[zotjen]

I tried asking this in the AVS Forum but so far no one replied. All they seem to care about there are plasmas.

Anyway, I've been itching to get an HDTV for some time now and after careful consideration, decided to go with LCD. After doing some comparisons I decided on the Panasonic TC-32LX50. I see though that Panasonic is getting ready to launch a new line, in particular the TC-32LX60 and TC-32LX600.

I see that the new line has some additional features but I'm wondering if there will be a significant improvement in picture quality. Can we expect a price drop in the current line once the new one comes out? I've noticed that a number of retailers are already out of stock of the LX50 so I'm worried availability may become an issue if I hold off getting it to wait for a price drop.

If I hold out for a newer model, I expect I'll have to pay near MSRP for it and I'd also want to wait for a number of reviews first. As announced at CES 2006, the new line was scheduled to be shipped next month. It now looks like there will be a delay as far as Panasonic's new plasmas are concerned, so I'm wondering if the LCDs will be delayed as well.

I had my mind set on getting the LX50 this weekend but now I'm not sure what to do. If I get the current model now, I may hit myself once the new ones arrive for not waiting. If I wait for a newer model, it may turn out that aside from the features, there's no significant picture improvement and then the current model won't be available and I'll have to pay the higher price. Any advice?

 

[VicAjax]

why do you prefer LCD to plasma?

if you're dead set on an LCD, i think the things to look at are contrast ratio and moving picture response speed.

Moving Picture Response Speed
one of LCD's big problems is refreshing with fast moving pictures... if the MPRS isn't fast enough, it will create sort of a trailing/shadow effect. even if a particular set is good, some people say they still notice.

the model you're looking at has 14ms, which i think is pretty good (the best are around 9ms, i think?). last time i checked, most sites recommended 17ms or better (the lower the better).

if the LX60 improves on that significantly, it might be worth the wait.

Contrast Ratio
this is the other big issue with LCDs... because the LCD lights are never really "off," the black levels will never be as deep as you'll get on a plasma. that's why you see contrast ratios around 500:1 to 1000:1 as opposed to the 4000:1 ratios of plasmas. the LX50 looks like it's got an 800:1 contrast ratio. that's ok for an LCD, but you're never going to get deep rich blacks. this might not be a problem for you.

again, if the LX60 has significantly better contrast ratio, it'll be worth the wait.

 

[1911]

thank yo vacajax. i was about to pick up a 52 panny lcd as they were cheap at costco but you bring up excellent points. i guess i stay with the 19incher until i can figure it out.

 

[zotjen]

I think a lot of people go running into Costco and purchase an HDTV without really thinking about it. They do have a few good models but you really do need to do a ton of research before you you make up your mind.

I decided on LCD for two reasons - price and size. My viewing distance is only about 7 feet away so a gigantic screen really wouldn't be practical. Most plasmas start at 37" and are a bit more pricer than what I wanted to spend. Actually, I'd prefer a 34" screen but it seems those are very hard to come by. The LCD model I was considering has gotten great reviews but I think I am going to hold out for the newer model and hope it's just as good if not better than the current one. From what I've read, they are always improving HD technology so the later the model the better.