LCD TV Recommendations
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OK, so I've finally decided to make the jump and get an HD LCD TV. I was wondering if all you smart people out there, can share some insight on what ones to stay away from, and which ones to look into more closely. From the research I've done, it seems that both Samsung and Sony are reliable with great pictures, etc. I appreciate your comments and feedback! :-D
Panasonic are best with Toshiba, Sony, Samsung andLG in a group. Avoid Philips! We have about 40 because we make the silicon used in set top boxes (I went shopping today to buy a small LG for a new starter). Elaine :rose:
Visit http://www.readytogiveup.com/[^] and do something special today.
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I would tend to recommend plasma, depending on the size you're looking at. LCD can look more impressive on a harshly lit floor like at Circuit City, but in the better lighting most have at home, plasma has better contrast (at the expense of a more reflective screen, but that's no worse than traditional TV's). Basically, LCD's have trouble with the blackest blacks, but it's not obvious unless you're in a darker environment. No matter what you get, make sure you set the brightness and contrast correctly (i.e. turn them down). This will save most TV's from burn in. There are DVD's that help properly calibrate your set. I'm personally looking into a Hitachi 50" plasma that is almost (but not quite) "true" 1080p. (It has a 1280x1080 resolution, but even at that size you have to get pretty close to miss the extra resolution, and it has a comparable price to other 50" plasmas that are 720p only.) Yeah, buying TV's has gotten a lot more complicated. Just don't let anyone sell you any cables made by Monster, they are a complete ripoff and do not do any good whatsoever.
Faith is a fine invention For gentlemen who see; But microscopes are prudent In an emergency! -Emily Dickinson
Panasonic introduced two smaller "true" 1080p units this year - TH-50PZ700 (50") & TH-42PZ700 (42") both 1920 x 1080. The 42" can be found for $1500 - $1700 and the 50" for around $2200 - $2400. They also have a "Pro" series (750) which includes "Pro-Setting & Studio Reference Modes" for an extra $500. Best Buy has a special viewing area set up with the 50" 700 model in several of the stores I've visited in the past few months...but they usually sell at MSRP... Steve
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OK, so I've finally decided to make the jump and get an HD LCD TV. I was wondering if all you smart people out there, can share some insight on what ones to stay away from, and which ones to look into more closely. From the research I've done, it seems that both Samsung and Sony are reliable with great pictures, etc. I appreciate your comments and feedback! :-D
Check out the DL.TV archives[^] - just search that page for "hdtv". One of the hosts reviews TVs for a living.
--Mike-- Visual C++ MVP :cool: LINKS~! Ericahist | PimpFish | CP SearchBar v3.0 | C++ Forum FAQ Hungarian notation FTW
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Panasonic are best with Toshiba, Sony, Samsung andLG in a group. Avoid Philips! We have about 40 because we make the silicon used in set top boxes (I went shopping today to buy a small LG for a new starter). Elaine :rose:
Visit http://www.readytogiveup.com/[^] and do something special today.
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Panasonic are best with Toshiba, Sony, Samsung andLG in a group. Avoid Philips! We have about 40 because we make the silicon used in set top boxes (I went shopping today to buy a small LG for a new starter). Elaine :rose:
Visit http://www.readytogiveup.com/[^] and do something special today.
I really like the Panasonics - especially the new PZ700 series...I am stunned by the price drops in just the past 3 months - nearly 40%...I'm currently leaning toward the TH-50PZ700, but want to see a TH-50PZ750 in person to see if the extra Pro stuff that is included is worth the extra $500 for me. Steve
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Check out the DL.TV archives[^] - just search that page for "hdtv". One of the hosts reviews TVs for a living.
--Mike-- Visual C++ MVP :cool: LINKS~! Ericahist | PimpFish | CP SearchBar v3.0 | C++ Forum FAQ Hungarian notation FTW
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OK, so I've finally decided to make the jump and get an HD LCD TV. I was wondering if all you smart people out there, can share some insight on what ones to stay away from, and which ones to look into more closely. From the research I've done, it seems that both Samsung and Sony are reliable with great pictures, etc. I appreciate your comments and feedback! :-D
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OK, so I've finally decided to make the jump and get an HD LCD TV. I was wondering if all you smart people out there, can share some insight on what ones to stay away from, and which ones to look into more closely. From the research I've done, it seems that both Samsung and Sony are reliable with great pictures, etc. I appreciate your comments and feedback! :-D
Goto AVSForuum, e.g. http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=166[^] Read the threads for the models you are looking at. I bought a Westinghouse LVM-47 (47" LCD 1080p) last month and have been very happy. I had looked at all the other major vendors, but after reading the forums it seems they all suffer from banding, sparkles, clouding, ... in one form or another (except the Westi :)). Before reading the forums i hadn't heard about any of these things. After, i went and looked at my brothers Aquos and saw what banding is. I also starting looking more closely at the display models at BB, Future Shop, ... and could see what people were talking about. Some people are more sensitive to having a TV with these issues than others.
...cmk Save the whales - collect the whole set
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OK, so I've finally decided to make the jump and get an HD LCD TV. I was wondering if all you smart people out there, can share some insight on what ones to stay away from, and which ones to look into more closely. From the research I've done, it seems that both Samsung and Sony are reliable with great pictures, etc. I appreciate your comments and feedback! :-D
I recently bought an HD 32" Sony Bravia. It is fantastic. Great picture even with standard-def content and awesome picture with hi-def content. The sound is decent too for just TV speakers. Just remember that you should get a TV size that suits your room, not just go for the biggest telly you can afford.
regards, Paul Watson Ireland & South Africa
Shog9 wrote:
And with that, Paul closed his browser, sipped his herbal tea, fixed the flower in his hair, and smiled brightly at the multitude of cute, furry animals flocking around the grassy hillside where he sat coding Ruby on his Mac...
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OK, so I've finally decided to make the jump and get an HD LCD TV. I was wondering if all you smart people out there, can share some insight on what ones to stay away from, and which ones to look into more closely. From the research I've done, it seems that both Samsung and Sony are reliable with great pictures, etc. I appreciate your comments and feedback! :-D
I've done a ton of homework on this before buying mine. here are a few things to consider: 1. A basic rule of thumb is LCD under 50", Plasma 50" up. 2. LCD uses about 1/2 the power of Plasma. Plasma also generates much more heat than LCD. 3. As far as the 1080p vs 720p, the difference is almost completely unnoticeable. Progressive scan is easier on the eyes than interlaced (i). So, in a sense, you are better off getting a 720p than 1080i. I ended up getting a lesser known name: Vizio. It was rated very high on different sites. I did some comparisons and made my decision. You mentioned that you are looking at Samsung and Sony picture quality. My friend bought a Sony (near top of the line model), and came over to see mine. He couldn't believe the picture quality, considering the tremendous price difference. You may come to different conclusions, but make sure you take a look at the Vizio line before making a final purchase.
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I recently bought an HD 32" Sony Bravia. It is fantastic. Great picture even with standard-def content and awesome picture with hi-def content. The sound is decent too for just TV speakers. Just remember that you should get a TV size that suits your room, not just go for the biggest telly you can afford.
regards, Paul Watson Ireland & South Africa
Shog9 wrote:
And with that, Paul closed his browser, sipped his herbal tea, fixed the flower in his hair, and smiled brightly at the multitude of cute, furry animals flocking around the grassy hillside where he sat coding Ruby on his Mac...
Paul Watson wrote:
Just remember that you should get a TV size that suits your room, not just go for the biggest telly you can afford.
The nice thing about today's TVs is that you can get very close to them and they still look great, so you can get away with much bigger TV's for relatively small rooms.
Faith is a fine invention For gentlemen who see; But microscopes are prudent In an emergency! -Emily Dickinson
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Paul Watson wrote:
Just remember that you should get a TV size that suits your room, not just go for the biggest telly you can afford.
The nice thing about today's TVs is that you can get very close to them and they still look great, so you can get away with much bigger TV's for relatively small rooms.
Faith is a fine invention For gentlemen who see; But microscopes are prudent In an emergency! -Emily Dickinson
Well, depends I guess. With standard-def content on a HD TV you don't want to get too close. Even on a 32" you want to be a good many feet away. If you walk right up to it you will see the standard-def problems. And I found the 40" oppressive up close. It was too big for the room and just tires you out over a two hour movie. It is better than older TVs of course :)
regards, Paul Watson Ireland & South Africa
Shog9 wrote:
And with that, Paul closed his browser, sipped his herbal tea, fixed the flower in his hair, and smiled brightly at the multitude of cute, furry animals flocking around the grassy hillside where he sat coding Ruby on his Mac...
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OK, so I've finally decided to make the jump and get an HD LCD TV. I was wondering if all you smart people out there, can share some insight on what ones to stay away from, and which ones to look into more closely. From the research I've done, it seems that both Samsung and Sony are reliable with great pictures, etc. I appreciate your comments and feedback! :-D
I did extensive research before purchasing an LG 42" LCD. If you have a lot of natural light entering your house you will want an LCD. The flat finish on and LCD screen doesn't reflect light. The glass screen on a plasma will suffer from the same reflections as a tube TV and will be difficult to see. It's true that the contrast of a plasma is better, but the refresh rates are basically equal now.
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I've done a ton of homework on this before buying mine. here are a few things to consider: 1. A basic rule of thumb is LCD under 50", Plasma 50" up. 2. LCD uses about 1/2 the power of Plasma. Plasma also generates much more heat than LCD. 3. As far as the 1080p vs 720p, the difference is almost completely unnoticeable. Progressive scan is easier on the eyes than interlaced (i). So, in a sense, you are better off getting a 720p than 1080i. I ended up getting a lesser known name: Vizio. It was rated very high on different sites. I did some comparisons and made my decision. You mentioned that you are looking at Samsung and Sony picture quality. My friend bought a Sony (near top of the line model), and came over to see mine. He couldn't believe the picture quality, considering the tremendous price difference. You may come to different conclusions, but make sure you take a look at the Vizio line before making a final purchase.
You didn't do much research... TV's that are 720P are also 1080i. The signal that is being broadcast is what makes the difference (which you obviously have no control over). In the USA, 720p is used by ABC, Fox Broadcasting Company and ESPN because the smoother image is desirable for fast-action sports telecasts, whereas 1080i is used by CBS, NBC, HBO and Discovery HD due to the crisper picture particularly in non-moving shots.
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I've done a ton of homework on this before buying mine. here are a few things to consider: 1. A basic rule of thumb is LCD under 50", Plasma 50" up. 2. LCD uses about 1/2 the power of Plasma. Plasma also generates much more heat than LCD. 3. As far as the 1080p vs 720p, the difference is almost completely unnoticeable. Progressive scan is easier on the eyes than interlaced (i). So, in a sense, you are better off getting a 720p than 1080i. I ended up getting a lesser known name: Vizio. It was rated very high on different sites. I did some comparisons and made my decision. You mentioned that you are looking at Samsung and Sony picture quality. My friend bought a Sony (near top of the line model), and came over to see mine. He couldn't believe the picture quality, considering the tremendous price difference. You may come to different conclusions, but make sure you take a look at the Vizio line before making a final purchase.
ednrgc wrote:
2. LCD uses about 1/2 the power of Plasma. Plasma also generates much more heat than LCD.
The second half of this is redundant. Every watt of power consumed is always turned into heat.
-- You have to explain to them [VB coders] what you mean by "typed". their first response is likely to be something like, "Of course my code is typed. Do you think i magically project it onto the screen with the power of my mind?" --- John Simmons / outlaw programmer
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ednrgc wrote:
2. LCD uses about 1/2 the power of Plasma. Plasma also generates much more heat than LCD.
The second half of this is redundant. Every watt of power consumed is always turned into heat.
-- You have to explain to them [VB coders] what you mean by "typed". their first response is likely to be something like, "Of course my code is typed. Do you think i magically project it onto the screen with the power of my mind?" --- John Simmons / outlaw programmer