[OlesonMD]

We are looking at a Panasonic Professional 50" Plasma Monitor (TH-50PF10UK) for our family room.
These come in 2 flavors, 720 or 1080. The 720 version is half the price of the 1080 model ($1100 vs. $2300).
All of my flat panels are 720P, and they look pretty good with both broadcast and blu-ray sources.
On a 50" screen, what, if any, performance gain would be realized by going with the 1080P model? Keep in mind this is for casual viewing. Is the extra $1200 worth it?

[jaywills]

IIRC, the general rule of thumb is that if you're viewing it farther away than 1.5x the screen width, your eyes, physically, are unable to distinguish the difference.  Good luck.  Cordially,

[Big Red Machine]

I'd say no.  With a screen that small, the extra pixels probably won't be noticeable.  In my HT at 12 feet away from a 110" diag screen, 1080 was a major improvement over 720.  Just installed a 42" LCD for a buddy and I can't tell the difference between that TV and his 720p TV on the same signal.

[droht]

I think it comes down to the value you place on $1200.  For casual viewing it would be a no brainer for me to go with 720P option.  You can see a difference, especially at 7' or closer, but to me that difference is going from a really, really great picture to a really, really, really great picture.

Having said that, if I was comfortably wealthy I'm sure I'd go with the 1080P just because I could. 

[Bob in St. Louis]

Yea, what he said, word for word. 
I couldn't have said it better myself.

Bob

[bpape]

One difference to consider.  Broadcast (except ABC) will be 480i, 480p, or 1080i.  A 720 set will have to have any of those signals interpolated.  1080i simply needs to be deinterlaced to a 1080p set, no interpolation required.  It's not purely the pixels you're seeing at X distance for Y size - it's a matter of how accurately those pixels have been mapped from a different resolution.

Bryan

[Nuance]

^ Well said. 

In general, no you shouldn't see a difference, but if scaling is involved its possible.  If you're just comparing one blue-ray to another from 6 feet away or further, though, I'd say you wouldn't be able to tell.

[OlesonMD]

Thanks for all the input! Just read the TV issue of Consumer's Guide. It's their position (on screens 50" and smaller) that 1080P is not worth the extra money. In the above example of the 2 nearly identical Panny's, both sets are identical with the exception of the 720/1080 stats.

These 2 sets are pro model plasma monitors. Sans tuner, as well as speakers.

Since the viewing will be done from 2 rooms (kitchen/family room) with a viewing range of 12 to 24 feet, looks like I'll keep the $1200.

Perhaps that money would be better spent on upgrading a few components in the theater!

[mark@marktwain]

Just curious why are you going with the pro model? You can get the TC-P50S1 which is 1080P for the same price or less than the 720P display your looking at. I paid $800.00 for mine. It is an awesome display.

Mark

[OlesonMD]

In a word.....SPACE! The location of our current Plasma is recessed 8" into the wall.

My cut-out is 50"W X 29" to 33"H x 8"D. It's in a stone wall above a fireplace.

The physical dimensions cannot exceed 48W x 30H. These pro models were the only 50" units with a very thin bezel. Sony has thin bezels as well, but they do not produce a 50" set in any flavor.

If you find a set that fits those measurements in a 50" size let me know.

[macrojack]

Above comments made me curious about the size of my Panasonic TC-P50G10, so I measured it. Width is 48 inches and height is just under 29.5 inches. It would fit.
However, I think you need to allow plasma some breathing room so a Tight fit might not be a good idea.
However, another thought occurred to me. Suppose you mount a bracket in your recess and put a larger screen over the opening to completely conceal it. Panasonic's new Z-1 seems the perfect candidate because it is lightweight and only an inch thick. Currently only available in 54 inch screen, it would be perfect for applications like yours because the only connection you need to provide behind it is an AC receptacle. Everything else plugs into a wireless transmission box that can sit in your equipment rack. And the kicker - it's only an inch thick.
I saw it in a Best Buy store just before Christmas for $3995.

[OlesonMD]

Thanks for the idea.

Mounting outside of the recessed are might be the way to go.

[NagysAudio]

1080P is better. Considering how cheap TV's have gotten, you can get a state of the art Samsung LED 46" LCD for $1600, that's a bargain.

[ctviggen]

according to the original poster, there's over a 1k difference in price between 720p and 1080p.  I think that's a suitable price for discussion.

Also, I have a 37 inch TV in my living room.  I opted for 720p because it's highly unlikely I would see much difference (and don't have a Bluray player) and I could save money. 

[OlesonMD]

Yes, there was a huge price swing. The issue is, I need an Ultra-Thin Bezel in order for the TV to fit into my recessed wall. Max dimensions cannot exceed
47.6W X 28.5H.
Only 2 sets in a 50" size fit......both Panasonic Pro Models. One is 1080P ($2300)
the other is 720P ($1200).
A 50" display is desirable due to room size, etc.
And for cosmetic reasons, mounting outside the cutout area is not an option.