Topic: Panasonic or Pioneer for Plasma?

[scervin]

I've not seen anything on the fujitsu brand in terms of plasma.

Fujitsu is right up there with Pioneer, maybe a little better, but they are big bucks!  If no budget get the Fujitsu!

Not sure what the difference is in the Elite.  I'll take a look.  In the old CRT's they had bigger and better guns.

sc

[Lil Kim Jong-Il]

has anyone done a head to head comparison of the panasonic consumer models and the panasonic commercial monitors?  The comercial units are cheaper because they have fewer inputs and no tuner.  They actually look better to me than the units with consumer trim panels.

Someone I know who is knowledgable told me that in general commercial monitors are lesser quality.  But all the buyer reviews I read are outstanding. 

here is one example:
http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php/masterid=1123252

Any thoughts on the commercial panels?

[jpschust]

if you don't have built in tuners then isn't it technically no longer an hdtv?

hd is extremely important to me. 

also, looking at the fujitsu models- they are still within my price point.  they look great.  one thing i really wish is that they could manufacture these without speakers on them. 

[nickgregory]

if you don't have built in tuners then isn't it technically no longer an hdtv?

hd is extremely important to me. 

depends on the way you look at it.  The way I see it I will likely always need a set top box from whatever provider I use, and the HD tuner will be built into all boxes.  The other thing you run into is with technology advances, the tuner in the tv has lifecycle issues, whereas if you are relying on a STB, you will be able to keep up with the curve without replacing your set

[macdaddy]

if you don't have built in tuners then isn't it technically no longer an hdtv?

hd is extremely important to me. 

The other thing you run into is with technology advances, the tuner in the tv has lifecycle issues, whereas if you are relying on a STB, you will be able to keep up with the curve without replacing your set

assumikng the connections stay the same...

so if you are getting hd through directv, then you dont need a tuner for that because of the settop box you need for directv..? what about ota hd..? can you plug an antenna into the directv box, and use that as a tuner, or do you have to have two boxes (one for ota and one for directv)..?

[nickgregory]

assumikng the connections stay the same...

so if you are getting hd through directv, then you dont need a tuner for that because of the settop box you need for directv..? what about ota hd..? can you plug an antenna into the directv box, and use that as a tuner, or do you have to have two boxes (one for ota and one for directv)..?

true on the connections.

I get OTA HD for my locals and I run the satellite and antenna cables into my directv box and that does teh decoding.  The other nice thing is that the box consolidates the OTA channels into my on screen guide as well, pulling not only the channels, but also the guide data if the local channel offers it.

I love it this way, the best of all worlds...if the satellite goes out for a bit, I get the antenna feeds...and I am also convinced that the OTA HD signals are clearer and more vibrant

[pjdavep]

...and I am also convinced that the OTA HD signals are clearer and more vibrant

That's because the OTA is not compressed by DirecTV prior to being sent to their satellites.  You are getting it straight from the source (your local affiliates).

Later,
   pjdavep

[macdaddy]

...and I am also convinced that the OTA HD signals are clearer and more vibrant

That's because the OTA is not compressed by DirecTV prior to being sent to their satellites.  You are getting it straight from the source (your local affiliates).

Later,
   pjdavep

exactly.

and this answered my other question, and that is - does the directv box compress the ota signal..? and the answer is "no" if you can tell a defference.

so you really could get by with a hd capable/ready monitor, and run the video from the directv box to the monitor, and the audio to your surround setup. there is really no need to buy the consumer version...?

[pjdavep]

so you really could get by with a hd capable/ready monitor, and run the video from the directv box to the monitor, and the audio to your surround setup. there is really no need to buy the consumer version...?

Correct.  I own the Vizio 50" plasma (2499 from Costco) and love it.  It doesn't have a tuner (and is basically a monitor), but everyone I know either uses DirecTV or comcrap's cable box, so they wouldn't have a use for a built in tuner or 'cablecard slot'.  The DirecTV HD-Tivo box has an OTA tuner, so you can just hookup an antenna and viola, you have all the satellite channels and your local HD feeds feeding through the HDMI out of the DTV box.


later,
  pjdavep

[macdaddy]

+t for all the info...

i was looking at that vizio at costco the other day...

has anyone done a side by side, with the things calibrated - the costco one is like half the price of the pioneer and fujitsu models. is the picture of those latter models twice as good..? is the differnce even noticeable..?

[Lil Kim Jong-Il]

Yes the monitor max resolution is the only thing limiting which signal you can display natively on the commercial units.  Since all my sources have tuners and I'm thinking of building a media computer with an HD OTA tuner, a tuner in the monitor is not the best use of my cash.  The advantage of the commercial units is that the inputs are on installable modules.  So you can purchase an input upgrade as the technology advances.  The commercial units I was looking at accept modules that support all of the standard interfaces from discrete to HDMI

That sample I posted above was not strictly a commercial unit.  There are others but I need to find the link I stored.

One thing about 1080, I probably wouldn't be buying any 1080i monitor right now since the 1080p will be available this year.  My friend who went to CES saw the new offerings.  The new gen plasma sets have solved a lot of the power problems and so heat issues are down.

[pjdavep]

has anyone done a side by side, with the things calibrated - the costco one is like half the price of the pioneer and fujitsu models. is the picture of those latter models twice as good..? is the differnce even noticeable..?

There is a huge thread on the Vizio at AVS forum and I have followed it from the beginning.  I don't recall a calibrated side by side test, but people have gone into Costcos where the Vizio was displayed next to a Pio Elite and they were able to play with the picture settings.  While that's not calibrated using a DVE disc, they did say they could get to a point where they couldn't discern a difference in the pictures, while one or two people said the Pioneer was a *slightly* better picture.  But is it $1500+ better?  Not to me it wouldn't be!

Later, 
   pjdavep

[scervin]

BTW, some boxes have better tuners than others.  For DirecTV if you can find an old Zenith SAT520, they are about the best for OTA.  Much better than my Samsung 360 in the living room!

[nickgregory]

BTW, some boxes have better tuners than others.  For DirecTV if you can find an old Zenith SAT520, they are about the best for OTA.  Much better than my Samsung 360 in the living room!

yeah, that samsung 360 is a POS...I have one and when it works it is fine, but when it reboots itself without warning...thats annoying.  Thankfully I am 12 miles from my tower and I get perfect HD reception

[carlbeck]

Go look at a Toshiba, I just purchased the 50". It uses the same glass as Panasonic & Pioneer. It looked better picture wise to me as well but I have spent the last two years with a high end Toshiba tube. The Elite's are very nice but do not look that much better to justify the cost IMO.

All you can do is spend hours researching & viewing sets, then take a gamble to purchase one. Come home, plug it in & see your picture quality is so bad it doesn't justify the cost. Now bitch at your cable provider & have them blame everyone or thing under the sun but themselves. Or unfortunately for me that is the case