cknights
06-24-06, 06:35 PM
[COLOR=White][COLOR=Yellow]Plasma units under consideration:[/COLOR]
Panasonic 42" Plasma HDTV (TH-42PX60U)
Samsung 42" Plasma HDTV (HP-S4253)
Missed the cut (see below): Hitachi UltraVision 42" Plasma HDTV (42HDS69)
I am a newbie to the HD world but have made the decision (and convinced the wife) that it is time to upgrade from my 29’’ RCA CRT to either the Panny TH-42PX60U or the Sammy HP-S4253 42” plasma HDTV. The Hitachi 42HDS69 with its 1080i native resolution in a 42” was also on my short list but was cut due to some potential serious issues with PQ (floating black/brightness) that have not been adequately resolved in the eyes of some owners who have posted in another thread in this forum (url). Comments either supporting or to the contrary of this are welcome.
While I extremely grateful to everyone who has contributed to this forum, which I am completely addicted to at the moment, I am having a very difficult time deciding between the Panisonic and the Samsung. Based on previous versions of these Plasma screens, the Panny was the hands down winner. However, the S-series Sammy has apparently made tremendous strides towards reaching the top of the second tier of plasmas with Panasonic (under Pioneer), and according to some professional reviews the new Panasonic is a step back compared to their last version (PCMagazine and PCWorld, CNET gave a positive review). After visiting both BB and CC and comparing the models, in what was probably torch mode, the Sammy looked better in both cases and the skin tones on the Panny appeared washed out. First impressions can be powerful but I don’t want to be misled by f’d up settings. Answers to the questions below would go along way in helping me make my decision.
[COLOR=Yellow]PICTURE QUALITY[/COLOR]
Is there truly a significant difference in PQ, color, brightness, depth of blacks, noise, pixilation etc. between these sets once they are properly adjusted?
I know this is kind of broad, but I am looking for anyone who has a noticeable problem or praise in any of these areas.
- Do the 549 billion colors that the Sammy can display really make a difference compared the 29 billion of the Panny?
-Do skin tones really look like “clay” on the Panny even after it is calibrated?
- Can the black levels on the Sammy be calibrated correctly to bring out good depth, which seems to be a strong suit of the Panasonic?
- Is the problem of floating blackness a problem with either unit?
[COLOR=Yellow]FEATURES[/COLOR]
Without ever owning an HDTV it is hard to know what features are essential for a great viewing experience. So how do the features of these sets stack up to one another?
- Is it a problem that the Panny does not have PIP or other “burn in” preventive features?
Holy hell, speaking of burn in, I am pretty sure that I have “burn in” from reading this forum! I switch to other sites to search for info and all I see are purple bars where the words should be. Totally freaked me out….but I digress.
- What zoom in/scaling features are a must have? This seems to be one of the biggest complaints that I have seen raised against the Sammy.
- How big of a problem is it for the Panny not to have PC (RGB) input? Can you hijack one of the other inputs for the PC?
- Does the Sammy have an off-timer built in like the Panasonic?
[COLOR=Yellow]OTHER ISSUES
SDTV[/COLOR]
A big one…how do these plasmas handle SDTV? In a perfect world everything would be HD, but that will probably not happen in the lifetime of this set, so it has to be able to handle SDTV. So far from what I have seen, the Samsung seems to have amassed more complaints than praise with regards to this issue. Anybody want to put in their two cents?
[COLOR=Yellow]BUZZ[/COLOR]
A number of reviews on and off this site have described a loud buzz (audible at 3-6 ft during quiet scenes) with the Panny. Is this just normal and comparable to the sound a Sammy would give off? I think it will be nearly impossible to determine this in store.
[COLOR=Yellow]GLARE[/COLOR]
From some pics posted on the Sammy review thread (url) and a Panny thread (url), it appears that the Sammy is much more glare resistant than the Panny. I would appreciate any additional pics to try and get a better perspective on this topic.
[COLOR=Yellow]BEZEL[/COLOR]
With regards to the bezel, the Samsung wins hands down. I know that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but the Panasonic bezel is fugly. Besides the look, do these units have any caveats when it comes to hanging them on a wall? Setting on an entertainment center?
OK that’s it. Time to have at it; preferably in Ultimate Fighter style. We don’t want to be completely uncivilized in here. ;)
Any help/opinion would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.[/COLOR]
Panasonic 42" Plasma HDTV (TH-42PX60U)
Samsung 42" Plasma HDTV (HP-S4253)
Missed the cut (see below): Hitachi UltraVision 42" Plasma HDTV (42HDS69)
I am a newbie to the HD world but have made the decision (and convinced the wife) that it is time to upgrade from my 29’’ RCA CRT to either the Panny TH-42PX60U or the Sammy HP-S4253 42” plasma HDTV. The Hitachi 42HDS69 with its 1080i native resolution in a 42” was also on my short list but was cut due to some potential serious issues with PQ (floating black/brightness) that have not been adequately resolved in the eyes of some owners who have posted in another thread in this forum (url). Comments either supporting or to the contrary of this are welcome.
While I extremely grateful to everyone who has contributed to this forum, which I am completely addicted to at the moment, I am having a very difficult time deciding between the Panisonic and the Samsung. Based on previous versions of these Plasma screens, the Panny was the hands down winner. However, the S-series Sammy has apparently made tremendous strides towards reaching the top of the second tier of plasmas with Panasonic (under Pioneer), and according to some professional reviews the new Panasonic is a step back compared to their last version (PCMagazine and PCWorld, CNET gave a positive review). After visiting both BB and CC and comparing the models, in what was probably torch mode, the Sammy looked better in both cases and the skin tones on the Panny appeared washed out. First impressions can be powerful but I don’t want to be misled by f’d up settings. Answers to the questions below would go along way in helping me make my decision.
[COLOR=Yellow]PICTURE QUALITY[/COLOR]
Is there truly a significant difference in PQ, color, brightness, depth of blacks, noise, pixilation etc. between these sets once they are properly adjusted?
I know this is kind of broad, but I am looking for anyone who has a noticeable problem or praise in any of these areas.
- Do the 549 billion colors that the Sammy can display really make a difference compared the 29 billion of the Panny?
-Do skin tones really look like “clay” on the Panny even after it is calibrated?
- Can the black levels on the Sammy be calibrated correctly to bring out good depth, which seems to be a strong suit of the Panasonic?
- Is the problem of floating blackness a problem with either unit?
[COLOR=Yellow]FEATURES[/COLOR]
Without ever owning an HDTV it is hard to know what features are essential for a great viewing experience. So how do the features of these sets stack up to one another?
- Is it a problem that the Panny does not have PIP or other “burn in” preventive features?
Holy hell, speaking of burn in, I am pretty sure that I have “burn in” from reading this forum! I switch to other sites to search for info and all I see are purple bars where the words should be. Totally freaked me out….but I digress.
- What zoom in/scaling features are a must have? This seems to be one of the biggest complaints that I have seen raised against the Sammy.
- How big of a problem is it for the Panny not to have PC (RGB) input? Can you hijack one of the other inputs for the PC?
- Does the Sammy have an off-timer built in like the Panasonic?
[COLOR=Yellow]OTHER ISSUES
SDTV[/COLOR]
A big one…how do these plasmas handle SDTV? In a perfect world everything would be HD, but that will probably not happen in the lifetime of this set, so it has to be able to handle SDTV. So far from what I have seen, the Samsung seems to have amassed more complaints than praise with regards to this issue. Anybody want to put in their two cents?
[COLOR=Yellow]BUZZ[/COLOR]
A number of reviews on and off this site have described a loud buzz (audible at 3-6 ft during quiet scenes) with the Panny. Is this just normal and comparable to the sound a Sammy would give off? I think it will be nearly impossible to determine this in store.
[COLOR=Yellow]GLARE[/COLOR]
From some pics posted on the Sammy review thread (url) and a Panny thread (url), it appears that the Sammy is much more glare resistant than the Panny. I would appreciate any additional pics to try and get a better perspective on this topic.
[COLOR=Yellow]BEZEL[/COLOR]
With regards to the bezel, the Samsung wins hands down. I know that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but the Panasonic bezel is fugly. Besides the look, do these units have any caveats when it comes to hanging them on a wall? Setting on an entertainment center?
OK that’s it. Time to have at it; preferably in Ultimate Fighter style. We don’t want to be completely uncivilized in here. ;)
Any help/opinion would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.[/COLOR]