cinten

I've decided that my new HD tv with be one of these two. I know the Sony will do 1080p verses the 720p of the panasonic. Mainly I'll be using it for xbox360, (hd-dvd through the xbox someday) SD dvd and HD cable. I am curious what people think about SD content on the two of them.

Mr. Salty

They're very different televisions. For gaming, I'd think the Sony would be better. Since it's an LCD you won't have to worry about burn-in like you will with Panasonic, which is a plasma. However, the Sony is going to cost you about $600 more than the Panasonic. Other than that, they're both excellent choices.

TimeandTide

I opted for the 42" Panasonic EDTV last year and haven't regretted it for a second. In fact, I bought the 42" Pan. HDTV (same model you are considering) yesterday from CC because I'm so happy with the EDTV's performance. Even without HD this past year my HD cable looked fantastic. Can't wait to see what it looks like on my new HD.

If you're looking to buy from CC (it's a couple hundred cheaper at Amazon, from what I understand), take advantage of their $100 GC with $1000+ purchase.

Anyway, can't say enough good things about the Pan.

starseed1981

Panasonic without a doubt. Wait til you see Gears of War on it, drooool.

Dead

Well said, Mr. Salty!

cinten, either will produce a very good HD image, so in that aspect you can't go wrong.

If you have a very bright room, plan to game a lot, or use it as a computer monitor, the Sony may well be the better choice - though at a price.

If you have a room with reasonable light control, don't game much and don't care about using it as a monitor, then the Panasonic is a wonderful display.

Just pick the one the fits your needs and budget best and start enjoying! :0

TheHypnoToad

As others have mentioned, if you're going to be doing a lot of gaming then the LCD is probably the better choice due to burn-in issues. However, if you properly adjust the plasma with a calibration DVD you will minimize that risk (even without the calibration DVD your first step once you've turned on the set should be to take it off of "vivid" picture mode and to set the color temperature to "normal"). I've got the Panny and love it but the Sony isn't a slouch either. The question is if it has $600 better picture quality and that will be up to your eyes to decide.

mkdevo

can't speak for the sony, but i recently purchased 2 of the Panasonic TH-42PX60U's, and i absolutely love them. for the price, it's a fantastic television.

cinten

My main set up would be Dish network hd dvr with a HDMI and a dvd player with the other hdmi. If I got the plasma the 360 would be hooked up with the component. However if I got the Sony LCD i'd try the vga. PiP doesn't matter to me. I have a pretty good sound system that I am planning on running the cable, Xbox and dvd player into. I know it depends on the signal, but i am curious about about the PQ of SD over the air stuff on both of the sets.

Thanks for the replies

Dead

I can't speak for the Sony, but the Panasonic does well in this area.

TimeandTide

Agreed. I hooked up my new Panasonic last night and the OA signal was far better than expected. Not great, less grainy than expected. I connected my DVD player via HDMI and the HD DVR via component. Looks fantastic.

Question for everyone: To "break in" my new set, should I primarily view HD content for the first 100+ hours? I remember reading something akin to that when I bought my EDTV last year. (And for what it's worth, I thought the HD picture on the EDTV was fantastic...until I bought the HD last night. Really didn't think I'd notice much diff. between the two but was pleasantly surprised to note a BIG improvement in HD programming on the HD.)

dick_grayson

in the picture mode, you can set it to standard and 0 out the levels. that will be fine. don't game it up too long, but I wouldn't worry about burn in. I have a 50' commercial model and I didn't have any burn in issues or take any extra special precautions.

Mr. Salty

You can download a file to burn to DVD that is designed to break in plasmas. You can download it here.

You should also read the master break-in thread over at AVSForum, here.

JZ1276

After you watch some HD programs on your new Panny HD set can you post up some comparisons between your 2 TV's? I bought the 42" Panny Plasma EDTV over a year ago and just now started getting HD OTA broadcasting and it looks great. However, if there is a big difference between HD shows on the ED and HD sets I might have to upgrade. Thanks!

TimeandTide

I'm letting my gf borrow my EDTV so I can't post side-by-sides, but there is a discernible diff. between the two. Even sitting 8' away from the ED I could still make out some graininess (albeit REALLY subtle and light years better than reg. OTA). 8' from the HD is super crisp. I watched Survivor in HD last night and it looked noticeably better than it did on my EDTV and I noted the diff. from memory. As I mentioned up-thread, I didn't think I'd see a significant diff. between the ED and HD, but even without a side-by-side comparison I was able to note the improvement.

I agree that HD on the EDTV does look fantastic (it was my first foray into plasma and was relatively inexpensive when I bought it), but trust me when I say that the HD is even better.

And to the OP, sorry for hijacking your thread!

68ShelbyGT500KR

Right now, at least in Houston, CompUSA has the Panny 42" Plasma for $1299(fri and Sat only). Price match with CC. Both offer $100 Gift Cards.

Sweet Baby James

Same in Connecticut. I'm seriously thinking about picking one up for my father at either Sear's or CC.

TimeandTide

Damn. Wish I knew about this a week ago. CC will match competitor prices + 25%, I believe. Would take the total to just over $1000 before taxes for the 42" Pan.

Sweet Baby James

It's 25% of the difference between CC's price and the competitor's price. If CC was selling this set for $1500(which I believe that they are), it would be 25% of the $200 difference between the two prices. So, the total at CC would be $1250, not just over $1000. I hope that makes you feel better.

mkdevo

FWIW, i picked up my TH-42PX60U's from CC early Thanksgiving week for $1169 each, plus tax. they were on sale for $1299, and there was a Geico 10% off coupon that wasn't supposed to be usable on the TH-42PX60U, but i was able to use it.

TimeandTide

It does!

Still kicking myself a bit though because that extra amount would have paid for a big chunk of the 360 I ended up buying today. ARGH!