Sony Plasma and Direct View (1 Viewer)

[Mike Mundt]

I used to think nothing compared to a direct view TV. But now after seeing the Sony Plasma XBR, id strive to say they look better then their best direct-view.

now my question really is, I was in a store looking at the 42' Sony Plasma (reg., not the XBR version) and I thought it looks just as good as that 34' Direct View Sony sells. Anyone else feel the same way? I was going to buy that 34" direct view because I didn't think I was gonna be able to get a picture that good from a plasma, but after seeing even the regular non-xbr plasma, im convinced it looks just as good as the direct view. I have a fully capable dvd-player to give me the best the TV can give me (Toshiba sd-9200) but i just wanna know if anyone still thinks the direct view looks better than the plasma line and why?

**note the 34" im talking about is the widescreen direct view, and it is also an XBR while the plasma im looking at is not.

 

[John_Pang]

I am going to preface my post by saying I have not been a great fan of plasma tvs. I bought my KV-34KBR8000 a few months ago and I am very happy with it. Through the service menu I was able to remove the red color opush and correct nearly all geometry errors and I think the set is absolutely stunning. I paid $1499 for on clearance at Sears. For the money it was well worth it, esp. vs. the several thousand $$ more you are going to spend on a plasma. Especially consider burn in isssues (esp. important with a widescreen) and life expectancy of the set and dollar:picture quality ratio I think strongly favors the CRT. Keep in mind that the Sony KV34XBR800 is being pahsed out in the next few months in favor of the new 34XBR910 which is said to provide dramatic resolution increases. Bottomm line is its your $$$$ though

 

[Mike Mundt]

dont get me wrong, like i said, i believe the 34' direct-view looks every bit as good as the plasma. But i hear alot of people say it looks better and i dont see it. Im also considering the plasma not for the price, but for the size. With a 34' I dont feel I can sit as far as id like from the tv when i get a bigger room. But with a 42', i could really back up pretty far and still feel like i have a big screen tv. Yes price is something i take heavily into consideration. Ive found the 34' for about $1800 while the 42' plasma ive seen for usually around $6500. Thats a huge difference as you say.

 

[John_F]

If you are willing to consider brands other then Sony, plasmas by Panasonic, Fuji, and Pioneer are considered by most to give a better picture then the Sony plasmas.

Good luck,
John Flegert

 

[Chris Smith]

From what I understand, the Sony Plasmas are in the higher end price wise and lower end quality wise. As John said, check out the Pioneer and Panasonic and Fuji. My dad has a Pio 503CMX (50") and we absolutly love it.

 

[DaveGTP]

Yes, the guys above are right. The Fujitsu, Pioneer, and Panny plasmas are considered the superior ones. Our local Circuit City has the 50" Pioneer, 50" Panny, 42" ED Panny, and 42" HD Panny plasmas on display - along with a couple of lower end ones (like Sampo, etc). Pannys have better blacks, and Pioneers have very brilliant colors. Fujis are out of my price range (hell, all of them are out of my price range), so I don't know much about the Fujis, beyond that they are highly regarded.

 

[Mike Mundt]

they all the look great. but the pixels are more noticable on the Pioneer and panasonic, as for the Fujitsu ive read alot of good things about them but haven't had the chance to see one yet