Finally got the money for the tv. Is it the right one?

[snowball_iv]

Ok so i finally have the money to get my tv. I am pretty set on the
panasonic 58pz800u.

The price for it is running around 2300 to 2600. I think i am going to get it from amazon. Should i get it from somewhere else? or is Amazon ok place to buy?

Does anyone have any other suggestions or disagreements on getting this tv?

Thanks for the help and input.

[primaz]

Yes, to me for the money I would get a Panasonic 3000 or the Epson 6500 front projector both online sell for about $2500. Why not get a huge 7' or larger screen for the same money? The new Epson has over 4000 hour bulb life; both have great black levels, 1080 clarity. To me FP's have advanced so much that once you spend at least $1500 I would rather get a front projector any day over any TV, plasma or LCD.

[snowball_iv]

Thanks for the opinion. I want a projector some day, no doubt. But right now i am living in a town house and i am in the basement, which would be perfect for the front projector, but i don't know how long i will be here, and i am afraid that the next place i go, won't be front projector friendly.

How much would one of those projectors that you mentioned cost? And is that with a screen included or not? Cause i think i would want a screen that would drop down in front of my tv, because i don't think the tv and standard dvd's.

[Kryptron]

Originally Posted by primaz

Yes, to me for the money I would get a Panasonic 3000 or the Epson 6500 front projector both online sell for about $2500. Why not get a huge 7' or larger screen for the same money? The new Epson has over 4000 hour bulb life; both have great black levels, 1080 clarity. To me FP's have advanced so much that once you spend at least $1500 I would rather get a front projector any day over any TV, plasma or LCD.

Projectors aren't for everyone Primaz.

To the OP, I've herd nothing but great things about the pz800u line. Should look spectacular. As for getting it online from amazon, i personally haven't bought a set online. And in a way i'm glad i didn't since i went through 4 sets the last time i bought a tv. But if you are 100% sure that is the set you want then you can save some serious money getting it from amazon. Plus no tax *unless your in NJ i think*.

[snowball_iv]

thanks Kryptron. I think i do wanna stick with a plasma.

Does anyone know if i should stick with this one or Does panasonic have new models coming out in april, for around the same price?

[lojack1976]

If you don't want to wait then go for it. Its an awesome TV, BUT...if you are willing to wait and put aside a little more cash then you may want to go for the TC-P58V10 that will be out soon. Aside from having a higher contrast, it also features 96hz 24p support. This should eliminate the flicker that you see with the 800u series that refresh at 48hz. Pioneer sets refresh at 72hz which is why there is no flicker so the new V10 series Panny's will also be without flicker. I don't know what prices it will retail for, but I'm sure it will still be under $3000 and with the deeper blacks and true 24p support I think that its well worth it. Panasonic's 2009 TV's also have the best motion resolution in the business even surpassing Pioneer in that regard. Just something to consider.

[PSB_Paradigm_HSU]

Im set on the 50" panasonic v10 that will be out soon. MSRP $2300. I'd say its worth waiting to see if its worthy of putting on your short list.

Also Ive been hearing some best buys (magnolia HT) in certain areas are having sales for the Pioneer Kuro pro 111fd for around $2500. If its true that would definitely be toward the top of my list.

[Pelican170]

Ive got one, its great. You can probably get a good deal on one now also...

[Sonny]

The Panny 800u is a great TV! The newer Panasonic's have better blacks & their motion resolution is touching 1080. They are having special deals on Pioneers also, if you could be happy with a 50", you could have the best TV made for about the same price... Just something to think about.

[fuwa]

Originally Posted by lojack1976

If you don't want to wait then go for it. Its an awesome TV, BUT...if you are willing to wait and put aside a little more cash then you may want to go for the TC-P58V10 that will be out soon. Aside from having a higher contrast, it also features 96hz 24p support. This should eliminate the flicker that you see with the 800u series that refresh at 48hz. Pioneer sets refresh at 72hz which is why there is no flicker so the new V10 series Panny's will also be without flicker. I don't know what prices it will retail for, but I'm sure it will still be under $3000 and with the deeper blacks and true 24p support I think that its well worth it. Panasonic's 2009 TV's also have the best motion resolution in the business even surpassing Pioneer in that regard. Just something to consider.

I read a review on one of the new Panasonic's (for $10,000) and although the Panasonic surpassed the Pioneer on paper for the video processing the reviewers could not notice any visual difference. They concluded that the Pioneer was the best TV overall.

Ultimate Audio Video Magazine said any new Panasonics would not have any significant picture improvements over the Pioneer Kuro as the Kuro is already close to perfect in all categories such as black level, contrast, color, grey scale etc. The only thing that can be improved significantly is the video resolution and that would be going to 4000p and is years down the road.

I would recommend the Pioneer over the 800u or would wait for the new Panasonics and compare prices and sizes with the Kuro to decide which is best for your needs.

[Musashi]

I finally got my Panasonic Plasma TV up and running and it gets my highest stamp of approval. Movies look fantastic, text screens are amazingly sharp, and old games will still play like they should.

[lojack1976]

Originally Posted by fuwa

I read a review on one of the new Panasonic's (for $10,000) and although the Panasonic surpassed the Pioneer on paper for the video processing the reviewers could not notice any visual difference. They concluded that the Pioneer was the best TV overall.

Ultimate Audio Video Magazine said any new Panasonics would not have any significant picture improvements over the Pioneer Kuro as the Kuro is already close to perfect in all categories such as black level, contrast, color, grey scale etc. The only thing that can be improved significantly is the video resolution and that would be going to 4000p and is years down the road.

I would recommend the Pioneer over the 800u or would wait for the new Panasonics and compare prices and sizes with the Kuro to decide which is best for your needs.

I never stated that Panasonic bested Pioneer on a whole. I only pointed out that Panasonic has surpassed them in motion resolution. I also stated that black levels and contrast are better than the current Panny's, but I didn't say that they were equal or better than Pioneer. I advise waiting for the new V10 58" Panny since it won't have the flicker that the current models have due to the 96hz 24p feature versus the 48hz refresh that the current models have. This is also superior to Pioneer's 72hz refresh even if the difference can't be seen in real world performance. It should also be pointed out that there are no reviews on the V10 series sets, so we really don't know how they will compare to the Pioneer's.

The review you are pointing to is on the Premiere TH-65VX100U which is a very expensive set with similar specs to the V10. Because of the price it gets scrutinized even more than the rest and rightly so. There are two reviews that I've read on this set. Both concede that the blacks are not quite as deep as the Pioneer Elite, but the set is superb nonetheless. THIS review made a few points that should be considered. Here are some quotes:

"It’s arguably at least as good as it is on a local- dimming LCD like a Sony XBR8."

"While the black letterbox bars on 2.35:1 films looked respectably dark, they were more visible than on a Pioneer."

"In the above com- parisons, I’m definitely splitting hairs. But such hairs must be split con- sidering that the Pana- sonic Premiere is much more expensive than the Pioneer and Sony flagship sets, which aren’t exactly selling for chicken feed, either. Still, apart from those sets, the Panasonic Premiere’s blacks are the deepest we’ve ever measured on any plasma or LCD flat panel. It never failed to produce a con- vincing image on a high- quality source. By any reasonable standard, its overall performance on dark scenes is excellent."

"The Panasonic Premiere’s shadow detail is superb. It’s arguably as good as or better than those other sets. It’s largely immune to the gray fog effect—a lightening that can subtly wash out the dimmest regions of a dark scene. Plasma’s inherent ability to deliver punchy highlights in otherwise low-brightness scenes also works to this set’s advantage."

With all of this said, the V10 series will be an extremely good value. Its nowhere near the price of the Premiere series or Sony's $7000 XBR8 which the Premiere compares very well to. And you certainly won't find a top of the line 60" Kuro for less than $4500, so that leaves the V10 as the best set for the money since its specs are very similar to the Premiere.

[fuwa]

Originally Posted by lojack1976

I never stated that Panasonic bested Pioneer on a whole. I only pointed out that Panasonic has surpassed them in motion resolution. I also stated that black levels and contrast are better than the current Panny's, but I didn't say that they were equal or better than Pioneer. I advise waiting for the new V10 58" Panny since it won't have the flicker that the current models have due to the 96hz 24p feature versus the 48hz refresh that the current models have. This is also superior to Pioneer's 72hz refresh even if the difference can't be seen in real world performance. It should also be pointed out that there are no reviews on the V10 series sets, so we really don't know how they will compare to the Pioneer's.

The review you are pointing to is on the Premiere TH-65VX100U which is a very expensive set with similar specs to the V10. Because of the price it gets scrutinized even more than the rest and rightly so. There are two reviews that I've read on this set. Both concede that the blacks are not quite as deep as the Pioneer Elite, but the set is superb nonetheless. THIS review made a few points that should be considered. Here are some quotes:

"It’s arguably at least as good as it is on a local- dimming LCD like a Sony XBR8."

"While the black letterbox bars on 2.35:1 films looked respectably dark, they were more visible than on a Pioneer."

"In the above com- parisons, I’m definitely splitting hairs. But such hairs must be split con- sidering that the Pana- sonic Premiere is much more expensive than the Pioneer and Sony flagship sets, which aren’t exactly selling for chicken feed, either. Still, apart from those sets, the Panasonic Premiere’s blacks are the deepest we’ve ever measured on any plasma or LCD flat panel. It never failed to produce a con- vincing image on a high- quality source. By any reasonable standard, its overall performance on dark scenes is excellent."

"The Panasonic Premiere’s shadow detail is superb. It’s arguably as good as or better than those other sets. It’s largely immune to the gray fog effect—a lightening that can subtly wash out the dimmest regions of a dark scene. Plasma’s inherent ability to deliver punchy highlights in otherwise low-brightness scenes also works to this set’s advantage."

With all of this said, the V10 series will be an extremely good value. Its nowhere near the price of the Premiere series or Sony's $7000 XBR8 which the Premiere compares very well to. And you certainly won't find a top of the line 60" Kuro for less than $4500, so that leaves the V10 as the best set for the money since its specs are very similar to the Premiere.

Here is the article I referred to from Scott Wilkerson on UltimateAVmag:

"When it comes to TV performance, there is a set of standards to which all products aspire. If a TV meets these standards in terms of grayscale tracking (a consistently correct color of gray across the brightness range) and colorimetry (red, green, blue, yellow, cyan, and magenta all correct), and other performance factors are good (low black level, good shadow detail, good video processing, etc.), it is close to "perfect" and cannot be significantly improved upon.

The Pioneer Elite Kuros satisfy all these criteria very well (the regular-line Pioneer Kuros satisfy them slightly less well), so the new Panasonics cannot be better in any significant way. They might be just as good, but we won't know that for sure until we review them, which won't be until mid-year. They will be thinner—the Z1 (pictured above) is only 1 inch thick, while the V10 is 2 inches thick—and both of these lines use Panasonic's new NeoPDP panel, which is said to consume much less power than previous plasmas. Also, all three lines will be THX certified, though I've learned from experience this doesn't necessarily mean they are perfect in the grayscale and colorimetry departments without a full calibration.

Pricewise, the Z1 will be available only in a 54-inch size and list for $6000, more than any 50-inch Kuro. The V10 replaces the current top-of-the-line PZ580 line; the 50-inch model will list for $2300 and the 54-incher will be $2700, with prices for the 58- and 65-inch models TBA. The G10 replaces the PZ85 line, and list prices range from $1400 for the 42-inch model (shipping now) to $2400 for the 54-incher (scheduled to ship in May)."


These all look like very good TVs. The Pioneer 60" elite should come down lower than $4000 if it continues to be reduced like the 50" model was that was just on sale at BB for $2600 from $5000.

[parkerwilson]

Originally Posted by lojack1976

If you don't want to wait then go for it. Its an awesome TV, BUT...if you are willing to wait and put aside a little more cash then you may want to go for the TC-P58V10 that will be out soon. Aside from having a higher contrast, it also features 96hz 24p support. This should eliminate the flicker that you see with the 800u series that refresh at 48hz. Pioneer sets refresh at 72hz which is why there is no flicker so the new V10 series Panny's will also be without flicker. I don't know what prices it will retail for, but I'm sure it will still be under $3000 and with the deeper blacks and true 24p support I think that its well worth it. Panasonic's 2009 TV's also have the best motion resolution in the business even surpassing Pioneer in that regard. Just something to consider.

Does anyone know if it will be brighter than the 800u

[lojack1976]

Originally Posted by fuwa

Here is the article I referred to from Scott Wilkerson on UltimateAVmag:

"When it comes to TV performance, there is a set of standards to which all products aspire. If a TV meets these standards in terms of grayscale tracking (a consistently correct color of gray across the brightness range) and colorimetry (red, green, blue, yellow, cyan, and magenta all correct), and other performance factors are good (low black level, good shadow detail, good video processing, etc.), it is close to "perfect" and cannot be significantly improved upon.

The Pioneer Elite Kuros satisfy all these criteria very well (the regular-line Pioneer Kuros satisfy them slightly less well), so the new Panasonics cannot be better in any significant way. They might be just as good, but we won't know that for sure until we review them, which won't be until mid-year. They will be thinner—the Z1 (pictured above) is only 1 inch thick, while the V10 is 2 inches thick—and both of these lines use Panasonic's new NeoPDP panel, which is said to consume much less power than previous plasmas. Also, all three lines will be THX certified, though I've learned from experience this doesn't necessarily mean they are perfect in the grayscale and colorimetry departments without a full calibration.

Pricewise, the Z1 will be available only in a 54-inch size and list for $6000, more than any 50-inch Kuro. The V10 replaces the current top-of-the-line PZ580 line; the 50-inch model will list for $2300 and the 54-incher will be $2700, with prices for the 58- and 65-inch models TBA. The G10 replaces the PZ85 line, and list prices range from $1400 for the 42-inch model (shipping now) to $2400 for the 54-incher (scheduled to ship in May)."


These all look like very good TVs. The Pioneer 60" elite should come down lower than $4000 if it continues to be reduced like the 50" model was that was just on sale at BB for $2600 from $5000.

I've read that article before. It's not exactly a review for one. It's pure speculation. Second, to say that it is impossible to improve upon what's out is just ridiculous since nothing is perfect. It's common knowledge that even THE best plasma is still inferior to THE best CRT when it comes to reproducing black. You mentioned a $10,000 Panny initially which can only be the Premiere series since its the new line replacing the Professional series TV's that Panasonic has previously released. It is indeed a very good TV, but not quite THE best, especially at the price. The review does say that it's at least as good as the Sony XBR8 though it's still $3000 more. The V10 series is very close in specs and will be a fraction of the cost placing it well below the cost of a Kuro Elite which are soon to be extinct(sadly). It's true that the price of the 50" models have come down, but I haven't seen the 60" budge much probably due to the high demand and low supply. I very much doubt you will see it drop below $4000. It's a steal if it does though....well if you can afford to spend that much that is. At the moment the 6020FD is $4500 shipped on Amazon. If I'm not mistaken it went for around $6000 initially.

Originally Posted by parkerwilson

Does anyone know if it will be brighter than the 800u

I'm not sure, but Panny's are pretty bright as far as plasmas go.

[snowball_iv]

Does anyone suggest that i get the extended warranty or should put the few hundred dollars towards some other upgrades?

[NJMetsFan]

I have a quick question. Do you guys mean the G10 not V10? I have been to the panasonic site and didn't see any TV model V10.

[meloveHD]

Originally Posted by NJMetsFan

I have a quick question. Do you guys mean the G10 not V10? I have been to the panasonic site and didn't see any TV model V10.

Nope, they indeed mean V10.


http://news.prnewswire.com/DisplayRe...4950944&EDATE=

[lojack1976]

I've never purchased an extended warranty myself, well except on my PS3(got it on launch), but not for a TV. I've had great luck myself, but you never know. I think for the amount of that set an extended warranty would be worth it if it doesn't cost too much. I paid less than $1200 for each of my two sets, but you're talking closer to $3000 for yours. At that price I don't think I would chance not getting one. I mean, I would hate to see three grand go up in smoke just a few months after the warranty was up.

[dobyblue]

Originally Posted by lojack1976

I never stated that Panasonic bested Pioneer on a whole. I only pointed out that Panasonic has surpassed them in motion resolution. I also stated that black levels and contrast are better than the current Panny's, but I didn't say that they were equal or better than Pioneer. I advise waiting for the new V10 58" Panny since it won't have the flicker that the current models have due to the 96hz 24p feature versus the 48hz refresh that the current models have. This is also superior to Pioneer's 72hz refresh even if the difference can't be seen in real world performance. It should also be pointed out that there are no reviews on the V10 series sets, so we really don't know how they will compare to the Pioneer's.

That's exactly how I read your post too.

The review you are pointing to is on the Premiere TH-65VX100U which is a very expensive set with similar specs to the V10. Because of the price it gets scrutinized even more than the rest and rightly so. There are two reviews that I've read on this set. Both concede that the blacks are not quite as deep as the Pioneer Elite, but the set is superb nonetheless. THIS review made a few points that should be considered. Here are some quotes:

"It’s arguably at least as good as it is on a local- dimming LCD like a Sony XBR8."

"While the black letterbox bars on 2.35:1 films looked respectably dark, they were more visible than on a Pioneer."

"In the above com- parisons, I’m definitely splitting hairs. But such hairs must be split con- sidering that the Pana- sonic Premiere is much more expensive than the Pioneer and Sony flagship sets, which aren’t exactly selling for chicken feed, either. Still, apart from those sets, the Panasonic Premiere’s blacks are the deepest we’ve ever measured on any plasma or LCD flat panel. It never failed to produce a con- vincing image on a high- quality source. By any reasonable standard, its overall performance on dark scenes is excellent."

"The Panasonic Premiere’s shadow detail is superb. It’s arguably as good as or better than those other sets. It’s largely immune to the gray fog effect—a lightening that can subtly wash out the dimmest regions of a dark scene. Plasma’s inherent ability to deliver punchy highlights in otherwise low-brightness scenes also works to this set’s advantage."

With all of this said, the V10 series will be an extremely good value. Its nowhere near the price of the Premiere series or Sony's $7000 XBR8 which the Premiere compares very well to. And you certainly won't find a top of the line 60" Kuro for less than $4500, so that leaves the V10 as the best set for the money since its specs are very similar to the Premiere.

Then there's HD Guru's review also - http://hdguru.com/panasonic-premiere...st-review/276/

With all adjustments and tests completed, I conducted a side by side comparison with the latest generation Pioneer Kuro 50”. The results proved interesting. The Pioneer won on ultimate black level, being a smidgen darker than the Panasonic. Both displays blacks were too dark to be measured accurately using my light meter. With the lights off, and 2:35 content on screen, I could not discern where the bezel ended and the panel began producing the black bars of the letterboxed 2:35 image on either display.

I compared a number of Blu-ray discs and HD cable fare with the two displays side by side. Both panels produced excellent images. However, the Pioneer’s anti-reflective screen coating proved more effective than the one Panasonic employs, in reducing in-room reflections. The extra effectiveness came at a cost; it adds a purple-reddish tint to the image that was clearly seen with both displays side by side. Calibration was not a solution; it is the nature of the KURO panel.

The other major difference between the KURO and the Panasonic Premiere is the way they revealed dark detail. The KURO takes a higher level signal to come out of black, which caused details in dark movies (think Batman Begins and Alien Versus Predator) to be obscured. The same content on the Panasonic revealed the dark details the KURO hid.

The conclusion? The new Panasonic TH-65VX100 is overall the best flat panel tested to date, and should be considered by anyone contemplating a flat screen display in the 60”-65” screen size range.

Plus the V10 isn't just the same as the VX100 because we already know that the newest Viera's have acheived 1080/1080 motion resolution, whereas the VX100 did not.