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Finding, Comparing, and Buying an HDTV
Plasma Television
A story of an actual purchase of a plasma television
By: Bruce Bahlmann - Contributing Author (your
feedback
is important to us!)
Created: March 8, 2006
Speaking as someone who purchased his first Plasma television several
years ago and now just completed the process of selling my old plasma
and buying a new one here are some things you should know after having
spent countless hours on the Internet researching plasma televisions,
going into shops and looking at them, and then carefully selecting just
the right company to purchase it from. The following is a trace through
my steps - a written record of what I did so that you can be twice as
informed.
 I used to own a
Samsung 42 inch plasma monitor. It was the cheapest plasma monitor I
could afford in the year 2003. This particular plasma monitor was just
that - a monitor. I had to purchase a separate HDTV tuner to receive
local over-the-air digital channels. It was also not a true HDTV
monitor, but rather a Extended Definition Television (EDTV) - meaning
that while it could display inputs including 480i, 480p, 720p, and 1080i
the resolution was such that these signals were displayed in the
equivalent of 480p. However it was a HUGE television with a 3000:1
contrast ratio, included a stand (which was quite rare at that time),
and had a picture that at the time I could not tell the difference
between it and much more expensive televisions I painstakingly
positioned side by side to determine what if any difference existed. I
actually watched many Vikings football games on this television and was
sad to see it go. However a trip to craigslist.com was all it took. I
sold the set in two weeks and only spent 2 nights without a plasma until
my new purchase came. However picking out a new set was nothing but
confusing. Here is what I did.
Buying a new plasma television - what to look for
When I set out to buy a new plasma monitor, the following things were
very clear in my mind in terms of what I wanted:
- I wanted to be sure to purchase a newest generation plasma glass
much has changed in the past year even so I wanted to only this
technology
- I wanted the plasma to include both an NTSC and ATSC tuner so I
could watch analog, digital, and HDTV over-the-air channels,
cablecard was an after thought but somewhat interesting to me - I'm
not interested in cable - Netflix devote!
- I liked the idea of having the option of just watching
television without turning on my stereo so speakers on the
television were desirable but also they must detach!
- I wanted both DVI and HDMI connections on my television for a
future HDTV DVD player when they become available
- I wanted to upgrade from a 42 inch screen to a full 50 inch
screen
 These
are pretty basic requirements and nearly all plasma televisions met this
requirement. My first preference was to look into buying a Samsung
HP-R5052 which was pretty inexpensive and met all my requirements above,
plus had 10,000:1 contrast ratio, newest generation plasma glass, and
upconverted all inputs to 1080i which were all amazing features. I was
so sold on this I went ahead and bought it online only most stores are
out of stock on this item so I had to cancel my order and really look to
find it. In the process of looking some place new to purchase it, I got
carried away and read up extensively on this particular set. In my
research I discovered that a number of people had actually returned this
set and replaced it with a
Panasonic TH-50PX500U. The reason for their returning the plasma had
to do with Samsung's DNIe video enhancing technology that negatively
effects imaging but worst of all is that you cannot shut it off. This is
a new technology for Samsung but unfortunately it is part of all new
plasma sets so while I really liked my old Samsung and one still can't
beat their price, I felt it was time to move on.
 Having
not even considered a Panasonic, I felt a bit out of touch so I dug in
and began reading extensively about Panasonic. In my research, I
discovered a number of very positive things about Panasonic across a
variety of high end video websites and magazines. In summary, here is
what I discovered about plasma televisions after reading no less than 50
product reviews from industry experts. My research basically indicated
that there were only two plasma televisions worth looking at -
Panasonic and Pioneer. Panasonic is widely know to have
the absolute best pictures - the brightest colors and the blackest
blacks.
Pioneer is said to have the best overall video processing of any
plasma sets on the market. What does all this mean in down to earth
language. Essentially, both are amazing sets and you just can't go wrong
with either purchase. Panasonic perhaps edges out Pioneer in the best
picture, and Pioneer edges out Panasonic in the best continuous picture.
See, video processing comes into play as each picture changes. If you
have poor video processing, you can often see some kind of screen door
materialize or as the picture does drastic transitions you might
occasionally see some blurriness. On the Pioneer, these are done with
speed, precision, and the absolute best clarity. When my Panasonic order
got canceled - again this was sold out, I began looking more seriously
at the Pioneer.
 In
fact I read several amazing reviews about the Pioneer Elite PRO-1130HD
and had pretty much settled on buying that. While it was the most
expensive 50 inch plasma on the market, it wasn't that much more than
the higher end Panasonic Onyx series. However, after further research, I
ended up settling for the PDP-5060HD which was slightly less yet still
has nearly all the same features as the more expensive Elite version. So
why the drastic change? Well, the Pioneer met all my requirements,
boasts 6th generation plasma glass, and is said to do a much better job
of reproducing blacks than any prior Pioneer plasma. On the other hand,
Panasonic is in the process of coming out with a whole new line and has
yet to update their Onyx series with their latest plasma glass.
I ended up going with what I believed was the best plasma set I could
afford that would have a noticeably better picture than what I had
previously. I can attest that I did just that - especially having just
watched the awards this past weekend in high definition and I must say
that the picture was absolutely stunning! Some of the stars were so
vivid that you could see the wrinkles on their faces. I am very, very
happy with my ultimate selection. But how did I come to purchase it you
ask?
Where to Buy your Next Plasma
Buying a Pioneer is a little weird. First of all they really get
funny about who sells their Elite line to the point where if you don't
buy it retail, they won't honor their warranty. I bought my plasma on
line. However, if you buy it locally (such as from Tweeter, Best Buy,
Circuit City, or Sears), you will pay sales tax and some kind of local
delivery charge which is anywhere from $50-100. Plus you pay extra to
buy it local - anywhere from $1,000 to $2,000 extra. If you buy on line,
you have many different options and many different prices to choose from
- perhaps too many and some places may be scary so beware.
There are the obvious choices such as
Amazon, Crutchfield, and J&R which have great customer service and
are steadfast choices. On the other hand there are "gray market" choices
or plasma warehouses that can have amazing prices to tempt you. My first
two attempts to purchase a plasma were from pcandplasma.com which had
the absolute lowest prices I could find on any plasma. The problem is,
they didn't have anything I wanted in stock (even thought it says
everything is in stock on their website). After placing the order, I got
an email asking me to call their toll free number confirm my order only
once I did they informed me that the item was out of stock and they
tried to sell me something else. Both times I canceled my order. While I
would have rather paid their prices, I ended up buying my plasma from
pricemad.com of all places. Before I ordered my set, I first called them
to ask them to visually check their inventory of the item I wanted and
then I bought it online. The sales person was quite nice and while I
first expressed an interest in the Elite 1130HD, the sales person said
the 5060HD was exactly the same plasma glass and was $700 cheaper. They
also said that although they sell the Elite units that for some reason
Pioneer will not honor the warranty however they will honor the regular
Pioneer line which is where the 5060HD falls into. I said I'd think
about it and call them back. In the mean time, I downloaded the user
manual for both sets off the Pioneer website and found that what the
sales person said was absolutely true - the plasma glass was identical
on both sets. I called back and placed my order for the 5060HD.
The plasma set arrived in 5 days and I paid $250 for standard
shipping but no sales tax. The box was huge, but there wasn't a scratch
on it - it was in perfect condition. Removing the television from all
the boxes took some time to do and put together, however after it was
all done, everything worked brilliantly and I'm completely satisfied. I
would not recommend any set other than Pioneer. A month ago, you would
have not dissuaded me from buying another Samsung, however seeing is
believing and let me tell you this - Samsung is a universe away from
Pioneer in performance and picture quality. I'm over the moon satisfied
with Pioneer - you should check it out for yourself. Only beware,
retailers have very crappy signals and their best sets don't often get
the kind of signal they need to recreate the kind of image they are
capable - saw this first hand at Best Buy where the the best picture was
not on my set but on the cheapest set on the rack - a Zenith. In
reality, there is just no way you couldn't see this set shine with a
quality input!
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regarding HDTV:
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