Flat Panel/Plasma TV's

I was looking at a Vizio 42" 720p plasma for I think $939 or so and almost got it but the Phillips had a 10,000:1 contrast ratio compared to the 1,000:1 on the Vizio. Seemed like a significant edge the Phillips had on a concept I didn't quite grasp but it was enough for me.
 
after weeks of online and store visits I finally decided on the 42" Philips LCD. I picked it up from BestBuy for just under a grand after all the discounts I could get away with and 4yr replacement warranty... I could not justify the extra $400 for the similar Samsung even though the picture was a bit clearer. Its just for the living room. Not for theater room.

So far, I would recommend it for the specs and features for the $.
 
Hey thanks for the all the help everyone, I have bee at work from 10-4ish and just got home after stopping at target for superbad.

I wouldnt mind plasma seeing as how its awesome and the best quality but is it really worth the money? I know I need to do some research but figured this is a good starting point with everyones knowledge and ideas. I want a TV that I can hook up my 360 and Wii but also be good for TV and aweosme picture. I like to watch movies a lot and plan on getting a HD-DVD player for the 360 and eventually take it with me when I move out of my parents/mine house. I am not done reading through but will post more info and the like once I am done.

I do not like to cheap out and look for good deals but I do not know really what to look for since this is a new area for me and I have not done that much research nor know the differences in the specs for TV's and the like and what I should look for, hence this thread. So more to come soon.
 
CRT: never was a large display other then projectors that although had great quality their complete lack of brightness rendered them obsolete to even very early LCD. I have a VERY high line CRT projector out back if anyone wants it for no apparent reason. No it does not work. Not to mention needing 16 hours to coverge one was insane.
Its dead and there is no going back.

DLP: Does not rival other technologies like plasma or newer LCDs as:
1. It is NOT a flat screen technology, only projection. I dont care what the two sets are or the person looking at them, 99.99% of the time, a flat panel Tv (LCR or plasma) will look better then a projection TV. Human nature, brighter is better.
2. Almost all sets are only single chip DLP which is substandard to the more modern LCD panels coming out. The last hiding place was contrast ratio and LCD has made considerable strides to fix this.
Other note, 3-Chip DLP is fantastic. We have used several $20K+ projectors that are 3 chip and they are beautiful.
Also contrast ratios in projection are not taken from the display but at the source. Think of the difference between crank and wheel horsepower. There can be a world of difference. On that note there are no regulations such as in the automotive industry to stop marketing departments from making engineering claims about things like contrast ratios. You can see this alot in these $1000 projectors that claim a 5000:1 contrast ratio. However as they are only 1000 lumens and the screen is grey or white, the real measure of contrast done on a screen is rarely higher then 15:1 unless the lights in the room are completly off.


LCD: Not cheap at over 46", plasma is really cheaper at even 42" and up. There is no LCD above 50-ish that is actauly availble. Plasma goes to 103" although it is very expensive. LCD is the only current technology that is front projection, rear projection and flat panel. This makes it VERY attractive to a manufacturer as you will not have to R&D/support multiple technologies. Back light will eventualy fail.

Plasma: Reflective glass surface...thats about the only real problem with it but its a big one. The other is image retention which is alot better then it was but it can still happen. IT WILL NOT HAPPEN FROM PLAYING A VIDEO GAME FOR A FEW HOURS!!!.
Plasma is not made in smaller sizes, although they are trying to make some 32" plasma next year. I doubt anyone will care.




Every consumer needs to keep something in mind, stats and specs should be used to determine what signals you want to look at...THATS IT.
Do not rule out any display by the primary technology it uses. This is foolish. The range in quality of plasma LCD, and DLP is staggering.
With speakers, the only thing that really matters is your ears. Same theory can be applied to a TV. Let your eyes be the ultimate judge. Other then that, if you want to play 1920x1080p material, make sure the system can handle it. Make sure if you want HDMI connectivty that you know which HDMI it is. Just about everything else is a war between marketing departments
 
Hey thanks for the all the help everyone, I have bee at work from 10-4ish and just got home after stopping at target for superbad.

I wouldnt mind plasma seeing as how its awesome and the best quality but is it really worth the money? I know I need to do some research but figured this is a good starting point with everyones knowledge and ideas. I want a TV that I can hook up my 360 and Wii but also be good for TV and aweosme picture. I like to watch movies a lot and plan on getting a HD-DVD player for the 360 and eventually take it with me when I move out of my parents/mine house. I am not done reading through but will post more info and the like once I am done.

I do not like to cheap out and look for good deals but I do not know really what to look for since this is a new area for me and I have not done that much research nor know the differences in the specs for TV's and the like and what I should look for, hence this thread. So more to come soon.


Honestly, forget the research for right now. Go look at some sets. Go watch some HD or Blue ray discs and see if 1080 is worth it at the distance you watch TV at. It may not be.
Look at plasma and see if the set reflects enough light to be distracting. See if the DLP set appears to dim off or even on axis. See if that LCD, projection or flat panel, is really blocky like people say it is. Just rember, that LCD A is not going to be the same as LCD B becuase they are both LCDs. One can be lightyears better or worse then another. This is the same for any technology.


DONT GO TO TARGET TO LOOK AT THEM :)
Usualy at Target, Walmart, K-Mart...they all suck equaly.(rofl2)
If you can go to a store that has a mixture of offerings from solid and cheap brands and has lighting like your home, not 24' high florescents.
 
I was looking at a Vizio 42" 720p plasma for I think $939 or so and almost got it but the Phillips had a 10,000:1 contrast ratio compared to the 1,000:1 on the Vizio. Seemed like a significant edge the Phillips had on a concept I didn't quite grasp but it was enough for me.



None are 10,000:1 nor can the human eye detect 10000 levels of black to white
This is marketing, not reality. Let your eyes be the judge.
 
I am very happy and in comparison to all the other TV's I looked at for $1000 and under it blew them all away! I just had to convince myself due to the fact it was a refurb and only had a 90 day warranty vs. 1 year for new.
 
I am very happy and in comparison to all the other TV's I looked at for $1000 and under it blew them all away! I just had to convince myself due to the fact it was a refurb and only had a 90 day warranty vs. 1 year for new.

Just kind of curious... were you comparing a LCD and a plasma? The vizio Plasma I got has a ratio of 10,000:1 and it is the 42in version.
 
Just for reference in our "home theater" in the basement we have a Philips ambilight it must be like 42 or 36 I do not remember and I love it. We also have a small Sharp 15" or so Aquos (which is also nice) but older and in the kitchen. In th living room upstairs we have a Panasonic Viesa which I beleive is closer to 50".

Out of all the TV's picture quality wise I like the Philips. The Philips says match line on it. I do not know model numbers or exact sizes but I have guessed around from what my father has toold me. I like the Philips the best because it has the most realistic quality out of all of them. Everytime my friends come they are thrown off by the picture of the TV and it takes a bit to get used to. I know the Panasonic is HDTV but im unsure about the Philips.

Basically what I am looking for as I stated above is a TV that I will be using for the a long time. I will be taking it to a apartment I will be moving to in hopefully less then a year and then will set it up with a nice audio system and the likes, or maybe earlier. The reason no audio system right now is because I have the basement and can crank that one up high compared to in my room since its on the same floor as all the other bedrooms.

Anyway I went on a tangent. I will try to find what the Philips is like and see if i can get a model number.
 
Isn't a major issue with LCD viewing angle? It's fine for computers because it's a small space and you can position it just right - but if you have 10 people crowded around an LCD - most won't be able to see it without it being too dark or too bright.
 
Nope - viewing angle with LCDs used to be a concern about 7 years ago but they've really came a long way. Most good LCD screens now have viewing angle wider than you would realistically want to watch anyway and at least as good as any other screen type. Viewing angle is what will/has killed rear projection IMO.
 
I dunno, my laptop screen is modern technology and it's still just as bad as ever for angle viewing. Unless TVs are different - in some way not allowed by laptops for space or weight reasons - in which case?
 
I dunno, my laptop screen is modern technology and it's still just as bad as ever for angle viewing. Unless TVs are different - in some way not allowed by laptops for space or weight reasons - in which case?

Lame laptop screens still can have this problem, and a host of others. I have not seen it in LCD TVs in a while but just looking at the one will answer that question.

Watching anything at more then 45 degrees from axis (90 degrees total) is rather annoying. Anything over 60 degrees from center boarders on impossible as you will be getting a headache very quickly.
 
they may pay him to endorse their product, but i remember seeing him on tv with a 60" samsung in his house.

Do you really think he only has one?
If there was not 10 displays in that house I would be very shocked.
 
Well I went to a circuitcity and then to a best buy. I looked around talked to a sales guy in CC. I must say that the top two brands would have to be Sony and Samsung. Neither had many Philips though but thats not out of the picture because I LOVE the ambilight. The Sony is winning but its more expensive.

http://www.circuitcity.com/rpsm/oid/174199/catOid/-12869/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do thats A samsung I found online.

and this is the Sony that I saw/liked http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Sony...74299/catOid/-12869/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

The Philips that I want to get is model 47PFL9732D/37

which si the best you all think?
 
well, sure. he's probably got a crapton of tv's in his house. but using a vizio in the kitchen or the kids rooms, or using a vizio in your home theater are two different things.

the post made it sound like his main tv is a vizio. i'm pretty sure he's got some hard-to-pronounce technophile video projector setup. i would, if i were making that much moneys.
 
Well I went to a circuitcity and then to a best buy. I looked around talked to a sales guy in CC. I must say that the top two brands would have to be Sony and Samsung. Neither had many Philips though but thats not out of the picture because I LOVE the ambilight. The Sony is winning but its more expensive.

http://www.circuitcity.com/rpsm/oid/174199/catOid/-12869/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do thats A samsung I found online.

and this is the Sony that I saw/liked http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Sony...74299/catOid/-12869/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

The Philips that I want to get is model 47PFL9732D/37

which si the best you all think?

That sony is last years model.
It was killed off in the summer.
Crutchfield has a nice deal on the current one.
http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Product/Item/Main.aspx?g=146350&i=15846V3000&tp=161
its more money but its not a hold over and it comes with the theater in a box system. Crutchfield also has free shipping alot times on these.
If you have to go internet, then BHphoto has it for under $2K and they usually charge $150 for shipping for screens of that size.
 
Back