[BobM]

So we rearranged the living room this past weekend, spreading some furniture out and opening it up. After sitting in one of the chairs I casually mentioned that the TV might be hard to see from here. My wife, Laura then said, "well, maybe we should start searching for a larger TV."

You could have knocked me over with a stick.

So I'm searching for a 60" plasma to hang on the wall, and hoping to get a good Super Bowl deal. Here's what I've uncovered so far ...

- I really don't need a 3D TV since you can't rent movies, buying them is expensive, the 2D-3D conversion isn't very good yet. However, the 3D TV's seem to have better overall picture quality than the 2D models, per the reviews. So it's more of a buy the better picture and it will probably have a 3D feature included already.
- I really want a plasma, not a sketchy back lit LED or LCD with that cartoony and surrelistic picture quality.
- Panasonics seem to still have the best picture quality per the reviews, but Samsung seems to be very close and is a couple of hundred dollars cheaper in comperable models.

So, what can you guys recommend? What should I be considering? What else do I need to know?

Thanks,
Bob

[LadyDog]

Hi Bob,
In somewhat of the same boat.  From what I have been able to digest, and somewhat see, though it is always tough to gauge the quality of a picture and/or the set in stores, is;

Panasonic - still king (that Pioneer left)
Samsung - maybe a sliver down from Panasonic
LG - below Sammy

The Panasonic U50 series is your best bang for buck.  With a tad more money, the UT50 series is also a great value.

Though came real close to pulling the trigger on a 60" LG that was $699 at Fry's.

Good luck in your search.  Please let me know what you end up, as I would like the input too.

Regards,
Jeff

[WireNut]

 Rclark, Where are you   

[Rclark]

haha SAMSUNG!!

[Rclark]

boom

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-PN51E450-51-Inch-600Hz-Plasma/dp/B0074FH14C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1358379512&sr=8-1&keywords=Samsung+PN51E450A1F

[acresm22]

Do you have a Costco nearby? There is a 60" LG 1080p plasma on sale there for $799 ($300 off) through the end of January I believe.
For the same price, you can also order a 55" Panasonic 1080p plasma from costco.com
http://www.costco.com/Panasonic-55%22-1080p-Plasma-HDTV-TC-P55UT50.product.100027872.html

[Dan Driscoll]

For pure picture quality, Panasonic plasma beats Samsung by a touch, but you pay a premium and unless they are side-by-side you probably won't be able to tell the difference if they are both set-up properly. But you'll notice the price difference; for displays with similar feature sets you will get 2-4 more inches of screen with Sammy than the same money would get you in a Panny.  My mid-tier 58" Samsung cost very slightly less than the 54" Panasonic with the same features when I bought it.

FWIW, I have not been impressed with plasmas from any other brands, but I haven't really looked at the current models. As always, IMO, YMMV, etc.

[acresm22]

Don't know how you feel about Walmart, but they have some good plasma deals now too:

http://www.walmart.com/browse/tv-video/tvs/3944_1060825_447913/?_refineresult=true&facet=tv_technology%3APlasma&ic=32_0&path=0%3A3944&povid=cat1060825-env432680-moduleA112112-lLinkLHNTVbyType4_PlasmaTVs

I'm sure you'd be happy with either a Panasonic or Samsung. I picked up the 43" Samsung 720p plasma last October for a bedroom TV, and love it.

[BobM]

I dropped by Best Buy today at lunch to look some things over.

- no question - the 3D capable TV models definitely have a better picture than the non-3D models, but at almost twice the price
- the Samsung definitely has a brighter picture than the Panasonics, however the details and realism and depth of field on the Panasonics are absolutely better
- apparently the Samsung 70-00 series and better has an anti glare screen, same for the Panasonic GT series and better. Worth having?  More money. 
- all of these TV's now have their internal speakers on the back of the unit. At full out volume they just might be OK to listen to, but barely so. You really need to turn this all on with an integrated home theater receiver, and that means a modern one with appropriate HDMI connections to act as a hub. More, more money.
- Samsung is offering a free (included) 3d Blue Ray player when you buy a listed model via Amazon. A nice  bonus.

[TF1216]

I just helped a friend find a 65" plasma for the big game.  He found an open box Panasonic 65" plasma on Craigslist for under $900.  Give Craigslist a shot.

[rollo]

Sony 4K  projector forget the TV.  If you must Pioneer or Panasonic.



charles

[BobM]

The price difference between a 55" and a 60" plasma is really huge. Just a little more screen space and a $500 difference.

I am now leaning toward a Panasonic TC-P55ST50 or a TC-P55GT50. There seems to be little difference between the 2 excep that the GT may have slightly better reflection reduction and it has more ability to tune the picture with controls. Seems to be about a $150 difference between the two.

[thunderbrick]

Don't know how you feel about Walmart, but they have some good plasma deals now too:

http://www.walmart.com/browse/tv-video/tvs/3944_1060825_447913/?_refineresult=true&facet=tv_technology%3APlasma&ic=32_0&path=0%3A3944&povid=cat1060825-env432680-moduleA112112-lLinkLHNTVbyType4_PlasmaTVs

I'm sure you'd be happy with either a Panasonic or Samsung. I picked up the 43" Samsung 720p plasma last October for a bedroom TV, and love it.

If I expect to feed a TV with a standard definition cable signal, won't a 720p be good enough?  Though that does ignore the refresh rate issue.

[Dan Driscoll]

I dropped by Best Buy today at lunch to look some things over.

No offense, but this statement makes the rest of your post meaningless.

I'm mostly just kidding, but not completely. The problem is that a Best Buy (or any other mass market retailer) showroom floor is one of the worst possible places to evaluate a television. Even the lighting in different parts of the same room can make a significant difference in how a display looks.  And to make things worse, they jack up the brightness and contrast of the floor models to make them 'pop' under those awful lighting conditions. Unless you are able to adjust the displays so the they have the same contrast, brightness, color, saturation, etc., just looking at them doesn't mean much. However, unless you know their baseline levels, just setting all the controls to say, 50%, on all the sets still won't tell you much.

The BB's with in-store Magnolia showrooms are better. Still not great, but relatively decent and sometimes the sales people in the Magnolia section actually have a clue about what they are selling.

[Gopher]

This is a great deal:  http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=112159.0

I bought one myself and love it.  The downside is there are only 2 HDMI inputs.

[acresm22]

If I expect to feed a TV with a standard definition cable signal, won't a 720p be good enough?  Though that does ignore the refresh rate issue.

Yes, 720p is just fine. I have a 43" 720p plasma in the bedroom and a 47" 1080p LCD in the family room, and I prefer the picture (HD or SD) on the plasma.
And Dan's point is well taken. In a box store setting, the plasma will invariably look less impressive (not as bright, screen glare, not as precise in image definition, etc.) than the LCD next to it, but don't let that shake your resolve. The plasma will look spectacular when you get it home.

[Russtafarian]

This is a great deal:  http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=112159.0

I bought one myself and love it.  The downside is there are only 2 HDMI inputs.

I got one too and am thrilled with it.  My boys tell me it is sooooo much better for Xbox than the DLP I had.  Who am I to argue with the experts?

[Rclark]

If I expect to feed a TV with a standard definition cable signal, won't a 720p be good enough?  Though that does ignore the refresh rate issue.

Yeah the benefits you get with a plasma, outweigh resolution. Mine is 720P and I don't feel like it's lacking at all, and I also own a 1080P LCD.  The difference in resolution is just not that great, but all things being equal (plasma vs plasma) it would then become a tie breaker. But it's not mandatory. 720 P looks flipping awesome.

[roscoeiii]

In what instances would 1080p be preferable?

[Rclark]

I think 60 inch or above you want to get a higher resolution in there, projectors too.  If you can get it, and you find a deal, sweet. But for example, I chose a 51in 720P plasma.. vs a similar size 1080P LCD.. just because the resolution difference is not the most important factor.


4K is the true next jump in resolution, not 1080P.