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Moonbloodsflow posted:Well if you decide you want the Viera TH-42PX80U, and you have a CC in your area and want to buy retail, here is an awesome deal. I did it myself and had no problems. Make sure you read through the thread so you know what I am talking about. You just saved me a bunch of cash. I was really leaning towards the Samsung but only because it was the cheapest. But thanks to you, I get a nicer TV (I think?!) for less money...or a home theater system. Thanks much. I noticed that Best Buy has almost the same Panasonic home theater + TV deal running too. The CC deal comes out a bit cheaper though. Now that I should have a TV in a few days, I noticed when I was shopping around that Best Buy has a display set up where they monitor the temperature of the TV's. Supposedly through 'tuning' you can greatly increase the life of the TV while decreasing energy usage. Is there any truth to this?
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May 23, 2008 02:50
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HappyGrifter posted:You just saved me a bunch of cash... I'd jump on it fast since it may end after saturday night(or soon). That and they may catch on to it, but it seems most people are still having luck. I'd select to pick up the TV and the HTIB at different locations. I went and picked up the T.V. and then called the other store and canceled the HTIB. The money was deposited back into my account tuesday morning. I did this all last Saturday so that was a quick turn around. Good luck with your decision. Any questions feel free to ask.
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May 23, 2008 03:02
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Moonbloodsflow posted:I'd jump on it fast since it may end after saturday night(or soon). That and they may catch on to it, but it seems most people are still having luck. I'd select to pick up the TV and the HTIB at different locations. I went and picked up the T.V. and then called the other store and canceled the HTIB. The money was deposited back into my account tuesday morning. I did this all last Saturday so that was a quick turn around. Good luck with your decision. Any questions feel free to ask. I just ordered. There isn't a CC thats conveniently close and my car is kind of small, so I opted to have the TV delivered and to pick-up the HTIB. I'll call first thing in the morning, for both the delivery schedule and to cancel the pick-up. But maybe I should wait until I have the TV? Even if it doesn't work, I do need a new DVD player. The real drawback will be actually picking it up. The nearest CC is about 80 miles away.
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May 23, 2008 03:16
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Moonbloodsflow posted:Well if you decide you want the Viera TH-42PX80U, and you have a CC in your area and want to buy retail, here is an awesome deal. I did it myself and had no problems. Make sure you read through the thread so you know what I am talking about.  But anyway, back to this Panasonic...the thing is, after a certain point I'm just looking for a good tv, I could chase deals for months and never get the "best" one; after a while saving 100 bucks just isn't worth the time, you know? If these two tvs (this one and the Samsung PN42A450) were the same price, which one would you guys choose? All things being equal; forget the home theater for now, because it's not 100% sure I can get them to refund it. What's the better TV?
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May 23, 2008 04:37
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Next question: upconverting DVD players - worth buying, or just a bunch of hooey? Because jesus, I really like the idea of a 5-disc upconverting DVD player with wireless surround sound, that's pretty goddamn hot considering it's basically free in this deal.
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May 23, 2008 04:41
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jackpot posted:What's the better TV? Panny
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May 23, 2008 04:43
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jackpot posted:Next question: upconverting DVD players - worth buying, or just a bunch of hooey? Upconverting DVD players totally depend on the person. I don't care for them. I don't think the image quality boost is really there. I mean, to some degree it "improves" the images but I don't find it really worth upgrading anything. Wireless surround sound sucks though unless something drastic has changed in the last year or so.
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May 23, 2008 07:14
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Could somebody post the list of connections sorted by quality (i.e. VGA, HDMI, component, etc.) again? 
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May 23, 2008 08:46
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FirstPlayer posted:Could somebody post the list of connections sorted by quality (i.e. VGA, HDMI, component, etc.) again? -DVI/HDMI -Component/VGA -Everything else that isn't important since it shouldn't be used. Not too complicated. Component and VGA can vary slightly due to device or television implementation, but usually they're as near as makes no difference. Same with DVI and HDMI. For television viewing you'll get the best PQ going straight to the set with the coax, but with the lack of CableCard equipped sets that's not always an option.
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May 23, 2008 09:46
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jackpot posted:Panny or Samsung? I went with the Panasonic. From the reviews and looking at it in the store, it looks like a quality TV, but all of the 42" plasma TVs are really similar. It really came down to price for me, and with the CC deal it might came out cheaper than the Samsung. A little off topic, but since some people might be using wireless HTIB systems and PS3s. I've noticed that wireless speaker systems cause a lot of interference with the PS3's wireless Internet hookup. I've had to disable mine almost entirely to keep my PS3 online.
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May 23, 2008 10:53
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jackpot posted:What's the better TV? Well this is my first Plasma but I always follow technology and read about everything. My personal opinion, and it seems like the communities, Panasonic is a better television and brand. That's not to say there's anything wrong with Samsung b/c they make some good poo poo too. I keep reading that the Samsung has more accurate colors but I have seen the screenshots(which may or may not mean much) and seen the color charts and they both look pretty close to me. The Samsung may look a little more vibrant but the black levels on the Panasonic are without a doubt better than the Samsung. Black is the hardest color to reproduce on a television in general and is pretty drat important. It's not just about looking black, it's about all of the detail that comes out from your black levels. The color "accuracy" of the Samsung is up for debate, but like I said they're close anyway. I personally care more about black levels than some extra "pop". I previously have owned two LCD's, which were alright, but I never realized how much they crushed blacks. How much detail was lost. Furthermore, even though the Samsung hasn't been out quite as long as the Panasonic, I have read of a lot less IR(Image Retention) issues with the Panasonics. Yeah people get some IR with both brands but that's the nature of plasma. Personally, I have yet to experience ANY IR. I dunno if I am blind or lucky but I am generally pretty anal about poo poo. I'd go for whichever was the better deal. Obviously if you need a VGA port, which I didn't b/c I use HDMI or DVI>>DVI, or you need 1080p over component, the Samsung might be the better choice. Don't be fooled by those extra features though. The VGA port may or may not be a wash and in reality you don't really need 1080p over component on a 720p T.V. The better brand, better blacks, and most likely the better $$ deal go to the Panasonic, as long as you hop on that deal now. In the end whichever TV you go for I think you will be pleased. I have put over 100 hours in on my TH-42PX80U in less than a week. And I may be crazy but the picture keeps looking better and better. I had heard that as you get the television broke in this would happen, but I didn't think it'd be this noticeable.
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May 23, 2008 12:06
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Moonbloodsflow posted:Uh what? Before you make a post like that you should know what you're talking about. First you make a stupid comment about contract ratios and then you post this. Sorry but you need to do some reading. No offense. Can you point me in the right direction? It seems like a TV with a 4:3 ratio would be worse for watching widescreen content then a TV with a 16:9 ratio, and that a higher contrast ratio would be better than a lower contrast ratio from the same manufacter. But you are correct that these are assumptions I am making, not based on knowledge specific to HD TVs.
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May 23, 2008 12:38
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Ranma4703 posted:Can you point me in the right direction? It seems like a TV with a 4:3 ratio would be worse for watching widescreen content then a TV with a 16:9 ratio, and that a higher contrast ratio would be better than a lower contrast ratio from the same manufacter. But you are correct that these are assumptions I am making, not based on knowledge specific to HD TVs. I can see where you get your assumptions but your assumptions would only be true if the pixels on a plasma t.v. were square in shape. At 1024x768 on a plasma, the pixels are actually rectangles which create a widescreen experience with a 4:3 amount of pixels. Up until recently pretty much all plasma's under 50inches were all 1024x768. It's not a problem at all and everything looks beautiful at that resolution. It doesn't matter whether you go with a 1024x768 display or 1365x768, neither are exactly 1280x720. so some pixel stretching/mapping is going to take place. We are mostly only concerned with the vertical resolution which exceeds 720 lines. Honestly, go to the store and check out some T.V.s from a decent viewing distance. As for contrast ratios...You can't take any contrast ratios for much more than a grain of salt. Each manufacturer measures there own and there is no common ground. Those really high contrast ratio numbers are dynamic contrast ratios. Just like everything else, to most consumers big numbers mean better but that's not always the case. More often it seems it's not since manufacturers take advantage of it so much. You can google any of this and probably find a plethora of information and discussion. And just for the record I am not the word on any of this and I am not trying to be. I am just an average joe who likes to read and learn. http://www.practical-home-theater-guide.com/contrast-ratio.html
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May 23, 2008 13:22
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Juriko posted:Upconverting DVD players totally depend on the person. I don't care for them. I don't think the image quality boost is really there. I mean, to some degree it "improves" the images but I don't find it really worth upgrading anything. jackpot fucked around with this message at 15:20 on May 23, 2008 |
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May 23, 2008 15:17
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jackpot posted:So sure, maybe an upconverting dvd would look better, but it's all relative at this point because it's going to look better anyway. Maybe not since SD content tends to look worse on an HD display. A lot of people tend to overlook this. Anytime you take low resolution video and put it on a high resolution display you're going to see a lot of flaws. I know this is pretty obvious but I think it's important to rehash to most new HDTV buyers.
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May 23, 2008 15:27
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Moonbloodsflow posted:Maybe not since SD content tends to look worse on an HD display. A lot of people tend to overlook this. Anytime you take low resolution video and put it on a high resolution display you're going to see a lot of flaws. I know this is pretty obvious but I think it's important to rehash to most new HDTV buyers.
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May 23, 2008 15:51
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jackpot posted:My newest dvd player is a (lovely) Philips mini-home theater system, it's got s-video outputs and progressive scan dvd. I'm still going to try it before buying anything else (because without this system I'm hosed for sound; it may not be great but it's better than the tv's speakers), but is it bound to suck? More than likely I don't think you'll be happy with it hooked up via s-video. Honestly the sound from the Panasonic's aren't that bad. I read that it wasn't that good but I was pleasantly surprised when I tested it for fun. I would start thinking about it and/or try to save money for some upgrades. Just use the money you're saving from the deal
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May 23, 2008 16:08
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When I'm making arrangements to get a new tv home, do I need room to stand it up on-end, or room to lay it flat? I remember reading somewhere that flatscreens shouldn't be laid on their side, but I can't remember where. That's liable to be a pain in the rear end since I'm using a pickup and I imagine the box will be really thin.
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May 23, 2008 20:40
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jackpot posted:When I'm making arrangements to get a new tv home, do I need room to stand it up on-end, or room to lay it flat? I remember reading somewhere that flatscreens shouldn't be laid on their side, but I can't remember where. That's liable to be a pain in the rear end since I'm using a pickup and I imagine the box will be really thin. You're not supposed to lay plasmas flat, I don't know about LCD's though. But the guy who worked at CC told me that if I had to lay it flat when I bought mine, he said to let it sit upright for an hour before turning it on and it should be fine, but I don't know if that works.
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May 23, 2008 20:58
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dont bother, was wrong heh.
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May 23, 2008 21:01
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A friend is going to be getting a Samsung LN46A550. He only has access to Comcast cable and will be using their HD service. He plans to get just their HD box, not the DVR. What outputs does it have? I'm pretty sure it lacks an HDMI output (only on their DVRs). Does it have DVI, VGA, and component outputs? What about audio out?
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May 23, 2008 21:25
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jackpot posted:When I'm making arrangements to get a new tv home, do I need room to stand it up on-end, or room to lay it flat? I remember reading somewhere that flatscreens shouldn't be laid on their side, but I can't remember where. That's liable to be a pain in the rear end since I'm using a pickup and I imagine the box will be really thin. If you can manage it try to keep it upright in the box. I'd avoid laying it on it's side but if you have to just make sure the screen is facing upward. EvilLarry29 posted:You're not supposed to lay plasmas flat, I don't know about LCD's though. But the guy who worked at CC told me that if I had to lay it flat when I bought mine, he said to let it sit upright for an hour before turning it on and it should be fine, but I don't know if that works. I can't imagine why you would need to let it sit an hour. Maybe I am wrong but this seems to go along the lines of hearing about a plasma leaking plasma, heh. It's not like you're doing with liquid here, it's a gas.
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May 23, 2008 21:28
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EvilLarry29 posted:You're not supposed to lay plasmas flat, I don't know about LCD's though. But the guy who worked at CC told me that if I had to lay it flat when I bought mine, he said to let it sit upright for an hour before turning it on and it should be fine, but I don't know if that works. The reason plasmas shouldn't be laid flat is because they're massive panes of glass and when laid horizontally they undergo far more stress than when vertical. This is the same reason contractors transport glass vertically. The same goes for most large LCDs as well. Sounds like the CC salesman thought the plasma gas got mixed up or something and needed to settle, which is the most retarded thing ever. Really it's not a big deal though, and i'd have no problem transporting a plasma horizontally short of a long gravel road or cross-country trek.
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May 23, 2008 21:34
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Moonbloodsflow posted:
The time it was the most obvious, I had been watching a movie and when it was over I switched back to the tuner and The Empire Strikes Back was on TV. It was one of the Bespin flyover scenes - which are very light and there's a lot of white on screen. I could see where the black bars were and watch it gradually fade away. They were gone after probably 20 seconds.
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May 23, 2008 22:03
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Hey guys. I have done a little bit of research on the matter but I wanted to know what the A/V Goons had to say on the issue. I am looking to buy my first HDTV, I just graduated college and I don't have a lot of money to spend on it. I am looking at the TVs in the $600.00 to $800.00 price range. It would be really cool if I could stick closer to the $600.00 side but am willing to go up to around $850.00 if there is just a huge difference in the TV. I am mainly going to be watching DVDs and playing video games on it (XBox360, Wii and hopefully a PS3 soon). Edit: As of right now I am going to be using the TV's built in speakers, so a decent set of built in speakers is pretty important. Codiusprime fucked around with this message at 23:15 on May 23, 2008 |
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May 23, 2008 23:13
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For those with the Samsung LNxxA750: What settings are you using on your TV?
pliable fucked around with this message at 23:45 on May 23, 2008 |
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May 23, 2008 23:42
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Just a quick question, I'm looking at getting a 32 inch HDTV, and I keep hearing good things about the Vizio TVs. Is there any truth to that? They have 32" LCDS for around $600, but they just put out a 32" Plasma that's around $580. I basically want to get a 32" TV, something that isn't crazy expensive, but it's a gift for my in-laws, who have been watching TV on a 25in 10 year old tube TV, and won't really notice the quality too much. Is Vizio a good idea, or should I be looking at Olevia's or Westinghouse?
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May 24, 2008 01:50
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I've read a bit about that new 32" Vizio plasma and it's easily the best PQ you're going to get for anywhere near that price. No 32" LCDs will touch it. Sounds good to me. And I finally put my money where my mouth is and got the Panny TH-42PZ80U today! Dear god does it look spectacular, way better than the Sony Bravia LCD it replaced. Currently burning it in with Milkdrop from my PC. My settings: Picture mode: Cinema Picture: +85 Brightness: +65 Color: +44 Tint: -3 Sharpness: 0 Color temp: Warm Color mgmt.: Off x.v.Color: Off Video NR: Off Black level: Light HD size: Size 2 I'll post pics later.
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May 24, 2008 02:01
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I went ahead and used the CC deal to get a Panasonic Viera TH-42PX80U for $750 and I'm loving the picture quality, but I'm getting some high pitched ringing/buzz out of the speakers at certain sound frequencies and levels across all analog sound inputs (mac mini/wii don't have an optical cable to test). Might this be explained by my lack of a quality surge protector? I'm dreading having to haul this thing back to Circuit City.
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May 24, 2008 07:36
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Just a heads up, I noticed alot of people looking to purchase a similar model: Amazon has the SamsungLN52A550 (52" 120hz 1080p LCD) for 1900. http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-LN52A550-52-inch-1080p-HDTV/dp/B001415EMI/ref=pd_bbs_sr_4?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1211614508&sr=8-4
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May 24, 2008 07:36
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BrownThunder posted:Just a heads up, I noticed alot of people looking to purchase a similar model: Not a 120hz.
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May 24, 2008 13:05
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I'm looking relying on OTA for HD. Is there a decent place to shop online for antennas in the vein of monoprice for cables? I'm not sure if I just go to a store around town if I'll find anything or pay too much.
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May 24, 2008 16:46
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I'm sort of considering the Panasonic Viera TH-46PZ800U for a relatively near-term purchse. It's a bit of a premium over the next model down, but the greater number of gradations might make a difference for me given that I seem to be really sensitive to banding. Unfortunately I'm also really sensitive to flicker, and if the 24p playback is at 48Hz that might be a problem for me (I have no idea if I'm sensitive to judder). I wish I had a portable media source so I could run a single HD signal into some of the sets at local stores to see how they'd REALLY look. I also really should cut out some blanks so I can see how a 42" versus a 46" would look in our living room. We sit probably eleven or twelve feet away, although for gaming (secondary to movies in terms of use) I sit a lot closer both for field of view and also because that's where the Poang will fit with a Logitech wheel. =) Whether our apartment wiring would allow for five hundred goddamned watts of draw when we have the A/C on is another problem altogether. Ugh.
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May 24, 2008 17:47
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Craptacular! posted:I'm looking relying on OTA for HD. Is there a decent place to shop online for antennas in the vein of monoprice for cables? I'm not sure if I just go to a store around town if I'll find anything or pay too much. Assuming you've already done the research on antennaweb.org to know if rabbit ears or a rooftop antenna are for you, then your best bet is to either order a good rooftop aerial off the internet (only a few companies make them anymore), or to just go to Walgreen's and get a set of basic rabbit ears there for $30.
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May 24, 2008 18:34
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tetrapyloctomy posted:I'm sort of considering the Panasonic Viera TH-46PZ800U for a relatively near-term purchse. It's a bit of a premium over the next model down, but the greater number of gradations might make a difference for me given that I seem to be really sensitive to banding. Unfortunately I'm also really sensitive to flicker, and if the 24p playback is at 48Hz that might be a problem for me (I have no idea if I'm sensitive to judder). I wish I had a portable media source so I could run a single HD signal into some of the sets at local stores to see how they'd REALLY look. I also really should cut out some blanks so I can see how a 42" versus a 46" would look in our living room. We sit probably eleven or twelve feet away, although for gaming (secondary to movies in terms of use) I sit a lot closer both for field of view and also because that's where the Poang will fit with a Logitech wheel. =) 42" is way too small at that distance. I have a 42" at 7' and it's way too small even then. The 48hz setting is unwatchable due to flicker according to Cnet and every owner on AVS. Stupid Panasonic. Also it will never use its maximum power rating, usually around half. And you should get the 85u if it means getting a larger screen. I haven't heard of any banding problems on it, and 42"-46" is going to feel miniscule rather quickly at 11'-12'.
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May 24, 2008 19:30
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I really want to buy that Panasonic TH-42PZ800U, but Best Buy and Fry's are making it difficult. They don't have them in stores. I even went to Best Buy today to ask them what up? And the guys there couldn't tell me when they'll get them in stock. And even the website says they can't deliver it to my zip code or other zip codes around me. I'm tempted to just buy the thing on Amazon, but I had seriously bad luck before with HDTVs- where I ended up returning a Samsung to Best Buy twice. First for sucking, second for a dead pixel. Why is it so hard - I just want to give stores money.
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May 24, 2008 19:46
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.Nathan. posted:42" is way too small at that distance. I have a 42" at 7' and it's way too small even then. The 48hz setting is unwatchable due to flicker according to Cnet and every owner on AVS. Stupid Panasonic. Also it will never use its maximum power rating, usually around half. And you should get the 85u if it means getting a larger screen. I haven't heard of any banding problems on it, and 42"-46" is going to feel miniscule rather quickly at 11'-12'. Our current television is a 27" CRT at the same distance. =) My brother-in-law has a 42" TV at about the same distance and it's adequate. Don't get me wrong -- I would prefer something in the four-foot-plus range. Maybe I will look into the 85Us, or give the 800Us a chance to drop in price a bit -- decreased banding really would make a difference for me and it's supposed to have fantastic contrast. I've heard that Pioneer's 72Hz playback is ridiculously good, but Jesus, are their sets pricey! Right now it's a moot point since I have no 1080p/24fps media but since I'll be keeping this thing for some time I'd prefer to have peace of mind knowing it'll play said media in a fashion that I can, you know, watch without wanting to gouge out my eyes. Like I said, though, I really don't know how much judder would bother me with 2:3 pulldown, so it might not even matter anyway. Argh. More research is necessary.
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May 24, 2008 21:02
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I picked up this Samsung today with the coupon that was posted a page or so ago for 10% off at Best Buy so I got it for $630. It looks pretty good but I don't know the best calibration for it. Does anyone have one of these that can post a good calibration setup?
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May 24, 2008 21:10
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Got the Panasonic TH42PX80U today, and I already love it more than most people I know, relatives included. Thanks all of you for all the advice, I sincerely appreciate it. And thanks Moonbloodsflow for the Circuit City deal; you may not have saved me any money (I planned to spend about $900, walked out spending $1150), but that's a hell of a deal you posted. I went with the SC-PT750 home theater, and although I know I could make an easy $300 taking it back, I'm going to keep it. I've got a real lovely Philips right now and it's been trying to die for a while now; this is a great replacement and saves me the trouble of shopping again in the near future. I just watched the first 15 minutes of Saving Private Ryan and it's loving amazing. Now, mirroring what Overbite said: how should I calibrate this sucker? What's up with this break-in period, should I have it at some specific setting in the beginning?
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May 24, 2008 21:39
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Crustashio posted:Not a 120hz. I was thinking about grabbing this... Both that model and the 650 (touch of red) model say they have AutoMotion Plus 120hz as one of the features. Is there something I'm missing? I thought that was the 120hz processing.
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May 24, 2008 21:42
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