What do I need to know about these big flat plasma/LCD TV's???

[Super 8]

Man, I'm really getting tempted by these things. I don't watch much TV, but I do have a bunch of DVD's in wide screen format and I'm getting tired of watching them on my 20" TV I got in 1989. I've never been able to justify the expense, but these things are looking sooooo nice, and the prices are a lot better than they used to be.

 

Who knows about these things? LCD or plasma? Which brands/models? Anything at all, I know nothing about them.

 

Thanks

[MikeRivers]

Think of it in the same terms as you'd think of a Chinese mic. It's not the best you can get but it's a whole lot better, for a whole lot less money, than you could get a couple of years ago. It will be temporary, and probably won't stay in your life nearly as long as your present TV set.

 

You should check out interfaces to make sure that your DVD player, and the next DVD player that you buy, will play into it without an adapter or converter. It should have a digital TV tuner. The picture should look good.

 

I started thinking about one of these recently myself but cooled off when I measured some and thought about how much stuff I'd have to re-arrange in order to accommodate the larger width than my 1981 Zenith. I'll probably wait until the old set dies.

[bbach]

The problem is, theres too much to get into for one little post. Do some googling and you will find a ton of info.

I'm in the process of remodeling our lower level family room and I'm going to replace our tv with a flat screen, LCD or Plasma. A while back I would not have touched a Plasma tv because of their life expectancy, but that has changed dramatically. I would expect to be able to get 12 to 15 years out of either one right now. I really wouldn't want anything any longer than that anyway.

My choice: 42" or so, Plasma or LCD, 1080P, blueray dvd, wireless surround sound.

Plasma: heavy, screens not good in rooms with too much light, put off too much heat, great picture.

LCD: Picture not quite as great as Plasma, lighter, cooler, better viewing in rooms with big windows.

I'll stay away from the price leader brands like Westinghouse for example, but other than that, I don't have any real brand preference.

Anyone of my preferences can launch a heavy pros and cons discussion amongst tech heads, but I'll be sticking to my choices.

[UstadKhanAli]

Article on different TVs Might be helpful...

[Rudolf von Hagenwil]

As larger the LCD as further away you sit from the screen.

 

For my Samsung 40" (max. resolution 1366x768), the recommended distance for watching is 2.5 yard. If you sit nearer, any resolution look wrong.

 

The HDMI input of the LCD tv is capabale to playback the NTSC DVD-VIDEO in native resolution, which is 720x480. When you enlarge the NTSC DVD to 1366x768 max resolution, the quality drops a little. The analog input is not usable compared to the digital input, that means you need also an DVD-PLAYER with a digital output for best quality picture.

 

.

[John Sayers]

There's a new OLED (organic light emmiting diode) screens soon to be released. They are brighter etc than plasma or LCD. Plus they are thinner and lighter.

 

http://www.smh.com.au/news/home-theatre/sony-talks-up-nextgen-tvs/2007/04/13/1175971308686.html

[deanmass]

A close friend has a Sharp Aquos, and it was quite a bit more than a no brand one, but damn, this thing LOOKS and SOUNDS amazing...42, about $1700

[Rabid]

Learn about the different input resolutions. 480p, 480i, 720p, 1080i

 

Pay attention to display resolution. Sometimes that big screen has no more resolution than a smaller unit.

 

You can never have too many inputs. Be sure to have at least 2 HDMI, a composite and cable.

 

Read reviews and be weary of some brands. I was surprised to find an Akai HD flat panel at a store, but after reading a few reviews I found that Akai does not make it. They branded the unit and it is horrible.

 

Understand that some HD TV

[deanmass]

It is my understanding that 'p' is better than 'i', 'i being interlaced ( or interpolated), so 1080P is the highest fo that grouping.

[blue2blue]

After spending some time looking at a few pretty good looking HD TVs, I've decided to stick with my vintage 27" CRT. Yes, it's not space -efficient but it fits in the corner so that's moot. The color is to me superior. The resolution is not but it's also less fatiguing to me than the HDTV's I typically see.

 

It is warm and fat.

 

 

[Jeff Leites]

It is my understanding that 'p' is better than 'i', 'i being interlaced ( or interpolated), so 1080P is the highest fo that grouping.

 

I is interlaced and P is progressing (Scanning)

 

FYI the highest level is 1080p, but it is not used for broadcasting. The highest HD broadcast is 720p and 1080i. A Hi-Def or Blue Ray DVD player can supply 1080p, as well as some of the newer game consoles. Some of the smaller (32" and less) sets only go as high as 1080i, though 1080p sets are starting to come out. From what I've read, 1080p isn't really a noticable improvement unless you have a large screen (60" or more), and have very good eye sight, or sit extremely close to the set.

 

We got a Sony Bravia 32" LCD for the bedroom a couple of months ago (still watching a 19" 80's set in the den (with 6.1 surround )

 

One warning, if you still get your TV over the air.... the sets come set up for cable. If you use an antenna, you'll have to work your way through the menu to find the antenna/cable toggle. I didn't know that, and when setting up the TV, I did a scan to find all the digital channels, and it didn't find any. To make a long story short, once I found the antenna/cable setting, the scan found 50 digital channels (mostly unwanted).

 

Points you may or may not already know:

A lot of the stations broadcast subchannels, e.g. the analog program you would see on channel 7, will come in on 7.1 on the digital side, but there may also be a 7.2, 7.3, and 7.4 with different programming.

 

If you are using cable, you'll need a digital cable box. A lot of people with cable think they are watching HD TV (which is digital) when they are watching the analog stations.

 

Here is a good HDTV forum: http://www.highdefforum.com/

 

What's on all these digital channels? Click here: http://ww1.titantv.com/quickguide/quickguide.aspx

[MikeRivers]

Gee, remember when people used to just watch television? Too many decisions these days. When my set quits, I think I'm going to renew my library card and start reading more books. At least I've managed to figure out how to listen to better radio stations over the Internet than we have at home now. DC used to have great radio. Now it blows.

[Ani]

Every time I start inquiring about the newer TV's, I think...... those prices would buy a really nice piece of studio gear. Decision made easy.

[alphajerk]

 

Gee, remember when people used to just watch television ? Too many decisions these days. When my set quits, I think I'm going to renew my library card and start reading more books. At least I've managed to figure out how to listen to better radio stations over the Internet than we have at home now. DC used to have great radio. Now it blows.

 

 

yeah, i remember having to get up to change the channel.... until remotes came into fashion.

 

DC radio is horrible and has been for 10 years or more. i remember driving around and the SAME SONG playing at the SAME TIME on 3 different stations [101, 99.1, 97.9] and it wasnt even a good song. that was about the time i killed my radio. been listening to CD's ever since in the car. i have still yet to find a decent station, we HAD one here that was run by a family and had GREAT DJ's and MUSIC, but their frequency was stolen by Liberty Media thanks to that jackass john mccain and his sell off of the freq's to the highest bidder rather than who does the best service to the area... now its a {censored} ass station playing {censored} ass music just like everyone else.

 

 

 

as for TV's... they are SO MUCH BETTER than anything you have had before. HDTV is amazing looking, colors are so rich and vibrant... the detail is amazing. i still have an old 36" CRT that im dying to replace, but thinking about projection to a 10' screen for that room. its our HT so why not make it as close to a theater as possible. im looking for a flat panel of some sort to replace my 25" CRT in teh bedroom. want a nice all mount for that, maybe 32". im just patiently waiting for the prices to keep coming down.... the longer i have waited, the better the prices are getting. there is a lot of research about hte brand/model however and definately not an impulse buy.

[MikeRivers]

and it wasnt even a good song.

I was never one for pop music on the radio, but 10 years ago we had two stations that played jazz most of the time, two classical stations, intelligently programmed drive-time bluegrass, several trasitional folk music programs, blues, and WHFS was really a "progressive" rock station that didn't play the top 40. But most of that is gone now, mostly in favor of news and public affairs (WHFS has become a Latin pop station). But that's what brings in the most money come fundraising time. I can still tolerate the classical station (which is a recent joining of forces of the commercial classical station and the public formerly classical station that a year before eliminated most of their classical programs) and jazz if I'm in the car at the right time, but that's about it.

as for TV's... they are SO MUCH BETTER than anything you have had before. HDTV is amazing looking, colors are so rich and vibrant... the detail is amazing.

But the programs aren't any better because they're in HD. I gave up cable when the FCC made the cable providers price everything separately and they said the price would go down, and mine went up. I've been wondering if these new sets even know how to pull a signal off the air (or how smart I have to be in order to make it).

[HKSblade1]

HD looks great. I have both a Plasma and LCD. They look really good on HD broadcast signals but with normal cable, sat or air sigs the most noticabale problem is the black or dark scenes. If you are used to nice clean CRT pics then DLP on a big screen would be better. LCD so far is the worst on dark scenes but good enough for most things. Like all others, you can get used to it or just return it/wait for the next technology.

 

I still have a 20" crt monitor for doing digital image edits since none of the LCD's come close enough for my work.

[alphajerk]

 

(WHFS has become a Latin pop station)

 

 

WWTF?!??!???! no way. good god. i guess the WHFestival is gone now? [or whatever it was called]

[FrankieP]

Every time I start inquiring about the newer TV's, I think...... those prices would buy a really nice piece of studio gear. Decision made easy.

 

Funny you said that, it was the other way around for me. After my kids were born, I found that I spent less time with music so I sold all my studio equiptment and used that money to purchase my TV and Home Theater equiptment. Best decision I ever made! I enjoy watching movies with the wife and kids in our own dedicated Home Theater with a front projector setup, a 120' diagonal screen complete with surround sound and comfortable theater seats. No more going to the public theater to catch a movie. I host a movie night once a month in my home theater together with family and friends and they pretty much look forward to every event.

[alphajerk]

the front projection is what im considering... what are you using?

[FrankieP]

 

the front projection is what im considering... what are you using?

 

 

Right now i'm using a Panasonic PT-AE900U (720p LCD projector) with an anamorphic lens projecting to a 2.35:1 screen. I'm considering moving up to a 1080p DLP projector soon as the lamp hours on my current one is nearing 1200 hours! Yep that's as much as I have used it.

[alphajerk]

1200 hours is all you get? what do the bulbs run for? and how does it look compared to the plasma or lcd?

[FrankieP]

1200 hours is all you get? what do the bulbs run for? and how does it look compared to the plasma or lcd?

 

Standard lamp life is 2000 hours. I know I still have a long way to go. I guess i'm just looking for a reason to upgrade to 1080p:) . How does it look compared to plasma or LCD? Well, here are some screenshots...

 

[Jeff Leites]

 

1200 hours is all you get? what do the bulbs run for? and how does it look compared to the plasma or lcd?

 

 

That's the problem (IMHO) with LCD PROJECTION and DLP. The sets are cheap, but they use an expensive ($200 or more) short lived projection bulb. I think the flat panel LCDs have a life of 60,000 hours and the newer plasma sets are getting close to that.

[FrankieP]

 

That's the problem (IMHO) with LCD PROJECTION and DLP. The sets are cheap, but they use an expensive ($200 or more) short lived projection bulb. I think the flat panel LCDs have a life of 60,000 hours and the newer plasma sets are getting close to that.

 

 

That's true...

 

But you really have to consider the use of Front Projectors (LCD and DLP). There are a lot of people out there that use front projection to watch HDTV broadcasts like sports and tv shows just because they want to see it in a very large screen. That's fine but IMHO a front projection system is not supposed to be used for that type of viewing material. Who likes to watch a football game in a very dark room? Front projection needs a closed environment where you have total control of ambient lighting. Any ambient light in the room would wash out the picture. So if you watch a lot of sports/tv shows, a plasma or lcd would be the best. Front projection is great for movies and I use it exclusively for that purpose. I hardly ever watch tv shows or sports and if I do, I watch it downstairs in the family room where I have a 50" plasma hanging in the wall. That's why the lamp life has a maximum of 2000 hours. It is not meant to be left on 8 to 12 hours a day like TV sets, it is meant to be used to watch a 2 or 3 hour movie at night 2 or 4 times a week.

 

DLP technology (Rear Projection) also uses bulbs but has a higher lamp life. There are new sets out there though that are also DLP technology but this time uses LED instead of bulbs/lamps. They are actually cheaper than plasma or lcd.

[alphajerk]

yeah, but neither plasma or LCS panels get even close to the massive size of front projection. im looking to make a theater type enviroment. 10' screen [ish]... of course i watch more than just movies. hmmm, this is going to be a decision. and i cant watch in total darkness ALL the time, sometimes light is needed. however i have been to bars with front projection and pretty good ambient lighting and the image is still decent.