Need New 50"-55" Display Advice - Black Levels Important - Plasma? LCD?

I've moved into a smaller place and my 57" Mitsubishi DLP is taking up WAY too much space in my living room. So, I'm thinking about a new display for the first time in almost 4 years and am looking for some suggestions. Let m e say right up front that I think DLP produces the most film-like image of any TV display technology out there right now, but I'm not in the market for another one. So I'm looking at either LCD or plasma. My criteria are:

1) 50" to 55" size

2) 1080P

3) Good black level and shadow detail performance

4) On LCD panels, no uneven backlighting problem (clouding)

5) 3D not necessary

6) Anti-reflective (non-glossy) screen surface preferred

7) Price range $1000-$1500

I've been less than impressed with LCD black level performance from what I've seen lately. Either everything is crushed or blacks tend to be gray. One thing that REALLY bothers me is the uneven backlighting that most LCD panels suffer from. It's very distracting and noticeable to me, and definitely a deal-breaker. I've noticed it on most of the LED panels I've looked at, both backlit (the few I've seen) and edgelit models.

On the plasma side of things I'm more concerned with black level performance drop over time. I've read good things about the Panasonic VT30 models, but the 55" is outside of my price range.

Any advice that you folks who have been down this path could send my way would be MOST appreciated. I'd like to avoid going through the hassle of buying and returning several displays until I find the right one. It's just not as easy as returning a Blu-ray player. :)

Thanks in advance!!

Wow, I hear crickets in the display forum... 

Thanks for the feedback guys. I'm thinking about giving this panel an audition:

Panasonic VIERA TC-P50GT30 50-Inch 1080p 3D Plasma HDTV

It seems that you can't get most of Panasonic's advanced features unless you buy one of their 3D plasmas. The non-3D models are definitely lower end. I'm looking at this one specifically for its THX Mode.

Thanks Man, but the 50" Panny plasma I'm considering is definitely less bulky than my 57" Mitsubishi DLP, which is a tabletop model BTW. Part of this is due to the smaller screen size and part of it is due to the Panny being shallower. The plasma will not be getting wall mounted.

I've seen the Panasonic in the flesh, and it's definitely not as bulky as the DLP. My problem isn't the piece of furniture that the display will sit on, it's the physical size of the unit. At 57" the Mitsubishi simply overwhelms the room. The 50" Viera will lessen that issue significantly.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Mcc 

Overwhelms the room? What size is the room? This might be the first time anyone has ever said they want a SMALLER TV.

I live in a restored cottage home built in 1944, and at 10.5' wide the LR is quite narrow. The geometry of the room puts the TV position only 6 feet from the couch, and a fireplace complicates placement.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by dmiller68 

I went from DLP to the Panasonic Plasma and couldn't be happier. 

Good to know David! Which Panny do you have? My GT30 is being delivered tomorrow, then I have to endure the agony of the 100 burn-in. 

I guess if I'd noticed your sig I wouldn't have had to ask! Glad you're liking it. I've heard good things about the GT as well, although all plasma panels have their issues. But then what display technology doesn't?

My 50" GT30 was delivered on Monday and I have to say that in general I like the display. Blu-ray in particular looks pretty stunning on it after a less than thorough calibration in Custom mode.

Unfortunately I'm sending it back to Amazon for a replacement. The dealbreaker issue is an area in the center of the panel, about 10 inches in diameter and irregular in shape, that displays a light greenish discoloration when viewing a gray full screen slide. In other words, the background color of the panel is not uniform. Now that I know it's there I see it during normal viewing from time to time and it drives me crazy. There are also two very light vertical bars about 2 inches wide that extend from the bottom of the panel to the top on either side of the discoloration that are apparent on the same slide. Very, very discouraging.

The other problem is that this panel was manufactured in March 2011 and suffers from the "fluctuating brightness" defect that plagues these Viera ST and GT panels. There's a fix for it, but I'm not going to deal with that on a display that has the above problem. Sooooo, looks like I'll be rolling the dice and hoping that the replacement panel doesn't have the same inconsistency.

Have I mentioned that I really HATE shopping for a new display? 

Ouch for sure. My replacement was delivered yesterday. This panel, also manufactured in March 2011, doesn't have the "green blob" problem, but the background color of the panel is still not uniform. It's visible mostly on monochromatic material (grays in particular) and manifests as very light pastel green and magenta areas of irregular discoloration. I'm definitely picky, particularly when I'm spending over a thousand bucks on a display, but I can't imagine that this is normal. Can anyone else who owns a 50"/55"/60" GT or ST Viera notice this "blotchiness"?

The other problem with this plasma, besides the documented fluctuating brightness defect, is dithering. The banding on monochromatic areas of color is quite noticeable. While certainly not perfect, my 3 year old Mits DLP has none of these issues. No pun intended, but color me disappointed. I'm kind of amazed that even after years and years of refinement in materials, design, and manufacturing, consumers are still dealing with things like this in what should be mature display technologies. Makes me wish that the rumored flat panel DLP tech of several years ago had actually come to fruition.

Sigh.

Maybe I'm particularly sensitive to the "blotchiness" problem and the dithering, but they ARE there and very distracting. Too bad, because I really want to keep this set. It excels in so many other ways.