Posted on 11/04/2009 8:49:48 AM PST by navysealdad
ENGLISH PLEASE!!!!
What do you need to know?
Invited of course... and I don’t see a difference. A guest is a guest, at least at my house. After all, they didn’t come to watch my TV, they came to see me.
I consider leaving the TV on whith guests just as bad as staying on a phone call when people are over and in their presence.
I always ask the caller if I can call back.
What do those initials stand for?? I want to get my husband one, but I have no idea of what.
Go to CNET.com and Consumer Reports for their latest reviews.
Panasonic makes the best plasmas. Plasmas are also more expensive to manufacture than LCD’s. That is why most manufactures are only producing LCD’s now. Plasmas use more electricity. However, I have never noticed the change in my electric bill. If you have the TV in a sunny room the glass on the plasma will refect the sun. You do not need 1080P unless the TV is 50” or bigger. You will not notice the difference. Also, unless you have a Blueray player, you are not ever going to see 1080P. HDTV is 480p over most cable tv. Satelite(DISH/Direct TV) I believe are higher pixels.
The LCD technology has changed a lot in the last 2 years. You now can view them at much more of an angle than 2 years ago. You formerlly had to view them almost straight on. They also do not blur as much during fast action like they did a few years ago.
All said and done, one year ago I bought a 42” Panasonic plasma at Sears for $699. It went on sale since then for $599. If I had bought a LCD I would have bought the Samsung 42”. I just liked the Panasonic better. The sound was better and I do not watch through a home theater system.
Wasn’t it you that gave me a LOT of helpful info on this subject???
It was probably Las Vegas Dave, he handles the HDTV ping list.
Me, I have the Sony Bravia 46", I love it. The Samsung is great tv too, just a tad better for black color but a bit more expensive.
Make sure to get 120 Hrtz vs 60
You said you were looking for LCD or plasma, but have you considered DLP as well? I have a 56” Samsung DLP I got two years ago. Let me inform you of the advantages and disadvantages, because there definitely are some of each.
Advantages:
Excellent picture (color, definition, etc.) At the time I bought it, it had a better picture (in my judgment) than any other TV, whether plasma or LCD.
Very reasonable price, significantly lower than comparably sized LCD or plasma when I bought it. (I haven’t kept up with it lately, so I don’t know if this has changed)
Typically very little goes wrong with a DLP unit, except that the projection lamp is what wears out. When you replace the projection lamp, you essentially have a brand-new TV again in terms of picture quality
Disadvantages:
As the lamp reaches the end of its life, picture quality diminishes somewhat as the brightness fades etc.
The greatest disadvantage for some people (but not for me as explained below) is the limited viewing angle. As you move outside of a certain angle (maybe 30 degrees outside of center, not sure) picture quality goes way down very quickly. Same problem vertically as you move up or down outside of the central viewing area. I decided that this was not a problem for me, because I simply positioned my TV and couch so that I’d be watching the TV from the ideal viewing angle nearly all of the time. If you’re the kind of person always moving around while watching TV, then you’ll probably be moving in and out of a good picture, which would be annoying. Or if you have a Superbowl party with more than dozen or so people, some of them may find themselves with less than a perfect viewing angle.
240Hz is currently state-of-the-art for LCDs, but given current TV definition that comes over the air (by that, I mean cable or dish), 120Hz will probably suit you just fine.
There are plasmas out there with advertised 600Hz screens (the picture IS very good!), but the only really decent plasma out there right now is Panasonic, the one that runs cool (literally as cool as an LCD). Shop around from time to time and you'll find one on sale somewhere, trust me.
If you have the cash to blow on something like this, I'd go with LED or OLED, but, hey, that's just me!
Las Vegas Dave is very knowledgeable on this stuff, and I think you'd profit greatly by FReep mailing him.
Hope you get the right one for you!
CA....
Any thing else?
Purchased a 42” Samsung (a 1080I model) last March after collecting a lot of positive feedback on the brand, comparing specs, and comparing the picture on the showroom floor. I spent less than $500.
Few thoughts:
1. 1080I vs. 1080P. Sales reps may try to sell you 1080P as it is “true high-definition” or to take advantage of the abilities of a blue ray player. Such things may be true, but consider your vision - you may not be able to see a difference. Also consider where the TV will be placed - if you will be viewing from across the room, you may not experience much of a viewing difference.
2. Specs: I used contrast ratio, brightness, and (I think) refresh rate to narrow the choices. I chose the higher values.
3. Brand. Flat TV’s are still a big seller and there’s a number of store-brands and less popular brands to consider. I’d stick with a reputable and popular brand, it might make you more comfortable with the warranty.
4. Ports. Good idea to make sure that the TV has a good variety of connection types on the back, minimally for the type of components you plan to hook up to it. Example: Do you plan to hook up your PC to the TV to use it as a monitor? Do you want a digital optical sound output from your TV to your home theatre? Talk to the sales guy about what you want to hook up and what other things you may buy in the future that would/could hook up to your new TV.
6. See it in person. Go to the store during a week night when there’s not a bazillion customers. Try to narrow your choices before going because the selection can be overwhelming. Have the sales guy put your 2-3 choices side by side while playing the exact same video.
7. Sound. If you plan on using the TV’s internal speakers compare sound quality. I’m obnoxious enough to have also considered the internal amps specs (output in wats, signal to noise ratio in particular).
8. Remote. Nothing more annoying than a TV remote that you have to look at to use. It should fit in your hand, channel and volume controls should be easy, the number pad should have the “5” with something you can feel to distinguish it from the other numbers. A crappy remote can be overcome with a cheap universal remote though.
9. Aesthetics. Since you’ll be staring at it for quite some time... Does it have any sort of annoying marketing material that doesn’t peel off, does it have an annoying “on” indicator, etc. Also- the base should easily swivel, may seem minor but we use this feature every day.
We’re using our 42” Samsung in our bedroom and have had zero problems with it. When we purchase a new TV for our home theatre, we will likely go larger screen and select a 1080P model. Good luck.
self bump
I didn’t know OLED screens were even out yet. I’ve seen LEDs, actually LCD-LEDs, and they are impressive.
That was a good pro/con listing.
The projection bulb IS expensive (figure $300+ for one), but that is a lot, lot cheaper than going out and buying a new set.
It is my understanding that, under “normal” use and wear, the life of the bulb is quite decent (3-5 years, IIRC). Although DLP is waning in popularity (some manufacturers have gotten out of that particular market), and it in fact was never a big market factor, they do provide excellent pictures, are durable, and offer great value for the buck.
Just make sure you have access to replacement bulbs!
CA....
With analog there's a convincing argument to get expensive cables. With digital, it either works or it doesn't. Check places like monoprice.com before shelling out big bucks on your interconnects.
I don’t think they are, either!
Just, if you can wait and have the money, be ready to pounce!
CA....
Great point on an ethernet connection, preferably wireless. We’re considering upgrading our home theater monitor in the Spring and I want to beam pictures, music, and whatever from my PC. In fact, I’m planning on getting the device to wireless-G from my PC to my home theater as well.
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