OT: --- TV advice Needed Before Purchase

[JMCAquarium]

Since I'm alittle ahead of my bills and It's about to time to replace my 6 year old 32 in sonyo Tube TV in my room with the lastest and greatest.
Besides the fact one is plasam and one is LDC what would be best of my buck or are both TV's not so good??? What is the "real"diffrence between the two ? I have no idea and have done no research on them as of yet but you guys are full of comments and knowledge I figured i would ask before i went searching.
Note the LCD has had "clouding " issues when the screen is black ...what ever that is but it has only been on certain batches.
The plasma is well a plasma besides that fact I know nothing about them all the input and knowledge ya'll care spare I will take as $1,000+ for aTV is nothing to sneeze at in my book.

Or even if you guys know of some place local that will finance and has a nice selection please feel free to E-mail me. As i am ahead of the game but don't have $1k+ to drop in one shot.
JonathanAquarium@aol.com

Specs:
SONY BRAVIA 1080P LCD HDTV - 46IN
RETURN POLICY NO RETURNS ALLOWED
BUNDLE SKU 233812
MODEL KDL-46W4100
TYPE LCD
SCREEN SIZE 46 IN
WARRANTY 1 YEAR LIMITED
RESOLUTION 1920 X 1080
CONNECTORS HDMI, S-VIDEO, COMPONENT
SPEAKERS BUILT IN
WIDTH 38.8 IN
HEIGHT 25.4 IN
DEPTH 4.3 IN
WEIGHT 44.1 LBS
ADDITIONAL ITEM NO ADDITIONAL ITEMS


Specs:
LG PLASMA TV - 50IN
RETURN POLICY NO RETURNS ALLOWED
BUNDLE SKU 230813
MODEL 50PG30
TYPE PLASMA
SCREEN SIZE 50IN
WARRANTY 1 YEAR PARTS & LABOR
RESOLUTION 1920 X 1080
CONNECTORS HDMI, S-VIDEO, COMPONENT
SPEAKERS BUILT IN
WIDTH 48.4IN
HEIGHT 31.2IN
DEPTH 3.3IN
WEIGHT 84.4LBS
ADDITIONAL ITEM NOT INCLUDED


TY

 

[psimitry]

Kinda depends on what you're going to be doing with it. Plasmas used to have a REALLY nasty problem of burning in. They also tend to run hot in the room and they also used to have a problem with the plasma gas in them becoming exhausted over a time. Hence the phrase I used to use for them: They heat your home in the winter, burn-in, and burn-out.

Fortunately, most of these problems have been fixed. They don't run AS hot, they don't burn-in AS easily, and they don't burn out AS quickly.

However, Plasma TVs have by far, by FAR the best looking picture. The image on a plasma tv just absolutely cannot be matched by any other technology (with the exception of Direct View CRT, but I can't imagine trying to lift a 50" non-projection CRT).

LCDs on the other hand, have been getting cheaper for what you get. Yes, it can have the clouding effect (depending on what kind of technology is lighting it up), and it definitely DOES have the whole "screen door" effect if you get close to it.

But they are by far the best if you plan on hooking up a video game console or a computer up to it. They don't burn in. Ever.

So basically, the choice comes down to the activity you're going to be doing with it. If you're going to be watching HDTV or movies, then Plasma might be the way to go. If you're going to be running video games on it, definitely go with the LCD.

In other news, Vizio is coming out with a 240Hz LED backlit LCD setup soon. I am sooooo quivering in anticipation.

 

[OwenInAZ]

I love my Vizio. We have the 37" LCD Costco job, so it's not the tippety top of HD, but it goes to 1080 p (i? whichever one is lower) and runs the 360 just fine

 

[psimitry]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14790342#post14790342 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by OwenInAZ
I love my Vizio. We have the 37" LCD Costco job, so it's not the tippety top of HD, but it goes to 1080 p (i? whichever one is lower) and runs the 360 just fine

Neither is lower, actually. The resolution is the same, it's all about how they refresh the image on the screen. "I" means interlaced, meaning that only every other line gets refreshed per screen cycle, and "p" means that every line gets refreshed every cycle. The p will technically produce a more fluid picture, but if you're watching movies or whatnot on it, it's not REALLY going to make a difference.

It's why that TV I mentioned above coming out is significant. First, since it's lit up by LED lighting, it will eliminate the clouding of LCD screens (because it's lit by an LED array across the entire screen, as opposed to fluorescents along the perimeter of the screen), and because it's 240Hz, that means that it refreshes the screen four times more often than a standard TV (HD or Standard) for the most absolutely smooth image you can imagine.

And since I mentioned that it's a Vizio earlier, and I'm totally salivating over it, you should be able to guess my opinion on Vizio TVs (hint: they're an AWESOME ratio of price/performance, and therefore awesome)

Edit: and the reason your TV runs the 360 just fine is that the VAST majority of games on the 360 run in 720 resolution. Very few run in 1080. And I don't think the Xbox will run games in 1080 if it doesn't support progressive scan in hat mode, so it will automatically switch to 720.

 

[Elliott]

psimitry, any idea how competitively priced the new Vizio will be and how large a screen?

 

[lurch]

I have a 46 in toshiba 1080p LCD TV. PS3 games run at 1080p and look awesome. My bluray movies look great on it too.

 

[chiahead]

I went back and forth on this decision as well when I bought mine...I have a 52" Sharp Aquos...I couldnt be happier...it has great blacks, contrast ratio, angle viewing, and it was cheaper than the Plasma equivalent. If plasmas look better than LCD's its only a minute difference and most normal tv viewers prob wouldnt even notice the difference. Best advice I could give is find a store that you can view it in action and thoroughly compare it to the others. Before I bought mine I viewed it in the store. even though some reviews said other tvs looked better than the one I bought I disagreed once I saw it in the store. People just have different views of what looks good and what doesnt so every tv set will have mixed reviews. Good luck

 

[buffalobunch]

I know you probably don't watch as much tv as we do here having 3 kids, but one of the deciding factors for us was the plasma tv has so many hours of life. The LCD's didn't. We have a 42" Vizio 1080 p and couldn't be happier. The PS3 and the blueray is awesome. I have never had a "cloudy" screen either. We got ours at Costco 3 years ago.

 

[Red Sox Fan]

Great advice on go to the store and watch them. My advice go to 2 stores and watch them. There are a couple stores in the valley that change the contrast, brightness on the tv's they do not want to sell to make the picture look not as good as others. I was shocked at the difference in the picture from store to store, Found out some stores pay bonuses to move certain sets and if they are low or out of stock on a unit they do that also

 

[truthdesigns]

I just bought a samsung 37" from Walmart for under $600
Its 980p LCD But with HDMI Its awsome!!!

 

[Veganman]

I have 2 Sharp 48" LCDs from Costco and I love them!
They are so much better than the Samsung LCD I bought from DBL.

The Samsung lasted 13 months, then it stopped turning on. Per Samsung's "stellar" customer service:
"please ship the tv back to us"
LOL!!!!
That's realistic!
I sent it off off for recycling instead.

Common problems with Samsung per Google. They stop turning on and Samsung customer service is notoriously unhelpful. Steer clear!


I don't know of anyone who finances.

Sharp or Sony good IMO. Mitsubishi and LG I have been told are good as well.

My in-laws have both Plasma and LCDs. I don't see the difference with their TVs.

 

[chiahead]

one thing you will also have to consider if your going into a big screen is your video or source inputs....if you do not have any hi def sources now it will surely be wanted on a big screen....I was surprised at how crappy reg TV looked on the big screen...almost made me wish I never bought the TV....but once I got some HD inputs....totally night and day difference......just a few things you may wanna think about before taking the plung....of course the bigger TV you get the more you will want the HD sources

 

[iCook]

We purchased a 46" Samsung LCD 2 years ago and to this day it is a great tv. We have had no issues with it. We have a PS3 hooked up to it and the games look awesome as do the blu ray movies. We did a lot of research before purchasing and we went with LCD over Plasma because we would be running the PS3. Like other people have said, it really does come down to what you will be using it for. I personally don't see a difference between either LCD or Plasma, but I'm not the one playing the video games on it. We also went to Fry's Electronics to get our tv. They have some really great deals and we found it was cheaper than Best Buy or Circuit City for the tv we wanted. Hope that helps! Good luck with choosing a tv!

 

[psimitry]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14791454#post14791454 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Elliott
psimitry, any idea how competitively priced the new Vizio will be and how large a screen?

From what I've heard, they're talking $1999 for a 55" screen available (initially) exclusively at Costco. They haven't come out yet, but I think they'll be out in like July or August.

 

[Elliott]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14794973#post14794973 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by psimitry
From what I've heard, they're talking $1999 for a 55" screen available (initially) exclusively at Costco. They haven't come out yet, but I think they'll be out in like July or August.

is this the set you recommend? Maybe I'll wait for it, thanks

 

[psimitry]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14795039#post14795039 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Elliott
is this the set you recommend? Maybe I'll wait for it, thanks

It will pretty much be the most technically advanced LCD screen on the market when it comes out. That said, I can't speak to whether or not it will look any better. But if my LED backlit laptop is any indication, it's going to look damned sexy.

 

[Stirfry001]

I have a 50" LG Plasma and I love it. I have my PS3 hooked up and the blue rays look awesome on it. It does put out some heat if you get within a couple inches. Not sure how much it actually heats up the house.
Instead of going to the different stores, you should go to different houses so not only can you look at the tv's but you can look at the tanks too!!!

 

[bmilleraz]

I have two sharp LCD's a 36" in the bedroom and 52" in the living room, both Aquos.

Haven't had a single problem and they put off a great picture. I would do the same purchase again.

From what I've been told, probably a sales pitch... If you buy an LCD, Sharp is the way to go.

Samsung is known for their DLP's.

And from my understanding Pioneer makes some really nice Plasma TV's.

However, I've heard nothing but great things about Vizio's. I'm sure you can't go wrong with your pick.

 

[psimitry]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14795839#post14795839 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bmilleraz
Samsung is known for their DLP's.

And from my understanding Pioneer makes some really nice Plasma TV's.

Protip: turns out Samsung has been having a LOT of customer complaints about their DLPs. Some had heard that the bulbs burn out and have to be replaced, some haven't. But apparently a lot of samsung's DLP chips have been burning out (I read somewhere that they run their bulbs hotter to produce a brighter picture and that in-turn burns out the DLP chips).

Either way, sony's LCD projection looks better than DLP anyway, the bulb doesn't burn out, and is about the same price.

Pioneer does indeed make nice plasmas. But <gasp!> they officially announced their intent to exit the plasma TV market!

 

[chiahead]

The Pioneer Kuro is an awesome Plasma but so is the price....now that there gonna stop making them they may turn into collector TV's