Recommend me a 42"+ 1080p Plasma

[Dishy]

Wife has given the green light for a plasma to be fitted over the fireplace. It has to be a minimum of 42", ideally 46" or pushing it 50" but picture quality under SD (Sky) has got to be high. We haven't got any HD sources yet but they are on the cards for the future (initially HDDVD). Reading the various posts, Panasonic (PX70) and Samsung seem to be edging ahead with Pioneer offering the 'best' but being quite expensive. We have a budget of around £1600 or so but can be increased for the right screen. Should I go for 1080p (for future proofing) or stick to a good quality 1080i?

Cheers

[LouBarlow]

Seriously, seriously consider the Pioneer 428/4280XD Plasma.

The best flat screen I've yet seen - so good I bought one :D

It is 1080i but 1080P on a 42" is pointless - if going bigger, then start considering full HD

[rwniel]

A couple of clarifications may make your decisions easier. The Panasonic PZ70 is the 1080p 'full hd' model; the 42" PX70 is natively 1,024 x 768 (with the 50" version natively 1,366 x 768). The PX70 is able to process 1080p content but it's downscaled. Both are good screens, with the PX70 slightly better with SD sources. Secondly, there are no 46" plasma models (- you need to look at LCD for that), so your viewing distance will come into things more with whether 50" models are suitable.

Larger televisions show up the variability of SD broadcasts (Sky and Freeview) more, so it's difficult to quantify your 'high quality picture' comment as it largely depends on your expectations. Some programmes will invariably look great, but others show up the limits of the compression etc. But I would add that if you are going to be watching SD predominantly, then I would go along with LouBarlow's comments and get a non 1080p based set. Scaling SD content all the way up to 1080p has its compromises given the quality of the scaler; the Pioneer model mentioned would be a good choice as it's particularly good with all sources incuding SD. As you don't intent to stand mount it, you may wish to consider the 428XD and get it properly calibrated. But also physically go into a store and compare it with the other options mentioned as ultimately it's you that has to live with the choice.

Robert

[Dishy]

The screen will be approx 3m away from the viewing position, so will it be better to go for a good 42" rather than a 50"?

[conman]

check this out...

http://www.avforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=82

for full 1080i might proof to be a bit more expensive... i would go for panasonic brand... not the best quality but they are better quality than others... just slightly below the pioneer .. and the price are much cheaper...

at 1600... and do not want full 1080i... i would go for a

Panasonic TH-50PH10BK (Charcoal)
TH50PH10BS (silver) -
£1,325.00 inc VAT & UK mainland delivery
http://www.avforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=528459

[rwniel]

At around 10' (3m) should be fine for either the 42" or 50" models, so it's going to be down to personal preference - go test out the sizes for yourself. Height-wise, you might be better off with a 42" model though (- the top of the screen will be at a more acute angle on the latter - this assumes you're going to be mounting it flat rather than on a tilting mount).

Robert

[Dishy]

Most likely it will be on a tilting mount to compensate for the viewing angle slightly. The top of the mantlepiece will be 1010mm above the floor and the screen mounted at around 1100mm. The centre speaker will be situated above the screen.

Thanks all, I'll keep an eye out for the 42" Pioneer. TBH i do remember seeing thier screens last year at the Bristol Sound and Vision show and they were awesome.

[joconnor]

I spent ages with the same dilemma that you have now and eventually settled for the samsung.

There's not that much of a difference between the quality of the Pioneer/Panny/Samsung but there is a huge difference in price.

In the end I left myself with a choice between the Pioneer or a Samsung with a HTPC and I'm glad I went with the latter.

[rwniel]

For absolute picture quality from a range of sources, the Pioneer does produce the nicest image - very balanced and natural. But as has been said, it's the most expensive option, so ultimately it comes down to personal choice in the end.

Size-wise, you should be fine with 50" though, but again it's worth testing this out for yourself (- if you wish you can mark out a large piece of cardboard at the required dimensions, place it in position and give yourself an idea of how your television will look mounted).

The Panasonic PH10 is the commercial panel version of the PX70 - a good choice for those who don't need an analogue/freeview tuner and without the bulky side speakers that are on the PZ70 - if you're happy to run the screen entirely through an AV set-up it does provide a very neat solution. Being a commerical panel you also get a standard 3 year warranty. It's a bit more tweakable than the PX/PZ70, so you might want to consider getting it properly calibrated if you go down that route.

There are threads on all these plasmas on AVForums (http://www.avforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=&f=82).

Robert

[Andrew70]

According to resolution charts, you won't be able to notice the difference between a 1080 set and a 720 set at 10 feet viewing distance for a 42" screen.
For a 50" screen, you're right on the borderline - you might notice a difference between the two resolutions, you might not.

Obviously this is subjective but it gives to a starting point to work from.