Big TV

[twobobsworth]

I'm looking to make an "investment" in a plasma during the post christmas sales.

Does anyone have any experience as to what are the best things to look for?

Wanting something around 42" to 50" with a budget around $3K.

 

[Twitch]

6 months ago I looked into big TVs in so much detail it made my head hurt.

Basically with plasma you should buy a Panasonic or a Pioneer depending on your budget. With your budget you should look at Panasonic.

The size comes down to how close to the TV you'll sit. Anything >2.5m and you should buy a 50".

Full-HD vs. HD is harder to judge. Personally I decided to save $1000 and buy only the HD model as I couldn't see any difference at all in picture quality between it and the full HD model from 1m away, let alone the 4m back I sit from it at home.

I bought the 50PX80A which now goes for about $1,600 if you bargin hard. It is an awesome TV, and cheap enough so you won't be so upset to toss it out in 5-10 years to get that $2,000 60" laser TV.

The oracle of wisdom on big TVs is http://www.dtvforum.info/index.php?showforum=6

Good luck....

 

[manny]

Hi TB,

Twitch is correct, its hard to past a Panasonic plasma as the picture quality is far better than an LCD (especially sports)... I am looking at a 50" plasma, but leaning towards the Full-HD... You should be able to pick one up with 3yr warranty for around the $2,500-$2600 mark... If you do however sit back, you can get one of the non Full HD ones for under $1,500 nowdays as the picture quality will be equally as good from 3 meters back... You will only noticice the difference if u sit 1-2m away (ie. if u want to play a game on your game console)...

Oh, almost forgot, if u buy a full-hd Panasonic plasma before Xmas, you will be entitled to a free Wii (which you can sell easily on ebay for around $350 if you didn't want to keep it), which potentially will make it a better proposition...

Cheers,

Manny.

 

[DavidMc]

I agree with Twitch. I bought a 42" HD Panasonic Plasma for $1.8k this time last year. Price dropped $200 after Xmas. You can get the same thing for around $1.3k now.

Great buying at that price. Even on a high salary I can't justify $5k for a TV, even if it has 'blacker blacks'.

 

[manny]

Hi DM,

The concern this year is that with the drop of the $AU, most manufacturers have advised that they will be putting up prices from 10% (panasonic) all the way up to 20% (Sony)...

It could however be a "scare" tactic used to move some of their old stock, however most imported goods are going up (even Toyota will be upping the prices of their cars by 2%)...

I agree, no need to go over board with ur spending...

It got me thinking, I wonder if u could claim a % of the purchase price on tax??? Hmmm, as u can use the Plasma as a laptop screen & can do work on it... may need to speak to my accountant come tax time....

Cheers,

Manny.

 

[NickB]

I bought a 50inch Panasonic plasma about six months ago from JB Hi-Fi.
I can't give much advice on the best type to buy (although I am extremely happy with the Panasonic) but I can give some advice on purchasing.
I did some research on the internet to find the best price I could on a number of models. These turned out to be much cheaper than from the advertised price at the mainstream stores like Harvey Norman, Good Guys, JB Hi-Fi etc. I then took a printout of the online prices to JB Hi-Fi and they beat it by $50 without question. JB Hi-Fi price was $2600. Online price from another company $2100. I paid $2050. Not a bad saving in the end.
I now try to employ this tactic when purchasing most things.

Would be nice if it worked for property.

Cheers,
Nick

 

[Jacque]

I love our Pioneer plasma- really beautiful and crystal clear to watch. Pity it cost me over double what I can buy it for now

 

[Witzl]

Pioneer are the best plasmas... but worth a pretty penny.

I have a Panasonic th50px80A - 50" 720p plasma. Cost $1530 a few months ago.

I wouldnt wait till after xmas. They WONT be cheaper, i believe they will actually be more expensive, due to the 35% drop in the AUD.

 

[manny]

Hi Jacque,

the Pioneer is the Rolls Royce of Plasmas, no one else comes close to them... unfortunately the current Pioneer range will be their last they actually manufacture, as the new series will be manufactured for them by Panasonic if I remember right (I don't think it was Samsung)...

Its like anything though, once u buy it, a few months later (or a year) something new comes out & prices drop... the main thing is that you do get top quality television & reliability...

Cheers,

Manny.

 

[Pushka]

Panasonic HD Veira. Beautiful TV. I think you can get great deals from places like Harvey Norman who are desperate for sales. One store was advertising buy a Plasma and get a smaller LCD free.

 

[twobobsworth]

I was looking at the Panasonic in Myer a few weeks ago. The 50" was $2999.

Just flicked through the latest JB Hi junk mail and it's in there for $2500 with Wii.

 

[manny]

Hi TB,

don't be surprised if they are two different sets... the pz800a costs around $3-400 extra (still a 1080p unit) & comes with 3 HDMI ports (that's the way you know which one it is in adds)... the other one is the pz80a (still a 1080p unit) that comes with two HDMI ports (also doesn't have a particular function, can't remember what it is anyway)... When looking in the mags it is hard to tell them apart (the number of HDMI ports is the giveaway)...

Apparently the function you get with the 800a isn't all that essential, so the 80a isn't a bad bet (as 2 HDMI would suffice or most homes)

Cheers,

Manny.

 

[Alex P Keaton]

What do you guys think of the sony bravia? Tvs keep getting cheaper and cheaper. I want a 63 cm

 

[ziggy2214]

Does anyone have any experience as to what are the best things to look for?.

have a read here
http://www.plasmatvbuyingguide.com/plasmatv/reviews.html

If you are watching fast moving sports from free to air channels & particularly from ch9 and 10 you should consider full HD

If you are considering LCD's go to the following website and SEE the comparison
between the 2 types. Use the remote control to change channel and see fast moving objects, change lighting conditions, change viewing angle, etc.
http://www.plasmaorlcd.com.au/

and read this, I found it useful
http://www.lcdorplasma.com.au/Panasonic_Viera.pdf

 

[ziggy2214]

What do you guys think of the sony bravia? Tvs keep getting cheaper and cheaper. I want a 63 cm

Kim

Sony LCD's IMO have the best picture and are reliable but they are more expensive than other brands.

Screen sizes which are common tend to be cheaper than the odd ones out
I don't know if 63cm is common size or not.

Bravia's IMO are very good looking as well
so they look good even when they are switched off

 

[manny]

Hi Kim,

the Sony Bravia is a great TV... the last series, although had a slower refresh rate of just 8ms, it produced excellent colours... Due to the slower refresh rate, wasn't as good as some of the newer panels when it came to sports (although were great for movies)... The newer Bravias are meant to be quicker, but you do pay a premium for the name, but are of excellent quality... Seeing they are LCD TVs, the typical Plasma versus LCD debate comes to mind, but I must say they are nice TVs (the new ones being even better)...

There were rumours that the Sony TVs were built in the same factory as the Samsung LCDs TVs & shared the same panel (not all the internal componentry, as the internal componentry can make a differnce in picture smoothness - depending on what processors they run)...

For a small TV the size you are after, you can pay a premium for the Sony, but due to the size you would get a very good picture with something like a Samsung for much less $$$. I must say that the Sony may be built a little better & may last a little longer.

Cheers,

Manny.

 

[THEHEATH]

What do you guys think of the sony bravia? Tvs keep getting cheaper and cheaper. I want a 63 cm

My mate has one, it's brilliant. I'm not one to get excited over a picture, to me a picture is a picture is a picture, but he had a blue ray movie on his Bravia and really the picture was AMAZING.

 

[Skiddy]

Kim

Sony LCD's IMO have the best picture and are reliable but they are more expensive than other brands.

Sony uses the same LCD panels as Samsung but generaly the Samsung is cheaper. Due to a worldwide shortage of panels some of their LCDs are now being made inTawain.

http://www.smarthouse.com.au/TVs_And_Large_Display/LCD/M3W5B6U4

From a Wholesalers point of view never buy before a major sporting event eg Olympic games. The month before the Olympics started some manufacturers ran short of supply and put their their prices up around 30 % until supply caught up.

 

[ziggy2214]

Sony uses the same LCD panels as Samsung but generaly the Samsung is cheaper.

The panels could be the same but picture quality is not.
Sony is very advanced in signal processing and you can see this in the shops

 

[ziggy2214]

I bought a 50inch Panasonic plasma about six months ago from JB Hi-Fi.
I did some research on the internet to find the best price I could on a number of models. These turned out to be much cheaper than from the advertised price at the mainstream stores like Harvey Norman, Good Guys, JB Hi-Fi etc. I then took a printout of the online prices to JB Hi-Fi and they beat it by $50 without question. JB Hi-Fi price was $2600. Online price from another company $2100. I paid $2050. Not a bad saving in the end.
Cheers,
Nick

Nick

Great idea, I tried to do the same at J&B but they would only match the other store's advertised price. After having a chat they agreed to give me 2 years of extended warranty for free but they did try hard to sell me cables I didn't need and a surge protected power board.

I bought the TH50PZ80A, it's 50" full HD and I will also get the free Nintendo Wii.

For the record, Clive Peters has this model on special for $2299 until the 20th
I tried Bing Lee and as soon as they saw the price they told me to go and buy it from Clive. I also tried the good guys but they had no stock and told me it will be 4 weeks before they can get me 1