Panasonic 36PD30 or Panasonic TH42PW6?

Which one would show the best picture quality of these two?

Both accept progressive signals and i know CRT got deeper blacks, but what else?

Will the 36PD30 make the plasma look dull?

[Ekko Star]

I'm in the market for a CRT main telly replacement and I have narrowed it down to a 36PDP30 and the 42PE30 which is based on the PW6. Very difficult choice indeed !

For outright quality the PDP30 wins, it does indeed produce a very sharp highly resolute detailed picture which the plasma cannot match. However, that plasma is indeed very, very good but simply put against the excellent CRT it comes off second.

The purist in me says PDP30, the future mindedness says 42PE30. I would not consider any other Plasma TV as this is the only one that provides a credible and almost perfect alternative to a traditional 36" CRT.

The problem is finding a good PDP30 and the fact that you are actually buying "old" technology which is on the verge of being phased out.

At it's ticket price the PDP30 is probably not worth it now, however you can pick it up 36" form for £1299. At that price it is a very tempting prospect and who knows it may drop a little bit further still ?

I was speaking to some Sony Reps yesterday who have said by 2006 they will have a 60/40 LCD/plasma TV market range. CRT is no longer in their long term plans and they are fully opting to back LCD over Plasma.

2006 is only 1.5yrs away so making any major investment now deserves serious thought !

[BrianC]

I am a very happy 36PD30 owner - once I'd used avia to sort out the colour/geometry, but as has been said, it is down to luck if you get a good set or not. If you have the extra cash I would go for the TH42PW6 - it shouldn't suffer from as many problems.

As you say CRT is phasing out slowly now....

The most obvious reason not to buy the PD30 is that they are bulky and heavy and that is a real problem for me as i am alone and would always need help when i need to move it....

The plasma however weights about 30 kg and that you can lift easily if you want...

I move alot once every year, so i am bit worried that the PD30 might be too much for me to handle.

However i want the best picture quality...

Might be wiser for me to choose the HD-panel of the PW6 instead?

[Ekko Star]

If you want the best picture quality the PDP30 is it.

Yes it is big, bulky and heavy and the stand does not come on castors. But for outright picture quality nothing beats it.

The HD6 does have the extra resolution but to benefit from it you are going to have to couple it with appropriate equipment...costly. However, partner well and this plasma has the most unbelievable picture that will leave you breathless.

But you are comparing a television with a plasma panel ?

Originally Posted by Ekko Star

But you are comparing a television with a plasma panel ?

Yes, i can't buy a 36" CRT monitor so you have to compare it that way, i don't need a tuner anyway but with the PD30 you don't have a choice.

The HD plasma needs a good scaler, another £1000 or so.....

I think i will choose the HD plasma instead, the 36" CRT are too bulky.

[Smurfin]

Originally Posted by Lizzard

Which one would show the best picture quality of these two?

Both accept progressive signals and i know CRT got deeper blacks, but what else?

Will the 36PD30 make the plasma look dull?

Having auditioned the CRT and now being an owner of the plasma, I can say hand on heart that the CRT has without a doubt the best picture. However, like you I have real issues with the "bulk" of CRT (and 36" models are silly in depth), so it was a no-brainer. I DO notice some issues with the plasma, but I can live with them and largely the screen gives me an excellent image, certainly better than that of the Toshiba 42wh36p that I owned briefly.

What made you sell your Tosh btw?

Originally Posted by Smurfin

What made you sell your Tosh btw?

It was way too bulky and i might move and i got tired of "always" making it perform better...

Other issue was that i couldn't accept that the edges was always out of focus making it hard to get it perfect.

Also i thought that CRT RPTVs are on it's way out pretty soon in favor for DLP RPTVs being introduced by Toshiba soon, which would make the CRT RPTVs pretty old and cheap....

I took the offer and sold it when i had the chance.

I was offered £1,500 and accepted it, i think that was a good deal.

Just came back from visiting my local dealer that got a good showroom with all latest plasmas.

After seeing the Panny PW6 i must say it looked ok but i couldn't stand noticing all pixels in the picture, sure it was sharp and nice but the pixels was bad...

Funny thing is that they had a plain old Panny 32" PD30 at the side and that look much more lovely and natural in the picture, i could notice some motion blurr but it wasn't irritating.

I really don't know now, i saw the latest Sony 42" plasmas also, they looked better than the Panny with less pixels showing.

And i really don't think the plasma pictures looked natural at all, they alll looked like watching with a very good LCD projector like AE500 or similar....

I was kinda dissappointed really.

Now i don't know what!!

They didn't have the Panny HD panel on display, that might show less pixelation?

[Ekko Star]

The new Sony's do have a higher resolution but on viewing they display a lot of solarisation. I do agree the picture looks a bit more natural over the Panasonic's though I wouldn't say better overall.

I think you are going to be generally disappointed if you were hoping Plasma's would be as good as a CRT.

How's this for a spanner in the works ? A Loewe Aconda 40" W/S CRT for £1800 ? Size, upgradeability and stunning performance, but not with a perfect flat screen ?.... I'm getting very tempted myself !

Do you think the Pioneer PDP-43MXE1 would suit me better with a scaler?

Won't i get the same picture quality with that as the PD30 Panny?

Originally Posted by Ekko Star

How's this for a spanner in the works ? A Loewe Aconda 40" W/S CRT for £1800 ? Size, upgradeability and stunning performance, but not with a perfect flat screen ?.... I'm getting very tempted myself !

Must have terrible geometry problems in that size, it's way too big for me, you would need three people just to lift the beast.

[Tight Git]

Originally Posted by Lizzard

you would need three people just to lift the beast.

As a matter of interest, does anyone know how much this set actually weighs, please?

My Panny 36PD30 is over 80Kg but fortunately my nextdoor neighbour is an amateur weightlifter!

(Yes, really. )

[Ekko Star]

92Kg.

Geometry is quite good, though it is a curved screen, still flattish though. I have seen it in Harrods, and TBH next to a plasma the picture simply blows the pants off what any plasma can produce. For outright quality CRT is still way ahead. The Loewe is probably the last word in CRT big screen, never been a serious contender generally because of it's high ticket price of £3.5k. But you can get them for £1800 now which is a bit of a bargain really.

It does seem you are trying to replicate a CRT image on a Plasma. You are looking at some top end Plasma's there and along with decent scaler's, you will not achieve that. You will get a stunning result, but if you are used to or want something equivalent of CRT then CRT is the way you still have to go.

[Tight Git]

Originally Posted by Ekko Star

92Kg.

Wow!

What was the name of the delivery man?

Geoff Capes?