Yet another HDTV question

[pk500]

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.

Plasma, my boy, plasma. Deeper blacks, richer colors, 600 mHz out of the box so you have no motion blur. Most LCD and LED HDTV's are 120 mHz out of the box, with top of the line at 240 mHZ. All plasmas are 600 mHZ.

Much wider viewing angles with a plasma, too.

All add up to an ideal sports viewing experience.

I only would avoid plasma if your TV room has a lot of natural light. The reflections from the glass screen can be brutal. But I watch almost all of my TV at night, and I also have a Venetian blind for the picture window in the TV room to control light well.

[Rodster]

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.

Plasma, my boy, plasma. Deeper blacks, richer colors, 600 mHz out of the box so you have no motion blur. Most LCD and LED HDTV's are 120 mHz out of the box, with top of the line at 240 mHZ. All plasmas are 600 mHZ.

Much wider viewing angles with a plasma, too.

All add up to an ideal sports viewing experience.

I only would avoid plasma if your TV room has a lot of natural light. The reflections from the glass screen can be brutal. But I watch almost all of my TV at night, and I also have a Venetian blind for the picture window in the TV room to control light well.

I hear ya but a 47" LCD @ 120hz in 1080P for $599.99 is tough to beat. Where I live I do get quite a bit of sunlight so the matte finish on the LCD absorbs the light quite well.

[sportdan30]

Pk,

I definitely have been giving Plasmas a lot of thought. Thanks for putting that back in my head. Along with what you mentioned, price is generally much less expensive than the new LEDs. At the furthest viewing, I sit about 9 feet away, with the closest being around 5 feet. I wonder if the 50" is large enough for my furthest viewing however. Are there larger size plasma hdtvs? Most likely 50" would suffice. We do have a lot of natural light, but we also have venetian blinds that block the light well.

[dbdynsty25]

Just bought a 50" LG Plasma on Amazon for under 600 bucks (well I bought it a couple weeks ago) for use at work in my office and it works great.

http://www.amazon.com/LG-50PJ350-50-Inc ... 362&sr=8-3

It's up to $649 now, but it's one of the "slim frame" units that makes it significantly thinner. It's a fantastic value in my opinion.

Edit: Obviously it's only a 720p set...so that might be a limiting factor for you. At work, it clearly isn't for me.

[pk500]

A note to Dan about DB's set. Fantastic deal, but you will notice slight picture degradation with a 720p set at viewing distances of 5 feet, especially with the compressed signal of cable. Less of a problem if you have satellite.

I sit at about 10 feet, so I honestly can't tell the difference between 720p and 1080p at that distance. I'm sure there is a difference, especially for videophiles, but it's pretty damn close to my unsophisticated eye.

One other fact to remember, Dan: All ESPN channels broadcast in 720p, so a 1080p set won't make much difference if you watch a lot of the "Worldwide Leader."

I'm a big-time plasma pimp. I have friends and family with LCD sets and DLP sets, and my Panny 50-inch plasma looks better than all of them. I doubt they've calibrated their sets as I have, but I'm still very happy with my plasma, for which I paid $700 in early February.

People can argue the merits of LCD/LED vs. plasma all day, and both sides have valid points. But there are two areas where plasma has an indisputable edge: Motion blur and viewing angles. Case closed on those two.

Since I watch mainly sports at night in a wide, shallow room with controlled light, plasma made all the sense in the world for me. Zero regrets.

[sportdan30]

The prices on the plasmas are certainly very intriguing. But, what I keep going back to is that whichever tv I put in our in family room, it's going to be the "main" tv. Meaning, it's going to take abuse. I have an 8 year old which should explain a lot. I can't be home and monitoring it 24/7, so it's highly likely it'll be left on every now and then for an extra half hour to an hour. Also, because the kids watch a lot of Directv DVR shows, it's common place in our household that they'll run off and do something, and the "delete/don't delete" logo will be left on for minutes at a time, or until it automatically goes back to live tv.

So, here's what I'm thinking. In general, I'm the only tv watcher in the basement on my 42" Vizio. I could essentially move the 42" tv upstairs to the family room, and purchase a 50" plasma (where I can control the light a lot better) for where I'll do most of my sports and movie watching. I'll still have access of course to the 42" Vizio if I'm too lazy to go downstairs during the evening if there's a sports game on. I just don't want this 42" Vizio to look out of place in the family room. We'd be going from this hog of a 53" box tv to a 42" LCD. A year or two down the road, when the LEDs have dropped below a $1000, then I'll spring for a larger tv. I'm just afraid of the abuse the plasma would take being the main viewing tv.

[pk500]

The prices on the plasmas are certainly very intriguing. But, what I keep going back to is that whichever tv I put in our in family room, it's going to be the "main" tv. Meaning, it's going to take abuse. I have an 8 year old which should explain a lot. I can't be home and monitoring it 24/7, so it's highly likely it'll be left on every now and then for an extra half hour to an hour. Also, because the kids watch a lot of Directv DVR shows, it's common place in our household that they'll run off and do something, and the "delete/don't delete" logo will be left on for minutes at a time, or until it automatically goes back to live tv.

Which isn't that big of a problem after initial break-in. All Panny plasmas -- and nearly any quality plasma set -- have a built-in feature to scramble pixels every few minutes on a stationary screen to prevent burn-in. You don't even notice it; it's not like a screen saver on a computer.

So, here's what I'm thinking. In general, I'm the only tv watcher in the basement on my 42" Vizio. I could essentially move the 42" tv upstairs to the family room, and purchase a 50" plasma (where I can control the light a lot better) for where I'll do most of my sports and movie watching. I'll still have access of course to the 42" Vizio if I'm too lazy to go downstairs during the evening if there's a sports game on. I just don't want this 42" Vizio to look out of place in the family room. We'd be going from this hog of a 53" box tv to a 42" LCD. A year or two down the road, when the LEDs have dropped below a $1000, then I'll spring for a larger tv. I'm just afraid of the abuse the plasma would take being the main viewing tv.

Sounds like a plan, man.

One more fact to consider: Hardly any retail outlets set up TV's properly, but for some reason, this makes plasmas look even worse than LCD's. The plasma colors will pop off the screen after about 10 minutes of easy setup tweaks.

[wco81]

The 1080p sets tend to come with other features as well, just better sets in general.

Plus if you watch any Blu-Ray, the higher resolution is good to have.

[sportdan30]

The 1080p sets tend to come with other features as well, just better sets in general.

Plus if you watch any Blu-Ray, the higher resolution is good to have.

Yeah, I'd definitely be looking for a 1080p set. I noticed that some if not all of the NFL games on CBS have a resolution of 1080i at the very least. I can certianly tell a little difference between a game on ESPN that is in 720p and a game in 1080.

And I do have the PS3 (blu-ray player) in the basement. I've been wanting a larger viewing experience for quite some time. Gotta think I'd notice a nice difference between 42" and 50".

Thanks for your help guys. Think I'll stop by Best Buy later this afternoon.

[pk500]

The 1080p sets tend to come with other features as well, just better sets in general.

Plus if you watch any Blu-Ray, the higher resolution is good to have.

Absolutely. I'm not a movie-watcher at all, so I don't even own Blu-Ray.

[sportdan30]

Besides the tv, I guess I'd have to invest in a tv stand as well as another HD receiver. Any suggestions on where to find a decent tv stand for the family room? If I go with what I'm thinking, the plasma will be wall mounted in the basement.

[dbdynsty25]

You cannot tell the difference between 1080i and 720p...It's the same resolution. You're just noticing the difference in the broadcast...no two broadcasts will look the same...there are always variances from station to station and even event to event on the same station. CBS is the worst offender...you can really tell with NFL Sunday Ticket...flipping from game to game or the red zone channel is disturbing really.

[sportdan30]

You cannot tell the difference between 1080i and 720p...It's the same resolution. You're just noticing the difference in the broadcast...no two broadcasts will look the same...there are always variances from station to station and even event to event on the same station. CBS is the worst offender...you can really tell with NFL Sunday Ticket...flipping from game to game or the red zone channel is disturbing really.

Well, I can definitely tell on some ESPN college basketball broadcasts that some are better than others. I watched an ESPN2 game the other day and it looked fantastic. Conversely, I've seem my fair share of grainy looking what was supposed to be HD broadcasts on ESPN, and they look like crap. But your point is obviously very true. I can switch back between a game on FOX and CBS, and one almost always looks better than the other.

[sportdan30]

With plasmas can you turn off the "soap opera" (with regards to movies) effect for a more cinematic experience? My father has a 120mhz LG and the movies just look fake to me when watching them.

[sportdan30]

With plasmas can you turn off the "soap opera" (with regards to movies) effect for a more cinematic experience? My father has a 120mhz LG LCD and the movies just look fake to me when watching them.

[Rodster]

Dan here's a 42" Panasonic for $599.99 today at Amazon.com

http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-TC-P42S ... roduct_top

[Rodster]

With plasmas can you turn off the "soap opera" (with regards to movies) effect for a more cinematic experience? My father has a 120mhz LG LCD and the movies just look fake to me when watching them.

What's nice about the Vizio set I bought and I actually considering cancelling my order for the 42" Panasonic but didn't, is you can turn off the 120hz frequency to give you the same result.

[wco81]

CBS NFL games look better than the ones on Fox or ESPN. NBC games look okay.

It may not be the resolution necessarily. It may be the bitrate and that could be satellite or cable or it could be your local station using subchannels for things like weather and traffic that eats into the spectrum they're allotted.

If you have the room and don't mind paying the incrementally higher electricity bills, go for as big a set as you're willing to pay for.

Supposedly next year or the year after, there will be new energy saver requirements or certifications so there will probably be stickers on models saying they conform to the 2011 or 2012 requirements.

[pk500]

Besides the tv, I guess I'd have to invest in a tv stand as well as another HD receiver. Any suggestions on where to find a decent tv stand for the family room? If I go with what I'm thinking, the plasma will be wall mounted in the basement.

No option for a wall mount? That is THE trick setup for a 50-inch screen.

[pk500]

You cannot tell the difference between 1080i and 720p...It's the same resolution. You're just noticing the difference in the broadcast...no two broadcasts will look the same...there are always variances from station to station and even event to event on the same station. CBS is the worst offender...you can really tell with NFL Sunday Ticket...flipping from game to game or the red zone channel is disturbing really.

Well, I can definitely tell on some ESPN college basketball broadcasts that some are better than others. I watched an ESPN2 game the other day and it looked fantastic. Conversely, I've seem my fair share of grainy looking what was supposed to be HD broadcasts on ESPN, and they look like crap. But your point is obviously very true. I can switch back between a game on FOX and CBS, and one almost always looks better than the other.

Absolutely. When I'm showing off my TV to people, I either turn on Discovery Theater or The Weather Channel. Both channels look stupendously good in HD.

FOX NFL broadcasts look very good on TimeWarner here. But FOX's NASCAR telecasts look sh*tty. As DB said, it has a lot to do with the quality of the HD signal and equipment being transmitted and used by the broadcaster, respectively.

HD signals always will look better on satellite, too. Cable companies have to compress the sh*t out of their signals to fit increasing numbers of HD channels into their existing bandwidth pipe sizes.

[pk500]

With plasmas can you turn off the "soap opera" (with regards to movies) effect for a more cinematic experience? My father has a 120mhz LG and the movies just look fake to me when watching them.

Yes. My Panny has many different screen presets. I use custom settings that I found on the AVS Forum.

[wco81]

Besides the tv, I guess I'd have to invest in a tv stand as well as another HD receiver. Any suggestions on where to find a decent tv stand for the family room? If I go with what I'm thinking, the plasma will be wall mounted in the basement.

I have my plasma on a dresser which is pretty high, about 4 feet high, which is where I wanted it for my bedroom.

In living room, I have a stand with glass shelves so it's useful for putting the DVR or HD receiver as well as consoles underneath. Cost about $200-250.

Wall mount, if you can put it up yourself (though hoisting a 50-inch plus flat screen up to the mount may take a couple of guys) you can supposedly save a lot of money at monoprice. Installers charge like $500 but I saw Best Buy advertising that they will install for $199 if you buy a mount from them.

Unless you have a small room or maximize space, putting it on a stand works. In a small hotel room, the flat screens are mounted on the wall and that's fine.

[Rodster]

Anyone heard of Hannspree LCD HDTV's? Buy.com has a 42" 1080P 120hz set for $469.99, not sure if this is the better deal. The one thing I noticed is the Vizio has 50,000:1 contrast ratio and the Hannspree is 15K:1. Don't know if it makes a big difference or does it?

[sportdan30]

Well, the 42" Vizio is wall mounted in the basement. Hopefully, I would be able to wall mount a 50" plasma using the same wall mount, but as I understand it, plasmas are a great deal heavier. Not to mention, I'm not sure if this wall mount is universal with all flat screen tvs. With the 42", I plan to put it back on it's stand and purchase a tv stand for the family room. That's my thought process right now.

[pk500]

Wall mount, if you can put it up yourself (though hoisting a 50-inch plus flat screen up to the mount may take a couple of guys) you can supposedly save a lot of money at monoprice. Installers charge like $500 but I saw Best Buy advertising that they will install for $199 if you buy a mount from them.

Definitely a two-person job to hang the set safely on the rack and lock it in. My wife helped me. You can get a mount for $75 or less and do it yourself. Takes about 30 minutes total.

I got this mount from newegg.com, and it's going to take an atomic bomb to move my plasma from the wall:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6882877071

Good luck!