Buying a New HDTV (1 Viewer)

[ronroz]

Hello All,

I am a newbie and seeking all your expert advise on my new venture. I want to get an HDTV. I have read through all the threads in newbie and burn in and LCD vs. Plasma discussions. Now I am inclined to buy a Plasma and have my eyes on Panasonic TH42PZ77.

I am open to any suggestions - please feel free to ask question. This is a big investment for me and sure could use your advise to guide me through the right path - plasma or LCD or even DLP.

I would like you all to consider the following while posting any suggestions:
• I will be watching this TV in my apartment which has a window but not necessarily always well lit.
• I will be watching mostly SD programs on Rogers cable since I do not have digital cable and cannot have it in my building because of wiring issue ( I am planning to move within 6 months though).
• No game playing at all on this TV.
• I will be watching movies on a regular DVD player - I may buy a BLUray player as soon as the prices go down.
• I do not watch sports.
• I may watch SD channels on 4:3 screen and concerned about burn in on the side bars.
• In average between myself and my wife it will be 6 hours/ day watching.
Sitting distance would be about 9ft.

Are there any new Plasma models coming out which are not as much prone to burn-ins as today's models? Will it be worth the wait?



Thank you in advance.

 

[Craig]

Burn-in really isn't a factor anymore with the current plasmas as far as regular TV viewing, it's not something I'd base a purchasing decision on. Also, the stretch modes have gotten very good, which will eliminate black bars in any case. They usually stretch the sides more than the center, and since the center is where the camera is focused most of the time, the picture looks pretty natural. A lot of folks think they won't like the stretch modes, but once you start using them you'll appreciate them. I haven't kept up with the current Panasonic models, but the last time I did look, they had models with glare reduction, which might be worth checking out.

We've got two 720P Panasonic plasmas at home (actually 3, with one waiting to be hooked up if my wife ever decides what is going where in her den/office). Regular DVDs look great them. I think you're really going to pleased with DVDs, regular or Blu-Ray.

So, don't worry about burn-in, get whatever brand looks good to you, Panasonic is certainly top-notch. Also, Consumer Reports says flat panels in general are proving to be very reliable. You might want to skip the extended warranty that the salesmen try to force on you.

 

[andrew markworthy]

I'm in a similar position here in the UK. I personally am waiting a month or so to see what the new range of screens for 2008 are like and then either buy one of those or buy one of last year's models at a discounted price.

As for LCD or plasma, I don't think there's much to put between them in the 37-42 inch range, in spite of what some of the plasma diehards seem to claim.

Plasma tends to give a slightly more realistic set of colors and you avoid motion blur. It also gives a better rendition of blacks and greys. But you pay for this with a picture that cannot give bright colours to the same extent as an LCD. I was looking round a TV store this afternoon, and looking at row after row of plasmas and LCDs, the LCDs all looked more vibrant (and maybe a tiny bit less realistic) - and no, I don't think this was the sales personnel tweaking the displays.

LCDs score on being a bit more detailed, and as I've already said, brighter. They traditionally lose out on being less good at blacks and greys and having motion smear. BUT: the next wave of sets due out from late March onwards (at least in the UK) are due to have much *much* better contrast ratios, and faster response times.

I personally would wait a month or so and see what the next batch of TVs are like.

 

[Mark Dill]

Personally, I wouldn't consider maximum brightness to be a significant feature in my TV decision. When I first setup my plasma, one of the first things I did was to turn the brightness and contrast way DOWN. This helps it last longer, reduces the chance of burn-in (which is minimal), and makes the picture look how it should. (I won't say properly calibrated, as I haven't done that, but people have posted their 'calibrated' settings online, and I simply copied those)

So my screen, which looks correct now, can get a LOT brighter. If an LCD screen can go even brighter than that, big whoop.

When I decided which type of screen to get, the decision was simple for me, but others certainly have different tastes. I think since I've never had a big screen before, and have always had CRT, that significantly affected my preferences.

1. DLP - uneven brightness as you change position with respect to the screen. Good viewing angle, but not like CRT/plasma. Plus I have to worry about replacing a bulb?

2. LCD flat panel - motion looks choppy to me.

3. LCD RP - similar to DLP with the uneven brightness and a so-so viewing angle.

4. Plasma - if you're used to looking at a CRT, this is really the only acceptable choice. Perfect viewing angle, no motion artifacts, good colors/blacks, etc. I turn it off when the DVR is paused and I use graybars with 4:3 programming, so I don't worry about burn-in. Some people are bothered by reflections, but I'm pretty used to it from the CRT - simply don't have any lights/windows across from the TV - problem solved.

I think most people who automatically reject plasma in favor of the other technologies are mostly people who are already used to the picture from a RP Big screen, so to them DLP and LCD RP look awesome.

 

[Bob Graz]

My perception is that in comparing 52in LED to 50in Plasma, that the Plasma set is an overall better value. That is when you compare picture size, quality and price to determine an overall value that Plasma wins. Is that a correct perception? If you were to select LED vs Plasma purely in terms of what you get per dollar, does the edge go to Plasma?

 

[andrew markworthy]

If all things are equal (same no. of pixels, same other extras), plasma wins out on better motion and blacks/grays. LCD wins out on being arguably just a tiny bit more detailed and bright. Most folks would favour plasma on those grounds, but it's a matter of personal choice.

In reality, I think it's a matter of what's best in your price bracket and if to your eyes it's plasma (or LCD) then you're the one who has to live with it, not the reviewers!

 

[andrew markworthy]

Something else to add into the mix - there's a large gulf between what a set can do on paper and what it's like in practice. Going too much by what something should be like based on paper specs is a one way route to madness. E.g. I can recall an argument I had with a home theatre obsessive a couple of months ago. It boiled down to the fact that there's a TV available that handles 24 frames per second, and by all objective accounts does it well, but it isn't done by one of the standard methods. Said obsessive refuses to label it as a 24 fps TV, because (wait for it) 'it isn't doing it properly'.

Another thing to be very wary of is the selective reviewing and reporting. I won't name names, but there's a TV model (now being phased out) that got glowing reviews for the fine detail, color balance, etc of its pictures. I nearly bought one, but stopped short when I found it didn't have 24 fps. I'm sensitive to picture judder and anything I can find that reduces it is great in my book. This doesn't matter as much to others, and fair enough - but in reviewing maybe a little mention could be made of the fact that this particular TV model, whilst top of its class in many respects, was (as I discovered after a bit of digging) notorious for juddering pictures. Was this mentioned by anyone? Nope - because presumably nobody wanted to be the party pooper, and I guess a lot of people who'd bought this (expensive) model didn't want to admit they'd bought a lemon and so downplayed the negative aspects.

At the end of the day it's what something is like when you see and use it that matters. For example, I've more than once gone out to buy something that's been critically praised only to leave it on the shelf because apart from anything else, it's been badly made.

 

[Parker Clack]

Ron:

I like what Panasonic is doing with the 80 series. So the model would be the TH-42PZ80U. It is the same set as the 77 series with more features for less money. I just picked up a TH-50PX75U and love it but if the 80U was available at the time I would have gotten it instead.

Another thing to consider is to get a PX series than a PZ series as they are cheaper. They are a 720p panel but IMHO they resolve SD better than a 1080p set does and HD will still look fantastic on it.

Parker

 

[Rockaby]

You said, you will be getting a Bluray later. Get 1080P tv. You have a 8 ft viewing distance. Don't need anything to large. Burnin is not an issue anymore but; I would seriously consider Panasonic TH-42PZ85U. I'm going to be biased but I just picked up one today. Will be delivered this weekend.

Please take a look at the specs.