Samsung 64F8500 Plasma or LG 55LA9700 4K LED

[shagun]

Dear All,
I am facing this dilemma of either to go for the best 64" Plasma TV or to go for a good 4K 55" TV available at almost the same price due to a promotion scheme.
Considering that 4K content is rare in near future, logically it should be the Sam 64F8500 but when I go and see the 4K demo videos in the showroom, my heart says LG 55LA9700.
How would the current HD channels compare on the 2 TVs? Till now, I have not been able to demo them.
Your suggestions would certainly help me decide.
Thanks.

 

[anubisX]

I think it's a no-brainer. And most will agree with me on this : Samsung 64F8500. You're impressed by the PQ of the 4K TV coz they're playing UHD contents that are specially made for mesmerizing people. Watch normal DTH on it and you'll understand. Samsung 64F8500 will be best for you. You should demo both of them and play same contents.

 

[shaiju_o_thomas]

There's no harm in buying a 4K / UHD but, if you do, stay away from LG. They are trying best to make in picture quality advancements. The IPS panel is a major bottleneck for contrast and dynamic range.

I have a 64F8500. Very happy with it. In fact, I do not find 4K demos any more mesmerizing than a 2K on the plamsa. The next BIG upgrade for me will be OLED (unless something else spoils the party).

My suggested display will be the plasma.

However, if you really want LCD and future proof then go for Samsung UHD with it's OneConnect box. If you don't like the Korean manufacturer then go for Sony.

 

[BLASTO]

If your heart says 4k Tvs, at least buy it from sony or Samsung.
LG is just beating the dead horse with IPS panel until maybe someday OLED becomes mainstream.
Contrast and black level enhancements to the IPS is hard and not the priority of LG right now. 4k somehow takes priority as opposed to genuine picture quality enhancements.

BTW, 64F8500 is a clear no brainer.

 

[shagun]

Thanks everyone. This makes the decision clear to me.
I would like to have your opinion regarding Samsung 64F8500: how is it for playing games (Xbox 360 Kinect) after the initial break-in period?

 

[anubisX]

For games, you'll find Samsung 64F8500 astounding. Most plasmas are for their least lag time. If gaming is a priority, you can't go wrong with the 64F8500.

 

[manzb]

64F8500.. Just go with it.. You are lucky that you still can buy the genius of a TV.. High end plasmas are no more being marketed in India and almost all are planning to get away from the same.. So enjoy the last of the beauty..

 

[gobble]

Is there a 42" version of the 64F8500? I am in the market for a new TV that is not smart.

 

[saikatbiswas82]

4k all the way.... because thats "the future". I am hoping good 4K tvs (55 inchers) will be available @ 1.5 lakhs by next year.

 

[shagun]

The input lag for Plasma TVs is much higher than LED TVs.
Particularly for 64F8500, it is 107.5ms(Game mode) and 53.1ms(if input is renamed as PC).
[Src:CNET]
My guess is that with this trick, the lag should be acceptable.

For games, you'll find Samsung 64F8500 astounding. Most plasmas are for their least lag time. If gaming is a priority, you can't go wrong with the 64F8500.

 

[shagun]

Unfortunately F8500 comes only in 64" in India.
You may look at Samsung 43H4900 or LG 42PN4500.

Is there a 42" version of the 64F8500? I am in the market for a new TV that is not smart.

 

[anubisX]

If you're not interested in 3D and most smart features, get the LG 42PB6600. Demo it.

 

[grv_aw]

i dont understand why are people so obsessed with the plasma perticularly when its clearly gonna be a thing of the past,agreed they offer an unparalled PQ and are value for money but i aint never gonna put my money into something thats going to be obsolete,but thats just my opinion, although i am still not convinced with the 4k argument as yet but IMO you should go in for an LED TV and that too with manufacturers like SONYor samsung for that matter,their high end LED's offer a great PQ and come with enhanced refresh rates,dunno whether that would help with your gaming requirements but i would suggest that you shouldnt just blindly go for plasma an instead demo a few more of them LED models before you make a decision.no offence to the plasma lovers out there.

 

[George T]

i dont understand why are people so obsessed with the plasma perticularly when its clearly gonna be a thing of the past,agreed they offer an unparalled PQ and are value for money but i aint never gonna put my money into something thats going to be obsolete,but thats just my opinion, although i am still not convinced with the 4k argument as yet but IMO you should go in for an LED TV and that too with manufacturers like SONYor samsung for that matter,their high end LED's offer a great PQ and come with enhanced refresh rates,dunno whether that would help with your gaming requirements but i would suggest that you shouldnt just blindly go for plasma an instead demo a few more of them LED models before you make a decision.no offence to the plasma lovers out there.

I recently had a look at the Samsung UA65HU9000 the flagship model of Samsung UHD. Its Curved Display is stunning especially the scenic views. But examine the people's faces even on the UHD and you will see unnatural flesh tone. I think when it finally comes down to it is the PLASMA's superior flesh tones, warm colour and contrast ratios even though they may not have the brightness. as some one said we will need to "feel" the OLED before we bury the PLASMAs :licklips:

 

[gobble]

Getting the right flesh tone is very difficult on my plasma. I experiment with settings every week as my TV is only a few months old. Sometimes I get it right for a week with good results across all the channels and then next weeks setting undoes the good work.

G

 

[magnolia]

Getting the right flesh tone is very difficult on my plasma. I experiment with settings every week as my TV is only a few months old. Sometimes I get it right for a week with good results across all the channels and then next weeks setting undoes the good work.

G

I think its the channel signal quality and recorded content quality that is relayed............. I was watching old Amitabh Bachchan & Rekha Song yesterday.............. I was so real ...........better than HD, full HD, UHD.............. I was amazed at the PQ............ I was wondering how come such old song with old recording give you life like PQ and right flesh tone.:licklips:

 

[gp_freak]

i dont understand why are people so obsessed with the plasma perticularly when its clearly gonna be a thing of the past,agreed they offer an unparalled PQ and are value for money but i aint never gonna put my money into something thats going to be obsolete,but thats just my opinion, although i am still not convinced with the 4k argument as yet but IMO you should go in for an LED TV and that too with manufacturers like SONYor samsung for that matter,their high end LED's offer a great PQ and come with enhanced refresh rates,dunno whether that would help with your gaming requirements but i would suggest that you shouldnt just blindly go for plasma an instead demo a few more of them LED models before you make a decision.no offence to the plasma lovers out there.

People are obsessed because plasmas are better almost in all aspects which are required for best picture quality when compared to LED/LCD and being an LED/LCD TV owner and having extensively seen movies in Plasma, I am not satisfied with Certain aspects of the LED even though I have 900a/950a which was the top rated FUll HD TV in 2013.

Even a medium end plasma will beat the high end LED in PQ. So we are just loosing a technology superior in PQ just because people are not aware of how good the picture can be.

The aspects which are lacking in an LED are Black uniformity( clouding issues),Contrast Ratio, Dynamic Contrast Ratio, Grey Uniformity and White Uniformity, Motion Blur. So what does an LED TV does better than a plasma in PQ segment?
Light output. ( Its is this which makes them more eye catchy in a shop when compared to plasma and most fall for it)

Btw, refresh rates don't matter in Gaming as consoles out put only 60 frames per second. A Tv with 200HZ panel refresh rate with very high Input lag such as 120 msec is going to suck in all sorts of games and literally FPS games will be unplayable.

So when buying a TV for gaming, what needs to be looked at is Display Lag and not refresh rate.

 

[gobble]

I found the skin tones improve significantly and look very natural when the panel light is above 70%. Anything below and you get those pinkish hues. Now my TV is purrrfect for both SD and very good for HD (its not 1080p, hence won't call it great)
Black levels are awesome and surprisingly the old B&W movies from the 50s look better than many contemporary SD color channels.

Gobble