tv.....

[heyttown]

Im afraid to open a can of worms here but Ive finally decided I deserve a big screen tv..

Im tossed between an lcd and plasma...Ive heard concerns with plasmas are light reflections but everything Ive seen in the store the lcd screens appeared to reflect background more..

life span im told are 60,000 hrs for lcd and what they call half life for plasma are about the 50,000...

Just not sure what to get..
Iv been looking at 52" or larger
Iv seen some nice tvs but paying 4000 is out of question rt now.. I would like to stay around 2000 or less
Im leaning towards 120hz over 60 hz as I watch primarily sports..
Any ideas?

Also each place always tries to sell extended warranties? from 75 -300 extra depending on what store...as a general rule i avoid extended warrenties...but dropping 2000+ on a tv isnt like a 300 game system or surround sound...

Im looking for first hand experiences...pro cons/ recommendations

 

[i386]

Re: tv.....

There's no right or wrong answer. Here's a good place to start...

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=287829
http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=293285

 

[SS MAYFLOAT]

Re: tv.....

Our Sony Trinitron went out a couple of months ago. We replaced it with a 32" Samsung. I've always been partial to Sony, but getting only 9 years out of my Trinitron was a big let down. I may fix it as the HV amplifier went out. Found the parts on the net, just need the bucks. So far we love our Samsung, just wish we spent a few more bucks and got the larger one. When we do, this one will go to the boat

I would take Pony's advice when he chimes in. He hasn't steered me wrong in any of his info. He has my respect on his knowledge of todays technology.

Yea, I agree the price on these new TV's is a rip off. I was hoping to wait a few more years once the market is saturated and the price comes down.

 

[wuttja]

Re: tv.....

If you are looking at the Samsung LCD's, the new models are coming out shortly. The LN55B650 (55") is replacing the LN52A650 which is Consumer Reports top pick for 52" or larger LCD. I have the LN52A860 and love it. Thin (just under 2") and the picture is amazing. I don't have a glare issue most of the time, but I have to close the blinds when the sun is setting. Comes right through the windows and the glare is very apparent.

 

[heyttown]

Re: tv.....

thanks for the info...I swear i think id rather buy a car then tvs..At least the car is a set price with employee discount...i get a headache just thinking about tvs..

I have heard that sony used to make the lcd screen panels samsung but recently bought them out and are starting to phase out samsung or something to that effect and if they dont phase them out, they are stopping making their screens which could drop the quality.
any truth behind this that you know of?

the stores i shopped at the samsungs were very close if not slightly above sony price on their sets..

 

[Edko]

Re: tv.....

I own a 46" Panasonic Vierra Plasma and I love it. Even when the sun comes through the picture window the picture is sharp. Panasonic makes terrific Plasmas. I wish I could afford the kuros but I am very, very happy with what I got.

The downside I guess to plasmas are mounting them on a wall, they are very heavy, but we managed to run the wires and put the tv up with minimal issues.

There are alot of places like CNET and the AVS forum where you can study up. Good luck with your purchase.

 

[boat1010]

Re: tv.....

We have had our Phillips 47" since Christmas and we love it. The main reason we got the LCD was because of the sun glare. Where we have it in the living room it would pick up the sun glare and the LCD doesn't do that as bad. When you are in a store look at the Plasma and LCD and look at the reflection of the lights in the store. You can see the reflection of the lights in the Plasma but not so much in the LCD.

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: tv.....

LCD all the way! Plasma is older technology and uses way more power and generates more heat than the LCD sets..
The new Samsung LCDs are great...Amazing picture and a good quality set.
My Sony i am very happy with too..

 

[ezmobee]

Re: tv.....

I have an LG 42" nice picture but horrible remote and it makes it a royal pain to find the HD channels on Comcast. I also have a 37" Vizio. Believe it or not, I absolutely love the Vizio. Both sets have a great picture but the Vizio is just so much more user friendly.

 

[Edko]

Re: tv.....

Vizio has really become an excellent manufacturer of affordable LCD's. When they first came out I was skeptical but I wouldn't hesitate to buy them when my other tvs go up in the house.

 

[Pony]

Re: tv.....

Our Sony Trinitron went out a couple of months ago. We replaced it with a 32" Samsung. I've always been partial to Sony, but getting only 9 years out of my Trinitron was a big let down. I may fix it as the HV amplifier went out. Found the parts on the net, just need the bucks. So far we love our Samsung, just wish we spent a few more bucks and got the larger one. When we do, this one will go to the boat

I would take Pony's advice when he chimes in. He hasn't steered me wrong in any of his info. He has my respect on his knowledge of todays technology.

Yea, I agree the price on these new TV's is a rip off. I was hoping to wait a few more years once the market is saturated and the price comes down.

Thanks SS.....

Basically the life expectancy of both technologies is pretty much the same. New plasmas are much more energy efficient than they were a few years and with pixel shifting technology burn in is pretty much a thing of the past. This makes the two technologies very similar for most consumers. It really comes down to what you plan on using the TV for and where it is in the house. Light reflection/glare is a big issue with plasmas, and often if they have some sort of "anti-glare" coating (lg's used to have this) the picture quality is compromised to a degree. The upside is that plasmas have truer colors and better contrast ratios. They are ideal for watching movies. Lcds are much more versatile since they don't have glare issues and are much lighter. They are also more easily available in larger sizes.

Personally if I could go with a plasma I would. I like the picture of a plasma better, but I would be fighting a glare issue in just about every room I have......so I pretty much have all Lcds. You will probably be very pleased with either one, plus they all look great when you get them home and there aren't 100 other tvs next to it to compare it too.

If you are going LCD, you absolutely cannot go wrong with Samsung or Sony. I would make Samsung my first choice. You can however go wrong with the cheaper off brands and lesser quality name brands. I wouldn't touch vizio, toshiba, phillips, or westinghouse with a 10 ft stick. Part of my job is sending TVs out to repair, and I can tell you that I rarely see a Sony or a Samsung go out..............and since we sell MANY more of those, the percentage of repaired units is WAY less than anything else. The picture quality of the other stuff is just not nearly at the same level. LG and Sharp fall somewhere in the middle. Some people really like Sharp, but I just do not like the picture quality. Granted this is all subjective, but is my opinion.

If you get a Plasma and don't want to pay for Pioneer prices, I love Panasonics. They are by far my favorite in that class. Samsung would be the runner up. Again I stay away from off brands.

I also always get a service plan on TVs. Its simple insurance and I have seen enough problems to know that a 4yr plan is the only way to go. I have myself gotten an lcd panel replacement 3 yrs down the road when without the plan I would have been shelling out $ for a replacement TV and instead paid nothing.

 

[Mike Robinson]

Re: tv.....

We bought a 50 inch Panasonic Viera Plasma TV about a month ago and we are very happy with it. We mounted it on the wall in our basement in a room with only a small window so glare is not much of an issue for us. The only comment I might make is that when there is no volume on you can hear the slight hum of the cooling fans on the TV but as soon as you have any volume on you don`t notice them.

Personally we like the idea of having a glass screen instead of plastic like on a LCD, but that`s only our opinion. Our computer monitor is a Samsung LCD and it has been scratched and marred by our sons.

 

[Barnacle_Bill]

Re: tv.....

I'm partial to LCD. But then you have to consider that my first TV was B&W and had a round screen with lots of snow. LOL

 

[Adjuster]

Re: tv.....

Love my Vizio 47" LCD. Make sure you check out CompUSA for good deals.

 

[legoman67]

Re: tv.....

Have you looked at DLP TV's? we have a samsung 72" DLP, it is amazing! HD looks better then real life! We had a 60" LCD before it, and the DLP is definatly better.

Plasma is good when you are in a dark room. If you are building a home theater for example then a plasma would be great. but if you want the Tv in your front room with windows all around it it wont be that great. Also plasma tv's have a varried life range and you never really know how long it will last....