Should I buy panasonic 42 inch GT50 or X50

[anandmatthew]

Friends,

I have been waiting for years to buy a good large screen tv and I guess the time has come now. I have a great sanyo 29 inch which is really superb and working perfectly. For the drawing room - I have decided to go in for a panasonic 42 inch. But with so many issues concerning plasma technology, esp IR and all that - today read a thread on this site that even a GT50 had some IR issues, really not sure whether to spend so much for the high end GT or just go for the entry level X50D.

Basically I will be watching sports and movies mainly apart from the normal tata sky dth. Whats your advice? And really not into 3D or any such gimmicks, I just need a plain TV that delivers superb pictures, period.
Any suggestions will be great.
Thanks...

 

[aakashr]

cant compare...........GT50 is one of the BEST tv's around, no comparison. XT50 is an excellent entry level tv's. Its simple if you have the budget then GT50 for sure, if not then XT50 will suffice.
Also remember NO tv will be 100% perfect. Even the best tv in the world will have some issues. You need to focus on what you are getting. VT50 has been selected by many experts as one of the best tv's of 2012, GT50 is the next in the series. Have a look :
Panasonic TX-P50GT50B/ TX-P50GT50 (GT50) Review

 

[bhagwan]

Skoda Rapide or Skoda Superb ?
How can you compare ?

The GT 50 is a brilliant product @ Rs 115/-K [I think]
The X50 is an 'entry' level product @ Rs. 50/-K [I think]

Yes, the VT too is a 'brilliant' product.

If you can spend the money - the VT or the GT is the 'best' !!

p.s. Please do spend on a good 'source' [BR Player - Oppo is the best VFM right now] !! Also an excellent HDMI Cable is needed;;;
This is a 2 lac ++ exp
[Buy the Player in Dubai - much cheaper] !

 

[just4kix]

Friends,

I have been waiting for years to buy a good large screen tv and I guess the time has come now. I have a great sanyo 29 inch which is really superb and working perfectly. For the drawing room - I have decided to go in for a panasonic 42 inch. But with so many issues concerning plasma technology, esp IR and all that - today read a thread on this site that even a GT50 had some IR issues, really not sure whether to spend so much for the high end GT or just go for the entry level X50D.

Basically I will be watching sports and movies mainly apart from the normal tata sky dth. Whats your advice? And really not into 3D or any such gimmicks, I just need a plain TV that delivers superb pictures, period.
Any suggestions will be great.
Thanks...

Image retention is NOT SAME as Burn-in. Image retention is temporary while plasma burn-in is a thing of the past. Burn-in can happen only in the most exceptional cases such as public displays having static images. Image retention occurs only occasionaly when watching letter-box movies, same channel for long time, etc.

Panasonic plasma has many built-in features for "anti IR" such as dynamic picture shift/image rolling, rolling bar, brightened bars, etc.

With any plasma, you should be careful with the first 100 hours. For example, every night once you have finished watching, put on the rolling bars. Set the timer for 30-60 minutes and go to sleep. These measures will be required only if you watch same channel for a long time. The DTH logo can also be an issue. Here I would say that TataSky logo is more transparent as compared to DishTV, Airtel, etc. So with TataSky there is less chances of logo IR with TataSky. Anyway "dynamic picture shift/image rolling" should be set on just in case.

If the above is setting aside your apprehensions, then go for GT50 or ST50.

Finally LED or plasma. Go for LED for general viewing preferences while plasma will be more suitable for movies/sports.

 

[just4kix]

Also check this [post=389851]useful post[/post]

 

[Ashenden]

Yes, as explained, new age plasmas have built in functions to prevent IR. You can very well go for either ST50 or GT50 based on your budget. The difference in picture quality will be minimal in real life scenarios between the two and will be hard to differentiate

 

[arnprasad]

Friends,

today read a thread on this site that even a GT50 had some IR issues, really not sure whether to spend so much for the high end GT or just go for the entry level X50D.


Thanks...

This is like comparing do I go with the Nano or the Swift!!!!

I have the XT50 - slowly I am getting used to it. But if all you watch is Cable/DTH you are better off with a LED. Do go to a showroom watch TVs side by side and also check their settings to ensure none of these are set at 100%

 

[arnprasad]

also if you watch tv from close quarters, a CRT will beat the hell out of both Plasma and LEDs for Standard definition video in terms of IQ

 

[aakashr]

also if you watch tv from close quarters, a CRT will beat the hell out of both Plasma and LEDs for Standard definition video in terms of IQ

CRTs are made for SD, so will always excel in SD. Plasma/LEDs are made for HD, hence will look good in HD. Also in a store never compare Plasma and LED side by side..........LED will always look better because of the bright light. IF you really want to compare Plasma, you need to ask the salesman to dim the lights.

 

[arnprasad]

Yeah agreed. But for some one who has not bought a flat panel till now, just want to ensure he does not set his hopes very high in terms of watching some great TV just coz he has bought a flat panel

 

[rajatk]

This is like comparing do I go with the Nano or the Swift!!!!

I have the XT50 - slowly I am getting used to it. But if all you watch is Cable/DTH you are better off with a LED. Do go to a showroom watch TVs side by side and also check their settings to ensure none of these are set at 100%

Although most of the reviews & global forums (AVS, HIFIJunkie etc) say that Plasma is better for SD than LED... I have to still believe in experience of people like yourself... Am also wondering if the poor PQ for SD is not bcos of 50" size that stretches the Picture... In showrooms, I saw SD/HD content on 42" Plasmas (Panasonic) and even 50" (Samsung) and it looked fine.. HD was ofcourse fabulous but SD wasnt too bad either....

FYI - 90%+ of my viewing is Tata Sky HD DTH and 30% of that is HD Channels..

 

[arnprasad]

I would say visit a friend each who have plasma and lcd and view for yourself..I think showrooms are all crap..dont show reality.

also see there is no such thing as standard SD. We have our hindi news channels where they capture video on cheap camcorders or mobile phone, then transmit a low bit rate poor quality video which unfortunately gets shown on the news - this means for no fault of the tvs you get third rate videos and you keep wondering if something is wrong with ur TV...unfortunately I have been experiencing a lot.

However there are some channels which though technically SD have a much better video..for example Al jazeera, Bloomberg, the old 9X news which we dont get now on tata sky...these channels used to look great on my old LCD due to sharpness in the picture. now on plasma its a bit softer but not very bad.

Moral of the story - Not all SD channels are born equal:clapping:

 

[just4kix]

I would say visit a friend each who have plasma and lcd and view for yourself..I think showrooms are all crap..dont show reality.

Ha! Ha! Easier said than done. I was trying exactly that.

a) How many plasma TVs in my neighbourhood? Zero
b) How many relations of mine are owners of plasma - proud or otherwise? Zero
c) How many plasma TV's in office that is currently 3rd in the IT segment in terms of revenue? Just those in the Telepresence room.
d) How many times you will see plasma and LCD, side by side? Extremely rarely. Even company showrooms that sell both have LCD/LED on one wall and plasma on other wall. It is also like a conspiracy that they do want to let people compare the two.

also see there is no such thing as standard SD. We have our hindi news channels where they capture video on cheap camcorders or mobile phone, then transmit a low bit rate poor quality video which unfortunately gets shown on the news - this means for no fault of the tvs you get third rate videos and you keep wondering if something is wrong with ur TV...unfortunately I have been experiencing a lot.

True to some extent for on the ground, in the field video. Studio cameras are actually full HD. Some of the fault lies with DTH providers also. They have to pay for bandwidth. So they try to squeeze as much as possible in that available bandwidth. This results in them using higher compression for SD as well as HD. Consequence: bad SD quality.

However there are some channels which though technically SD have a much better video..for example Al jazeera, Bloomberg, the old 9X news which we dont get now on tata sky...these channels used to look great on my old LCD due to sharpness in the picture. now on plasma its a bit softer but not very bad.

Moral of the story - Not all SD channels are born equal:clapping:

To compare true SD quality, connect a DVD player via composite or component cable (and not HDMI). In the DVD player settings, if there is auto upconversion to higher reslution, disable it. Set it to 480i/p or 576i/p - the true SD resolution.

 

[TheSeeker]

CRTs are made for SD, so will always excel in SD. Plasma/LEDs are made for HD, hence will look good in HD. Also in a store never compare Plasma and LED side by side..........LED will always look better because of the bright light. IF you really want to compare Plasma, you need to ask the salesman to dim the lights.

and even if someone does compare a plasma & LED-LCD side-by-side, s/he can't help but notice the striking variation in colours

 

[rajatk]

Ha! Ha! Easier said than done. I was trying exactly that.

a) How many plasma TVs in my neighbourhood? Zero
b) How many relations of mine are owners of plasma - proud or otherwise? Zero
c) How many plasma TV's in office that is currently 3rd in the IT segment in terms of revenue? Just those in the Telepresence room.
d) How many times you will see plasma and LCD, side by side? Extremely rarely. Even company showrooms that sell both have LCD/LED on one wall and plasma on other wall. It is also like a conspiracy that they do want to let people compare the two.

+1 to this -same issue for me. May be we are living in a different world.