Home Theater: Video Processing, LED Backlighting, Big Plasma

Two For One
I have a Pioneer Elite PRO-111FD plasma with a Denon DVD-3800BDCI Blu-ray player, and I have two questions. First, should I set the Denon to output 1080p/24 manually or just leave it set to Auto? Second, a friend is encouraging me to get the DVDO Edge because, he says, its processing is probably better than either the Pioneer or Denon. Do you think this is true, or is my current gear sufficient?

Konstantino Diagoupis

I'd leave the Blu-ray player set to Auto, which sends whatever is on the disc to the TV without changing it. Virtually all movies are stored on the disc as 1080p/24, which is what they should send to the Pioneer. (Be sure to set the Pioneer's Film Mode to Off for progressive signals.) A few Blu-rays, such as some live-concert videos, have content stored at 1080i, which is what will be sent to the TV if the player is set to Auto. In this relatively rare case, I would see which device—the player or TV—does a better job of deinterlacing. To do this, set the player to output 1080p (leave the Pioneer's Film Mode off), then set the player to output 1080i and set the Pioneer's Film Mode to Advanced. Look at the same footage in both cases to see which one looks better.

As for the DVDO Edge, it's a very good processor, but it does a better job deinterlacing HD than it does upscaling standard-def material. That's not to say it does a poor job of this, just that the improvement on real program material is not dramatic and not as evident as it is on test patterns. I'm sure the Pioneer and/or Denon do reasonably well at this—in fact, the Denon has the HQV Realta processor, which does a great job—so I wouldn't spend the extra dough on an outboard processor.

Well Lit
I have decided that I want an LCD TV with LED backlighting and local dimming. From what I understand, the Samsung 7000 and 8000 series use LEDs, but they are located at the edges of the screen, which does not allow local dimming. I have been told that Samsung's UN55B8500 uses LED backlighting with local dimming. Is that correct, and if so, how did Samsung accomplish this while keeping the panel so thin compared to its previous backlit model, the LN55A950? What is your overall opinion of the UN55B8500?

Zuntman

You are exactly correct, the 7000 and 8000 series are both LED edgelit, not backlit, so neither provides local dimming. The UN55B8500 has LED backlighting, so it does offer local dimming. I don't know how Samsung managed to do that in such a thin cabinet. Tom Norton just finished his review of the 8500 for the January issue of Home Theater, and he liked it very much. His main reservation was the price of $4500, which is quite high, especially considering that the Vizio VF551XVT 55-inch LED-backlit LCD is $2200. Tom and I agree that the Samsung looks better than the Vizio, so I guess it's true what they say—you get what you pay for.

Large Screen, Small Sacrifice
Why have you not reviewed any models in Panasonic's new V10 line of plasmas? Specifically, I'm seriously considering the TC-P58V10. Also, I'm concerned that flat panels above 50 inches sacrifice a lot of picture quality. I would very much like to buy a larger plasma to get more of a cinematic effect, but not if the quality will not be there!

Tim

Tom Norton reviewed the exact model you're looking at, the TC-P58V10, which will appear in Home Theater's January 2010 issue. Overall, he liked it quite a bit, giving it a "Top Pick" designation, in part because of its price—only $2700. The blacks weren't as deep as he would have preferred, but it produced a very watchable picture overall.

As for large screen sizes sacrificing picture quality, I strongly disagree with this assertion. I've seen plenty of plasmas and LCDs over 50 inches, and the best ones look great. Also, consider front projectors, which can produce very large images at the same resolution as many flat panels, and I see no sacrifice in picture quality there, at least as long as you sit the appropriate distance from the screen.

Now, it's true that a larger picture does tend to reveal flaws in the source material more than a smaller screen, but that's not the fault of the display. Also, if the display's processing isn't up to snuff, a larger image will reveal that more readily. With a good source and good processing, large-screen flat panels can look spectacular, so I wouldn't let that deter you from getting a 58-inch model or even larger—again, as long as you sit at an appropriate distance from the screen, which is good advice no matter how large or small it is.

If you have a home-theater question, please send it to scott.wilkinson@sorc.com.

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Reader Comments

Posted Fri Nov13, 2009, 1:23 AM — By apipol

Hi Scott I also have a plan to have 50-incher Pana V10. As you said, it seems Tom did not like V-series that much. Many models from viera G-series get a great review from HTmag and because the V-series has better specification than G-series. So, At worst, should V-series give deep black level and picture quality as good as G-serie?

Posted Mon Nov16, 2009, 1:38 PM — By scott Snyder

Hi Tim & Scott: I currently own a TC-P65V10. I have used it for about 4 weeks. It is still in the break in period, so I have not done a calibration. My choices were limited, as I wanted at least a 65" diagonal set. Front projection was not an option. I am currently using the THX settings and keeping the set dim during the break in period. Black levels are very good, colors are surprisingly natural and the scaling is better than expected. It has one real limitation; the glass panel is highly reflective, far worse than I anticipated. For casual viewing and bright scenes this is not an issue, but dark scenes are significantly impacted. I have installed a 6500K bias light behind the panel. For serious viewing I kill other room lights and use the bias light. For casual viewing I don't sweat the reflections. I think this is a great set and one of the best flat panels currently on the market. In its size range, I feel it has no real competition. I suspect this is also true for the 58" version.

Posted Mon Nov16, 2009, 7:56 PM — By Eric

Since this turned into a V10 discussion I thought I would chime in as well. I recently bought the 65 V10. It is an excellent display and I am very happy with it. However, like Tom, I found the black levels were not what I was expecting. The reviews I saw placed it very close to the Pioneer Kuro models. I can't do a back to back, but they seem higher than the Kuros I have seen on display. This disappointed me at first. I thought they would be head and shoulders over my old Sony60A3000. They are better, but not a ton better. Maybe that is simply a testament to the excellent, late, Sony 60A3000. I'm looking forward to your review though. It is still an awesome TV.

Posted Mon Nov16, 2009, 9:28 PM — By Scott Wilkinson

Apipol, I didn't say that "Tom did not like the V-series that much." In fact, he liked it quite a bit; his only reservation was black level, which he measured at 0.006fL. This is quite good, though not nearly as good as a Pioneer Kuro at 0.001fL or less. Even so, the V10 beat both G10s he measured at 0.009fL (46G10) and 0.014fL (42G10). So, the V10 should provide better blacks than the G10, but still not in Kuro territory.

Scott, a reflective screen is one of plasma's drawbacks in general, but it sounds like you're dealing with it well.

Eric, I agree that the Sony A3000 was an awesome RPTV, the best I've ever seen.

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