Need new 60"-65" HDTV Chris!

[Maximus DukusErectus]

Long time since I posted.Replacing my old 62" Toshiba HDTV because a storm fried it and my homeowners has given $500.00 DEDUCTIBLE/And they will cover roughly $2200.00.Chris....what would you advise between 60" and 65" HDTV for around $2400.00 or $2500.00?,and no I am not jumping on the 3D bandwagon as millions did with the "VISTA"OPERATING SYSTEM!!!lol.I just want a good picture,good refresh rate and 1080P FOR MY PANI BD 80 Blue ray player.65" screen would be best and thanks for your time gentleman...I have got to make a move....I am stuck watching a 32" Sony Bravia in the bed!!!

[Maximus DukusErectus]

Panasonic 65" TC-P65S1 $2199?,Samsung 60" lcd ln-60c630 $2249?,Sony 60" Lcd KDL60EX500 $2249???Old HDTV's?These are what I could find on my own.

[Maximus DukusErectus]

saw some sweet deals at Amazon and I get their free shipping too.I really like Amazon,I just have know clue how it works with an insurance claim.

[MrBoylan]

Long time since I posted.Replacing my old 62" Toshiba HDTV because a storm fried it and my homeowners has given $500.00 DEDUCTIBLE/And they will cover roughly $2200.00.Chris....what would you advise between 60" and 65" HDTV for around $2400.00 or $2500.00?,and no I am not jumping on the 3D bandwagon as millions did with the "VISTA"OPERATING SYSTEM!!!lol.I just want a good picture,good refresh rate and 1080P FOR MY PANI BD 80 Blue ray player.65" screen would be best and thanks for your time gentleman...I have got to make a move....I am stuck watching a 32" Sony Bravia in the bed!!!

The 3D TVs like the VT25 series actually make 2D TV look amazing (without the 3D feature turned on) due to their new fast-firing phosphor design (or whatever it is they're calling it this week). But they are brand new, not available online and pretty expensive - like $4K to $5K in a 65-inch size. OTOH, you're buying something now to last you a few years, so you should at least consider getting the 58-inch or 65-inch VT25 series at a local retailer. This way, when 3D content is actually available, you'll be ready.

BUT if you want to spend less, then there are a couple of options: You could get last year's V10 Panasonic in a 65-inch size at a big discount. Electronics Expo has the 65-inch V10 oin sale right now for $2470 plus shipping. Awesome TV *BUT* not 3D and it lacks Netflix streaming - that is only being added to the 2010+ models). It does have YouTube, Amazon VOD and Pandora though, plus (of course) an amazing image and native 24 support for watching 1080p Blu-rays. Here's the link to our deal alert about them:

http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/Pa...C-P65V10.shtml

And for an even more budget friendly price, you can pick up LG's 60-inch plasma for $1699 (including shipping) on OneCall (weekend sale, this weekend only):


http://www.onecall.com/ProductDetail...5044&BCPID=449

I've seen and tested a few of the LCD and LED TVs and just don't think they can match the quality of a good plasma, unless you want to spend a whole lot more so personally I would stick with a plasma.

Another option would be Samsung's new C7000 series plasma. It is 3D-ready (but you don't have the turn on the 3D mode if you don't want to). It's around $2650 in a 63-inch size. Link (Amazon):

63-inch C7000 Plasma on Amazon.com

Good luck and I hope this helps!

-Chris

[Maximus DukusErectus]

I am not interested in 3D right now...I will wait.Thank you for the info Chris.What are your thoughts on the Panasonic TC-P65S1 65" Plasma?Amazon has it for $2199.99.That is right in my budget....your thoughts?

[MrBoylan]

I am not interested in 3D right now...I will wait.Thank you for the info Chris.What are your thoughts on the Panasonic TC-P65S1 65" Plasma?Amazon has it for $2199.99.That is right in my budget....your thoughts?

My thoughts are that it is a fine TV but doesn't hold a candle to the V10 series that I sent a link for earlier and is only a few hundred bucks more. Both the S1 and the V10 are 2009 models, but the picture quality (and features) of the V10 are significantly superior to the S1.

Improvements of the V10 over the S1:

• Better contrast (black levels) on the V10
• 24p Native "Cinematic Playback" mode on the V10, but not on the S1- this preserves film motion at a multiple of 24 Hz so movies look like movies with that natural film motion. It runs at 96 Hz so there is no visible flicker
• VIERA Cast (only in the V10, not the S1, though your BD80 has that too, so no biggie there)
• THX certification with THX mode (V10 only) - basically this gets you most of the say to a fully calibrated image for movie-watching in rooms with low lighting, but without any calibration needed
• Wider color gamut on the V10 - deeper, more saturated colors
• 4 HDMI inputs plus a PC (VGA) input, as opposed to 3 HDMI and no VGA on the S1

The net price difference is around $500 when you consider the shipping costs of buying the TV on Electronics Expo vs. Amazon. Don't get me wrong - the S1 TV is an impressive performer, for the money, and that Amazon price makes it a really sweet deal. Heck, my friend bought the first generation 50-inch 1080p plasma just a few years ago for more money than this, and that was *much* smaller. But having seen both close-up, and being the TV snob that I am, I think the price differential is worth it to get the higher performance V10.

If you decide to get the S1, then please use our link from the Shop With Us page or this direct link:

Panasonic 65-inch TC-P65S1 on Amazon.com

The one word of caution on the 2009 Panasonic plasmas is that the TVs have a circuit in there that adjusts the panel performance to compensate for aging. This means that the black level slowly gets a little less impressive over time, eventually stabilizing a few thousand operational hours after you power it up. Even with this built-in degradation, the overall performance is still impressive and beats most if not all LED and LCD TVs on the market currently. This circuit affects all of the 2009 panels, and is also included in the 2010 models, though it has apparently been adjusted to be more gradual an adjustment in the 2010 models.

I don't think it should keep you from buying a Panasonic plasma (it wouldn't keep me from buying one), but it's worth mentioning. The original observations and complaints about this were noted on the AVS Forum and C/NET also acknowledged that this affects the TV's specs over time. Other TVs also are effected by age in different ways. I had a V10 plasma in house for about 6 months as a reference display and it still looked gorgeous when I returned it to Panasonic.

Hope that helps.

-CB

[Maximus DukusErectus]

OMG!!!!!Show me the money!!!!lol,I will be soooo broke and my wife will put me in the dog house for sure but....the V10 is soooo sweet,Chris,I have trusted you will all of my electronic toys for awhile now,did I tell you I am a poor man?Now to pull the $$$$$ together....as always Chris.....You are the Big Daddy of electronics!!!! thanx!

[Daylightdon]

I don't swear but I'll swear by my V10!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Maximus DukusErectus]

I don't swear but I'll swear by my V10!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey Daylight!!I see you are still endulging in the wealth of info here!What size is your V10?and give me your 2 cents worth about the V10...if ya have the time.

[Maximus DukusErectus]

It is not my intention to be a post ho...but I am so obsessed with that 65" V10!!!now to figure out how to get the funds!!