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

[jassi]

Originally Posted by anuragn

Exactly. That is my point. When both have the same V Real3, how can it be possible for PV80 to be better than PV8 in video processing?
Hence I said that pictures looking better on PV80 in side by side or same-source comparisions due to "better" video engine is a myth. The reason for one to be better than the other must be something else.

Hi anuragn - i meant both have vreal3 technology - not vreal3 !!
vreal3 technology is implemented differently in different models using vreal3pro and vreal3 (non-pro) chipsets. this where the difference (MAY) exists in pv8 and pv80. This is maybe more evident under bad signal conditions when additional frames are inserted to compensate.
I haven't seen any pv8 look different from pv80 in the showroom. But I haven't seen pv8 in home conditions either with a bad/old hathway box. All I have is my pv80 works fine and my friend's pv8 does not under the same hathway signal (although his hathway box is newer). This info is only for future buyers or existing pv8 owners (who have issues) to be wary of and investigate and not meant for those of us who are successfully using pv8s or pv80s

[sj_koova]

What we have in India is PV80, which is 100Hz and the PX80 is 200Hz- Double scan.
Also the new 8xx FullHD series from Pana is double scan.
There is noticeable difference between 50Hz and 100Hz, which is selectable in PV80. So 100Hz to 200Hz should have similar improvement.

[VSG12777]

Hmm - yes even I found on the Panasonic Australia / UK etc sites that the plasmas there have the 100Hz feature. This is supposed to double the motion enhancement. I am not aware of how much difference this would make in normal DTH / DVD viewing though.

[kb100]

Originally Posted by w 12

is it true that the Pana PV 80 sold in India is not a 100 hertz model , where as similar models sold in europe & US , e.g. P X 80 are 100 hertz models ?

What are the effects on Picture quality , pricing assuming 100 hertz models are introduced in India as well.

Don't think so - PV80 has the 100 Hz option in the menu.

[Elito11]

Originally Posted by Elito11

Hi Guys

I am looking for a 32 LCD for my bedroom. Don't want to spend more than 35k. ANy suggestions?

Have shortlisted Pana LX80 based on some reviews i have read. Either that or best Samsung 32 incher within my budget as i get a discount on Samsung. (nothing big) What do you say??

Thanks

Elito

BUMP!

Any suggestions plz

Elito

[jassi]

Originally Posted by Elito11

BUMP!

Any suggestions plz

Elito

too many plasma focussed discussions going on here, I think this thread should be renamed to "buying an HDTV"
but you can try Best HDTVs (32 inches or less) - CNET Reviews

[sj_koova]

Okey..here is what I find after doing some research on web

PV80 sold in India (and all other Asian countries) is V-REAL 3 and 100Hz
PX80/PZ80 sold in Europe and Australia is V-REAL 3 PRO and Double Scan (200Hz)

And all the 2008 model Pana 800 series is PRO and double scan.

So technically quality picture on PV8 and PV80 should be same. Still a mystery why they are charging 5k more on PV80.

I am not sure why the Pana brand shop guy misguided me and also to my eyes PV80 picture looked slightly better on same signal.

[VSG12777]

Hi guys,

My wife and I are trying to fit in the 50 inch Panasonic PV80 plasma into our new house budget since Niranjan from Devi International, Bangalore has given me a quote of 104k for the TH-50PV80. The billed amount would be 106k it seems. Similarly for the 42PV80, it would be 56k while the billed amount would be 58.6k.

For the DVD player, I plan to get a Pioneer DV-610 which is available here in Chennai for 7k, and for the home theatre I plan to get the ProFX Fusion 5 system with the Denon AVR-1509 receiver for a total cost of 38k.

Now for the plasmas, here are the prices I have:

LG 42 PG61 (frameless model) - MRP 75k, LG brand shop best price 54k
LG 50 PG61 (frameless model) - MRP 135k, LG brand shop best price 118k

Samsung 50 inch full HD model PS50A550S1 - MRP 140k, Samsung showroom selling price 130k, best price 125k offered

Panasonic 50 PV80 - MRP 120k, Panasonic brand shop price 108k
Panasonic 42 PV80 - MRP 75k, Panasonic brand shop price 62k
Panasonic 50 PY850 full HD - MRP 205k, Panasonic brand shop price 180k

After going through the prices, I somehow feel 180k for a full HD plasma at this point is not really worth it. We're mainly gonna be watching DVDs and DTH (whether TATA Sky or Airtel etc) through an upscaling HDMI DVD player.

Now, what I would like to know is:

(1) The Samsung 50 inch full HD plasma at 125k is tempting. But is full HD worth it now ?

(2) If we play a blu ray disc movie on a 50 inch HD ready model like 50PV80 and on a full HD model like 50PY850 or Samsung PS50A550S1, would we see the difference ?

(3) If yes, how much difference can we notice and at what distance should we be sitting to notice the difference ?

Our seating distance from the plasma in our new house is gonna be around 12-13 feet. 50 inch would be ideal for this distance. But, if we get a full HD model and play a blu ray disc movie on this 50PV80 versus the 50PY850, how much of a difference are we gonna see ? If it is small, then it may not be worth it going in for full HD. Apologies if I am coming around to the same point again and again :-)

It is clear that in India at this point, the only full HD sources would be the Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation 3 or other blu ray disc players, not to mention full HD camcorders. I know Jassi in Bangalore uses 2 PS3s with his 42PV80 plasma and he has said that the movies look fantastic - this is at 1024x768 resolution. I would really like to know whether these same blu ray disc movies played at 1920x1080p on the full HD plasma would really make that much of a difference.

Guys, those with knowledge and experience on this, please do guide me here.

* If full HD is worth it, Samsung full HD 50 inch is what we may go for, at 125k. Far better value than Panasonic at 180k.
* Or, if full HD is not worth it, the Panasonic 50PV80 is the next best choice since it's also fantastic value at 104k (even cheaper than the LG 50PG61 frameless model at 118k) from Devi International, Bangalore.

Like I mentioned before, my wife loves the frameless sexy looking LG PG61 plasma and the USB port on its side. I have however mentioned to her that the USB port is not all that attractive since the Pioneer DV-610 DVD player also has a USB port which can play all formats. If it's 42 inch, it would probably be the LG PG61 to satisfy my wife and if it's 50 inch, it would almost definitely be the Panasonic 50PV80.

Look forward to your comments / views / thoughts / opinions / advice guys !!

Thanks and warm regards,
Venkat

[RGP]

Originally Posted by sj_koova

PV80 sold in India (and all other Asian countries) is V-REAL 3 and 100Hz
PX80/PZ80 sold in Europe and Australia is V-REAL 3 PRO and Double Scan (200Hz)

I am not sure why the Pana brand shop guy misguided me and also to my eyes PV80 picture looked slightly better on same signal.

The brochure that Niranjan of Devi Intl showed me said V-REAL3 PRO for PV80 and V-REAL3 for PV8. I asked him what the difference was... he called someone (from Pana I presume) and then told me that PV80 was "professional" version while PV8 was regular. He could not elaborate further. He would not gve me the brochure saying it was the only copy he had.

[kb100]

Originally Posted by VSG12777

Look forward to your comments / views / thoughts / opinions / advice guys !!

Thanks and warm regards,
Venkat

Venkat

I went through the same dilemma. Let me tell you what I felt

1. BULK of my viewing is ONLY SD - DTH & DVD. I do not play games nor do I plan to buy a Blue Ray player/software till prices come down further.

2. The technological revolution is expected around September of next year.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/gadget...ml#post1034270 (Buying a Flat Panel Display (LCD/Plasma/LED etc))


Therefore I decided to go with the 42" non HD model for the time being, and use the savings to buy a much better and hopefully much bigger TV for the same price some time in 2010.

[ST7677]

Originally Posted by vsg12777

Our seating distance from the plasma in our new house is gonna be around 12-13 feet. 50 inch would be ideal for this distance. But, if we get a full HD model and play a blu ray disc movie on this 50PV80 versus the 50PY850, how much of a difference are we gonna see ? If it is small, then it may not be worth it going in for full HD. Apologies if I am coming around to the same point again and again :-)

Irrespective of whether you give 1080p or 768p signal the difference will not be visible from that distance.

For a 50" TV
Resolution greater than 1080p would be noticeable below 6.5 ft
Full resolution of 1080p is visible to the eye at 6.5 ft

1080p benefits start to be noticeable between 9.8 to 6.5 ft
Full resolution of 720p is visible to the eye at 9.8 ft

720P benefits start to be noticeable between 14.6ft to 9.8 ft
Full resolution of 480p (SD) is visible to the eye at 14.6 ft

Beyond 14.6 ft distance all resolutions will look the same on a 50" TV

So for 12-13 ft 720p is more than enough.
Note: this is based on the resolution that eye can perceive, hence no other factors like technology (LCD / Plasma) etc make a difference.

[VSG12777]

ST7677,

Wow. Now that's an eye opener. What a wealth of information there. Thanks. So in effect, you're saying that at my viewing distance of 12-13 feet, HD-ready 50PV80 or full HD 50PY850 wouldn't make a difference.

Well, then I don't see any point spending even 125k on the Samsung full HD 50 inch plasma, let alone spending more on other brand plasmas.

Just got a call from the Panasonic brand shop here in Chennai quoting a best price of 107k for the 50 inch 50PV80. Do you guys feel this is a good deal ? I think this is the closest we can get in Chennai (that too from a brand shop) to Devi's price of 104k for the same 50 inch plasma.

Let me know what you guys think. Wifey and I are still in the process of working out some calculations for the purchases for the new house. So it still hasn't been decided - whether to go in for a 42 inch or 50 inch. But if it is a 50 inch plasma, then Panasonic is the one. If it's 42 inch, wifey loves the LG 42PG61 frameless model and its USB port, so maybe I will go that route, in which case we will pick up a 50-inch one sometime in summer 2009.

Warm regards,
Venkat

[ab1xlr8]

Hi, VSG12777 here are some snaps of the lg 42 pg61 i had taken earlier, they are of normal cable and ps3, dvd quality is also very good.

[VSG12777]

Hi ab1xlr8

Wow. The snaps look pretty good. I am sure DVDs look even better. I tested out this 42PG61UR model at the LG brand shop here with Toy Story / Finding Nemo / Monsters Inc DVDs which were all in 1.78:1 aspect ratio - meaning in 16:9 mode these DVDs filled up the screen with perfect proportions. They looked amazing.

If it's 42 inch I would probably go in for the LG PG61. But if it's 50 inch, then Panasonic would be the one. The LG is too expensive - brand shop here is quoting 118k as the best price. I think the Panasonic then is a far better deal at 107k. Let's see.

Thanks for the photos !!

Warm regards,
Venkat

[shajufx]

If someone could mention here the settings that you have done on a PV8 or PV80, it would have been a good tip for a perfect viewing. I find a lot of difference in the actual clarity when playing with the contrast/brightness/sharpness area. Could anyone suggest a set up DVD or a channel that helps in fine tuning the plasma ? Also please share the 'aspect' selection you have done on your TV. I am curious to know how the RGYB buttons are used. Thanks.