After a lot of research and analysis, decided to buy 42" plasma instead of LCD. I think the most popular choices here for budget plasma(<40k) are
1. 42" panasonic x10 - 34000
2. 42" panasonic x20 - 36000
3. 42" samsung c450 plasma - around 39000
LG is VFM but quality is visibly inferior(no offense towards LG owners) and i dont mind spending 5-10% extra for good quality. I feel most HFVians stuck in deciding between these 3 models(may add c10 also).
So i request experts, owners and guys who have experience on these models to give their inputs.
it is mentioned in this forum that x20 is a stepdown model of x10. the difference i spotted are:
1. x20 has 4096 equivalent steps of gradation and x10 has 5120 equivalent steps of gradation. i know panasonic high end models have more equivalent steps of gradation.
2. x10 has capability of playing mpeg from sd slot but x20 doesnt have as per specification of thier site(correct me if i am wrong)
3. x10 had surround sound and x20 doesnt have.
How is c450 compared to x-series in terms of black levels, vibrant colors, reflectiveness and most important SD processing.
Go for the Panasonic X20 plasma without any doubt. I own this tv and and I am very much happy and satisfied with its performance. Till now I only watch SD content, I am yet to try the HD. But the performance I get from the SD(both from my Digital Cable, not DTH, and SD DVD Player) is excellent. Trust me if you play a original DVD movie in this TV you will literally question yourself why should I watch HD? The Picture quality is that much excellent. Dont know how would be my experience when I will watch HD content in it. That will be definitely awesome..
2ndly, the black level is superb. Its almost inky blacks. Its just like your CRT. In the beginning I also had the doubt how would be the black level performance as I made to believe from difference forums that black level is worse than the CRTs in HD TVs. But this tv produces excellent black level which is almost beyond my expectation. It almost switches off when there is no content is displayed, truly there is no sign of greyness at all which you will generally find in LCD TVs. Even I have seen higher end Sony in the showroom where black is actually showing grey when I compared it side by side with X20 (mind that its much cheaper than the Sony) which was showing excellent black.
3rdly, Regarding Image retention, I found its almost non-existent in the TV. You have to have a eagle's eye and the darkest room to find the sign of image retention. In simple words, you will not notice any sign of image retention even if you watch it in the dark room. Many people have reported they have found irritating existance of image retention in their LG or Samsung Plasmas. But trust me you will think why people bother about image retention in their plasma tvs when you will watch Panny X20. Burn In is out of question.
It does not generate any heat neither I found any buzzing sound.
I am yet to see the so called 'Floating Blacks'. I understand its something that black level tends to fluctuate time to time. But I have not seen anything as such in this TV. Black is thick and solid.
recently few people have reported that there is a gap of few mm in the left side of the panel. But my X20 no such strange problem. I think it must be manufacturing default which should be fixed.
Though there is reflection in the TV but you have to manage the direct light with some curtains or something. We must admit that when we watch tv we must control the room lighting as well to enjoy the TV at the most.
Regarding Picture quality, again I must say it generates excellent image with true and vibrant colours, deep black and one of the important aspect of the picture quality - motion. It handles motion nicely. Even I have found pixellation in the CRT but if a decent source content is played you will not find any irritating pixellation. The motion is smooth. And even if you watch this tv just from a feet away you will not notice any noise and pixel or anything. Its almost the same when you watch it from a fair distance. Picture does not deteriorate when you see it very closely. And also the picture is perfect when you view it from a side angle. Its really viewing angle free.
So all my above experience are from the SD contents only. I am excited to see the HD.
So guys if you have any doubt or if you are undecided what you should buy, I would recommend this panny any day among others. Rest is your choice..
