Looking for recommendations to replace 2006 plasma TV (1 Viewer)

[Hans M.]

Looking for recommendations...

So my 42-inch Panasonic TH-42PX60U plasma TV I bought in 2006 has finally died. It was on this forum that I first learned about it. Everyone here was loving it. I loved it, but now it has a green vertical line going up and down the middle of the screen. It was fun and great while it lasted.

What I am looking for in a replacement is slightly larger, maybe 55-inch (I live in a one bedroom apartment and my couch is only 4-feet from the TV stand. It doesn't have to be a Smart TV or 4K. In fact, I'd prefer it not be, as I have a Roku device plugged into one HDMI port, an Oppo blu-ray player and a vintage Yamaha amp connected via RCA cables. I'd be fine with 1080p with good grays and blacks. I hate the soap opera affect of HD, so I would love to be able to switch that off.

Does anyone have suggestions that could meet such a setup? I heard good things about Samsung, LG and Sony.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

I have always loved LG displays. I think they give you the best bang for the buck.

However, I would suggest going 4k no matter what. You don't want to revert to past technology and you never know what you might want to upgrade to as far as discs or streaming in the not-too-distant future.

 

[Worth]

If you're coming from plasma, I would get an OLED from Sony or LG.

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

Many of the old standbys (Panasonic, Sharp, etc.) aren't there anymore. You may wish to investigate some of the newer brands, as well as wondering if your requirements may be satisfied with a lower-tier set. Sharp sold off its factory to Hisense. TCL is now making cheap sets that a few years ago would be top-tier. My TCL 55S535 from two years back has a picture that you would not believe coming from a $450 set in present dollars. It does wonderful upscaling to 4K from standard Blu-ray discs. It has built in Roku and at least a headphone jack to connect heritage analog audio to your receiver.

 

[YANG]

...Sharp sold off its factory to Hisense. TCL is now making cheap sets that a few years ago would be top-tier...

SHARP TVs sold in North American market as well as Europe and China, are made by HiSense with license from SHARP.
While SHARP TVs sold in Asian markets are still made by SHARPs own factory in Malaysia and exported to South East Asian region as well as east Asia markets such as Macau, HongKong and Taiwan. I've not seen any listings of SHARP TVs in NewZealand and Australia market yet... so, it's hard to determine whether what the Aussies and Kiwis will get.

TCL TVs currently sold in Asian market are getting better and better, and left good impressions to potential Asian buyers that they're getting the best bang of their bucks. PANELS in TCL TVs sold in Asian markets are believed to be made by TCL themselves thru the ownership of the factory from Samsung, which later renamed as CSOT( http://en.szcsot.com/ ). While they can make the panels better and better, the image processing GPU/SoC is still very generic. It's either MSTAR, Amlogic, or MTK depending on price range.
Note that TCL have factories overseas for their targeted markets. If i recall correctly, there is a factory in East Europe that make TVs for Europe distribution, India for South Asia distribution, and China for Asia Pacific markets. American continent wise, i couldn't tell if they have any factory in Mexico or Brazil.
TCL owns the license to the brand of THOMSON. And THOMSON owned the brand license to RCA and Normende as well as SABA. I've yet to find any information updates on the ownership of the brands, hence i would assume that THOMSON/RCA/Nordmende/SABA TVs could also still be made by TCL.

 

[DaveF]

What’s your price range? You can get a 55” tv from about $500 to $2000 depending on your tastes and budget.

 

[YANG]

For a person who had been accustomed to the luminance quality of plasma TV for years, i think OLED TV should be suggested, follows by MiniLED TVs. FALD should come as a final choice when budget is very tight.