Newbie needs TV advise (1 Viewer)

I am a newbie and know virtually nothing about TV's, new technology, features, functions, etc... Last time I bought a TV was in 1997.

The one thing I know is that I will not buy a rear projection TV under any circumstances. I just can not stand them.

I have a budget of $2,000 +- a few bucks.

With the size of the room it will be in and the seating distance, I need at least 42". Over 50" and the budget is too small. So I have been looking at the following and am seeking advise, experience with, and comments on the following.

50" Vizio Plasma HD Monitor model P50HDM.
http://www.vizioce.com/site/products...ct_p50hdm.html

42" Vizio HDTV Plasma Model P42HDTV10A
http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/nav...=5&item=338729

There are a variety of Phillips 42" Plasmas that meet my budget. Such as the PF5321D, and 42PF7320A to list a couple.

How about the HP PL4260N HDTV plasma?

The TV will be used primarily for regular TV viewing. Not a big movie guy. Obviously some movies will be viewed on it from a DVD and the occasional VHS. But it going to be primarily regular TV viewing.

Thanks for your help and advise. I really appreciate it.

Brian, RPTVs have changed vastly since 1997. High-definition images make a serious difference. So do not be so quick as to rule them out.

Thanks Jack. I have been out in the stores looking at TVs for quite a while now, but not with serious intentions as I can wait a while. Don't need one "now" but will in the near to not so distant future. The RPTVs are just not for me or my eyes.

so you want to buy a marginal panel vs a great RPTV (DLP or LCD) ?

Brian

If you simply cannot live with an RPTV of any kind, the Vizio 50 would be my choice among those you have listed. From my reading, fan noise was a problem with those. Many people who bought them got the fans replaced by Vizio with a home visit by a contract tech.

There is a huge thread on the Vizio 50 over at AVS Forum. Enough there to keep you busy reading till you are ready to buy .

Brian:

You simply cannot judge how a DLP, LCD RPTV, LCoS or HD CRT-RPTV is going to look in your home by looking at the floor displays in a typical "big box" store. The sets are all hideously misajusted out of the box, and you're looking at them under horrible lighting conditions. Imagine the first time you saw your wife or girlfriend you could only see her in a funhouse mirror, wearing clown make-up under green light. Think you would have given her a second look?

What, specifically, do you not like about RP? (Given that each RP technology has its own pros and cons, which different people react differently to, I'm curious as to what objection could possibly apply to all of them. )

If you think you'd like something a bit bigger than a 42", seriously consider a good microdisplay RP set. Check some out at a high-end home theater showroom if possible, not a Best Buy or Circuit City if possible, so there's a chance you'll be looking at a properly adjusted set, or maybe even a professionally calibrated one.

Regards,

Joe

Joseph (and Gregg),

I appreciate your response and fully understand what you are saying. Maybe things have changed recently, but every RP tv I have ever seen at someones home, under actual viewing conditions in a house have just not been to my liking. And the off axis viewing has always been terrible to me.

My familyroom and Kitchen is basically one giant 2,000 square foot room, and I watch a lot of TV from the kitchen area and that is off axis pretty strong. So the "side angle" viewing has been 90% of my objection to RP TVs. Always got washout and a glare obfuscating the picture. And to make matters worse, the wall opposite the TV has a direct west alignment and the freaking sun sets in my giant windows and french doors. WAF will not allow for blacking out these windows.

Also, the stands that these things usually go on are not for my lifestyle and living conditions. Can the RP TVs go on a regular "bench" style TV stand? I have far to much AV equipment (receiver, DVD, VHS, Satelitte, CD, and other goodies) to go on one of those stand, and it needs to be in a closed cabinet because of a 2 year old, dogs, and new born coming that all have sticky fingers and touch stuff that is out in the open.

Now, I did stop at Sams Club today to buy dog food while I was at lunch and ran across a 56" JVC HD-ILA LCOS TV. I was shocked at how good the picture was, especially from off axis. This TV has changed my direction and made me consider a RP TV with LCOS.

Did I mention that I own a 56" JVC HD-ILA in a room with west-facing sliding glass doors (which I can somewhat darken with vertical blinds) and two light wells in the ceiling? I have the 720p version. The 1080p LCoS sets from JVC and Sony are even nicer, but not enough to justify the added cost, in my humble opinion.

Available at Best Buy with a nice metal and glass under-set TV stand for under $2400. (That's where I got mine last year.) I still have that same stand, still in the box, as I preferred going with a wall unit. I'll probably use the stand that came with the JVC for my bedroom LCD flatpanel when I finish rennovating the condo. (Have the spare bedroom/home office and the master bedroom and bath left to go. *sigh* Never try to rennovate a place you're still living in. )

Regards,

Joe

Plasma is my choice for a future purchase. This is after reading endless complaints online about the $200 bulb in the DLP/LCD models burning out after one year or less.

Too me, it just doesn't make sense to have to deal with that.

Like I said above, all technologies have their pros and cons. Since nothing is perfect for all people in all cases, or even some people in any cases, any purchasing decision is bound to come down to trade-offs. I'll take a really good picture at this price at that screen size rather than a better picture for "x" dollars more or with a screen "y" inches smaller.

I've seen the problems that burn-in can cause in CRT direct view and RPTVs, I've dealt with bad off-axis viewing angles and I've watched displays grow fuzzy and dim over time. For me LCoS made more sense for the screen size I wanted in terms of initial cost (I'd have to replace a lot of bulbs before I got near what a 56" plasma would cost me) and because when I replace a bulb my TV goes back to being as bright and clear as the day I bought it - which a plasma will never do. Add in the likelihood that either the manufacturers or after-market vendors will likely have long-lasting LED modules (already starting to appear in newer sets) to replace the bulbs in the near future and I don't even consider this an issue. Especially since (a) most of those complaints you see "all over the net" when researching this stuff were posted some time ago when many of these model were new (or are about models that have since been discontinued) and (b) the only people posting are the ones who are having the problems. Obviously someone who hasn't had to replace a bulb is less apt to post a message highlighting the fact. The squeaky wheel gets the internet screen real estate, just like bad news gets the front page. Airliner lands safely isn't a story. Neither is bulb doesn't burn out. But just as the handful of stories about planes that crash tell you nothing about the tens of thousands of safe take-offs and landings that happen every day, complaints about TVs tell you nothing about all the satisfied customers out there. I'm not saying to ignore complaints and bad reviews, I'm just suggesting that they be taken for what they are - a partial picture of the market place. One more bit of data to be used in comparing the pros and cons of different kinds of displays, but not necessarily something to make an absolute decision on in and of itself.

That's just my two cents. As always, you're mileage may vary.

Joe