Posted on 07/18/2007 7:55:12 PM PDT by Blood of Tyrants
Okay, I am going to spend some of my mad money for a large screen HDTV. I want either a LCD or Plasma TV, no projection tv's. I want 1080p resolution. I'll have around $2000 to spend. What I need is advice on what is good, what sucks, what breaks, what keeps on working, plasma tv life expectancy, etc.
Hit me!
Last year, or perhaps early this year, I read that Samsung had become the new Sony, vis a vis reputation for quality and design, etc, bought a Samsung product (my first cell phone was a Samsung, and I’d liked that), a combo DVD/VHS, and having used it for some months, as well as using another model of DVD/VHS also by Samsung, I very much doubt I’ll ever buy a Samsung again.
In any case, I’m going to wait to buy — when the analog TV signal dies in 18 months or so, more options should be available (besides laser TV someone mentioned above, there are at least two other technologies in the pipeline), interfaces should be better, prices should be half or less what they are today, and an enormous used market should be already out there.
Thanks.
And don’t forget the spinning color wheel and bulbs in DLP projectors - more things to go wrong and, in the case of the wheel and cooling fan, make noise. Then there’s the “rainbow effect”. There are DLPs on the market now (Samsung, I think, probably others) that use LEDs for their light source.
Personally, I just don’t much care for the way rear projection looks. Give me direct-view every time.
I’ve read about half the posts on this thread and gave up looking. In all the advice you’re getting, has anyone asked some very pertinent questions?
- What is the optimal TV size you need? There are readily available room size charts to determine the correct size for your needs. Too big is a problem. Don’t let anyone tell you it isn’t.
- What is the lighting of the room where it is going? Is it a dedicated Home Theater room with controlled lighting or is it going in the family room with a big, old double window along the wall? Reflected light on a plasma screen is an issue.
- How much time will you spend watching the set? If the set is going to be used for movies and gaming, that would be different from a set that will be used to watch all the regular stuff that you’ve been watching on a tube TV.
hdguru.com is a starting point, in my opinion. There are tons of other considerations.
As a last piece of advice, please accept anecdotal evidence of great/poor performance for what it is. A lot of owners (of ANYTHING) will tell you their model is the one to have. It’s human nature to want to get an endorsement of our decisions. Also, when someone tells you ‘XXXX is junk’ or things like that, take them with a grain of salt. Do some research or require someone who says ‘avoid...’ to give you some non-anecdotal evidence. For instance, Sharp Aquos has been known to suffer from banding in the past. Find out via reviews from technical / consumer sites and articles if this matters or if the manufacturer has addressed the problem.
In the interest of disclosure, I don’t own an HDTV set yet, as I’m sort of in the same boat as you. I’m shopping, but not at all ready to pull the trigger.
Best of luck on the search and let us all know how you made out.
I agree. Most people just buy the big screen and use the speakers on the TV.
If they don't get the 5.1 surround sound with a big honkin' sub-woofer they are really missing out. Especially for movies.
I’ve reviewed some of these HDTVs personally (both LCD and Plasma). In general I prefer plasma for reproduction of moving images, color reproduction and black levels/contrast, but there are some LCD sets that are better than some plasma sets. Resolution (1920x1080 vs. 1366x768) really isn’t the most important measurement of a set (particularly at normal viewing distances), but all else being equal, a 1080p set is sharper than a 768p or 720p set.
I think the current “best” bang-for-the-buck and possibly the best set out there under $3K in the 50-inch size would be the new 1080p Panasonic plasmas. A little outside your price range but not much ($2600). Here’s a link:
http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/panasonic-1080p-plasma-1139.shtml
I’ve set up and calibated one of these for a friend and was very impressed by the detail and color accuracy. No visible image retention and minimal reflectivity of the screen. This is the one I would get if I were buying today.
-CB
Glad I could help. I had the same problem you did. But having 8 of my 9 inputs on my XBR3 being used I couldn’t deal anymore and someone at AVSforum clued me in.
Another trick is to go into setup and edit your external inputs not being used to skip mode. So then you scroll right past the input like its not there.
Actually, Panasonic 42-inch plasmas have a resoluton of 1024x768, not 1280x720. They use rectangular plasma pixels in order to present a natural 16:9 aspect ratio. Most 42-inch plasmas are 1024x768 resolution (Pioneer, Vizio, Samsung, etc.).
But Panasonic did just release their first 1080p plasma in the 42-inch size (earlier this month). Not cheap though - $2499 list. I think the 50-inch model is a better value.
-CB
Hey clamper1797
I’ve been researching HDTV’s for a long time now, through reading the posts at avsforum.com - but, I’ve seen very little information regarding Laser Hdtv sets. In fact.. none.
So, I’d like to ask you a few questions.. for instance, are they really going to be available by Christmas of 2007?
Also, I KNOW that most LCDs, and Plasmas as well, have tremendous problems with “Motion Blurring” and “Judder” in fast motion scenes. Will the Laser HDTV solve this problem utilizing Frame Interpolation, at 120 hz? How will Laser HDTVs solve the Motion Blurring problems?
Are these sets going to be available in various sizes ? (42 inch, 55 inch, 60 inch?) I’d like to know a little about specifications as well..
Oh, yes..and where will these sets be available to view during the upcoming Christmas season? I’d sure like to SEE them in action! What Brand names are we looking for?
Most importantly, for all lot of us, the real question is, what price range are the Laser HDTV sets going to be set at? Many of us are not wealthy..but most of us might be able to look at sets within the 1,000 to 2,500 K range.
Sorry for all of the questions, but this is the first time I’ve had the opportunity to inquire of anyone regarding these new type of HDTV sets. Thanks for your patience with me..
Right, 1024x768. I was thinking of the 37”, which (if they still even sell it) is only 1024x720. They still look pretty good, though.
So, I have to ask: Which XMAS? Do you really think that production models will be in large distribution in six months?
Heeeeeyyy......that sound great. I'm looking forward to spending many, many hours days weeks months at your home watching lots of stuff. :-)
Where do you live? ;-)
DO NOT buy the gold-plated cable myth. The $20 HDMI cables work just as well as the gold plated Monster cables. It’s a digital signal. Any cable that delivers the data is exactly as good as any other. The picture is identical.
Remember. Your HDMI cable is going to be about 4 feet long. Even cheap, crappy cables work for that distance.
Actually, I got the HDMI cable from the cable company. I dont know if that was “normal” or not. I am sure they didnt pay a lot for them. It helps to ask though. What can they say?
You are correct; a 12 pack and I mix up Composite/RCA and Component.
Some TV’s look better with component vs. HDMI because they can’t handle the imput stream of the wider bandwith produced by HDMI. It’s much like when you stream a video online at a higher speed than your connection allows, only on a minor level.
Look at the pictures side-by-side in the electronics store; Sony has the best picture. Mitsubishi is sometimes a close second.
I’ve done that. They don’t. Thanks.
My carbon footprint is bigger than yours! I’m proud of it as I am fertilizing all the trees and plants with the food (CO2) they need. The more electronic stuff I buy the more I turn the planet green! I’m a greenie!!
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