Plasma decision - Newbie

[elnino]

Hi,

I am hoping to get some info from you as I am looking to buy a new 42" plasma. I am currently considering the following at the following prices:

Sony 42" PFM42X1 $4900
Sony 42" KEMX42S1STD (WEGA) $6900
NEC 42" PX-42XR3W $5000
NEC 50" PX-50XR4W $7300

I guess my main concern is whether the Sony WEGA is worth the extra expense. I went to Harvey Norman and it looked great. Are Sony good plasmas (at the above prices)? I have seen the Sony PFM42X1 on display at Bing Lee and it looked worse than a Fujitsu 853X480 display even though it is 1024x768 but have read posts here about how stores incorrectly set up plasmas thereby it may have not been anobjective display. I want a HD display panel.

Thanks,



El

[georgiarose]

"elnino" <elnino.1fggwg@no-mx.forums.eyo.com.au> wrote in message
news:elnino.1fggwg@no-mx.forums.eyo.com.au...
>
> Hi,
>
> I am hoping to get some info from you as I am looking to buy a new 42"
> plasma. I am currently considering the following at the following
> prices:
>
> Sony 42" PFM42X1 $4900
> Sony 42" KEMX42S1STD (WEGA) $6900
> NEC 42" PX-42XR3W $5000
> NEC 50" PX-50XR4W $7300
>
> I guess my main concern is whether the Sony WEGA is worth the extra
> expense. I went to Harvey Norman and it looked great. Are Sony good
> plasmas (at the above prices)? I have seen the Sony PFM42X1 on display
> at Bing Lee and it looked worse than a Fujitsu 853X480 display even
> though it is 1024x768 but have read posts here about how stores
> incorrectly set up plasmas thereby it may have not been anobjective
> display. I want a HD display panel.
>
> Thanks,
>
>
>
> El
>
>
> --
> elnino

Might also be worth looking at some independent reviews.
Here's a good site:
http://www.plasmatvbuyingguide.com.au/

[BenOne©]

elnino wrote:

> Hi,
>
> I am hoping to get some info from you as I am looking to buy a new 42"
> plasma. I am currently considering the following at the following
> prices:
>
> Sony 42" PFM42X1 $4900
> Sony 42" KEMX42S1STD (WEGA) $6900
> NEC 42" PX-42XR3W $5000
> NEC 50" PX-50XR4W $7300
>
> I guess my main concern is whether the Sony WEGA is worth the extra
> expense. I went to Harvey Norman and it looked great. Are Sony good
> plasmas (at the above prices)? I have seen the Sony PFM42X1 on display
> at Bing Lee and it looked worse than a Fujitsu 853X480 display even
> though it is 1024x768 but have read posts here about how stores
> incorrectly set up plasmas thereby it may have not been anobjective
> display. I want a HD display panel.
>
> Thanks,
>
>
>
> El
>
>

The Sony is bound to be overpriced. Try looking at a similar Fujitsu in a proper
HiFi/Home Theatre store. What state are you in?

--
Ben Thomas
Opinions, conclusions, and other information in this message that do not
relate to the official business of my firm shall be understood as neither
given nor endorsed by it.

[Sound Junkie]

On Wed, 10 Nov 2004 00:14:32 +1100, elnino
<elnino.1fggwg@no-mx.forums.eyo.com.au> wrote:

>
>Hi,
>
>I am hoping to get some info from you as I am looking to buy a new 42"
>plasma. I am currently considering the following at the following
>prices:
>
>Sony 42" PFM42X1 $4900
>Sony 42" KEMX42S1STD (WEGA) $6900
>NEC 42" PX-42XR3W $5000
>NEC 50" PX-50XR4W $7300
>
>I guess my main concern is whether the Sony WEGA is worth the extra
>expense. I went to Harvey Norman and it looked great. Are Sony good
>plasmas (at the above prices)? I have seen the Sony PFM42X1 on display
>at Bing Lee and it looked worse than a Fujitsu 853X480 display even
>though it is 1024x768 but have read posts here about how stores
>incorrectly set up plasmas thereby it may have not been anobjective
>display. I want a HD display panel.
>
>Thanks,
>
>
>
>El

El,

I purchased PFM-42X1 about a month ago, and am very happy with it so
far. Purchased it brand new from http://compu-america.com for US$3350
including shipping. (The company sucks, but they delivered it almost
on time, to my surprise.) Unlike Wega, this is a profesional monitor,
not a TV. It features a better quality panel: extended life, ~7 years
of non-stop uptime or about 2 times longer than that of consumer
plasma TVs, plus a great constrast ratio and color correctness. ( > 1
billion colors, or so Sony claims.) Blacks are nice, however the
overall brightness is higher than that of, say, Trinitron CRTs.

Decided to buy it after reading a comparison review in "Producer".
Here is the online copy of that article, if you're interested:

http://www.avvmmp.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=28450

Wega maybe a better choice, though, if any of the following matters to
you:

1) Comes with a stand. I had to make a stand for my PFM42X1 by myself,
because I didn't want to pay extra $250-300 for SPM-TRI/S (a
ridiculous price for such a simple thing!)

2) Has a build-in HDTV tuner. I figured - when I need it, I will get
it separately.

3) Has higher native resolution (1024 x 1024 vs. 1024 x 768). Not sure
where this is critical. Unlike with LCDs, "native resolution" in
plasma displays doesn't mean "maximum resolution". I set this monitor
to different resolutions using my laptop, for example 1280 x 720 or
1280 x 1024, and they turned out to be quite ok. Not as sharp as
native 1024 x 768, but every pixel is still legible. This difference
goes away when I play WMVHD movies (http://www.wmvhd.com)

4) Has a composite (RCA) video input. I am using DVI-D exclusively,
but when it comes to watching old VHS, I cannot connect any VCR to my
monitor, because VCRs only use RCA video output.


In my opinion, PFM-42X1 has the following:

Pros:

Great image quality
Relatively low price
Lots of build-in features, good menu
Extended panel life
Extended warranty (1 yr panel/2 yr guts versus generic 1 yr/1 yr for
most plasmas.)
Many inputs (DVI-D, VGA 15-pin, S-video, BNC component)
Can be network enabled (with optional interface board)
Comes without speakers, so you don't have to pay for them, if you
already have an audio system set up.

Cons:

Comes without a stand (grr!)
Lacks RCA input
Native resolution could be higher

Also keep in mind that, if you want to buy any digital TV/monitor
(HDMI or DVI-D), having a digital video source is a MUST. You won't
believe how much difference is between analog (say, S-video) and
digital signals. These days you can get DVD players with HDMI and/or
DVI-D outputs (not much difference, these standards are compatible,
just get the right adapter cable) or simply use your DVI-enabled
laptop/PC to watch movies.

[elnino]

elnino wrote:

> Hi,
>
> I am hoping to get some info from you as I am looking to buy a new 42"
> plasma. I am currently considering the following at the following
> prices:
>
> Sony 42" PFM42X1 $4900
> Sony 42" KEMX42S1STD (WEGA) $6900
> NEC 42" PX-42XR3W $5000
> NEC 50" PX-50XR4W $7300
>
> I guess my main concern is whether the Sony WEGA is worth the extra
> expense. I went to Harvey Norman and it looked great. Are Sony good
> plasmas (at the above prices)? I have seen the Sony PFM42X1 on display
> at Bing Lee and it looked worse than a Fujitsu 853X480 display even
> though it is 1024x768 but have read posts here about how stores
> incorrectly set up plasmas thereby it may have not been anobjective
> display. I want a HD display panel.
>
> Thanks,
>
>
>
> El
>
>

The Sony is bound to be overpriced. Try looking at a similar Fujitsu in a proper
HiFi/Home Theatre store. What state are you in?

--
Ben Thomas
Opinions, conclusions, and other information in this message that do not
relate to the official business of my firm shall be understood as neither
given nor endorsed by it.

Ben,

I am in the eastern suburbs of Sydney. Is it true that Sony are rebadged Samsungs?

Thanks,


El

[fred]

So really you dont know shit and are a Sony hater.


"BenOne©" <nosp@m.thanks.mate> wrote in message
news:0oirmc.5ig.ln@192.168.11.2...
> elnino wrote:
>
>> Hi,
>>
>> I am hoping to get some info from you as I am looking to buy a new 42"
>> plasma. I am currently considering the following at the following
>> prices:
>>
>> Sony 42" PFM42X1 $4900
>> Sony 42" KEMX42S1STD (WEGA) $6900
>> NEC 42" PX-42XR3W $5000
>> NEC 50" PX-50XR4W $7300
>>
>> I guess my main concern is whether the Sony WEGA is worth the extra
>> expense. I went to Harvey Norman and it looked great. Are Sony good
>> plasmas (at the above prices)? I have seen the Sony PFM42X1 on display
>> at Bing Lee and it looked worse than a Fujitsu 853X480 display even
>> though it is 1024x768 but have read posts here about how stores
>> incorrectly set up plasmas thereby it may have not been anobjective
>> display. I want a HD display panel.
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>>
>>
>> El
>>
>>
>
> The Sony is bound to be overpriced. Try looking at a similar Fujitsu in a
> proper HiFi/Home Theatre store. What state are you in?
>
> --
> Ben Thomas
> Opinions, conclusions, and other information in this message that do not
> relate to the official business of my firm shall be understood as neither
> given nor endorsed by it.
>

[fred]

Are you sure the Sony isnt a PFM42V1 instead?



"elnino" <elnino.1fggwg@no-mx.forums.eyo.com.au> wrote in message
news:elnino.1fggwg@no-mx.forums.eyo.com.au...
>
> Hi,
>
> I am hoping to get some info from you as I am looking to buy a new 42"
> plasma. I am currently considering the following at the following
> prices:
>
> Sony 42" PFM42X1 $4900
> Sony 42" KEMX42S1STD (WEGA) $6900
> NEC 42" PX-42XR3W $5000
> NEC 50" PX-50XR4W $7300
>
> I guess my main concern is whether the Sony WEGA is worth the extra
> expense. I went to Harvey Norman and it looked great. Are Sony good
> plasmas (at the above prices)? I have seen the Sony PFM42X1 on display
> at Bing Lee and it looked worse than a Fujitsu 853X480 display even
> though it is 1024x768 but have read posts here about how stores
> incorrectly set up plasmas thereby it may have not been anobjective
> display. I want a HD display panel.
>
> Thanks,
>
>
>
> El
>
>
> --
> elnino

[newzz]

Sony is crap.

Out of your choices the NEC's are the picks.

Stretch your budget a bit and the new Pioneers are even better.

[fred]

lol another Sony hater. So what is your indepth review on the Sony brand
based on?


"newzz" <nospam@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:OUekd.401$944.21331@news.xtra.co.nz...
> Sony is crap.
>
> Out of your choices the NEC's are the picks.
>
> Stretch your budget a bit and the new Pioneers are even better.
>
>

[elnino]

Are you sure the Sony isnt a PFM42V1 instead?



"elnino" <elnino.1fggwg@no-mx.forums.eyo.com.au> wrote in message
news:elnino.1fggwg@no-mx.forums.eyo.com.au...
>
> Hi,
>
> I am hoping to get some info from you as I am looking to buy a new 42"
> plasma. I am currently considering the following at the following
> prices:
>
> Sony 42" PFM42X1 $4900
> Sony 42" KEMX42S1STD (WEGA) $6900
> NEC 42" PX-42XR3W $5000
> NEC 50" PX-50XR4W $7300
>
> I guess my main concern is whether the Sony WEGA is worth the extra
> expense. I went to Harvey Norman and it looked great. Are Sony good
> plasmas (at the above prices)? I have seen the Sony PFM42X1 on display
> at Bing Lee and it looked worse than a Fujitsu 853X480 display even
> though it is 1024x768 but have read posts here about how stores
> incorrectly set up plasmas thereby it may have not been anobjective
> display. I want a HD display panel.
>
> Thanks,
>
>
>
> El
>
>
> --
> elnino

I am quite sure as I checked behind it for the product number. I am going to go to a dedicated home theatre store and have a look this week.

[BenOne©]

fred wrote:

> So really you dont know shit and are a Sony hater.
>

Did I hit a nerve?

--
Ben Thomas
Opinions, conclusions, and other information in this message that do not
relate to the official business of my firm shall be understood as neither
given nor endorsed by it.

[BenOne©]

elnino wrote:


> Ben,
>
> I am in the eastern suburbs of Sydney. Is it true that Sony are
> rebadged Samsungs?


I would doubt it. Where did you hear that?

--
Ben Thomas
Opinions, conclusions, and other information in this message that do not
relate to the official business of my firm shall be understood as neither
given nor endorsed by it.

[fred]

No you are just pathetic.


"BenOne©" <nosp@m.thanks.mate> wrote in message
news:7t0smc.3n5.ln@192.168.11.2...
> fred wrote:
>
>> So really you dont know shit and are a Sony hater.
>>
>
> Did I hit a nerve?
>
> --
> Ben Thomas
> Opinions, conclusions, and other information in this message that do not
> relate to the official business of my firm shall be understood as neither
> given nor endorsed by it.
>

[BenOne©]

fred wrote:

> No you are just pathetic.

There are plenty of reviews and customer experiences to support my position.



--
Ben Thomas
Opinions, conclusions, and other information in this message that do not
relate to the official business of my firm shall be understood as neither
given nor endorsed by it.

[Trevor Wilson]

"fred" <fred@fred.com> wrote in message news:4191712c$1@dnews.tpgi.com.au...
> So really you dont know shit and are a Sony hater.

**Nope. Sony REALLY are over-priced (usually).

My personal experience is with a Sony clock radio (AUS$129.95, in Sydney and
US$29.95, in LA), a Sony DSC-F505 camera (AUS$2,200.00 in Sydney and
AUS$1,400.00, in Singapore), a Sony DSC-F828 (AUS$2,500.00 in Sydney and
US$1,000.00 in LA).

Whilst it is difficult (but possible) to explain away the price
differentials in the cameras, the clock radio is simply inexcusable, apart
from sheer greed. BTW: I purchased a 240VAC transformer, in Sydney and spent
20 minutes converting the clock radio to 240VAC. The transformer cost
AUS$3.80, from Sony, before they completely buggered up their parts
distribution system and sent the cost of Sony parts through the roof.


Australian buyers have been constantly shafted by Sony. Additionally, I
would not be surprised to learn that Sony are not building their own plasma
screens. Not that is matters, BTW.


--
Trevor Wilson
www.rageaudio.com.au

[scalpel]

My 2 cents worth. I dont have many of the specific model no's at my fingertips, but have been looking / reading for quite some time. You should decide the size of screen BEFORE you look at models (it will be determined by viewing distance and budget). Also, what you intend running through it as your 'typical' input - the 50' displays really highlight flaws in the input. Poor quality SD TV looks quite bad on a 50" display. Good quality SD is quite nice, and HD is fantastic.


There is an argument about the merits of a 1024*1024 display vs 1024 (or 1365 for 50")*768. Personally I prefer the 1365*768. The scaling down (or up) of the input is handled differently on a 1024*1024 (ALiS) panel. For more info, look here (http://www.avsforumfaq.com/~plasma/#alis) - under "ALiS" . So the argument that a "1024*1024" is a "higher resolution" panel is really not valid.

I am not a Sony hater - but each company must stand on its own merits.

My vote would also go to the NEC's.

Sony do not make their own glass, but use other companies to do this. Here (http://www.plasmatvbuyingguide.com/plasmatvreviews/whomakeswhat.html) is a reasonable summary of the current manufacturers of plasma screens. One could argue that the electronics that drive the screens (including any scaling hardware) are just as significant as the screen. BUT it does explain why the quality of the Sony's can vary so much model to model.
The PFM42X1 has the DVI input, the other doesn't. This would be sensible with the shift to digital inputs (even surround sound amps are starting to shift to DVI switching). Given the price, I think the 50" NEC is a better deal (and I think the 42 + 50" NEC has a better picture, regardless of price compared to the Sony).

Pioneer - Warranty (5 year) is fantastic, screens are quite good, but new XX5 models are getting poor reviews for build quality (but good for the display itself). 434 is a good deal at the moment because of the impending new models.

Panasonic - Have beautiful blacks. The current screen (Viera) lacks digital inputs, is an old (2year) japanese model, and the stand, although very sexy, is unreasonably expensive (approx $1400). The Japanese next generation panasonics have very good reviews, but are not coming to Australia in the appreciable future. The Viera is (to my mind) the aesthetically most impressive model, if you were going to buy one without consideration of its display characteristics!

Fujitsu - Have always liked the older model but they were relatively expensive. The P50XHA30 is quite expensive, and to my mind the NEC is better. I think that there is some new models due out soon (?? due Jan 05)

NEC - XM/XR models have a very nice display (my personal favourite) with minimal artifact and their cost is excellent ($7300-7500 WITH wall mount or stand). The warranty is poor (1 year), but some sellers will sell an after-market on (up to 5 years) on the electronics (but usually not the glass).

J.

[fred]

Proof?

"BenOne©" <nosp@m.thanks.mate> wrote in message
news:go2smc.26b.ln@192.168.11.2...
> fred wrote:
>
>> No you are just pathetic.
>
> There are plenty of reviews and customer experiences to support my
> position.
>
>
>
> --
> Ben Thomas
> Opinions, conclusions, and other information in this message that do not
> relate to the official business of my firm shall be understood as neither
> given nor endorsed by it.
>

[fred]

Yes but this is consistent with many brands.


"Trevor Wilson" <trevor@SPAMBLOCKrageaudio.com.au> wrote in message
news:4191938f@news.comindico.com.au...
>
> "fred" <fred@fred.com> wrote in message
> news:4191712c$1@dnews.tpgi.com.au...
>> So really you dont know shit and are a Sony hater.
>
> **Nope. Sony REALLY are over-priced (usually).
>
> My personal experience is with a Sony clock radio (AUS$129.95, in Sydney
> and US$29.95, in LA), a Sony DSC-F505 camera (AUS$2,200.00 in Sydney and
> AUS$1,400.00, in Singapore), a Sony DSC-F828 (AUS$2,500.00 in Sydney and
> US$1,000.00 in LA).
>
> Whilst it is difficult (but possible) to explain away the price
> differentials in the cameras, the clock radio is simply inexcusable, apart
> from sheer greed. BTW: I purchased a 240VAC transformer, in Sydney and
> spent 20 minutes converting the clock radio to 240VAC. The transformer
> cost AUS$3.80, from Sony, before they completely buggered up their parts
> distribution system and sent the cost of Sony parts through the roof.
>
>
> Australian buyers have been constantly shafted by Sony. Additionally, I
> would not be surprised to learn that Sony are not building their own
> plasma screens. Not that is matters, BTW.
>
>
> --
> Trevor Wilson
> www.rageaudio.com.au
>

[Trevor Wilson]

"fred" <fred@fred.com> wrote in message news:41919fe0$1@dnews.tpgi.com.au...
> Yes but this is consistent with many brands.

**Really? See if you can find an example of a product which costs US$30.00
in LA (from a department store, BTW) and AUS$130.00 here in Australia.


--
Trevor Wilson
www.rageaudio.com.au

[fred]

Toshiba sell a laptop here for $4000 while it sells for $2500 in the US.


"Trevor Wilson" <trevor@SPAMBLOCKrageaudio.com.au> wrote in message
news:4191a3c2@news.comindico.com.au...
>
> "fred" <fred@fred.com> wrote in message
> news:41919fe0$1@dnews.tpgi.com.au...
>> Yes but this is consistent with many brands.
>
> **Really? See if you can find an example of a product which costs US$30.00
> in LA (from a department store, BTW) and AUS$130.00 here in Australia.
>
>
> --
> Trevor Wilson
> www.rageaudio.com.au
>