42" - 60" HDTV's

[brother chris]

Okay, I seen a thread here before about big screen tv's, but it has been a while, so I bet there are other people who would like to give advice about which HDTV to purchase.
I've done research and talked to some employees at Future Shop and Best Buy, but I want the truth, not the "buy this really expensive one so I can get commission on it".
I am going to be doing ALOT of gaming on it. I have heard that plasma is not too good for video gaming because of the 'burn in" that it MIGHT cause on the screen.
I have $3000 maximum to spend.
So does anyone have any advice about which one they would buy, and why they would pick it.
Thanks,
B.C.

 

[tommays]

Re: 42

Re: 42

Do you have a store like Costco up there in this area they are the king of HDTV because of there return it allmost forever at NO cost

http://www.costco.com/


The biggest issue is the short 1 year coverage on the units

I am going to get a 32" Vizio for the bedroom as it only cost 700 US and a 42" is only 1300 US

There are also a LOT of reviews on Cent.com and

http://www.tomshardware.com/ goes into great detail about all the different types of HDTV and there performance

like this http://www.denguru.com/2006/12/05/how-we-test-flat-screen-hd-displays/


Tommays

 

[Pony]

Re: 42

Re: 42

For the record Best Buy is NOT commission........sorry, its in my nature to point that out.

Gaming can cause burn in on plasmas, but it isnt as bad as it was say a year or so ago. You will see some temporary burn in, especially the first few times. Usually if you can put on a movie or something that has no logo it will "erase" the burn in. I have quite a few hours on a 60" Pioneer Plasma playing xbox360 and its just fine.

That being said I prefer LCD, the pixel rate seems a little higher and the picture is more crisp.

Right now the most important question you need to ask is what gaming system are you going to be using. If you are going to get a PS3 at some point, I would get something that will support 1080p to take advantage of the technology. The HD DVD player for the Xbox360 also supports 1080p. There are some nice relatively inexpensive LCD's out there that can support that.

It really comes down to what you want to spend. If you want a lot of screen for the least amount of cash go with a DLP. Samsung makes a great one. If you want Flat panel I'd go with an LCD for gaming. Sony makes some nice ones, as does Sharp. Sharp has a 52"LCD that is competitively priced with the 50" Plasmas.

I am a little biased, but the fact that Best Buy offers service plans usually causes me to buy from there. I always have. I see Plasmas and LCDS come back ALL the time for some reason or another, and it really is a great benefit. They price match too.

I generally try to stay name brand with TV's. There is a noticeable difference in the fit and finish. I have two HD Tv's. One is a Toshiba LCD, the other is a Toshiba HD tube.

 

[BoatBuoy]

Re: 42

Re: 42

Pony, is that a Pioneer Elite Pro-1540HD? My son just bought one of those. Nice, but pricey.

 

[brother chris]

Re: 42

Re: 42

Tommays, thanks for the links.

Pony....I know Best Buy is not by commission. I was just ranting about salesmen bothering me, even at best buy. They are actually not supposed to help a customer, unless a customer asks for help.
I will be getting a PS3 sometime in Feb or early march and a Xbox around the same time.
I just wanted to purchase the big tv before I got the game systems.
I saw a nice 46" Sony LCD with a 5.1 surround sound system included for $2600.
There was also a plasma for not much more than that. But I am kind of concerned about the burn-in that might happen.

 

[SlowlySinking]

Re: 42

Re: 42

Hi brother chris, you can get a free extension for up to one year on the warranty by using a major credit card when you buy your TV, basically they double the manufacturers warranty. Check with you card provider.

 

[Solittle]

Re: 42

Re: 42

I just bought a 37" LCD HDTV by LG at BrandsMart for $1,300.00 and love it so far. I could not get any larger due to limitations of the cabinet. Check here for a ton of info.:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/

I work at an the Miami airport where we use hundreds of monitors for display of flight information to the public. We would not buy any plasma due to the burn-in and have found that some LCD's suffer from the burn-in if a fixed image is left on for extended periods of time. We are buying Toshiba's at this point. That is not necessarily a recommendation for you as ours are commercial grade.

 

[Major Woods]

Re: 42

Re: 42

I have both a plasma and a LCD.

For gaming the LCD is better IMHO.
For picture quality and watching TV the plasma is tops. Burn in is a thing of the past with the new sets as is heat, and cooling fans at least on the Panasonics.

As a reseasrch tool check out this site. http://avsforum.com/

 

[Pony]

Re: 42

Re: 42

It was the regular "Pure Vision" Pioneer BB.....But the Elite is AWESOME.

Like I said burn in is easily erased by watching a movie with lots of movement.......warms up the pixels and "erases" the burn in.

The 46" Sony LCD, if you are talking about the XBR2 and not the Bravia is a great deal right now. Sony is starting to clearance them out despite the fact they are relatively new. As a result their price has dropped a lot in the last week. We sold maybe 2 in the last month........since the price reduction we have sold 6. This is the set with the plexiglass frame that surrounds the set? It is a great TV. PERFECT for gaming.

I have never heard about the not helping customers thing Chris.......its a no win situation, people also get irate when they arent helped. Usually if you say you are just looking and that if you have a question they will let you be.

 

[Aquaman]

Re: 42

Re: 42

I bought a 55" Sony LCD last month at Circuit City for $1580.00. The set was normally $1799.00 but I bought an "open box" model. After 2 weeks I thought I was having a resolution problem, might have been cablevision but since CC has a 30 day no questions asked return policy I decided to return it for exchange. CC didn't have another "open box" model so they gave me a brand new in the box set. I was so pleased with the customer service I bought an Onkyo 7.1 SS system while I waited for them to load the TV in my Suburban.

What ever you do don't buy an extended service contract!!

 

[brother chris]

Re: 42

Re: 42

Thanks for all of the input. I like the credit card idea....getting another year warranty. Thanks, I never thought of that.
Once I read through the avsforums, I guess I will have a better idea about which one to buy.

Thanks for all of the info....much appreciated.
B.C.

 

[Reel Poor]

Re: 42

Re: 42

We bought the Panasonic TH42PX600U and just love it. I game on it some (PS2) and have never noticed any problems.

Panasonic Details

 

[Sorrento 25]

Re: 42

Re: 42

I have a Samsung 56" DLP from TigerDirect and love it. If I had to complain the blacks are a bit weak so if you play dark games you probably don't want DLP.

 

[JasonJ]

Re: 42

Re: 42

One thing to consider as well is how long will the picture quality of a plasma tv lasts. Plasma tvs work the same way a flourescent bulb works. Each pixel is like a tiny flourescent bulb except the phosphor coating is red, green, or blue instead of white. The problem is flourescent bulbs only last so long, and plasma tvs are no different. From everything I have read, picture quality depending on manufacturer can start to degrade after a year and a half, and five years is when it will be too far gone, supposedly. I don't use approximates because none are used in what I have read, and they have not been around long enough to know for sure. I don't doubt that a Pioneer Elite plasma is going to perform better and last longer than a Wal-mart ilo cheapy, but you pay to play for that Pioneer.

My money is on LCD. They have come a long way with the refresh rates (which dictates how much a moving object blurs) and true blacks. LCDs are proven and last a long, long time. I won't even touch DLP or any projection for that matter. In the end, a high def CRT still gives the best picture and is the most reliable, but they are quickly going the way of the dinosaur, and they are not large enough anyway. I think 40 inchs is all you can get in CRT, and they weigh as much as a truck. For the time being, I will continue to endure my non-high def CRT until the prices come down more and the quality comes up more, and when we get closer to that illusive switch-to-digital-broadcasting date...Or until I just can't stand to not have a sweet high-def flat-panel...

The other problem is the HD-DVD vs Blu-ray mess. There are more blu-ray titles than HD-DVD titles. Blu-ray players are stll four figures unless you get a PS3. All I see with all of this is how much money I am going to spend to replace everything I own. Sigh....

 

[tomatolord]

Re: 42

Re: 42

my two cents is a projector.

I have a 12x20 screen!

My battlefront 2 guys are about 3 feet tall!

just asewsome for gaming and movies

I have it hooked into my surround sound for movies

Now I do NOT watch regular tv and it does require a dark room but in my two cents it definetly is the best way to watch movies AND play games!

also I just read an article that said plasma was on its way out only in the US, which is 80% of the plasma market, plasma was the cheapest way to get large screens, but as lcd prices have come down then plasma has lost.

They said the big issue with plasma was it inablity to keep up with fast screen images.

tomatolord

 

[BoatBuoy]

Re: 42

Re: 42

All I see with all of this is how much money I am going to spend to replace everything I own. Sigh....

The IBM PC was introduced in 1981 and priced a little over $2,500. Those that bought them found out in 1982 that the IBM PC XT was the latest/greatest model. Technology has always been that way.

 

[brother chris]

Re: 42

Re: 42

I've always pondered the projector idea, but I want to be able to use it on a daily basis. The replacement bulbs for the projectors are NOT cheap.
I'm leaning towards a LCD though.

 

[Pony]

Re: 42

Re: 42

Jason the lifespan of a LCD and a Plasma are almost the same now. Most Plasmas claim a 60,000 hour lifespan.

Old CRTs are rated for 25,000.

Plasmas made before 2000 are like you said though Jason. Most of them don't exist anymore. The pixel refresh rate is what would concern me more than anything....including burn in.

DLP isn't that reliable either.....just cost efficient. I saw a brand new 61" Samsung come in today because it had a bad color wheel already........the part doesnt even exist yet. The motors running all those mirrors are suspect too along with expensive bulbs.

 

[Major Woods]

Re: 42

Re: 42

my two cents is a projector.

also I just read an article that said plasma was on its way out only in the US, which is 80% of the plasma market, plasma was the cheapest way to get large screens, but as lcd prices have come down then plasma has lost.

They said the big issue with plasma was it inablity to keep up with fast screen images.

tomatolord

You have some facts confused.
LCD is the technology with bluring during very fast picture action. In the past the refresh rate for LCD was 25ms and now it is down to around 6ms for most manufacturers.
Both plasma & LCD manufactures have opened new plants recently, that's one reason for the large price drop we are all seeing now. The plasma & LCD plants are tring to take market share and establish themselves as the top technologies for the future. This also benifits the consumer with low prices.
The plasma & LCD both have their size catagories that they are winners in for sales numbers (world wide sales).
My brother works for a major TV manufacturer outside the US as a Electronic/Elect. plant dept manager. He feeds me all the industry sales, defect, new technology, etc... info.

 

[QC]

Re: 42

Re: 42

Man, timing of this thread couldn't be better for me . . . I kinda have to go to digital cable and will also end my 100% CRT position. Compared to my neighbor/friend, I am probably up $8000 due to 10 years of stickin' with CRT and him buying the newest thing twice.

Anyway, I think this will be the family Xmas present, and it looks like the consensus is LCD. It also seems that some of the "clearance" models for less than $2000 are pretty good. Am I reading this right?

Is DLP just plain dead?

Major Woods. Despite your info connection, I don't think you have made a recommendation?