Yeah, not exactly BIFL but I am looking for a 50+ inch plasma tv for semi-retro gaming. I have some consoles that I want to hook up and I don’t want to deal with smart bullshit. Does anyone have a recommendation? I remember Pioneer being really nice back in the early 00s but I never knew anyone who had one long term.
I love my 46" Panasonic Viera. It’s my only TV.
https://www.crutchfield.com/S-HuEUaS67Frk/p_13346PZ80/Panasonic-TH-46PZ80U.html
Apparently some of these had power supply issues, but mine still works flawlessly. I got it second hand from someone who almost never used it. Everything works.
The only flaw: Panasonic built it to reject 1080p over component input. My PS3 supports 1080p over component, and the console believes it’s transmitting signal, but the TV rejects it and only shows a blank screen.
Panasonic cowtowed to the film industry, who didn’t want 1080p to be available without HDMI’s copy protection. So the TV blanks it out.
Probably not a huge problem for you, but worth keeping in mind depending on what you plan to hook up.
I wasn’t able to acquire one but can attest, with research I learned that the Viera is one of the best choices, if not the best, for the combined SD/HD compatibility of composite out, HDMI and (some models) SCART in, a large screen that complements any input, and a solid build quality that’s withstood time so far. The backlight might be a failure point, but despite its age isn’t impossible to repair.
I’ll add that I’ve successfully used my original NES and SNES on this TV, and they work perfectly!
I’d keep them both hooked up to it full-time, but my limiting factor is space around the TV, and not inputs.