Panasonic 32in Lcd....the Best In The World.

[skin]

Why does it matter where it is made if the quality is still top rate? I haven't read one person complain about the 700a yet or any stories of dead pixels, backlight bleeds or any other faults. Plenty of TVs "Made in Japan" have had terrible track records. Not buying a TV purely for where it was made is a bit silly if you ask me.

[brett174]

I went TV shopping yesterday with this set in mind. At JB it was clearly the best looking 32" LCD TV, however when i went to the Good Guys it looked horrible! They were both running the same source (Channel 10 Red Bull Air Race) so I can only assume it was setup poorly at the Good Guys. I just wish stores would use a better source than crappy HD FTA, it makes it hard to compare because it just looks so average on all of the TV's.

Seeing it next to all the 37,42,50" screens though, it looks so small. The 42" Panasonic Plasma 70A also looked pretty good (and is around the same price). So now I'm back to the age old LCD vs Plasma decision.

[WhiteGuM]

I went TV shopping yesterday with this set in mind. At JB it was clearly the best looking 32" LCD TV, however when i went to the Good Guys it looked horrible! They were both running the same source (Channel 10 Red Bull Air Race) so I can only assume it was setup poorly at the Good Guys. I just wish stores would use a better source than crappy HD FTA, it makes it hard to compare because it just looks so average on all of the TV's.

Seeing it next to all the 37,42,50" screens though, it looks so small. The 42" Panasonic Plasma 70A also looked pretty good (and is around the same price). So now I'm back to the age old LCD vs Plasma decision.

I disagree with your comment of retailers using "crappy HD FTA" in demonstrations. When I'm selling a panel I always show a set in its poorest form especially if a customer has foxtel as well as in its best. I think seeing the majority of viewing for the average buyer is FTA HD its important to show the panels with this source rather than setup a blu-ray or animation source showing the tv in its best form, which in the end can be misleading.

[skin]

I went TV shopping yesterday with this set in mind. At JB it was clearly the best looking 32" LCD TV, however when i went to the Good Guys it looked horrible! They were both running the same source (Channel 10 Red Bull Air Race) so I can only assume it was setup poorly at the Good Guys. I just wish stores would use a better source than crappy HD FTA, it makes it hard to compare because it just looks so average on all of the TV's.

Seeing it next to all the 37,42,50" screens though, it looks so small. The 42" Panasonic Plasma 70A also looked pretty good (and is around the same price). So now I'm back to the age old LCD vs Plasma decision.

I haven't bought yet, but I have now decided on the 700a. I was trying to make the same decision as you brett174. I was trying to choose between the 32 inch 700a LCD and the 42inch 70a Plasma. I really, really like both TVs but this is roughly how my decision process went in the end.

Budget <$2,000

Current Viewing Area = LCD 2/3

Viewing distance = 3.5m (better suited to 42 inch screen)

Lots of vertical blinds with leaking light day and night = high reflections (better suited to non-reflective LCD screen)

TV needs to sit on current centre speaker = small footprint (700a fits fine, 42 inch plasma does not because of "H" shaped stand)

Future Viewing Area (Bedroom) = LCD 1/1

32 inch is a good bedroom size, 42 inch is too big

Viewing Content = Plasma 4/7

DVD, HD-DVD, 360, Laptop, FTA SDTV and HDTV, Digital Photos (The 700a excels in all these areas. The 70a Plasma clearly looks better for deep blacks and shadow detail but the SDTV quality is pretty bad, also rectangular pixels are an issue for PC viewing)

Ascetics = LCD 1/1

I hate TVs with silver on them and love the all black look of both these sets. (Personally, I think the LCD looks better up close. The Plasma looks a little cheap and plastic)

Other issues

Burn in - Did not even consider this. Quality panel + sensible viewing = no problem with burn in.

Resolution - Did not consider this other than with PC connectivity (I can not tell the difference in resolution on normal viewing material)

Fragility - Did not consider even though I move at least every two years because of work. I'm always insured so if they break it, they replace it.

Extended Warranty - No thanks (personal preference)

Viewing angle - Not an issue, will never be more than 45 degrees.

Purple snakes - What a marketing disaster for Panasonic. Never seen any and have looked very closely. Yet to here someone complain about them in Australia who isn't just repeating something they read off the internet.

TV Speakers - Will never use them - EVER

Therefore for my circumstances and preferences, 32 inch LCD wins 7/12, over 42 inch Plasma 5/12

[brett174]

skinXBWAU, thats quite a scientific evaluative system you've got there, I'm impressed

I agree with everything you said there. One thing I would like your opinion on is black levels. As I like to watch movies in the dark, how much difference is there between the LCD and Plasma (especially with the 700A suposidly being the best LCD out there for black levels)? Obviously Plasma is better, but is it really that noticeable that it would affect my viewing experience when watching movies in the dark. It's impossible to tell in the brightly lit stores.

[skin]

skinXBWAU, thats quite a scientific evaluative system you've got there, I'm impressed

I agree with everything you said there. One thing I would like your opinion on is black levels. As I like to watch movies in the dark, how much difference is there between the LCD and Plasma (especially with the 700A suposidly being the best LCD out there for black levels)? Obviously Plasma is better, but is it really that noticeable that it would affect my viewing experience when watching movies in the dark. It's impossible to tell in the brightly lit stores.

That's a hard question because black levels are one of those areas that improve every year with every new version of Plasma or LCD. When comparing for example, the 700a LCD with the 70a Plasma it's not like all black areas look grey on the 700a or anything that drastic. It's more subtle than that, but when you specifically look for it, it becomes more noticeable.

Some scenes for example may show many areas in the dark or covered by heavy shadow. On an LCD these will mainly look like dark areas on the screen, they don’t necessarily look greyish, they can still look very black, but the area will have very little variations in blackness. The same scene on a plasma can show a lot more detail in that black or dark area. It may look blacker in areas but the image difference you really notice is the detail in the shadows that isn’t there on the LCD.

LCD’s on the other hand, really excel showing bright scenes with lots of colour and perform particularly well in bright viewing conditions (such as a store showroom). If you only ever watch your TV in complete darkness (such as a home theatre room that can be blacked out) then you really should go with a Plasma and in this environment you will really appreciate the shadow detail and lack of backlight.

If you are planning to view the TV in a normal lounge room with a reasonable amount of daytime or lights-on viewing, then the short comings of a quality LCD will be less noticeable. You will also become accustomed to your TV overtime.

So if you are trying to decide between these two particular TVs I would do a similar test to what I did. Pay particular attention to your viewing area at home.

How far away from the TV do you sit? (the further away the bigger the screen you should get)

How bright is the room during the majority of your viewing? (LCDs like bright rooms, Plasmas like dark)

Are there any light leakages from windows or doors etc that will cause reflections on your TV screen? (Most LCD have non-reflective screens, most Plasmas have reflective screens)

How much SD material do you or are you likely to watch on the new TV? (SD content looks average or worse on most screens 42 inch and larger)

Will this TV live in your lounge room for the next 6 – 8 years or are you likely to replace it sooner than that? Where will it go when that happens? (if it moves to a smaller room in 2 years, will it be too big?)

Are you going to use the TVs speakers at all? (if you have a home theatre speaker system then the TV speakers are useless)

How will it fit your current entertainment furniture? (do you have any screen or stand size restrictions?)

Will you connect a PC or games console to the TV bearing in mind this is really the only time native resolution or pixel structure ‘may’ be an issue? (LCDs generally look better in this area and rectangular pixels on some plasmas can cause problems with picture sharpness when connected to PC sources)

Both of these TVs are excellent and you will be more than happy with either, the question is ‘What TV suits your requirements the best?’ I hope what I have written will help you make that decision because when it comes down to it, you are the only one who can make that final call.

Good luck.

[Akevious]

Hey guys, new here and just picked up this TV from MYER at Tea Tree Plaza (SA)

I read through this thread beforehand and told them about the $1749 price from MYER in Sydney and Melbourne

i asked them what the best price they could offer me, and bought it for $1749

Thanks for all the info, certainly made my choice much easier when he offered it to me at that price.

Edited August 5, 2007 by Akevious

[vauxhall]

I went to our local Good Guys store in Melbourne who are advisting the telly at $1999 with the less of cash deal on it. So i asked them what discount can you give me for cash, after the usual crap they always tell you about the item being near cost he said $1950. Anyway some back and forth talk between salesman and him dashing to his manager and the most could get it down to was $1910 - which got the normal line of its below cost that they always give you, i told them the most i would pay is $1850 - and walked away.

I haven't tried Myer yet, what did you guys say exactly to get the price down to $1749??? Thats a huge difference from their $2199 list price.

Is there anywhere else doing good deals on these TV's?

[brett174]

I havent been able to get anyone below $1900 even, thats an amazing price ($1749). Also, how much should I be paying for a 3 or 5 year extended warranty?

[Gaven83]

After 18 months of seaching and comparison I've finally taken the dive and decided to buy this television. I've also in the process mananged to set a new lowest price. $1700! I couldn't believe it. Pick it up in the morning. Can't wait.

[vauxhall]

After 18 months of seaching and comparison I've finally taken the dive and decided to buy this television. I've also in the process mananged to set a new lowest price. $1700!

Where and how did you get them down to $1700?

Edited August 8, 2007 by vauxhall

[chalks1971]

After 18 months of seaching and comparison I've finally taken the dive and decided to buy this television. I've also in the process mananged to set a new lowest price. $1700! I couldn't believe it. Pick it up in the morning. Can't wait.

Cmon mate, cant just brag about the price w/o letting us on the where and how!

[vauxhall]

My wife somehow got it for $1649 from Myer as a surprise for me today. Im still in shock.

[brett174]

those prices sound too good to be true . How much are you guys paying for the extended warranty?

[tech2002]

After 18 months of seaching and comparison I've finally taken the dive and decided to buy this television. I've also in the process mananged to set a new lowest price. $1700! I couldn't believe it. Pick it up in the morning. Can't wait.

I've also just purchased the 700A after setting up an in-store test for comparing it with three other panels -

Samsung 32" LCD - LA32R81BDX

Samsung 40" LCD - LA40R81BDX

Samsung 42" Plasma - PS42Q91HDX.

All four units were hooked up to an HD DVD player. Then played test DVD's containing a range of material (listed below).

Note - my main interest is in displaying the best possible best picture from SD TV, and SD DVD source material.

I viewed the four TVs at a range of 1m, and also at 3m and 5m to check picture clarity and quality.

DVD 1 - contained Very Poor, Poor, Average, and Good quality SD TV segments.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 700A displayed the best picture in all but the Good quality segment, where it was 2nd to the 40R8.

Although the 40R8 and 32R8 were brighter, the 700A had better noise filtering, motion control, and better blacks to deliver the best picture IMO.

The 42" plasma had a less sharp picture with the SD material, and displayed a lot more artefacts and noise.

DVD 2 - contained Average quality SD TV segment, with action scenes and light-dark high contrast scenes.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 700A again delivered the best motion, and also the best gradients and blacks, as well as the clearest images.

The 32R8 displayed the 2nd best picture, with excellent brightness and clear images. The 40R8 showed slightly more noise, and the 42" plasma showed the most noise, artefacts, and contained less clarity with the SD picture.

DVD 3 - Gladiator DVD - SD grade

----------------------------------------

The 700A had the best colour depth, with superb motion scenes, and again very good blacks, and the best gradients for light blacks to greys.

The 42" plasma had the deepest blacks, but the gradients to light black and grey were slightly less visible and defined vs the 700A IMO.

The 32R8 and 40R8 delivered a bright sharp image, but had the lightest blacks - still Very Good, but not to the level of the 700A and especially the 42" plasma.

DVD 4 - Commercial / store demo - HD DVD

---------------------------------------------------

The 700A was a very close second to the 42" Plasma in colour depth, and seemed as sharp or sharper.

The 32R8 and 40R8 delivered a bright balanced picture, but not as rich looking as the 700A and the 42" plasma.

Overall impressions of In-store test:

I ultimately chose the 700A because it appeared the best at displaying SD material, with the best clarity, colour depth, motion, and the least noise/static.

Overall impressions - After connecting to SD TV aerial at home:

I was amazed how it pulled in SD stations, and displayed them more clearly than my 2005 29" Panasonic flat CRT TV.

I have yet to see any artefacts or pixelation with motion scenes, on SD TV or on SD DVD's.

The colour depth and picture claritry really show why this 32" LCD panel is possibly the best at displaying SD material. It also does a superb job with HD.

The Samsung 32R8 and 40R8 would have a slightly brighter picture. My sister chose the 32R8 for her kitchen and daytime viewing, and it is a good choice for a very bright sunlit room. However, I am very satisfied with the 700A in my living room in daytime sun even with partially open curtains, and also in the evening. I set the viewing mode to AUTO, and it does a superb job of automatically adjusting for both daytime and night conditions.

[Gaven83]

Got it from Clive Peeters at Mt Druitt. And didn't get an extended warranty to get that price. Just had to negotiate real hard.

[Fullish]

Excuse the somewhat daft question but I can't seem to find the answer,

Does this TV have a SD Tuner or a HD Tuner built in?

[consoleMan]

Excuse the somewhat daft question but I can't seem to find the answer,

Does this TV have a SD Tuner or a HD Tuner built in?

According to the Panasonic site it has a HD tuner: http://panasonic.com.au/products/specifica...m?objectID=3883

[THX1979]

cant wait for an 1080p LCD model from panasonic- anyone know any goss?

[SCAT01]

My wife somehow got it for $1649 from Myer as a surprise for me today. Im still in shock.

Like to see the receipt please

[tech2002]

cant wait for an 1080p LCD model from panasonic- anyone know any goss?

Panasonic seem to be focussed on their plasma panels, and have reportedly built a new manufacturing plant to keep up with plasma demand.

They also have a 32" plasma panel.

Am hoping they will contnue to develop their LCD's. However, may likely see more development with Sony and Samsung who are more active in LCD's.

I wonder how low the pricepoints will drop, or whether they will simply discontinue older models and not mark down, to preserve the prices.

No doubt new development costs are high, but they seem to be doing a good job so far.

[vauxhall]

Like to see the receipt please

Not sure how I can show you that form thing at mo, but on the form order thing it says "Price match Harvey Norman" even though she mentioned the $1749 price on here. (Its just the luck of the draw of which salesman you get to deal with - cuz i was getting nowhere.) Have you tried Myer? If so, what price did they offer you?

[vauxhall]

Regarding the Panasonic 700a – I want to use my old Pioneer DVR-530H HDD recorder with it.

I want to avoid using the internal analogue tuner on the pioneer - all I want to do is record what I am watching – very simple stuff I thought! I have previously used the RCA Input AV#1 on the HDD recorder, to record from various sources such as VCR’s, Camera etc before with no problems.

This is what I did :

(I tried to keep as simple as possible just using RCA only and avoiding Component Video Cables etc):

1. Ariel into TV.

2. TV RCA Monitor Output <-> HDD RCA Input AV#1

3. TV RCA Input AV1 <-> HDD RCA Output AV#1 (also tried AV2,etc)

4. Put TV onto AV1.

5. Put HDD onto AV1.

Then I get a black screen. Is this right – have I totally messed up? Ive read through whole manual although there are some pictures that show what I want to do - but no clear instructions and anyway, its doesn’t work for me.

Cheers

Vauxhall.

[Guest operator]

Regarding the Panasonic 700a – I want to use my old Pioneer DVR-530H HDD recorder with it.

I want to avoid using the internal analogue tuner on the pioneer - all I want to do is record what I am watching – very simple stuff I thought! I have previously used the RCA Input AV#1 on the HDD recorder, to record from various sources such as VCR’s, Camera etc before with no problems.

This is what I did :

(I tried to keep as simple as possible just using RCA only and avoiding Component Video Cables etc):

1. Ariel into TV.

2. TV RCA Monitor Output <-> HDD RCA Input AV#1

3. TV RCA Input AV1 <-> HDD RCA Output AV#1 (also tried AV2,etc)

4. Put TV onto AV1.

5. Put HDD onto AV1.

Then I get a black screen. Is this right – have I totally messed up? Ive read through whole manual although there are some pictures that show what I want to do - but no clear instructions and anyway, its doesn’t work for me.

Cheers

Vauxhall.

you've just put yourself into a blank video loop. why would you watch av1 from the recorder of a source from the av output of the tv?

[kiwigene]

You're looping your signal. You can't "see" the internal TV tuner when using AV1,

it's expecting the signal from the HDD. If you switch off TV-AV1 and watch the

actual tuned station you can still record it on the HDD. Then switch on TV-AV1

to playback from HDD.

Regarding the Panasonic 700a – I want to use my old Pioneer DVR-530H HDD recorder with it.

I want to avoid using the internal analogue tuner on the pioneer - all I want to do is record what I am watching – very simple stuff I thought! I have previously used the RCA Input AV#1 on the HDD recorder, to record from various sources such as VCR’s, Camera etc before with no problems.

This is what I did :

(I tried to keep as simple as possible just using RCA only and avoiding Component Video Cables etc):

1. Ariel into TV.

2. TV RCA Monitor Output <-> HDD RCA Input AV#1

3. TV RCA Input AV1 <-> HDD RCA Output AV#1 (also tried AV2,etc)

4. Put TV onto AV1.

5. Put HDD onto AV1.

Then I get a black screen. Is this right – have I totally messed up? Ive read through whole manual although there are some pictures that show what I want to do - but no clear instructions and anyway, its doesn’t work for me.

Cheers

Vauxhall.