Consumer Reports article about Plasma TVs

[n3ntj]

Here's a link to a pretty good article (from Circuit City's website) for those of you looking into purchasing a plasma HDTV soon..

http://www.circuitcity.com/ccd/lookLearn.do?cat=-12866&edOid=184670&c=1&cm_re=citylife%20february-_-Consumer%20Report-_-Plasma%20TVs

[bt-rtp]

Did you notice that overall and in summary, the ranked order is:


Pioneer plasma -- if you demand the absolute VERY best
Panasonic plasma -- if you demand the best, at a lower cost
All other plasmas
LCD, any brand... (sort of like wiping yourself with sandpaper)Flame away :hurah:

[Geronimo]

I see a Consumer reports article that talks about when to buy LCD and when to buy plasma and then ranks these sets of each type at various screen sizes. Among plasmas Panasonic Pioneer and LG all do well except at the 42 inch screen size where the LG suffers.

BTW the actual numeric ratings given to Sony and Sharp LCDs is equivalent to the ratings given to the highest plasmas.

[OneHump]

The problem with this subject is that it is very subjective. :)

People are always going to recommend what they have or what they think is best, with little practical backing.

I think Consumer Report's summary is almost on the mark. Pioneer Kuro is definately the best, but comes at a huge premium. Panasonic is nowhere near Pioneer in terms of black level and color accuracy, but is an excellent plasma at a price point that makes it a better value than Pioneer.

To say that everything else essentially sucks is far from accurate. Almost any plasma is going to be really nice. It depends on what you are after. If you are a videophile, then a Pioneer is going to be best for you. If you you are an average consumer, well, I think you're going to be pretty happy with a Vizio from Costco and the extra $3k in your pocket.

I have a Pinoeer Kuro and a Panasonic 5UY, both purchased after countless hours of research on AVSForum. I'm happy with both of them but, as I said, I think almost any brand is going to get the job done for 95% of us.

As for LCD vs Plasma, I think it's a pointless argument.

[bidger]

"CableCard slots on HDTVs let you use a card, provided by the cable company for a small rental fee, instead of a cable box."

How old is this article? 2005?

[Cholly]

"CableCard slots on HDTVs let you use a card, provided by the cable company for a small rental fee, instead of a cable box."

How old is this article? 2005?

Granted, many manufacturers are abandoning cablecard slots in their new TV's. Cablecards still have a use though -- I have two TiVo DVR's that use them. My series 3 uses two single stream cards and my new HD TiVo uses one multistream card. I'm saving big bucks on Time Warner.

[Geronimo]

Where do you guys see a summary that says this?

[bidger]

Fourth paragraph under Important Features in the link the OP provided.

[Geronimo]

Perhaps I should have been more specific. That paragraph refers to cable cards. I was referring to the recommendation of plasmas over LCD and Pioneers and Panasonics over other plasmas.

As I mentioned in my earlier post I saw no recommendation for plasmas in the original article and the latest review offers slightly different guidance than what is presented in this thread. But since not one but two people care saing they agree with this recommendation I was wondering where they see it.

I did notice a reference to brands under What's Available and How To Choose but neither matches what is said in this thread.

[ironwood]

Interesting that same Consumer Reports asked readers to rate their HD tv sets in terms of satisfaction and 99.9% were absolutely happy with their choice whether it was Pioneer or Olevia. I can see why. Any flat screen is better than ole ugly 100 pound box taking half of your room.

[Bike Effects]

Did you notice that overall and in summary, the ranked order is:


Pioneer plasma -- if you demand the absolute VERY best
Panasonic plasma -- if you demand the best, at a lower cost
All other plasmas
LCD, any brand... (sort of like wiping yourself with sandpaper)Flame away :hurah:

Why can't I find this??

[Geronimo]

Why can't I find this??

i think because it is not there.

I t seems to be a statement of the earlier poster's personal preferences. I can't find any record of Consumer Reports ever saying anything like what he claims although he does seem to suggest that it comes from them.