Is 720P format dead?

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

Thanks again for the input. So I guess now I want to try and figure out if the Philips is a first tier maker. The European models are supposed to be top rate and "certain" models in the west are as well.

The 5 series that I posted about. Here is what that guy who works for Philips has said

I have tested the 5505 (Pre Prod) since November 2009 ... and also did the FMF (Fast Market Feedback) test on that model ... If you don't care about internet on the TV, the 5505 has really good picture quality. Mainly because of 1D Dimming and the Scanning Backlight which makes it a 240Hz class panel. There were many changes made to improve the PQ during FMF, it also has decent speakers.

It has a static contrast ratio of 7000:1 & 10 bit (8 bit + 2 bit dithering) Color Support.

Also, FYI ... all Philips 2010 5 & 7 series TVs have Samsung panels, not LG. 2009 6 & 7 series had LG panels.

AND

The Samsung & Philips are almost identical in terms of PQ performance, its upto you really.

AND

"Digital Natural Motion" i.e. TV interpolates video frames vs. doing a simple frame repeat to achieve the panels 120Hz refresh rate is something you eventually get used to.

Film content used to be shot at 24fps simply because of technological limitations back in the day. I wish studios started shooting movies at a higher film rate. Simply because real 60 fps looks way better than 24 interpolated to 120.

You will get used to DNM, and once you do, you'll start hating the 24fps judder (which I have no clue, why people still like) ...

AND

Well, I work for P&F USA, so I have access to the entire line-up in the lab so I have tested all of them. I also personally own the 5505.

In terms of pure picture quality and black levels, the 5000 series (120Hz panel + scanning backlight = 240Hz class & 1D local dimming) beats the 7 series (120Hz panel with edge-lit LED) hands down.

The only reason why the 7000 series is more expensive is cos it is an LED panel, which also means the boards used inside the TVs are more expensive to manufacture and just cos its LED-LCD, & as of now all LED-LCDs cost more than CCFL-LCDs.



The problem for me is that I can't see any rating sites that make direct comparisons. When I look at the specs the Philips seems to beat the hell out of the other models for similar prices at Future Shop and they seem to have their own uniquely designed systems but I have no clue because my learning curve on this is so far non-existent. If the specs don't matter and it boils down the design that is not quantifiable in numbers then it makes it very difficult.

It's not like the Philips is cheaper - it's actually a $150 more than some of the same sized Sony and Samsung models. The screen is first tier Samsung, so it seems to come down to the quality of the picture but without some sort of fair comparison all that is left is the specs and they seem to be considerably better.

1ms response time - lower is better no? That suggests that motion would be a considerably better and from just looking at in store it is a lot better than my Sony Bravia 120hz 8ms model. But Woochifer noted that there is not an equal calibration - maybe mine is off and the Philips is spot on out of the box?

Then there is the Aquas that people seem to like and Panasonic supporters.

I am not opposed to buying Korean - just traded my Toyota Corolla that was a break down machine for a Kia. Love my LG phone and I lived in Korea for 2 years - so I'm quite happy to own a Samsung - but the Philips is using the same panel - so does my Sony I believe.

Pay absolutely no attention to manufacturers response times on their panel. They are using the results of half of the testing(the easiest for a pixel to accomplish) to arrive at their response time figures. They are using the off/on measurement instead of the less marketable and flattering off/on/off measurement. There are no panels in existance(not even my high priced Sony XBRpro model) that can acheive a 1ms panel response time.

[RGA]

Sounds to me like Philips is being rather dishonest using numbers as a marketing too. I checked CNET and some other sites and I think I am probably better off with a 120hz Samsung. They and Sony have slimmer televisions out as well and the prices are not that far off.

Thanks.