Panny TC-P50S1 or Sammy PN50B550?

[Swingman24]

Okay, first off, I'm new here and this is my numero uno post. Been checking this place out for about a week and you guy's and gal's seem yo know what you are talking about and there are plenty of interesting threads going on.

Now, that I got that out of the way, here's the dilemma: Tax return check just came in and I have decided to get a plasma. I researched plasma's for a month now and I can obviously can see that Pioneer, especially the Elite's, are the Holy Grail of not just plasma's but HD televisions, period. But, unfortunately, like many others just a little too pricey for this poor boy. So I went to the Panasonic's and Samsung's.

The 2 models that seem to be the best within MY price range are the Panasonic TC-P50S1 and the Samsung PN50B550. They are both running at about $1,600.

Now I have read 1 review on the Panny and that was on cNet and it was quite favorable. Although, they did say that it did not have the best primary color accuracy nor were there many options to adjust it but the blacks were very deep even if they were not quite up to Pioneer standards. It also does not have THX display certification, 1080p/24 refresh rate or a PC input.

On the other hand I cannot find any reviews on the Sammy PN50B550 but there are plenty of reviews of it's predecessor the PN50A550. And while the picture is apparently pristine and the color accuracy is as good as it gets, it is not without it's problems. I read some of the user reviews and one guy said he could see some pink hues at several different spots on the screen and yet another complained about their customer support. There were several reviews that complained that the Sammy's were bad about burn-in and/or image retention. But they do have a PC input and 4 HDMI inputs instead of 3 on the Panny although I can't imagine that these will be a tipping point.

So I know everyone says that this is an important decision for them and I am doing the same because I can't afford to waste money on some piece of crap TV. I just can't decide which one would be better to own, picture and performance wise. Please HELP! Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks

[meloveHD]

Well I'm a huge fan of Samsung technology (as you can see in my sig I own a sammy LCD), but when it comes to plasmas, Panasonic really knows what they are doing. They've been in the plasma game for a good long time now and are quickly perfecting their formula. These new babies have some pretty incredible specs! 600Hz sub-field, 40,000:1 native and 2,000,000:1 dynamic!! So good i couldnt pass one up .

One thing that is important to know about Cnet reviews is that they only adjust settings that the general user might change, and therefore cannot provide a review on what the panel would look like if one were to delve into the Service Menu and adjust its settings. It has been verified to me by several professional calibrators that the S1 indeed has a slightly green push to the picture. But this can be fixed!...only in the SM though. Now, the SM can be quite tricky and messing something up in there is a very real possibility and will void your warranty, so be sure to read up on how to perform the process if you decide to change anything in there. As long as you're careful while you're in there, you should be ok.

I frequent the AVS forums and they are an amazing source of info. The plasma forums are ablaze with talk of the new panny line. One member in particular (a certified ISF calibrator known as D-Nice) provides us with post-break-in picture settings (including SM changes) to maximize your picture quality. He's recently tackled the new panny line and has posted these settings for the X1 series and us S1 owners are anxiously awaiting his S1 settings. I suggest you check the forum out, because you will learn a hell of a lot more than what i can tell ya. there are some real brains over there

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=167

Keep an eye on D-Nice's 12G panny settings as he will soon be posting the optimal S1 settings. http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1128487

Keep in mind though that his settings will only provide you with good results if you follow a proper break-in procedure for the first 100-200 hours of use. I'm not sure how familiar you are with plasma technology, so in case you aren't familiar with what this process entails, heres a forum page dedicated to it: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=949107

[Swingman24]

Yeah, I know a little bit about plasmas and the break in period just happens to be one thing that I know. But I will be sure to check out the links you gave. Thanks man, I appreciate it.

[meloveHD]

no probs

[battousai147]

Hello out there, i was just surfing on BB website, you can now get the tc-p50g10 for $1799. I don't know if this is beyond your price range but, this set is amazing. I recently purchased one and love it, this set is also thx certified. I use this mode for most all of my viewing. the black's are incredible and color is stunning. if you can pony up the extra $200 well i would say panasonic, but i do understand that sometimes $200 extra is just $200 to much. I hope this was helpful in some way.

[elaine1015]

thanks for sharing!

[victimsofadown]

That went down rather quickly... just last week I was in-store talking to a couple employees and it was 1999...

[Swingman24]

Originally Posted by battousai147

Hello out there, i was just surfing on BB website, you can now get the tc-p50g10 for $1799. I don't know if this is beyond your price range but, this set is amazing. I recently purchased one and love it, this set is also thx certified. I use this mode for most all of my viewing. the black's are incredible and color is stunning. if you can pony up the extra $200 well i would say panasonic, but i do understand that sometimes $200 extra is just $200 to much. I hope this was helpful in some way.

The extra $200 would be doable. But do you think it's worth the upgrade? I could go exchange my S1 for the G10 but I don't know if having the THX mode is worth the hassle of taking it back. I believe that's about all there is that the G10 has that the S1 does not. Am I right?

[bmr76]

I would agree, If we were talking LCD samsung is a great option, I work in the business and generally Samsung plasmas are good, but they have had some rash of bad runs. Google "plasma speckleing" and samsung appears. Our floor models always seem to eventually make humming sounds, red speckles. Panny on the other hand has plasma tech mastered. I would go with the panny, they give off less heat and pretty much live and breathe this technology. Good luck in your purchase.

[battousai147]

Yeah, i do think it's worth the upgrade. I personally feel the THX mode alone is worth the extra, if you had your s1 calibrated it would cost at least $300, the THX mode is very close to calibrated standards as far as I know this mode may be better than calibrated, the blacks are incredible and the color really is amazing on the G10. Oh and the G10 also has 24p and it has viera link internet connectivity. This alows you to view weather/stock and other reports on your tv, plus you can watch youtube video's straight from the set, there are other feature's to this as well but the ones mentioned are what i use the most. I would do the upgrade if it was me. Hope i've been of some help.

[repete66211]

Originally Posted by Swingman24

Yeah, I know a little bit about plasmas and the break in period just happens to be one thing that I know. But I will be sure to check out the links you gave. Thanks man, I appreciate it.

The question of break-in isn't quite as cut and dried as it used to be. I didn't break mine in. I know a number of people who didn't break theirs in either. And I have yet to experience any image retention. On the other hand, I have read testimonies of people who experienced burn-in with broken-in plasmas. So go ahead with breaking it in if you want the "peace of mind", but don't kick yourself if you didn't follow the schedule religiously.

[repete66211]

Sears has the PN50A550 for $1,200 now. Last time I was in there they offered 5%-10% off with a Sears card. That's what I'd get if I were poor. Oh wait, that's what I did get. I really like my A550 because I value a good deal. If I were buying strictly for the picture I'd probably get the Panasonic G10 or the Pioneer 5020FD. But then I didn't have $2,000. They cost 50-66% more than the A550 but, even though they're probably better, I don't think they're 50-66% better. Know what I mean?

[battousai147]

I do agree, stay withing budget. There are alot of excellent sets out there for a really nice price. I would love to have went with a pio 111 but not in my budget. I still think that for $1799 you won't find a better set than the g10, but again this is just my opinion. Samsung does make some really great products, as a matter of fact the G10 wasn't my initial set, I originally purchased the sammy pn-50a760, a beautiful set but the power button on the front quit working after only 31 days so i took back and when i did, the panny g10 had just arrived at my local BB, chaching. I do think the panny has superior blacks and produces better color, still not trying to cut sammy's short, just my opinion.

[john_1958]

It would be interesting to see Samsung PN58B550 - 58" Widescreen 1080p
Plasma HDTV - 600Hz "verses " next to panasonic V10 FHD Series, compare picture quality

[azncarbos]

tag for interest.....

[jlowest1980]

i just got the pn50b550 and i couldnt be happier. 1080p material is flawless. colors are bright and seem accurate and black levels are deep without even making adjustments to their two different settings. (black level, and hdmi black level) this came out of the box looking beautiful and i cant wait to have this calibrated bc it will look even better. panny has made plasmas longer so naturally people think of them first but my hats off to sammy. to me the panny's look a little washed out but ultimately its each persons individual taste. have fun making one of the most fun purchases you'll ever make.

friends dont let friends buy lcd.. go plasma!!