Am I going over to the dark side?

Faust said:
However, if you bought it simply for that reason then as far as I'm concerend you might as well have purchased the PE50 and saved your money.

I watch HD. Daily. Go ahead and feed the PV500 with a real 720P signal and tell me you don't see a difference... the PV500 (fed with really good HD material) offers the best PQ I've ever seen. Ever.

If there wouldn`t be a difference between 480P and 720P I wouldn`t have bought the PV500. Heck, why would anyone buy a 720 line-plasma if it wouldn't make a difference? Gosh, that's just BS.

When evaulating the PA50 I was stunned by the great PQ, but saying it would be the same as the PV500 in regards to HDTV is just nonsense, sorry.

I think the PA50 is a great Plasma but it's just not a HD panel and therefore you don't see the whole 720 lines. It's that easy and undeniable. If you say that you can't spot the difference between physical 480 and 720 lines, then I think we should stop the argument right here because it just doesn'T make sense. :rolleyes:

If it makes you happy then go on, tell yourself that the PA50 is the same as the PV500.
 
:clap: Definitely gets applause from me Lionheart. As I said in response to rover2002 in another thread, the forum seems to be moving from discussion to slagging off where the top few plasmas are concerned. I'm begining to feel guilty about asking pv500 questions because I thing someone else is going to take the :censored: out of me for being so stupid as to go and buy one!
 
acrmorris said:
the forum seems to be moving from discussion to slagging off where the top few plasmas are concerned. I'm begining to feel guilty about asking pv500 questions because I thing someone else is going to take the :censored: out of me for being so stupid as to go and buy one!

This forum is what YOU the users make it. Do not feel intimidated not to ask reasonable questions if you so wish.

The PV500 is well documented here so many topics have already been covered and a quick search will help. The PE50 is the same. Both are mighty fine screens and both have a few niggles.

Demo & decide on your budget. If your happy that's all that matters.
 
acrmorris said:
:clap: Definitely gets applause from me Lionheart. As I said in response to rover2002 in another thread, the forum seems to be moving from discussion to slagging off where the top few plasmas are concerned. I'm begining to feel guilty about asking pv500 questions because I thing someone else is going to take the :censored: out of me for being so stupid as to go and buy one!
Thank you acmorris....I agree. Of course there is nothing wrong with a bit of locking horns from time to time, but this kind of thing serves to help no one IMO
 
Words of wisdon, Ekko Star. I hope others read and inwardly digest your post.

There is no best plasma as far as I'm concerned, but as I've read elsewhere, everybody who has invested a substantial amount into purchasing one is just buying what they consider the best choice for the money. If they've researched here, they are already streets ahead of the rest of the country and therefore have invested in the best screen to suit their own individual needs, whether that be Panasonic/Pioneer/Hitachi or whatever. Live and let live!
 
Hi all. :hiya:

I had the opportunity to compare a 42PA50 to a 42PV500.
They were side by side, in a moderately lighted environment (the "FNAC" shop in Nice/France) and were both displaying the same HD signal (a Panasonic or Pioneer HD demo, I can't remember).
At less than 8-9' the difference in picture quality was noticeable.
Slightly more and smoother details on the PV500, much less (if any) Screen-Door-Effect.
The PA50 had a great picture too, but its lesser resolution meant details were not rendered as precisely and SDE was clearly more visible.
My nephew - who did not know the technical differences between these two models - told me he could see a difference even at about 12'.
He has over 20/20 vision though (yes, it is possible). ;)

All the other HD-ready panels on display (Hitachi, Pioneer, Samsung...) were also quite impressive with the same HD signal.
The Panasonic definately had the edge on black-levels though.
 
I don't think Majid is PV500 bashing, his decision is based on budget, numerous reviews on this forum, and the current state of HD. I for one totally agree with him. I switched from a Pioneer 436XDE to the PE50 because it saves me £1000 for basically not having a HDMI input. I have an Xbox but will not rush into an Xbox 360 this xmas, best time to buy will be next xmas. With no mainstream HD output I have come to the conclusion as Majid has that in a year or two the £1000 saved could be used on a better panel and effectively have 2 for a very reasonable price. Also remember when TV's had one scart socket, TV's are going to need a min of 2 or 3 HDMI sockets, so that is another issue.
 
Me and PV500 bashing? :) nah, maybe I just got a little carried away after reading Faust's comments.. i will just say that i haven't seen the PE50 with High Def so can't say with certainty that its as good as the PV500 -- but I have seen the PV500 with High Def video and it is jaw droppingly good, so i'm in no way saying you've been ripped off if you got a PV500... -- the only thing i'll add is that if my PE50 can give HD video quality that is even remotely comparable to what i've seen on the PV500 than I'll be more than happy!!

As far as my decision to get the PE50, Dave's pretty much summed up why I went for the PE50 but I should just make clear that initially I had no specific budget in mind .. :) I've said elsewhere that I was willing to spend upto 4 grand if it would give a perfect tele, that gives flawless pic quality, is HD Ready and most importantly, gives me the peace of mind that i was after in terms of reliability and screen burn/image retention resistance..

Sadly, after looking around for nearly a year - I arrived at the conclusion that there wasn't anythign out there in the market to my needs , a HD Ready plasma tv that was robust and would give me peace of mind that I was after...

I had two choices - either go for something like the 42PV500 and see it as meeting my needs in terms of HD plasma with superb pq but I felt it was compromising on the peace of mind factor (given the various bugs/issues with the PV500s).

The alternative choice was to change my needs - and so i did.. I decided i should go for a SD plasma which gives great PQ with Sky/DVD and is known to be reliable, robust and one on which screen burn is a non-issue.

The Panasonic 42PE50 was the only plasma that I could find which met these needs and I felt, it would give me the satisfaction/peace of mind that I was after...

Was price a factor for me going for the 42PE50 over the 42PV500 ? I can honestly say no it wasn't -- in fact, as i've said elsewhere.. call me insane for saying this, but if the 42PE50 was priced at £2500 and the 42PV500 was at £1500 -- believe it or not, after the reviews and positive experiences i've read about the 42PE50 by those who owned it.. compared to the many negative reviews/comments I read about the PV500.. , I would have had no hesitation in still going for the 42PE50 (even priced at £2500).. -- why? well simply because it satisfied my needs better...price was a non-factor.

And so far, so good.. i'm glad i made the decision that I did. :thumbsup:

i hope my comments don't put off ppl from buying the PV500, because I think its a pretty good plasma.. but being a first time buyer, I was put off by reading so many negative user experiences , with issues such as buzzing, horizontal lines, image retention, auto contrast changes - making it seem like a bit of a gamble to me, going for the PV500..

The 42PE50 in comparision, i could rarely find any negative user feedback on it.. or to be honest even better in this regard were the PWD6/7 panels, i could only find positive user feedback for these ... on every aspect , be they pic quality, reliability, performance, even screen burn/image retention (even claims by ppl that they had left their Gamecubes on overnight and had no problem)... --- my only uncertainty was whether a panel would be wife/kids friendly.. so i felt the 42PE50 was the better option for me, right now..
 
Ok then, I if it makes Lionheart happy to read it, I can see a difference in the PV500 and PE50 running a Hi Def feed. Psst (I can't really but I did not want to upset Lionheart and any other PV500 owners, don't tell them will you).
:D
 
Lionheart said:
lol Faust...you shoulda gone to Spec Savers

Please believe me Lionheart, I am not trying to have a poke at the PV500 -truly, as it is a fine t.v. but I honestly cannot tell any difference between the two panels PV500 and PE50 running Hi Def or SD. Our local Panasonic store is running the two side by side to demonstrate that very point to customers. If you have a local Shop@Panasonic store give them a visit and take a look, you would have to get almost inside the panel to distinguish any difference. My point is that if you are not much interested in playing Xbox etc. or PC input then the PE50 will do you nicely. Even if you do want Hi Def you will be alright with the first generation Sky box for at least the next five years.
 
Faust said:
Please believe me Lionheart, I am not trying to have a poke at the PV500 -truly, as it is a fine t.v. but I honestly cannot tell any difference between the two panels PV500 and PE50 running Hi Def or SD. Our local Panasonic store is running the two side by side to demonstrate that very point to customers. If you have a local Shop@Panasonic store give them a visit and take a look, you would have to get almost inside the panel to distinguish any difference. My point is that if you are not much interested in playing Xbox etc. or PC input then the PE50 will do you nicely. Even if you do want Hi Def you will be alright with the first generation Sky box for at least the next five years.

Well this just means that you can't tell the difference between 480P and 720P (physical resolution)... really interesting. (no offense!!)

In another note, I don't think the Panny store demonstrates the two side by side to prove that you should buy the SD panel and save money... they would be pretty stupid if they were not interested in HD plasma sales and also the HD panel would be useless, too.
 
Faust said:
...but I honestly cannot tell any difference between the two panels PV500 and PE50 running Hi Def or SD
I'm not sure if this makes you lucky or unlucky.
Probably lucky. :)
 
These PV50 owners crack me up :rotfl: :devil:
Just be happy that you're in the VIERA club and be grateful. All bow to Panasonic ??? :D
 
k0rn said:
Well this just means that you can't tell the difference between 480P and 720P (physical resolution)... really interesting. (no offense!!)

In another note, I don't think the Panny store demonstrates the two side by side to prove that you should buy the SD panel and save money... they would be pretty stupid if they were not interested in HD plasma sales and also the HD panel would be useless, too.

The reason they are doing so is because unlike many large chain stores e.g. Comet Currys etc. they like to provide true customer service and realise they need repeat business to stay in business. A great many people do not have Sky so perhaps have little need for the PV500. The dealer said to me (I know him socially) that it is for these customers that they run the two panels side by side in order to demonstrate that you can have the benefits of Hi Def should you want to at some future point (albeit via component) and just how good the PE50 is when showing a Hi Def feed. There are a great many people on this forum who have seen a similar demo to the one I describe who report that they too cannot tell the difference between the PV500 and PE50. I think we have a Skoda situation here, though many PV500 owners would never admit to it, i.e. take away the badge and you would not know it was a Skoda (all VWs under the skin). You can all chunter as much as you like, but to me from a normal viewing distance down to a couple of feet I just cannot see any difference, and as I just sit there and watch tele of an evening and don't spend my time looking for nuances in PQ then the PE50 suits me just fine and I offer no apologies for that.
 
Well, not sure how relevant this might be to the discussion on High Def - but I was watching Spider Man 2 earlier on today, Superbit version on DVD... and I must say the picture quality was jaw dropping (it really was)... it was nothing less than amazing.

I don't know if others would agree, probably the videophiles / AV 'purists' among us might not --- but I can honestly say that if we had Digital TV broadcast at the same bitrate as a high quality superbit DVD, I would be more than happy! - sure it might just be Standard definiton MPEG2 video but when they get the right bitrate and encoding done correctly, the picture quality really is close to perfection... would you really need or want picture quality that is any better, yes the idea of having more lines and therefore more detail sounds good but is it really all that essential to see every wrinkle under Trevor McDonalds eyes when watching News at Ten at 1080i - I dont think so, personally.. :)

The reality is for most consumers out there, lets face it if you have Sky Movies/Sports broadcast at Superbit DVD bitrate it would more than enhance their viewing pleasure and I'm sure they coudln't ask for more.

But the situation we have here is we have Digital tv broadcast at VCD bitrates and thats the real issue in my view.... I would personally prefer if Sky used the extra bandwidth to give the best bitrates possible - rather than using it to put in extra lines and more detail - and in a few years time, we'll probably end up seeing High Definition signals compressed so much that they look little better than an average DVD.
 
Majid Khan said:
Well, not sure how relevant this might be to the discussion on High Def - but I was watching Spider Man 2 earlier on today, Superbit version on DVD... and I must say the picture quality was jaw dropping (it really was)... it was nothing less than amazing.

You ain't seen nothing yet, trust me.

I have the Superbits of Spidey and it's really good for a DVD. But the HD version plays in another league...

@Faust:

I think your Skoda comparison doesn't fit. The difference between 480 lines and 720 lines is a hard fact. You can't discuss it away. If you don't see the difference, fine.
 
A good point on how the extra bandwith is eventually used.

Concerning the BBC and HD not sure if they have been given the extra bandwidth to broadcast HD on freeview yet(planned for 2010), I know they've asked for it.

As for Premiership Football in HD, Sky look like losing half of it to NTL & ITV.

One good thing about HD cameras - it makes for better SD pictures.
 
dave owen said:
A good point on how the extra bandwith is eventually used.

Concerning the BBC and HD not sure if they have been given the extra bandwidth to broadcast HD on freeview yet(planned for 2010), I know they've asked for it.

As for Premiership Football in HD, Sky look like losing half of it to NTL & ITV.

One good thing about HD cameras - it makes for better SD pictures.

Sky has retained Premiership football for quite a few years to come.. So get HD ready or suffer the consiquences :smashin: :D
 
Thekop said:
Sky has retained Premiership football for quite a few years to come.. So get HD ready or suffer the consiquences :smashin: :D

Well with the poor quality bit rates they currently use on SD footy transmission certainly won't be holding my breath for it...
 
Ekko Star said:
Well with the poor quality bit rates they currently use on SD footy transmission certainly won't be holding my breath for it...

I agree with you there. Nothing wrong with keeping a little optimism though :smashin:
 
They are a funny old company, if they simply up'd the bit rates on the Footy transmissions I'd bet half of you lot wouldn't see the fuss with going HD. They're not making the most of what they got already so I doubt HD will be broadcast at bandwidth to do it justice for long.
 
Ekko Star said:
They are a funny old company, if they simply up'd the bit rates on the Footy transmissions I'd bet half of you lot wouldn't see the fuss with going HD. They're not making the most of what they got already so I doubt HD will be broadcast at bandwidth to do it justice for long.

My only reason for getting Sky many years ago was to get away from sport on t.v. so using sport as a carrot for buying into Hi Def is another good reason for me getting the PE50 and never ever ever ever buying into Hi Def. I like my football from the terraces, my motor racing from the track etc. but on t.v Yuck. On the PE50 PV500 debate, I would love to see both panels in the same frame, running the same feed with the viewer sat back at 8 to 10 feet. The veiwers would then put all their worldy goods on the table as a bet as to which is which. I doubt many would take that offer up if it actually came down to it, I know I wouldn't.
 
Faust said:
On the PE50 PV500 debate, I would love to see both panels in the same frame, running the same feed with the viewer sat back at 8 to 10 feet.

There is no debate. They are different screens and neither is true HD res. At 8-10 ft the discerning eye still can tell though. Those that aren't that fussed won't.

When you have lines, circles or diagonals on the PE50 you will see that they are not smooth and will have jaggies. This is the lower resolutions inability to cope with minutae detail. On the PV500 the same lines, curves and diagonals will appear smoother.

Because there is a lack of true HD material at the moment if you feed 576P into the PE50 it will downscale to 480. When you feed that into the PV500 it will upscale into 720. At this level of equipment where the panel does the scaling internally, downscaling usually yields a better result than upscaling. However when you get true HD material 1280x720 this will be far closer to the PV500's native res than it would be for the PE50. The PE50 will certainly still make a good fist of it but will naturally be discarding more detail than the higher res panel.

Another compensation is that the PE50 has a better contrast ratio over the PV500. This level of contrast provides more depth to the picture. So although the PE50 loses out on res, it gains in contrast which helps it deliver a still very thorough picture. More than anything I believe it is this fact why you can't tell the difference in the store.

As I say the more discerning viewers can pick up these phemonena. However these are TV Plasma's made for the masses to enjoy all day long not to sit and criticise all day long...
 
Faust said:
The veiwers would then put all their worldy goods on the table as a bet as to which is which. I doubt many would take that offer up if it actually came down to it, I know I wouldn't.
I'm game. ;)
 

The latest video from AVForums

Is 4K Blu-ray Worth It?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom