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What's the best and best bang for buck 55-65" Flat Panel

alkemyst

alkemyst

No Lifer
Finally going to bite the bullet on one of these soon.

Targeting 55-65", what's the best model? what's the best bang for buck?

Thanks
 
The Panny Plasma's are one of the better values out there. 55"-58" in the $1200-$1800 range. Plasma is still the picture to beat. S2's are the more value oriented with the G25's being a little more feature laden (THX mode for example).
 
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We have a pair of Samsung plasmas, one 58B550 and one 58B650. The 550 has some buzz, the 650 does not. Other than that, they are very solid displays that have done well for me 🙂
 
I have a Samsung 50B550 and it has a bit of buzz, but not noticeable with any kind of volume. Right now, look for a Samsung PN58C7000, you can enter the service menu and literally turn it into a PN58C8000. If you can find one, they should be cheap since the new, replacement models are all hitting the shelves.

Panasonic plasmas are maybe even slightly better than the Samsung plasmas, but I've just never been crazy about their styling.

If you're gonna be putting the tv in a room where glare could be a problem, though, you may wanna stay with an LED LCD. IMHO, the Vizio XVT series is by far the best Bang 4 UR Buck there.
 
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PN50A550 Samsung (50" 1080p plasma) here, just over 3 years old and still looks great. I don't really notice any buzzing even with my head right by the TV, but my hearing isn't the best either. Panny's are nice too, I just liked the colors on the Samsung better. I know some of the newer Panasonics were having issues with blacks, not sure if that's been resolved by now or not but I'd check into that first if you're looking at one.
 
IcePickFreak said:
I know some of the newer Panasonics were having issues with blacks, not sure if that's been resolved by now or not but I'd check into that first if you're looking at one.
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I've done a lot of reading on that and it's an incredibly touchy topic. It's like 1/3 truth, 1/3 myth, 1/3 something that other manfs are doing but not as hyped as Panny.

I guess it happens...but many people will never notice it. But A/V people (and computer nerds too) bitch about anything that happens to their precious equipment and blow it out of proportion.

<---- does not work for Panasonic nor own anything in his house other than a couple phones made by Panasonic.
 
vi edit said:
I've done a lot of reading on that and it's an incredibly touchy topic. It's like 1/3 truth, 1/3 myth, 1/3 something that other manfs are doing but not as hyped as Panny.
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Black level rising over time CERTAINLY happened with last years Panasonic models, and the year beforehand:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20001640-1.html?tag=mncol;txt

Panasonic considered it to be not a big deal:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10449939-1.html

These things mattered a lot for me last year, because when you compare the middle plasma models of Samsung vs Panasonic the main advantage of the Panasonic is the black levels (other advantage is better 3D). Samsungs have better colors, better processing, and better styling (in my opinion). So if that big advantage is lost over time, why buy the Panasonic?
 
vi edit said:
I've done a lot of reading on that and it's an incredibly touchy topic. It's like 1/3 truth, 1/3 myth, 1/3 something that other manfs are doing but not as hyped as Panny.

I guess it happens...but many people will never notice it. But A/V people (and computer nerds too) bitch about anything that happens to their precious equipment and blow it out of proportion.

<---- does not work for Panasonic nor own anything in his house other than a couple phones made by Panasonic.
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This is very true. Part of it comes from the fact that new Panasonic Plasmas typically have deeper blacks than Samsung and LG, but they rise as the tv ages. When they do rise, it's often only to the level of the competition. The Samsung buzz issue is the same kind of thing. In the real world, 99.5&#37; of the people won't notice or care. At this point, if you are just someone that wants the best picture but aren't going to stick Dynamic Contrast Ratios and Color Gamuts under the microscope, you probably won't go wrong with any plasma from Samsung, Panasonic or LG. It is tough to buy a bad plasma. The same is not true for LCD. You can still buy a bad one if you're not careful.

If you are looking for as much info as possible, hit the forums at www.avsforums.com, but remember, these guys are the pixel peepers and most of the concerns they are airing won't matter to most people.

What is your budget and I could probably recommend something particular?
 
I've been considering either the D6/7000 plasma line from Samsung. I like the look of them and they seem to be at a great price/performance point.
 
Did the capacitor problem that affected many of Samsung's LCD's also plague the Plasma line?
 
vi edit said:
I've done a lot of reading on that and it's an incredibly touchy topic. It's like 1/3 truth, 1/3 myth, 1/3 something that other manfs are doing but not as hyped as Panny.

I guess it happens...but many people will never notice it. But A/V people (and computer nerds too) bitch about anything that happens to their precious equipment and blow it out of proportion.

<---- does not work for Panasonic nor own anything in his house other than a couple phones made by Panasonic.
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Oh I certainly agreed. I haven't kept up on TV's lately but last time I did a bit of reading that seemed to be the new big 'issue' in HDTV land, which I know how that works. Was just putting it out there for something for him to look into a bit before making a decision.

When I was shopping for an HDTV, there was a big section of people on avsforums that would say not to bother unless you get a Kuro. I <3 teh internets.
 
Anubis said:
buy a used kuro
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Those are like $5k+

Panny plasmas do lose black levels over time, but over 2 years you may gain something like .005 nits with 8 hours/day x 365 days. Nothing you will ever be able to notice without calibration equipment. That is for the G/GT/VT series. The 2x and 3x series has very low loss in performance, however the 1x series was known to lose much more. It does level off to be better than any other tv in its price range.

The Panny G/GT 25 is a great tv and will most likely be on sale at retailers. It all depends on how much you wanna spent, a Vizio 3SV will be a great bang for the buck, but buy in store for easy warranty. Sammy c7000 and 8000 is good. Honestly the best quality/price is going to be buying last years mid-high price tv at sale prices.
 
Anubis said:
no they aren't. i was 20 min away from getting a 151 for 2k off of AVS last week

even brand new (if they happen to still exist) you can get them for 3-3.5
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best bang for the buck not found, and I believe 2008 was the last year they even made em anyway. 2k for a 3+ year old set?
 
I read some comments that Panny bought Pioneer plasma tech and rolled some of it into the "V" series. Not sure how much truth there is to that.
 
prob a little however last years sets weren't there yet, this years V series from whats tests are out there measure about as good as the 8G Kuros. HD test UK has a review up

however the US is only getting the 55 and 65 and you wont be getting the 55 for less then 2k

honest opinion right now id try to get last years VT20 or a ST/GT 30 from this year

Sammys D7000 is also a very good contender for plasmas. LCDs im not so sure about. i have both a Panny G20 and a Vizio 3SV the vizio was a great bang/buck TB last year, id imagin their 2011 models are just as good
 
Does OP want 3d or not? I bought the PN50C6500 and have been really happy with it. I got it for $900 new. I'm sure you could score a good deal on the 58"
 
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