I'm thinking about buying a 50" Plasma TV to replace my 42" inch Toshiba I have in my living room. since the kids long ago wrecked their 32" inch LCD screen by putting stickers on it. I'll give them the Toshiba, my wife wants me to haul an old SDTV up from the guest room, I just have a problem with going back to standard TV in our main rooms.
I'm planning on staying with Plasma for the above reason and because I like them.
I'm really not up with the new technology on TVs in the past couple years.
Are there certain things I should be looking for?
Should I go with 720p or 1080p (I sit around 10' from the TV)
A couple sets I have done some looking into are the Pioneer PDP-5080HD 50" and the Panasonic TH-50PZ700U, both seem pretty good.
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

Michael,

You will undoubtedly get the usual responses with regards to resolution that will include charts, studies and links telling you what resolution you really need. They will most likely show you that you will not “notice” an improvement beyond 720P with your viewing distance and display size.

I tend to disagree with those recommendations, but not because of distance / size and eagle like vision reasons.

I will always suggest folks getting a display that supports 1080P/24 if they view, or will view HD and BR movies.

So one more time why……

BR and HD disks have a native resolution of 1080P/24 (frames per second) stored on the disks. (There is a very small percentage that are video based, and an even smaller percentage that are 1080i.) Planet earth on HD for example is video based, but again, that’s not the norm.

Here’s the crux. If your display will not support 1080P/24, the player will default to a different output resolution that the display supports. Even if your display is 1080P/60 compatible, and will not support 24 fps, the player will default to the display’s supported resolution and data will ultimately be lost during this process. All players that I am aware of go through a convoluted process to achieve a resolution other than 1080P/24. First, they pull the interlaced 1080i resolution off the disk, then they post process that data to achieve the display’s resolution (if it is not 1080/24) and then they de-interlace that data to a progressive output. With the exception of Reon equipped players, they all do an “OK” to poor job of post processing. No matter what or how they do it, your display will never see the full resolution that is stored on the disks.

This net loss of resolution may be marginally inferior to the native 1080P/24, but we are all active Video/Audio addicts, are we not? If we were not, I doubt we’d be wasting time BS’ing about it here. You’ll always be wondering “what if” if you compromise. I’ve done numerous tests with all my HD and BR players, with my DVDO VP50pro in the chain, and without. I’ve tried different resolutions, different deinterlacing processes and on and on. 1080P/24 straight off the disk is the clear winner every time. Obviously, my screen size and viewing distance amplify any discernable differences, but the point being, is there is a “real” difference.

Regarding your choice of TV, I'd suggest you go on a walkabout and see for yourself. Just make sure you pull up the brightness / contrast of the displays that draw your attention. The sales folks may have them tweaked to ridiculous levels. You want CONTRAST. Look for a large gap between brightness and contrast. This in itself is a very lengthy topic and I won't bore you with it..... If you are really interested in learning more, I'll email you a calibration manual I have that details grey scale, primary and secondary calibration and why white, really isn't white... and black, really isn't black.

Thanks Mike,
Good information, I'll have a walkaround this weekend to see what strikes me the most. The 1080/24 fps will be a big influence, I'm trying to future proof,at least for a few months That darn Pioneer is getting such great reviews though on its picture quality and black levels but the 1080p version is 3600.00 which is more than I want to spend.

I know there seams to be a huge LCD fan base, but I am always drawn to Plasmas when I wander through the TV display areas. The Samsungs in general draw me to them… I think, but not certain, that the colors and contrast of plasmas must be what I find attractive. Some of those rear projection DLP units look pretty good to me as well. They are getting to be pretty skinny nowadays too. You might want to give them a second chance….. they’re fairly inexpensive in comparison.

Or, is a projector a completely ludicrous proposition?

Hey Michael,

Congrats on the impending upgrade. I liked the part about the stickers.

Personally, I'd just buy the 1080 Panny and be happy. Even though you might not seen the difference from 720 in your current configuration, 1080 is the new standard, and I think it's going to be around for quite a while. I doubt I'd notice any difference in PQ compared to the Pioneer, but I'd sure as heck notice the ~$1,000.

Hope you have a great evening.

Thanks guys,
A projector may be a possibility somewhere down the line, I have about 1000 sq ft of garage space that one day I would like to turn part of it into a home theatre, but after doing a major remodel of our master bedroom that has taken me 3 months I don't see that happening for a couple years. I've never cared for the DLPs and after my kids were able to damage a portion of my LCD screen I'm not sold on their durability, I still feel the plasmas edge the Lcds in PQ.
Tom I think you're right, for 1,000 bucks more the change in picture should be like going from SD to HD.
I've got my eye on this right now Panasonic TH-50PZ77U I'll take a run down the hill this weekend if the snow lets up and try a have a look at this and some other models.
Tom I hope you and your family are enjoying that new set.
Thanks again guys.

I've been quietly looking for a reason to upgrade my Panny 42" ED 6UY. Love this set but I do have a PS3 and HD Tivo, so the move from 480p to at least 720p would be nice. If it were me, I'd just do the jump to 1080p and be done w/ it. Years ago, I made the decision to stick w/ 480p, thinking I'd never be interested in HDTV. Not a smart decision...

My 42" ED looks great at 8', so there's never been a real need for a 1080p 50", except sheer gadget lust... I've helped my inlaws with 4 displays so far. 2 26" Samsung LCDs, 1 Pioneer Pro FHD1 50" and 1 65" Panny PZ750U. The Samsungs are good bedroom/kitchen TVs, good value. But for main viewing, I'm partial to plasma. I've read good things about that Pioneer you mention. The Panny you mentioned is very similar to the 65", which is stunning IMHO.

I still have to take pix but we have the 65" installed in my in laws pool room. In that room we have Hsu VTF3, 2 W22's, 1 W150, 2 QS8's, Denon 2808, Tivo HD with 500GB external space, and a Harmony 880. He bought an antique pool table (over 100 years old) and had it refinished for the room. I'm not a billiards guy but it is a nice table. Can't play too often though, my 2.5 year old likes to throw the balls around. We almost had one go through the plasma...

I love these posts. It usually can be subtitled..."tell me what kind of HDTV you have and convince me why I should buy the same".

Heh... heck, that could apply to a lot of posts around here. Stop pointing out the emperor's clothing.

Here is a good link to a Gary Merson article where he tests 74 HDTV's and tests a few things, including the ability to convert 24fps to the HDTV's display rate without losing detail.

http://www.hometheatermag.com/hookmeup/1107hook2/

Click on the chart at the bottom of the article for the list and its results. The panny is there, but not the Pioneer you mention.

Good luck.

Sorry, but I cant help it. btw, my JVC is the best and I think Homedad should buy it to hang on the wall...the fact that its 18" thick shouldnt matter when compared to hanging a plasma on the wall.....should it?

The more I think about it I'm starting to wonder if a 50' will be that much larger than my existing 42". I'm going to look at some 60"s also. I really want to take a look at this one - Pioneer PDP-6010FD 60" 1080p Plasma HDTV. It's pricey, but I figure I'll probably have to live with it for 10 years before my wife allows any more electronics in the house

For the price of the Pioneer 60", I think that would be my last TV. I have been looking at the 58" Panasonic, just that much cheaper than the 60's and noticably bigger than a 50-52".

Lookit Michael upselling himself!

You know you won't be happy with anything less than the Pioneer 60" now.

Ha ha ha ha ha ha!

Yeah, there is no such thing as too big of a TV. We normally sit 14 ft away from a 61" set and while it looks big at first, after a month you get used to it. My wife said we could have gone with the 70" TV. When somebody is sitting on our other couch they end up being about 10 ft away and it helps having a 1080 display.

But, considering your primary viewing will be 10 ft away, I wouldn't go with a 768P set at that distance.

Ya... go big!!

I sit 12' away from a 110" 2.35 scope screen. Way cool....

I almost forgot about the little TV upstairs. It's a 46" and we sit about 8' away from it.

Well, I got a good deal so I bit the Bullet, since it's most likely the last TV I'll be buying in a while I bought the Pioneer PDP-6010FD 60" 1080p. I'll give a small review if anyone is interested after it arrives. And Tom you were right I upsold myself
Thanks for the help everyone.

Sounds like you found a good one. My general rule of buying TVs is always get bigger than people recommend for your space. TVs always shrink to me as I get used to the picture, so I go as big as I can fit.

Congrats, Michael. You did the right thing. I'm betting that thing makes you pretty happy.

The 60 pioneer is very nice...congrats!!

This is true, I don't get dizzy anymore watching the Bourne 2 and 3 movies on my 92" screen from 10 feet as I once did...

Michael,

Congratulations on your choice!!!! The really good news is you have absolutely avoided that unreachable itch called Buyer's Remorse (and the inevitable [and expensive] upgrade to having the thing you originally wanted anyhow!).

It took awhile with this hobby, but I learned you never spend too much if you have done the homework and the purchase makes you really happy. (.......OK, there WAS that unfortunate incident with the $24/ea. cable triads made out of chopsticks) The decision to spend a little more always gets you more of the product, so it's not all that bad.

Enjoy that bad boy.

Ray,
Thanks, no buyers remorse, no upgraditis at least for a few months until something better and cheaper comes along.
I did have a mere moment of panic when I saw the sites you listed on the sxrd-plasma thread (Visual Apex, Cleveland Plasma, New Egg) It flashed through my head that maybe I could have gotten a better deal, great prices they had, but not my model#

You're Never Sorry When You Buy 'The Good One'

Wow... that looks like a dandy Michael.

Congratulations on the new purchase, Michael!

My TV arrived today just in time for the Super Bowl

My first impression was Dang this thing is big, with speaker and stand it weighs nearly 180lbs.

After going down to Best Buy this weekend and looking at some of the high end Panasonics I was just hoping that when my Pioneer arrived it would look as good as some of the sets I viewed in the store.

I haven't had time to do any real viewing, but I did watch about 30 minutes of Ratatouille in 1080p and the picture is absolutely stunning, so far this set has far exceeded my expectations. I can't say if it's the 1080p the black levels or just better technology but this set is really in a different class than my old 42" Toshiba Plasma.

I'm glad I went with the 60" screen, even at seating distance of only 12' away it doesn't feel to large.

I'm a very happy camper with this purchase, tonight I plan on settling in and watching Blade Runner in 1080p.

Thanks to everyone who helped me with this, if you don't hear from me for awhile it's probably because I've turned into a couch potatoe

It's just time to get that PC hooked up to the new Plasma so you can vist us us from the couch.

I'm jealous. I'm sure it's a spectacular picture.

Enjoy the view.

Blade Runner - Final Cut is probably the best HD transfer I've ever seen. The sound on that disk is pretty freaking good too.... Good choice.

Cars is another disk to test 1080P. Cars and Ratatatouille are pretty tough to beat.

I agree, just saw that the other night at a friends, pretty awesome.

Blade Runner was great in 1080/24, there was a brief moment of panic trying to get my AX2 setup for that resolution but I finally figured it out