Panasonic 42PZ80U or Samsung LN40A550

[BoschRock]

If you had the choice, which model would you purchase?

Additional Information:
I will be putting this TV in my bedroom.
I watch ~10 hours of movies a week.
I watch ~10 hours of cable a week.
I play ~3 hours of video-games a week.
I must stay near the $1,000 mark and can go no bigger than a 42".
I recently purchased a Samsung LN37A530, but had to return it, because I couldn't stand the ghosting/judder.
I will be sitting ~6 feet from the screen.

Personal Scares:
LCD has too many issues with handling fast moving images, and doesn't do a very good job on black levels.
Plasma has image retention/burn-in issues, are an energy sucker, and are heavy.

[JJ]

I'm a Plasma man through and through Boschy - Panasonic.

[redlikefire02]

i know its not the 80u but the 85 is only a few dollars more and a better tv. might want to look into that.

[Bizdady]

Im in love with this Panny, come Feb with my tax return this baby will be going up on my wall if not the 50inch model.

[SkillzthatKillz]

panasonic > samsung

case closed

[arush5268d]

The Panasonic model you listed is an exceptional TV, with nearly untouchable picture quality.

[My_Two_Cents]

There are very few circumstances where I would recommend an LCD, and this is not one of them. Go with the Pany and never look back. You will not be disappointed.

Oh, and power consumption based on 8 hours a day will cost you a whopping $55/year over LCD. Your projected viewing amount is less than half of that, so call it ~$25 a year.

[sarge1976]

I personally have the Panasonic you are talking about,Get It ,It's an awesome tv ,I originally had a samsung lcd and I returned it the next day for the Panasonic and I couldn't be more happier! I didn't like the black levels of the samsung , The Panny has a rich lifelike picture,If I had known last year when I bought my DLP for the living room that Plasmas have such a great picture I would of got one then!

[BoschRock]

Originally Posted by redlikefire02

i know its not the 80u but the 85 is only a few dollars more and a better tv. might want to look into that.

Will you elaborate?

Originally Posted by Bizdady

Im in love with this Panny, come Feb with my tax return this baby will be going up on my wall if not the 50inch model.

Sweet! Personally, my tax return will be going towards some audio equipment!

Originally Posted by Ricshoe

There are very few circumstances where I would recommend an LCD, and this is not one of them. Go with the Pany and never look back. You will not be disappointed.

Oh, and power consumption based on 8 hours a day will cost you a whopping $55/year over LCD. Your projected viewing amount is less than half of that, so call it ~$25 a year.

Well, I think I could spare an extra $2.08 a month.

Originally Posted by sarge1976

I personally have the Panasonic you are talking about,Get It ,It's an awesome tv ,I originally had a samsung lcd and I returned it the next day for the Panasonic and I couldn't be more happier! I didn't like the black levels of the samsung , The Panny has a rich lifelike picture,If I had known last year when I bought my DLP for the living room that Plasmas have such a great picture I would of got one then!

Which model Samsung did you return? Also, is reflection an issue with the Panasonic?

[redlikefire02]

Originally Posted by BoschRock

Will you elaborate?

80u = 20,000 native contrast and no PC input or audio for PC
85u = 30,000 native and PC input and audio for pc

[sarge1976]

My panasonic is in my BR and I have 4 windows in there and I don't have a problem with reflections,The 80U as a Anti-Relective coating on it, I had the Samsung 37" 450 series and the 40" 550 series.

[BoschRock]

Originally Posted by sarge1976

My panasonic is in my BR and I have 4 windows in there and I don't have a problem with reflections,The 80U as a Anti-Relective coating on it, I had the Samsung 37" 450 series and the 40" 550 series.

I was surfing the AVSForums and noticed many people complaining about the Panasonic's dim display and "terrible" phosphor lag. Will you comment on these issues?

[PanasonicPlasmaMan]

no joke that was the question i was asking myself for a month. I ended up going with the Panasonic and I could not be happier.

[BoschRock]

Originally Posted by Circuit City

no joke that was the question i was asking myself for a month. I ended up going with the Panasonic and I could not be happier.

Is the panel dim? How does the panel perform in a room with sunlight?

[TooBlu]

if u game..LCD..trust me i got Burn in on my Panny 800U...from playing COD4 for only a hour a night....had the set for 2 1/2 months did the break in and all that..

[SS316SRV]

When ever my friend asks me what the best LCD on the market is, I always respond with, "A Panasonic plasma." Panasonics are some of the best TVs you can get.

[Kryptron]

The answer is ... Go to the store and look at them for yourself.

While a lot of people here love their plasmas, i choose the 550 because i liked it better then the 80u and 85u Panasonic plasmas.

I took my time and played with the settings on all of those 3 sets and others and decided on the Samsung A550 LCD, it wasn't because of the price, hell the panasonics 42" were $100-250 less. I can tell you that the stock settings on most plasma's are better then any lcd so people just skip them when they see how inaccurate the colors and contrast is set to in the store.

After playing with my tv i get deep blacks and accurate colors and i do not suffer from motion blur. The same way most people think Plasma's get burn in easily, others think LCD's have poor black levels and image blur problems. The technology has changed, and i suggest you don't take anyone's word on what tv your going to buy.

Go to the store, test them out for yourself. Ask for the remote and have the salesperson hook it up to a Bluray player or bring your own stuff. Pick what looks best to You and not what someone tells you is the best or the specs say.

And again, i'm not bashing plasma or recommending you go get an LCD. I'm just saying you should go and test them out for yourself. If i was in the market for a new 50"+ tv i would save for a Pioneer Elite Kuro because i believe it's the best looking tv on the market. But someone else might say that a Samsung 9 series or Sony XBR lcd's is a better value. It's not about money it's about what your eyes like.

[BoschRock]

Originally Posted by Kryptron

The answer is ... Go to the store and look at them for yourself.

While a lot of people here love their plasmas, i choose the 550 because i liked it better then the 80u and 85u Panasonic plasmas.

I took my time and played with the settings on all of those 3 sets and others and decided on the Samsung A550 LCD, it wasn't because of the price, hell the panasonics 42" were $100-250 less. I can tell you that the stock settings on most plasma's are better then any lcd so people just skip them when they see how inaccurate the colors and contrast is set to in the store.

After playing with my tv i get deep blacks and accurate colors and i do not suffer from motion blur. The same way most people think Plasma's get burn in easily, others think LCD's have poor black levels and image blur problems. The technology has changed, and i suggest you don't take anyone's word on what tv your going to buy.

Go to the store, test them out for yourself. Ask for the remote and have the salesperson hook it up to a Bluray player or bring your own stuff. Pick what looks best to You and not what someone tells you is the best or the specs say.

And again, i'm not bashing plasma or recommending you go get an LCD. I'm just saying you should go and test them out for yourself. If i was in the market for a new 50"+ tv i would save for a Pioneer Elite Kuro because i believe it's the best looking tv on the market. But someone else might say that a Samsung 9 series or Sony XBR lcd's is a better value. It's not about money it's about what your eyes like.

That will ultimately be the deciding factor for me, also. I ask here because I respect the user's (owner's and/or past-owner's) opinions--even though they might be a little biased.

[BoschRock]

I headed over to my local Best Buy today to check out the 42PZ80U. Sadly, they only had the 42PZ85U on the display floor. However, I must say, the picture on the 42PZ85U is gorgeous! I was incredibly impressed with the color pallet and the black levels. The display did seem a bit dim, though I assume that was only an issue due to the surrounding LCD televisions on 'Vivid Mode' and the bright sales floor.


I did have a few questions, if anyone wishes to address them:

1) The 85U's native contrast ratio is 10,000 greater than the 80U's. How big of a difference would this make to the naked eye?
2) Would you say the 80U and the 85U have the same PQ (aside from the differing N.C.R.)?



After my long search for an acceptable television, I believe the 42PZ80U is the winner!

[brett_day]

got to go with the panny plasma! i have the 50" version of this set and it is amazing!