Would a 50" 720p Plasma look good?

[cpals]

Sitting area is appx 7-8 feet from the TV. Not sure if I should save up a little more to get a 1080p or if I would be able to tell a difference. I mainly play movies, OTA TV and PS3.

Was walking around Best Buy and saw a deal for a Samsung PN50C490, COD Black Ops and two 3d glasses for $969. Same price on Amazon for only the TV.

Good deal?

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....&type=category

 

[sivart]

From that distance with 720p you won't notice much of a difference by upgrading to 1080p. Go for it.

 

[sdifox]

I have a 50" 720p panny and it looks fine.

 

[s44]

Too close, IMO. You might try seeing for yourself at that distance (bring a measuring tape our something!) in the store.

 

[cpals]

Too close, IMO. You might try seeing for yourself at that distance (bring a measuring tape our something!) in the store.

You're saying 50" is too big for sitting that close (cause I've read to the contrary) or that 720p is too little for sitting that close?

 

[s44]

720p. That's about the ideal distance for 50" 1080p.

 

[IcePickFreak]

I have a 50" Sammy 1080p plasma and sit right between 7-8 feet. It's not a huge difference but it definitely is noticeable. You probably wouldn't complain if you couldn't compare the two, but if you went from the 1080p set to 720p you might. My set doesn't do 3D so can't compare there.

How much 1080p material are you going to watch? If your main HD content is cable/satellite the 720p would be fine. If you're going to watch a lot of bluray I'd give the 1080p a lot more consideration. Is the 3D thing a must? You could cut the price considerably and go with the 1080p non-3D set for cheaper than the 720p 3D package you linked.

My set is going on 3 years old and was twice that much for non-3D 1080p back then. :\ Love my Samsung plasma though and haven't regretted the purchase for a second.

 

[shortylickens]

Was bored this weekend and went to Sears. They had plenty of 50 inchers in the 720p range and I could definitely tell the difference when I saw the 1080p televisions right around the corner. Of course I was only standing two feet away so thats something to consider. But it is interesting they never put the two right next to each other.

 

[smitbret]

I have a 50" Sammy 1080p plasma and sit right between 7-8 feet. It's not a huge difference but it definitely is noticeable. You probably wouldn't complain if you couldn't compare the two, but if you went from the 1080p set to 720p you might. My set doesn't do 3D so can't compare there.

How much 1080p material are you going to watch? If your main HD content is cable/satellite the 720p would be fine. If you're going to watch a lot of bluray I'd give the 1080p a lot more consideration. Is the 3D thing a must? You could cut the price considerably and go with the 1080p non-3D set for cheaper than the 720p 3D package you linked.

I would second this. Unless you are playing actual 1080p footage (Blu-Ray, HD-DVD or a gaming system that's outputting to 1080p), you won't see the difference. OTA television, Dish, DirecTV, Cable, etc., is all going to be 1080i or 720p. Even the VOD stuff through some of the satellites is hardly passable as 1080p. You'll probably find a few more miscellaneous features in the 1080p range, though, so that may be something to consider.

 

[bobdole369]

I have a 50" 720p panny and it looks fine.

Have 2 in a conference room - 1366x768 material from PC's, also 480p and 720p content from a sat receiver - its fine. Minimum viewing distance is about 5 feet off which is way close (its a conference room).

Given a choice between my CCFL lit 1080p 42" Sharp aquos, and a 720p 50" plasma, I'd go plasma. It's such a better picture than an LCD screen, such a big diff in the refresh rate, not that my 60hz aquos is a slouch, I play video games at 1080p no problem. I never notice any ghosting, but when I view a plasma, I can see a hugggge difference. The deeper blacks, the more accurate colors, are also a big plasma draw.