OnlineOk so I thought I would throw this out there. I'm going to be very soon shopping for a new TV for the living room. Now currently I have a 60" TV but it's dying a slow death. As in everyone looks semi sunburned and no adjusting the color doesn't help. There are other problems so it's defiantly on it's way out. I'm not interested in the rear projection as the view from the side (or lack of view) turned me off on that.
Now with that said I have been shopping, reading info online and talked to a dozen or so salespeople. At first I was like I'm not interested in a plasma because of there known short life span. How ever every salesperson and from what I have been reading the plasma's have made some massive improvements. Also lets face it when shopping for a flat panel around 52" to 60" the price is way up there and there is a big difference between the plasma and LCD.
So after reading many articles such as this one: Plasma vs LCD: Which is right for you?
I just don't know. Bottom line is I'm probably going to purchase one or the other on black Friday to cash in on the sale prices.
So I'm looking for opinions of those who have a plasma or LCD and the pro's and con's of it. Also any brand recommendations or ones to stay away from.
I have to ask, now that you have had your TVs for awhile... are you completely happy with your choices? I am getting ready to take the plunge and buy a big TV (46-52 inches) and am jsut as confused as you were in the beginning. Please advise as I prefere hearing comments from thoe who have tried it vs the local salesperson, etc.
Thank you
Well I can't be more than thrilled with my 58" plasma purchase. I absolutely love it! The only huge downfall in now I can get the kids out of the living room long enough to enjoy it (they discovered how cool it is to hook up there game systems to it).
Color saturation is wonderful - the black is a true black. Viewing wise you can see it perfect from any angle and no problem with pixelation. Heat well if you put your hand right on the screen it is warm however 2" back and you don't feel anything. If I had to do it again I wouldn't hesitate to purchase the same TV again - LOVE IT!
I still prefer a good old-fashioned "Rear Projection" HDTV to both LCD and Plasma. "Rear Projection" are the slightly fatter type of TV that uses the big Red, Green and Blue tubes to project the image onto the screen. This is the same technology used in the big-screen TV's from 20 years ago, but now they are quite a bit thinner, and are in HD.
Anyone that compares the quality of a rear-projection to LCD or Plasma will see that rear-projection beats both. The only drawback is that the rear-projection units are 'fatter'.
If you must get something flat, compare the models side-by side. look for things like color saturation "black level" (how black is the black), and how visible the TV is from an angle - do you have to be straight in front of it to view it, or can you stand/sit off at at 30-40 degree angle and still see it?
Also, look for the "screen door" effect - that is, can you see the little square pixels from a few feet away. Older (and now cheaper) LCD's and plasmas can look as though you're watching your TV thru a "screen door" ..
...and lastly, for Plasmas, hold your hand up in front of the TV, about 6-10 inches away. If it feels like your hand is in front of a space-heater, choose a different model - that is unless you WANT to heat your TV room with your TV..
"..Do you want to sell sugar-water for the rest of your life, or do you want to come with me and change the world?"
OK so I thought I would update - since I got 4 myspace PM's asking what I got.
First I read everything! I got the Consumers Report that did a comparison of the LCD vs Plasma HDTV's (November 2007). Basically bottom line everyone agreed (all that I read) that if your going over 50" to go Plasma - for various reasons but they ALL agreed on that.
Yep I read the ads - made my spreadsheet on where to attack. I scouted out the stores on Wed. and I was out the door at 4:15am today. I scored big today. The biggest score was the wide screen. I got the Panasonic HDTV 58" plasma 1080p. It was rated #1 by consumers report. I got it for $1900. The store had 8 of them and mom and I got the first two ( she got one too). They were sold out within the first 5 min. of them =)
So I'm trilled to death! I also hunted around and found a nice hutch (on sale too) to put it on top of but I don't get that till tomorrow so sorry now pic of the TV (I'll add it later). Because it's going in a corner and angled I couldn't wall mount it. I didn't want to get a regular stand for it because I also wanted it to sit higher but I had to find something big enough and strong enough to accommodate it!.
One important thing I forgot t mention. Room size. You'll have to look it up but your screen size can only be big enough for your room. In other words, if you have a 42 inch screen you sit at least 12 feet from the tv( imaginary example). If you sit to close it'll look wierd or so the experts say. Also with all of that HD, DPI, blah, blah, you need a good quality signal. An HD signal will do nicely. My dad dropped money on a nice big tv. He sits too close and most of his channels are digital but not HD. As a result his picture looks pixilated. There may be more to it than that but that's my take on it.
"I'm just like you only shorter."
I think Crutchfield had a chart for that too. I used to have it written down, but I haven't worked for Sony in almost 5 years. Don't remember now.
You definitely need a good signal with good cables, and as few splits in the cable line as possible. If I was to get a HDTV, I'd run a dedicated line straight to that from the connection outside, and split for the rest of the rooms.
Yeah sureeeeeee.....Now devil you know my issues with the cable company.
Hummm I've had 3 sets of new lines this year alone and over a dozen calls to them. HAHA they were out today in fact. I do have 2 lines in my house, one for internet and one for cable. The cable TV line has a amplifier on it - actually I have two amplifiers. I guess two because I have 7 TV (8 if you count the one via my monitor). I do think that line is one of the first on the split.
OK so I did some more reading (thanks for the links) and I also got the Consumer Reports Magazine (Nov. 2007) which they review electronics including HDTV.
So after reading all of this basically they all say go Plasma if you are going over 50" . Once you hit 50" the price isn't worth the diffrence. Basically here is what they say on the two
Plasma Pros:
Better picture as far as colors - blacks are blacker and better rainbows
New version Plasma's don't really have the burn image issue because now most have a program in them to help with that
They are about 3/4 the cost of a LCD - which at this size can be a couple thousand
As far as action - Plasma's are better for they are sharper in images
Plasma Cons:
Newer version Plasmas last much longer then the old ones but still not as long as a LCD the say Plasma's will last 15 years where as LCD will last 20 years (again you have to look at the price)
Plasma screens are shinny and can be a problem with reflections
LCD Pros:
They last longer than plasmas. Plasma's will last 15 years where as LCD will last 20 years (again you have to look at the price)
If your looking to get one under 50" (really 42" and less) then the price is very close in comparison to the plasma then they say to get a LCD due to the life of the TV
If your room is bright then LCD's are better because the is no glare issue - the screen is flat (not shinny like a plasma)
Never a burn issue
LCD Cons:
Price when you hit over 50"
Not as sharp as a Plasma - especally in action (like sports)
Color is not as good as in a Plasma
Now top picks (brands) for the two are (in the category of 46" and up):
LCD Plasma
Samsung Panasonic
Sony Samsung
LG Pioneer
Sharp LG
Philips Vizio
Vizio Hitachi
Westingport Philips
Hewlett-Packard (HP) Hewlett-Packard (HP)
The jury is still out on what I'm going to do. I'm starting to lean towards the plasma. I guess it will see how good the salesperson is and how much coffee I have in my system (since it will be early morning black Friday shopping). All I can say is the poor salesperson - see my mom is getting one too (her's is on the fritz too - LOL and we got our current ones together). Well mom and I are wicked shoppers - yep tag team
Oh and the rear projection TV - yes they are a lot less but the view when looking at it from the side is bad. I somewhat have that problem now since I'm replacing a older rear projection so I want to stay away from that.
Plasma tvs use a lot more energy. Al Gore won't be pleased.
haha Al Gore hates me anyways - I live in Florida and yes in the same county that could figure out how to vote (hanging chads) that cost him the election.
FYI - I voted and no hanging chads on my card (I had to add that part). But yes your right they do use more energy then a LCD (I forgot to add that).
I haven't read this yet, but I used to get their catalog; they usually do a good job explaining things in a way that makes sense... and lay out the big differences so you can decide what's best for you.
http://www.crutchfieldadvisor.com/learningcenter/home/tv_bigscreen.html
That was just the first article I clicked on, they have more that compare LCD to plasma and etc...
I understand that a rear-projection LCD is the best. Well, I don't really remember right now, but I think that is what I'm buying when my old rear-projection (different from a rear-projection LCD) finally dies. Also, go for a full HD 1080p. They are fairly new and top of the line compared to last year's 1080i.
The side view you're talking about isn't the same with new LCDs as it is with the older rear projections. And there are two kinds of LCDs to look for when comparing. The other is the flat style, kinda like plasma but different technology. They cost more than rear-projection LCD but have less picture quality... by the way, I'm going on a fairly flawed memory, I could be wrong about some of this.
And this doesn't apply to you, but its funny enough to mention: When I was working for Sony, they told us that plasma TVs, when taken to a certain height above sea level, will make an annoying "humming" sound that doesn't go away. Just part of the technology. That was a few years ago, maybe they figured a way around it by now.
I've always been drawn to the look of LCD's. I had seen this article previously in case you want to do more reading.
PC World.
I'm jealous.
"I'm just like you only shorter."
Plasmas still have an issue with burn in, and since every cable channel has a logo in the corner now an LCD is worth the extra money
and yeah I am jealous too
"To err is human--and to blame it on a computer is even more so."
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