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I'm buying an HDTV tomorrow... (LG scaler vs. Viera vs. plasma?)

Aurelius

Member
Wow, a lot of love for Panasonic Plasma in this thread. I’m thinking about upgrading my 32” Sony Bravia HD Ready to a 40” Full HD set. Is the difference between LCD and Plasma really that significant?
 

140.85

Cognitive Dissonance, Distilled
Just got a G15 Viera Plasma for $888. Prices are dropping because the V10 line I assume. (too expensive)

Bees knees baby! Better than any other picture Ive seen.

JUST MAKE SURE TO BREAK IT IN FIRST. The phosphor delay can sometimes be nasty out of the box.

If you're going to drop more than half a grand on a TV why not make sure you're ready for the future and just go 1080?
 
42" 1080p Panasonic plasma is definitely the best bang for buck right now. Especially since Panny is offering three different versions, U1, S1, and G10. You can easily find any of them for under $1000.

The 42" 1024x768 res plasmas will be a bit cheaper, but that's kind of a weird resolution and will not be good for blu ray movies. Moreover, since the pixels are bigger on those, you might be bothered by screen door effect (SDE). Definitely spend the extra bit and go 1080p. Will last you a long time. I have a 42" 1080p, and Wii games looked fantastic through component.
 

Durante

Member
Aurelius said:
Is the difference between LCD and Plasma really that significant?
If you value black levels, contrast and quick response times without any overdrive nonsense then yes it is. Of course there's phosphor delay and persistency issues, I wish they'd hurry up with OLED.
 
jett said:
Well that is correct, but proper 1080p content blows 720p away. You'll kick yourself later. When later consoles come along 1080 will be the norm, you should buy something that will last you. :p Or maybe one day you'll get a PS3 or a bluray player. :p

BTW, if you can get a Panasonic plasma. SD content, i.e. the Wii is going to look awful on any LCD you buy. It won't look good on the plasma either but it won't look as bad. :p
Absolute bullshit. SD content on my higher end Panasonic plasma looks MUCH worse than SD content on my friends low end Samsung LCD.
 

Firestorm

Member
Looks good for your needs thaOwner.

Also for those giving advice to the OP, really keep in mind that Panasonic TV prices are about twice as expensive here. You cannot get a 42" G10 for under $1000.
 
The TVs you are linking to are not 720p, they are 768p (1366x768). So your games that run at 1280x720 are still going to be resized to 1366x768, so you won't get 1:1 pixels.
 

thaOwner

Member
Dipper145 said:
As a monitor just for computer/360/ps3, sure that would work well, but it wouldn't have any tuners you would need for TV.
Strictly gaming and movies. Don't care much for television at all. Thanks for your reply.
 
Yop, just bought the 50" Viera S1 (1080p, 600hz blah blah) plasma for <$1k on Amazon, free shipping. Pretty insane value, really. Doesn't have THX cert (who cares) but does have the new tech panels. Looking forward to it. It's actually cheaper than the 46" for some reason, I suppose channel availability or something.
 

Einbroch

Banned
You jerks just made me make up my mind what I'm getting on Black Friday. I have about 900 bucks saved up and was wondering what to get.

Seeing as how I'm playing my 360 on my 22" monitor, A 42" Panny is looking good.
 

mr stroke

Member
wow no LCD love here???


forget a plasma for gaming IMO
(this coming from a Plasma fanboy, I own a Pioneer and Panasonic plasma and they are stunning for movies)


Image retention and burn in are still an issue with plasmas. While burn might not happen(depending how you play)

for someone like my self who downloads something off PSN/XBL and leaves the screen on or someone who might play a sports game hours on end with a stagnant HUD, LCD is a must.



(just make sure you get a quality LCD. some lower end LCD's do look like shit)
 

ElNino

Member
GillianSeed79 said:
I can't stress enough that Samsung tv's have a high failure rate. AVOID AT ALL COSTS!
Hyperbole much? :D

While I am well aware of some of Samsung's issues, I don't believe their issues are nearly as widespread as some people will have you believe. I have (or have recently had) a Samsung HD CRT, DLP, LCD and Plasma and have had no issues with any of them.

As for avoiding a 720p display... that is an unfair generalization. Yes, a quality 1080p set is preferably over a quality 720p set. But, a quality (Pioneer, Panny and even Samsung) 720p plasma will almost certainly give much higher image quality of a lower quality 1080p set. 1080p is an easy marketing bullet point because it is simply a number that can be compared, but in reality black level, contrast and colour accuracy are all far more important factors to consider than resolution.
 

Dosia

Member
Wray said:
Depends entirely on the distance you are viewing the set from...



Screen Size >>>>>>>>720p >>>>>>>>> 1080p

32 inches >>>>>>>>> 6 feet >>>>>>>> 4 feet

37 inches >>>>>>>>> 7 feet >>>>>>>> 5 feet

40 inches >>>>>>>>> 8 feet >>>>>>>> 5 feet

42 inches >>>>>>>>> 8 feet >>>>>>>> 5.5 feet

46 inches >>>>>>>>> 9 feet >>>>>>>> 6 feet

50 inches >>>>>>>> 10 feet >>>>>>>> 6.5 feet

52 inches >>>>>>>> 10 feet >>>>>>>> 7 feet

65 inches >>>>>>>> 13 feet >>>>>>>> 8.5 feet

Who the hell sits closer then 4 ft to their tv?
 

longdi

Banned
how about sony bravia v/w series, they are known for the accurate colours.
panasonic plasma is great for movies and tv, for gaming the image retention and power/heat can be a problem. gaming on wii do not really need all the shadow details a plasma can show. lcd picture actually look very good with cartoony non realistic graphics.
 

ElNino

Member
longdi said:
how about sony bravia v/w series, they are known for the accurate colours.
My parents have a Bravia and I've been impressed with it. I have no problems with quality LCD TVs, it's just the cheap LCDs that have 1080p as their only redeeming quality. Comparing these TVs to a quality 720p Plasma from a couple of years ago, and the 720p panel will look better with pretty much all content (1080p or otherwiise) simply because they are better at things that matter more to image quality than resolution.
 

vermadas

Member
longdi said:
panasonic plasma is great for movies and tv, for gaming the image retention and power/heat can be a problem. gaming on wii do not really need all the shadow details a plasma can show. lcd picture actually look very good with cartoony non realistic graphics.

Image retention isn't really a problem anymore. They also consume less power nowadays than they used to, though LCDs still beat them out there. I did a lot of research on AVSForum before buying my 42" S1 Panasonic plasma and it seemed to be the best choice for gaming, especially in my low light basement. Better blacks for better contrast, fast response times, and better scaling than LCDs. I love my TV.
 
I'm also getting on the Viera bandwagon. I got a 42'' G10 last week and even though I knew it would be great, I'm amazed at the quality. The picture is just stunning. I've been using it primarily for games and have had no issues with it. I'm really happy I spent the extra money and went with a plasma.
 

XiaNaphryz

LATIN, MATRIPEDICABUS, DO YOU SPEAK IT
The OP left out an important factor - the typical lighting conditions of the room he intends to use the TV in.
 

thetrin

Hail, peons, for I have come as ambassador from the great and bountiful Blueberry Butt Explosion
I'm a disciple of the church of samsung (currently owning 3, and having owned 2 others in the past), but I would say you should go into the store, look at the quality, and make the decision for yourself. It doesn't really matter what we think.

I absolutely love my 40" samsung LED/LCD, but that doesn't really mean much. Nothing beats walking into a store and seeing it for yourself.

Also, if you can, don't shop at places like best buy. Go shop somewhere where the salesmen work on commission. They will not only be more knowledgeable, but they're more likely to give you a deal if you know how to haggle at all.
 

dark10x

Digital Foundry pixel pusher
I'm a disciple of the church of samsung (currently owning 3, and having owned 2 others in the past), but I would say you should go into the store, look at the quality, and make the decision for yourself. It doesn't really matter what we think.
See, I don't think that's true. It's very difficult to make a decision when you know little about these displays. The in-store displays do a terrible job demonstrating the actual weaknesses of the displays and what might look good to you in store may not actually offer the best performance across all content.

People always ask me why things like dynamic contrast and other enhancements are considered bad while pointing to an instance where it looks good. The answer is simply that such enhancements do not look good across all content. The goal of a display should be to accurately reproduce the source material. Enhancements fail to deliver this so you might end up with a dark scene where shadows are crushed, wildly inaccurate colors which look terrible in certain scenes, and other issues.

Stores consistently display very specific types of content across the majority of their TVs simply because this content can look good on ANY display...even the bargain basement models. It's only when you start to throw more challenging material at a display does it really show its true capabilities.

The method I use for testing isn't feasible for most, but I always suggest bringing your own equipment along with a few specific pieces of challenging content. Of course, if you don't know what is considered "challenging content" things become even more difficult. It's just a shame that manufacturers are concentrating on reducing energy consumption and depth rather than improving picture quality. The 2009 lineup of displays is not impressive at all.

forget a plasma for gaming IMO
(this coming from a Plasma fanboy, I own a Pioneer and Panasonic plasma and they are stunning for movies)

Image retention and burn in are still an issue with plasmas. While burn might not happen(depending how you play)
Which Pioneer do you own? The **70 series Pioneers were terrible for IR, the first generation Kuros were much better but still suffered somewhat, while the last generation Kuros (which I've owned for a year now) is the only plasma I've used that suffers from virtually no IR of any kind. Heck, I fell asleep in front of my TV the other day for over 5 hours (from midnight till 5:30) with the Wii home menu on screen without the "IR prevention" turned on. It didn't leave a mark.

It's amazing how much progress has been made in that regard, but Panasonic still has catching up to do while Samsungs are TERRIBLE in that regard. :(
 

Endo

Member
It's also worth noting that Panasonic Canada absolutely gouges you compared to the exact same television in the US. Like a 42 inch G15 will cost you you $1500 CAD ($1450 USD) while if you drive an hour south you can get it for $900 CAD.
 

Slaylock

Member
One thing to consider with plasma sets is the amount of backlighting in the room. Plasmas are more reflective than LCDs, and they can be difficult to watch if a lot of light is hitting the screen.
 

TheOMan

Tagged as I see fit
Jonsoncao said:
rooting for Toshiba Regza, mine was three years old, as my daily monitor and gaming HDTV, it works perfectly

also dun buy the low-end model in any brand's lineup, those are some rip-offs with crappy parts inside

I actually just recently purchased a Toshiba Regza and the picture is fantastic as is the setup. However, it's going back as it has a really noticeable stuck pixel. More than likely will pick up the same tv (without a stuck pixel of course). Excellent price too. If you go to FF/BB ask them for their best price and they'll discount it for sure.
 
BamYouHaveAids said:
Absolute bullshit. SD content on my higher end Panasonic plasma looks MUCH worse than SD content on my friends low end Samsung LCD.

Not my exprience, SD looks much better on my Kuro than it did on my old 37 inch LCD.


mr stroke said:
wow no LCD love here???


forget a plasma for gaming IMO
(this coming from a Plasma fanboy, I own a Pioneer and Panasonic plasma and they are stunning for movies)


Image retention and burn in are still an issue with plasmas. While burn might not happen(depending how you play)

for someone like my self who downloads something off PSN/XBL and leaves the screen on or someone who might play a sports game hours on end with a stagnant HUD, LCD is a must.



(just make sure you get a quality LCD. some lower end LCD's do look like shit)


I play Madden constantly and have never had a problem with image retention. Perhaps you did not break in properly or use your screen wipe once in a while. If you invest so much money in something you really should learn how to take proper care of it.
 

joker27

Neo Member
like everyone else i think plasma is the best. i have the 50" touch of color samsung plasma and love it. ive had it for almost a year and no issues. image retention has only been a problem if i fall asleep at the menu screen of a blu ray, and even then all i did was run the scrolling bars across the screen and it cleaned it up. my buddy has a panny and its nice too. you can't go wrong with pioneer, panasonic or samsung
 
One more vote for the Viera, have a 46" and its sexy sexy

Wii looks like ass on it though (but for some reason PS2's okay). I think 480i looks better than 480p on the set, for whatever reason, but my friends call me crazy.

Thinking about this more, when I put my Wii to display in 480i rather than 480p, the image is sharper. I guess the Panasonic scaler works better with that input.
 

Raistlin

Post Count: 9999
Truespeed said:
Wait for OLED. A breakthrough is going to be announced very soon involving the elusive blue organic material. You want to be there when that happens. The longer you wait the sooner the breakthrough gets closer to being announced.

:lol
 
mr stroke said:
Forget a plasma for gaming IMO
(this coming from a Plasma fanboy, I own a Pioneer and Panasonic plasma and they are stunning for movies)

Image retention and burn in are still an issue with plasmas. While burn might not happen(depending how you play)

for someone like my self who downloads something off PSN/XBL and leaves the screen on or someone who might play a sports game hours on end with a stagnant HUD, LCD is a must.

Or you could, y'know, turn off the screen while you download. Also, plasmas are just fine for gaming - I don't know how old your plasmas are but I've got an 8G Kuro, a few friends have got recent Panny Plasmas and there is absolutely zero reports of burn-in/retention etc (we all play hours of FIFA at a time)
 

faridmon

Member
ghostmind said:
My Panny Viera plasma sucks for the Wii, but is exceptional for HD sources, including the 360 and PS3. I have my Wii hooked up to a Samsung LCD - much better for SD.
wait, i have been told that Plasma is much better for SD gaming due to minimal lag input.
am still debating which TV to buy for an HD console and a Wii.

is any samsung LCD good for the Wii?
 
I'm sold on the plasma but want a 32" 1080p. LCD's are cheaper, lighter, and consume less energy. It isn't a great time to be a consultant. My $ situation is awfulI'll have to go with LCD. :(
 

big_z

Member
anyone know why wii looks so shit on the panny plasmas? the tv makes even shitty sd tv look good so i dont understand why the wii is so bad.
 

longdi

Banned
big_z said:
anyone know why wii looks so shit on the panny plasmas? the tv makes even shitty sd tv look good so i dont understand why the wii is so bad.

I think because of these few reasons, 6bit + dithering panel that most plasma are, and lower peak white uniformity, whites look glowy. Lcd panels are better at displaying non-realistic graphics imo.
 
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