New tv?


Well it looks like the not so old Samsung 50 inch plasma is on its last legs. It has a blue vertical band running down the left side and repair folks are telling me it is likely the display panel which cost as much or more than a new TV to repair. So what are you folks liking these days as the best TV for home theater? This is a set up with an oppo 103 and NAD integrated amp and Sonus fabar toy towers. We are looking for a 55 inch set and are wondering if plasma is still the best way to go? As always thanks for any suggestions.
audiowoman
I think I will order the Samsung PS64F8500 this week.....I took my decision....I will make a review over a few weeks.
Why F8500 over ZT60?

- looks; on the wall it looks 3 times more expensive than a zt60. Material and shape are superior over Panasonic ZT60.

- Light output is superior. This part is a lot more important than the best black levels. This gives you much more quality and pleasure in watching tv during daytime. Why magzines and the internet tests do not talk about this.

White is the most difficult colour for plasma. White is a lot better at Samsung plasma.

Options; a lot more complete, many more features
http://www.electronichouse.com/article/samsung_and_panasonic_top_hdtv_shootout/

Many magazines and also internet review forget some very important parts which are more important than the things they test. For example the VT30 had a very irritating low light output. Watching during daytime irritated me very fast. I did not see any test who talked about this big flaw.
IME, light output is only more important than black levels in a room where you can not control the ambient light. If that is the issue than LED's are even better as they do not have as a reflective screen surface as a plasma and are capable of even more light output.

Without excellent black levels as well as evenly spaced "shades of gray" a TV has no hope of accurately rendering a color image properly. Kuro's did both of these things better than other plasma's available at the time. Panasonic now owns the Kuro tech and has been integrating it into their plasma's over the last two years.
Yess I know about this. The F8500 is the first Plasma with a light output of a LED screen. This makes it during daytime a lot more pleasant to watch. This is a very important part. We are not talking only in my house, in most of every person there house. The other thing is sharpness and speed. The Panasonic is a lot better in this part this year, but Samsung is still better in this part as well. Ofcourse with both ( F8500/ZT60) you cannot go wrong.