Plasma--LCD--Wega???

[RCSConstruction]

Hello all!
I did a search and you all had a discussion about this almost a year ago.
Has anything changed?
Anybody regretting their LCD,Plasma, or WEGA purchase.
I am ready to get a TV but have been spooked by everything I read.
On some forums there are fights 45 pages long about plasma vs. LCD...All gibberish to me..lol
Whats the best TV for multi-purpose--multi lighting--multi angle viewing?
Are the old flat screen WEGA tube TV's still around/recommended?
Thanks for your time.

 

[Pony]

Re: Plasma--LCD--Wega???

Hello all!
I did a search and you all had a discussion about this almost a year ago.
Has anything changed?
Anybody regretting their LCD,Plasma, or WEGA purchase.
I am ready to get a TV but have been spooked by everything I read.
On some forums there are fights 45 pages long about plasma vs. LCD...All gibberish to me..lol
Whats the best TV for multi-purpose--multi lighting--multi angle viewing?
Are the old flat screen WEGA tube TV's still around/recommended?
Thanks for your time.

I stay away from tubes simply because they cannot support the newer progressive scan displays. You can get HD tubes.....and nice ones at that. I have one. It has a good picture, but size is SEVERELY limited. Plus they are heavy!

IMHO the multi lighting/ multi viewing angle says it all for me. Plasma screens are glass and reflect lots of light which can be very annoying. DLPs dont have all that great of a veiwing angle. If you stand up the display is often very dark, and getting too far to the left or right has a similar effect. The screen also does relflect some light. The best option really is an LCD. They have the best veiwing angles, they dont reflect light, and they have the best resolutions. They wont have as high of a contrast as a Plasma, but the other trade offs outweigh that IMO.

The Plasma/LCD debate is really dependant on how you will use the TV.

 

[_brad_]

Re: Plasma--LCD--Wega???

With no $$$ restrictions? LCD all the way no questions asked.

LCD is superior to plasma in several ways. Most importantly in my eyes is the fact that LCD can not suffer from screen burn-in as a plasma/projection display can/will.

Would hate to hear you just spent 2 grand on a plasma display only to hear a year later you have this CNN logo that wont go away!

If you got $$$ go LCD. You wont be disappointed.

 

[JB]

Re: Plasma--LCD--Wega???

I have had a Grand WEGA 55" for about 2.5 years now.

Had a failure in the optics module. Covered by warranty.

The book said to expect to replace the lamp at about 2 years. Recently replaced the lamp (extended warranty).

Bottom line? I am very happy with it.

 

[2broke4this]

Re: Plasma--LCD--Wega???

I bought a cheapo refurbished 37" LCD over a year ago.... I love it! No, it doesn't have the crazy specs that the more expensive models have, but it supports 720p and 1080i and it was just over 600 bucks! The picture is really nice, and it is SO much easier to move than the 32" tube it replaced. That, and I don't need an entertainment stand built like a fortress to put it on. You can get insane deals on the lower resolution LCDs (like mine), but there are those who would argue that the extra money for the nicer sets is well worth it... only you can decide that! But yes, I'd agree with the others, LCD is the way to go... they are lighter (than CRT or Plasma), last a long time (expected life over 50,000 hours), and are great for multipurpose use. I bought mine without seeing it, but I took a gamble. Take some time and find display models to watch before you decide which one to take home... it's worth the extra effort. We use ours mostly for standard definition viewing (too cheap to get HD cable) and it looks fantastic... and looks even better with the upconverting DVD player (720p through HDMI cable).

As the others said, the way you use it is the most important factor. Go check out some TVs!

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: Plasma--LCD--Wega???

I have about a 2 month old Sony WEGA LCD high def. It took me forever to decide between the LCD,Plasma or DLP.
So far i am very happy with the LCD. My sister has just bought a DLP and mine has a better picture...

 

[Pony]

Re: Plasma--LCD--Wega???

With no $$$ restrictions? LCD all the way no questions asked.

LCD is superior to plasma in several ways. Most importantly in my eyes is the fact that LCD can not suffer from screen burn-in as a plasma/projection display can/will.

Would hate to hear you just spent 2 grand on a plasma display only to hear a year later you have this CNN logo that wont go away!

If you got $$$ go LCD. You wont be disappointed.

I will go ahead and paste this from another post of mine to clear up some misconceptions.

Plasmas and LCDs now have approximately the same life expectancy (Plasma USED to be much less). Plasmas have really improved over the past two years.

Plasmas really no longer have a burn in issue because of pixel shift technology. I haven't seen burn in on a Plasma in well over a year. It just isnt an issue anymore. You WILL not get the CNN logo burned into your screen. And if it did, as soon as there was movement in that area of the screen it would wash itself out.

Plasmas have superior contrast ratios, which make for much richer color. They are the way to go if you watch lots of movies and a PERFECT for situations where there is not a lot of light. LCDs are more versatile, which is why I recomended it in my first post to this thread. While it isnt always the "hands down" choice, it is in this instance.

 

[cougar1985]

Re: Plasma--LCD--Wega???

i love my lcd tv,period!i spent a few hours looking at every possible thing out there and for my eye,s the lcd won hands down.nothing personal PONY but i let my eyes decide for me ,not some salesmen or tecki.mind you your info can really help somebody to figure out where to start but in the end it comes down to personal choice.i dont think you could get 2 people to agree whats best at the best of times,lol.just to make sure there,s no confusion this is not a poke at you or any tech type person, it,s just a statement of fact that in the end no matter what anybody says it comes down to the individual in the end as their the person that has to live with it.

 

[jeeperman]

Re: Plasma--LCD--Wega???

I just got a Westinghouse 47" LCD HDTV, 1080p capability.
Last week it was at $1423 and I found a coupon online for a 12% discount if you signed up for the BestBuy creditcard and rewards program.
Then anything over $999 at zero interest for 3 years.
So I will use their money and payoff the $1253 at $35 per month.

 

[Pony]

Re: Plasma--LCD--Wega???

i love my lcd tv,period!i spent a few hours looking at every possible thing out there and for my eye,s the lcd won hands down.nothing personal PONY but i let my eyes decide for me ,not some salesmen or tecki.mind you your info can really help somebody to figure out where to start but in the end it comes down to personal choice.i dont think you could get 2 people to agree whats best at the best of times,lol.just to make sure there,s no confusion this is not a poke at you or any tech type person, it,s just a statement of fact that in the end no matter what anybody says it comes down to the individual in the end as their the person that has to live with it.

I agree wholeheartedly. I was just trying to clear up the Plasma misconception. I would hate to see someone pass up on a Plasma they thought was the best looking tv because they were misinformed about them.

The best picture quality TV I have is my LCD. I love it! If I came off as trying to push one thing more than another I certainly didnt mean it that way. Like I said, I have a DLP, Plasma, CRT HD tube, and an LCD. I like and would recommend any one of them depending on how it will be used.

 

[Pony]

Re: Plasma--LCD--Wega???

I just got a Westinghouse 47" LCD HDTV, 1080p capability.
Last week it was at $1423 and I found a coupon online for a 12% discount if you signed up for the BestBuy creditcard and rewards program.
Then anything over $999 at zero interest for 3 years.
So I will use their money and payoff the $1253 at $35 per month.

Let us know how you like it! This is probably the best financing I have seen at Best Buy in quite some time. Lots of people have been taking advantage of it.

 

[valkyr]

Re: Plasma--LCD--Wega???

Typically the rule of thumb is:

Anything over 46" look at Plasma..., Anything under 46" look at LCD.

Now, the Sharp Aquos have great black depths (the best for LCDs) however several of the sets have "banding". Banding is where you can barely see darker areas (bands or bars) across the screen...Almost like shadows or interference. Now these bands are only visible on certain colors (greys mostly).

Don't know if that helps any? We bought an Aquos 46" and love it....

 

[Limited-Time]

Re: Plasma--LCD--Wega???

Visit the local TV repair shop, see what they have sitting around waiting to be fixed. Then talk to the techs who work on them, and factor that into your decision. Just make sure the shop employs techs that are certified or schooled by the major manufactures.

 

[RCSConstruction]

Re: Plasma--LCD--Wega???

Wowowwww.... Thanks for all your input everyone!!
Looks like I am going to go for an LCD. I went down to Circuit City and was immediately put off by the plasma's "glare", I could see my reflection...
The LCD projection TV's looked good but never have heard good things about projection TV's.
How does Sony's Bravia series stack up? Specifically the 46"??
I saw the Aquos and was just as impressed but can get a better deal on the Sony.
Both are 1080P and have same amount of input/outputs.
Thanks again everyone.

 

[Pony]

Re: Plasma--LCD--Wega???

Wowowwww.... Thanks for all your input everyone!!
Looks like I am going to go for an LCD. I went down to Circuit City and was immediately put off by the plasma's "glare", I could see my reflection...
The LCD projection TV's looked good but never have heard good things about projection TV's.
How does Sony's Bravia series stack up? Specifically the 46"??
I saw the Aquos and was just as impressed but can get a better deal on the Sony.
Both are 1080P and have same amount of input/outputs.
Thanks again everyone.

Based on the fact that you can get a better deal on Sony I assume that you are looking at either the 46v3000 or the 46w3000. Both are really nice tvs. The only 46" LCD that I would buy before those is Sony's XBR4. That TV upconverts all interlaced and progressive signals to 1080p which makes just about everything look good. The new Aquos TVs are good as well, but last years models were less than spectacular IMHO. They were noticeably more "grainy" than anything else in that size range. They seem to have fixed that problem. I have seen one or two of the new Sharps breakdown in the store where the main board just plain failed. Based on that I would go with Sony......The Sony stuff is proven.

I wouldnt necessarily be scared by the glare in the store on those Plasmas........the lighting is completely different in your home.

 

[PondTunes]

Re: Plasma--LCD--Wega???

I wouldnt necessarily be scared by the glare in the store on those Plasmas........the lighting is completely different in your home.

Agreed.. i've got a 53" plasma mounted over my fireplace and I don't get a glare from the overhead fan/light. 99% of the time we're watching it with the overhead light off anyways. I've really enjoyed the plasma and don't regret purchasing it a bit. No burned in sidebars, no burned in logos and it's two years or so old.

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: Plasma--LCD--Wega???

I spent 3 days looking at the Sonys,I'm very happy with it.(never had a bad Sony)
Remember in the store they have those TVs set in torch mode (bright cranked way up)
Once i got mine home and adjusted the brightness and contrast and took it out of vivid mode the picture is perfect.
I bought at CC and a week later the same TV was 100 bucks less and the stand i bought went down 50 bucks.
I went and got my 150 back and bought a nice upconvert DVD player...

 

[rndn]

Re: Plasma--LCD--Wega???

I've had a 55" Hitachi Plasma for the past two years. I absolutely love it and have zero problems. I've had numerous people come in to my house and comment on how nice, clear and brite the picture is as compared to their own tv. They have had the Wega, LCD, and crt HD, and mine is the best picture of all, hands down. Plasma's have not had burn in issues for years.