Panny TC-P50S1 or Sammy PN50B550? - Blu-ray Forum

Swingman24 · 03-16-2009, 11:48 PM

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 · 03-17-2009, 07:08 AM

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 · 03-17-2009, 10:58 AM

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 · 03-17-2009, 07:14 PM

no probs

battousai147 · 04-02-2009, 04:06 AM

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 · 04-02-2009, 08:36 AM

thanks for sharing!

victimsofadown · 04-02-2009, 01:46 PM

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

SleeperAgent · 04-02-2009, 02:55 PM

I'd suggest saving up for the G10 as well. I intend to buy it in about 2 weeks. Newegg has it for 1799 with free shipping just like amazon.

victimsofadown · 04-02-2009, 07:50 PM

Why is the G better than the S, again?

battousai147 · 04-02-2009, 09:03 PM

Because it's super awsome. No i'm just kidding, the g10 has a couple extra features, witch for me are worth the extra dough. It has 1080p/24p, i now this isn't that big of a deal but hey it's there. It also has viera link/cast you know internet interactivity, but the real reason for me was THX certificationg. I really like this mode, make's everthing super awsome, oh and yeah i probably did mispell awsome but who care's right.

victimsofadown · 04-02-2009, 09:09 PM

I didn't realize that the g10 had 24p! I know it has flicker issues, but that's freakin' awesome! I thought only the V series had 24p.

At any rate, my question would be is the THX mode worth the extra $200?

battousai147 · 04-02-2009, 09:38 PM

YESSSS!!!!!! THX, it really is a great mode, and as far as the flicker issue with the 24p, the G10 has two modes, one is 48hrz the other is 60hrz. The 48hrz does have noticable flicker, but the 60hrz, as far as i can tell has none. hope this is helpfull.

Swingman24 · 04-02-2009, 10:46 PM

Quote:

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 · 04-02-2009, 11:24 PM

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 · 04-03-2009, 12:19 AM

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.

Sonny · 04-03-2009, 12:50 AM

Between the two, I'd get the G10. Or "pony" up $200 more and get the PDP-5020FD. If your gunna do it might as well do it right.

wafi · 04-03-2009, 01:51 AM

Go for Kuro, spend a lil more and you dont have to go out and envy other peoples TVs for a long time.

Swingman24 · 04-03-2009, 03:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sonny

Between the two, I'd get the G10. Or "pony" up $200 more and get the PDP-5020FD. If your gunna do it might as well do it right.

Believe me, I wish I could just "pony" up the extra $$. I would be paying almost $200 more just to exchange my S1 for the G10. Which, for me, is a considerable stretch. I don't make a ton of money. I have 2 kids and a wife so you can imagine where most of my money goes. I was pleasantly surprised when my wife said we could use our tax return to get a HDTV. I never thought she would go for spending $1,500-$2,000 on a TV.

Trust me if I had the cash the Elite 111 or 151 would already have been mine.

Sonny · 04-03-2009, 04:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Swingman24

Believe me, I wish I could just "pony" up the extra $$. I would be paying almost $200 more just to exchange my S1 for the G10. Which, for me, is a considerable stretch. I don't make a ton of money. I have 2 kids and a wife so you can imagine where most of my money goes. I was pleasantly surprised when my wife said we could use our tax return to get a HDTV. I never thought she would go for spending $1,500-$2,000 on a TV.

Trust me if I had the cash the Elite 111 or 151 would already have been mine.

I'm with you, but if you have $2,000 the 5020 is as good as it gets. Hell the 111 is $2,500 not bad for the best TV money can buy...

repete66211 · 04-03-2009, 04:58 AM

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?

03-16-2009, 11:48 PM	#1
Swingman24 Member Member since:Mar 2009 Location:Southern Illinois Blu-ray collection:142	Panny TC-P50S1 or Sammy PN50B550? 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

04-02-2009, 08:36 AM	#6
elaine1015 Banned Member since:Feb 2009	thanks for sharing! Last edited by dobyblue; 04-02-2009 at 04:38 PM.

04-02-2009, 09:09 PM	#11
victimsofadown Active Member Member since:Oct 2008 Location:Space 4K collection:75 Blu-ray collection:198 DVD collection:58	I didn't realize that the g10 had 24p! I know it has flicker issues, but that's freakin' awesome! I thought only the V series had 24p. At any rate, my question would be is the THX mode worth the extra $200? Last edited by victimsofadown; 04-02-2009 at 09:13 PM.

04-03-2009, 12:50 AM	#16
Sonny Blu-ray Ninja Member since:Aug 2007 Home Theater Gallery:8 Blu-ray reviews:6 Trading Score:1	Between the two, I'd get the G10. Or "pony" up $200 more and get the PDP-5020FD. If your gunna do it might as well do it right. Last edited by Sonny; 04-03-2009 at 12:53 AM.

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03-17-2009, 07:08 AM	#2
meloveHD Member Member since:Jan 2009 4K collection:52 Blu-ray collection:338	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

03-17-2009, 10:58 AM	#3
Swingman24 Member Member since:Mar 2009 Location:Southern Illinois Blu-ray collection:142	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.

03-17-2009, 07:14 PM	#4
meloveHD Member Member since:Jan 2009 4K collection:52 Blu-ray collection:338	no probs

04-02-2009, 04:06 AM	#5
battousai147 Member Member since:Mar 2009 Home Theater Gallery:9	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.

04-02-2009, 01:46 PM	#7
victimsofadown Active Member Member since:Oct 2008 Location:Space 4K collection:75 Blu-ray collection:198 DVD collection:58	That went down rather quickly... just last week I was in-store talking to a couple employees and it was 1999...

04-02-2009, 02:55 PM	#8
SleeperAgent Banned Member since:Nov 2008 Location:Plateau of Leng 4K collection:19 Blu-ray collection:22 Trading Score:289	I'd suggest saving up for the G10 as well. I intend to buy it in about 2 weeks. Newegg has it for 1799 with free shipping just like amazon.

04-02-2009, 07:50 PM	#9
victimsofadown Active Member Member since:Oct 2008 Location:Space 4K collection:75 Blu-ray collection:198 DVD collection:58	Why is the G better than the S, again?

04-02-2009, 09:03 PM	#10
battousai147 Member Member since:Mar 2009 Home Theater Gallery:9	Because it's super awsome. No i'm just kidding, the g10 has a couple extra features, witch for me are worth the extra dough. It has 1080p/24p, i now this isn't that big of a deal but hey it's there. It also has viera link/cast you know internet interactivity, but the real reason for me was THX certificationg. I really like this mode, make's everthing super awsome, oh and yeah i probably did mispell awsome but who care's right.

04-02-2009, 09:38 PM	#12
battousai147 Member Member since:Mar 2009 Home Theater Gallery:9	YESSSS!!!!!! THX, it really is a great mode, and as far as the flicker issue with the 24p, the G10 has two modes, one is 48hrz the other is 60hrz. The 48hrz does have noticable flicker, but the 60hrz, as far as i can tell has none. hope this is helpfull.

04-02-2009, 11:24 PM	#14
bmr76 Active Member Member since:Aug 2007	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.

04-03-2009, 12:19 AM	#15
battousai147 Member Member since:Mar 2009 Home Theater Gallery:9	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.

04-03-2009, 01:51 AM	#17
wafi Power Member Member since:Jan 2008 Location:along the beltway Home Theater Gallery:26 Blu-ray collection:384 Blu-ray reviews: 11 Trading Score:4	Go for Kuro, spend a lil more and you dont have to go out and envy other peoples TVs for a long time.

04-03-2009, 04:58 AM	#20
repete66211 Blu-ray Samurai Top contributor Member since:Jan 2009 Location:Kansas City area Home Theater Gallery:10 Blu-ray collection:196 Blu-ray reviews:1 Trading Score:3	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?

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