Time To Buy A 50" Plasma; Is The Lg Dt50py10 Good?

[Mondie]

Hi all,

l have decided the time is right to buy a plasma, budget is around $7k, maybe a little more if an irresistible deal came my way. Viewing distance is 14ft which is about right for the screen size.

l am a quantity over quality type when it comes to TV so l would rather a good mid range 50" plasma than the best 42". One that has caught my eye is a new release from LG, the DT50PY10, link below. It has built in speakers and a HD decoder hence no set top box is needed.

http://www.lge.com.au/md/product/pr...tId=1100000496#

Is this a good midrange screen? How have owners experiences been with LG? l know there have been some good plasma discussions here before, any advise appreciated

Cheers Simon

[Bain]

A quick rule of thumb.

For optimal viewing distance it should be 3 times the diagonal width of the screen.

So check out where your lounge is first and then measure to where you want the tv, divide it by 3 and youll get your ideal screen size.

Too big, too close and it will look and pixelated..

O the other thing, if you dont have surround sound, be sure to take a dvd or something along with good bass to test the inbuilt speakers.. some off 'stereo' sound and all you get is tinny crap...

Edited 17/03/05 09:20 AM by Bain

[Geeseman]

No

[Blown BA]

Personal l would go LCD but then again l'm biased

[wados]

LCD for sure, prefer over plasma anyday

[ZAP]

CRT will last heaps longer and for the money you could get a 86cm Sony WEGA TV with change for a good projector. Best of both worlds and will last longer than the 3-4 years you may get out of the plasma

[aniken]

Had my plasma now for 6 months, and am very happy with it. Philips 42". People that come over and see it are usually blown away. I had no particular brand preference, and based my decision on what I liked better in the shop (and budget, of course). There are only a few occassions when the quality 'disappoints' - shots of water sprays (fountains, the swimming) usually look pixelated, and skin tones in close-up can look a bit green and reddish depending on the angle and whether they are moving around a lot (american shows are worst for this). Don't care if it only lasts 4 years.

[Geeseman]

LCD is rubbish. Screens aren't big enough and they don't have good black levels or clairty of image

Get a panasonic 50 inch. Cost around 9K but it's miles better than most on the market, especially LG

[Zeke]

Hi Mondie

I've done a lot of research on this recently and I'm convinced the best all-rounder on the market at the moment is the Pioneer 50". Includes installation, stand or wall mount, 5 yr warantee etc etc. I bought one at Myer...with their 10% off sale and the further 10% you get if you open one of their credit cards the price is $8099 with 12 months interest-free. (Though I think it's best to pay it off quickly so you can forget what you paid for it before the price drops to about half that within the 12 months). I think $8000 or less should be readily available at any retailer with a bit of haggling if necessary.

The picture is superb, though you need a HD STB. Worth going for a cheapie (eg Teac st-b800) 'cos the new HD Topfield 7000 PVR will be released soon and looks like it will be the go....the Teac can then be relegated to a secondary TV. The inbuilt sound is quite impressive too, for what it is.

To research it for yourself, I suggest the forums on dba.com.au, but don't be swayed by the zealots plugging the NEC like their life depended on it!

Of course, other technologies (even after lcd) will take over from plasma, but it's the best price/performance/room-friendly compromise for most of us at present and the set will last longer than the doom-sayers predict. In 5 years, anything around today will be looking to be upgraded!

Anyway, I'm very impressed by the Pioneer and it looks better at home than it did in any showroom. Mrs z and z junior were a bit non-plussed about the whole thing....didn't think it was worth the hassle (and z junior really wanted a projector) but now grudgingly admit it's pretty speccy and I can't pry them away from it. I spend a lot less time staring at a computer screen lately too.

You're a no-compromise sort of person with hifi etc. I'd bet my bottom dollar that you'd be disappointed with the LG compared with the Pioneer (or NEC or Fujitsu) . So much so that I thought I'd answer your question even though I don't get much time lately to read the forum, let alone post.

BTW, the best 50" plasma on the market at the moment bar none is the "commercial" version of the Pioneer and it can be bought for about $7000. I gave it a miss and went for the "consumer" version as the "commercial" one's the ugliest unit I've seen and the "consumer" version is one of the prettiest ....the professional one is very plasticky in appearance, but the picture quality, future proofing (upgradable cards with different connections) and the professional calibration capabilities make it the best performer available in terms of picture quality.

All the above is just my candid opinion, but I have done a lot of careful reseach on this lately and I'm very glad I didn't just buy the first unit that looked OK in a shop.

I'm also noting that you have already decided plasma's the go for you. If I could set up a dedicated HT room, I think I'd look into projectors. 50" looks smaller in a big room once you get used to it and size really does matter!

Regards

zeke

[eatV8]

Must you have a TV you can mount on the wall? if not check out the Samsung DLP range they come all the way upto 61". picture is awesome on them, they dont dim over time, they show a true black on the picture etc etc. Very awesome TV. My friend just bought a 56" one and I love it. I plan on buying the 56-61" new model that's out later this year. DLP tech is amazing.