Technical Issues and Questions

[swo17]

I haven't researched in a few years, but I would try to get a Panasonic Viera.

[Jean-Luc Garbo]

I'll keep that in mind when I win the lottery

[Matt]

Consumer Reports December 2012 issue has Samsung and Panasonic plasmas at the top of their list for all sizes of TVs above 46 inches, followed by LG (for 60-inch and up).

[triodelover]

In my experience, if you've had a very long-lasting static element (e.g. side bars on a 1.33 film, incessant logo) up on the screen, you'll see the trace of it afterwards for a little while, but it's only noticeable if the next thing you watch is very, very dark. As soon as you get a bright, screen-filling image, it's washed away completely. If the image retention really irks you, it's easy enough to throw something bright up there for a few seconds to get rid of it. My Plasma is several years old now, and the new models probably deal with the issue even better, but I was surprised by just how minor an issue this turned out to be.

I agree. It's a pretty minor issue that can be corrected as you say. The Panasonic Viera I have has a light bar sweep function that you can run for a few minutes to restore the screen.

[Michael Kerpan]

We've been quite happy with our Samsung plasma TV over the past couple of years. (We rarely watch TV at any time of day when bright light shining through windows might cause a problem).

[David M.]

Who makes the most reliable plasma displays?

The manufacturers still producing PDP are Panasonic, Samsung, and LG.

Each of those vendors make their own panels. Panasonic PDPs have Panasonic panels, etc.

LCD is a much more flexible business because panels can be sourced from various Chinese/Taiwnese companies, AUO, CMO etc. Some LCD TV producers even switch panels in the same model (i.e. one LE40B550 will have a panel from one factory, another LE40B550 will have an inferior panel from somewhere else - buyers have termed that the "panel lottery").

Panasonic and Samsung are the ones to look at. Both are excellent. In a nutshell, Panasonic always have deeper blacks, epecially at the 50" sizes, but Samsung are a very close second and have other strengths, and much better value for money (cheaper for a product that's very nearly as good) at 60".

Some of my reports (keep in mind these are of the Euro models):
Mid-range Panasonic PDP.
Outstanding value for money 60" Samsung PDP.
Samsung high end PDP (European version has nearly undefeatable DNR, US Version is clean).

Same question answered by Scott Wilkinson @ Secrets.

[Jean-Luc Garbo]

Thanks for the help, everyone. Just learning about the flaws of LED LCD was a big help. Unless I see otherwise, looks like I'll have to wait until after Christmas to buy one of these, though. I'm looking at all the models mentioned here, but it's good to have it narrowed down to Samsung and Panasonic for the time being.

[Matt]

Between Christmas and the Superbowl is a great time to buy a TV. Retailers don't want unsold Christmas stock on hand and there are no big opportunities to unload it after the Superbowl, so there are usually good deals to be had.

[Jean-Luc Garbo]

I forgot about the Superbowl entirely. I'll be keeping an eye on Amazon and Best Buy in that case.

[triodelover]

In addition to what Matt said, the week between Christmas and New year's can have even better deals than January. If Kentucky is like Tennessee, retailers and wholesalers are taxed for any inventory sitting on the sales floor or in the warehouse at midnight on 31 December. Their desire to move stock, particularly if the model you want already has a replacement announced, can yield some fair negotiation room.

That having been said, I bought my Panasonic plasma in January, 2009. Despite post-Christmas sales, I couldn't beat the on=line price I found here, even with shipping included. Part of that was due to the onerous sales tax (9.25%). But if I remember correctly, the on-line price plus shipping came out $300-$400 less than local plus tax with free delivery and set-up. The e-tailer is in Ohio so your shipping may be less than to Tennessee (allowing for increased costs of everything )

[Perkins Cobb]

Do-it-yourself blackout curtains are not that hard, either, and well worth the effort if it makes it possible to have a plasma instead of an LCD. A set of black sheets and a few thumbtacks were all I needed to get the room dark enough to work with the plasma (and I have it rigged so I can pin it back easily when I want to let in some light). If you get a lot of direct sunlight you'd probably need thicker cloth, but I was surprised by how much light a thin black cotton bedsheet would block. (You know what else makes a good blackout curtain for a smallish window? An airplane blanket.)

The other thing is that, really, it's worth it to be patient and save up for a TV that you're going to watch every movie on. I settled on a 48" instead of a 56" (or a 46" instead of a 58"; I can never remember), partly to save money, and three years later I'm still kicking myself for not spending the extra $250. In fact, in terms of hardware, I've regretted pretty much every compromise I've ever made for the sake of budget or haste.

[David M.]

Even if plasma DID look okay in a bright environment... dark is the best way to watch films anyway.

(Although if you want my opinion, skip televisions entirely, black out the entire room, and get a projector ;D )

[MichaelB]

Even if plasma DID look okay in a bright environment... dark is the best way to watch films anyway.

(Although if you want my opinion, skip televisions entirely, black out the entire room, and get a projector ;D )

My dream, once I get an office that's approximately four or five times the size of my present one. But the blackout curtains were well worth the investment.

[Perkins Cobb]

Incidentally, I'm enormously grateful to have this temperature-taking on the current state of plasma vs. everything else, because I've been pedal to the metal with my Panny Viera since February 2009 and I fully expect it to blow a gasket any second now. (Are plasmas supposed to get really hot in the front...?)

[triodelover]

Incidentally, I'm enormously grateful to have this temperature-taking on the current state of plasma vs. everything else, because I've been pedal to the metal with my Panny Viera since February 2009 and I fully expect it to blow a gasket any second now. (Are plasmas supposed to get really hot in the front...?)

My Panny Viera certainly puts off heat. Don't know if I'd say really hot since it's barely warm to the touch but you can feel the heat radiate when you walk by. However, we keep a really cool house year round (~16-18C). On the reliability front, I've had to replace the power supply in the Panny once about a year ago, which was almost 3 years in. I found a local factory-approved tech who came to the house. We took the panel off the mount , laid it on the floor and he popped the back. The PS is a self-contained unit like most consumer electronics these days. Cost was around $400 including the house call. Not exactly cheap but well below replacement cost. So don't assume any problem means a new set.

[David M.]

Plasmas run hot, yes.

[zeroism]

After years of home theater austerity, finally given the opportunity to upgrade, I decided to go all out and invest in something I was fairly certain I'd have no regrets about in terms of picture quality and screen size: a Panasonic Viera ST50 (60") (thanks in part to recommendations here). I've never owned a plasma before, so I'm not entirely sure what to expect given my viewing habits. I have done a fair amount of research; decided to run slides for the first 100 hours, and will probably continue to use the slides a bit here and there after regular viewing sessions once that's finished. I've studied the basics of plasma care, but I still have one concern: probably 95% of the set's use will be for viewing films, and as for most of you I'm sure, a majority of these will have some sort of pillarboxing or letterboxing. I don't watch cable or any other broadcast television, nor much other modern content aside from films, which I would imagine sets me apart from most people using these sorts of TVs - in other words, the vast majority of the content I view won't fill the entire screen.

Is anyone else here in a similar situation with a plasma they've owned for a while? Is it really necessary to keep my viewing of such content to a minimum for the first 1000 (or other magic number) or so hours? Should I be concerned about 'uneven aging' in those corners that get considerably less use?

[swo17]

Yes, I'd recommend breaking in your set for the first 1000 hours with the disc available for free download here. Just play the disc all day and night when you're not using it and the 1000 hours will go by in a little over a month. I've had my set for a few years now and can occasionally notice uneven wear (particularly when the entire frame is a uniform color, like an open sky) but it's generally not too distracting.

[tenia]

I still have image retention on my 3000hr+ 50G20 Panny, but no problem apart from that, but I haven't done anything when I got it except running with low luminosity and contrast.

[David M.]

a Panasonic Viera ST50 (60") (thanks in part to recommendations here)

Outstanding choice.

Is anyone else here in a similar situation with a plasma they've owned for a while? Is it really necessary to keep my viewing of such content to a minimum for the first 1000 (or other magic number) or so hours? Should I be concerned about 'uneven aging' in those corners that get considerably less use?

Honestly, not really for 1000 hours. That seems a bit excessive. I watch all manner of films on PDPs and have never had damage. Just use a little bit of care.

Just don't use the hideous Dynamic/Vivid presets. Using the Movie/Custom/THX/Professional/whatever it's called in your region mode is enough. You don't need to dial down the contrast either.

[MichaelB]

I've never had an image-retention problem that wasn't cured by watching something bright and screen-filling, and while I've been careful, I haven't been obsessively so.

I'm a very happy Panasonic Viera owner too.

[triodelover]

As another satisfied Viera owner, let me reinforce what both David and Michael have said. Like you, our primary source is film, either via computer download or streaming or BD/DVD. Fully 75% of the collection is Academy ratio or less, so we spend a good deal of time pillarboxed. I've not had an image retention problem that couldn't be cured by either the Viera's built-in anti-retention sweep function or watching something in 16:9. FWIW, the very worst offenders are those damn logos that TCM and every other cable outlet run perpetually in one corner or another of the screen.

[zeroism]

Thanks for the responses, everyone. I'm glad to hear that those of you who have Vieras have had smooth experiences.

Yes, I'd recommend breaking in your set for the first 1000 hours with the disc available for free download here.

Thanks for the link. The slides I'm using are actually more or less the same as those. I will run them when I'm not using it until it's got some age on it; it'll give me peace of mind, and, based on what you're saying and what I've read, would presumably make obvious any image retention that may occur, and give me an idea of how long it might usually take to wash away.

Just don't use the hideous Dynamic/Vivid presets. Using the Movie/Custom/THX/Professional/whatever it's called in your region mode is enough. You don't need to dial down the contrast either.

I'll definitely avoid those. Part of the reason I'm running the slides exclusively for the first 100 hours is to prepare the panel for some picture settings I'd like to try out. I know it won't be a substitute for a real calibration, but I thought it might be worth a shot given the method involved (aging my set with the same content the calibrator used and for the same amount of time), since they might turn out to be satisfactory until I'm ready to have it done professionally.

Fully 75% of the collection is Academy ratio or less, so we spend a good deal of time pillarboxed. I've not had an image retention problem that couldn't be cured by either the Viera's built-in anti-retention sweep function or watching something in 16:9.

Up until this point, my only option for blu-ray has been a 1920x1200 24" Apple LED display. In addition to having never seen anything approaching a true black, I've been stuck with the equivalent of forced windowboxing of any Academy ratio (or 1.66, but that wasn't so bad) blu (no zoom option on PowerDVD, and I didn't want to use anything that would strip the menus). As you might guess, I'm itching to indulge in a marathon on the new set.

[David M.]

(aging my set with the same content the calibrator used and for the same amount of time),

D-Nice?

Up until this point, my only option for blu-ray has been a 1920x1200 24" Apple LED display.

Oh boy. You are in for some fun!

[zeroism]

D-Nice?

Precisely! I'm now through the 100 hours, and have applied the settings. They look pretty good to my eyes, but I do want to have it done professionally later on.

Oh boy. You are in for some fun!

Absolutely! Night and day difference. Watching a blu-ray on this (at native 24p) is like discovering the technology for the first time.