do you only experience this with certain ones? My Pioneer 5080 looks incredible at my regular seating 9 feet away and still looks really good at the side seating 5 feet away.

Edit: OP, I'd go with the plasma if he's at least 6 feet away from the TV. At closer than that, the 1080p benefit will probably trump the other PQ benefits of the plasma.

 

[zinfamous]

Originally posted by: spidey07
The plasma - better picture quality (blacks/color). Even the lower lines of panasonic plasmas look awesome. If he wants to spend a little more money it would be better used to get a 50" plasma.

OMFG! Spidey recommends 720 over 1080!!!!!! :shocked:

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: zinfamous

Originally posted by: spidey07
The plasma - better picture quality (blacks/color). Even the lower lines of panasonic plasmas look awesome. If he wants to spend a little more money it would be better used to get a 50" plasma.

OMFG! Spidey recommends 720 over 1080!!!!!! :shocked:

LULZ, I never said it was the end all be all...well actually I did. Just that all things being moderately equal it should be an overwhelming deciding factor. If you have a 1080p display with crappy color/black/contrast it's not a good choice.

You do know that we're coming up on the year 2009 right?



-edit-
OP - manufacturer contrast ratios are not to be taken seriously, the 2000 rating from the manufacturer would scare me and it would be best to look at them in person. In other words, your brother is correct.

 

[DrunkenSano]

Your brother was correct in buying the Plasma. I've read a lot of reviews where people say that unless you go 50" or bigger, the difference between 1080p and 720p is negligible to the naked eye. Most people, when watching a 720p TV and a 1080p TV couldn't tell the difference. Not to mention no one in the US broadcasts in 1080p and probably won't for a while due to bandwidth issues.

 

[kalrith]

Originally posted by: DrunkenSano
Your brother was correct in buying the Plasma. I've read a lot of reviews where people say that unless you go 50" or bigger, the difference between 1080p and 720p is negligible to the naked eye. Most people, when watching a 720p TV and a 1080p TV couldn't tell the difference. Not to mention no one in the US broadcasts in 1080p and probably won't for a while due to bandwidth issues.

This is partially correct. I'd like to clear it up for the benefit of others who read this thread. The difference that 1080p makes is based on viewing distance relative to screen size (i.e. viewing angle). Most people have a set viewing distance because of the size of their room and the arrangement of their furniture. If that set viewing distance is 11 feet, then they'd probably have to go to 60" to notice the difference, and many still wouldn't be able to notice the difference. However, if someone sits 5 feet from a 42" (33.9-degree viewing angle), then they'll notice the 1080p difference more than someone sitting 11 feet away from a 60" (22.4-degree viewing angle). This viewing chart is a good guide for that. Note that people's vision, the source, and the TV's scaler all come largely into play, and the viewing chart does not apply to every situation. This viewing-distance calculator is another good tool to use.

Many stations are broadcast in 1080i. A 1080p TV that processes a 1080i signal correctly will pull the entire 1920x1080 resolution from that signal. A TV that processes it correctly can even pull a 1080p/24 signal from a 1080i source. However, you have to be sitting close enough to your TV to notice the increase in resolution.

 

[zinfamous]

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: zinfamous

Originally posted by: spidey07
The plasma - better picture quality (blacks/color). Even the lower lines of panasonic plasmas look awesome. If he wants to spend a little more money it would be better used to get a 50" plasma.

OMFG! Spidey recommends 720 over 1080!!!!!! :shocked:

LULZ, I never said it was the end all be all...well actually I did. Just that all things being moderately equal it should be an overwhelming deciding factor. If you have a 1080p display with crappy color/black/contrast it's not a good choice.

You do know that we're coming up on the year 2009 right?



-edit-
OP - manufacturer contrast ratios are not to be taken seriously, the 2000 rating from the manufacturer would scare me and it would be best to look at them in person. In other words, your brother is correct.

wow. this post represents a complete 180 from a year ago on your opinions of quality HD--where we were telling you that resolution is 4th in the "holy list"

Funny thing, now that 1080 has dropped to last year's 720 prices, I'm starting to look more favorably at 1080 displays

:beer:

720 is still cheaper of course, by about $300-500. Not like last year though where it was ~$1000 premium.

 

[zinfamous]

Originally posted by: DrunkenSano
Your brother was correct in buying the Plasma. I've read a lot of reviews where people say that unless you go 50" or bigger, the difference between 1080p and 720p is negligible to the naked eye. Most people, when watching a 720p TV and a 1080p TV couldn't tell the difference. Not to mention no one in the US broadcasts in 1080p and probably won't for a while due to bandwidth issues.

It's sad that Best Buy has apparently shoved their plasmas over to the "hidden corner" of their stores. A local one used to have the 50" Kuros (720 and 1080) displayed next to each other, with comparative LCDs below them.

(disclaimer: yes, BB sucks for accurate HD representation, but whatever). There was little to no discernable difference between the Kuros, but the difference in quality between the Kuros and the LCDs was staggering.

the difference in price between 720 and 1080 Kuros at the time? $2k. (~1 year ago)

 

[zinfamous]

Originally posted by: spidey07

OP - manufacturer contrast ratios are not to be taken seriously, the 2000 rating from the manufacturer would scare me and it would be best to look at them in person. In other words, your brother is correct.

what about that new line of Samsung LCD panels boasting 10k contrast ratio? Yeah, I know: BS; but I'm wondering if anyone has seen them in action. Forget what they're called, maybe they haven't hit the shelves yet?

 

[kalrith]

Originally posted by: zinfamous

Originally posted by: DrunkenSano
Your brother was correct in buying the Plasma. I've read a lot of reviews where people say that unless you go 50" or bigger, the difference between 1080p and 720p is negligible to the naked eye. Most people, when watching a 720p TV and a 1080p TV couldn't tell the difference. Not to mention no one in the US broadcasts in 1080p and probably won't for a while due to bandwidth issues.

It's sad that Best Buy has apparently shoved their plasmas over to the "hidden corner" of their stores. A local one used to have the 50" Kuros (720 and 1080) displayed next to each other, with comparative LCDs below them.

(disclaimer: yes, BB sucks for accurate HD representation, but whatever). There was little to no discernable difference between the Kuros, but the difference in quality between the Kuros and the LCDs was staggering.

the difference in price between 720 and 1080 Kuros at the time? $2k. (~1 year ago)

Yep, I bought the 5080 (768p) for $1,899 last December when the 5010 (1080p) was going for ~$3,600 at the cheapest price online. I think the price was much higher at BB, probably around $4,500. I actually never considered buying the TV at BB because of the high prices compared to online retailers. At the time I was still torn between the 5080 and the 6010 ($2,600 online compared to $4,800 online). I wandered into BB one night and saw the 5080 for $1,899. My jaw almost hit the floor. It was totally a pricing mistake and was quickly changed to $2,500. Thankfully I was at the right place at the right time and got the TV for cheaper than anywhere else at the time.

 

[kalrith]

Originally posted by: zinfamous

Originally posted by: spidey07

OP - manufacturer contrast ratios are not to be taken seriously, the 2000 rating from the manufacturer would scare me and it would be best to look at them in person. In other words, your brother is correct.

what about that new line of Samsung LCD panels boasting 10k contrast ratio? Yeah, I know: BS; but I'm wondering if anyone has seen them in action. Forget what they're called, maybe they haven't hit the shelves yet?

Do you mean the ones with local dimming that came out about a year ago? From what I've read, they could have the deepest blacks in the right situations. However, in a lot of situations, the local dimming would dim things that it shouldn't (like some stars in a space scene) or not be able to use local dimming at all (like in a picture of a dark forest that couldn't be totally black at any large spot on the screen). Overall they couldn't measure up to the Kuros' black level and contrast ratio.

If you're talking about a different TV, then just disregard my statement. I haven't kept up with things since I've been 110% enjoying my TV .

 

[zinfamous]

Originally posted by: kalrith

Originally posted by: zinfamous

Originally posted by: DrunkenSano
Your brother was correct in buying the Plasma. I've read a lot of reviews where people say that unless you go 50" or bigger, the difference between 1080p and 720p is negligible to the naked eye. Most people, when watching a 720p TV and a 1080p TV couldn't tell the difference. Not to mention no one in the US broadcasts in 1080p and probably won't for a while due to bandwidth issues.

It's sad that Best Buy has apparently shoved their plasmas over to the "hidden corner" of their stores. A local one used to have the 50" Kuros (720 and 1080) displayed next to each other, with comparative LCDs below them.

(disclaimer: yes, BB sucks for accurate HD representation, but whatever). There was little to no discernable difference between the Kuros, but the difference in quality between the Kuros and the LCDs was staggering.

the difference in price between 720 and 1080 Kuros at the time? $2k. (~1 year ago)

Yep, I bought the 5080 (768p) for $1,899 last December when the 5010 (1080p) was going for ~$3,600 at the cheapest price online. I think the price was much higher at BB, probably around $4,500. I actually never considered buying the TV at BB because of the high prices compared to online retailers. At the time I was still torn between the 5080 and the 6010 ($2,600 online compared to $4,800 online). I wandered into BB one night and saw the 5080 for $1,899. My jaw almost hit the floor. It was totally a pricing mistake and was quickly changed to $2,500. Thankfully I was at the right place at the right time and got the TV for cheaper than anywhere else at the time.

<--jealous.

have you seen the 9G elites? OMG :heart:

 

[zinfamous]

Originally posted by: kalrith

Originally posted by: zinfamous

Originally posted by: spidey07

OP - manufacturer contrast ratios are not to be taken seriously, the 2000 rating from the manufacturer would scare me and it would be best to look at them in person. In other words, your brother is correct.

what about that new line of Samsung LCD panels boasting 10k contrast ratio? Yeah, I know: BS; but I'm wondering if anyone has seen them in action. Forget what they're called, maybe they haven't hit the shelves yet?

Do you mean the ones with local dimming that came out about a year ago? From what I've read, they could have the deepest blacks in the right situations. However, in a lot of situations, the local dimming would dim things that it shouldn't (like some stars in a space scene) or not be able to use local dimming at all (like in a picture of a dark forest that couldn't be totally black at any large spot on the screen). Overall they couldn't measure up to the Kuros' black level and contrast ratio.

If you're talking about a different TV, then just disregard my statement. I haven't kept up with things since I've been 110% enjoying my TV .

They have their own product name, like "Kuro."

recently saw an add for it...BRB.

ah, they call it ToC (touch of color). recent 2-page ad featuring Terminator series.... looking for linky

and yeah, I'm not suggesting them to be anywhere near the Kuros. Just wondering how much closer this is a step for LCD.

Frankly, I'd prefer one technology to stand out in all categories. I'm still 100% plasma, but would prefer something smaller in the long run.

I'm not sure how new these samsungs are, but the ad looks new...I know they've had this red line design for some time now.

I love my 42" set and have had very few problems with it. However, about 2 years in, the IR is getting a bit worse. It goes away pretty quickly, but I've read this is very common in Samsung plasmas of the generation that I own. It used to be non-existent, but there have been recent blue sparkly issues on the right side of the panel, which is well-documented with this specific model. The BB technician has already come out once and performed a simple voltage adjustment--which is known not to fix the issue.

It's reappeared, which means I'll be calling another tech out. This is a good thing: 4 tech trips = brand new TV for me

 

[kalrith]

Originally posted by: zinfamous

Originally posted by: kalrith

Originally posted by: zinfamous

Originally posted by: DrunkenSano
Your brother was correct in buying the Plasma. I've read a lot of reviews where people say that unless you go 50" or bigger, the difference between 1080p and 720p is negligible to the naked eye. Most people, when watching a 720p TV and a 1080p TV couldn't tell the difference. Not to mention no one in the US broadcasts in 1080p and probably won't for a while due to bandwidth issues.

It's sad that Best Buy has apparently shoved their plasmas over to the "hidden corner" of their stores. A local one used to have the 50" Kuros (720 and 1080) displayed next to each other, with comparative LCDs below them.

(disclaimer: yes, BB sucks for accurate HD representation, but whatever). There was little to no discernable difference between the Kuros, but the difference in quality between the Kuros and the LCDs was staggering.

the difference in price between 720 and 1080 Kuros at the time? $2k. (~1 year ago)

Yep, I bought the 5080 (768p) for $1,899 last December when the 5010 (1080p) was going for ~$3,600 at the cheapest price online. I think the price was much higher at BB, probably around $4,500. I actually never considered buying the TV at BB because of the high prices compared to online retailers. At the time I was still torn between the 5080 and the 6010 ($2,600 online compared to $4,800 online). I wandered into BB one night and saw the 5080 for $1,899. My jaw almost hit the floor. It was totally a pricing mistake and was quickly changed to $2,500. Thankfully I was at the right place at the right time and got the TV for cheaper than anywhere else at the time.

<--jealous.

have you seen the 9G elites? OMG :heart:

I can't hear you!!! :frown:

Edit: I've got a kid on the way, so it's a good thing I bought my TV when I did. Now I don't get to buy a 32" 1080p TV for my computer monitor and a new HDMI receiver like I planned though. :brokenheart:

 

[JackBurton]

Originally posted by: zinfamous
<--jealous.

have you seen the 9G elites? OMG :heart:

Yes I have. And I agree, they are very nice.

Which reminds me, I need to update that thread...

 

[zoiks]

Originally posted by: kalrith

Originally posted by: zinfamous

Originally posted by: DrunkenSano
Your brother was correct in buying the Plasma. I've read a lot of reviews where people say that unless you go 50" or bigger, the difference between 1080p and 720p is negligible to the naked eye. Most people, when watching a 720p TV and a 1080p TV couldn't tell the difference. Not to mention no one in the US broadcasts in 1080p and probably won't for a while due to bandwidth issues.

It's sad that Best Buy has apparently shoved their plasmas over to the "hidden corner" of their stores. A local one used to have the 50" Kuros (720 and 1080) displayed next to each other, with comparative LCDs below them.

(disclaimer: yes, BB sucks for accurate HD representation, but whatever). There was little to no discernable difference between the Kuros, but the difference in quality between the Kuros and the LCDs was staggering.

the difference in price between 720 and 1080 Kuros at the time? $2k. (~1 year ago)

Yep, I bought the 5080 (768p) for $1,899 last December when the 5010 (1080p) was going for ~$3,600 at the cheapest price online. I think the price was much higher at BB, probably around $4,500. I actually never considered buying the TV at BB because of the high prices compared to online retailers. At the time I was still torn between the 5080 and the 6010 ($2,600 online compared to $4,800 online). I wandered into BB one night and saw the 5080 for $1,899. My jaw almost hit the floor. It was totally a pricing mistake and was quickly changed to $2,500. Thankfully I was at the right place at the right time and got the TV for cheaper than anywhere else at the time.

Yeap. You got a good deal on that set. I bought the same tv for $2640 when it first came out. No regrets at all.