42" Plasma - Panasonic EDTV or Dell HDTV? (1 Viewer)

[Mac]

Which one would I be better off with - they are both very close in price? Panasonic is a proven and well respected brand - I saw it at the store and thought it was great - could not really tell much of a difference on HDTV material being that it is a ED model. Never seen a Dell live in person, but have read a number of good things about it on this site. Really stuck - help me out. Thanks!

Mac

 

[Kevin C Brown]

I would tend to think that you can get a better discount on the Panasonic. Up to now, I haven't seen a professional review of the Dell. Although Consumer Reports kind of liked a pre-production model of their HDTV plasma that they reviewed.

 

[eddieZEN]

Panasonic hands down. The Dell TVs I've seen in malls have been pretty lackluster.

The difference between EDTV and HDTV in my opinion are tiny...mainly a marketing device the electronics corporations like to exaggerated in order to get more money out of you!

 

[John S]

The Dell HD Panel is a good example of a bad HD Plasma panel. The Panasonic ED is a splended display by comparisons. The Panasonics have Color tracking / decoding down. Quite remarkable to the eye, the current Dells never give that level of image pop. I'd suspect the scaler isn't all that either in them.

Better to have an awesome to 480p scaler, than a not so hot to 720p scaler everytime.

 

[Brian_cyberbri]

LOL, that's hilarious!! That's like saying there's barely any difference between 4-cylinder Focus and a V8 Mustang because you're driving on the same roads at the same speed...

Yeah, it's all marketing hype, trying to steal your money!! Don't believe the hype! LOL

 

[eddieZEN]

Asinine analogy.

More accurate: barely any difference between a 5 speed sports car and a 6 speed sports car.

Yes, don't believe the hype: believe your eyes. I've looked at both EDTV and HDTV and the miniscule, barely perceptible difference sure as hell didn't justify the price jump.

Now if you just enjoy paying more just to stroke your own ego that you have "the latest and greatest," well that's another story isn't it. LOL that's what our economy is mostly based on, making people pay out the @ss so they can feel better about themselves.

 

[Brian_cyberbri]

A 6th gear? Come on! Maybe you're just stroking yourself trying to justify your purchase of a non-HDTV.

If you feel the difference between 480 and 1080 lines of resolution (2.25x more) is only worth one extra gear in a sports car, then so be it. To me, I see an HD set, with over 2x the resolution, as having the extra HP, even though they drive the same speed on the same roads.


No offense. I like ED plasmas very much, and if I had it to do over, I would consider getting one. But the fact is, if HD plasmas were the same price as DLPs/RP-LCDs, people wouldn't be settling for the ED plasmas because they look almost the same. They would be getting the HD sets, just like people who buy DLPs and RP-LCDs and RP-CRTs.

But your "it's all marketing hype" comment just got me. Couldn't resist. That's what the future is about - hi-def TV shows and broadcasts, and movies hi-def. ED is current generation DVD resolution. So it may look great because it's a great technology, etc etc (a few certain ED models, anyway), but no matter how you look at it, it's not HD (no pun intended). If you say you can't tell the difference between an ED and an HD plasma, what's all the rush to go 720p and 1080i with TV and movies for? Why don't they just make more "good" ED TVs and not worry about going hi-def? They could just do digital widescreen 480 signals on all TV stations, save a ton of bandwidth, etc. etc.

 

[Parker Clack]

Gentlemen:

Keep the rhetoric down. It is fine to talk about the various displays but the personal comments to each other can be taken to email instead of using the forum.

Parker

 

[Brian_cyberbri]

Sorry, Parker. Will drop it now.

 

[John S]

Hmm 480p fixed pixel -vs- 720p fixed pixel..

At viewing distance, probably not a night and day difference.

There currently are no 1080p plasma displays I am aware of period.

I'd venture the source resolution / color depth would have a greater impact actually.

But eveyrbody has their opinion and there is validity on both sides of this one and should be respected.

Hope'n I didn't just add fuel to ether fire on this one.

 

[eddieZEN]

No, they'd buy the HD plasmas just because they've swallow all the hype about how sensational HD is, when in fact if you put a HD screen next to an ED screen without showing which is which, chances are the vast majority of consumers would struggle to correctly identify the HD from a typical viewing distance of 10 feet.

 

[eddieZEN]

Parker:

OK, will do. Didn't notice your post until after I'd replied to Brian's.

 

[Kevin C Brown]

Actually, I have simiarly seen referenced time and time again that the visual differences between the two are just not that great. My benchmark for comparison is a 42" display at a viewing distance of greater than 8 ft. Below that, and yes, you can start to see the individual pixels on an EDTV display.

The big problem is ... cost. How much do I have to pay to get an equivalently good HDTV set as with EDTV? If I only want to spend say ... $2500 on an EDTV, which gets me a good Panny or close to the Sony KE-42M1, how much *more* would I have to pay to get a good HDTV? $3500? More? And even then, I'm probably only going to get 720 or 768p, and not 1080i (and definitely not 1080p). And if the scaler on my player or in the display isn't that great, then std def on an HDTV is going to look worse than high def content on an EDTV too.

And, personally, I don't view LCD, D-ILA, DLP, etc, rear projection as an option to get the cost down unless it's with a 3 chip set that avoids a color wheel and the rainbow effect that's common with single chip systems. But then again, 3 chip display engines are not cheap either.

 

[Mac]

Thanks guys, but I am still stuck. I think I want the Panasonic. I may point out that this TV will be used mostly for DVD and non-hdtv viewing - almost all HDTV will be for sports as this is in our main living room. Our basement is where we watch most of our high def. Would this affect your decision?

Mac

 

[eddieZEN]

Absolutely...since I watch about 95% DVDs and 5% TV, I would opt for the EDTV in a heartbeat. In this case if you're comparing the Panasonic and Dell, the Dell is a pretty low quality HDTV to begin with.

I was at someone's house tonight and they had an LG LCD HDTV, and wow, maybe her settings were off or something but the picture looked terrible! I didn't have the heart to tell her, since she paid to have Best Buy come out set it up. Of course she was running a Bose 1-2-3 system, so that gives you a good indicator of her overall cluelessness.

The best looking LCD HDTVs I've seen have been by JVC and Sharp, but you're looking at about double this Panny's price for that screen size.

 

[Jon Sheedy]

Definately go with the Panasonic. I bought one a couple of months ago (upgraded my 65" Widescreen Toshiba RPTV) and absolutely love it. I also spent much time comparing the ED sets with the HD sets and IMO there was not enough picture improvement to justify the added cost. I don't care about t.v. programming on this set only DVD's....and I just don't think that the picture could get much better. It's jawdroppingly beautiful! I'm sitting about 9-10' from the screen and see no pixels, though if I move much closer I do. I spent much time scouring the net for information to make this decision and there was considerable and varying issues of concern about the Dell or Gateway products. Good luck, Mac.

 

[Mac]

Thanks for all your help. I am going with the Panasonic - the new EDTV is out in mid-April and it looks pretty awesome. Do you all recommend that I get it adjusted by a pro - and if so how long after I purchase?

Mac

 

[Parker Clack]

Mac:

As with any type of display having an ISF tech come out to your house to adjust it is a good idea. As far as how long to wait I would give Gregg Loewen, our resident ISF calibrationist with Lion AV, an email. He can give you a good idea how long to wait and what you can do in the interm before having it adjusted.

Also, I would search the forum for suggestions from other Panasonic owners on how they have their display set as far a pluge, color, etc.

I think you made a much better choice in going with the Panasonic over the Dell. I don't know if you have picked out a place to buy it but I would give the guys at TV Authority or Plasmadocs (both authorized Panasonic dealers) a call and see what they can do for you. You might save some money and at the same time get some really great advice and support after the sale.

Parker