Panasonic 50PZ85U Vs Samsung LN52A650

[zsultan]

HI,

I bought a panasonic 85U plasma 2weeks back, its great but doesnt support 1080p/24p and per cnet 800u and 850u have flicker in 24p mode. Primarily i will be using this TV to watch movies with blu ray player. Added to that i noticed lot of dead pixels, i mean atleast 5 or 6 on the screen. I will be returning this set to circuit city tomorrow.

I am thinking why not get a Samsung LN52A650 instead, because it supports 1080p/24p , brighter image, 2" biggger and i am assuming you dont have dead pixel issues with LCD, i may be wrong. Also, my living room is little bright in the morning so i get some glare on the plasma. Read the cnet review which praises this LCD for PQ and blacks.

What do you guys think? If you own a samsung LCD let me know how the PQ is and the how it performs in 24p mode.

One more quesion, how come bestbuy and circuit city have more LCD HDTVs compared to plasma?

Thanks in advance.

[Hammie]

I have a Samsung 860 LCD. I think it has a stunning picture and handles 24fps just fine. However, my issues are with clouding, flashlighting and backlight bleeding. These are all issues with all LCDS. Some just have them more than others. Also, you can usually see them more the darker the room is.

In my room, it is too dark and I can see these flaws very prominently. the store manager also saw them. This is why I am moving to a Panny 800u.

I have also read about the flicker issue, but there are just as many people out there who have not seen the issue or are not bothered by the issue to worry about it. Chris, the owner of Cleveland Plasma, has the 800u and has never seen the flicker.

I can understand the glare, but the new Samsungs also have a glossy screen so you may have just as much glare with it. Have you have a chance to compare the two screens in a store. This may help in the decision.

Good luck.

[callas01]

The plasmas are usually great TVs, Sometimes during transportation things get messed up.

I have a samsung, and I love it, I do not have 24p playback, but I have lived this long without it I wasn't concerned with having it personally. As far as a samsung, the 650's are great tv's, colors are very good and blacks are deep, but the plasma's will be a little better. I suggest turning on the xvYCC function then adjusting the picture to your liking. I know that deep color transmissions aren't being used in broadcast just yet, but somehow on the samsungs it makes everything look a lot more natural. also in setup the HDMI black level set it to low. On LCDs the pixels can get stuck, which is like having a dead pixel.

Not exactly sure what there are more LCDs vs plasma's but it probably due to the fact that only a few companies make plasma's so there aren't as many options. For instance, Pioneer, Panasonic, Samsung, LG are the main plasma MFG's (not counting Vizio cause their plasma's are the worst thing ever made). On the reverse, just about every company makes LCDs now. So there are more LCD options and thus more LCDs on display.

[zsultan]

I will go to Circuit city tomorrow and do a comparision between the two.

Whats the difference between samsung 650, 750, 850 and 950 series?

BTW, i always watch the TV with lights on in the living room. I have noticed that plasma looks good if turn off the light in the living room.

Thanks

[Hammie]

BTW, here is the difference between a 50" and 52" TV.

Also, you can get stuck pixels (red, green or blue), hot pixels (white), and dead pixels (black) with LCD. Hot pixels and stuck pixels can come and go, however, a dead pixel is just that... Dead.

Every set has one or more of these. It just depends on how hard you look for them.

[Hammie]

Originally Posted by zsultan

I will go to Circuit city tomorrow and do a comparision between the two.

Whats the difference between samsung 650, 750, 850 and 950 series?

BTW, i always watch the TV with lights on in the living room. I have noticed that plasma looks good if turn off the light in the living room.

Thanks

650 - 12-bit processor
750 - 16-bit processor, better DLNA functions, better picture
850 - 16-bit processor, slim cabinet
860 - 16-bit processor, slim cabinet, blue TOC
950 - LED LCD, BIG BUCKS, killer picture, great reviews all over the place

I have watched my LCD with lights on and feel that it looks better with the lights off. This is due to a couple reasons. Your lights are not true color (D65) and this will dilute the color on the screen. How many times have you taken a picture indoors without a flash and it comes out yellow or orange. This is due to the color of the lights in your house. You may not notice it, but it does affect the Tv picture. Secondly, any Tv will look worse in a bright room. That is why all the big box stores have the TV turned up all the way. Its the ONLY way they can make them look have way decent while on display.

[zsultan]

Is there lot of PQ difference between 650 and 750 models?

[Hammie]

Originally Posted by zsultan

Is there lot of PQ difference between 650 and 750 models?

Some say yes, some say no. I guess you would need to look at them to make the final decision.

[zsultan]

Does Panasonic 800U also suffers from dead pixels issue. I read on these forums that lot of 85U owners are complaining about dead pixels.

Also 800U owners let me know how this TV performs in 24p mode, some say there is flicker and others say it isnt.

Thanks

[Hammie]

EVERY TV suffers from something. There is no perfect TV. It depends on how close you inspect it or what to look for.

By reading forums, I learned about the issues that I may or may not have seen otherwise.

So, it really depends on how closely you want to inspect them.

[zsultan]

Thanks guys, went to Circuitcity and check out sammy LCDs and Panasonic PLasmas, Want to stick with plasma

[My_Two_Cents]

Originally Posted by zsultan

Thanks guys, went to Circuitcity and check out sammy LCDs and Panasonic PLasmas, Want to stick with plasma

Good choice. And I would not be concerned with the so-called "flicker" problem with 24p playback on the 800/850U. From what I have read, it is how playback is supposed to look (filmic) and can be turned-off if it really bothers you. Per dobyblue in the thread linked below:

There may be some issue with some runs of the TH-50PZ800U in the processing upon further research, but I see NO mention of the "problem" some people notice on any of the 58" 800U models and any of the 50", 58" and 65" -850U models nor is there any consistency with the so-called "unwatchable" flicker on the 50" -800U model.

It is certainly not the epidemic you seem to be making it out to be by making blanket statements that all the -800 and -850 series have some inherent flaw in the 48Hz mode.

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=72475