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Lucy announced that she wants a new TV and I am completely out of the hardware loop! Please help!

post #1 of 10
1/20/12 at 7:42am
Thread Starter 
I love my 65" Toshiba DLP. Really I do.

BUT. . .

We just moved into a new house, and the layout is such that my wife can't see the TV from the kitchen due to the essentially perpendicular viewing angle. So she wants a flatscreen with a wider viewing angle. (Fortunately our new bedroom is large enough to handle the old 65". smile.gif )

I have no idea what to get or where to buy it. I'd probably lean toward Costco, if they have an appropriate model. The requirements:

1. 65" diagonal at a minimum. The larger the better.
2. Flatscreen (I assume that LED is superior to regular LCD, and that plasma sets of this size are ridiculously heavy. Does that make sense?).
3. I think the price limit would be around $2000 unless there's a REALLY good reason to stretch a little further.
4. 3D would be nice but is not necessary.

The room has lots of glass facing south and southwest -- it's pretty bright during the day.

As for brand, I'm not really sure how they stack up these days. I hear some complaints about Samsung's customer service and Panny's PQ. Should I be leaning toward Sharp?

Thoughts?
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post #2 of 10
1/20/12 at 7:55am
Greetings

If viewing angles matter, then plasma moves to the top of the list. Same image pretty much regardless of where you stand in the room. No decrease in image quality.

On the LCD end ... it gets more depressing since good viewing angles are the weakness of LCD/LED.

LG still is king here with their IPS screens. Not as good as plasma, but way better than the rest of the companies here.

Sony is next ... further back from LG ...

Samsung next ...

Sharp brings up the rear in this group.

All higher end models of LCD sets tend to have more reflective screens to make them look upscale. In someways even worse than plasma. It is not a given that plasma is always the worst choice in a bright room. Sharp is good in bright rooms but has the worst viewing angles.

What does ridiculously heavy mean? 300 lbs ...200lbs ... 65" plasma is about 100 lbs but not much more than that now.

Regards
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post #3 of 10
1/20/12 at 8:12am
Thread Starter 
Thanks, Michael. I guess I was wrong about the weight of Plasmas -- 100 lbs. is fine. As long as it's under 150 lbs. (i.e., my wife and I could easily move it around ourselves) it'd be OK.

So in terms of PQ, plasma still beats LCD/ LED, generally speaking? Or are you just talking about viewing angles? (It doesn't need to be perfect; just better than DLP. Overall PQ is still at the top of the list.) I see some 65" Viera sets advertised for not much more than $2000. The LG 65LW6500 seems to be available in the low $2000 range as well; is that worth looking into?
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post #4 of 10
1/20/12 at 9:23am
Greetings

Plasma is still better for overall picture quality ... better black levels... until you get into the local dimming LED sets which can have equivalent blacks or better than entry level plasma sets.

The lg is the best choice for viewing angles on the lcd side. At its worst, two people may not even see the same color on the tv ...and the performance drops like a rock

regards
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post #5 of 10
1/20/12 at 10:09am

Michael TLV is the pro.  I am happy that I am in agreement here.

 

Plasma, in my opinion, is the best choice all around.

 

I think it provides the most "filmlike" picture with deep black

levels, in my opinion.

 

The only complaint I hear about Plasma is reflection in rooms

with lots of windows.  

 

You also have to be a little more careful with plasma displays.

Burn-in doesn't seem to be a huge issue anymore, but I would

not keep still images on the screen for long periods of time. To 

this day, I worry about network logos in the bottom of the screen

that remain there through a 2-hour movie.

 

Despite all that being said, I think plasma is the way to go.

 

 

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post #6 of 10
1/20/12 at 10:33am
Thread Starter 
Thanks, Ron. I've honestly never been a fan of LCD images, although newer sets are certainly improving. Sounds like plasma is definitely the way to go.

FWIW, I emailed Gregg and he said essentially the same thing. Great minds, and all that. smile.gif
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post #7 of 10
1/21/12 at 7:32am
Quote:
The only complaint I hear about Plasma is reflection in rooms

with lots of windows.

This is now true of LCD panels also. I just installed a 60" LCD in my lvgroom...lots of glare (as much as any plasma). However the LCD has a lot more light output so it is more forgiving with ambient light in the room.

fun stuff.
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post #8 of 10
1/21/12 at 11:34am
Costco has a Panasonic 65" ST34??? for around $2000.
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post #9 of 10
1/24/12 at 5:38am
Thread Starter 
I was in the local Costco the other day, but I don't think there were any 65" Panasonics. There was an ST30 model, but I think it was the 55". Most of the 55" and larger screens at my Costco are Sharp LEDs.

I think the lowest I've seen the 65" VT30 is around $2300, so I figure when the 2012 models hit the stores, I might be able to score one for under $2000.
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post #10 of 10
1/24/12 at 5:39am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gregg Loewen View Post

Quote:
The only complaint I hear about Plasma is reflection in rooms
with lots of windows.
This is now true of LCD panels also. I just installed a 60" LCD in my lvgroom...lots of glare (as much as any plasma). However the LCD has a lot more light output so it is more forgiving with ambient light in the room.
fun stuff.

I guess if a new TV encourages me to watch it less during the day, that's probably a good thing. I am really out of shape. . . biggrin.gif
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