which 50" plasma

[sathyan]

I am _finally_ upgrading to an HDTV (coming from a 24" CRT). I'm looking for a 50" HDTV for around $800-1000 OTD. This is for an apartment so the TV will be on a table/stand, not wall mounted. Content I will watch is mostly movies; no gaming; no sports. The room has blinds and usually I watch TV after dark.

Don't care about:
-3D
-internet apps built into the TV (have a Roku)
-sound (my AV receiver will handle it as long as the TV has digital out)

Sources:
-DVD Player (with component out; this player has 480p and does not upconvert)
-Roku XDS (1080p, HDMI)
-Laptop running WinXP and Boxee (720p, HDMI)
-basic HD cable tv with no box
-at some point, I'll get a blu-ray player but not in the budget for now as I want an Oppo (1080p, HDMI)
so, by my count, I need the following inputs:
-3 HDMI
-1 component
-HD digital tuner (clear QAM)

I am looking at these plasmas:
LG 50PK550 ($900)
LG 50PK750 ($1050)
Panasonic TC-P50S2 ($850)
Panasonic TC-P50G20 ($1100)
Panasonic TC-P50U2 ($750)
Samsung PN50C550 ($1100)
Samsung PN50B530 ($900)

Any others I should consider? I looked at Best Buy this weekend to attempt a comparison but the highest class Panasonic they had was the U2 and they were feeding it (what appeared to be) a low-quality signal.

If one is not interested in the internet functionality, is the Panasonic "G20" series still worth the extra $250 over the "S2" series?

One last question: with plasma tvs, where do you put the center channel speaker? Right now, I have my center channel (which weighs some 15-20 lbs) sitting on top of my tube TV but that's not going to work with a plasma.

thanks,
sathyan

 

[Drako]

I recently got a Panasonic TC-P50G25, and am very happy with it, and would recommend it to anyone. This is essentially the same set as the Panasonic TC-P50G20.

My center channel speaker is directly below the TV, in the AV cabinet.

 

[GTaudiophile]

Loving my Panny P50G25 as well.

BTW: I paid closer to $1030 for mine from Amazon.

 

[Narmer]

Get the Panasonic G25. Samsung has image retention and noise problems. LG isn't even in the same ballpark.

 

[chucky2]

The 2011's will be coming out in just a few months (probably a low number of few)...can you wait until then?

Chuck

 

[Emulex]

LG looks great. Loving my 60PX950 - i'd say it is barely below the VT series - I wouldn't go for any less than that. 3D phosphor is faster - no IR issues at all.

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

panasonic. far better than the korean crap.

 

[Howard]

In the complete dark you'll probably have a hard time finding something that brings more value than the 50PK250/50PK550. You should be able to find it for $600 or less on sale.

 

[sathyan]

thanks for the feedback.
I am not buying right away; this is going to be my tax refund so I may wait to see the 2011 models (or more likely, the clearance pricing of the 2010 models). The prices listed are what I found right now with a very cursory look. I don't doubt better prices are available. I'll likely buy from Amazon to save the 8.25% tax and get a 3% rebate on my Amazon card. At this point, I'm just focusing in on some particular models for which to shop.
For those with the Panny G25, is the picture quality much better than the S2? If one is not interested in the "smart TV" features, is it worth the premium? I saw my parents 58" S2 over the holidays and thought it looked quite good with Blu-rays.

 

[dclapps]

I went with the 50G25 through Amazon. I couldn't (read: didn't try hard enough to) compare the S2 and the G20/G25 so I just bit the bullet and went with the G. Paid something like 1200 for it. I don't remember my exact rationale behind going with the G, but it probably had something to do with only buying a tv once every five years and the ~$200 wasn't enough to bother me.

Hope that helps.

 

[JAG87]

I went with the 50G25 through Amazon. I couldn't (read: didn't try hard enough to) compare the S2 and the G20/G25 so I just bit the bullet and went with the G. Paid something like 1200 for it. I don't remember my exact rationale behind going with the G, but it probably had something to do with only buying a tv once every five years and the ~$200 wasn't enough to bother me.

Hope that helps.

What he said. Considering the price difference, it's not smart to get the S2 over the G25.