what was the best TV ever made?

flashgordon1952

Well-known member
Dec 16, 2019
405
51
4,970
Visit site
My vote would go to the Panasonic Z65 made in 2013 600 hz But a lot more than just that the infamous total black screen ( something QLEDs have a problem with even now ). It was the very b est PLASMA ever made according to what wi fi . in 60 inch form too. The downside ( today) was that they eat power . But how long would they last , according to a expert on TVs . They had a genuine life span of 35 years in normal use. ( the main reason why manufacturers stopped making them ) Lovee to see a QLED last 5 years Life span on the latest TVs is around 3/5 years at full operative working . China nev er made them for this reason. There was a debate whether the KURO was better but i doubt it Pioneer stopped making them in 2010 . Panasonic however made at least 3 models after that . Including the two i have or had as sold the 2010 P46 , but still have the P50 2011 model . can you imagine a TV lasting 35 years ? Most TV manufacturers would be out of business now infact all the Chinese ones would be in one swoop . So this TV gets my vote as the greatest TV ever made and in second place the 2009 Pioneer KURO> By the way new KUROs still come up for sale last one i saw they want £250 brand new last year 50 inch model from a warehouse in Germany i believe Love to see a Z65 or a KURO against the very best Sony of today same size screen ie 50 or 60
 
  • Like
Reactions: Freddy

Freddy

Well-known member
BANNED
May 18, 2022
862
185
570
Visit site
A lot of people have gone from the very best plasma TVs to OLED and have never complained and instead say they’re better. The longest I have owned a plasma TV is about a year but OLED like 3 and a half years then got screen burn. I would put QLED 8K TV models in the mix too as being better than plasma.
 

Freddy

Well-known member
BANNED
May 18, 2022
862
185
570
Visit site
Having owned both Panasonic VT65 (my current TV) and the Kuro (KRP 500A) before that, my vote would go for the Kuro hands down. It felt truly special watching that TV with incredible blacks and accurate rendition of colours.
Never heard you go one way or the other before. That settles it then Kuro the best plasma - I would agree with that too, although I only owned the step down version 5090 Pioneer Kuro. In the dark it was special never got that intense feeling of a Panasonic plasma.
 

flashgordon1952

Well-known member
Dec 16, 2019
405
51
4,970
Visit site
have owned the 2005 model Pioneer sonic\ally it was very good but at 720 P or was it I ( The KURO last model was 2009 with superior sounds than anything seen before ) I also have had in the ;last 5 years a LG 50 2006 another 2009 Panasonic 43 inch with 1080 P then just sold the P46 2010 and kept the 3D 2011 model p50 That is a plus or was a plus it it was 3D ie ideal for games and vids in 3D . Note i gather manufacturers stopped making them now ?? I got two pairs of 3D glasses and i paid £80 in 2020 Note those glasses are expensive . There will always be a argument for the KURO but the fact Panasonic made the Z60 and Z65 and m P50 3D after the pioneer factory stopped making the Kuro KURO did have the best sounds . But three things killed off the PLASMA 1 cost making them 2 The Chinese and Korean TVs much cheaper to buy (LCD and early LED) 3. expensive to run too note a 60 inch would be well over 350 watts a 60 now would be half that . So basically it was costs and costs that killed it then came the Chinese with my TCL 50 2022 4k JUHD? at £265 But for a TV life being 35 years well says it all does it not . And yes i am keeping my P46 3D for as long as i can Would i buy a Z65 yes
 

Freddy

Well-known member
BANNED
May 18, 2022
862
185
570
Visit site
have owned the 2005 model Pioneer sonic\ally it was very good but at 720 P or was it I ( The KURO last model was 2009 with superior sounds than anything seen before ) I also have had in the ;last 5 years a LG 50 2006 another 2009 Panasonic 43 inch with 1080 P then just sold the P46 2010 and kept the 3D 2011 model p50 That is a plus or was a plus it it was 3D ie ideal for games and vids in 3D . Note i gather manufacturers stopped making them now ?? I got two pairs of 3D glasses and i paid £80 in 2020 Note those glasses are expensive . There will always be a argument for the KURO but the fact Panasonic made the Z60 and Z65 and m P50 3D after the pioneer factory stopped making the Kuro KURO did have the best sounds . But three things killed off the PLASMA 1 cost making them 2 The Chinese and Korean TVs much cheaper to buy (LCD and early LED) 3. expensive to run too note a 60 inch would be well over 350 watts a 60 now would be half that . So basically it was costs and costs that killed it then came the Chinese with my TCL 50 2022 4k JUHD? at £265 But for a TV life being 35 years well says it all does it not . And yes i am keeping my P46 3D for as long as i can Would i buy a Z65 yes
Panasonic OLED TVs are virtually identical to the Panasonic ZT60 plasma. If you could afford a Panasonic OLED one day I bet you would love it. (y)
 

flashgordon1952

Well-known member
Dec 16, 2019
405
51
4,970
Visit site
I suppose they’re very reflective though.
yes nice to be able to afford a Panasonic OLED but do not have OLED money Panasonic OLEDs are £1000 there HDRs are £450 there is no way in Gods earth that a Panasonic OLED will last more than 5 to 7 years the cheaper range need to be changed 3/5 years this compares with yes up too 35 years I must i was a little shocked about how long i have had here 15 year old TVs and still work well just 720P My current one is 11 years old which would still out last any new QLED you can name and it is 11 years old. I reckon i could maybe get ??? I do know however i will replace it Just a question of when next year maybe 2025 . Certainly a Z65 will outlast anything now on the market. what ever it is . If the Chinese made PLASMA TV they be out of business . if i was given £s for a Z65 i would have no hesitation in buying it. If they do go up for sale they will not be cheap maybe £200 s/h
 
  • Like
Reactions: Freddy

flashgordon1952

Well-known member
Dec 16, 2019
405
51
4,970
Visit site
Do you really think OLED TVs have a 6 year lifespan? I have never really thought about it but with screen burn it could be true! I will keep my Samsung QLED TV then.
screen burn is a problem with LEDs and LCD not such a problem with PLASMA they can however get a shadow ie Samsungs The manufacturers want you to buy and keep buying thats why they keep updating there TVs ie OLEDS QLEDS HDR and now a new one has appeared What ever it is called. They want your money and quickly too But 5 years might be about right How long my TCL god only knows i get 2 years out of it i be happy . You might think that a £1000 tv will lat half the time a £2400 one or a £250 last a quester the time the £1000 will last not so. I remember my mate picked up the dreaded curved screens ( horrid things they was) His lasted a month , before the middle screen went on his Samsung ? ( it was because of this happening they stopped making them. many went back Thois reminds me of the bad old days of Panasonic when they first replaced the PLASMA . It was a disaster as most of them had to come back and retailer refused to sell them It took years for them to get back there honour My local store in Gidea Park refused to sell them anymore . They was that bad think they was LCD ? i wanted one to replace my own old LCD . Sorry mate . So bought the Toshiba instead. yes not bad tv at £450 then i fell on it and it smashed . oh dear me Then got a LG that went in 3 years then my first PLASMA
 
  • Like
Reactions: Freddy
Never heard of screen burn on LCD, and it affects plasma more than OLED - particularly when it comes to its lesser sibling, image retention. Making comments about proposed longevity is not grounded in experience, as no plasma is 35 years old, and OLED is still relatively new to the market as a mature product.
 
  • Like
Reactions: doifeellucky

Sixtyten

Well-known member
Oct 6, 2015
45
24
18,545
Visit site
I'd have to plump for the legendary Matsui 1436 portable CRT. Not because it was a great TV as such, but because of what it offered. For £129.99 for the non-teletext version back in the early mid 90's you got a damn good quality, reliable, well made TV for £40 less than the next cheapest. The next cheapest that the Matsui absolutely trounced. I suspect that there are many users on this site who's first TV, the one they had in their bedrooms, the one they plugged their Amiga / Mega Drive or SNES into was a Matsui 1436. For many it is the baseline set from which all others were measured.

Failing that the Philips Matchline 28ML8805/008, analogue CRT with a Digital twist.
 

doifeellucky

Well-known member
Never heard of screen burn on LCD, and it affects plasma more than OLED - particularly when it comes to its lesser sibling, image retention. Making comments about proposed longevity is not grounded in experience, as no plasma is 35 years old, and OLED is still relatively new to the market as a mature product.
I’d say they’ve got their wires crossed.
 

flashgordon1952

Well-known member
Dec 16, 2019
405
51
4,970
Visit site
I’d say they’ve got their wires crossed.
no PLASMA is 35 years old but that was the life span by independent experts on PLASMA. Now the oldest i know still working is a PIONEER 43 2003 model 720 TV I know this as i sold it too a guy who still uses it That would make it 20 years old would it not ? All the PLASMA i have sold including 3 Panasonics 208/2010 are all working well and the Samsung 2005 50 inch model . I believe the PLASMA TV came out in 2001 .
I am a member of a PLASMA society on facebook ( private) There are still spares available world wide on these TVs . Like to see any TCL Hisense Phillips Panasonic Sony etc etc spares available for current TVs in 5 years time In fact with COVID 19 rearing its ugly head again there will be shortages from Hisense and TCL on new 2023 models .
The news today was dire , from a certain Country (deleted by moderation - do not comment on moderation ) The highest numbers of COVID deaths in that Country since 2020 . This will have a massive affect on TV and all electronic goods
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I hate to say it, but this thread feels like an attempt to persuade yourself that TV technology hasn't moved on in terms of picture quality etc. It has. I had three plasmas before the OLED, a Pioneer and two Panasonics. None of them hold a candle to OLED.

I'm afraid that I also don't buy that the 35 year figure is anything but speculation. It might be informed (though to what degree, who knows?) but it's still speculation.

(You can talk about other countries, by the way - what you cannot do is disparage them in any blanket fashion.)
 
  • Like
Reactions: doifeellucky

Stuart.W.D

Well-known member
Sep 29, 2013
225
146
18,970
Visit site
I had a 2007 plasma that cost me 2000 and I bought a LG Oled CX which was eight hundred cheaper. The Oled is better in my opinion. The one thing I really detest about my plasma was the heat it generated, it was a nightmare in the summer months for football competitions. The Oled set goes brighter for day time viewing.
 

jacobmorrison

Well-known member
Feb 6, 2009
50
4
18,545
Visit site
I'd have to plump for the legendary Matsui 1436 portable CRT. Not because it was a great TV as such, but because of what it offered. For £129.99 for the non-teletext version back in the early mid 90's you got a damn good quality, reliable, well made TV for £40 less than the next cheapest. The next cheapest that the Matsui absolutely trounced. I suspect that there are many users on this site who's first TV, the one they had in their bedrooms, the one they plugged their Amiga / Mega Drive or SNES into was a Matsui 1436. For many it is the baseline set from which all others were measured.

I used to sell Matsui TVswhen I worked for Currys in the early 90s. The 1420 was standard, the 1440 had remote control. The 1480 had teletext!
 

jacobmorrison

Well-known member
Feb 6, 2009
50
4
18,545
Visit site
Interesting thread. TVs are a product of their time. In another 10 years we may be looking back at today's OLED TVs as museum pieces. What was great for the time, rather than great by todays standards, is the question.

For my money the best example of this was the Pioneer KRP-500M. A 50" pure monitor designed to be the best picture quality achievable with no compromise. It was the best and last of the 9th generation Kuros. The 500M was thought to contain even more advanced picture processing than the 60" 600M, a kind of 9.5 generation Kuro. A rumoured 10th generation that was in development when the department was shut down was apparently using dynamic depth of field processing, sharpening the focal points of the image and defocussing backgrounds for a psuedo-3d effect without glasses.

It's amazing how far ahead of the competition that team at Pioneer were. Apparently Panasonic hired them all but it still took them years to catch up with what Pioneer were doing .
 
  • Like
Reactions: WayneKerr

flashgordon1952

Well-known member
Dec 16, 2019
405
51
4,970
Visit site
This is a subjective question and there is no definitive answer. Different people have different opinions on the best TV ever made. Some popular choices include the Sony XBR-A1E OLED, Samsung QLED 8K Q900R, LG OLED C8, and the Vizio P-Series Quantum.
It is impossible to answer as there are new TVs every year coming out but the two final PLASMAs from Panasonic 2012 model with the true black screen had the best picture and the Pioneer Kuro had the best sounds and picture combined These 1080P TVs was the ultimate in my view ( if only they continued with making them now ? My own 2011 model with 3D is the second best Panasonic plasma ever made 12 years later it still works as well as it did when new .. You will not see LEDs TVs last anywhere near that time and for one good reason they was never made with cheap parts from the far east . Samsung and LG did make PLASMAs . note i had a LG and i think Sony did too Achilles heel of the PLASMA was costs and the amount of power they used I saw advertised a 106 inch PLASMA for sale cheap yes you you need to be an electricity company to be able to afford to run it . And the weight was incredible Even the electric stand weigh 200 lbs minimum . It would have needed a crane to get it out of the basement that it was in . I had a look at the specs of the screen included picture in picture . How ever Panasonic made a massive 152 inch monster 4k 2k 3D however they made a similar 103 inch one with similar specs Yes PLASMA can be made for 4k as well as 2K and 3D putting to shame anything we have now socalled 85 inch screens QLED LED costing upwards of £2k Believe the Panasonic was called Dorothy
 

Bruiser

Well-known member
BANNED
Apr 23, 2023
26
12
45
Visit site
I’ve had quite a few TVs in my time but my current favourite is the Panasonic 50VT50 3D plasma too. I wish TV manufacturers would build more 1080p TVs, I never liked much 4K, 8K and HDR.
 

roaduck

Well-known member
Jun 26, 2023
208
41
320
Visit site
Sony Profeel broadcast standard monitor systems were mega in the early eighties - totally discrete and built like a brick water closet.
I gave my friend a 11" Sony B/W portable for his caravan and it`s still going from 1965 !
I also have a Toshiba 28" widescreen CRT from 1998 that still works great - it has a 65 watt RMS built-in amp plus big subwoofer and the vast majority of modern TV`s sound tinny and weak in comparison.

I have a 25 year old washing machine, a 40 year old tumble-dryer and a vacuum from 1923 that all work brilliantly.
I also have a Fuji S602-zoom digital camera from 1999 that still takes good pictures even after being dropped into the sea and it`s not even splash-proof.

My friend has a British racing green Austin from 1917 that still works great but only does 30 mp/h.

We can not keep throwing stuff away - the World can`t take it !

Never mind recycling - let`s demand things that last and can be mended - or we`re all doomed.No long-termism or foresight.
 
Last edited:

Vincent Kars

Well-known member
I think I have found the right TV for you :)



Philco Predicta
041113_Predicta_Dorothy_antiqueradios.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: Al ears and roaduck

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts