Well... its looking like my Sony trinatron is finally starting to go(color blurring) and its time to get a new TV. I've been wanting to upgrade for a few years now and have been secretly waiting for my sony to go out so I'd be forced to do so. I would like a larger model LCD or Plasma. I want a 50" but am more than likely going to settle for a 42" to keep in my price range($1000-1300 max). Here are my questions.. 1) Do I need 1080p or i ? I have comcast digital and do not pay for HD channels. I do not plan to do so in the next couple years. I agree its cool just no cool enough to justify the $$$. I figure a 720p should be fine for my needs. 2) Are Plasma tv's still frowned upon? I've heard a lot of bad press over the years stating they don't last and other bad reviews, but have recently heard those issues have been addressed and plasma can now be as reliable as LCD... 3) Can I get an off brand, or should I pony up for a named brand... and if so what brands are better / or brands I should stay away from. 4) Do I need to buy a new receiver? I have a crusty old Kenwood that needs replacing anyway.. but was hoping I could replace post tv purchase. I've heard that with HDMI and new tech, my crusty kenwood will not suffice... 5) Any stores recommended over others? I've seen good deals at Brandsmart as well as Circuit City and Best Buy and even Wal-mart... Any input would be appreciated and if anyone has one for sale, I'm interested!
as far as brands..when it comes to technology..I like to atleast go with a name brand... I'm big on Samsung when it comes to tv's..of course sony is amazing too..but a lot of that price you are paying for is the name..as far as 1080p/I..I honestly can't remember the better of the two..but if you don't plan on upgrading to hd channels I'm sure you won't really be able to tell the difference...I have hd on directv and the picture is phenominal to say the least.. a lot of this stuff I would go to www.cnet.com and research this...you can find lots of great answers there. circuit city usually has great deals nor do I like purchasing from best buy as their customer service isn't very good along with wal marts. if you can hold out a few more weeks you should be able to find some killer deals during the super bowl as that is when the most tv's are sold during any time of the year, I am trying my hardest to do the same.. I hope I answered some of ur questions correctly as its like 6 am and I'm just browsing on my cell since I can't sleep...keep us updated in what you decide to do.
Thx for your input man.. I didn't even think about the super bowl creating some big deals! I'll def check out cnet.com for reviews when I get my selections slimed down some...
Whichever you decide on, make sure you hit up avsforum.com before you purchase it. Do a search on the model # of the tv you're looking at and look at what problems/concerns/praises other people are running into with that model #.
It an extra $12 a month for Comcast's HD channels with HD DVR and Comcast broadcasts in both 720p and 1080i. To have a HD TV without having HD content would be... well kind of silly. One year ago, I would of said a 42” 720p was fine, but with the price drop of 1080p sets, I recommend them as that's where both Blu-ray and HD DVD are headed. Plasma's still are great for light controlled room where the media watched is mainly movies. They are still prone to burn in especially with console games and tv channels with non moving bars/logos. In addition, LCD's do not have the glare that plasma's have. If you looking for an economical set that gets good reviews, I have the 1080p 42" vizio which I purchased at Costco last July for under 1K. As the time, I could have got a Sony or Samsung for twice as much, but I couldn't justify the cost for what I did not perceive in any real picture quality difference. All sets in stores are not calibrated and will look vastly different at home. To agree with pEd, hit up AVS forums, there is where the real AV geeks are. I researched the heck out of mine before I bought.
every model has issues and opinions on avsforum is great but dont base it only on opinions becuse everyone has preference. Just make sure you get a brand that has good customer support and from a sales/company that has good service I got a plasma over the xmas yes its a little more work but the picture to me is distinguishable 1080 P > I but i dont think you can tell get a dvd that you always watch and when testing the TV make sure you set it to standard and not vibrant so you see the true base of the picture and then adjust it to your liking and make sure when adjusted its not at its extreme.
You need to look at where you are going to put it. Are you going to hang it on a wall, can you control the light in the room, will the sun hit the screen? If you can't close some blinds to eliminate glare I would go with LCD or Plasma. If you want to hang on the wall the previous are your 2 options. If you can control light and have a stand to put a TV on I would go DLP. I have a Samsung HLT 5087SAX and love it. It is 1080p. It uses LEDs instead of an arc tube lamp to provide the light and thus no color wheel and bulb to replace at about $300 in 3-4 years. It is not a bright as a DLP set, almost not noticeable, that is driven by an arc tube lamp, but I can control the light in my room pretty well. Samsung is the only brand that offers LED for the light source. If you look on the AVSFORUM, there is a HLTXX87/89 thread that is always at the top. You really need to see how you will be using it and find a set that meets your needs. I ordered mine from Amazon.com. They had the best pricing and free shipping.
Vizio and Costco FTW. the actual screen in the Vizio is the same as the top of the line Phillips and Samsung, only the electronics are different. What this means to you... the picture is going to be the same for HD content for a much much lower price, however the up-conversion to HD is not going to be the same quality as the name brands. If you are going full HD right away, get a cheap TV. If you are going to wait to go full HD, get an expensive name brand as the DSP and Video processing are far superior on a Sony or other big name.
Yeah I Just Bought A Samsung 40" 1080p And Its Amazing. Hd Movies Look Great And The Xbox Looks Just As Good. Really Happy. I Would Go Samsung!
yea samsung ftw! I have a 52" dlp..amazing...hd dvd player and hd tv through directv....ever see a shark eat a seal in super slow motion while jumping through the water??? ..now I need a tv for bedroom as I sleep on my couch every night because I'm addicted to my tv! haha
i purchased the samsung lnt4665. 46" 1080p tv. Kinda pricey, i paid 2k for it. I got the 1080p cause we have a ps3 for blueray. Consumer reports says: Technology allows both plasma and lcd to have an avg life of 10 yrs plus. LCD better for rooms with light shining in. Not quite as good as picture. can get comparable plasma for cheaper. Plasma better for viewing movies. MUST be careful if you play video games on plasma. Game indicators that don't change on the screen frequently may cause pixel burn. Ratings For plasma the top makers were sony and samsung For LCD top makes were samsung followed by sony I would get an lcd if price permits. If size doesn't matter check out a DLP. THey are smaller than a Crt but bigger than lcd and plasma. 720p or 1080i are suffice. Nothing is really shown in 1080p except hd dvd and blu ray. I do have to say if you want to watch blu ray, a 1080p set looks amazing! Hope this helps.
If you're going plasma, samsung panels don't look as nice, even with calibration. same with sony. that consumer reports shit is garbage. the problem with comparing panels in a store is that they will adjust colors incorrectly, cause GREAT panels to look like shit, and sub par panels to look better than the good panels which are screwy. For a while it seemed like they made the expensive panels look like crap to entice buyers to buy the cheaper panels. <shrug> Pioneer elite if you can swing it, or a panasonic for almost as good for less money. calibration post purchase is a must.
Thanks for the input guys... I am set on getting a flat panel, I want to hang it on the wall... Over the years I've been really annoyed at how much space my 34" Sony Crt took up and think a flat panel would free up my small apartment greatly. As far as CRT vs. Plasma.. I'm still not sure, here's what I got: 1) I can control the light that comes into the room 2) I do watch a lot of movies 3) I will be purchasing a PS3 in the next year and have been pondering a HD DVD player. 4) I don't get HD channels thru Comcast and don't think I will.. but cannot rule out 100% that I won't change my mind over the next few years. This makes me lean towards 1080p/i even though I won't need it in the immediate future... Now, no one has answered my "Do I need a new receiver" question. Common sense is telling my I'm going to need one as I don't have a HDMI port on my old one. This is unfortunate as I wanted to spend around 1k for the TV, now I have to budget in another $300 or so for a receiver.. the dillema continues...
I am pretty certain you will need to upgrade the receiver.. you may be alright with the one you have...may need to ask an actual sales person (one that is knowledgeable of course).... As far as getting and HD DVD player...I'd say just stick w/ the ps3 and use the blu ray as I have noticed (after getting an HD DVD player) that there seems to a bigger better selection with blu ray..as I'm sure that trend will only continue....Plus the price of movies are still pretty steep.. I believe they are $29.99 new..Anyways just my .02...
as for 720 vs. 1080, it depends on the size of the panel and how far away you are. At ideal viewing distances, double blind tests have been performed and noone can really tell the difference. as far as a receiver, most players will output HDMI for video, and have toslink or coax out for audio, which will support DTS, etc. so unless you have the audio system to handle trueHD 7.1, your receiver should be fine and you can upgrade later.
well you also want to look at the contrast ratio.. especially for lcd's.. plasma is not as much of a concern.. The reason this is, because the lcd doesn't do black as well as plasma. Theres more to it but it would be too much to type and im lazy. Plasma tvs are fragile and i would recommed a pro to install it being that they weight triple that of an lcd. I got a 46" sharp with the aquos technology 1080p 10000:1 contrast ratio, so the black it awsome and crisper pic. As far as the receiver goes.. Does it have and optical port ont it? thats all you really need.. The HDMI would be if you had an upscale dvd player. heres an example of 1080p vs 1080i ======================1 ======================1 ====================== 2 ======================3 ======================3 ====================== 4 ======================5 ======================5 ====================== 6 ======================7 ======================7 ====================== 8 ======================9 ======================9 The first being 1080p or 720p the screen come in order from line 1 to 1080 (or 720) The second is 1080i The screen come in 1,3,5,7,9...1080 then goes 2,4,6,8,10...1080 You would really only see a difference on a sports game or a fast scroll wide shot movie.. Video games too
For the price you want to spend the 1280x720p or 1366x768p (slightly more pixles) LCD will do you right. They are beautiful and that way when 4K (4096x2160p resolution) becomes mainstream, you won't be tossing away your 1980x1080p TV. DirecTV has the most HD channels if you care to know. Also, like it was said above, if your receiver can take an optical or coaxial digital input, then you can receive and decode the Dolby Digital signal. Lastly, you get what you pay for. Beware of the cheap flat panels as they have really bad warranty polices if any at all. Poloroid will not repair or replace a TV. To them they are disposible. Vizio is also sketchy with their policy. Save your box the Tv came in, some companies charge as much as $300 for a box when you get it repaired. All this info is on the web.....
yea i'll second those who said DLP Samsung (as they make the DLP chips for most of the sets anyways). I have a 56inch DLP that has 1080p and i got it so i could watch blueray in full definition. As a few folks pointed out, comcast is getting out of 720p finally so i'd go with what you want now and not buy something you don't fully embrace now expecting to offload it down the road. If you need to hang it on a wall then yes dlp is not for you but damn is it cheap compared to LCD and plasma
DLP, LCoS and LCD are rear projection and offer the same output. I would suggest reading up on them at http://www.avsforum.com where the experts weigh in on their pros and cons. For the most part, rear projection is on the way out as it cannot compete with flat panel TVs in terms of price points. All of this is discussed at AVS.
If you don't need a flat panel tv then the DLP tvs are the best deal going, picture quality is incredible and they are cheap. Matt
Thx for the replies guys... Still researching here.. As stated earlier, I'm set on either plasma or lcd.. My apartment is small and I want to free up space. I'm probably going to go to brandsmart around Superbowl time and see what they got. They usually have the no interest for a year deal going, giving me time to pay it off rather then trying to save up that type of $$. I've pretty much decided I'm going to just bite the bullet and get one of those package surround set-ups(receiver + speakers) when I get the tv.. My kenwood is ancient and my speakers are crappy anyways.
Do you mean flat panel CRT? Because flat panel DLP and flat panel LED flat screens are the same if not much lower than LCD (and leagues above plasma in cost). LCD 56" 1080p is far more than a 56" DLP. Fuck hanging it on a wall, you just need a bigger tv stand. avsforum.com is a good place for review though.
I found an open box item, Toshiba DLP 62' for a little over 1700.00 They are very light weight and about 3/4 the with of a CRT television.
I suggest you guys read up on what DLP is and isn't. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DLP DLP is only in front and rear projection TV systems, not flat panel TVs and LED (Light Emitting Diode) is the light source inside the TV. It runs cooler and lasts longer than a traditional light bulb. Also, make sure your DLP has more than one chip or a faster color wheel or you will suffer from the "Rainbow Effect". It's detailed on the wiki above and on the AVS Forum. CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) systems no longer exist in big screens and especially flat panels. Your old school TV that is big and heavy is a CRT TV. I just bought a 60" rear projection Sony SXRD LCoS 1080p 24fps 120Hz TV for $1700 with free shipping during the holidays. DLP rear projection TVs are priced in the same area and are not much if at all cheaper. I suggest the OP wait until Super Bowl, like he said, and get a good deal. Sony has stated they will no longer make RPTV (rear projection TVs) as has a few other companies so expect some crazy pricing in the upcoming weeks. LCD and Plasma true flat Panels will remain higher in cost when compared to RPTVs but they are expected to be 15% lower in price this year vs last. http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=975404
No rainbow effect if you get a LED driven DLP set. Samsung HL-TXX87/89 (XX is for picture size) :naughty:
Circuit City is offering no interest for 3 years.... hmmm... scratches head... Still gonna try'n wait till a little bit closer to the super bowl.
I'm trying to wait closer to super bowl but dang.. don't know if I'll be able to hold out much longer! Also..circuit city always has no interest offers so if thats the reason you are thinking of purchasing now..well..just keep waiting..they usually have something for at least 18 months no interest when spending over i think $499....
I'm selling my AR-15 right now(hopefully), so I'll have a $700 dollar head start on this project. I'm hoping to come out with a 50" LCD or Plasma w/wall mount + install and a receiver/speaker combo.. Gonna try to keep it all under 2k, so I'll only be charging 1300 or so, which can be realisticaly paid off....... Can't wait!
they won't have that no interest for 3 years around the super bowl. it will be just they're regular financing and an great deal on the tv or vice versa, regular price on tv and 3 years financing. no double dipping, that's the same anywhere you go.
Just looking at CC's installation charges... the want $400 to wall mount a flat panel... yikes!!!!!! Looks like I'll be doing that on my own or with friends... it can't be that hard. I would realisticaly pay $150, but $400??? C'mon...
Did you Sell the AR 15 ??? ^^^^ also I mounted a couple of Flat screens in My house and its pretty easy just got to find a stud
^^ No, the AR-15 is not sold yet, up for grabs. I just got it cleaned/tuned-up, so its ready to go. As far as mounting, I don't have the tools/know-how, but I'm sure as hell not paying $400.. So hopefully someone will help me...