Panasonic G25 plasma's HDMI ports died - recommendations on new TV?

[IndyColtsFan]

My Panasonic P50G25 seems to have lost its last 2 HDMI ports. Last summer, something odd happened and my receiver's HDMI board died and either took out an HDMI port on my TV or the reverse happened - an HDMI port on the TV took out my receiver's board. At any rate, at the time, I told my wife that even though the other 2 HDMI ports seemed to work OK, we were probably on borrowed time and sure enough, tonight, no video would play on the TV. I hope to god my Yamaha RX-A850 receiver is fine (at least audio is playing fine on it).

At any rate, I'm in the market for a new TV. Yes, I could possibly get the parts to fix the Panasonic on eBay, but I may decide to give that a shot down the road and if successful, put it in my man cave to replace the 42" that's there. For now though, I need a great replacement TV. Here are my requirements and questions:

1. Must be no wider than 50" - I believe most 55" TVs fit that bill these days.
2. PQ is very important to me - all my TVs are Panasonic plasmas and I want a TV with a great picture.
3. With #2 in mind, I know OLED is supposed to be the best but to be honest, I am not sure I want to spend $2K+ on a quality set. Let's say the budget is $1200 and I could increase that if there was justification. I'd prefer to buy from Amazon unless there is a spectacular deal from Fry's or Best Buy.
4. I have no clue on which brands are good these days. It seems Samsung and LG are the leaders now. I have no idea how Panasonic does these days and Vizio always struck me as a cheap brand, but I might be wrong.
5. Assuming my RX-A850 is OK (probably won't know that for a few days, but it is under warranty at least), I'm set with a receiver capable of 4K with HDCP 2.2. My question is this - how will 1080 and 720 content look on a 4K set? I have a Roku 3 attached to my TV now - should I go ahead and upgrade to Roku 4 if I get a new TV?

Thanks in advance for all your help. I would be looking to buy within the next week - unfortunately the living room (where the TV is at) is being painted later this week and everything is being disassembled/moved in preparation, but I'll want something in place sometime next week.

 

[Artorius]

Not really sure if this is the best sub-forum to post this but you'll have a hard time trying to find any current non OLED TV that pleases you PQ wise coming from a Panasonic Plasma. LCD is just plain garbage when it comes to motion resolution and only now models with decent black levels are appearing (~8K contrast ratio).

If you're not going with OLED then the obvious choice is this thing.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Thanks - I accidentally posted it in the CPU forum instead of here and Mark was gracious enough to move it.

I just don't think the value proposition for OLED is there yet and I still do have a 720p set in service, so maybe I buy the set you recommended to replace the G25 and then once OLEDs are cheaper, buy one and then rotate the Samsung to replace the 720p and put the OLED in the living room. I do have a couple of questions:

1. What is a good OLED TV to look at now?
2. I've heard the latest Panasonic UHD sets are getting a lot of buzz - any feedback?
3. Am I wrong to be anti-LG?

 

[Artorius]

1. What is a good OLED TV to look at now?
2. I've heard the latest Panasonic UHD sets are getting a lot of buzz - any feedback?
3. Am I wrong to be anti-LG?

1 - You only have LG options here (the Panasonic OLED uses a LG panel as well) and they're all very similar:

This one is most likely the "best" you can buy, it has support for all the things that make 4K relevant (like HDR10 and DCI-P3 >90%).

This one is an older model but still quite respectable.

And if you don't care about 4K, maybe this one.

2 - The Buzz is probably about this set. I'm not sure if this quality goes down across their entire lineup but this one in specific looks great.

3 - For LCD TVs, no. LG uses mostly IPS panels and those have ridiculously bad black levels. It looks atrociously dated when compared to any modern VA LCD and it only gets worse if you try to watch something at night with lights off. For OLED we don't have choices, but LG is using white OLEDs and color filters.

The only non-LG OLED the market ever saw was a true RGB OLED from Samsung and it was arguably better than what LG had to offer at the time.

It's sad that Plasmas from 2013 can still compete, and even beat, the sets that are supposed to be the best nowadays. All in name of lower power consumption and less heat...

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Thanks. I had looked at that older 4K LG OLED as well and I might seriously consider that one.

I believe the main board is probably shot in my Panasonic G25 - I know the panel is still good because the backlight comes on and you can access all the setup menus. It seems to be limited to the HDMI ports. I'm trying to talk a guy on eBay down on his board price and hope to get that ordered today. In the interim I think I'll take a list of TV models to Best Buy and review them.

 

[NutBucket]

If you have an open mind you should definitely look into the Vizio M (I think) series which has full-array LED backlighting with local dimming. That's definitely not easy to find these days.

 

[soulcougher73]

Another option not mentioned yet is possibly craigslist for a used Plasma set. I figure most of the population is dumb and buys the LCD crap thinking its better so might find a good deal on a plasma. I'm a plasma fan as well and am bummed they are not around anymore. I actually have a 50' plasma i need to do something with. Probably sell, but hate to lose the amount i paid vs what i could reasonably sell it for lol

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Another option not mentioned yet is possibly craigslist for a used Plasma set. I figure most of the population is dumb and buys the LCD crap thinking its better so might find a good deal on a plasma. I'm a plasma fan as well and am bummed they are not around anymore. I actually have a 50' plasma i need to do something with. Probably sell, but hate to lose the amount i paid vs what i could reasonably sell it for lol

I should've bought one of the final high-end Panasonic plasmas when they stopped making them. Since I found a replacement mainboard relatively cheap, I think I'll just try to replace that first to see if it fixes the issue. If so, I'll upgrade later when OLEDs drop to more reasonable levels. The wife doesn't want to spend money on replacement TV now (she doesn't value it like I do). While I'm waiting for the board to arrive, I think I will look at a few models "just in case" the fix doesn't work and I have to buy a new one - going without a TV in that room is not an option.

I'm worried about my receiver - I hope something didn't happen to it as well. Last year, when the first HDMI port went bad, my Denon 2310CI's HDMI ports also failed and I ended up replacing it with a Denon 3100, which had issues that forced me to return it for the Yamaha RX-A850. I did manage to find the HDMI board for the 2310 on eBay and went ahead and replaced it to use in my office, though

 

[soulcougher73]

I should've bought one of the final high-end Panasonic plasmas when they stopped making them. Since I found a replacement mainboard relatively cheap, I think I'll just try to replace that first to see if it fixes the issue. If so, I'll upgrade later when OLEDs drop to more reasonable levels. The wife doesn't want to spend money on replacement TV now (she doesn't value it like I do). While I'm waiting for the board to arrive, I think I will look at a few models "just in case" the fix doesn't work and I have to buy a new one - going without a TV in that room is not an option.

I'm worried about my receiver - I hope something didn't happen to it as well. Last year, when the first HDMI port went bad, my Denon 2310CI's HDMI ports also failed and I ended up replacing it with a Denon 3100, which had issues that forced me to return it for the Yamaha RX-A850. I did manage to find the HDMI board for the 2310 on eBay and went ahead and replaced it to use in my office, though

Yeah i wish i had bought a 2nd 65" Panasonic from Costco when i did. I believe it was the final year model i bought. The 50" is a Pioneer KRP-500m professionally calibrated. It hasnt been used in a while cause the housing situation changed and a TV without a tuner/sound wouldnt work at the time. Now im in the process of a projector setup and really have no need for the Pioneer...computer monitor? lol

 

[hmm321]

Our Panasonic plasma's HDMI ports went out recently. We just bought another board for it and plugged it in, $99 and good to go. Hated to trash the tv when it is perfectly good. I bought ours off ebay. Others recommended ShopJimmy.com for help finding the right board. I think yours is there for $165. I do know with mine, it was important to get not only the correct board by model, but also the suffix has to match. Easy to figure out and i'm sure they could help locate it if you go that route.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Our Panasonic plasma's HDMI ports went out recently. We just bought another board for it and plugged it in, $99 and good to go. Hated to trash the tv when it is perfectly good. I bought ours off ebay. Others recommended ShopJimmy.com for help finding the right board. I think yours is there for $165. I do know with mine, it was important to get not only the correct board by model, but also the suffix has to match. Easy to figure out and i'm sure they could help locate it if you go that route.

ShopJimmy was out of my main board but I took the part number (which had the AC suffix) and then found one on eBay for $99 and offered the guy $80.

I agree with you - my panel still works fine and I was going to try fixing the TV regardless if I bought a new TV or not, so since I found a board so easily, quickly, and cheaply, I might as well try that first. I did the same thing with my Denon receiver when its HDMI board died, though it took me awhile to find the board on eBay and I did buy a new receiver first.

 

[Midwayman]

I repaired my plasma after a lightning strike took out my main board and all the HDMI with it. Super easy. Trouble is you won't find anything with a picture as good as a plasma for a reasonable price anymore.

 

[ElFenix]

my tv lost one of its two hdmi ports during a lightning storm a week and a half ago. but the port on the receiver that it was connected to is fine. strange. parents lost the hdmi ports on a tv several years ago to a lightning strike as well. board off of ebay fixed it.

having just 1 hdmi port really blows. time for another board off of ebay.

 

[truckerCLOCK]

Where the hell do you people live? Lighting strikes taking out TV's left and right. In my 42yrs I have never seen or known of anyone having lighting strike their house. But if it did most houses here have sufficient grounds.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

I give up. I've tried 2 mainboards from eBay and both apparently arrived DOA - I installed each and got 10 blinking reds for the first board and a 1 blinking red for the second board, which both seem to indicate that the mainboard is bad. The panel wouldn't even power on with them. I put my old board back in and sure enough, the panel powers on and I can access the menus. If I could get a new board, I would, but I can't keep playing eBay Russian roulette. I may stash the plasma in the garage and still see if I can get it working again, but at this point, I give up so I'll need a new TV. I have one recommendation for the KS8000. Any others? Beach Camera was selling the 2015 LG OLED for $1700 - may see if that deal is still going on. We're buying this weekend.

Where the hell do you people live? Lighting strikes taking out TV's left and right. In my 42yrs I have never seen or known of anyone having lighting strike their house. But if it did most houses here have sufficient grounds.

There is no direct evidence that lightning took out my HDMI ports, but I'm really worried about my receiver and have no way of testing it without dragging a huge TV downstairs or disconnecting everything and taking it upstairs to another TV.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Fry's is selling the LG 55EF9500 for $2799 and Amazon has it for $2098. I'm thinking that I can get Fry's to pricematch Amazon and can buy it locally. Thoughts? Are they going to agree to a pricematch that large?


EDIT: NM. I'm just going to order it from Amazon and have it delivered, as it will still be cheaper. I'm going to run over to Fry's tomorrow during lunch and see if I can take a look at one first. Any cons to going with the 2015 OLED model?

 

[BarkingGhostar]

Fry's is selling the LG 55EF9500 for $2799 and Amazon has it for $2098. I'm thinking that I can get Fry's to pricematch Amazon and can buy it locally. Thoughts? Are they going to agree to a pricematch that large?


EDIT: NM. I'm just going to order it from Amazon and have it delivered, as it will still be cheaper. I'm going to run over to Fry's tomorrow during lunch and see if I can take a look at one first. Any cons to going with the 2015 OLED model?

Crutchfield has it for $2149.99 with free shipping.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

So, the 55EF9500 does not seem to support HDR but the KS8000 does. So, OLED with no HDR vs LED with HDR?

 

[Kartajan]

http://www.rtings.com/

Drills down pretty well when looking for a new TV....

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Thanks Kartajan.

So, I went to Best Buy at lunch and fell in love with the 2016 55" LG OLED. The problem is that it is $4,000 and I know that 1 year from now, it will probably be $2,000-$2,500 so there is no way I'm paying $4,000 now. I found a local repair shop who will fix the TV and make sure it works for $350 (he has a company who will rebuild the board) so I'm going to go that route for now as I don't think I can find anything less than $2,000 that can match a G25's PQ.

 

[Kolvir]

Not trying to sound snotty, but do you have a quality surge protector? A lot of people out there spend thousands on their AV system and then buy a $20 surge for it.

I'm lucky in that my best friend owns a whole house audio/video, etc.. business. He has to keep on top of everything because of frequent product refreshes and does enough volume that he knows what works and fails regularly, so he is a great knowledge resource. Plus I get it at his cost, with isn't really much lower than Amazon in some cases.

Anyway, when I got my setup several years back, a Panasonic G25 too, btw, he had me get a Episode surge protector that was over $100 his cost. I'm not sure what make/model his current recommendation is, but I could ask and post if anyone cares.

He doesn't understand the death of plasma either, says there still isn't a good replacement for them.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Not trying to sound snotty, but do you have a quality surge protector? A lot of people out there spend thousands on their AV system and then buy a $20 surge for it.

You don't sound snotty - I do suspect the surge suppressor is probably bad. I bought a line conditioner with AVR earlier today to replace it.

I just can't explain why nothing else plugged into the same protector seems to have been affected. I am assuming that last summer, the Denon took out the HDMI port on my G25 and perhaps residual damage finally claimed the other two. I'm going to move an upstairs TV downstairs tomorrow while I wait for my G25 to get fixed and hopefully my receiver will test fine.

 

[Zivic]

So, the 55EF9500 does not seem to support HDR but the KS8000 does. So, OLED with no HDR vs LED with HDR?

Oled... beyond some banding issues, those OLEDs are AWESOME.

the best LCDs on the market are a distant second.

if I were buying a TV right now, I could easily justify the 6 grand on a 65" E6... LCDs are a thing of the past

 

[Zivic]

Thanks Kartajan.

So, I went to Best Buy at lunch and fell in love with the 2016 55" LG OLED. The problem is that it is $4,000 and I know that 1 year from now, it will probably be $2,000-$2,500 so there is no way I'm paying $4,000 now. I found a local repair shop who will fix the TV and make sure it works for $350 (he has a company who will rebuild the board) so I'm going to go that route for now as I don't think I can find anything less than $2,000 that can match a G25's PQ.

this is a fair assessment. once you see the OLEDs you know they are the real deal. finally a true successor to plasma. once I am confident I can watch a hockey game without any banding issues I am selling my left kidney and buying the best one on the market...

 

[Kartajan]

A lot of people out there spend thousands on their AV system and then buy a $20 surge for it.

And the PRICE is not the key, but the SPECIFICATIONS are...