samsung ps-50q97hdx Vs panasonic th-50px70!

[admin_exported]

I was all set to get the samsung then this panasonic cropped up in my local av store. Im a complete home cinema novice and alot of the technical stuff just baffles me!

I really like the look of the q97 samsung but ive been told the panasonic is a better option as it will accept a 1080p signal and 24fps.

I have on order an onkyo tx-sr576 ( still not sure if ive made the right decision on av receiver) , Q acoustics 1010 package with an upgrade to 1030 floorstanders and a pioneer dv600av upscaling dvd player.

Now as far as i can work out the pioneer will upscale my dvd's to 1080p so does that mean the Panasonic will be the best option? I also plan on getting a blu-ray disc player later on in the year.

I understand it would probably be better to get a full hd set but funds wont allow that at the moment, and from what i could tell there wasnt a massive difference between a full hd set and an hd ready set being fed casino royale on blu ray anyhow. (is my vision really that bad?)

Just to throw something else into the mix! ive just seen a th-42px80 and was very impressed by the picture quality both in sd and hd formats, i really wanted a 50inch but if this set is a big step forward from the other two ive mentioned then i will happily plump for that.

I never thought deciding on a tv would be so difficult! its without doubt the most stressfull way to try and spend £1000.

many thanks stewart

 

[professorhat]

[quote user="stewart cripps"]I really like the look of the q97 samsung but ive been told the panasonic is a better option as it will accept a 1080p signal and 24fps.[/quote]

Okay - first rule to buying a TV - forget the specs and go with what your eyes tell you. However, the 24fps support might be important if Blu-Ray is crucial to you and the Samsung doesn't have it as without it, motion panning can be very jerky which will spoil your high definition viewing.

[quote user="stewart cripps"]Now as far as i can work out the pioneer will upscale my dvd's to 1080p so does that mean the Panasonic will be the best option? I also plan on getting a blu-ray disc player later on in the year.[/quote]

Not necessarily, but have you demoed the Samsung with upscaled DVD / Blu-Ray? If this is something that will be important to you in the future, have a look at how it looks now before you buy. Remember, this is for you, not anyone else, so go with whatever you think looks best, not what the salesman is whispering in your ear!

[quote user="stewart cripps"]I understand it would probably be better to get a full hd set but funds wont allow that at the moment, and from what i could tell there wasnt a massive difference between a full hd set and an hd ready set being fed casino royale on blu ray anyhow. (is my vision really that bad?)[/quote]

Not at all, many people have commented on how the HD ready Pioneer sets of last year beat everything else (Full HD or otherwise) hands down. Hence why you should ignore specs and concentrate on what looks good to you.

[quote user="stewart cripps"]Just to throw something else into the mix! ive just seen a th-42px80 and was very impressed by the picture quality both in sd and hd formats, i really wanted a 50inch but if this set is a big step forward from the other two ive mentioned then i will happily plump for that.[/quote]

What's your viewing distance? Most people would generally regret buying a set which is too small, so if you're thinking of a 50" set, then, eventually, you'll probably wish you had bought one this size at some point, no matter how good the picture is!

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for your views prof.

Ive since been back to the store and trialed both the samsung and the panasonic 50'' screens, the guy was very helpful and hooked both screens up to a independant freeview box(not connected to every tv in the shop!) At this point both televisions were even, perhaps the samsung looked a little sharper, the panasonic seemed a little soft if that makes any sense?

Next inline was upscaled dvd's via a arcam upscaling dvd player still was equaly impressed by both sets, motion was faultless on both yet the samsung seemed to have a richer colour! and in dark scenes the samsung really did shine through as having the better picture (in my opinion)

Next up was ice age 2 on blu-ray, I was stunned again by both sets, the picture quality was really very good, to be honest this is where the panasonic clawed its way back a little. But the difference was very small indeed.

So for me the samsung will be my choice, even though it doesnt have the highest of specs i just thought the images were sharper and the set itself was a bit more pleasing on the eye.

Im sure theres people out there that would disagree with my choice, but like proffesorhat said its totaly your own preference. I think its far to easy to get caught up in how long the spec list is rather than what the picture actually looks like, Buy with your eyes and not with what the spec sheet says it can do.

many thanks stewart

 

[D.J.KRIME]

Good choice Stewart, I had the Samsung PS-50Q97 and it really was a fantastic set and I too chose it over the Panasonic and this was from someone who was upgrading from a Old Panasonic series 5 42"".

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="D.J.KRIME"]Good choice Stewart, I had the Samsung PS-50Q97 and it really was a fantastic set and I too chose it over the Panasonic and this was from someone who was upgrading from a Old Panasonic series 5 42"".[/quote]
Sorry to hi-jack this thread but i couldn't help but noticing that you've got the full hd samsung plasma(KRIME), i just want to pick you're brains about the settings that you use, as i own the same set but i can't seem to settle on what i think is the best settings. Theres just too many combinations and enhancements my heads just spinning when compared to my old panasonic which was unbelievabley simple. Sorry again.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks krime,I know ive made the right decision, I still find it unbeleivable that you can get a plasma of this sort of quality for 750 pounds, when i first started lookin into plasmas of this size it was around the 1500- 2000 pound mark

Cant wait to get it setup and start re-watching my dvd collection. As i mentioned at the top of the page ive ordered the onkyo 576, Its been bugging me all weekend that i may have made the wrong choice. Is there a bettter receiver out there for the money? perhaps a Sony STR-DA1200ES or the Denon AVR-1708 .are just two of the other units i was looking at. Or should i just follow the rest of the crowd and plump for the Onkyo 606 and save up a bit ore cash?

many thanks stewart

 

[professorhat]

This is definitely worth a look for this money. Of course it hasn't been released yet so no idea if it's any good, but it's certainly got an impressive specs list.

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="professorhat"]This is definitely worth a look for this money. Of course it hasn't been released yet so no idea if it's any good, but it's certainly got an impressive specs list.[/quote]

This looks like fantastic value for money, ill be waiting patiently for this to be released.

stewart

 

[D.J.KRIME]

[quote user="jerry16"]Sorry to hi-jack this thread but i couldn't help but noticing that you've got
the full hd samsung plasma(KRIME), i just want to pick you're brains about the
settings that you use, as i own the same set but i can't seem to settle on what
i think is the best settings. Theres just too many combinations and enhancements
my heads just spinning when compared to my old panasonic which was unbelievabley
simple. Sorry again.[/quote] what equipment do you have hooked up to your Samsung? and how is it connected? I will note down my settings tonight. One thing is for sure which applies to both the Samsung Plasmas mentioned here TURN MOVIE PLUS OFF!

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="stewart cripps"]

Thanks krime,I know ive made the right decision, I still find it unbeleivable that you can get a plasma of this sort of quality for 750 pounds, when i first started lookin into plasmas of this size it was around the 1500- 2000 pound mark

[/quote]

Hi Stewart, where did you purchase this from for around £750? Would be very interested, reading this I think has swayed me away from the Panasonic .. .. but i'm sure i'll read something else to change my mind again!

Carl

 

[Anonymous]

Hi vandango, i still haven't purchased the set yet, im just hunting round for the best deal. 750 was a typo 'sorry' i was meant to be 850 pounds although i had a look round on the net and found it here http://www.1staudiovisual.co.uk/catalog/samsung-ps50q97hd-inch-plasma-p-2102.html?ref=212

769 quid!

Although the set doesnt seem to cme with a warranty!

so ill carry on looking and update this thread when ive found a bargain.

stew

 

[Anonymous]

http://www.directtvs.co.uk/Samsung%5FPS50Q97HDX%5F50%5Finch%5FPlasma%5FPS50Q97HDX/version.asp

Would recommend these, based in Huddersfield and have bought most of my families laptops from there. Also sell a limited range of QED cables etc. Customer service is excellent.

Incidentally, no matter where you buy you will always receive a 1 year manufacturers warranty.