Need opinions on buying a new HDTV

[mojorizen7]

Hey fellow HD people:
I don't watch any television(except for sports), however i'm an avid online gamer and i watch a ton of movies either thru my BD player(PS3) or my standard DVD player.
I have done some research on the LCD vs Plasma over the last couple yrs actually ,and at first it seemed that the general concensus was that if you're going to be doing alot of gaming go with the LCD hands down.
That seems to have changed recently. I'm leaning towards plasma.
I don't have a ton of money to spend, $1,500 is prob my cap but i do want a screen at least in the 45" to 50" range. I also plan on going with an established name brand ala Panasonic/Sony,LG etc...< not so easy. I guess what i'd like to get some feedback on is the 1080p vs 720p.
720p(as i understand it) just isn't full HD right? Well if so what are we really talking about here? Visually i mean,If i've been living with standard def up until this point am i going to be dissappointed with 720p?

Any input would be appreciated,thx.

 

[puckhead]

Typically for a hardcore gamer I would recommend LCD or DLP. The reason for this is the danger of image retention. It’s a problem because many games have things on screen constantly like health meters, scores, etc that are in the same place for hours at a time and will “burn” into the image and never go away. Early on, plasmas (and CRTs) suffered terribly from this, but the issue has become much less pronounced in the more recent generations of plasmas. It still can happen though, and if you’re admittedly a hardcore gamer, I would recommend against plasma. Unfortunately for you, plasma tends to yield the best deep black levels and fast motion rendering which is important for movies and sports respectively. They also tend to look better off-angle which may or may not be an issue.

That said, quality LCDs have come a long way in the most recent generation. Black levels are approaching plasma standards thanks to backlighting and they are getting much better at fast motion every year. If you are coming from standard def, I really don’t see this as an issue. LCD is better in brightly lit rooms as well and have plasma beat in this regard more often than not.

I wouldn’t dismiss DLP if I were you. You get lots of screen for your buck and work well in brightly lit rooms. They have become much thinner these days and unless you have to hang the display on the wall, the depth of these sets has almost become a non-issue.

As far as screen size, a good rule of thumb is to divide the distance from seating by 3. So if you’re 10 feet away that’s 120 inches divided by three equals 40incher.

I’m glad you want to stick with well-known names, this is a usually a good idea. Sony, Samsung, and Pioneer, are all great choices.

720p versus 1080p. These numbers are IMO much more important from the marketing perspective than the performance perspective. I have seen some 720p Pioneers that will make you want to cry they look so good. I have seen some 1080p Vizios that just make you want to cry. Here’s my advice, take a dvd or two or three that you are very familiar with to the TV store. Try and pick dvds that have a combination of bright and darkly lit scenes. Play them on the displays you are interested in and see which one can show the most detail in the shadows. Pick a display that has the deepest black you can afford and doesn’t look gray. This is tough because most stores have huge banks of fluorescent lighting working against you. Do your best and take your time. You’re about to drop a big chunk of change here, so pretend you’re shopping for a new Les Paul (yes I saw that thread-droooool! I love Gibson’s). Now before everyone jumps on me and says 1080p all the way, just remember it wasn’t long ago that everyone had the exact same resolution on their TV’s (480i). Were all TV’s considered equal quality? No, of course not, so look at the TV and trust your eyes and not the numbers on the box or what the salesman says. Plus nowadays it’s hard to find 720p anyway and 1080i is almost completely extinct so you’ll probably end up with 1080p anyhow. Just thought I should throw that out there.

Good luck.

 

[mojorizen7]

^ good input, thx.
I currently have my eye on a Panasonic 50" 1080p Plasma 600Hz (TC-P50U1),
goes for about $1400.
The burn in problem has been addressed in many of the newer Panasonic/Pioneer/Samsung designed plasmas. There is also a "break in" method that will extend the lifespan. I may end up purchasing a smaller LCD for the bedroom later.
I live alone so i can monitor any issues concerning the care of my plasma. If i lived with vid gamer/low attention span children then i certainly would consider LCD, but i love me some nighttime lowlight movies/online gaming and there's really no way i'm going with anything but plasma.
I'm still not completely decided between 1080p and 720p though. I could get the same Panasonic @ 720p for $400 less. Aargh!

 

[UncleChris]

^ good input, thx.
I currently have my eye on a Panasonic 50" 1080p Plasma 600Hz (TC-P50U1),
goes for about $1400.
The burn in problem has been addressed in many of the newer Panasonic/Pioneer/Samsung designed plasmas. There is also a "break in" method that will extend the lifespan. I may end up purchasing a smaller LCD for the bedroom later.
I live alone so i can monitor any issues concerning the care of my plasma. If i lived with vid gamer/low attention span children then i certainly would consider LCD, but i love me some nighttime lowlight movies/online gaming and there's really no way i'm going with anything but plasma.
I'm still not completely decided between 1080p and 720p though. I could get the same Panasonic @ 720p for $400 less. Aargh!

The Panasonic is a most excellent pick, and Panasonics perform on a level similar to the Pioneers, at less cost. Let me know how you like it!!! (I own an older 50" Panasonic 720p plasma - TH50PX6U - and absolutely love it!).

 

[puckhead]

Panny makes some good stuff, so I think you’ll be very happy. Breaking in the screen is a very good idea to avoid retention. Another thing you might consider is calibrating your display after the break in perioud. You don’t have to hire a pro (but a good idea if $ allows) but even by getting a calibration DVD like Avia or DVE will take the display out of “torch mode”. This will extend the life of the display as well.

$400 more for 1080p? Tough one. Will you be any closer than say 12.5 feet to the display? If you’re a couple of feet closer than that I would say go for the extra pixels. If >12.5 feet, I say go 720 and fuggetaboutit. I’m excited for you, let us know how it goes.

If you’re interested, I have a copy of the SDDVD of Avia I could mail or give to you. Let me know.

 

[Dr. Jones]

Get 1080p. Get an LCD. And get a Samsung if possible. Always the highest rated on Amazon, Consumer Reports, and Cnet at your particular price point.

 

[mojorizen7]

I simply can't afford what i want right now. I cant go without a tv so i went with a Sony Bravia 32" 720p LCD KDL 32L-5000. I paid $600 for it @ Best Buy.
It'll serve as a bedroom tv when i finally get my hands on the monster Panasonic Plasma that i'll eventually bring home.
Damn, blue-ray looks awesome....yowzuh!
Thank you those that gave me some input.

 

[puckhead]

 

[KloD]

Just to follow up...

Yes the burn in has been taken care of the past few releases of plasma. I have a 50" Samsung plasma and it's an amazing tv. I also have 2 24" Samsung LCD's that I use for my computer monitors and there is no problem with burn in.

I highly suggest getting the 1080p, you'll wish you had if you don't. 720p is nice, but 1080p is better. My first HD capped at 1080i which was fine for tv as that's as high as it gets, but I noticed a difference in blueray and gaming when I bought the 1080p.

I've seen this set for under $1500, the Samsung PN50A550. It's a few gens back, but has excellent reviews (consumer report and others) and is a nice set. It's what I and everyone in my family got. I didn't choose as much as fell into a deal last winter (thanks to the idiots at circuit city, I miss them), but I've had zero disappointment.

 

[RASTA14]

I always go by the rule of under 50 inch go with 720p, anything bigger go with 1080p. worked for me, 40in samsung in the bedroom 720p, 1080 in the main room with a sony 60inch sxrd. of course ive always overpaid for my equipment by getting them when they first hit the market. come to think of it its upgrade time for the bedroom, 50 inch pioneer elite kuro anyone?

 

[HeavyB3]

I always go by the rule of under 50 inch go with 720p, anything bigger go with 1080p. worked for me, 40in samsung in the bedroom 720p, 1080 in the main room with a sony 60inch sxrd. of course ive always overpaid for my equipment by getting them when they first hit the market. come to think of it its upgrade time for the bedroom, 50 inch pioneer elite kuro anyone?

Wow we are all ever so jealous of your ability to buy luxury electronic equipment. Will you be my friend?

 

[UncleChris]

Can I borrow $10???

 

[RASTA14]

do they even have cable in buckeye?

 

[HeavyB3]

do they even have cable in buckeye?

What is this cable you speak of?

 

[Kel Varnsen]

Get 1080p. Get an LCD. And get a Samsung if possible. Always the highest rated on Amazon, Consumer Reports, and Cnet at your particular price point.

My old tv died last night (at least temporarily), so I am looking at getting my first HDTV and am leaning towards a 46 inch Samsung 1080P LCD.

My first stop was to see what Costco had and they had a 40 inch Samsung 1080P HDTV for $900, but I have since found out that that is only 60HZ and apparently that is not good enough for sports (my primary use).

Costco also had a 46 inch Samsung 1080P HDTV for $1600, which seems pretty good. The model number is LN46B610, but Best Buy dot com has these:

LN46B650 for $1785
LN46B640 for $1615
LN46B750 for $2000 (240HZ)

So the $2000 model seems a little nicer, but is there really any major differences among all these model numbers? I'm hoping to get one soon...I would have that after all our years together, my old Sony would have known me better than to die the night before the Eastern Conference finals began! LOL.

 

[EvanYorke]

LOL... It must be cool to watch movies in your place.