HDTV Trends

Can someone explain?????????
Have been reading alot of reviews for this television and am about to take the plunge on my first HDTV. Could someone explain why this 46" is more expensive than the 50" 800u? Everything that I can see is the same except for the size. What am I missing and why would a larger TV by the same company with all the same bells and whistles be less?

Also Best Buy is currently selling this 46" Panasonic Plasma for 99.00 including free shipping.

curious?????

Maxx

Excellent TV.
A little information about myself: I've been working in high tech Product Development for about 10 years now. I subscribe to the idea that when technology is done right it becomes indistinguishable from magic. I like to have products that perform very well, and require minimal input from the user. To me, the ideal product will do the basic things very well, and have very few bells and whistles which increase the price, and are seldom used (who has time to tinker with the various equalization curves available on most electronics?).

I purchased this TV about one month ago, and have been very happy eversince.

What you'll like:
1/ excellent delivery - I bought the TV from Amazon, it arrived within 3 days, and the delivery company (Pilot) was professional.
2/ excellent price - Amazon has a superior business model to Best Buy, and they can afford to sell for less.
3/ great image - the THX set-up offers an excellent experience, and takes away the calibration guess work. Dramatically superior image when compared to any other setting, and indeed as one of the reviewers mentioned, most other settings seem to generate cartoonish images. THX was not a factor I used in building my short list; however after I started to use the TV, I converted.
4/ very good sound from the TV's speakers. I have a decent stereo set-up which sounds better - as it should... but the TV's sound is not boxy, and it can fill a big room without getting tiresome. This is especially good for the wife and kid - they can watch (and manage) the TV without turning the amp on.
5/ modern look - the one sheet of glass design is beautiful, modern, and has an excellent Wife Acceptance Factor.
6/ good remote, easy to use, balanced.
7/ excellent playback of digital pictures.
8/ good number of HDMI ports. You will eventualy need all the ports you have on the TV - don't buy a TV that doesn't have at least 3 HDMI ports.

This TV is not for you if:

1/ you want high contrast. If this is the case, buy an LCD.
2/ you have the money to buy the Kuro Elite. The Pioneer will give you a better image. I saw a demo of both at Bay Bloor Radio in Toronto, and the Pioneer was in a different class...

Wonderful Picture Quality. THX excellence!
This is one great looking TV. I bought this just before Black Friday as a package deal with the DMP-BD35K for 00 shipped. I am so glad I have both this and the Panny Blu-Ray player as they are both top-notch A/V units. I'll get into some things I like about the TV...

- Menu system is easy to navigate and has nice options.
- I haven't watched a calibration Blu-Ray disc yet to test the TV, but THX setting looks pretty darn close to calibrated. Nice to not have to worry about all those other confusing picture settings or check AVS forums to see if someone found optimal values. Just enable 'THX' from the picture menu and you're all set.
- TV is lightning fast for gaming. 'Game' picture setting livens up the picture whereas 'Cinema' (aka THX) would not be ideal. For watching HD-DVDs on my 360, I can just switch the picture setting back to 'Cinema'.
- Offers 'Size 1' or 'Size 2' for HDMI inputs. Basically Size 2 will not crop any pixels from the input of 1920x1080. This allows all the pixel information to be displayed and usually works well on most quality components. If there is junk at the corners of the screen, use Size 1 to crop some of the pixels to display a clean image.
- Great TV for HTPC. PC input is pretty clear even though it's not at 1920x1080 (or even close). Unlike my Sony RPLCD, which really annoyed me, there's no messy picture geometry. Everything is nice and square on the screen. DVI-HDMI vs. VGA input for PC shows no noticeable difference @ 1280x1024.
- Viera Link is a nice feature although I don't use it as I have a Harmony remote.
- 4 HDMI inputs are plenty. One of them on the front makes connecting my Vixia HV30 camcorder a snap.
- Does not get too hot. Has an array of cooling fans along the top on the back of the set, but they're not loud.
- Swivel base is nice, but I don't need that as my entertainment cabinet has a swivel base already.
- Set is very attractive with glass screen and gloss black finish. Note: be very careful when cleaning or handling the glass. It has an anti-glare coating on it. I am reluctant to use Stoner's Invisible Glass cleaner on it even though it's the best glass cleaner out there IMO. I nearly chucked my cat across the room when she wanted to use the screen as a scratching post!
- Switching inputs is fast. Changing cable channels are fast too.
Viewing angles are really wide. Wide enough for anyone's needs.

Here are some things I didn't like...

- Major drawback IMO. To my knowledge, there is no way for user to update firmware. The manual doesn't mention using the SD slot, so I'm assuming only the service center can do it if there even is an update ever available.
- Set is heavy, so be careful. This is inherent of plasmas though. make sure it's on a level base because with the glass screen it's slightly front-heavy.
- While the TV doesn't get burning hot to the touch, it will make a medium-sized room noticably warmer. It's important to keep it well-ventilated especially when near a big and hot receiver like an Onkyo 606.
- While the anti-glare coating on the glass is nice, I'm really freaked out about damaging it with cleaners. The manual says to only use soap diluted 100x in water. Seems kinda pointless to clean then. There was someone on AVS forums who talked of damaging the coating and the viewing was affected.
- Optical output (there's no input) only does 2ch PCM. Good thing I'm buying an upgraded receiver. I'm outputting cable TV from optical and only getting Pro Logic II on HD sources.
- 48Hz setting for 24p input is a joke. The flicker from that low of a refresh rate is definitely noticeable although probably won't make your eyes sore. What was Panasonic thinking when they decided on 48Hz vs., say, anything over 60?!?! I leave that setting on 60Hz and it looks just fine to me. Maybe they'll come out with a fix for it. There's talk over at AVS forums about it.
- PC resolution will be best at 1280x1024. That's a long way from 1920x1080 - something that a 1080p LCD display probably wouldn't have a problem with.
- I am still scared of burn-in. Kind of annoying when you have to keep in your mind that something can't be on the screen for too long.
- Plasma sets use allot more wattage than LCDs. With this TV displaying such a beautiful picture, I want to sit on the couch for hours, which is really going to hurt my pocket every month. Plus, my huge battery backup (which kept my Sony RPLCD alive for 5min during an outage so it can properly shut down) will not even stay working with this TV plugged into it and AC voltage available. This TV draws way too much power for it.

All in all, the picture quality on this set more than makes up for the lack of firmware upgradability or and of the other dislikes I mentioned. I was all set to get the Sammy A650 or LG 47LG70 for Black Friday, but I know this set looks way better than either. The PQ will really blow you away. This set will want to have you on the couch for hours so set aside some more $$ for your power bill.

Flicker? What flicker?
If you can still find this discontinued model, buy it! To probably repeat what others have said here, the 800u PQ is second only the 00 Pioneer Elite model according to Cnet's ratings. Everything looks great on this TV: Bluray, HD cable, broadcast channels over the QAM tuner, video games, standard definition.

I'm at the 200 hour mark now, and the "haze" and "dimness" of the THX mode that some have pointed out is already lightening up, giving the most accurate picture I've ever seen on a flat panel display. Also, the flicker issue that some have mentioned occurs when engaging the 48hz rate for 24p bluray sources is also not that big of a deal in my opinion. I've definitely seen it, but it happens so infrequently (in very bright areas like open sky or brightly lit white walls) and even then for such a short period (as long as that shot is displayed) that it's a non-issue for me. Besides, to my eyes, it's hard to see the difference between 48hz and 60hz anyway.

So do yourself a favor, if you see this or the 50" model, buy it before they are all gone!

Perfect SIze TV
This is the perfect size TV. It doesn't dominate the room, the picture is fantastic and the audio is great! We love it.