Yet another HDTV question

[MizzouRah]

OMG... I just noticed red/yellow lines running vertically on my 46" Sony Bravia TV. I almost freaked out, then I went and googled the issue.

Once site said to unplug all the cables to it and then re-plug them in.

Whew.. that worked!

[MizzouRah]

Well shoot, seems to come back after it's off for awhile and you turn it back on. Seems to go away after awhile.

I hope it's not a sign of things to come, as the warranty is no more on this TV.

[Rodster]

Do the newer Plasma HDTV's still suffer from burn-in?

[wco81]

Not if you break them in properly.

And these days, you can get at least a 40-inch for well under $1000 so if it burns in, get another one.

[Rodster]

Not if you break them in properly.

And these days, you can get at least a 40-inch for well under $1000 so if it burns in, get another one.

1) How do you properly break in a Plasma TV lol?

2) Was looking a a 42" Panasonic Plasma at Target.

[wco81]

I downloaded a bunch of JPEGs of solid colors. Then copied them to an SD card, put it in the SD card slot of the plasma and then put it in slide show mode so that it cycles through them every couple of seconds.

Then ran it for 100 hours or just watch TV during that time, though avoiding SD channels which have black bars.

After break in, never had any problems with my Panasonic plasma, left it on SD channels with black bars for hours on end. There are modes to fill in the screen so you don't have black bars or to change the black bars to gray. But I don't bother any more.

You might shop for them online. Amazon will give you white glove service for free meaning they unbox it and then install the stand and set it up for you. They won't mount it on the wall, which is something you'd have to do or hire someone to do.

No sales tax is the big thing.

[Brando70]

Not if you break them in properly.

And these days, you can get at least a 40-inch for well under $1000 so if it burns in, get another one.

1) How do you properly break in a Plasma TV lol?

2) Was looking a a 42" Panasonic Plasma at Target.

Rodster, you can do the method WCO recommended, or you can just run full-screen content for 100 hours (like a movie or an HD channel like HD Net that doesn't have logos on it all the time). I've done it both ways and honestly have not noticed a difference in methods.

You can game during that period, but I'd limit it if the game has a lot of HUDs or static images. EA Sports games should be avoided for the first 100 hours because of that -- that goddamned white logo is on the whole time.

After the first 100 hours, you can use it normally, but you will notice some ghosting from games -- if you have the TV on but no inputs going and it's dark, you may see residual images on the screen. That's NOT burn-in, and they should go away. You may notice that until you get to around 500 hours (about six months for me), after which any ghosting will become non-existent or very hard to notice.

The chances of you actually burning in an image are slim, but it's not impossible. You just need to be a little careful the first few months. I have two Panny plasmas that I've gamed on and never had any problems aside from some ghosting during the early life of the sets. The bonus is that plasma has a great, natural picture, and it's especially awesome for movies and sports.

[pk500]

No burn-in issues with my Panny plasma, which I bought in January. WCO and Brando's advice is spot-on.

I much prefer the picture of a plasma to an LCD. Darker blacks, more vivid colors and a wider viewing angle.

Light control is crucial, though, as the glass screen of a plasma set reflects light something fierce. But if you can control the light in your room or watch most of your tube at night, plasma is a great deal these days.

[Rodster]

Thanks for the info guys. Are there any Plasma sets that run 1080p? All the Panasonic plasma sets i've seen are 720p.

[pk500]

Thanks for the info guys. Are there any Plasma sets that run 1080p? All the Panasonic plasma sets i've seen are 720p.

50-inch, 1080p Panny plasma for $899 at Best Buy:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Panasonic+- ... Id=9786054

Another advantage to plasma screens: 600 Hz out of the box. No screen-door effect in high-motion sports broadcasts.

[Rodster]

Hey fellas is this a good deal? LG 42" 1080p Reg. price $749.99 Sale price $499.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... -_-Product

I don't think it's 120hz but seriously for that price I may pick it up just want to hear your response before buying.

[snaz16]

Hey fellas is this a good deal? LG 42" 1080p Reg. price $749.99 Sale price $499.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... -_-Product

I don't think it's 120hz but seriously for that price I may pick it up just want to hear your response before buying.

Rodster, just my personal opinion, stay away from LG. It does not come close to the Panny plasma. All the above advice is spot on,and the S-2 model is an excellent choice. I pulled the trigger on the Panny G-25 which is a step up from the S-2 50" for $1200 in May,and the picture easily beats my Sony xbr6 Lcd that cost me a grand more 2 yrs ago. The new sets actually have an anti rentention bar sweep in the menu that wipes away any burn in, so you really have to go out of your way to screw these sets up. After several months of studying plasma vs Lcd/Led, the only advantages to the Lcd/led is if your in a very bright room where you can't control the lighting. Other than that plasma picture quality is as good if not better, and viewing angles lose no degradation to the picture quality like a Lcd does. Amazon does a great job of delivering and setting up your tv,if you go that route. And for the record,the Panny plasmas come with 600hz.

[Rodster]

Yeah I agree that Plasma sets look awesome although the Panasonic Plasma on display at Target looked a little dull which is what prompted me to ask about the Tech.

[snaz16]

Yeah I agree that Plasma sets look awesome although the Panasonic Plasma on display at Target looked a little dull which is what prompted me to ask about the Tech.

Thats because the "brick & mortar " stores push the lcd/led because they are more expensive. Most of those sets are not tuned to thier max picture quality.

[greggsand]

Thanks for the info guys. Are there any Plasma sets that run 1080p? All the Panasonic plasma sets i've seen are 720p.

50-inch, 1080p Panny plasma for $899 at Best Buy:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Panasonic+- ... Id=9786054

Another advantage to plasma screens: 600 Hz out of the box. No screen-door effect in high-motion sports broadcasts.

Just bought it last saturday. It's rocking.

[Rodster]

Are the Panasonic Viera sets the ones that don't suffer from burn in like the older sets? I was reading some of the reviews at Newegg.com and there were a couple of reviews saying that burn in is not an issue anymore with these sets. I'll see if I can find it.

I'm kind of leaning on a smaller size like 46". I'm currently using a 26" Olevia LCD for playing PS3 and 360 games and I think that's big enough.

Oh here's the set i'm looking at Newegg: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... -_-Product

$649.99 with $20 shipping and no tax.

I checked at BB and the price is the same but I came across two similar sets one priced $649.99 and $719.99, any idea why???

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Panasonic+- ... Id=9761059 $649.99

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Panasonic+- ... Id=9761068 $719.99

OK enough babbling I think I found the sweet spot and $100 off. What do you guys think about the set below??

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Panasonic+- ... merreviews

[pk500]

Get a 50-incher. Much like a penis, you'll appreciate the extra size.

[snaz16]

Are the Panasonic Viera sets the ones that don't suffer from burn in like the older sets? I was reading some of the reviews at Newegg.com and there were a couple of reviews saying that burn in is not an issue anymore with these sets. I'll see if I can find it.

I'm kind of leaning on a smaller size like 46". I'm currently using a 26" Olevia LCD for playing PS3 and 360 games and I think that's big enough.

Oh here's the set i'm looking at Newegg: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... -_-Product

$649.99 with $20 shipping and no tax.

I checked at BB and the price is the same but I came across two similar sets one priced $649.99 and $719.99, any idea why???

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Panasonic+- ... Id=9761059 $649.99

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Panasonic+- ... Id=9761068 $719.99

OK enough babbling I think I found the sweet spot and $100 off. What do you guys think about the set below??

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Panasonic+- ... merreviews

The S-2 is a solid choice.....I'm with Paul if you can get the 50" do it. Either way though you will be impressed. There is a thread on the Hi Def forums that you can browse for picture settings, burn in time etc.

[Rodster]

Thanks guys ! Are Plasma TV's capable of doing 3D?

[greggsand]

There is a panny 3-d model. Panny has an 'anti-image retention' deal where u set it so it a automatically shifts the pixels every 4 mins to prevent burn-in.

[Rodster]

Panny has an 'anti-image retention' deal where u set it so it a automatically shifts the pixels every 4 mins to prevent burn-in.

Is that feature included in all the Viera models and the 50" set PK and others referred to?

[greggsand]

Panny has an 'anti-image retention' deal where u set it so it a automatically shifts the pixels every 4 mins to prevent burn-in.

Is that feature included in all the Viera models and the 50" set PK and others referred to?

Yup. That's what I have, too.

[Rodster]

On a whim I just bought this today, the price looked right and Walmart nor target carry this set. I picked it up for $599.99 (normally $998) with free shipping. I chose it cause some of you have purchased Vizio before and were happy with them. I hope that's still the case LOL.

Here are the specs:
*46.96-inch diagonal LCD HDTV with 1080p resolution
120Hz Smooth Motion technology provides a fluid, blur-free experience, even during sports or action sequences
*Ambient light sensor auto-adjusts brightness for the perfect picture, regardless of room conditions
*SRS TruSurround HD delivers high-quality sound with optimal bass performance, high-end detail, and dialog clarity
* Exceeds current Energy Star guidelines by at least 15% below Energy Star 3.0, saving you money on your utility bills
* 5ms response time

[sportdan30]

Looks like you got a great deal Rodster. I'm still very happy with my 42" Vizio I purchased a few years ago. At the time, I paid $999, so prices are definitely falling.

I'm actually in the preliminary stages of searching for a 55" HDTV. I'm finally ready to dump our 12 year old Sony Trinitron tv. I can't stand to watch any sports on there anymore. I saw a nice Samsung LED for $1499 that was marked down but I just couldn't pull the trigger.

Is there that much of a dramatic difference in picture quality from LCD to LCD-LED? The slim design is nice with the LEDs but it's not a deal breaker. I've been watching the pricing on the 55" Vizios but the prices haven come down too much within the past few months. I'd like to spend around $1000-1200 but I might be waiting a while.

[Rodster]

Dan I have an LED laptop and I prefer the LCD. There are some difference depending on who makes the LED flat panel. If it's a good quality LED panel it will cost more and you get brighter and a little better color palette.

Not worth it in my view. The Vizio is strictly for gaming and replaces my 26" Olevia LCD which I got 5 years ago for $500. It still works great but it was tough passing on this deal. I think DB also raved about the Vizio's.