Ask Engadget HD: What's the best plasma to pick up in 2009?
By Richard Lawler 
posted Jul 22nd 2009 1:00PM
posted Jul 22nd 2009 1:00PM
"Ok, now to the main point - I'm looking to buy a HDTV. I have been trying to read reviews online and have been stuck with the basics -- Plasma or LCD. I was going through some Engadget HD archives when I found this article and decided to ask for some advice from the experts. I was leaning a bit towards LCD, especially the Samsung lineup interests me a lot. Then I read an article which easily proved that Plasma is somewhat a notch higher than LCD even though its phasing out.
Ever since I read this, I'm wondering which technology to opt for, given all the factors including picture quality, viewing angles, pricing, marketing gimmicks, etc. If I were to go with Panasonic, which model would be a really good one? My budget is around $1700 (LCD or Plasma). Any lil bit of help/advice from your team would be highly appreciated as I really respect what and how you guys manage engadget! I'm looking to buy it in Aug end/Sept time frame."
We know at least a few plasma TV owners are reading this, reach out via the comments and let us know which one will fit Akshay's budget best.
Got a burning question that you'd love to toss out for Engadget HD (or its readers) to take a look at? Tired of Google's blank stares when you ask for real-world experiences? Hit us up at ask at engadgethd dawt com and keep an eye on this space -- your inquiry could be next.
The silence is deafening. Kinda interested in this one. Guess it's back to AVForums.
TC-P50V10 is the way to go! We have it here in our showroom for $1999.99 and you can't be that for the top of the line plasma that would be hard to be beat at ANY price by any other 50" TV out there.
Panasonic TC-P50G10 all the way.
Vanns has them for $1,349.99 plus free mount.
Panasonic TC-P50V10 Plasma
Fits the budget exactly, is 50" and its Picture Quality is rated just below that of the Kuro sets. If you care about colors and black levels and viewing angles Plasma is the way to go.
If you are more interested in a super thin set with lower power consumption check out the Samsung LED Backlit screens.
We need to know what you watch and what type of room you have (windows, curtains, etc) to tell you what is going to be best. Beyond that it's really up to you and what you think looks good.
A lot of people, including the AVSForum, seem to think that the Panasonic V10 series is the way to go since the departure of the true Pioneer Kuro series.
I've been wondering about plasma with Windows Media Center. With pixel orbiting and other tools, I've heard it shouldn't be much of a problem, but the manufacturers always seem to hedge. I'm loving the 1" Samsung plamsas!
I picked up a 50" pioneer kuro elite for $2500 at Best Buy about 2 weeks ago. It's by far the best TV out there still. However, having looked around a lot at the other available TV's, you can't beat the Panasonic G10 for $1290 at Best Buy right now. If you want to spring, the V10 is the next best thing to a kuro, but for the money, the G10 wins for the budget-minded.
I bought a 60" Pioneer Kouro 3 months ago and it was (slightly) cheaper than a similar Panasonic; the salesman tried to talk me into buying the Panasonic saying that the Kouro was now out of production and if it would break it might be difficult to get spare parts.
I reminded him that in our little scandinavian country the law obliges him to give me a 2 years guarantee , bought it anyway and never regretted it a bit.
The moral of this story?
Don't listen to the salesman, listen to Engadget and buy a Kouro.
You really can't go wrong with the Kuro, V10 or G10.
My father has a G10 42" after tons of research and it's really amazing. Great picture quality, enough inputs to shake a cat at and great black levels. AVS Forums like is a lot too, just watch out, they can go into the minor flaws that can bring in self doubt.
With your price range, the V10 is a good option, mainly cause it has better quality than the G10, it handles the 24 frames without the flickering problem that the G10 had. Again, great picture quality and deep blacks.
And the Kuro...well, its a Kuro! Technically it's older technology now, but I wouldn't turn one down!
It seems like your in a win-win situation, you're going to get a GREAT TV, no matter what. Go with the V10 just because it's a little better than the G10, but if you want to spend less money, the G10 is not a bad option at all!
There aren't that many choices, the safest bets are Panasonic or Samsung.
Pretty much the only bets are Samsung and Panasonic.
Samsung are the safe easy bet. The Panasonic have always been getting rave reviews and it definitely shows here in the comments! It doesn't help that Panasonic has been spending a lot in online marketing and TV commercials.
At 173 Watts, the P42G10 isn't a complete energy beast even though I'm sure 99% of people would use some kind of energy saving option.
If you want something bigger and cheaper the TH58PZ850U is out there available for $1700 which is crazy given the reviews it's received in the past.
As far as 720p options go, my vote goes to the TC-P50X1 from Panasonic. Nothing else out there for under $800 is going to compete with this especially if you aren't big on movies and won't about what your missing out on in the whole 720p vs. 1080p debate.
Chance Stevens
Editor, http://www.tvlampsnbulbs.com
I was looking in the same budget range and finally settled on the V10. The 24 frame advantage over the G10 and supposedly better menu settings options pushed the scales in its favor. The G10 is about $500 cheaper in the 50" size, though, and that really made it a tough choice.
I think you will probably end up with a much better picture with a plasma than an LCD in that price range. You don't mention the type of room you have, but unless it is a bright room where you need the higher brightness or reduced glare of an LCD, plasma is probably the way to go.
The one negative about the 24p on the lower end sets is that they refresh @ 48Hz and it introduces flickering. This in turn makes the feature useless.
The higher end models from Panasonic do 24p at 96Hz which is flicker-free.
Something to consider if 24p is a feature you are considering.
I bought Pioneer's non-elite 9G Kuro (the PDP-5020FD) about a year ago on sale for about 3 grand and I still love it. The picture tuning options leave a little bit to be desired, but it looks so nice by default that it's hard to really fault it too much unless you really like tweaking to get the optimal picture. It's got plenty of inputs (especially since I'm feeding most audio/video through a receiver) and its anti-glare coating is very impressive. Even during the day, I can leave the window in the room (which is a few feet away and perpendicular to the TV) open and see just fine. Closing the blinds improves the viewing experience a little bit, but it's not at all necessary. If you look around you can probably find it for a lot less than I paid.
the problem for the 5020 model is that they are hard to find. At one time, Amazon was selling it for $1950, but that time have passed by since Feb/March of this year. If you can find it now, the 5020 will set you back around $2500, give or take.
if you are willing to take a chance, the best value/performance set in my opinion would be Pioneer KRP-500M monitor. keep in mind though there are no tuner and no stand, and no speakers, it is just a monitor. But if performance is what you are after, look no further. I could get into more details as to why this set is better than the rest, but I don't want to bore the others. If you are interested, just do a google search and look into it. You will not be sorry.
I'll vouch for the Panasonic G10. Get the V10 since it's better spec wise, but if you can't spend the extra bucks, the G10 is just as good. After several hundred hours of usage, watching HD on my cable is just beautiful. It looks 10x better than my brother's 2008 LCD.
Colors are natural and lifelike, and it's razor sharp. Games look good, no phosphor trails.
Also don't worry about image retention. I've left stuff paused for a while, and there's no harm done.
The real question, as I see it, isn't what set, it's which Panny. In this price range, you're probably looking at either the 50" V10 or the 54" G10. If it were me, I'd probably opt for the extra 4 inches, but you can't go wrong either way.
I bought a Pioneer Elite 50 inch Pro11FD for 2800.00. It's simply the best plasma tv out there, IMHO. I almost went for the G10 or V1o but the picture is so outstanding on the Pioneer.
Got a Panny TCP54V10 for $2038 incl tax and shipping. Tremendous picture quality, highly recommended!
The V10 is probably not worth it over the G10 unless you're just a real stickler for 24p or find an amazing deal (say a $100-$200 premium over the best G10 sale, depends how valuable $200 is to you). There are really no picture quality differences between the two. I believe the only potential advantage the V10 has is slightly (0.1) more accurate gamma (Custom/Game profile), but it still falls pretty far short of the oft accepted 2.22 standard out of the box. I'm not sure this advantage exists at all post-professional-calibration. Aside from that, the two share identical color accuracy/inaccuracy, black levels, etc from what I understand.
You can pick up the Panasonic VIERA TC-50U1 for $1,168 these days Link: http://www.techdealdigger.com/pr/cheap-panasonic-viera-tc-p50u1-50-1080p-plasma-tv-deals/1967
The TV has gotten fantastic reviews. You'll have some money left over for a blu-ray player.
I'd go with the 50" G10. You can get one at Bestbuy right now for $1300. Use the extra $400 for a nice Blu-ray player and movies to go with it!
So is 24p really about the only difference between the G10 and V10 that the average person watching might perhaps notice when it comes to picture quality? And they both do it, but the V10 just better? Seems like a lot extra to pay for this.
Is 24p that big a deal? Do any set top boxes from Directv, cable, etc., offer 24p? I am guessing this is only on Blu-Ray and maybe some DVD players or not? I guess this is a viewing mode you can turn off or on?
So is 24p mode on the G10 still better than not watching in this mode even if it has flicker or would a regular viewing be better or necessary? Is 24p that big a deal for enjoyment for some of you, and will this become a more important feature for some reason in the future if its not now?
To be honest most people probably couldn't pick out 24p. They would notice the picture is nicer but they wouldn't be able to describe why. The audio and videophiles make it tough of there and the nitpick, which is good, but for most people they probably can't see a difference or don't care enough to worry about it. Ask yourself what you plan on doing with your TV and how much you're willing to spend. Pay for the best just because or Pay for what you need?
TC-P50V10 is the way to go! We have it here in our showroom for $1999.99 and you can't be that for the top of the line plasma that would be hard to be beat at ANY price by any other 50" TV out there.
I would recommend the v10 series for the 24p capabilty when watching DVD/Blue Ray movies.
Plasma displays are vastly superior to LCD in picture quality - all of my friends have switched to plasmas after seeing mine. LCD's do however use a great deal less power and per Christopher handle glare better.
Using a PC/HTPC with a plasma has never been a problem for my Panasonic Professional series - I just use the Windows power save feature to turn the input signal off - also saves energy. Another option is to use a screen saver.
Honestly, just buy the biggest Panasonic VIERA you can afford and you'll be happy. They're all amazing. If you were considering LCD for some unknown reason (God only knows), than any plasma is a better choice.
I got a P42G10 from amazon. $950 and free blu ray player and shipping. Unbelieveable!!! Having proper blacks make my old samsung look like crap.
I was in the same spot as you are my friend about 4 months ago.....after many hours of reading and investigation i went with the Panasonic th-50pz85u. I already own a smaller 37 inch panasonic plasma and it has performed above my expectations to date. I have had the smaller plasma for over 5 years now without any burn in or problems and did use it as my main watching and gaming monitor ( i have put a ton of hours on it and i mean a ton). The new model i picked up was a steal, i ended up grabbing it for about 1500 and it came with the pc input i had been looking for. So far it had been the best tv i have purchased to date. Do your self a favor and dont waste your time looking at bottom shelf manufactuers.....remember you get what you pay for. Oh and remember when you buy the plasma to do the proper breakin steps....has made a great deal of differance to me. ( the first plasma i bought i neglected to do so and boy can i tell the differance in the crispness and clarity, dont get me wrong the 37 is still a beautiful picture)
Big Roosh
The TCP46G10 is a great deal for the money. I picked one up a few months ago for about $1300 and the difference between my older TH-42PHD8UK is nuts. Sports, games (Wii and Xbox 360) all look fantastic on it. The THX rating is irrelevant unless you have a darker room, after calibration the TV looks as close to my uncle's Kuro as any TV I have ever seen.
Do the right thing, get this or the V10, they are awesome.
I am in a similar boat... In the market to upgrade an old Mits WS-65711 RPTV. Was looking at LCDs but recently have been reading a lot about the Plasmas... and I am pretty much sold. My budget is a bit higher than the $1700. Willing to go upwards of $2500-$3000 for a 58"+ set. Sorry... but a 52 is just plain small next to a 65" inch screen. I have been looking at the Panny G10 and V10 series, as well as the Sammy PN58N850/860 series. Looks like a 58" V10 is on the way but no price point yet.
Watch a good mix of TV and movies. Currently no video games but I may move my PS3 up from the basement if I get the plasma. I get a ton of late afternoon sun with a en entire wall of windows (2 stories).
Any opinions out there? Am I looking in the right direction? Should I consider LCD instead with my requirements?
Scott, it honestly depends on what you plan on watching, where you plan on watching it and what time of day. Plasmas are better TV's but if you have bay windows and like to watch day football and baseball games, you're gonna have a tough time. But if you have a home theater room, where the light is controlled aka the room is decently dark, plasmas would be fine. So ask your self, is it a TV in a living room where there are lots of windows or is this a type of dedicated media room? LCDs are not that bad, and 90% of the people out there could never pick out why plasmas are better than lcd's anyways. Too most LCD's look sharper, even though their color distribution and reproduction are completely off.
Based on what your wrote if you did end up going with an LCD, try try try try try to get a Sony XBR 8. It's RGB LED backlight and it has a local dimming, the samsungs are meh since they are edgelit with White LED's.
Sure, he can get a Sony XBR8 led tv... if he doesn't mind spending SIX THOUSAND DOLLARS.
A bit over budget.
I got a Samsung PN50B450 from Fry's two weeks ago for $750. At $750, it's outstandingly good... If it's $900, I'd probably go for a Panasonic...
Would Love Me One... :-)
win
Samsung 850 or 860 plasma would be great, but be careful. About half of the users who own samsung plasmas have had an issue where the TV buzzes at a high frequency, younger ears are more apt to hear it, but not the less it has been an issue. That being said, if you want to stay with Panasonic, the px800U from last year or This years panasonic G10, or even nicer V10 would suffice. It all comes down to price. You gotta pay to play.
You people are all insane.
It's gotta be the Pioneer KRP-500M KURO (9g with some 10g tech) ftw.
Or, if budget allows, the KRP-600M. Hands-down these two models are the best Plasma bargains ever. With the enabling of the ISFcc modes via a cheap firmware patch, these are the greatest value-for-money Plasmas. For under $3000 I got a patched KRP-600M that is the equal of its $4500 "Elite" PRO-141FD cousin.
did you even read his question? he said he has a $1700 budget!
Can you even get these in the US!?
If you are really into blu ray movie watching and want to sit close and have a gorgeous picture get the V10, the one sheet of glass should give great calrity.
If you are in need to buy any add ons like a bluray player/ home theatre, PS3, powerbar, HDMI cables ect. and it has to fit in your budget, then the Samsung Series 5 ( 50 PNB530) is the best bang for the buck. At $1500 CDN there is no other flat panel that offers such a nice picture, much better than the Panasonic U1.
When it comes to user friendly convienient interface menus the Samsungs are ahead of Panasonic that even an averge joe can calibrate the tv.
We have the Series 5 Samsung beside a Pana G10 and on standard 1080i tv signal they failrly similair in picture quality. On blu ray the G10 had richer colour and a little better clarity, but the Samsung comes close.
Also if it you are not wall mounting the Samsungs have a swivel base for corner seats like a gamers chairs. Pana G10 & V10 have anti-reflective screens and in our bright store the do well in Vivd mode. The Samsungs are very bright in Dynamic, the Series 5 is noticibly brighter than the U1 Pana. It even faces our counter with lighted cabinets and does great with sports, dark scenes you do notice some reflection.Good luck!
only plasma an fo course only panasonic!!!!!
Riot Nrrrd is correct. The Pioneer KRP-500m is the best buy you can possibly make. It can be had for
stupid questuin - i have a TH-50PX60U bought in late 2006 id like to upgrade with another panny.
Was planning on getting the TH-58PZ800U ( lookin at 2025 delivered right now ) , but it seems
the 54' G10 is getting a lot more love.
What are pros/cons?
The Panasonic Plasma G10 will save you alot of money over the V10 THX model . Then get it calibrated ( still cheaper than THX model ) and it will be the best disply on the market today even surpassing the vaunted Kuro and the THX V10 . This is because it will be calibrated for your environment.
The off axis color shifting on LCD makes it inferior technology...
See Widescreen review and HDGURU.com for info ...
I grabbed a Kuro for 3500 while working at Best Buy. Be damned the 50" size, be damned by friends bigger sets, hands down a Kuro mops 9 kinds of rape with every tv out there. IF you can grab one for sub-2000, a new one at that, go for it. Such a shame that a) they stopped and b) Panasonic didnt make a mad bid for the Kuro tech. Either way it wouldve been win win.
Now if only someone could hack together custom firmware to turn the G10 into the equivalent of a V10, including 96-Hz 24p and more extensive image controls.
Panasonic TC-P50V10
I own the Samsung PN50B650. I have no complaints. The feature set is great and I would buy it again. For the IQ, features and price I think it's the best deal going for a HDTV. My other consideration was the V10 but it's alot more money. Samsung support in the Cnet forums is pretty amazing too. I'm buying their Bluray soundbar (BD8200) when it's released as well. I don't know if the buzzing is supposed to effect all Samsung plasmas or just the slimline models but I don't notice any issue with mine. I'm very sensitive to monitors and can sometimes hear a CRT through a wall.