Suggestions on a new flat screen TV

[mbailey]

<S> Gents,

I am in the market for a new flat screen TV and dont know a whole lot about them.

Im looking to get one 46" and up, and im not quite sure what to go with Plasma or LCD.

My son and daughter do play video games on the TV that we have currently ( Wii and PS ) and ive heard that the images of the video game can get "burned" on to the screen. ( i think thats the term used )

What i would like is some suggestions on TVs ( mfg and type ) that i should get, and one that wouldnt be harmed by the kids video games.
Any help or tips would be appreciated.

[Masherbrum]

<S> Gents,

I am in the market for a new flat screen TV and dont know a whole lot about them.

Im looking to get one 46" and up, and im not quite sure what to go with Plasma or LCD.

My son and daughter do play video games on the TV that we have currently ( Wii and PS ) and ive heard that the images of the video game can get "burned" on to the screen. ( i think thats the term used )

What i would like is some suggestions on TVs ( mfg and type ) that i should get, and one that wouldnt be harmed by the kids video games.
Any help or tips would be appreciated.

If you can get the room DARK, go Plasma.  If it isn't as dark as could be, go LCD.   Simplest and most accurate advice you'll get.   Plasma's have more glare, even with the gimmicky "glare preventive".  

Don't worry about Burn-In at all.   Previous generations of Plasmas were the most vulnerable, not now.  

[Meatwad]

Id personally go with LCD.

Plasma also is very bad for power comsumption. A co-worker had one, and his light bill went up $50 a month just from the plasma tv. That and they put off immense amounts of heat.

Also there is the new LED tv's coming out. I seen one on display and I didnt like it at all. The images are too blurred for me and bothers my eyes.

[kotrenin]

LCD's have gotten much better over the last 2 years.  If you purchase a high resolution one (1080p or 1080i) from a well known manufacturer you should do well.  It will cost you though ($1000-$2500.)  Some manufacturers to look at include Panasonic, Samsung, Sony, LG, Sharp.  The difference in resolution (720p as opposed to 1080p or 1080i) makes a huge difference in your cost but maybe not a huge difference in your viewing pleasure.  You will need to go compare the picture of the resolutions side by side.  If you are not a "videophile" picking a TV with the lower resolution and lower price might not be that bad.  Another part of sorting out the pictures is the "contrast", a higher contrast picture makes the color black appear darker and more black.  This is where plasma used to have the leg up on LCD, but not so much anymore.  LCD's used to have a gray appearance to the black colors on their screens.  I described it as looking through a screen door to see the TV.  You can help the contrast look better by making sure the room the TV is in can be blacked out or any light (ie windows, lamps etc...) are behind the TV so there is no glare while you are watching.





*edited for grammar

[Dadsguns]

The technology in this market is ever changing and improving so do your homework. Burning of the screen is almost a thing of the past.

I have a Pioneer 52" Plasma with alot of bells and whistles (connections in the rear) and paid a hefty $3500 bucks for it on sale from $4200 several years ago. 

Spend the money on higher resolution and "Hz", and if your into the best possible picture you can get- "HDMI" connections is a must and the more the better to connect other inputs you may have. 
Also, include the added feature of having USB connections is also nice when viewing portable drives that have pictures etc. 

If you want Bang for the Buck, I purchased a 32" VIZIO for my bedroom and love it ($580), I have found that VIZIO has some really good deals on their products and have a very good picture for the price compared to the other ones out there.  And connections vary as do most sets to a couple of HDMI and input/output jacks which will greatly reduce cost.

Good luck.

[Masherbrum]

LCD's have gotten much better over the last 2 years.  If you purchase a high resolution one (1080p or 1080i) from a well known manufacturer you should do well.  It will cost you though ($1000-$2500.)  Some manufacturers to look at include Panasonic, Samsung, Sony, LG, Sharp.  The difference in resolution (720p as opposed to 1080p or 1080i) makes a huge difference in your cost but maybe not a huge difference in your viewing pleasure.  You will need to go compare the picture of the resolutions side by side.  If you are not a "videophile" picking a TV with the lower resolution and lower price might not be that bad.  Another part of sorting out the pictures is the "contrast", a higher contrast picture makes the color black appear darker and more black.  This is where plasma used to have the leg up on LCD, but not so much anymore.  LCD's used to have a gray appearance to the black colors on their screens.  I described it as looking through a screen door to see the TV.  You can help the contrast look better by making sure the room the TV is in can be blacked out or any light (ie windows, lamps etc...) are behind the TV so there is no glare while you are watching.

*edited for grammar

For starters, LCD cannot even come close to Plasma's in "Black levels".   The "screen door effect" can still be seen at the right angles but has NOTHING to do with "black levels", it is by design.   Sony TV's are not worth their weight in feces.   

Mbailey, if you want any advice, feel free to PM me.   

[Masherbrum]

The technology in this market is ever changing and improving so do your homework. Burning of the screen is almost a thing of the past.

I have a Pioneer 52" Plasma with alot of bells and whistles (connections in the rear) and paid a hefty $3500 bucks for it on sale from $4200 several years ago. 

Spend the money on higher resolution and "Hz", and if your into the best possible picture you can get- "HDMI" connections is a must and the more the better to connect other inputs you may have. 
Also, include the added feature of having USB connections is also nice when viewing portable drives that have pictures etc. 

If you want Bang for the Buck, I purchased a 32" VIZIO for my bedroom and love it ($580), I have found that VIZIO has some really good deals on their products and have a very good picture for the price compared to the other ones out there.  And connections vary as do most sets to a couple of HDMI and input/output jacks which will greatly reduce cost.

Good luck.

Pioneer's are the best, period.  Awesome TV you have there.

[Dadsguns]

Pioneer's are the best, period.  Awesome TV you have there.

Oh I absolutley love it, it started both my Father and Father in law to purchase a Plasma, but of course they would not fork the money for the Pioneer.   

[Fulmar]

IMO, I'd go Plasma every time.  Their downsides are they're heavier, becoming less common, power consumption.  But man I love my 42" Panasonic S Series Viera Plasma.  With exception of my friend's older Panasonic 48" 720p and my father's 50" Samsung, everyone I know has an LCD.  I can tell immediately if their TV is LCD or a Plasma.  I'm a very picky person with my picture quality both on cameras, computer monitors, and especially my TVs.  Plasma blacks all the way.

My 42" plasma does draw about 480-500W.  So i guess if you're worried about your electric bill, stick with LCD.  Though it depends on how many hours a day you're sitting in front of that TV.  This isn't a water heater working throughout the night and day.

I'd recommend Sony, Samsung or Panasonic.  More importantly, first set a budget.

[Shuffler]

I have a 61" LED DLP Samsung. I have had it for 3 years now.
I'd buy it again. Very nice picture and it blacks all the way
Uses far less energy than both plasma and LCD.

[gyrene81]

Pioneer's are the best, period.  Awesome TV you have there.

Actually the Samsung 120Hz LCD and new 240Hz LED LCD televisions are the best available...the new LED models are supposed to be better than the older models but that is a matter of perception....and you're going to pay a price for them. The LED DLP televisions are great if you have a large room with low light and a way to block sunlight...otherwise they do wash out a bit. The second gen technology in LED DLP's is putting them near first generation LCD picture quality.

Don't go by the pictures you see in the stores either, unless you take the time to adjust the settings to get an accurate comparison. Of course if a salesperson wants the sale, he/she will help you out. Also some of your video quality will depend on what you have hooked up to it. A blu-ray player will give you the best video...HD cable/satellite is a close second.

If you're going over 42 inches you want the 120Hz (min) and 1080p HD capacity. The smaller screens don't show that much difference in video quality, even with blu-ray.

I'd recommend you go to a store with a large selection of televisions and do a side by side comparison...that's the only way to make an informed decision.

As far as overall specs...Pioneer did/does make one of the best plasma televisions...Samsung makes one of the best LCD televisions...Toshiba and Sony make some of the best LED DLP televisions. Stay away from Sharp, Magnavox, RCA and any off brands...although Vizio does make a great 120Hz LCD television for less money than a comparable Samsung. Also be prepared to pay an additional $300 or so for a good televison stand.

I spent 3 months shopping for televisions late last year...no store was safe...and I drove the sales people nuts... 

[68ZooM]

i have a Samsung 46 inch 1080p, 240Hz, HD LED TV with wireless internet built in and fully PC compatible, plasma's on the way out they never lived up to the hype, LCD's are the second best and LED is the top of the line, LED cost alot more but once you've seen one theres nothing else that will even compare to the quality of the picture, its life like, It's almost like you can reach out and touch what you're watching, if you have the cash for one you wont be disappointed  

Do what they above poster said compare them side by side that's what i did at the local bestbuy after hours of watching and playing some PS3 on them i went with the 46" LED

[Reschke]

There is a 32" Sharp Aquos for sale @ HH Gregg that is regularly $549 but they have it with an instant discount of $150.02 today. I am going to pick up one for my mother in law and one for our bedroom today. We have a Sharp 42" Aquos in our den and it is a very good LCD television. LED television is going to have to wait about a year for me to decide that the price has dropped enough to be in the price range I want to be in.

[Soulyss]

Personally I'd go plasma, depending on how your mounting it glare may or may not be an issue.  If you're mounting it on a wall then getting a mount with a tilt feature will help, just adding a little tilt can eliminate a lot of the glare from viewing position.   Burn in it's a problem unless the kids are prone to playing hours on end and leaving the set on.  Just about every decent plasma these days has burn in resistant features like pixel shift, or the option to turn on a white screen which can help eliminate a burn image that's starting to form. 

Generally speaking I find plasmas to have more natural/neutral color reproduction and black level and black level detail on even a decent plasma will beat an LCD, they also tend to cost less than an LCD of similar size.  As far as manufacturers I would look at Panasonic and Samsung both offer some of the better value sets out there in terms of performance vs cost.

If you do decide to go LCD, I think Samsung is making some of the better sets out there these days but you may pay a little more vs other brands.  The advantage of the LED based LCD TV is the backlight. In a traditional LCD the light passes forward through the individual LCD arrays which open and give you the image on screen.  The problem was that the light source was always present, which is why in the past LCD has struggled with achieving good black levels, in a plasma the light source is dimmed/removed.  LED has finally allowed LCD's to achieve the same thing LED's can remove the light source.  There are two types of LED based sets those that are side lit and back lit.  Back lit should provide better performance but will be a little thicker than a side lit set.

[Masherbrum]

Actually the Samsung 120Hz LCD and new 240Hz LED LCD televisions are the best available...the new LED models are supposed to be better than the older models but that is a matter of perception....and you're going to pay a price for them. The LED DLP televisions are great if you have a large room with low light and a way to block sunlight...otherwise they do wash out a bit. The second gen technology in LED DLP's is putting them near first generation LCD picture quality.

Don't go by the pictures you see in the stores either, unless you take the time to adjust the settings to get an accurate comparison. Of course if a salesperson wants the sale, he/she will help you out. Also some of your video quality will depend on what you have hooked up to it. A blu-ray player will give you the best video...HD cable/satellite is a close second.

If you're going over 42 inches you want the 120Hz (min) and 1080p HD capacity. The smaller screens don't show that much difference in video quality, even with blu-ray.

I'd recommend you go to a store with a large selection of televisions and do a side by side comparison...that's the only way to make an informed decision.

As far as overall specs...Pioneer did/does make one of the best plasma televisions...Samsung makes one of the best LCD televisions...Toshiba and Sony make some of the best LED DLP televisions. Stay away from Sharp, Magnavox, RCA and any off brands...although Vizio does make a great 120Hz LCD television for less money than a comparable Samsung. Also be prepared to pay an additional $300 or so for a good televison stand.

I spent 3 months shopping for televisions late last year...no store was safe...and I drove the sales people nuts... 

You'd be wrong.   But, I won't hijack this thread.   Pioneer Elite is the best TV (regardless of format) PERIOD.   Followed by Pioneer.   But Pioneer is getting out of the TV business.