Opinions on 50" plasma

[georgiarose]

I'm seeking opinions from the group on the current 50" HD plasmas from
Fujitsu, Pioneer and NEC. After a bit of research I've narrowed my choice
to one of these three but am having trouble making a decision. They all
appear terrific but any thoughts others have in preference would be most
welcome.

[JC]

hiya
not trying to change your mind...but i have a 42" sd plasma and recently my
folks got a 50" hd fujitsu...nice & thin but for me none of the 50" plasmas
look any good...the 42's looks better for me....not that im saying get a
42...but i also recently bought a panasonic projector which is just
great..yeh it depends on where you want to watch it...but @ only $2700 its a
heck of a lot cheaper than any 50" plasma...
in hinsight i wouldnty have bought my plasma just the projector...
something to consider perhaps..
ta
jc
"georgiarose" <georgiarose16@nospam.yahoo.com.au> wrote in message
news:41d3e9f8$0$2590$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.au ...
> I'm seeking opinions from the group on the current 50" HD plasmas from
> Fujitsu, Pioneer and NEC. After a bit of research I've narrowed my choice
> to one of these three but am having trouble making a decision. They all
> appear terrific but any thoughts others have in preference would be most
> welcome.
>
>

[scalpel]

Having gone through this process I can give my 2c worth.

Unfortunately, I haven't yet been able to convince my wife of the merits of my insights.

Keeping in mind these comments are based on seeing the screens set up with their best input (DVI/HDMI where possible) on HDTV via a decent box (Teac DVB800 usually) and DVD. It is actually VERY hard to find such setups - you may have to bring your own cables to a store.

NEC XM/R - 50" at approx mid $7 thousand with stand/wall bracket included : Best visual quality, but not by a huge margin. Can buy it without speakers (many would be using a home theatre for sound). 1 year screen warranty, 3 year everything else. Supports digital input *1.

Pioneer 505 - mid $8 thousand with stand/bracket included, 5 year warranty and comes with speakers and the input box (so minimizing cables going up the wall). Picture would be my second favourite. Price includes home installation by Pioneer

Fujitsu P50XHA30 - Correct me if I am wrong, but I think that this is the "previous generation" plasma range. I dont like the display or cost of this screen.


So - which one?


My experience with electronic products is that they break down. So, a 5 year warranty is critical for a multi thousand dollar product.

I would buy the NEC IF an extended warranty was found that didnt cost the earth (eg cost less than say 300-500 dollars). Otherwise the Pioneer.


PS - just saw the new above post.

Projector is great if you:
1. have a dark room
2. Dont watch a huge amount of TV (eg have a 2yo who likes to watch and then leave the room - the replacement bulbs on a projector are too expensive for this kind of viewing). If just for movies or occasional TV -> Great.
3. have a decent area to project onto or space for a pull down screen.

I agree - the price of projectors craps on plasmas - but I would want a screen than I dont have to be thinking "should it be on now".


42" plasma - this is largely an issue of room size with the proviso I noted in the beginning above - you MUST have high quality inputs for a 50" screen, or the picture looks crap (particulary the Pioneer 505).

J.

[mattic]

I just bought the Philips 50PF9966.

"georgiarose" <georgiarose16@nospam.yahoo.com.au> wrote in message
news:41d3e9f8$0$2590$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.au ...
> I'm seeking opinions from the group on the current 50" HD plasmas from
> Fujitsu, Pioneer and NEC. After a bit of research I've narrowed my choice
> to one of these three but am having trouble making a decision. They all
> appear terrific but any thoughts others have in preference would be most
> welcome.
>
>

[Stephen Neal]

"georgiarose" <georgiarose16@nospam.yahoo.com.au> wrote in message
news:41d3e9f8$0$2590$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.au ...
> I'm seeking opinions from the group on the current 50" HD plasmas from
> Fujitsu, Pioneer and NEC. After a bit of research I've narrowed my choice
> to one of these three but am having trouble making a decision. They all
> appear terrific but any thoughts others have in preference would be most
> welcome.

Was out in the London sales recently (I'm a semi-lurking Brit jealous of
Aussie HD!...) - and saw some pretty decent HD (from a PC I think) pictures
coming from LG plasmas in Selfridges. I'd always discounted LGs plasmas as
pretty poor quality - as previous models had seemed pretty unwatchable.
However these looked very good indeed.

Steve

[jrobbo]

On Thu, 30 Dec 2004 23:34:48 +1100, scalpel
<scalpel.1i2v1q@no-mx.forums.eyo.com.au> wrote:

>2. Dont watch a huge amount of TV (eg have a 2yo who likes to watch and
>then leave the room - the replacement bulbs on a projector are too
>expensive for this kind of viewing). If just for movies or occasional
>TV -> Great.

>I agree - the price of projectors craps on plasmas - but I would want a
>screen than I dont have to be thinking "should it be on now".

I agree with the rest of your comments, except for this one, which is
flawed.

The Panasonic AE700 (I think that was the projector being referred to)
has bulbs that last between 3000 and 6000 hours, depending on which
mode is used. They cost about $500.

Lets assume a worst case of 60 hours per week viewing, at 3000 hours,
a lamp will last 1 year. In 10 years, lamps will have cost $5000 in
total, for 30,000 hours viewing, so total cost is $7700, about the
same price as the 50" plasmas.

So, there is no need to be thinking "should it be on now", in fact I
would be be more concerned with "has my 2 year old left the DVD menu
on the screen, burning in the image on my shiny new plasma?"

I agree though, you need to room and the environmet for a projector,
otherwise plasma is heaps better

Regards

John






--------------
To reply via email, remove the spam block from my email address

[Ben Thomas]

JC wrote:
> hiya
> not trying to change your mind...but i have a 42" sd plasma and recently my
> folks got a 50" hd fujitsu...nice & thin but for me none of the 50" plasmas
> look any good...the 42's looks better for me....not that im saying get a
> 42...but i also recently bought a panasonic projector which is just
> great..yeh it depends on where you want to watch it...but @ only $2700 its a
> heck of a lot cheaper than any 50" plasma...
> in hinsight i wouldnty have bought my plasma just the projector...
> something to consider perhaps..
> ta
> jc
> "georgiarose" <georgiarose16@nospam.yahoo.com.au> wrote in message
> news:41d3e9f8$0$2590$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.au ...
>
>>I'm seeking opinions from the group on the current 50" HD plasmas from
>>Fujitsu, Pioneer and NEC. After a bit of research I've narrowed my choice
>>to one of these three but am having trouble making a decision. They all
>>appear terrific but any thoughts others have in preference would be most
>>welcome.
>>
>>
>
>
>

I was in JB HiFi yesterday and none of the 50 inch plasmas looked that great.
Probably because they (and the source) don't have enough resolution for an image
that big unless you are a good 5-6 metres back from the screen.

--
--
Ben Thomas - Software Engineer - Melbourne, Australia

My Digital World:
Kodak DX6490, Canon i9950, Pioneer A05;
Hitachi 37" HD plasma display, DGTEC 2000A,
Denon 2800, H/K AVR4500, Whatmough Encore;
Sony Ericsson K700i, Palm Tungsten T.

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

[georgiarose]

"scalpel" <scalpel.1i2v1q@no-mx.forums.eyo.com.au> wrote in message
news:scalpel.1i2v1q@no-mx.forums.eyo.com.au...
>
> Having gone through this process I can give my 2c worth.
>
> Unfortunately, I haven't yet been able to convince my wife of the
> merits of my insights.
>
> Keeping in mind these comments are based on seeing the screens set up
> with their best input (DVI/HDMI where possible) on HDTV via a decent
> box (Teac DVB800 usually) and DVD. It is actually VERY hard to find
> such setups - you may have to bring your own cables to a store.
>
> NEC XM/R - 50" at approx mid $7 thousand with stand/wall bracket
> included : Best visual quality, but not by a huge margin. Can buy it
> without speakers (many would be using a home theatre for sound). 1 year
> screen warranty, 3 year everything else. Supports digital input *1.
>
> Pioneer 505 - mid $8 thousand with stand/bracket included, 5 year
> warranty and comes with speakers and the input box (so minimizing
> cables going up the wall). Picture would be my second favourite. Price
> includes home installation by Pioneer
>
> Fujitsu P50XHA30 - Correct me if I am wrong, but I think that this is
> the "previous generation" plasma range. I dont like the display or cost
> of this screen.
>
>
> So - which one?
>
>
> My experience with electronic products is that they break down. So, a 5
> year warranty is critical for a multi thousand dollar product.
>
> I would buy the NEC IF an extended warranty was found that didnt cost
> the earth (eg cost less than say 300-500 dollars). Otherwise the
> Pioneer.
>
>
> PS - just saw the new above post.
>
> Projector is great if you:
> 1. have a dark room
> 2. Dont watch a huge amount of TV (eg have a 2yo who likes to watch and
> then leave the room - the replacement bulbs on a projector are too
> expensive for this kind of viewing). If just for movies or occasional
> TV -> Great.
> 3. have a decent area to project onto or space for a pull down screen.
>
> I agree - the price of projectors craps on plasmas - but I would want a
> screen than I dont have to be thinking "should it be on now".
>
>
> 42" plasma - this is largely an issue of room size with the proviso I
> noted in the beginning above - you MUST have high quality inputs for a
> 50" screen, or the picture looks crap (particulary the Pioneer 505).
>
> J.
>
>
> --
> scalpel

Thanks to all for your responses. The choice is certainly a difficult one.
I must admit I had been leaning towards the NEC based on the fact that I
have yet to come across anyone with anything bad to say about it, and the
price is certainly better. More bang for buck. It certainly doesn't look
as flash as the Pioneer or the new 'piano black' Fujitsu, but it sounds like
a solid and reliable unit. The Pioneer I am sure is also a class product,
and is quite aesthetically pleasing as well - but is that little bit more
expensive, but with a great warranty period. The Fujitsu looks terrific but
there seem to be many people who claim they are not worth the money.
Certainly, I believe the 42" Fujitsu is a fabulous plasma which, in my
opinion, is better than the other reputable models I have compared it
against. (I'm steering clear of Panasonic based solely on the fact is has
no DVI input).

I suppose the other issue which concerns me, and this was alluded to in one
of the posts, is whether the 50" might not be suitable for my viewing
environment. My seating position would only be about 3-4 metres away and
therefore I may be troubled by artifacts etc. which might not be so visible
on a 42". Currently, I have a 68cm CRT so I'm sure upgrading to even a 42"
screen would seem a massive improvement, but naturally I would prefer to go
as big as possible. I'm worried that should I go for the 42" that I might
always be wondering how much better the 50" may have been. A friend of mine
has an older model 55" Hitachi which he views also from 3-4 metres, and
while he thinks it is fantastic (he is not very fussy), I do notice the
shimmer etc. This may also be due to the fact that this is not a
particularly great model, and he is also using fairly poor cabling as well.

So do I go for a 42" which would probably be a more than adequate screen
size for my viewing environment, and would undoubtedly provide me with the
sharp image I am seeking, or do I go for the 50" for the awesome (wow!)
screen size, but perhaps more noticeable image problems? BTW - I would be
using a HD STB with DV output. My amp is a Yammy RX-V2400 coupled with the
Yammy DRX-2 DVD Recorder and B&W speakers. Oh! the dilemma! :)

[Damien Smith]

I'm a big fan of NEC plasmas. I consider them to be the most 'CRT-like' of
all the plasma screens I've seen on display at various stores.

[Ben Thomas]

georgiarose wrote:

> So do I go for a 42" which would probably be a more than adequate screen
> size for my viewing environment, and would undoubtedly provide me with the
> sharp image I am seeking, or do I go for the 50" for the awesome (wow!)
> screen size, but perhaps more noticeable image problems? BTW - I would be
> using a HD STB with DV output. My amp is a Yammy RX-V2400 coupled with the
> Yammy DRX-2 DVD Recorder and B&W speakers. Oh! the dilemma! :)
>
>

I've got a 37" HD Hitachi and sit nearly 5 metres from it. It doesn't seem like
a big TV at that distance. Based on what you said, I think you should get the
50. It will seem massive. I'd love that.

--
--
Ben Thomas - Software Engineer - Melbourne, Australia

My Digital World:
Kodak DX6490, Canon i9950, Pioneer A05;
Hitachi 37" HD plasma display, DGTEC 2000A,
Denon 2800, H/K AVR4500, Whatmough Encore;
Sony Ericsson K700i, Palm Tungsten T.

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

[Michael]

What sort of HD do you guys get? With all the W/S sets and digital cable
you guys have had for years, I thought ours would have been worse.

"Stephen Neal" <stephen.neal@nospam.as-directed.com> wrote in message
news:cr1720$el9$1$8302bc10@news.demon.co.uk...
> Was out in the London sales recently (I'm a semi-lurking Brit jealous of
> Aussie HD!...) - and saw some pretty decent HD (from a PC I think)
> pictures coming from LG plasmas in Selfridges. I'd always discounted LGs
> plasmas as pretty poor quality - as previous models had seemed pretty
> unwatchable. However these looked very good indeed.

[Andrew]

Im with the other bloke.

The Panasonic is a bloody beautiful unit - bugger all that nonsense about
not watching much tv. I watch tv whenever I want.
And play games and surf the net and its great. For under 3 grand, it sure
beats plasma and I can take it with me to the bush and set it up for gaming
while Im camping. PS2 on a white sheet between 2 trees is special!

But you are mind made I guess...


"Michael" <quadhammerNO@SPICEDHAM@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:41d4dbe0$0$5383$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.au ...
> What sort of HD do you guys get? With all the W/S sets and digital cable
> you guys have had for years, I thought ours would have been worse.
>
> "Stephen Neal" <stephen.neal@nospam.as-directed.com> wrote in message
> news:cr1720$el9$1$8302bc10@news.demon.co.uk...
> > Was out in the London sales recently (I'm a semi-lurking Brit jealous of
> > Aussie HD!...) - and saw some pretty decent HD (from a PC I think)
> > pictures coming from LG plasmas in Selfridges. I'd always discounted
LGs
> > plasmas as pretty poor quality - as previous models had seemed pretty
> > unwatchable. However these looked very good indeed.
>
>

[scalpel]

Just thought I would add some places to further the discussion of the NEC and Pioneer plasmas.

BTW - I too like the viera screens (best "blacks" IMHO) but the lack of digital inputs is a criminal oversight by Panasonic (what were they thinking).


Here (http://www.dtvforum.info/index.php?showtopic=9554) is a great thread where many people have gone on to buy the NEC screens. (But bring your own popcorn as it is a looong thread)

Here (http://www.dtvforum.info/index.php?showtopic=12571) is one on viewing distances - this has appeared in the same forum previously. There is a website to help calculate the distance from the screen (or screen size for a given seating distance - take it all with a grain of salt). ..... This (http://www.myhometheater.homestead.com/viewingdistancemetric.html) is the calculator (metric units)

Here (http://www.dtvforum.info/index.php?showtopic=12447) is a thread on the Pioneer panels (there are others, so search).

---------------------------------------------------------------------

WSith regards to pricing - I would suggest Quantam Sphere (http://www.qsphere.com.au/tandc.html) for a best price on the NEC panel in Sydney (If you find better then please post). E-Home in Melbourne seems to be the place to shop (search the above NEC thread for the phone no.). I live in Sydney, so QSphere would be my choice.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

I stand corrected jrobbo regarding the bulbs for the projector.

Taking it to the bush sounds like a great idea - lol!!!! . In fact, my tent is big enough to project on from the outside, then sit inside and watch (but maybe the picture is then back-to-front. I guess I could also carry a mirror!) (But I suppose the plasma owners could just nail their screens to a tree)


J.

ps the usual "I have no beneficial interest" yada yada applies to all my comments

[Trevor Lees]

I have both the Pioneer 505 for $8500 and the pro model for $7200 both with
5 year warranty and install etc cheers Trevor Lees

Melbourne..
"georgiarose" <georgiarose16@nospam.yahoo.com.au> wrote in message
news:41d3e9f8$0$2590$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.au ...
> I'm seeking opinions from the group on the current 50" HD plasmas from
> Fujitsu, Pioneer and NEC. After a bit of research I've narrowed my choice
> to one of these three but am having trouble making a decision. They all
> appear terrific but any thoughts others have in preference would be most
> welcome.
>
>

[1000]

Hey all.

JB Hi Fi run a few feeds in and then split it across multiple sets through
splitter boxes. Under these conditions, even CRT looks decidedly ordinary,
let alone a 50" (that's 127cm!) plasma. Many other stores also do this.

The ONLY way to test how your $8k 50" plasma or similar will appear in your
lounge room is to visit a Hi Fi / Audio-visual store that can demo a display
for you with a quality setup. If you can't find a store that can do this for
you, ask the JB crew to hook up a mid-range DVD player to it using mid-range
component cable. The quality of DVD displayed is RELATIVELY indicative of
how a 'good quality' SD TV feed will appear when coupled with a STB that
compliments the set

1000

"Ben Thomas" <nosp@m.thanks.mate> wrote in message
news:4vn1rc.6p.ln@192.168.11.2...
> JC wrote:
> > hiya
> > not trying to change your mind...but i have a 42" sd plasma and recently
my
> > folks got a 50" hd fujitsu...nice & thin but for me none of the 50"
plasmas
> > look any good...the 42's looks better for me....not that im saying get a
> > 42...but i also recently bought a panasonic projector which is just
> > great..yeh it depends on where you want to watch it...but @ only $2700
its a
> > heck of a lot cheaper than any 50" plasma...
> > in hinsight i wouldnty have bought my plasma just the projector...
> > something to consider perhaps..
> > ta
> > jc
> > "georgiarose" <georgiarose16@nospam.yahoo.com.au> wrote in message
> > news:41d3e9f8$0$2590$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.au ...
> >
> >>I'm seeking opinions from the group on the current 50" HD plasmas from
> >>Fujitsu, Pioneer and NEC. After a bit of research I've narrowed my
choice
> >>to one of these three but am having trouble making a decision. They all
> >>appear terrific but any thoughts others have in preference would be most
> >>welcome.
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
> >
>
> I was in JB HiFi yesterday and none of the 50 inch plasmas looked that
great.
> Probably because they (and the source) don't have enough resolution for an
image
> that big unless you are a good 5-6 metres back from the screen.
>
> --
> --
> Ben Thomas - Software Engineer - Melbourne, Australia
>
> My Digital World:
> Kodak DX6490, Canon i9950, Pioneer A05;
> Hitachi 37" HD plasma display, DGTEC 2000A,
> Denon 2800, H/K AVR4500, Whatmough Encore;
> Sony Ericsson K700i, Palm Tungsten T.
>
> Disclaimer:
> Opinions, conclusions, and other information in this message that do not
> relate to the official business of my employer shall be understood as
neither
> given nor endorsed by it.

[scalpel]

Trevor - What is the "pro" model pioneer?

Ta.

J.

[Wizz]

I'm seeking opinions from the group on the current 50" HD plasmas from
Fujitsu, Pioneer and NEC. After a bit of research I've narrowed my choice
to one of these three but am having trouble making a decision. They all
appear terrific but any thoughts others have in preference would be most
welcome.

I have just installed the Pioneer 504 50" plasma. The picture is incredible. I cannot imagine a better picture. I was looking at the 43" for a while and I am more than happy that I chose the 50".

[aw]

On Thu, 30 Dec 2004 22:43:57 +1100, "georgiarose"
<georgiarose16@nospam.yahoo.com.au> wrote:

>I'm seeking opinions from the group on the current 50" HD plasmas from
>Fujitsu, Pioneer and NEC. After a bit of research I've narrowed my choice
>to one of these three but am having trouble making a decision. They all
>appear terrific but any thoughts others have in preference would be most
>welcome.

Do not go near plasma. I have a 50" pioneer and my brother has one.
My brothers one when he uses a pioneer player it comes up with the
pioneer logo. He left his player on for a wliile while and its burned
into the dispay with a light pioneer logo and there is nothing he can
do about it.

Now when he watches there is a faded pioneer logo with text in the
background.

I will be selling my pioneer after seeing what has happened to my
brothers screen. I will be going down to a tube wide screen which is
not as good as the plasma but at least these problems don't happen to
the tubes.

[scalpel]

There are an awful lot of plasma owners who dont have any problem with burn in at all (see the above threads on DBA).

Of COURSE you need to be aware of burn in - it is the disadvantage of this type of screen - but being aware of it should be enough. The riskier useages are computer games via the screen, as they can display static images (eg menus between games and game - pause screens).


Also, many of the plasmas suggest special useage during the initial "burn in" of the screen (ie displaying full screen picture, turning the 'black' bars that can be displayed around the edge of a picture to 'grey'). These suggestions are not idle ones, and are ignored at ones own peril.

If your equipment displays a fixed picture on it (ie a bright logo) then a plasma may not be a great choice - but I would throw away a DVD player that displayed a fixed logo because it would give me the sh***.


Remember - each of the display technologies has advantages and disadvantages (thats why there are so many technologies available) - you will have to comprimise on something.

J.

[HaZ]

He must have left it on a statric screen for a while because burn in takes a
while to occur even on plasmas. Not that im suporting Plasmas myself, but
just seems odd that it happened so quick. Id personally take that up with
Pioneer.

HaZ
"aw" <aw@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:jsodt0hcdkm6isp3ai3au88ul5jobv0o7i@4ax.com...
> On Thu, 30 Dec 2004 22:43:57 +1100, "georgiarose"
> <georgiarose16@nospam.yahoo.com.au> wrote:
>
> >I'm seeking opinions from the group on the current 50" HD plasmas from
> >Fujitsu, Pioneer and NEC. After a bit of research I've narrowed my
choice
> >to one of these three but am having trouble making a decision. They all
> >appear terrific but any thoughts others have in preference would be most
> >welcome.
>
> Do not go near plasma. I have a 50" pioneer and my brother has one.
> My brothers one when he uses a pioneer player it comes up with the
> pioneer logo. He left his player on for a wliile while and its burned
> into the dispay with a light pioneer logo and there is nothing he can
> do about it.
>
> Now when he watches there is a faded pioneer logo with text in the
> background.
>
> I will be selling my pioneer after seeing what has happened to my
> brothers screen. I will be going down to a tube wide screen which is
> not as good as the plasma but at least these problems don't happen to
> the tubes.
>