Reply With QuoteI bet Sammm can answer some questions for you, he did a ton of research on the subject. I didnt go with the plasma because of the reliability problems some have had issues with.
Plasma TV recommendations?
Well...
We've decided to put the old "fatboy" 32" HDTV upstairs in the gameroom at the new house, so we're looking for a new TV for the downstairs living room. I'm not much of a videophile or electronics junkie, so I don't really know what to look for in a TV. Here's what we're looking for:
- Flatscreen plasma TV
- 36"-46" in size
- "Reasonably" priced (< or =$3k)
- Good quality (duh!)
I don't need to have the biggest TV on the block, and I'd be more inclined to get a smaller but better quality unit than to go for maximum size. This TV will either sit on top of the entertainment cabinet or end up mounted to the wall over the fireplace. Any recommendations?
Iain
"We don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
I bet Sammm can answer some questions for you, he did a ton of research on the subject. I didnt go with the plasma because of the reliability problems some have had issues with.
Before you sink the $$$ for a Plasma, come take a look at my DLP...
Maybe 4 wheels aren't so bad after all... wickett.org
It only goes to show when people can no longer discriminate on the grounds of race, religion, or sexual orientation, they can improvise and still find someone to hate. - Dave Moulton
We also have a DLP and love it. In fact, after seeing ours, TC bought his!
Plasmas are great if you can afford to replace them every several years... they're not worth the hassle. Even on our news set we use DLP's.
Plasma has a great picture, but if they break you have to throw them away. That's a lot of money lost because they can't be repaired. Rear-projection is probably half the cost of plasma.
It's hard to go wrong with rear-projection LCD or DLP IMHO. I chose LCD, but was very close to picking DLP until I saw them side by side. I went with Sony LCD and Samsung has a great DLP. It is possible to get too large a screen for the area it will be in, though 46" is probably on the small side these days.
Okay guys, enlighten me - what's the difference between LCD, DLP, and plasma? Personally, I don't care if it runs on Hamster crap, as long as it has a good picture and is light and thin enough that I can potentially hand it on a wall in the future.
Iain
"We don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
Being as I work for the DLP® company... I'm obviously highly biased...
If you'd like to know how the DLP works, go to the site: http://www.dlp.com and on the left side under "What is DLP® Technology", click the "Launch the Demo" button.
Also, go watch TC's set... he's got the 3rd gen DLP engine, the 4th gen's are out now and are the only (I think) HD set capable of running 1080p. In either case, they look really great.
--
Dave"Opinions are like
..."
Here are the basics. Found it helpful when I started shopping.
http://electronics.howstuffworks.com...ying-guide.htm
Ended up with a 61" Panasonic rear projection LCD. Very happy with it.
Congratulations that is the first time anyone has ever made me spit something on my screen. Now my nice new LCD had milk on it!Originally Posted by altiain
So let me sum up the advice so far...
- Plasma = bad
- DLP = good
- If I buy a DLP TV I help keep Dave in a job.
- If I want a non-plasma TV that I can hang on a wall, LCD is my best option.
So far, so good? Also, what exactly does 1080p mean, and why should I care about it? What relationship does that have to the maximum screen resolution (like 1366x768 ) I see listed for TVs, and should I even care about the max resolution?
Iain
"We don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
1080p = 1080 lines of native resolution (or max, if you prefer). Probably doesn't mean much to you unless you're looking for a 56+ inch screen, as the odds of folks with our quality of eyesight seeing any scaling from 1080p content (currently just HD-DVD/Blu-Ray content) down to 720p.
OTOH, a 4th gen Samsung DLP running 1080p is still cheaper than a 720p plasma from upper-tier manufacuturers. The quality of the electronics that process the picture are probably more important than the light show itself, no matter what technology. For example... we saw a Hitachi running the same 2nd gen light engine in Bean's TV, but with lower quality processing... It had noticeable edging and color aberrations that don't exist on the Samsung.
Maybe 4 wheels aren't so bad after all... wickett.org
It only goes to show when people can no longer discriminate on the grounds of race, religion, or sexual orientation, they can improvise and still find someone to hate. - Dave Moulton
If you want to read up on all the different technolgies and their pros and cons this is by far one of the best guides I have come accross. It's not short so you may want to grab a cup of coffe or a beer or something.
'06 RSX Type-S NBP
Here's a good glossary for terms you may hear during your shopping...
Last edited by Treibenschnell; 08-02-2006 at 10:06 AM.
Well... that decides it then doesn't it? Thanks Ian!
- If I buy a DLP TV I help keep Dave in a job.
--
Dave"Opinions are like
One word - Discount?
That would be TI Proprietary information... but it's been known to happen.One word - Discount?
Some real good info on this site, but sadly, it's horribly out of date. Some of the things they quote as future trends have been in the market place for 6 months or more.
--
Dave"Opinions are like
Could you be any more vague, Grandpa? ::Razz::
Iain
"We don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
because the pimply Best Buy sales guys are obviously the best sources for new technology.. I liken them to car salemen on technology details for cars
you want the info, go to the techies.. http://www.avsforum.com/
different choices fit different people's needs.. I love the DLP sets myself, because I don't need to hang it on the wall.. However, LCD glass is what's helping (well, hurting) my company stock right now :)
FWIW, there's a vast amount of overstock on LCD TVs in the market right now. You should be able to catch some pretty good discounts. They built a TON of inventory worldwide for teh world cup games and the sales never really materialized.
1984 GSL-SE - Its ALIVE!
1989 Suburban 4x4 - 4" Pro-Comp Lift 33" BFGs etc... DRUNK TANK!
2002 Protege5 - Lucky the drunk wagon SOLD
'04 MazdaSpeed Mx-5 Wheeee! Turbos are fun
How can I be so thirsty this morning, When I drank so much last night??
That would be TI Proprietary information... but it's been known to happen.
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