I had my mind set on a new Panasonic 65" Vierra but after learning Panasonic is getting out of the Plasma business I am not so sure. Would anyone dare to recommend a tv in the 60-65" range for a purchase price of under $1,500? I care most about movies so black levels, contrast and color are very important. I don't care about sound as I have Onkyo/Axiom for that. I also don't care about smart tv technology or 3D. Walmart has a black Friday sale on a 70" Vizio for under $1,000 but that unit isn't reviewed all that well and is a little bigger than I really want.

Any recommendations are appreciated.

Greg

It will be tough to find decent quality in that price range for the size you're looking for; have a look at Sharp LC60LE550U.
While I don't have that particular model, I always buy Sharp; I currently have two Aquos, a 55" and a 70" Quattron model and I like them a lot.

I hear you on price. I may just go with a 60" for $1,500. I currently have a 50" and that is a pretty good gain in screen real estate. I am very fortunate in that I am moving into a brand new house. Even though I lose my old "formal" home theater room, the great room will work well enough. Sort of good I have no WAF to worry about as I think turning the great room into a pseudo HT room would not be acceptable.

Greg

The Panny ST60 has received excellent reviews and should be available in 60 and 65 inch models. I believe for under $1,500

I don't think I've seen the 65ST60 for less than about $1800.

I'd still buy the Panasonic, while you can get it.

I got the Panny. I'd buy it again. Love it. If parts are an issue, they change so rapidly anyway that I doubt you'd have no more trouble getting replacements with that than with any other TV's.

I wouldn't worry about the plasma if that's the tech your interested in. I have 3 plasma's the oldest is a LG which is 8 yrs old and it only gave trouble recently and I knew of its short comings . It cost just over a 100 bux and the part wasn't even made by LG. I have a 50" panny that looks better today than it did 5 yrs ago. My newest one is a 2 yr old lg also with no problems.

I bought my kid a sony lcd for Christmas 2011 and it layed an egg about a month ago, screen cracked and it quit. My money is on plasma which has a better picture IMHO. I will never understand how lcd came out on top any more than why vhs beat out beta or Bluray came out on top of HD DVD. Unless you have a room full of windows plasma is the better picture every time.

I have all but made up my mind on a Panasonic ST-60 in 60 inch size. I'd love the 65" but nobody I checked out today even has one to buy, let alone provide a price. Going from a 50" to a 60" should suffice.

Thanks for the confirmation.

Greg

Greg, in my view the fact that the excellent Panasonic plasmas won't be made much longer is all the more reason to buy now, as this article discusses.

My suggestion for your needs and budget would be the TC-P60ST-60 which has gotten outstanding reviews here and elsewhere. It's on sale now for $1449 with free shipping from Abt .

We just purchased 2 Samsung 65" UN65EH6000 for our church and they are awesome TVs that can be found on Amazon, Costco, etc. for about $1300 or less. If you don't care about a "smart" TV, this one would be one of my top choices. If you want plasma, you will have to keep looking.

Just thought I'd chime in as Randy mentioned "smart" TV. This is something I'd advise you pass on, a waste of money imo, since it is very limited in it's capability. If you are not hooking a computer up to your screen but want REAL internet potential at a much lower price, get a non-smart TV and add a Sony Internet Player to it (about $100-125).

Although a lot of people don't like the soap opera effect of the creamy smooth high refresh rate images found on plasma tv's, I prefer that look for documentary type of programing. For movies I am less concerned. How does this unit do as far as refresh rate?

I'll either buy one of these Samsung tv's or go with the Panny. If I can afford a new house, I can afford a little more for an awesome tv. Thanks again. I also get new QS-8's to go with my M22 and VP-150 . Woo too!

Greg

Well for how we use it in our church would be different than a home environment, so not sure I can help much. For us they are used for powerpoint slides and the praise band (my son is the drummer) lyrics.

These have what is called 240 Clear Motion Rate also...Experience sharp picture quality, even when you are watching fast-moving images like sports or action movies. Clear Motion Rate was developed to accurately measure how well a LCD or LED TV can depict fast-moving images. Previously, motion-clarity was calculated by the frame refresh rate alone. But CMR offers a more complete measure by calculating 3 factors: frame refresh rate, image processor speed and backlight technology. A CMR of 240 - 480 takes motion-clarity to the next level. LED TVs with this CMR can display action-packed movement with even sharper detail and deeper levels of contrast while eliminating image distortion.

The nice thing about plasmas is that they don't have issues with motion blur, i.e. they are inherently better with fast motion.

It is just sad that Panasonic is finished making plasmas. They finally reach the levels of the Kuro TVs and then announce they are no longer making plasmas.