From: stud1b53@bnr.ca (Anshu Prasad)
Subject: XBR^2 vs Gaoo vs SuperFlat (long)
Keywords: tv
Reply-To: stud1b53@bnr.ca
Organization: Bell-Northern Research Ltd.
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 92 19:23:43 GMT

  As I promised earlier, in response to the email I received
regarding my test results, here is a qualitative and quantitative
summary of what I found when comparing these three tvs.
  Let me preface my remarks by saying I am not as technically
literate as many of those who post to this group, so please
forgive any use of descriptive (rather than technical) language.
In my "QUEST FOR THE ULTIMATE HOME THEATER" (tm), I have no need
for certain capabilities of the monitor.  As I will be using an
A/V receiver and external speakers for audio, I did not test the
audio capabilities of these sets.  In addition, I will be running
S-Video from the "monitor-out" jack of the receiver so I did not
test the relative quality of the comb filters used in each set. 
  Remember as well, that all qualitative statements are my own
opinion.  Your opinion may be different (and I'd be glad to hear
it).

EQUIPMENT:
---------

  Television           Model No.       List Price (CDN $)
  ---------------------------------------------------------
  Sony XBR^2:          32XBR90S (?)    $2899 (monitor only)
  Panasonic Gaoo:      PC-33XF20A      $1999
  Panasonic SuperFlat: PC-33SF80A      $1749
  ---------------------------------------------------------

  LD Player:           Pioneer CLD-D701
                       (connected via S-Video)
                       (provided >420 lines of resolution)

  Video Material:      LD-101: A Video Standard
                       Panasonic Demo Disc
                       Pioneer Demo Disc

  There has been some confusion expressed to me as to the 
difference between the Gaoo and SuperFlat.  According to
the literature, the differences are as follows (applies to
the 33" models only):

  Gaoo                                SuperFlat
  ------------------------------      ---------------
  CCD Comb Filter                     Comb Filter
  audio: 20 watts                     audio: 10 watts
  ACTIVE DM speakers                  DOME II speakers
  headphone jack                      no headphone jack
  PIP                                 no PIP
  Luminance Noise Reduction (YNR)     no YNR

APPEARANCE/CONSTRUCTION:
-----------------------

  The two Panasonic sets look virtually identical.  The XBR^2 is
somewhat deeper (and thus must be moved out from the wall further)
but there are no cosmetic reasons to choose Sony over Panasonic or
vice versa.  However, for flatness of the screen, the Sony is the
winner.  Along any horizontal line, both the Sony and Panasonics
are exceptionally flat.  Along any vertical line, the Sony is
perfectly flat, while the Panasonic has a slight curvature which
means reflections from overhead lighting (especially fluorescent)
is very noticeable (not to mention, annoying).  In my viewing area,
this is not a factor as I will be using halogen lamps aimed towards
the ceiling.
  Upon speaking with a couple of authorized service technicians, I
was told that replacement parts for the Panasonic are, on average,
cheaper than comparable parts for the Sony.  In addition, I was
told that the Sony is a more difficult monitor to repair because of
an excessively complication internal design.  The Panasonics are
said to be more straightforward in design.  I have not looked inside
either set to verify the accuracy of these statements.
  Seeing as how the XBR^2 has only been on display here locally for
about a week, repair history info is hard to come by :-).  I have
not heard about any excessive problems with the Panasonics either
(anyone with this info out there?)

VIDEO CALIBRATION (USING LD-101)
--------------------------------

  I used the instructions provided in the manual of LD-101 to calibrate
all three monitors.  One thing worthy of mention is in regards to 
setting the white level (with the contrast control).
  Using the Needle Pulse test pattern (frame 17175), I was not able to
set the contrast level on the XBR^2 such that the line did not bend
even at the minimum contrast setting  (ie: could not bring it within
its linear operating range).  On the Gaoo, the line would bend only at
the extreme (maximum) setting of the contrast control.  On the SuperFlat,
the line would not bend at all.
  I was able to set the Color and Tint controls on all the sets without
any difficulty.
  At this point, it is worthy to note the relative settings on each of
the sets.  The Panasonic settings were still reasonably close to the
factory default (which is the middle position) whereas the Sony
necessitated that all settings be very low.  When compared to the video
pre-set options on the XBR^2, the optimum settings were closest to the
Movie setting than any of the other presets.  The picture was quite soft
(not very bright) but certainly was very clear with no loss of details
(in fact, with most of the pre-sets, the details seemed to wash out).
  Upon viewing such frames as the SMPTE Color Bar Pattern (frame 17177),
the difference between the Sony and Panasonic monitors became quite
obvious.  The magenta bar was noticeably pinkish on the Panasonics, while
it seemed a much truer magenta on the Sony.  The cyan bar was slightly
greener on the Panasonic than it appeared on the Sony (which, again, 
seemed to represent a truer cyan bar).
  As for gray scaling, the Sony certainly looked grey and made a smooth
transition from white to black.  The Panasonics, on the other hand, had
a slight bluish tint to their grey scale and did not move from white to
black as smoothly (seemed to "jump" slightly in incremental stages).

GENERAL QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS
----------------------------

  Upon viewing many of the sequences in the disc, such as the canyon
scene, some differences between the Panasonics and the Sony became
apparent (and, to some extent, quantifiable).  In the canyon scene,
the trees were more distinct on the Sony, as were the sharp edges of
the rocks (of course, this was while viewing the sets from only a few
feet away).  It was difficult to say at this point whether or not the
color representation of one tv was better than the others.
  However, during chapters two and four, it became clear that the Sony
was a little better at representing truer flesh tones, and more natural
coloration of hair.  My use of the terms "truer" and "natural" are
ambiguous, and for this I apologize.  The difference was really
only noticeable because I was doing an A/B type test, and thus I could
make comparative judgements.  This is not to say that people and their
hair look the wrong color on the Panasonics, just that they don't look
as "right" as they do on the Sony.
  Overall, all three sets were quite impressive.  At this point, a
casual look around the store at the other tv's (connected to a different
LD player) made me appreciate just how much better these three looked.
Of course, the others were not properly adjusted, but I don't think they
should have looked THAT bad by comparison (includind JVC and RCA).

CONCLUSION
----------

  It may be apparent by now (for those of you that bothered to read this
far) that I have made very little distinction between the Gaoo and the
SuperFlat.  That is because, for my test, the two sets were virtually
identical and performed as such.  I would guess that much of the
difference in price between the Gaoo and SuperFlat is as a result of the
speakers and the audio amplifier.  As I will not normally use the tv's
speakers, this is of no consequence to me.  Also, because I was running
S-Video in, the difference in comb filters between the two units was not
a factor (the Pioneer LD player boasts three in-line comb filters for
luminance/chrominance separation).
  So, the only difference was really between Sony and Panasonic, and not
individual models.  The Sony IS the better tv, IMO.  From the point of
view of "what would I rather sit and watch", I would pick the Sony.  The
real sticking point is the price.  The best ADVERTISED price of the
SuperFlat (locally) is $1599 CDN including Panasonic stand.  The best
ADVERTISED price of the XBR^2 is $2899 plus $298 for the optional Sony
stand.  This is a difference of about $1600!  That means I could buy TWO
Panasonic SuperFlats for the price of ONE Sony XBR^2.  And, I would at
least have speakers in the SuperFlat, while the Sony would REQUIRE I use
an external audio system.  For the slight difference in picture quality,
I'll be buying the Panasonic.

EPILOGUE
--------

  I hope this has been of some value to someone.  Just for those who
might be interested, my "QUEST FOR THE ULTIMATE HOME THEATER" (tm) is
starting to pan out as follows:

  Panasonic SuperFlat 33" Television
  Pioneer CLD-D701 Laser Disc Player
  Mitsubishi HS-U67 SVHS VCR
  Yamaha RX-V1050 Pro-Logic Amplifier
  Definitive Technology BP-10 Bipolar Front Speakers
                        BP-2  Bipolar Surround Speakers
                        C1    Center Channel Speaker
  M&K Powered Subwoofer (model not yet determined)

  Any comments or questions are welcomed.  Let me close by saying that
I make no guarantee of the accuracy of any my results and that this text
was provided for informational purposes only.  I am not affiliated with
Sony, Panasonic or any other electronics manufacturer or distributor 
mentioned in this article.

-- 
   __ ___  
  /\ \ \ \  Anshu Prasad                        stud1b53@bnr.ca
 /--\ \/_/  Ottawa, Ontario, CANADA
/_/  \_\    All opinions are my own, not my employer's, BNR Ltd

 
Newsgroups: rec.video