Mmmmmmmm... 42" of Panasonic plasma gorgeousness!

Picked up a 42" Panasonic Viera Plasma 1080p flat screen TV (model TC-P42U1) the other day for our bedroom. This thing is gorgeous! HD on this thing is simply stunning.

Specs: http://www.panasonic.ca/english/audiovideo/plasma/specs_u1.asp

It doesn't have all the bells and whistles that the higher end Panny plasmas have but those were not needed for it's intended use. So far I have been very impressed. Since it's in our bedroom glare is not really an issue because it's quite dark and we're usually watching TV at night up there.

Love it.

Nice pick up but Plasma is a dying technology.

I'm waiting for the LED's to come down.

hemlock wrote:Nice pick up but Plasma is a dying technology.

I'm waiting for the LED's to come down.

Dying technology? No way.

LED's are just LCD's with better back lighting. Plasma still delivers a better quality picture, IMO.

Tell that to some manufacturers who are getting out of the Plasma market in favor of other brands, namely Sony for one. Sure Plasma does better black, but I don't dare have one with my kids for fear they'll burn a video game image on them.

I picked up a sweet 42-inch SpaceTek plasma for 349.

Must you really rain on the guy's parade?

hemlock wrote:Tell that to some manufacturers who are getting out of the Plasma market in favor of other brands, namely Sony for one. Sure Plasma does better black, but I don't dare have one with my kids for fear they'll burn a video game image on them.

For hard core gamers... sure, LCD is a better choice. But the latest plasma's have really improved on the burn-in issue. Both plasma and LCD suffer from image retention (temporary). For very bright rooms with lots of windows etc... LCD is a better choice as well. Each offers great PQ and each have their own benefits/drawbacks.

I was under the impression that Sony was leaving the plasma market because it was low-profit for them and they couldn't compete with the Pioneer or Panasonic sets. Now, Pioneer is leaving the TV biz entirely, which is very sad as they produced the best plasma sets out there with their Kuro sets. LCD's are more expensive and I believe represent a higher profit margin for manufacturers.

Plasma not only does better blacks, it does better colours in general, does not suffer from motion-blur like LCDs and has a much better viewing angle range than LCD's. Here's a good article comparing the two. It's a bit of a techy read but a good one none the less if you're pondering plasma vs LCD.

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,2845,2349236,00.asp

The new LED LCD's that are running at 240Hz (to eliminate their motion blur issues) are finally catching up to plasma's performance.

Yeah, the plasma death watch may be on... we'll see how long it takes.

I remember seeing a plasma for the 1st time at Future Shop in Gatineau. It wasn't very big but it was 10,999.99

I'm more than happy with my 57" Hitachi CRT-RPTV. It's not just a dying technology but a dead one, since everyone jumped out of it 1-2 years ago. Doesn't change the fact that it still has some of the best color/contrast out there.

Yeah, moving it is a bit of a challenge, but I've done it twice already (the 57" models come apart so you move the base and the top separately.

wprager wrote:I'm more than happy with my 57" Hitachi CRT-RPTV. It's not just a dying technology but a dead one, since everyone jumped out of it 1-2 years ago. Doesn't change the fact that it still has some of the best color/contrast out there.

Yeah, moving it is a bit of a challenge, but I've done it twice already (the 57" models come apart so you move the base and the top separately.

I love my 60" Sony Grand Wega RPLCD HDTV that we have in our living room... it too is a "dead techology" but you know what, it still outperforms many of the new TV sets these days. The PQ is outstanding on it. Not sure what I'll replace it with when the time comes around...

Remember when ProScan made kickass TVs?

My 53' Wide screen rear projection screen HDTV is a Dynosaur but I won it in a contest so I can't complain and I have no plans on replacing it until it dies on me.

shabbs wrote:

wprager wrote:I'm more than happy with my 57" Hitachi CRT-RPTV. It's not just a dying technology but a dead one, since everyone jumped out of it 1-2 years ago. Doesn't change the fact that it still has some of the best color/contrast out there.

Yeah, moving it is a bit of a challenge, but I've done it twice already (the 57" models come apart so you move the base and the top separately.

I love my 60" Sony Grand Wega RPLCD HDTV that we have in our living room... it too is a "dead techology" but you know what, it still outperforms many of the new TV sets these days. The PQ is outstanding on it. Not sure what I'll replace it with when the time comes around...

I'm not sure what I'll replace mine with either, but it sure will be fun looking.

I picked up a 50" Panasonic Plasma in May to make me feel better as the Sens weren't in the playoffs. I'm so looking forward to watching them on it this season. Fantastic picture and perfect in the darker basement.

Here`s the bottom line:

LCD : 40 inch and under, for bright rooms
Plasma: 42 inches and up, for dark rooms.

The best image possible is a big Plasma screen in a completely dark room.

Most important factors:
- Black Level
- Original COntrast (not dynamic)
- 1080p of course
- Refresh Rate (60 Hz does the job, 120 Hz and higher for gamers and action movies)

LED's are too expensive for now.