50" plasma

[ykaps]

hi,

I am planning to buy a 50" plasma

1. I need help in deciding which one is better samsung or Panasonic?
2. In Panasonic can anyone tell me whether the price diff between the u20 and the v20 of around 30k is worth it?

Thanks for your help

Yogesh

 

[CANDUU]

V20 and u20 are full hd plasmas and pq of v20 plasma is the best in its segment which is currently available in india....
The black level , contract , colour and in all departments v20 beats u20 ....
Just in a sentence i can say V20 is the facelift U20...

 

[mandeep]

hi,

I am planning to buy a 50" plasma

1. I need help in deciding which one is better samsung or Panasonic?
   
2. In Panasonic can anyone tell me whether the price diff between the u20 and the v20 of around 30k is worth it?

Thanks for your help

Yogesh

In short :- go for V20

caution:Go for PLASMA if u can digest the "MLL rise" problem.

 

[longshanks]

Panasonic v20 ---- +ve : better black levels, contrast , less heat -ve: pic processing not that great(specially SD), slightly grainy, raising black levels


Samsung c6500, c7000,c8000---- +ve : very good pic processing, less grainy,better SD,costs less -ve: more prone to retention,blacks are slightly inferior to v20,heat

 

[rajat60]

Panasonic

Been using P50V20D for 4 months, its a dream....

 

[vardu]

Panasonic v20 ---- +ve : better black levels, contrast , less heat -ve: pic processing not that great(specially SD), slightly grainy, raising black levels


Samsung c6500, c7000,c8000---- +ve : very good pic processing, less grainy,better SD,costs less -ve: more prone to retention,blacks are slightly inferior to v20,heat

I would like to just add to rajapraveen80's -ve points with regard to Samsung - both of these are from only my viewing standpoint and not on a tested standardized benchmark.

1. I have not seen comparable difference in the black levels between the V20 and the Samsung C6500 to justify the difference in price.

2. I haven't seen any retention at all in the Samsung (but I am in the low level first 200 hours) but I have not read any review regarding the Samsung having comparably more retention than the Panasonics

 

[gk@hyd]

my recommendation would be Panasonic v20.. i have been using 42v20 for 3 months, and find the picture quality to be pretty realistic/natural with good black levels..
i had a choice between 50" u20 and 42" v20 (both being available for almost similar price tag), but for me v20 picture quality during the demo appeared superior enough over u20 that I went for 42" v20

 

[MaheshN]

Panasonic gives 3 year warranty on it's plasmas. Please note the flat panel technology has not yet matured and plasma tv's go bad pretty quickly. If you have a 3 year warranty you would atleast be able to enjoy the product for 3 years.
Samsung has the worst after sales service among all brands. Samsung plasma are also notorious of going bad shortly after the 1 year warranty runs over. Samsung customer care does not respond (even when the product is in warranty) unless you file a consumer court case against them. I have a first hand experience of this and since taken a oath not to buy samsung ever again. Also I would suggest to add the extended warranty cost to the price of the TV when doing comparision. Panasonic by that measure would be cheaper than samsung in all likelyhood.

I recently bought the Panasonic 50v20d and am loving every bit of it. It is defanately better than the earlier samsung plasma I had. Most of all I have the piece of mind that comes with the warranty.

 

[Kittu]

Panny would be my recomendation too.

But why not look for some LEDs. Year end day you may strike a deal.

 

[shaiju_o_thomas]

Don't think any 50" LED deal will be as sweet as a 50V20D.

 

[vardu]

Panasonic gives 3 year warranty on it's plasmas. Please note the flat panel technology has not yet matured and plasma tv's go bad pretty quickly. If you have a 3 year warranty you would atleast be able to enjoy the product for 3 years...

The current generation of Plasma Displays have a life span of around 25 + years with heavy usage - even if we take what the manufacturers say, with a grain of salt and bring it to a third - that is still more than 7 years! You will change cars before then.

You might have to change the bulb before then , and there might be some decrease gradual decrease in quality ( say 5%) but nevertheless you should be having a working enjoyable piece. Had all plasmas been failing in a year or two there would be none sold or advertised because of the horrible PR alone.

You are entitled to your opinion but without providing any factual proof - link to a review, testing done with benchmarks, (instead of using isolated one-off cases or personal experience) , this will only serve as fear mongering to the newbies who let the negative posts affect them more than the positive ones.

As with any other new technology that keeps reinventing and changing itself every year, there are bound to be some bad apples but to paint them all with the same brush is illogical.

 

[MaheshN]

7 years? that's a joke right. I would like to know how many people have had their plasmas working for 7 years.

 

[shaiju_o_thomas]

7 years? that's a joke right. I would like to know how many people have had their plasmas working for 7 years.

What vardu meant is that Plasma displays do not fail so quick as some make it out to. I agree with him. Manufacturers tend to overblow figures but surely they cannot fabricate all of it.

Btw, what maturity would you like to see in flat panel technology?

 

[vardu]

7 years? that's a joke right. I would like to know how many people have had their plasmas working for 7 years.

Other than personal experience - do you have an substantive link to any test with standardized benchmarks that proved the claims of the manufacturers to be total rubbish?

I know their claims are based on ideal conditions that is why I cut it to a THIRD and arrived at 7 as a reasonable number.

My friend bought his Pioneer 50" Plasma for $6000 or so around 2002-2003. It is still a working piece. He bought newer sets and upgraded from 2007 onwards but it lasted him 5 years without a problem and is still working (out of place and huge) in his small sub-attic room. They put it in the garage during holidays and barbecues and other stuff to watch games (basically don't care if it gets spoilt by moving too much).

The newer 6th Gen onwards are much superior and the rotten apples are lesser and lesser in each barrel.

The problem is also that our expectations are higher and higher and hence even minor spackles from a bad hdmi to a small heat emission by plasma and mediocre mid-range from speakers are not acceptable.

My concern with your post was that it was colored a lot by your experience and hence the language and slant would scare newbies.

BTW you did go ahead with a plasma again

 

[MaheshN]

Yes i went for plasma because extended warranty is not available on other flat panel technologies. Since panasonic offered 3 years warranty it seemed to be the least of all evils.

 

[ykaps]

Re: Panasonic

hi rajat,

IF you could tell me how mch did your v20 cost ?

Thanks
Yogesh

 

[shaiju_o_thomas]

Yes i went for plasma because extended warranty is not available on other flat panel technologies. Since panasonic offered 3 years warranty it seemed to be the least of all evils.

Hey Mahesh - is the extended warranty the matured flat panel technology you were looking for? These technologies, they catch up and mature so fast!

 

[MaheshN]

Hey Mahesh - is the extended warranty the matured flat panel technology you were looking for? These technologies, they catch up and mature so fast!

i din't get it