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School me on TVs... v.Black Friday

I have a Samsung 37" LCD that I am quite happy with and have had no problems with since I bought it in July. There isn't much of a difference between plasma and lcd other than plasma has a little better picture. I looked at both before I bought and really couldn't tell a difference. Correct me if I am wrong but plasma is older technology and I don't think it will be around much longer. Plasma tvs usually have a deeper depth than LCD's and are bigger also.

Make sure
you get a warranty. Also, if you go all out plan on adding another 100-200 bucks for everything, which includes a hi-def cable and power strip. I have a Monster Cable power strip that is suppose to give a clearer signal, but hell if I can tell. Please do not confuse it with a surge protector, it is not. I don't know if you are planning on buying one on black friday, you might want to wait until after Christmas. I have heard that Circuit City will be having a huge sale after Christmas since they are planning on closing a bunch of stores.
 
Look at Vizio. I love mine. Check Consumer Reports as well. Monster this and that do not matter... it is digital... it is either there or it is not.
 
Actually, all these technologies are "old" :)

DLP- Neat reflective technology developed by Texas Instruments in the 70's finally was able to be produced lately. Uses a chip with really small mirrors on it. The light from a mercury lamp is either split by a prizm, or in the cheaper models, passed though a color wheel, and via reflection off said chip or chips, displayed on the screen. This is a projection type type technology and comes in a rear display or projector form. Best picture of all the rear view projectors, but you can hear the color wheel and cooling fans.

LCD-Rear projection screen units pass the light from a mercury lamp(split by a prizm in most cases) though the LCD panel(s) and on to the front screen . Projectors project to screen.
Direct view LCD units, like your computer screen are relatively new because the yields have improved drastically in making these screens. These are the lowest power consuming devices of all mentioned, and IMO the best looking and have an awesome cost for feature ratio!

Plasma-Direct view only. Color was recently added to this 70's tech due to technology. The units are heavy, difficult and expensive to work on, and consume tons of power. This is also the only technology that is listed here that actually uses lead and phosporus in the display panel. Plasma works by having each pixel being 3 gas discharge cells. Each cell needs to be prepped and either discharged, or un-prepped. This takes a huge amount of power, and generates a fair amount of heat. Because the backbone of plasma color technology is phosphorus, it suffers from the same issues as a CRT as far as aging of the display over time and displaying of still pictures.

From my dime, if I had to go by a TV, it would 100% be a LCD set. Samsung makes a nice set, and parts are readily available. Sharp also makes a nice LCD set, but parts are only available to dealers for the Aquios line. When the place I worked at sold Vizio, the only way to get it fixed was though Vizio. Depending on the size of set, a number of the computer companies, like HP have gotten into the game and stand behind their products rather well.
 
I've found some difference in the peripherals, things like being able to plug a USB stick straight into the TV. Computer compatibility issues are also nice to research, although the technology has likely advanced some since I bought my LCD. I finally gave up trying to get decent sound out of the TV from my computer and piggy backed a surround system. Cable issues seemed to be my main problem and some gray areas in the menu and programing. I really hate it when the instructions don't fit the unit or are just plain wrong.
If it has the flexibility I'm looking for, enough (and the right type) auxiliary outlets and state of the technology peripherals and a brand name, I usually jump on whatever is on sale.
With the LCD there is a difference in the screen cover, glass is nice. I'm afraid to clean mine often, if at all, with the plastic screen cover.
 
With the LCD there is a difference in the screen cover, glass is nice. I'm afraid to clean mine often, if at all, with the plastic screen cover.

Thanks for bringing that up! Is that the difference between gloss and matte finish? I would love to eliminate some of the glare, but I hadn't thought about the material it's actually made out of.
Billy
 
If the room is "dark":
Panasonic (or Pioneer if you are baller) Plasma hands down. The black levels >>>> LCD's. No real worry about Burn in anymore. Power consumption is higher typically than a LCD, but it's not as big as you might think. (See here: http://www.g4techtv.ca/callforhelp/shownotes/0283.shtml?regular ) Viewing angle isn't a big deal at all, I sit almost directly sideways of the tv when I'm at my computer, and the color is still pretty damn good. Much better than older LCD laptop screens to say the least. It does heat the room up slightly, which is nice for the winter, kinda crappy for the summer.

If it's a bright room:
LCD, Sony's are overpriced imo, but I honestly don't know that much about the other manufacturers.

Get a good receiver / sound system as well. Most HTIB's are crap, but they can be a decent building block if you can't afford much else. With HDMI and all digital connections, cables don't really matter that much. I always prefer to go Optical Audio (TOSLINK). For analog connections, in my experience just get any gold cables, and you won't notice anything. Firefold.com is a great website (know the owner on another forum) and they have some pretty damn good deals on cables all the time, so I'd look there, so much cheaper than buying in store.
 
When the place I worked at sold Vizio, the only way to get it fixed was though Vizio.

When I purchased my Vizio... CR reported them as having quite good support, and based in the USA. I can dig that, and fully support that.
 
Glenn, I'm not knocking your choice. I am being informative.

Vizio is an import company, the product is made in China.

The last time I checked, Vizio had no Servicing Dealers and no way to reinburse them for costs incured in dealing with warranty issues. Service is direct through Vizio.

I worked for a large Regional TV and Appliance Retailer. We sold Vizio because it had a good price point. The issues with customers bringing their product back to us when they had a problem instead of calling Vizio was a PITA. We finally did come up with a "work around" to get the sets exchanged though us so the customer was not inconvenienced, but that was only after we threatened them with not paying for the current inventory, and not buying from them in the future. Maybe things have changed in the 3 years since I left that company, but I doubt it.

If your idea of great customer service is calling someone in CA for service, then you'll probably be awed with their customer service. Some folks though, appreciate dealing with who they bought it from.
 
I have really been very happy with our Panasonic plasma. I personally think plasma has a better picture and it is still faster than LCD. My buddy has one of the 120Hz LCD and it is not as fast as a plasma for fast moving actions. If I remember correctly the set we have is 480Hz. Plasma really does not suffer from burn in now but you still need to be conscious of what is on the screen. Leaving a stationary image on the screen for 4 or 5 hours would probably cause some burn in. The new technology has safeguards built in to protect it.

The new sets whether it is Plasma or LCD are so good you will not be unhappy with either.

The only one I would stay away from is DLP. The bulb life is not that long and fairly expensive to replace. They also suffer from fade. Our neighbor had one for twelve months and the fade in brightness and color was quite noticeable. The fade was made even more evedent after the bulb burnt out after 18 months. When he installed the new bulb it was a completely different TV. He has since demoted it to the basement and bought an LCD.
 
No worries Ron. If I sold TV's I might be biased as well.

I am just a consumer that has had a good experience.... just being informative. :)

And yes, I would rather call for support in California than India any day. Yes, I too am biased that way.

Glenn, I'm not knocking your choice. I am being informative.

Vizio is an import company, the product is made in China.

The last time I checked, Vizio had no Servicing Dealers and no way to reinburse them for costs incured in dealing with warranty issues. Service is direct through Vizio.

I worked for a large Regional TV and Appliance Retailer. We sold Vizio because it had a good price point. The issues with customers bringing their product back to us when they had a problem instead of calling Vizio was a PITA. We finally did come up with a "work around" to get the sets exchanged though us so the customer was not inconvenienced, but that was only after we threatened them with not paying for the current inventory, and not buying from them in the future. Maybe things have changed in the 3 years since I left that company, but I doubt it.

If your idea of great customer service is calling someone in CA for service, then you'll probably be awed with their customer service. Some folks though, appreciate dealing with who they bought it from.
 
I'm leaning heavily toward the samsung 42" 720p plasma sometime in the next week or two. They're on sale at BB right now for $799.
 
I'm leaning heavily toward the samsung 42" 720p plasma sometime in the next week or two. They're on sale at BB right now for $799.

I have read that if the TV is 42" or smaller you will be hard pressed to see the difference between 1080 and 720. If you start hitting 50" and bigger it is noticeable but you really have to look for it. We have been looking for a 32" for the bedroom and I honestly cannot tell the difference between the 1080 and 720. I think we are going with a Visio LCD for the bedroom.
 
lcd is the way to be. any type of fast action such as sporting events, action movies, 360 or ps3 games are best viewed with an lcd. they typically have the fastest respond times. plasmas are sweet, they have way better color than lcds but the ghosting issue is a real pita when playing games like cod 4,forza 2 or even fast movies such as swat or private ryan. cheaper plasmas in the 800-1400 usd range tend exhibit the ghosting and "image retention" properties as described above.

keep in mind what you really want the tv for. for gaming? hd movies? sports? to look cool for friends? also hd in only good up to about 40 inches and anything beyond that will more than likely distort what is being watched. the service is a big deciding factor as well. in my area comcast hd is a joke and not worth spit. wide open west and dish net on the other hand look pretty good. get the highest contrast ratio you can afford too.

most network tv is broadcast in 720p anyways, so full resolution 1080p is useless unless blueray or hd dvd is used. some hd network tv is broadcast in 1080i. i have yet to find any network broadcasting in full resolution 1080p. hell hbo hd is only 720p! any tv that is 720p will go to 1080i. if you can't readily tell the diff between the 2 who cares and move on. sony m,v,s series bravia have been great for me for 2 years no issues at all.
 
I have read that if the TV is 42" or smaller you will be hard pressed to see the difference between 1080 and 720. If you start hitting 50" and bigger it is noticeable but you really have to look for it. We have been looking for a 32" for the bedroom and I honestly cannot tell the difference between the 1080 and 720. I think we are going with a Visio LCD for the bedroom.

See this image: http://hd1080i.com/chart.gif

lcd is the way to be. any type of fast action such as sporting events, action movies, 360 or ps3 games are best viewed with an lcd. they typically have the fastest respond times. plasmas are sweet, they have way better color than lcds but the ghosting issue is a real pita when playing games like cod 4,forza 2 or even fast movies such as swat or private ryan. cheaper plasmas in the 800-1400 usd range tend exhibit the ghosting and "image retention" properties as described above.

I'm sorry but where are you getting your information. Either you have them mixed up or you've heard false information. The refresh rate on a plasma far exceeds that of a LCD. Ghosting (in the motion blur tense) is a problem with slow response times (typically higher than 5ms). Now if you are talking about ghosting in the burn-in tense, then yeah, if you leave a image still for 15-20 minutes, it'll ghost slightly for a little bit (10-15 seconds at most) but most of the time it's hardly noticeable unless the tv is off.

As far as Plasma's in the $800-1400 range having more problems, maybe. Stick with a Panasonic, as they license / share Pioneer's technology, which is why Panasonic's are considered very highly (yet cheap still) in the plasma market.
Source: http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2008/04/24/pioneer_4_panasonic/

Plasma TVs can present moving objects without loss of crispness or detail.Plasma technology needs only one impulse per pixel to produce an image therefore its response time is almost instantaneous.

LCD technology requires pixels to go from active – to inactive -and back to active again, to achieve a single response cycle; their response time can measure anywhere between 4 milliseconds to and 25 milliseconds. Even the fastest LCD screens can suffer with some degree of movement blurring.
Source: http://www.plasma-lcd-facts.co.uk/myths/
 
Actually, all these technologies are "old" :)

That is what is so frustrating!!! It took me a long time just to be able to save up for an ipod and digital camera(student budget). 6 months later everything was already outdated. How long will it be before my new LCD TV is ancient technology? I am sick of trying to keep up...
 
I have read that if the TV is 42" or smaller you will be hard pressed to see the difference between 1080 and 720. If you start hitting 50" and bigger it is noticeable but you really have to look for it. We have been looking for a 32" for the bedroom and I honestly cannot tell the difference between the 1080 and 720.

Yeah, I have read the exact same thing.
Billy
 
wow you listed a website as a source that is backed by guess who, the 2 largest plasma tv manufacturers, pioneer and panasonic. not to mention the test groups were euro with euro tvs. that info is biased and dated. lcds have been cycling at 120hz for sometime now providing rediculous response times.http://www.naxja.org/forum/images/smilies/next.gif

And you provide no source at all. I have yet to find a single article saying LCD's have faster response times. Here's more examples... but according to you they will probably all be biased... obviously.

It's also because plasma screens don't have the response-time issues that make LCDs less than optimal for moving images such as video or games.
Source: http://www.pcworld.com/article/107907/tv_screen_battle_plasma_vs_lcd.html (I realize it's old, but whatever)

Plasma TVs were made to handle rapid movement on the screen more effectively.
Source: http://www.hardwaregeeks.com/old/articles.php?action=show&showarticle=341

Generally speaking if you are watching content with high speed scenes a plasma TV will offer an advantage versus LCD TV. This is because its response time is lower. This puts the Plasma TV right on top for sports, and games. If you watch fast moving scenes as sports on a LCD TV, you will see a blur around the edges of the moving objects. Note however that if you use to play games a lot of time, a plasma TV is not such a great idea because of it's susceptibility to burn-in. There are LCD TVs on the market now with fast response time, and one could get a model with response time of 5ms or lower. You just have to keep in mind that if crisp picture is important for you, a low response time (high refresh rate) is a feature you should be looking for.
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?Plasma-Vs-LCD-TV---Glare,-Response-Time,-and-Screen-Size&id=1130282
 
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