need a new tv

[semagic]

we have two 32" tv's lcd one lg and the other samsung. couldn't tell the differance really in the picture between them both have their highs and lows. recently saw an ad at circuit city for a 50" plasma lg for 1100.00 otd and pulled the trigger on it. it has a bright picture with crisp clean colors. i think i like the plasma picture the best.

[mccullpl]

"Plasmas offer the best contrast since they (unlike LCDs) can do true black. They're also the most power hungry (use more than a tube Tv). They are also prone to burn-in."

Lots of good info, but these points aren't really true. Plasmas can consume a lot more energy than an LCD, but the consumption depends on what it being displayed. Think of it as each pixel being a light bulb. If the displayed image is mostly dark, not too many pixels on (or at least not on full bright), it's not going to be using a lot of power. A bright white screen would be using a lot more (probably the rated amount?...not sure).

As for 'burn-in', plasmas don't really do that anymore. There are image retention issues, but that goes away after a short time of watching something without any static images. I have a 2 year old 720p Panasonic that gets more xbox played than tv watched, and haven't had any problems. If I play the same game for a few hours with a static image (Forza2 or Burnout Paradise, for example) That image will be retained until I watch TV for a while (or play a different game).

From my research, plasmas have the best picture quality, but if you have a bright room, and can't control the lighting, then an LCD might be better.

Hope that helps!
Pat

[ABSOLUT CHARVEL]

I have a 32" Vizio plasma in my bedroom and a 42" Vizio plasma in the family room. Both have been great with no issues and the 42" is mostly used for the 360XBOX with no burn in issues.

[Venomboy]

Update:

My less than 1 month old Panasonic 50" plasma 1080p TV won't turn on.

Googled it and it turns out for YEARS Panasonic plasmas have power issues. Didn't find that in all the review threads of the TV on the AVS forum. But when I searched the forum for specific problems, tons of threads turned up. Called Panasonic today they're supposed to have a tech get back to me. I am freaking pissed.

Lessons learned:
When you're researching your TV, do a search for that TV with the words PROBLEMS in the search field.

I bought mine directly from Panasonic thru their employee discount program. Not sure if I can return it or not. Some people are saying to buy from a local retailer so you can return it no questions asked and no hassles.

I'm contemplating returning it to Panasonic (if they'll take it) and maybe buying something local. Not sure yet.

Today I bought a Vizio 32" 720p LCD for my boys. Paid $529 from Costco. So far, so good. Pic isn't nearly as good as the Panasonic but it's nice. The non HDTV stuff looks worse than the HDTV stuff. Seems like there's more difference in quality between the different feeds than on the Panasonic. The remote feels cheaper as does the TV as a whole. But I wasn't looking for top of the. Just something for gaming and DVDs.

Hope I didn't derail the thread too much.

[AlexL]

I have been in the professional video industry for 20 years, and was into home theater long before anyone knew what the phrase Home Theater meants.

Spivionious' reply was excellent. He stated a lot of what I was going to say.

I recently bought a 46" LCD panel for our living room. I went with LCD due to burn-in issues on Plasmas. So, despite the lack of tru blacks on an LCD, I thought it was a good trade off, knowing that if the kids left a DVD menu on all afternoon that it wouldn't burn into the screen phosphor. Due to their inherent design, plasmas are susceptible to burn in. Plain and simple.

After much research, I bought a Samsung LN46A650. I've been very happy with it, knowing that it is for general, daily family viewing. For critical movie viewing, I use my theater in the basement which has a 3 CRT ceiling mounted projector, which will give you better blacks than any other display device out there. Yes, CRT projectors are susceptible to burn-in, but my kids aren't allowed to use that room unless my wife and I are supervising.

E.

[drockilles]

Another LCD user here, Samsung 32". As far as the black thing goes, are you Nigel Tufnel? Black is black, none more included. Really does not matter unless you are a display nazi. Hell, if the black here on the JCF is satisfying enough for you (most likely through an LCD display), an LCD TV will be fine.
One thing to take note of, is the connection you use. I can't speak for satellite tv, i have a cable box. If you have a cable box, the HDMI cables will be expensive for it, and standard definition tends to look like shit for a lot of channels if you use an HDMI cable. I run 2 outputs out of my box, HDMI for the HD channels, and component for regular channels. Bottom line, make sure whatever TV you buy has enough inputs to suit your needs. I'd recommend at least 3 HDMI (HDTV, Blue Ray player, gaming console, etc), and two component (anything else).
My 2 cents

[AlexL]

If you have a cable box, the HDMI cables will be expensive for it...

DO NOT buy your HDMI cables at Best Buy, or any other retailer! That is where they make their money.

Check a place like this out: about a third of the cost it would be at Best Buy:

http://www.ebuyhd.com/

I just ordered a wall mount for my TV, some HDMI cables, some network cables, and some wall plates for 80.00. THat's about what they wanted for a single 10 ft. HDMI cable at Best Buy.

E.

[nhspike]

"fuck solid state man, gotta have tubes!"

I wonder what percentage of forum bros has gotten off their ass to change a channel.

Or, to adjust the vertical hold... ding ding ding ding ding ugh...

Remember that shit?

LOL

[Rich#6]

I here pro and cons of both of those types of TVs. Most people that I have talked to say go for the LCD because of the burn in and the heat a plasma gives off. BUT you must get HD service or all the extra cash you spend isn't worth a shit. I myself went for the biggest I could afford and bought a 61" rear projection TV w/stand for $1300 at costco. Makes me dizzy sometimes.

[AlexL]

BUT you must get HD service or all the extra cash you spend isn't worth a shit.

We have the absolute lowest cable package available (9.95/month), which basically replaces the antenna in our attic. But we now get more HD channels than we could with our antenna. So you still get HD channels, even if you don't drop 100.00/month on the "Digital Supreme HD" package.

Plus, we bought a Blu-ray player a few weeks ago for 400.00. A Sony BDP-S350, which is the newest generation that will allow for web interactivity in the fall.

We're pretty much set now. I do want to get an appleTV unit at some point as well, to see if that is a better alternative than renting DVDs.


E.

[Venomboy]

Also try www.monoprice.com for cables. Really cheap, high quality cables.

[Chrisb]

I sell Home Theater for a living and I am seeing some "misconceptions" being put out here (believe me this is not a knock the media is the worst about spreading these rumors).

1st. Plasma's are not susceptible to burn in anymore. Its a problem long since resolved. 2 reasons. Pixel shifting, all these new plasmas have it, if they are decent. The second is most of these plasmas also have a way to "wipe" the screen. You have to try really fucking hard to burn in a plasma.
2nd. Power consumption. Plasmas and LCDs equate out to about the same power consumption. Why? Well basically plasmas cells turn off and on based on the image being displayed on the screen. LCDs output is constant, the only exception is the new LED backlit LCD's. I haven't gotten a straight answer from a rep yet on if those consume less power. But basically unless you are watching a crazy bright movie then the output will be more or less even.
3rd. Plasmas are not more expensive, in fact the main brands tend to be cheaper than LCDs. Take a 52" Sony vs a 50" Panasonic and the Panasonic will be alot cheaper.

So then plasma is the way to go because of its ability to produce blacks right? Not necesarily.

The most important factor is your room. If you have direct sunlight on your TV then get a LCD. Plasmas are (usually) constructed with two sheets of glass which means reflections, even taking into account the new "anti-reflective" its still an issue. Ambiant sunlight is not an issue but direct sunlight is. Also its worth noting some people may just like a brighter picture. Advice is go to a Best Buy Magnolia or a Tweeter or whatever you have in your area and look at the plasmas and lcds and see wether you prefer the natural picture of a plasma or the brighter more saturated look an LCD. Both technologies have improved to the point where its a non issue. They both have the same life spane even. So aside from the sunlight issue, go with what you like.

Black level was mentioned, there is no such thing as a black level on a LCD because it cannot display a true black. Period. The reason is that LCDs are "always on" so the light output always generated at least a little white, so the best you can get is a super dark blue and "almost black"

I didn't mention rear pro sets or DLP, thats because the technology is basically dead. Its still a great picture for a super cheap price but they are susceptable to ambiant light (sunlight or even bright room lights) and they have a lesser life span (though the LED DLPs last about 8 years so thats not to bad).

Lastly do not cheap out and get a brand like Westinghouse or any of that shit. Get a major brand. LG, Sony, Panasonic, Pioneer/Pioneer Elite (the best TV on the market but also the most expensive), Mistubushi, Samsung, Sharp. If you get an LCD get one with 120htz processing speed.

Best of luck on your hunt.

Oh and HDMI cables, does it matter spending more money on your HDMI cable? Lets put it this way, would you buy the cheap ass guitar cable or the good one. HDMI is a iffy cable to begin with, cheaper cables have shitty connectors that can snap easily if bent the wrong way and the better ones have higher conductivity and signal transfer (silver being used in the better cables). A good 2m cable can be had for about 100 bucks. Monster, Straightwire, Audioquest what have you. I personally think its not a huge deal to get cheaper cables for HDMI but it matters alot more for things such as speaker cable and what not. Oh and aside from the new Pioneer Elite's (which are seperate detachable speakers) TV speakers suck total ass (I mean what can you expect with as thin as tv's are now). Get two cheap speakers and a reciever and you will enjoy your movies alot more.