Scots Taffer on 16/9/2008 at 09:15
I've got a choice to make.
Recently I decided that I'm too much of a movie buff to watch crappy quality rips of dvds or even bought dvds on a CRT, I decided that I needed to go up with that... and everything else.
I've got some TVs lined up, all plasma, that's not my issue - my issue is blu-ray dvd players and sound.
I stumbled across (
http://panasonic.com.au/products/details.cfm?objectID=4387) this bad boy in store, an ex-display unit for $1000 (AU obviously). Now, the pros and cons.
Pros- Cheap; more money for TV (I can get a 46" full HD one)
- Simple set-up
Cons- Can't hook 2nd dvd (multiregion/divx) up to sound system
- Region locked for BR and standard DVDs
- Version troubles (read about this being firmware locked at BR v1.0)
The other option is separate blu-ray player and receiver set-up. This becomes a balancing act of budget of the entire package.
Currently the PS3 is retailing for $700 (both the 40gb and 80gb models, go figure, but I'd get GTA4 and another game thrown in with the 40gb model) whereas(
http://panasonic.com.au/products/category.cfm?objectID=3512) Panasonic's best blu-ray player is retailing for $600.
The pros of the PS3 is that it's a gaming unit as well as BR player so I get extra functionality for only $100 cost. No real cons against either unit.
Given the close nature of the pricing for players, I'm stuck then with choosing a balance between sound and picture... I'll probably end up spending roughly 50% of the TV cost on sound (not recommended I know) and that equates to around $600 ($1200 for most 42" Plasmas but non-1080p :().
The other option is to really skimp on one of them now and go balls out much later (i.e. after the wife forgets) and get a 50" HDTV plasma.
If you haven't guessed my budget is $2.5k with an extra $100 for cables.
What think ye?
Thirith on 16/9/2008 at 09:28
Two question: why go for Plasma over LCD? and why do you list region lock as a plus?
37637598 on 16/9/2008 at 09:32
Link loaded this time, I was way off
EDIT: Plasma is the shit! You actually have true black as opposed to projected black.
Why can't you hook a second dvd player to it? Only one input? If so, just get a source selector and a universal remote. The remote will do all the work for you.
henke on 16/9/2008 at 09:54
Have you concidered getting one of those video-projectors instead of a new TV? This weekend I was over at a mates place, who'd just bought a HD-projector(850 euros) and a 360, playing Halo 3 on that big ass screen. Looked pretty sweet, but then again I'm no discerning videophile or anything. I'm still happy watching VHS films on standard CRTs and wouldn't dream of buying a Blu-Ray player.
bikerdude on 16/9/2008 at 10:05
[QUOTE=Scots Taffer;176860
If you haven't guessed my budget is $2.5k with an extra $100 for cables.
What think ye?Hi ST
Right, I have looked into this very subject for a while now......
Plasma* Very good black levels when compared to LCD
* Much better motion reproduction - eg no ghosting or motion blur
[8]Less grain in the picture compared to LCD.
LCD* Runs cooler and last longer than plasma
* There is no risk screen burn-in like you can get with plasma
* there is no after images on bright objects - but modent plasmas dont seem to suffer from this noticable.
* Physically lighter then a plasma screen.
When choosing a model plasma/lcd, dont be swayed by brand (eg. sony arent all that anymore) If you go for an LCD look for one with LED backlighting - this give better black levels.
As regard blue-ray - dont waste your time on this just yet, stick with an upscaling dvd player for now, as BR is far to knew atm. EG the 1st gen blu-ray players cant play the current crop of brand new BR movies with out a firmware update......
biker
Scots Taffer on 16/9/2008 at 10:12
Quote Posted by Thirith
Two question: why go for Plasma over LCD? and why do you list region lock as a plus?
On the first point, pure visual points really. I'm a big fan of movies that have more dark-fast moving moments than big bright movies so Plasma handles the depth of colour and fast moving action without great loss of image quality versus LCD.
Also, of the LCDs I've seen the good ones look to be super high-end versus the super high-end Plasmas, where I begin to see less of a difference at 50" and 60", both usually look stunning and way out of my price range. I'm looking at 42" and 46" where I think Plasma shows a definite gain over LCD, purely anecdotally.
On the second point, because I'm retarded.
Quote Posted by henke
Have you concidered getting one of those video-projectors instead of a new TV? This weekend I was over at a mates place, who'd just bought a HD-projector(850 euros) and a 360, playing Halo 3 on that big ass screen. Looked pretty sweet, but then again I'm no discerning videophile or anything. I'm still happy watching VHS films on standard CRTs and wouldn't dream of buying a Blu-Ray player.
For the same reason that I'm not just buying a HUGE tv now and nothing else, I don't have the viewing space or projection area for it. Maybe in 5-10 years when I build under the house and make a specific media room, but not for now.
Re: bikerdude's concerns on BR, this is valid but I feel a less consequential worry as it's highly unlikely a high-end BR player will not be able to actually PLAY the movie - it is possible I'll lose out on some extras or whatever, but I'd deal with that eventuality when it came.
Thirith on 16/9/2008 at 11:23
Quote Posted by Scots Taffer
On the first point, pure visual points really. I'm a big fan of movies that have more dark-fast moving moments than big bright movies so Plasma handles the depth of colour and fast moving action without great loss of image quality versus LCD.
Also, of the LCDs I've seen the good ones look to be super high-end versus the super high-end Plasmas, where I begin to see less of a difference at 50" and 60", both usually look stunning and way out of my price range. I'm looking at 42" and 46" where I think Plasma shows a definite gain over LCD, purely anecdotally.
Ah, okay. I used to have a plasma TV that I bought around 2005; it was okay and a massive improvement over my old conventional TV. However, it didn't do black very well. Just before I moved in May, I found a surprisingly cheap full-HD LCD (from OKI) and got that one. Looking back I was probably very naive about it - I read one or two reviews that sounded good, but nothing very specific - but it definitely paid off. Much better blacks on the screen and my DVD player's upscaling makes many DVDs pretty damn good on the OKI TV. However, I guess that if you compare things within one tech generation, plasma looks better than LCD.
But man, I was so glad I didn't have to move that bloody heavy plasma screen! :D
