Buying a Flat Panel Display (LCD/Plasma/LED etc)

[ST7677]

ST - I agree with you entirely. My comparison is between the FULL HD PY805 vs the 720p Pioneer 8 Series 508 since both are at the same price point at this time. I am assuming with the advent of the 9series the prices of the Pio may fall a little more.

Have you narrowed down on what you are going to buy yet?

In any case - since you have compared them in person can you please elaborate on what you found different/better in the Pio? Will help me decide.

My current choice of HDTV is Pio 508 (amongst ALL types of HD TVs). But I am not going to buy it yet as I am planning for an interior re-haul. Procrastination only helps in these cases
If I miss this model, then I am going to skip the 9th gen and go straight for the 10th Gen model, which will at least have more competitive price (due to Matus hita glass) and some more tech improvements.

I can summarize the difference between the 3 TVs as below: (all 50" size and ISF calibrated)
a. Pio 8th Gen 720p (around 1.5 lacs INR)
b. Pana 11th gen 1080p (around 1.6 lacs INR)
c. Pio 9th Gen 1080p (expected to launch around 3 lacs INR)

1. Blacks: Both Pioneers were significantly superior, however not too much visible difference between Pio 8th & 9th Gen, though this might be apparent at night). They also had more details in dark scenes compared to Pana.

2. Resolution: I could not make out more detail between 768P & 1080P even from 4 ft. The only advantage of 1080p was that the pixels are smaller so the grid between the cells is not visible, which is visible in 768p below 5ft (if you really try to look for it).

3. Moving resolution: Pioneer pictures are more clear, I guess they have a higher motion resolution. I can check the specs for you.

4. Brightness: Panasonic screen has a brighter image compared to Pioneer. Whites looked whiter.

5. Standard Definition: Pioneers image processor handles SD much better than Panasonic's. This is one of the main reasons why I would pay for 50% price premium for Pioneer over Panasonic. As pretty much 100% of my present viewing is standard channels and DVDs,(except for PC usage). As you go bigger in size, watching standard definition can become more painful, so this is very important.

The reason I choose Pio 8th Gen over 9th gen are:
1. 8th Gen model is Elite version, i.e. it has detailed picture calibration settings which have been stripped of in 9th Gen model. Very important in getting the right picture out of your TV. It's like tuning options in audio.
2. 9th Gen does not have a 768p model. 1080p is "nice to have" feature but is definitely not a "must have" or "should have" feature. IMO it only gets you bragging rights and practically no real picture quality gain. Now for twice the price you judge if you want it

[sj_koova]

Originally Posted by ST7677

My current choice of HDTV is Pio 508

I too have similar thoughts. I would like to go for Pio 508 or 428 or Pani 50PY850 . But do not want to make it in a hurry.
After reading some of the reviews and suggestions from fellow BHP-ians, my mind is towards Pioneer now.
Did you find a shop where you can source the Pioneer plasma in Bangalore?
If it is 8th Gen (720p), 428 seems to be a better choice I guess.

If you are making your decision in next two months, please let me know. We can probably work together or find few more candidates for a better bargain.

However Pioneer's sales/service is still a concern for me.

[ST7677]

If it is 8th Gen (720p), 428 seems to be a better choice I guess.

Performance wise Pio 508 is actually half way between 8th Gen and 9th Gen with much better black levels over Pio 428.

Did you find a shop where you can source the Pioneer plasma in Bangalore?

There are only 2 authorized dealers in the country
Bangalore dealer is a greedy one, so don;t expect much discounts from him.
Delhi dealer is more reasonable and willing to give some discounts. He would also ship to your door in Bangalore at nominal charges and get it installed. (from what I have heard and read).

Looking at the stock market I am tempted to put 1.5 lacs in equity till 10 gen comes out, then I can probably buy a Pio 50" TV and turbo charge my car at the same time too

[kb100]

Originally Posted by ST7677

Performance wise Pio 508 is actually half way between 8th Gen and 9th Gen with much better black levels over Pio 428.

What is the exact model number pls? Google is throwing up multiple options

Originally Posted by ST7677

There are only 2 authorized dealers in the country
Bangalore dealer is a greedy one, so don;t expect much discounts from him.
Delhi dealer is more reasonable and willing to give some discounts. He would also ship to your door in Bangalore at nominal charges and get it installed. (from what I have heard and read).

Would you by any chance have their names and numbers?

[Eddy]

If the Delhi dealer you are talking about is Fair Deal Electronics, I can find out the number.

[vasudeva]

Originally Posted by ST7677

2. Resolution: I could not make out more detail between 768P & 1080P even from 4 ft. The only advantage of 1080p was that the pixels are smaller so the grid between the cells is not visible, which is visible in 768p below 5ft (if you really try to look for it).

4. Brightness: Panasonic screen has a brighter image compared to Pioneer. Whites looked whiter.

After using Pioneer for 3 months, I think both of the above are true. Regarding grid between cells or say small pixels, they are perceptible (if you are looking for it) at 2-4 feet but beyond that, not there. Not sure if this is due to 768p vs 1080p, Tata Sky telecast, or something. On original DVDs (even when burnt and compressed thru ripit4me, dvd shrink, dvd decrypter), it is a lot less.

Pioneer is darker with black bars (in say cinemascope movies) not at all visible and merging with the image. I would say that gives a lot more richer image. However, still for watching DVDs, I have a separate input mode and separate user settings (brightness up a little).

By the way, I am very happy with Pioneer 42 (which was reco by reignofchaos, you, and others). However, I think it can be made much better thru professional calibration (ISF). Do you know something reasonable. Alternately, could you help me with colour adjust. It has pro adjust where 6 basic colours (yellow,red, blue, cyanide, etc) can be adjusted. I have tinkered with those but left the changes undone, because I am not a pro.

[Selective]

Last week end I received the panny 42PV80H/D tv. I received it saturday night, and I installed (placing the tv on the stand) and switched the tv on. First thing I did is to set the contrast and brightness below 45% . TV is connected to hathway setup box and philips DVD player. PQ is way better than I expected (compared to what I saw in the panny/ezone shop). Scanned thru all the channels and I was more than happy. Next day, I purchased high quality RCA cable and connected setup box and TV with the new cable. And the PQ is improved a lot and I am totally satisfied with the TV now.

Watched American Gangster, Singh is King and Sarkar Raj DVDs and as you can guess, the experience was truly amazing.

The initial whole TV viewing experience is awesome. I am just waiting for run-in period (100 hrs) to get over so that I can play around with the settings.

Thanks a lot to team-BHP members who provided all the gyan and suggestions. Coming week end my HTS will be installed and I am looking forward for that.

[csentil]

Hey Selective, where did you get the High quality RCA cable, how much did it cost?

Do any of the STB's come with component out?

[appuchan]

Originally Posted by Selective

Last week end I received the panny 42PV80H/D tv. I received it saturday night, and I installed (placing the tv on the stand) and switched the tv on. First thing I did is to set the contrast and brightness below 45% . TV is connected to hathway setup box and philips DVD player. PQ is way better than I expected (compared to what I saw in the panny/ezone shop). Scanned thru all the channels and I was more than happy. Next day, I purchased high quality RCA cable and connected setup box and TV with the new cable. And the PQ is improved a lot and I am totally satisfied with the TV now.

...

Did you try out the recommended picture settings for PV80 as mentioned on hdtvtest website? Was it good enough for normal viewing?

Panasonic TH42PX80 Best Settings After Calibration

[appuchan]

Originally Posted by vasudeva

...

.. However, I think it can be made much better thru professional calibration (ISF). Do you know something reasonable. Alternately, could you help me with colour adjust. It has pro adjust where 6 basic colours (yellow,red, blue, cyanide, etc) can be adjusted. I have tinkered with those but left the changes undone, because I am not a pro.

I have seen some recommended settings for 8G and 9G panels in the avforums site. See link below.

Pioneer 8G Owners Thread - AVForums.com

Some more info...

Owners Thread - Pioneer Pdp 428xda/508xda 768p - DTV Forum Australia

[nemo]

i guess only the BIG TV STB comes with a Component Out. btw, Csentil, Can you please PM me the details of the Devi's contact for purchasing the PV80 --thanks

[jassi]

what about the new tata sky plus DTH ? Tata Sky DTH in India, Leading Satellite Television Provider in India, DTH services by Tata Sky, Direct-to-home, India
does that have component out

[A.R]

I booked a LG 42" Plasma today, 54 K with the offer - DVD Player, HDMI cable + 50 movie discs from LG Shoppe. Wasn't very convinced with PV8/80 Panny's plasma display seen at ezone. Delivery expected in 2 days.

[vasudeva]

Originally Posted by ST7677

Looking at the stock market I am tempted to put 1.5 lacs in equity till 10 gen comes out, then I can probably buy a Pio 50" TV and turbo charge my car at the same time too

That is one scenario. The alternate one is to put 1.5 in equity and get a Samsung 29 inch slim TV.

[sj_koova]

At times I too think so. Buy a Pani PV80 for now and invest the saved money in equity.
But then the other half of my brain says TV is something I use everyday, so buy the best. And now Pioneer is haunting me.