Looking to buy my first Plasma TV: 42UT30/u30/xt30/LG PW450/PT350/PA 4500

[iaudio]

Hello folks,

Planning to buy a Plasma TV this week( got an offer going on and I cant wait any longer, I want one now)

I am yet to locate Samsung plasmas, so as of now it is between LG and Panasonic Plasmas.
All the models I have mentioned in the title are in the equivalent price bracket of 21000INR to 23000INR, here in the Middle East. The Pana 42U30 is the only exception, it is slightly costlier, by 5000 rs or so, but comes with a free wall bracket. So it works out to be the same.

Usage:
It is mostly going to be used to watch DVD rips/ DVD's and to a slightly lesser extent BDrips/BDs through the USB and via HDMI from laptop with Blu ray drive.
It will also be used for some TV viewing, which will mostly be SD content.

The room where it will be used can be made dark enough to cut down glare. There are a coupla tube light straight up on the cieling. No issue with windows and glare. Power consumption and heat are also not an issue. I know I will have to take care to avoid IR.
3D is not a big priority!
Usb playback support for varied formats would be good to have.
Extra features: Viera seems to have android app to control TV playback, streaming etc. True? If so that would be good.

I have a soft spot for the PQ, color tones of a Plasma. Once made a 600km drive to just pick up a v20D for a friend's home theater.
Another reason is that getting a good 40inch LED with good PQ seems to be much more costly comparitively.

Do share your opinions/suggestions.


P.s On an entirely different note, I can get Toshiba 40AV10 or 40PB10( full hd lcds) for a slightly higher price).

 

[prosenjit]

as a plasma lover(me also)..you should blindly go for sammy or pana 42 inches semi hd..belive me they are good enough.at 38k.

ya please demo....full hds are also within 45k panasonic/samsung.

dont go for lg plasma.panasonic do have a cont R & D in plasma tech.dont know about samsung.but memebers in thuis forum got semi hd sammy plasmas and are very satisfied with the pq.you demo and decide.

demo with your files so will be easy for you whether semi hd or full hd making a diffrenece to your eyes or not.............

but at high end plasmas nothing comes close to panasonic.

and as you already has a soft spot for plasmas...not neccessary to explain you the ugly tv series looking led pq and color palatte...all movie looks like tv series..yah very very high quality tv series though......

another choice 50 inch semi hd pana sonic at around 53k..........

best of luck

 

[prosenjit]

I have a soft spot for the PQ, color tones of a Plasma. Once made a 600km drive to just pick up a v20D for a friend's home theater.

true videophile.......I must sayhyeah:

 

[BLASTO]

Hello folks,

Planning to buy a Plasma TV this week( got an offer going on and I cant wait any longer, I want one now)

I am yet to locate Samsung plasmas, so as of now it is between LG and Panasonic Plasmas.
All the models I have mentioned in the title are in the equivalent price bracket of 21000INR to 23000INR, here in the Middle East. The Pana 42U30 is the only exception, it is slightly costlier, by 5000 rs or so, but comes with a free wall bracket. So it works out to be the same.

Usage:
It is mostly going to be used to watch DVD rips/ DVD's and to a slightly lesser extent BDrips/BDs through the USB and via HDMI from laptop with Blu ray drive.
It will also be used for some TV viewing, which will mostly be SD content.

The room where it will be used can be made dark enough to cut down glare. There are a coupla tube light straight up on the cieling. No issue with windows and glare. Power consumption and heat are also not an issue. I know I will have to take care to avoid IR.
3D is not a big priority!
Usb playback support for varied formats would be good to have.
Extra features: Viera seems to have android app to control TV playback, streaming etc. True? If so that would be good.

I have a soft spot for the PQ, color tones of a Plasma. Once made a 600km drive to just pick up a v20D for a friend's home theater.
Another reason is that getting a good 40inch LED with good PQ seems to be much more costly comparitively.

Do share your opinions/suggestions.


P.s On an entirely different note, I can get Toshiba 40AV10 or 40PB10( full hd lcds) for a slightly higher price).

Avoid LG.
Are you saying that you are gettng the 42U30 for <30k?
Where and how?

 

[almondnine]

I may be getting an LGPA4520 or LGPA4500 this week, as and when stock becomes available after reading positive reviews from this very forum.
http://www.hifivision.com/televisio...470-review-budget-performer-8.html#post387399
As per a user review on this forum I read that LG 2012 plasmas are more bright (as bright as Sony Bravia LEDs) and have comparable picture quality to Sammy I have ruled out Panasonic and have not read positive reviews on this forum for Panasonic entry-level plasmas like X and XT series. Ok so narrowed down choice between LG and Sammy. In Sammy I have shortlisted 43E470 and 43E490.

Please do tell me what is so wrong with 2012 LG models (subject to availability in my area) and how are they poorer (in features) than Sam's 470 and 490.

 

[aakashr]

Stick with Panasonic for hi end and Samsung for entry level plasmas. If Panasonic stick with the current 2012 models. However, if you want to go with 2011-2010 models, then only look at S,ST,G,GT,V,VT. If you want to go with X or U series then go with X50,XT50,UT50. Samsung entry level plasma's might be better than Panasonic X50/XT50.
Also have a look : Best HDTVs overall - CNET Reviews

 

[iaudio]

Prosenjit, The UT30 i.e full HD plasma doesnt cost much more than X30, just Rs2000 more. So unless and until the UT30/U30 have some serious disadvantages compared to X30, say for example, in SD content playback, I would prefer to spend that little extra and get the Full HD model. Not that I am a big pixel peeper, but I will be watching at a distance of 6 feet mostly and I do plan to use it with movies primarily( and the HD movie collection is only burgeoning).

Blasto bhai, I am getting this in Kuwait. The 42 UT30 can be had for about Rs.23,000.

I am yet to come across the more recent plasma models, or even Samsung models. I checked out the above mentioned models, but will be going again with my own stuff, low res as well as high res videos, in different formats. But I do wish to make a decision in the next 5 days itself before the offer ends.

 

[god2007]

I may be getting an LGPA4520 or LGPA4500 this week, as and when stock becomes available after reading positive reviews from this very forum.
http://www.hifivision.com/televisio...470-review-budget-performer-8.html#post387399
As per a user review on this forum I read that LG 2012 plasmas are more bright (as bright as Sony Bravia LEDs) and have comparable picture quality to Sammy I have ruled out Panasonic and have not read positive reviews on this forum for Panasonic entry-level plasmas like X and XT series. Ok so narrowed down choice between LG and Sammy. In Sammy I have shortlisted 43E470 and 43E490.

Please do tell me what is so wrong with 2012 LG models (subject to availability in my area) and how are they poorer (in features) than Sam's 470 and 490.

To quote from the post you cited:

The next in line is the LG Pa4250. I put it side by side with the e470. The LG screen is definitely brighter (almost LCD like) but the picture detail is far superior in the samsung. The colours are more vivid in the LG but the Samsung seems more natural.


The member had said that the pic quality is far superior in the sammy, but he ended up in buying the LG. remember brightness is only one of the factor for buying a TV.
The problem is, LG is vehemently promoting their cinema 3D LEDs and pay scant attention to the plasma range. In fact LG plasmas are hard to find for demo and comparison. If you could find one and able to compare with other plasmas do this and take a decision based on your opinion. LG do produce good plasmas are there are many satisfied owners in this forum.

i have not seen any of the LG plasmas this year. The sammy 43E490 have a few problems:
It has only two HDMI
No head phone jack and the audio out cannot be controlled by the volume control
No VGA connection, if you wants to connect a PC
Very poor sound quality. You will definitely need a speaker system.
BUT ITS PIC QUALITY IS VERY GOOD, so is the 3D.

 

[almondnine]

A few days back, i happened to demo a Sammy plasma at a Bismi showroom. Now I don't know whether it was E400 or E470 since I was plain newbie but the SD CD/DVD output on that (and I had to request like 3 times for playback of SD) was downright horrible. The saleperson mentioned it was a CD that was on playback on my request. Well CD is even poorer than DVD but still there seemed to be no effort at upscaling what was a poor SD resolution.

The bezel on the Panasonic seemed almost antiquated, as compared to the sharp, thin bezel sported by LG and Samsung models. Another thing I noted. Read somewhere on a forum that LG was slightly behind in plasmas because Panasonic and LG shared the same tech on LCDs and plasma and deeper black levels on LG plasmas would result in some patent infringement with Panny. Indulging in Pot tweaking would give as good results on LG plasma as Panny, so basically it was all the same and LG undersold their plasma tech. LG 2012 models come with resolution upscaling' enabled as a software or hardware tweak and since I am going to live on SD channels mostly, that is a factor that can not be ignored.

Now why this hassle, LG service is legendary & all things being equal or even slightly unequal, would prefer to have a LG gadget in my home than any other, If the screen cracks or some spider cracks appear I know that LG would go out of their way to get me back on track. I have this positive experience with them before and trust them blindly. Going with a panny or samsung would mean new service numbers to call, and new people to deal with and people whose rep I cannot vouch for.

 

[iaudio]

VCD content usually looks much worse than most of the DVD rips. But I do hope the DVD rips look decent on the panel!

 

[god2007]

A few days back, i happened to demo a Sammy plasma at a Bismi showroom. Now I don't know whether it was E400 or E470 since I was plain newbie but the SD CD/DVD output on that (and I had to request like 3 times for playback of SD) was downright horrible. The saleperson mentioned it was a CD that was on playback on my request. Well CD is even poorer than DVD but still there seemed to be no effort at upscaling what was a poor SD resolution.

You are most likely seen the E400, which has much lower resolution.

 

[BLASTO]

Blasto bhai, I am getting this in Kuwait. The 42 UT30 can be had for about Rs.23,000.

Get it and call it a day.
I would look at the prices of ST30 and if it is around 5k more, pick it up in a wink.
Stop worrying about XT50 and other 2012 models. They wont come close to ST30 performance.

 

[BLASTO]

I may be getting an LGPA4520 or LGPA4500 this week, as and when stock becomes available after reading positive reviews from this very forum.
http://www.hifivision.com/televisio...470-review-budget-performer-8.html#post387399
As per a user review on this forum I read that LG 2012 plasmas are more bright (as bright as Sony Bravia LEDs) and have comparable picture quality to Sammy I have ruled out Panasonic and have not read positive reviews on this forum for Panasonic entry-level plasmas like X and XT series. Ok so narrowed down choice between LG and Sammy. In Sammy I have shortlisted 43E470 and 43E490.

Please do tell me what is so wrong with 2012 LG models (subject to availability in my area) and how are they poorer (in features) than Sam's 470 and 490.

You will be committing a costly mistake reading an amateur review.

For entry level, stick with Samsung or Panasonic (Samsung for 720p TV) and in higher end, stick with Panasonic. Samsung low end models provides excellent colour reproduction like the higher end models.
LG attracts you in the showroom and provides less than normal performance at home and low light rooms.
E470 model in the review seems faulty IMO.

 

[iaudio]

I will most probably be picking up the UT30 in the next couple of days. The higher series models are way beyond my budget. I would have to fork out more than 10k extra for those.

 

[iaudio]

Today, I first went to the Panasonic exclusive showroom to check out 42ut30, alongwith other Pana plasmas and also to see if they had any special price offers.
Sadly, they had no stock of 42ut30. However they had x30 and vt20 and other higher models in 42 size.
They offered me the 50ut30 for a mouthwatering price though, equivalent of 33,000INR!
But I somehow resisted, because it would be an overkill for my room and beyond my budget.
Then went to another multi brand outlet to do back to back comparo of Panasonic as well as Samsung Plasmas. I also wanted to see if I could get better prices. Here I got to check out Samsung 43E450. I played various quality rips on it, I really liked this panel. It fared well with low res content and gave excellent PQ with 720p version of Avatar.

As usual, salesman said full hd lcd is far superior and I anyway wanted to check out the 40inch lcd option. So tried the same clips on Sammy 40D551. The low res episode of friends looked quite bad. The high res movie on the other hand, didnt hold a candle to that on the Samsung plasma I saw a few minutes earlier.
Tomorrow, I will check out these same clips on the 42ut30 again and make a final call!

 

[captrajesh]

All the models I have mentioned in the title are in the equivalent price bracket of 21000INR to 23000INR, here in the Middle East.

They had x30 and vt20 and other higher models in 42 size.

So you finally made it. Congrats. How much does X30 cost there? Must be even cheaper!

I've bought it for 38k here in India a few months ago and am pretty satisfied with SD content and even HD content (from Tatasky)

 

[iaudio]

The 42X30 costs 119KD(about 21,500INR), 50X30 costs 189KD(34,000),42UT30(23,500).
The Samsung 43E450 also costs same as 42UT30.

 

[god2007]

The 42X30 costs 119KD(about 21,500INR), 50X30 costs 189KD(34,000),42UT30(23,500).
The Samsung 43E450 also costs same as 42UT30.

There is some thing wrong with the pricing of 42UT30, as compared with other prices. Is it a demo piece ?

 

[iaudio]

god2007, No, the 42ut30 and 50ut30 are both fresh pieces. Such discounts on outgoing models are common here.
For example, in Dec 2011-Jan 2012, the Samsung 40D550 was available for around 27k INR here. Even few months after that, I know of someone who bought the same model in Kochi for more than 40K INR.
OTOH, in Jan 2012 the the 40 inch Samsung D5000 price was almost the same here as well as in Kochi.

 

[aakashr]

please try to stretch budget and get the ST30 instead or even the VT20.........both are excellent tv's!!!