HDTV Shoot-Out

[prepress]

I thought I would share this in case anyone was interested.

I attended the annual flat-panel shoot-out at Value Electronics in Scarsdale, NY back on May 11, a Saturday. It was a 2-evening event, as there was a presentation Friday May 10 as well. Even though this is a small (though they recently moved to a somewhat larger store), mom/pop-type place, the event has become a big deal of sorts in the industry, as there are press and industry people who make the trek there from all over the country and the world, as do personnel from the various companies represented to make presentations on their flagship TVs. And, it was streamed live online. There were refreshments, as usual, and that included some KILLER homemade cookies by one of the daughters of the VE proprietors, Robert and Wendy Zohn.

This year's sets were the following: Panasonic TC-P65ZT60, Panasonic TC-P65VT60, Samsung PN64F8500 (plasmas), Sony XBR-X900A 4K Ultra High Definition, Panasonic TC-L55WT60 , and the Samsung UN60F8000 (LED LCDs). LG couldn't get their flagship set there in time for the event, unfortunately. And Sharp Elite is in a holding pattern, perhaps updating their line to come out with 4K sets.

As mentioned in my preamp thread, I will sometimes consider what to replace current gear with should the need arise. In that case the "what if" turned into an "I did" (though I'm still not 100% sold on the replacement; that process is still ongoing). But as for my TV, a Pioneer Kuro, there is unlikely to be an "I did" moment as long as it's working. In fact, there was a Kuro KRP-500 there, not part of the shoot-out but for curiosity comparison (external pressure led to that, I understand). The Kuro, 4 years old, was still better in black level. You can watch excerpts on VE's website; there's probably more on You Tube or other sites.

In case anyone is interested, here is the write-up by Rob Sabin of Home Theater magazine on the proceedings; he was there that Saturday.

Value Electronics HDTV Shootout: And Then There Were Three... | Home Theater

[MyPal]

Prepress...thanks for posting. It seems like Kuro remains the true king. Interesting to read about the plasma developments.

We have the Sony HX950 equivalent. Very happy with that too for some time to come if current 1st gen 4K LED progress is anything to go by.

Sounds like Samsung are continuing to push the pop in their LCDs. Despite my prejudices regarding their longevity, I also find their picture a little artificial & fatiguing in a darkened room.

[prepress]

There was some solo time with the Sony for 4K material, provided by Sony on an external hard drive (they had no rep at the shoot-out). In a split screen with 4K and 1080p content, the 4K advantage was obvious, more with some material than others. With the technical, torture-test material the calibrators used the Sony showed some warts; the motion resolution test wasn't so great. And on the Lawrence of Arabia BD, the picture had a yellowish tint compared to the plasmas.

If my PRO-111FD died with no hope of repair, I'd go for the Panasonic VT60, though I would want the 55" version. I'm not sure the ZT60 upgrades are worth it to me. The Samsung might be too bright in my dim room, and there was suggestion that turning the brightness down has an adverse affect on PQ.

[Yamaki]

Great write up!

[prepress]

Originally Posted by MyPal

Prepress...thanks for posting. It seems like Kuro remains the true king. Interesting to read about the plasma developments.

We have the Sony HX950 equivalent. Very happy with that too for some time to come if current 1st gen 4K LED progress is anything to go by.

Sounds like Samsung are continuing to push the pop in their LCDs. Despite my prejudices regarding their longevity, I also find their picture a little artificial & fatiguing in a darkened room.

I confess I paid little attention to the Samsung and Panasonic LCDs. I was focused on the plasmas. But the Samsung LCD did look brighter than the Panasonic to me.

[rlw3]

+1 for kuro, mine is great. rather than concentrate on brightness i believe one should id their need to view programs from an angle rather than directly in front of a tv which plasma is usually better at. secondly the ability for the picture to stay the same as you stand favors plasma

[Chad.Wagner]

I love my PRO-101FD and PRO-141FD!

[prepress]

You can view much of the actual shoot-out here.

HDTVShootout - YouTube

I actually asked a question during the Q & A, about 17:50 in.

[prepress]

I have plans to attend this year's shootout as well. It's coming up this weekend. With plasma all but gone, what with Samsung getting out by November and LG the last one standing (though one wonders for how long) it will be interesting to see what the UHD/4K sets offer. Last year's popular winner, the Samsung F8500 plasma, will be there; it'll be the only plasma. This isn't a final list, but these are some of the sets to appear as I understand it.

UHD/4K Models
LG 79UB9800 or 84UB9800 LED-edgelit LCD
Samsung UN78HU9000 LED-edgelit LCD
Samsung UN85S9 16:9 or UN105S9W 21:9 LED-FALD LCD
Sony XBR-85X950B LED-FALD LCD

1080p Models:
LG 55EC9300 OLED
Samsung PN64F8500 plasma
Samsung KN55S9C OLED
Vizio M652i-B2 1080p LED-FALD LCD

Panasonic has an exclusive with Best Buy, so they won't be there. Maybe also because their LCDs did so poorly last year?

I am not a hard-core videophile, but it will be interesting to see potential successors to my Pioneer Elite Kuro in case it needs replacing one day.

[JJinID]

Still really glad I picked up a Panasonic 60" VT60 at the end of last year. I'll be curious to see how these newer LCD/LED 4k sets compare to last year's models and the current plasmas...