a new flat screen TV is not something I will rush into

N

nyindallas

Well-Known Member
With all the different opinions LCD vs Plasma, 1080P vs 720P, this is a decision I really need to be careful about, otherwise I will wind up with a TV inferior picture wise to the Sony XBR 34 CRT TV that has a beautiful picture. I am writing from a new hotel that recently installed LG 37LC5DC LCD TV's. From 8-10 feet away the picture is good, not great, not even close to my Sony. Within 3-4 you see artifacts. They have a HD version of the movie Ghost and the picture quality is okay not great.

Is this an example of an LCD TV outside the showroom? I would rather keep my old 32" wega sony than have this 37" lg.

I thought LG made good TV's. This is a major disappointment. Even the controls are flimsy.

I was at Frys yesterday. The Sony 52V4100 at 1599 was hooked up to an antenna so the picture was awful. That looks like it is on the bottom of the sony Line. The Samsung ssa630 and ssa580 had great pictures and they both sold for 1699. The samsung 50" 720p Plasma had a nice picture at 1000. The Panasonic's were not hooked up.

Is this a repeat of what happened with audio systems? I find modern audio systems in the starter price ranges (under 1000) do not compare with my silver faced stereos from the 70's or the tube based systems from the 60's.

Any experiences and comments are welcome. Thanks
 
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Pick up the current issues of Sound and Vision and Home Theater. There are plenty of TV reviews in them, and I trust them to tell it straight.

You may want to subscribe to these (there are others, of course) for a while, as time does not seem to be a factor for you. I have a Samsung 32" 720p in the bedroom, and it's very good.

The Pioneer Kuros and Sony Bravias all get raves, especially the plasmas.
 
I'm finding the same things :( I'm coming down off a 10 year old Professional Sony 42" Plasma Display PFM42B1 (not TV) that, for us, was driven by a Sat TV box and an array of externals (power supply died - no parts available). It handled SatTV (non-HD) and regular DVD signals just great. VHS Tape was a bit noisy as expected.

Dragged home a Sanyo LCD 4248 and it's awful on regular signal. DVD is very nice though if looking fairly straight on. I'm trying to find a good affordable replacement for the old Sony PFM42B1. It's a real chore and I'm not enjoying this very much. There's a lot of hype about what's what, but when you get a good salesman that will actually help, it makes a great difference so you can actually see an SD and regular DVD signal on these sets. They all do HD fine, but that's not the library of legacy material out there, that's the new hype. Question for me is how do they work in the real world?

In LCD, so far I'm down to a Sony KDL40V4100 because it will match our existing wall bracket, use the same Sony remote that runs the rest of our HT stack, has the Bravia processing engine, etc. If the Sony picture is not acceptable to me and my wife this afternoon, we'll be back to the search which will move on to Samsung LN~A550 & LG 42. If we can't find an acceptable LCD, it'll be back to plasma and likely the Panasonic ~800u series. The rest don't seem to cut it.
 
The decision was a little easier when I made it a few years ago. LCDs stopped at 30" and were drastically inferior to Plasmas. Panasonic, the pioneering plasma mfr. had 1080i, 3000:1 contrast ratio and over 30,000 hrs estimated life expectancy. I took the plunge on the previous TOTL 42" model for $2500. I have 1080i from CTV and an up-converting Oppo DVD for sources. The TV I watch the most next to mine is our friend's new 50" Sony (FIOS-fed) LCD. I find the picture very good to excellent, if not too intense and less natural, which could be adjustments. Ignoring the prices I'd still go with plasma, but LCD is catching up.

At the risk of crapping on Fry's, I would find somewhere, anywhere else to audition displays. They have no concept of customer service which extends to a complete disregard for demo'g equipment at it's best. Just take a look in their sound room to see my point.
 
I'm still using my Mitsubishi t.v. from the 80's.... Still looks good to me... When it dies I will start looking elsewhere....
 
nyindallas, do yourself a HUGE favor. dont even bother with a flat panel tv.

go straight to a hd projector with a 100"+ screen and really ramp up your life!
such a setup will absolutely blow you away.
probably be less money also.

edit-i have a 4 year old panasonic ptl500 hd projector with a 108" home made screen. mostly used for movies and concerts.
the audio runs thru 35 year old pioneer 4 ch qa800a amp.

i also have an inexpensive flat panel for 'run-of-the-mill' tv viewing.

i'm overjoyed with the performance of the projecter setup.
 
Between home and the office, I've got 6 different Sharp Aquos LCD's.. The 5 at work are what sold me on the 52" I bought for home... I still look around and look at pictures and price and features....

If I had it to do over again, I'd buy the Sharp Aquos again... a hell of a lot of TV, great picture and build quality along with bang for the buck...

I kept putting it off, and putting it off.. and if you keep doing that waiting for the next best thing, you'll never have a new one..

Also, a lot of the problems with the picture you are seeing is easliy related back to the cable.. a lot of the pixilation and artifacts are in the incoming signal...

I play cable, HD, some channels look fantastic.. others look like ****... With DVD's things look great.. with my Roku, some movies are spectacular, others look like crap.. I think any more it's kind of like music.. you can have a bad ass system, but they screw up the media..
 
The only flat panel tv's I will ever buy will be Panasonic plasmas or Pioneer plasmas.
I love my 720p Panasonic 42" 60u.
I'm saving up to buy a 50" 1080p Pioneer Plasma.
I wish there would be a sticky about the greatness of these sets.
 
using a 46" Toshiba REGZA (whatever that means) 1080p LCD since last year, and couldn't be happier, except, i suspect, if were using the aforementioned Pioneer plasma
 
Zeromancer said:
The only flat panel tv's I will ever buy will be Panasonic plasmas or Pioneer plasmas.
I love my 720p Panasonic 42" 60u.
I'm saving up to buy a 50" 1080p Pioneer Plasma.
I wish there would be a sticky about the greatness of these sets.
Click to expand...

I tend to agree, they simply are better than the LCD offerings available today, tomorrow that may change but today its Plasma. I also agree with above poster who inserted Projectors into the mix, if you can view it in a controlled room and can follow some other rules of Projectors (powering cycles and bulb expense) then there is nothing like a big picture to really thrill a crowd.
Last I would say as a owner of LCD, Sony XBR WEGA 34in Trinitron and HD Projector (Panasonic 720P) you are simply gonna have to lower expectations to the CRT you are acustomed to, my parents have a 58' top of the line Panasonic Plasma and I set it up, calibrated it and watch it frequently and its great.....but not awesome like the Sony.
Its just gonna be a question of how much you have to lower expectations.
 
Toe tapping ...

OK, I just pulled the trigger on a Pioneer KURO 42" (factory refurbished PDP4280HD 720p). We'll see when it gets here? What sold me was all the positive comments about Pioneer (which I have owned in Audio for 40 years or more) and the wealth of connectivity. Now the wait begins :smoke:
 
BrocLuno said:
OK, I just pulled the trigger on a Pioneer KURO 42" (factory refurbished PDP4248HD 720p). We'll see when it gets here? What sold me was all the positive comments about Pioneer (which I have owned in Audio for 40 years or more) and the wealth of connectivity. Now the wait begins :smoke:
Click to expand...
I'm saving up for a 50" Kuro :banana:
congrats on the Kuro purchase
 
I brought home a Sony KDL52V4100 last month and couldn't be happier. Football and hockey are truly amazing in HD. Bravias come in S, V, W, and the newest three letter combination that I can't remember. I think it is XBR. But very expensive because it is the newest.
 
FYI - Here's the latest I could find on which companies make which plasmas. The point being is that the label on the TV has little to do with who made the glass. Suppliers vary amongst the same brand based on size so buyer beware.

THE MAJOR PLASMA TELEVISION MANUFACTURERS

NEC - Nec is a OEM manufacturer and is now owned by Pioneer. Although owned by Pioneer they still operate under a separate label. NEC has commercial units and home units. They also supply screens to Marantz Runco and several other companies. NEC sold their plasma factory to Pioneer and now buys their panels from Pioneer and installs their own electronics.

Panasonic - Makes the complete units, Supplies Toshiba, JVC, Fujitsu and more

Pioneer Plasma - Pioneer owns NEC and has switched production to the NEC lines. The new 50 inch and the 42 inch units are all NEC glass. To tell if a 50 inch is Pioneer or NEC, check the resolution, If 1280 it is Pioneer , If 1365 it is NEC . 42 inch Pioneer Plasma TV is NEC . 43 inch Plasma TV is Pioneer Glass

Fujitsu Plasma - Only makes their own 42 inch in partnership with Hitachi . 50 and 61 inch Fujitsu Plasmas are Panasonic and NEC but the 42 inch are their own. Note Hitachi plasma screens are identical to Fujitsu and cost thousands less, 55 Inch Fujitsu is same as Hitachi,

Sony Plasma TV - Makes their own boards and chips but uses Fujitsu/ Hitachi plasma screen glass for 42 inch, 50 inch is NEC, 42inch EDTV is NEC

Hitachi - Owns 50% of plasma screen factory with Fujitsu. Makes own internal components. 42 Alis screens are Hitachi as is the New 55, 50 inch are Pioneer and 42 EDTV is a NEC screen

Philips - Uses Fujitsu/ Hitachi glass screen and most internal components as well. However, Philips makes its own bezel with built in speakers.

LG / Zenith - Make their own glass in Korea

Samsung - Makes its own components in Korea
 
elcoholic said:
The decision was a little easier when I made it a few years ago. LCDs stopped at 30" and were drastically inferior to Plasmas. Panasonic, the pioneering plasma mfr. had 1080i, 3000:1 contrast ratio and over 30,000 hrs estimated life expectancy. I took the plunge on the previous TOTL 42" model for $2500. I have 1080i from CTV and an up-converting Oppo DVD for sources. The TV I watch the most next to mine is our friend's new 50" Sony (FIOS-fed) LCD. I find the picture very good to excellent, if not too intense and less natural, which could be adjustments. Ignoring the prices I'd still go with plasma, but LCD is catching up.

At the risk of crapping on Fry's, I would find somewhere, anywhere else to audition displays. They have no concept of customer service which extends to a complete disregard for demo'g equipment at it's best. Just take a look in their sound room to see my point.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your reply. I would only buy at Fry's when a price is irresistible. I picked up my 34" Sony CRT XBR the day they reduced it from 1400 to 499. I agree about lack of customer service. I have heard many bad stories. Worse thing is the TV's are not lined up in a way that would make comparison easy.

There are so many variables today and each company has so many lines. Sony XBR, W, V etc. 120k vs 60k refresh, contrast ratio, etc etc.

It is really quite simple. I would just want a set that would be pleasing like my current Sony's and Mitsubishi. I would be very unhappy owning that LG in my hotel room. If it means staying with CRT so be it. It may come down to the right show room with better attention or a recommendation from a friend. I know people out of state who are happy with their Panasonic and Pioneer Plasmas and I also heard good things from a associate about a Samsung LCD set. The jury is still out on the 720P issue. Salesmen love to say that since you have a 1080P blu ray disk player why not display in 1080p. That is true but I am not convinced at 12 feet on a 50-52" it would make a difference.
 
jayk said:
nyindallas, do yourself a HUGE favor. dont even bother with a flat panel tv.

go straight to a hd projector with a 100"+ screen and really ramp up your life!
such a setup will absolutely blow you away.
probably be less money also.

.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestion but that would never work in this room. It is a family room not a home theater. I think 50-52 would be optimal. The current 34" is a bit small.
 
My favorite low-priced hotel is switching from mid-nineties CRT RCA sets (made
in USA, by the way) to some kind of funny LCD units called 'Van Gogh'. In a
nutshell, the pictures suck! Maybe it is due to poor bandwidth in the
(still NTSC analog) cable feed, but the effect I observe could be described
as 'odd shaped patches of uniform color side by side'. I do miss the old RCAs,
even though they had some retrace lines.
 
nyindallas said:
Thanks for the suggestion but that would never work in this room. It is a family room not a home theater. I think 50-52 would be optimal. The current 34" is a bit small.
Click to expand...

there really is no reason a family room wouldn't suffice. many families use such a room for projector/screen entertainment; i and many others use our living rooms.

a pull down screen almost disappears when not being used, the pj is small enough that it also is pretty much unseen when not being used. about the only things visible are the loudspeakers-audio components being in cabinets-out of the way.

also, many install a flat panel behind the pull down screen for daytime use-if the room can't be light controlled during the day.

good luck with which ever option you go with.
 
jayk said:
there really is no reason a family room wouldn't suffice. many families use such a room for projector/screen entertainment; i and many others use our living rooms.

a pull down screen almost disappears when not being used, the pj is small enough that it also is pretty much unseen when not being used. about the only things visible are the loudspeakers-audio components being in cabinets-out of the way.

also, many install a flat panel behind the pull down screen for daytime use-if the room can't be light controlled during the day.

good luck with which ever option you go with.
Click to expand...

There are plenty of situations where a family room wont do for a Projecrtor, open floor concepts wont allow for light control even at night unless you want the entire floor dark, and thats not very family friendly. Also if its used as a casual "daily driver" then it doesnt make sense either, nor does the added expense of the pro, Screen, Wires and even heavy drapes and such.

The model picked up is gonna be great and I am sure your gonna love how it performs!
 
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