[Ajaybiz]

My dealer in grey market from whom i buys most of the electronics told me that initially Plasmas were also available in grey but due to very small margin and heavy weight its discontinued and same happened in normal stores, shop keepers wont get much in selling Plasmas so they always try to push LCD.
Plasmas are not as bright as LCD but they are far ahead in terms of picture quality and during high black level scenes they displays proper black levels compared to LCD's whitish back ground.Check movies like Blade runner or Mummy you can make out the difference between the black level produced by Plasamas.
Only disadvantage I've noticed till date is Plasma screens are very sensitive to direct light and they reflects a lot, so we have to make sure that no direct light is coming from the opposite side.
Tell the Next shop guy that even LCD can leak its liquid and recently seen many cases that Samsung LCD tvs are going off due to some panel issue.

[ms001]

Ajay how much did you pay for the philips LCD, how is it as compared to other LCD's like LG/Sony/samsung etc

[dr_know]

Originally Posted by Ajaybiz

Plasmas are not as bright as LCD but they are far ahead in terms of picture quality and during high black level scenes they displays proper black levels compared to LCD's whitish back ground.Check movies like Blade runner or Mummy you can make out the difference between the black level produced by Plasamas.

Yes, This is a very important factor aka contrast ratio!

If you look at the contrast ratio's of LCD's those were initially just in the 1000's when the Plasma's were boasting of Million n more. Plasmas are able to show deeper blacks due to its high contrast ratio.

[Ajaybiz]

I paid 33k after lot of research and bargains and yes this is the best among Sony/Samsung/Sharp/LG etc.Visit Modern world at old airport road to see the difference between Philips and others.
This TV had got 50000:1 dynamic contrast ration and my 1.5 year old is loaded with 1000000:1 and latest Plasmas are offering 2000000:1 dynamic contrast ratio.

[santosh.s]

Originally Posted by Ajaybiz

6)LCD was bit better with full HD as its full HD LCD and Plasma is just HD panel.I am sure a full HD plasma will sure out perform starting and mid range LCD's any day.

If you can notice advantage of full HD on 32" LCD, it would be a fair assumption that it will be even more evident on 42" plasma. So, the premium I paid for "full" HD won't be a complete waste!

Originally Posted by Ajaybiz

Tell the Next shop guy that even LCD can leak its liquid and recently seen many cases that Samsung LCD tvs are going off due to some panel issue.

And a few people complaining about Sony bravia and Sharp LCD panels conking off just after 1 year warranty period, in this very thread. Recently received 3-year warranty card (peace-of-mind!) for my plasma which includes the panel as well. BTW, Panasonic seems to offer even 5-year warranty in international markets.

they displays proper black levels compared to LCD's whitish back ground.Check movies like Blade runner or Mummy you can make out the difference between the black level produced by Plasamas.

When I was doing my homework before buying a flat-panel TV, came across a showroom displaying a Samsung (or LG, don't remember) LCD and a Panasonic/LG plasmas side by side. Video being played used to go completely dark once in a while, which was like a good test for black levels. I showed my wife how LCD displayed deep-purple all over while plasmas looked naturally black. But she was not to be convinced, argued saying "are you going to watch video playing or blank screen? why do we need black color at all (while slim-trim bravia offers millions of colors)?". I had no answer obviously, told her that I want to stare at it while switched off!

[greenh0rn]

Amigos, today I finally plonked in my money where my mouth has always been (not just here on this forum, but offline as well) and got myself a 42" LG PQ70 Plasma TV home. Initial impressions are mixed (never had such big screen in my room), plus my CAS STB (different from DTH) seems to supply non-consistent quality of pictures. But on some channels, the Picture Quality is stunning to say the very least!

My other grouse with the current STB is that it has no aspect-ratio setting (so am watching 4:3 input in 16:9 mode). Guess an Airtel connection is in order this weekend.

One strange thing- the TV as it was unpacked and switched on, had very high contrast and colour settings (come on LG, we need to run in our beloved Plasma first!), making the TV look as bright as an LCD, but the picture is quite good with all settings at 50! Guys with Plasma TV, please put your fingers to keyboard and post your run-in suggestions here (or links please)!

Thanks everyone, especially Jassi and gang for making me a full-on Plasma convert and I am sure I'm gonna love this TV more and more as the days pass by!

Till then, enjoy the initial pics! I will get it wall-mounted this coming Saturday.

[black12rr]

Congrats green bhai , how much Damage for this ?

Why did you reject Panasonic plasma , other options you looked upon ?

[vdiatech]

Last year at an e-zone store in Chennai, I was contemplating buying a Samsung 4 series 32inches at about 36K.

I saw a Videocon 32 IntegraC for 25K. I thought sweet ( lots of savings !)

In the first 6 months of ownership, it did not work for 3 months and repeatedly broke down ( audio issues ). Customer service was pathetic and getting a replacement was a lengthy and tiresome process.

Finally, after 8 months of purchase I got a replacement TV which has been working fine ! touch wood.

This is yet another decision in life, I regret making. Should have gone for the Samsung

[santosh.s]

Congrats green! Enjoy your beloved possession!

Regarding aspect ratio, your TV itself may have options. As in Panasonic, you can choose to display 4:3 with black/gray bars on left and right, OR one of the zoom options which displays 4:3 without distortion occupying whole screen, but with inevitable "lost" strips on top and bottom. I prefer the later most of the time. Switch to 4:3 only when I need to read text scrolling on top or bottom (news channels etc.)

BTW, I did get myself a Hathway STB which also provide it's own aspect ratio settings.

[proton]

Hi fellas,

Anyone hear about the items/brands available at Duty Free Shop, Bangalore Airport?

The deal is :

1. Buy Flat panel TV either while flying out or in.

2. Get 10k off the street price, even after paying the 345 Tax.

3. Free Installation and Warranty service for a year.

I have an incoming (son) on the 20th and may spring for a 42' plasma!

Thanks in advance.

[Ajaybiz]

Congrates Green so another Plasma joined the club, google it for optimum calibration of our TV model and have fun.
Very soon you'll get adjusted to this 42" and you may regret that why you didnt went for 50" LOL.
Play some HD content you'll be stunned with the picture quality.

[greenh0rn]

Thanks guys! Really loving it so far...and waiting for running in to be over (at my current rate of watching at 3-4 hours a day, it will take 2 months to complete 200 hours!!)

Originally Posted by black12rr

Congrats green bhai , how much Damage for this ? Why did you reject Panasonic plasma , other options you looked upon ?

I paid Rs.39,500/- net. Frankly speaking, I was also seriously thinking about the Panny since it is after all the world's largest Plasma maker, but what swung the deal in favor of LG was two things:

1. Features like USB (with DivX support) and Bluetooth were absent in Panny- these features can initially be dismissed as trivial, but ultimately these are just an extra convenience and you never regret them after you've used them.

2. Infinite adjustments options: I had read on the net that Pannys don't have a very detailed menu for adjusting or tweaking picture, and this is clearly LG's forte that gives an amazingly high number of options to tweak and get that perfect picture.

Originally Posted by santosh.s

Regarding aspect ratio, your TV itself may have options. As in Panasonic, you can choose to display 4:3 with black/gray bars on left and right, OR one of the zoom options which displays 4:3 without distortion occupying whole screen, but with inevitable "lost" strips on top and bottom. I prefer the later most of the time. Switch to 4:3 only when I need to read text scrolling on top or bottom (news channels etc.)

BTW, I did get myself a Hathway STB which also provide it's own aspect ratio settings.

Hey Santosh, actually the 16:9 scaler of this tv is not too bad, but then it can never be 100% perfect. But this zoom feature is interesting idea- let me try that out today. One advice for new Plasma buyers- try running a full screen as much as possible in the first 200 hours. That means either a 16:9 setting or zoom setting. The idea is to fill the entire screen with 'moving images'. Similarly, channels with white or static horizontal strips (top or bottom, typically news or music channels) should not be watched for long time.

Originally Posted by Ajaybiz

Congrates Green so another Plasma joined the club, google it for optimum calibration of our TV model and have fun.
Very soon you'll get adjusted to this 42" and you may regret that why you didnt went for 50" LOL.
Play some HD content you'll be stunned with the picture quality.

Heheh Ajay I was actually thinking if this TV is too big for my room (maybe it is). But I've always wanted a projection screen and this is the closest in size that I can go for, and live with. 50" would be a serious overkill!

Btw, this TV is HD-ready and not full HD, would HD content (say played through USB hard disk) make a big difference?

[Ajaybiz]

You cant play HD content via USB, only divx, mpeg, avi etc can be played and that too direct TV's USB dosent gives much clarity better buy some DVD player with upscaling and USB input.Or invest in some Media player devices which can be capable of playing HD or full HD contents.
Check the famous Discovery Planet earth seried on HD format i am sure instead of documentary you'll be just keeping eyes on colors, black levels, picture details etc(sign of being Plasmaolic)

[proton]

Here's some old information:

Quote
Is it good to buy Sony LCD tv in Bangalore duty free shop?
Hi Folks,

Last week when I came back from Frankfurt, I saw SONY LCD TVs at Bangalore Airport(Duty Free shop). They Said there will be 10k difference even after paying 345 tax(don't remember exact %).One of my friends is coming next week. Please suggest me whether to buy a SONY in duty free shop or any other sony show rooms?
2 months ago

Is it good to buy Sony LCD tv in Bangalore duty free shop? - Yahoo! Answers

Hope it helps. I'm going to call BIAL duty free when I find the number. Will keep you informed.

[Proxima]

Originally Posted by Ajaybiz

You cant play HD content via USB, only divx, mpeg, avi etc can be played and that too direct TV's USB dosent gives much clarity better buy some DVD player with upscaling and USB input.Or invest in some Media player devices which can be capable of playing HD or full HD contents.
Check the famous Discovery Planet earth seried on HD format i am sure instead of documentary you'll be just keeping eyes on colors, black levels, picture details etc(sign of being Plasmaolic)

Was/is the Discovery Planet HD series telecast in India?