Suggestion for 50" Plasma

[Woofmeister]

Originally posted by: kalrith

Originally posted by: Woofmeister

Originally posted by: kalrith

Originally posted by: JackBurton

Originally posted by: Woofmeister

Originally posted by: JackBurton

Originally posted by: kalrith

Originally posted by: Woofmeister
I was at a friend's house recently and he had a Vidikron 50-inch Plasma that was simply jaw-dropping.:shocked:

I've got a Samsung 1080p 50-inch plasma myself, and it's a very good picture, but the Vidikron just blew me away in how realistic the picture was. Part of that is professional calibration and the quality of the source (Quantum of Solace Blu-ray), but I'm thinking of going out and buying one of those.

What's your viewing distance? If you're going to go out and buy a new TV, you might want to take the opportunity for a size increase as well (unless you're 6' from you 50"; even 6.7' from a 60" falls within the THX recommendations). I'd second JackBurton's recommendation for the Pioneer Elite as the best-looking TV out there. The Elite 151 would be the most-recent 60" version of the TV and the 600M is the 60" version of the monitor (no tuner, no stand, no speakers).

Don't forget the 141.

Funny you should mention it, I've actually looked at a 141 several times. (There's a store near me that I frequent that has one on display) There's no question the 141 is a nice looking panel. The blacks in particular are very impressive. Still, though I've obviously never done a side-by-side comparison, I thought my friend's Vidikron looked better than I recall the 141 did.

I'm happy with my 50-inch right now (seating position ten feet from display), but if I were to go up to a 60-inch and price were no objecdt, I'd at least look at Vidikron's VP 6500 before I went with the 141.

Yep. And you definitely should take a look at as many displays you can before purchasing. But take into consideration the environment and the settings. I'll guarantee you the 141 you saw (most likely in BB Magnolia) was not ISF calibrated. And in a home environment, I'm sure the 141 will trump the Vidikron. I'd however possibly consider the Vidikron if you live at a high elevation. Runco sets are good about that too. But if PQ is your main concern, you ain't beating a 9G Pioneer Elite.

You beat me to it. You can't compare an uncalibrated set with a questionable source in a store setting to a calibrated set with a BD source in a home setting. I'd also completely agree with your statement about nothing beating the PQ of a 9G Pioneer Elite.

Agree with all of the above except for the "uncalibrated set" part. I did not see the 141 in Best Buy/Magnolia, I saw it at a small specialty store near me called Audio Den where the staff carefully calibrates everything they display. That's one of the reasons I go there even though I usually end up buying gear someplace else.

As I said, the PQ on the 141 was very good when I saw it and the Pioneer Elites would be on anybody's top list for high-end plasmas. That being said, have you ever seen the Vidikrons?

I haven't, but for $20,000 the VP-6500HD had better be many, many, many, many, many times better than the $3,400 600M.

Edit: I know that compares MSRP to street price, but I couldn't find any info on how much the Vidikrons cost on the street.

I had no idea they were that much!:Q I'm going to ask my friend how much he got his 50-inch for and see if we can extrapolate the street price from that.

 

[JackBurton]

Originally posted by: Woofmeister
Agree with all of the above except for the "uncalibrated set" part. I did not see the 141 in Best Buy/Magnolia, I saw it at a small specialty store near me called Audio Den where the staff carefully calibrates everything they display. That's one of the reasons I go there even though I usually end up buying gear someplace else.

There is a difference between a calibration and a professional calibration. A quick way to see if someone attempted to calibrate the 141 is to see if the ISF modes have been enabled. If you don't have that selection (ISF Day/Night), it hasn't been properly calibrated.

As I said, the PQ on the 141 was very good when I saw it and the Pioneer Elites would be on anybody's top list for high-end plasmas. That being said, have you ever seen the Vidikrons?

No, but I'd love to see one. However, like Runco I doubt they use their own glass. Runco and Fujistu used to be the king of plasmas until Pioneer released their 8G sets. After that it was all Pioneer even though Runco still charges MUCH more for their sets. I'd imagine Vidikrons are similar. I'm sure MOST of the cost of the Vidikrons goes into the video processor (liek Runco) which I'm sure does a fantastic job of making SD look great. But when it comes to HD, I HIGHLY doubt it is coming anywhere close to a calibrated 9G Elite, ESPECIALLY when the lights go out. But hey, I wouldn't mind take a look at a Vidikron to give it an honest evaluation.

 

[PJABBER]

Amazon Warehouse Plasma Deals

I have found one of the best places for major brand (mostly Samsung, Panasonic, now rarely a Pioneer) plasma and LCD deals is Amazon Warehouse. They offer free shipping once in a while but very low cost shipping rates the rest of the time, which is a big cost savings. The TVs are listed as used/returns/open box but the items I and my friends have received have been new or like new, most seem just clearancing of overstock inventory. YMMV, obviously.

I think their "condition" description tends to sound overboard. Scratched may be one unnoticeable line, damaged box may mean some compressed cardboard. Others may have had worse luck, but I really think most of these items wind up being like-new.

You get full warranty and I have found Amazon service for these huge items to be absolutely outstanding. I bought a 52" top of the line Samsung LCD there last year at over 60% off when it wasn't available anywhere else at more than a 20% discount. I wound up not liking the set at all compared to plasma and was able to return it at their cost. I then wound up buying a new 1080p Samsung 50" plasma as a replacement and have been super happy with the price (more than 30% less than any comparable deal I was able to find!) and the quality of the image.

Hint: keep your eyes open for high end sets selling at 50% or more off (typical discount is 30-35%) by first clicking on "Deep Discounts" and then "Televisions"

Current examples -

Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P50G10 50-Inch 1080p Plasma $1,130.99 + $63.99 Shipping

Panasonic TH-50PZ77U 50-Inch 1080p Plasma $1,083.99 + $95.26 Shipping

Panasonic Viera TH-46PZ800U 46-Inch 1080p Plasma for $927.99 + $69.30 Shipping