Posted on 11/29/2005 11:24:04 PM PST by This Just In
Good evening, FReepers. We are not hooked up to satellite or cable, but view DVD's and video's on occasion. I am shopping to purchase a television and it's been quite a while since we've bought a new set. As a matter of fact, it has been so long that I have come to realize they don't make televisions the way they used to.
Just as going out to simply buy yourself a cup of java has become a major undertaking(For goodness sakes, one must take a class in: How To Order At Starbucks, just to navigate your way through the process. Why, just a few weeks ago we visited family in Las Vegas. I went to a trendy coffee shop. Ordered a hot cup of coffee. And when they called my name, I stood there perplexed as I looked at the COLD, dark, drink which I held that was covered with frothy cream and a light dusting of cocoa powder. Not wanting to draw attention to my ignorance while standing in the midst of what seemed like a mob of coffee connoisseur's on the verge of caffeine withdrawal's if they didn't get their fix, I confidently strode out of the cafe', artifully placed the horrid tasting drink in the recepticle, and promptly began experiencing caffeine withdrawals as I drove off and made my way to the nearest McDonalds), purchasing a television is no longer simply deciding what size screen you wish to buy, and/or how much you wish to spend.
There is the question of whether or not you want a flat screen. Do you want your television mounted on a pedestal? There's the "pixel" factor, and finally, do you want a plasma, LCD, HDTV, or ???????????
Now, I must inform all of you that we live in a remote area of the country. So remote, in fact, that Santa ignores us all together. Christmas shopping, if we choose to drive somewhere, is quite an undertaking. We must travel a long distance. To save us the hassle, we often times shop online.
Which brings me, finally, to my question. Would someone please explain what a "Plasma" television is, and what is the difference between a "Plasma" and "LCD"?
Your input would make my shopping far more convenient and hassle free than ordering a simple hot cup of coffee at Starbucks.
Forever Grateful, TJI
I'll be watching this thread. I have the same questions.
We want to build a media room in the basement.
I've considered big ol' flat screen TV's, and projector TV's.
I have NO idea what to do.
Maybe I should do as Ralph Cramden once did: Wait for 3-D television.
That sounds alot like what we want to do in our basement.
I'm not as impressed by the projector TV's as I once was. I'm told that a real good one costs $10K +.
YIKES!
bookmark... thanks.
No blood for televisions.
Great question. I am going to wait until January (the best time to buy TVs btw) but I was wondering about all this stuff.
I will sit back and watch the FReeper Geeks help you (and me) out for this one.
"the liquid is plasma extracted from the human body."
Aaaaaaarrrrrggghh!
:0))
I've noticed that there's one aspect to TV shopping that is often neglected...that is the TV's contrast ratio. This aspect is really critical when it comes to watching DVDs of any movie shot on film. Film has a wide latitude when it comes to showing both shadow details and highlight details. The greater the TV's contrast ratio the better you'll see those rich shadow details without the washed out highlight areas. To my eyes, LCDs fail or perform poorly in this regard. Plasmas are better, but regular picture-tube technology still offers the best on balance: sharpness, contrast ratio, life span, etc.
I just read that Popular Science says picture-tube TVs are still the gold standard...and mentioned that a flat-screen picture-tube TV, called an SED, will be in the market next year. SEDs will have better contrast and better color than either LCDs or plasmas, consume less power, and will cost less then plasmas.
As an aside, I think its self-defeating when people buy a large screen TV and spend a lot of money to get that movie theater feel....and then sit so far back from the screen they've negated that viewing distance to screen size ratio you get in the theater. Sitting closer though magnifies the quality differences between one TV technology and the other.
I don't really watch TV, so I cannot offer any advice for them.
:(
I am a technological philistine!
:_)
What is a Plasma television
"Plasma from the human body?!!!--My, television technology has come a long way."
The hidious secret is that it slowly sucks your plasma out via low frequency osmosis while you watch unaware that it is happening.
Gas in the plasma state is used to react with phosphors in each sub pixel to produce colored light (red, green, or blue).
This might seem like heresy, but if I had a couple grand to throw at a TV, I would spend a few weeks actually looking at them in a lot of different stores. The flat panel TVs I see are all so different from each other that I wouldn't even recommend one brand over another.
For my taste the really good LCD TVs look better than plasma, but are smaller. I'd rather have a sharp and bright picture than really big. Projection TVs look dim and washed out to me.
There are some new rear projection TVs that have video projectors hidden away. These look good, but you are looking at several hundred dollars for bulb replacement avery couple thousand hours. This could get expensive if you leave the thing on all day.
That is the best explanation I have ever read.
LOL!
They are probably still usable 5 years out, so I won't dispute your comments. By that point, with heavy use, however, I would suspect that there would be a marked deterioration in the screen quality, and likely some screen burn from network logos.
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