TX32LXD52/TX32LXD500 - Any differences in PQ?

[po_man]

I've been told by a Panasonic dealer that the TX32LXD52 and TX32LXD500 both have the exactly same panel, therefore both produce exactly the same picture quality.

However, after reading some threads in this forum, there still seems to be some confusion regarding the matter. Can anyone clear this one up for me once and for all? I'm really interested in the LXD52 and can't quite justify paying an extra £300-400 for an extra SD card slot, PC input etc...

Also, does anyone know what the TX32LXD52 is like for gaming? I intend to go next gen but was just wondering if anyone already had one of these sets hooked up to a current XBOX or PS2.

 

[pingu]

Good Qs! I want to know all of that too.

Some people are of the opinion that there is slightly different picture processing going on. Can anyone confirm?

Also, AIUI LCD panels are graded as they come of the production line - could the 500 be getting higher grade (albeit technically identical) panels? This might account for some of the extra £400.

 

[po_man]

pingu;

That would be interesting - not sure i'd be overly happy about having a slightly inferior panel to the LXD500.

I must say, the guy in the Panasonic dealership seemed adament that they were identical panels. For me, it's all about the PQ. If the LXD52 is the same as the LXD500, performance wise, then that is the one for me!

 

[drbober]

I went through the exact same thoughts when buying my 52 model and after a couple of weeks playing around with it I couldn't be happier. It is the same screen as the 500 and looks great whatever I have connected up to it. The only PS2 game I've tried is GT4 and that looked stunning. Freeview is good and DVD through the HDMI connection is excellent.

The sound isn't supposed to be as good as the 500 but it is also very good and the surround function makes you jump and look behind you sometimes.

I normally go for the latest/best version avaialable but couldn't justify spending the extra on the 500 especially as most people with TVs in this price bracket would hook them up to a decent surround sound system anyway.

 

[RyanK]

I agree, i have just got the 52 and the PQ it excellent. i too wanted to go for the 500 but after empire cocked my order up i went for the 52.

 

[po_man]

drbobber;

Thats good to hear! I saw the LXD52 on display in my local John Lewis store and it was set up next to a Toshiba 32WLT58 (probably it's main rival at this price) and in terms of Freeview PQ and style, the Pana, in my eyes, definately had the edge.

Just out of interest, what DVD player are you using?

Also, does anyone have the LXD52 hooked up to SKY+? What's the picture quality like?

 

[RyanK]

i have Sky+ hooked up with an RGB only scart. Picture quality is good. although as usaul it depends on which channel your watching.

DVD via component is OUTSTANDING

 

[drbober]

My DVD player is a Samsung 850 (i think) which upscales to 1080 and cost about £90.

 

[po_man]

DVD via component is OUTSTANDING

Thanks Ryan,

Out of interest, which DVD player are you using?

 

[po_man]

Thanks Ryan,

Out of interest, which DVD player are you using?

Sorry Ryan, just spotted your AV set-up!!

 

[po_man]

My DVD player is a Samsung 850 (i think) which upscales to 1080 and cost about £90.

Thanks, drbober

Thats one i've been looking at too, and also the Toshiba SD350E. This player gets incredible reviews and is competitively priced too.

 

[eric2]

I’m after a 26” LCD to replace my Philips 28 CRT and have decided its between the Sony V or S or the Panasonic 500.

At the weekend I saw the 52 and much preferred the look to the 500. The 52 was next to the Sony S. At first the 52 looked much better but after playing around with the settings the Sony colours and details looked the better of the 2, although there was little in it. I then asked to see the sets with a DVD. I was hoping for an improvement over the freeview but both screens looked awful when viewing dark scenes – I hope this was due to the cheap Scart connection as I couldn’t live with that, the screens have come on leaps and bounds in the last year but they seem to be way behind CRT in this area. I might get chance tomorrow to view another DVD in another store. As I was walking out I noticed they had a Panasonic 500 in a different location, I was meeting someone so I couldn’t spend long comparing the 52 against the 500, but the short time I did have the 500 did look better in the blacks. I was told it was a higher spec screen! So I’m as confused as most of you. I also would really like to know for sure if this is true.

 

[craynerd]

spoke to a bloke in currys and he said it was same pannel in both!

 

[po_man]

the 500 did look better in the blacks. I was told it was a higher spec screen! So I’m as confused as most of you. I also would really like to know for sure if this is true.

Thanks eric, this is exactly what i didn't want to hear!! You see, this really confuses me - how can a Panasonic dealership tell me that the panels are "definately" the same yet your shop tells you that the LXD500 has a superior screen?

I've also been comparing the spec of the two on the Pana website and it quotes that both screens have a contrast ratio of 800:1. Also everything else seems to suggest that they are indeed the same panel.

Oh what a nightmare.....

 

[scrapbook]

I will say this again for those that were not listening the first time


If you look at the panasonic webiste both the 52 model and 500 model state that is uses the 'V Lcd Panel' , therefore the only conclusion you can draw is that yes they do use the same panel.

Whether they use the same processing or not is a different matter of course, but best guess is that they are exactly the same

 

[Hungry_Joe]

Are you all looking at the same panel to me? PQ looks *****. well compared to CRT, or is this just the John Lewis et al mucking up the settings - although i find it hard to believe all the high street shops are.

 

[RyanK]

I will say this again for those that were not listening the first time


If you look at the panasonic webiste both the 52 model and 500 model state that is uses the 'V Lcd Panel' , therefore the only conclusion you can draw is that yes they do use the same panel.

Whether they use the same processing or not is a different matter of course, but best guess is that they are exactly the same

don`t get me wrong but this has done to death now.

if you read other recent posts , daveanderson spoke directly to panasonic and they confirm that the 500 and 52 has the same panel and uses the same processing. They confirmed that their marketing deptpatment was having problems in getting this fact accross and that getting people to part with an extra £350 for the 500 was also getting tough.

 

[po_man]

Hey Ryan - or anyone else with this set...

what's the footie like on the LXD52 via SKY+? Is there a lot of motion blur or generally pretty decent?

Cheers everyone for all your arguments and inputs. I've, at last, made up my mind... i think!

TX32LXD52 it is! (i think)

 

[tony kop77]

I will go for the 500 because I want to use the 500 for the pc as well as 360 and dvd films. Just a few more weeks and I will be buying as long as shops have them in stock .

 

[PirateWolf]

I will go for the 500 because I want to use the 500 for the pc as well as 360 and dvd films. Just a few more weeks and I will be buying as long as shops have them in stock .

I thought similar and I have the 500 model (got it last week).
There's a list of supported resolutions and frequencys in the booklet, but there's also a note which says that some pcs aren't supported.
My pc doesn't work via the pc input but my brother's does - using the same cables and everything (same 500 too of course). :-/

(I've got s-video output on graphics card so I've just connected that to the 500 and using it as pc monitor anyway, albeit with less quality than the pc input would've allowed)

If you can, try to test your pc on a 500 to make sure it accepts it (like it does my brother's), otherwise you might be a bit disappointed.

Otherwise it's no big issue and you can use the s-video for it, but I suppose you could use that connection method with the 52 too.

 

[PirateWolf]

what's the footie like on the LXD52 via SKY+? Is there a lot of motion blur or generally pretty decent?

The first thing I watched on my 500 was England-Poland prior to me even fiddling around with any settings. Initially I was shocked with some of the picture quality, eg red blur from some the player shirts during medium-fast paced movement.

Any concerns I had though soon evaporated when I went into the picture settings and messed about a bit. I watched the remainder of the game without any motion blur/ghosting/whatever at all Since then I've also played PS2 Burnout Revenge which is a very fast game and everything about the picture was beautiful - the colours were great and not a sign of any strain or blurring.
That sort of thing is also worth considering if you go to view it in a shop - the factory settings might give a poor representation of what the screen's capable of and a bit of simple picture setting tweaking might fix that on many models. Also, the picture from DVB is fantastic for me (it's a million times better than what the screen displays from the analogue mode).

I know I've written about my experience with the 500, but it's most likely valid too for the 52 if they have the same panel/processing.

 

[po_man]

Thanks PirateWolf

Nice to hear that footie PQ is good as this is essential!!! Also, how is your PS2 hooked up to the telly? Is it via Scart, Component etc?

Many thanks

 

[tony kop77]

If it is not 100% certain that I can connect my PC to the 500 starting to think if I would be better off buying the Panasonic LXD52 or even the Samsung LCD.
Saying that the only game I play on PC is Football Manager though I have Half Life 2 which I have not played much.
I want an LCD and use it as a multimedia but I want an LCD with the best picture for dvd, sky and 360 mainly and from what I have read from posts on here the panasonic 500 or LXD52 is the one to go for.

I can get the Panasonic 500 for around £1400 where as the panasonic store sell it for around £1700 but with 5 year warenty. Is it worth going for the five year warrenty and are these sets still hard to get hold of?
I wanted one mid November but if they are hard to get hold of I might buy one as soon as I see one. I wanted to buy a sofa bed and get my room ready which is why I would prefer to get one in November plus I have 3 weeks off end of November so can enjoy playing the 360 should I get one on launch day and watching dvd films such as batman begins and war of the worlds. I can't wait

My final questioun is I have a sony 900NV player should I upgrade and buy Denon 1920 dvd player?

 

[Jonti]

Hi,

I got this reply from Panasonic's Customer Service department when I emailed them about the differences between the 52 and the 500:

Thank you for your email enquiry.

In response, both the LXD52 and LXD500 LCD televisions are HD Ready and
have an HDMI input. However, the LXD500 has a PC and SD/PC card input, and
also has a more advanced LCD panel technology. The response rate for both
models is 14 m/sec.

I trust that this information has been of assistance to you. However, of
course, if you should have any further queries, please do not hesitate to
contact us on 08705 357357 or [email protected] and we will
endeavour to assist.

Regards,
Customer Support

Not sure what they mean by "has a more advanced LCD panel technology" though?

 

[po_man]

"However, the LXD500 has a PC and SD/PC card input, and
also has a more advanced LCD panel technology."

I really do despair! As far as i can tell this, in no uncertain terms, tells me that the LXD500 IS the better panel

B****X to it all, im gonna not go out for a few weeks a stump up the extra cash for the LXD500.... hmm £400 extra.... that's quite a lot more