Newbie looking to buy first HDTV (1 Viewer)

[Jesse L]

Hi there — technically I'm not a newbie, as I was registered here some eight years ago, but I can't find my old account (I only posted once or twice, I think). No matter.... I'm looking to purchase my first HD television set after years of watching content on a '90s 27" GE CRT, my laptop, and my parents' 2000 rear-projection Sony (some 70") when I was staying with them. Despite doing a fair amount of research on and off over the past few years, I continue to be baffled by the array of options, so I thought I'd try laying out some of what I'm looking for here and seeing what you folks might be able to tell me. Price: $600 or less feels about right, though I could go as high as $700. Size: 37-47 inches (viewing distance is about 8 feet). What I'm watching: Movies (largely older ones), TV shows, and classic animation on DVD, blu-ray, Netflix streaming and occasionally YouTube. Other components: I'll be hooking up an Oppo BDP-83 and an Apple TV 2, while using an Onkyo sr-705 receiver to handle sound. Desired image: The images on flatscreens are always really garish when I see them in stores, but then I understand that they're set to "torch mode" in order to capture people's attention and compete with all the other light sources. (My Oppo came with a calibration disc I can use to adjust the picture, so presumably that won't be a problem.) That said, I will stress that I am less interested in the really bright digital colors associated with Pixar et al than with a more filmic, analog image that represents things like grain and film texture well. (And while I'd like to see the advanced resolution of blu-ray, it would also be nice if my SD-DVDs still look decent; hopefully the Oppo upconversion helps with that.) Plasma vs. LCD: The overall impression I get is that plasmas have better overall image quality, and given that I don't care about gaming I'm not too worried about burn-in. The problem though is my concern about power consumption. On the other hand, the display will probably be used 5-10 hours a week, if that, so perhaps this is a minor issue (perhaps I can unplug it when it is not in use). I like the "warm" image of rear projection sets, but I don't really want something that bulky (and they don't seem to make a lot of them these days anyway). Things I don't care about: gaming, cable, and internet connectivity (the Apple TV would handle that). Right now there isn't really much 3-D product out there that interests me, either, and even if some of the classic '50s 3D films were offered on blu-ray (I guess Sony is doing a couple?), I'm not sure it would be worth a couple hundred more dollars for the privilege of watching them at home. Any and all feedback is much appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Cees Alons]

Hello Jesse,


Is this *you* (or at least your user profile with us )?


If you want to start using it again, you need to know your password (I don't know that), and we may even able to help you otherwise.


However, in that case you must be able to present convincing evidence (not just info found there) about your "former" identity and contact one of the owners. Also, in that case you shouldn't create too many posts using the current account, because we will prefer to close it then and it's not easy to move posts to be owned by "another" member.



Cees

 

[JeremyR]

Generally a Plasma TV will not give you the garish appearance that you're talking about. I know what you're talking about when it comes to LCD, and LED, and generally agree with you on the image quality. Any one of these plasma TV's would serve you well, one is even under $600. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Panasonic+-+VIERA+42%22+Class+/+Plasma+/+1080p+/+600Hz+/+HDTV/9761059.p?id=1218168620157&skuId=9761059 http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Panasonic+-+VIERA+42%22+Class+/+Plasma+/+1080p+/+600Hz+/+HDTV/9761068.p?id=1218168619373&skuId=9761068 6Ave (via Amazon.com) has this one for $635 and includes no shipping costs.. it is even broadband ready with Netflix, Pandora, etc. http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-VIERA-TC-P42S30-42-Inch-Plasma/dp/B004M8SBOS/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1312826545&sr=1-1

 

[Jesse Lawson]

Hello Jesse,


Is this *you* (or at least your user profile with us )?


If you want to start using it again, you need to know your password (I don't know that), and we may even able to help you otherwise.


However, in that case you must be able to present convincing evidence (not just info found there) about your "former" identity and contact one of the owners. Also, in that case you shouldn't create too many posts using the current account, because we will prefer to close it then and it's not easy to move posts to be owned by "another" member.



Cees

Thanks — I'd forgotten I'd posted under my full name (and that I'd posted in that many old threads!), and tried an old password that happens to work. I'll resume using the older account; sorry to have cluttered the forum with a new one. Jeremy, thanks for the Panasonic recommendations; I had been looking at those and will investigate further. Customer comments suggest the image is about what I'd be looking for. The price on that last one (both from 6Ave and Amazon) seems to have gone up just in the time I've been looking at it, though!

 

[Cees Alons]

Jesse,


You're welcome - as you've always been.


I will close the other account, the new one. It will appear as "banned", unfortunately. Cannot avoid that.



Cees