Kicking The Tires On A New TV...Advice Needed

[pk500]

Do I need to worry about my son and his friend having a five hour gaming session on my new plasma? They'd be playing WWE 13 with a couple static images on the screen. My fear is burn in as I have less than 15 hours viewing on the television.

I only would allow it if they changed games every once in a while. That's probably my usual excessive paranoia, but I'll always err on the side of caution with expensive electronics.

[dbdynsty25]

Number one, my directv receiver is a heck of a lot more responsive and faster. The remote pulls up the guide in an instant and it pages down incredibly quickly.

Come on...the tv has zero to do with response time of the freakin' DirecTV box...it's all in your mind. The difference in refresh rates is so minimal that you would not be able to tell the difference w/ the naked eye. Seriously.

[jLp vAkEr0]

Anyone with experience with Insignia tvs?

I know it's Best Buy's tv brand.

They have a 55" LED 120HZ model for $679.

No Smart features nor 3D but I really don't need either.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Insignia%26 ... b=overview

[DivotMaker]

The Best Buy here does not recommend them even with the longer warranty (2 years) over LG/Samsung/Sony/Panasonic/Toshiba, etc.....

[jLp vAkEr0]

The Best Buy here does not recommend them even with the longer warranty (2 years) over LG/Samsung/Sony/Panasonic/Toshiba, etc.....

Thanx Divot.

I'm really torn between LED or Plasma just for the fact that Plasmas are just damn cheaper.

[jLp_VaKer0]

Found a LG 50" 120hz LED on clearance ($599) at Best Buy.

The model.seems to be discontinued (50LS4000) but I couldn't pass up the price.

Bring on the Super Bowl!

[greggsand]

I recently bought a vizio LED for the bedroom after being all plasma in the rest of house. Looks fine, but the plasma picture just kills it. IMO.

[Diablo25]

Well, I finally pulled the trigger on a new Tv . I did my taxes today and looks like I'm getting a decent amount more than I planned so, of course, I was looking to spend it . I picked up a 60" Vizio LED and its pretty damn sweet. I almost went with the 55" but the 60" was less than $50 more. My old Sammy was 46" so it's a nice jump. The picture is superb. I'm watching the Phoenix Open and the picture pops. I also fired up the PS3 to see how well MLB 12 The Show looks and it didn't disappoint. Wow. I even think the response time is better on this bad boy (with game mode turned on). I felt much better timing the pulse pitching and hitting. I still have to fire up the 360 but im sure it'll be sweet. I'm VERY pleased so far.

[XXXIV]

Well, I finally pulled the trigger on a new Tv .

Enjoy!!!

Will be a great SB experience I am sure.

I have been looking to go 55-60 for a while now and well, I read the right board.

[Diablo25]

It's been a few days and I am still loving this bad boy. So glad I went with the 60". I was so close to getting the 55" but switched at the last minute .

[bdunn13]

It's been a few days and I am still loving this bad boy. So glad I went with the 60". I was so close to getting the 55" but switched at the last minute .

I have had a 60 since 2005.. My Sony went bad so I got a new Samsung 60 last fall... I almost went with a smaller(55) LCD Sony.. the difference between 55 and 60 is 20% screen area... the size difference is very noticeable.

I would not have been happy with a 55.

Enjoy the TV.

[Brando70]

I would not have been happy with a 55.

I completely agree with this and would feel the same way, but it is really funny to me that we're in an era where a 55" TV could seem too small. I remember when my 35" Trinitron felt like a giant screen.

[jLp vAkEr0]

Loving my new LG, but have to be honest.

It has been a adjustment on the gaming side coming from a 32".

It's just too much real estate for my to focus on (I do only see with my right eye for those that have forgotten).

Specially in COD BO2, my ratio has gone in the tank (wasn't that good before, but I was at least competitive).

Can't even imagine how worse it would have been if we would have bought a 55" or 60".

Other than that, LOVE IT.

[tjung0831]

Anybody have thoughts on the Vizio TV's? This looks like a sweet tv for the price and reviews from users have been stellar.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/VIZIO+-+M-S ... Id=8768104

[dbdynsty25]

I have three Vizio TVs and all three have been fantastic. Going on 6 years with my 37", 5 years with my 55" and 4 years on my 47". No issues whatsoever.

[vader29]

I've had a Vizio 47" LCD for about a year and a half now, great picture and love using the built in netflix and amazon video apps.

[tjung0831]

Thanks for the feedback. I believe this Vizio M series 50in is going to be my next tv.

[Inuyasha]

In the market for a new HDTV. Been maybe 5 years since I got one but see lot of changes nowadays.

I have a Panny 50inch Plasma and when I go to the stores now, 50 inch tv's look so smaller in size compared to what I have. Is it possible to get a quality 50-65 inch hdtv for around or less than $1000? And I see more different brands nowadays than 5 years ago. I'm sure Panny's are still good but how about Vizio / LG and some of the other no-big name brands?

And whats the best to get nowadays for general viewing and gaming : stick with Plasma, LCD, LED, etc...???

[RobVarak]

Game time. Looking at at least a 64" and greatly prefer plasma. This is going to be my primary gaming tv, so lag time is a concern. Trying to keep it at or around $2k, although my research is actually indicating that it might be best to go with something at the $1400-$1800 range like the Samsung PN51F5500 or Panasonic TC-P65S60.

I've fallen into the black hole of AVS Forum and I don't trust myself to make myself a cup of coffee at this point without worrying that a Greek chorus of nerds is going to second guess my choices.

Anyone with recommendations or ideas?

[pk500]

cNet chimes in: http://reviews.cnet.com/best-tvs-picture-quality/

Boggles my mind that plasma is going the way of 8-track tapes and passenger pigeons. My 4-year-old, entry-level Panny plasma destroys the picture quality of many newer LCD and LED sets I see in homes of friends and relatives and in bars. Proper calibration helps, but experts don't lie when they say plasma provides the best picture.

[RobVarak]

Absolutely agree on plasmas, Paul. Started my hunt at CNET, as always. The only reasons that LCD's are even in the conversation are input lag and size. Not really any 70" plasmas and as for the lag:
http://www.displaylag.com/display-datab ... pants-list


Leaning hard toward that 65" Panny right now.

[RobVarak]

The final contenders:

Panasonic TC-P65S60


vs.

Vizio E601i-A3


A 70" LCD versus a 65" plasma. As I've said, I always prefer plasma, but this Vizio looks pretty damn good in the 2 places I saw it this a.m. And we can all agree that an extra 5" is nothing to sneeze at.

$hit, I'm paralyzed now. lol Anyone with any history with either of these?

[dbdynsty25]

The only history I have is with the brands. My sis had a Panny Plasma that died in less than 2 years. I've got three Vizio LCDs in my house (37", 47", 55" - 7,5,4 years old respectively) and all three are still working perfectly. Take that for what it's worth...not much, just a small sample size.

You'll be fine either way...no need to stress. My motto...always get bigger if you can afford it and all other things being equal. You never say "damn my tv is too big". NEVER.

[sportdan30]

I have owned a 60" Samsung Plasma for over a year now. I am very happy with it. We have it in our basement where I can control the light. Obviously, it's quite reflective with any windows or light nearby. I do find that I much prefer to watch movies and tv shows on the plasma over our 55" LG LCD we have in our family room. The natural picture is just that much more appealing to me over LCD/LED. Watching sports is a toss up for me. Don't get me wrong. They look very nice on the plasma, however there is no denying that the picture is dimmer than my LCD. I briefly owned a 50" Panasonic plasma and found the picture to quite a bit dimmer than my Samsung. Perhaps the Panasonics have a brighter panel now......? I just remember how incredible movies looked on the Panasonic (moreso than my Samsung plasma), but I couldn't get past the darker picture when watching football.

I enjoy gaming quite a bit more on my plasma. It seems the response time is better and the picture quality looks quite a bit better, at least in my eyes. I do notice some lag on our LG. Also, eye strain isn't as bad as my LCD.

If this is going to be your primary tv, I'd probably go with LED, mainly because of power consumption. But also, it seems that LEDs have a longer life, and there's less worry about burn in (which if you have kids like me, gaming on a LED seems to be safer for longer sessions).

We have a 42" Vizio LCD in our bedroom that is probably 6 years old and still going strong. And it looks great!

There's trades off with both. I'd weigh the pros and cons and decide that way.

[AcemanPR]

I bought that 70" Vizio TV last month. Absolutely love it. Have had no gaming issues at all and sports are absolutely gorgeous on that TV.

Probably can't go wrong with either TV, but just wanted to chime in and say that I love my new Vizio!