[randytsuch]

I may finally replace my fifteen year old 32” Sony XBR CRT TV. 
Initially I was thinking a DLP Projection set, maybe 60 or 65 inch. 
But, my wife wants something that will hang from a wall, so I am now thinking plasma.  Budget goal of less than $3,000, so I am not really looking at LCD's, because I think LCD's in the size I want will be too expensive.

I was thinking about a 50” Panasonic plasma.  They are supposed to be very good for the money.  The high end Pioneers may be better, but they also cost more.  I think I can get one for under $2500.  I was considering the TH-50PX60U

But, Best Buy has a 55” Hitachi Plasma for $2500, with no interest for three years.  It’s the model 55HDS69.  Problem with this TV is that I cannot find any professional reviews of it.  Hitach’s web page is here, http://www.hitachi.us/tv/browse/plasma/plasma/55hds69.shtml
There are two better models, but I am not sure if the next higher model is any different in picture quality, it may just have more features.  Their top of the line is the Director series, which I would think would have a better picture.

So, would I be better of with a 50” Panasonic, or a 55” Hitachi?

Any opinions?

Thanks,
Randy

[LadyDog]

Randy,
Pioneer vs. Panasonic?  Each is a very nice plasma.  Personally I prefer the Pioneer, but each has it's own pro's and con's.  Since the Panny can be had for $2k, I'm not sure I would pay the extra $500+/-for the Pioneer. 

Panny 50" vs. Hitachi 55".  I'd stick with the Panasonic.  I know size matters(so my wife told me  ) but it appears there may be some issues with the Hitachi. 

avsforum.com is a great place to get some ideas and feedback on plasmas/lcd/dlps.  There are a few specific threads about the Hitachi and its problems.

Believe I have seen a 52" Sharp lcd for around $2500.  Also may want to check out a new tv by JVC.  While it is a projection lcd, it is 10" in depth and wall mountable.  Believe retails for around $3200 for a 58".

Best of luck.

Regards,
Jeff

[randytsuch]

Randy,
Pioneer vs. Panasonic?  Each is a very nice plasma.  Personally I prefer the Pioneer, but each has it's own pro's and con's.  Since the Panny can be had for $2k, I'm not sure I would pay the extra $500+/-for the Pioneer. 

Panny 50" vs. Hitachi 55".  I'd stick with the Panasonic.  I know size matters(so my wife told me  ) but it appears there may be some issues with the Hitachi. 

avsforum.com is a great place to get some ideas and feedback on plasmas/lcd/dlps.  There are a few specific threads about the Hitachi and its problems.

Believe I have seen a 52" Sharp lcd for around $2500.  Also may want to check out a new tv by JVC.  While it is a projection lcd, it is 10" in depth and wall mountable.  Believe retails for around $3200 for a 58".

Best of luck.

Regards,
Jeff

Is this the sharp?
http://www.hdtvexpert.com/pages_b/Sharp_LC-52D62U.html

I thought LCD's would be more expensive, this looks to be in my budget, but the review is not very good when using normal sources, which I would be doing.

I looked at the JVC site, and did not see a wall mountable projection set, unless I looked in the wrong place?

I saw the Hitachi's have a "flicker" problem, and there appears to be a firmware fix for it, but I am not sure I want to mess with that.  Will need to do some more research into that.

Thanks for the info.

Randy

[PhilNYC]

So, would I be better of with a 50” Panasonic, or a 55” Hitachi?

Any opinions?

Some of it depends on how picky you are about picture quality...I think both, after ISF calibration, will give you a very good picture, with the Panny having a slight edge.  But the more important question might be with regards to how close your seating is to the screen.  I don't know the measurement ratios, but IMHO unless your more than 10ft away, I think the 50" would do just fine...

[LadyDog]

Randy,
Here is a press release on the new JVC, not sure it is even listed on their website yet?

http://www.jvc.com/press/index.jsp?item=539&pageID=1

Who knows if it will be a winner or not?  Though so far I have been impressed with their lcos line. 

I do know you really can't go wrong with either the Panasonic or Pioneer plasmas.  Supposedly the 50" Samsung is supposed to be a nice tv too.  Certainly a looker on the outside.  It can also be had for $2k.

Regards,
Jeff

[craig223]

Check out the TV size chart on www.crutchfield.com.

http://www.crutchfieldadvisor.com/learningcenter/home/tv_faq.html#viewing_chart

You may want to research resolution (1080p, 1080i, 720p, etc) if you want to get a HD source or two.

[ctviggen]

Some of it depends on how picky you are about picture quality...I think both, after ISF calibration, will give you a very good picture, with the Panny having a slight edge.  But the more important question might be with regards to how close your seating is to the screen.  I don't know the measurement ratios, but IMHO unless your more than 10ft away, I think the 50" would do just fine...

I think this is somewhat individualistic.  I'm about 10 feet away from my 57 inch RPTV, and I think it's tiny.  I'd love to upgrade to a 100 inch front projection.  But what I'd like is to be immersed for movies.  For "normal" TV watching, 57 inches is fine; it just doesn't cut it for movies. 

You might want to consider what you intend on watching.  If you watch a lot of standard def. TV, see which has the better scaler.  If you don't watch much TV, then don't worry about it.  However, I purchased an outboard scaler that scales SD TV to 16x9.  When I sent this back to get fixed, I forgot how bad the internal scaler was. 

[randytsuch]

Some of it depends on how picky you are about picture quality...I think both, after ISF calibration, will give you a very good picture, with the Panny having a slight edge.  But the more important question might be with regards to how close your seating is to the screen.  I don't know the measurement ratios, but IMHO unless your more than 10ft away, I think the 50" would do just fine...

I was going to put seating distance, because I know it matters, then I forgot to do it.
Room is pretty big, min distance is about 11 feet from the love seat, and about 16 feet from the sofa, where we normally sit for movies.

Randy,
Here is a press release on the new JVC, not sure it is even listed on their website yet?

http://www.jvc.com/press/index.jsp?item=539&pageID=1

Who knows if it will be a winner or not?  Though so far I have been impressed with their lcos line. 

I do know you really can't go wrong with either the Panasonic or Pioneer plasmas.  Supposedly the 50" Samsung is supposed to be a nice tv too.  Certainly a looker on the outside.  It can also be had for $2k.

Regards,
Jeff

Hi Jeff
OK, I found it, but Froogle did not find the model for sale anywhere yet, so it does not appear to be shipping yet.  With something this new, I would want to wait for a professional review of it also.

I think this is somewhat individualistic.  I'm about 10 feet away from my 57 inch RPTV, and I think it's tiny.  I'd love to upgrade to a 100 inch front projection.  But what I'd like is to be immersed for movies.  For "normal" TV watching, 57 inches is fine; it just doesn't cut it for movies. 

You might want to consider what you intend on watching.  If you watch a lot of standard def. TV, see which has the better scaler.  If you don't watch much TV, then don't worry about it.  However, I purchased an outboard scaler that scales SD TV to 16x9.  When I sent this back to get fixed, I forgot how bad the internal scaler was. 

We watch mostly normal TV, but things may change a little after we buy this, will have to see.
I would love an external scaler, but it is not within my budget, so I don't think so.  More likely to get a HD DVD player in a little bit, when they get a little cheaper.

Still not sure what to get 
If I wait long enough, the Hitachi sale will be over, and I will still be watching my old TV. 

Randy

[Parnelli777]

Sounds like you're in the same boat I was. I 've been keeping an eye on flat panels, over the last year or so, on both LCD and Plasma. It came down to 3 units. A 46" Sony XBR3, a 50" Pioneer Elite, and the Panasonic TH-50PX600U. Long story short, the Sony is very nice, but out of my $ range, the Elite to my eyes, was just barely, and I mean just slightly better than the Panny. In fact at times even though they were side by side at the showroom, I did not see anything better about the Elite. And it ran $1500 more.

 So I bought the PX600U a couple of months ago, along with an Oppo 981, and I'll say that the Panasonic is an excellent unit, and was a relative bargain. If you absolutely MUST have 1080p NATIVE, then you should look elsewhere, though the Panny will display both 1080i, 1080p just fine at 768.

[randytsuch]

Sounds like you're in the same boat I was. I 've been keeping an eye on flat panels, over the last year or so, on both LCD and Plasma. It came down to 3 units. A 46" Sony XBR3, a 50" Pioneer Elite, and the Panasonic TH-50PX600U. Long story short, the Sony is very nice, but out of my $ range, the Elite to my eyes, was just barely, and I mean just slightly better than the Panny. In fact at times even though they were side by side at the showroom, I did not see anything better about the Elite. And it ran $1500 more.

 So I bought the PX600U a couple of months ago, along with an Oppo 981, and I'll say that the Panasonic is an excellent unit, and was a relative bargain. If you absolutely MUST have 1080p NATIVE, then you should look elsewhere, though the Panny will display both 1080i, 1080p just fine at 768.

Thanks for the info.
Turns out I found a good deal on Pioneer plasmas
either the PDP507CMX or the PDP-5070HD.
The CMX is from their industrial stuff, supposed to be on par with the elite, but it will be at the high end of my budget because I need to buy a video input module for it also.

So, I am leaning towards the Pioneers now.

Randy