TVs when did it get so hard. (1 Viewer)

[Griggs]

Ok, I'm looking to spend under $2,000, perferably under $2,000 with basic accessories or even a service plan.

What I've looked at so far is a 42" and 50" Panasonic Plasma. Seems that 720p is all that is in my price range, Sam's Club carries a 1080i for around 1700. I'm also starting to think about a LCD, maybe a 47" Westinghouse, which is 1080p, or other brand.

Then There is the thought of doing a projection to gain some size. I sort of dislike the LCD projectors because of the screen door effect and the DLPs I've seen in the stores have such bad viewing angles. I've heard good things about the JVC HD-ILA which is a 56" with 1080p for around the same price as the Westinghouse LCD 1080p and just a couple hundred bucks more than the Panny 42" 720p Plasma.

I want to use this new TV for just general viewing in the living room, that will include SD TV, some HD TV, Movies, video games and I would even like to be able to hook up my PC on occasion.

I think I want a Panny Plasma maybe to just have a plasma, I like the bright colors and the screen, although I will not be putting it on the wall at this time. I've been impressed with the LCDs I've seen in stores, easier to see in bright rooms, which would be good for general viewing.

When I compare the 47" Westinghouse LCD 1080p with the 42" Plasma Panasonic 720p I would think that an extra hundred or two would be worth getting a 1080p. Obviously Panasonic is the better brand, so thats one side. The other side is the 1080p would be nice, and the the bigger the better.

Then getting into the JVC which is also a 1080p for a similar price as the 42" panny accept the JVC will be 1080p plus 14" larger; so its getting hard for me to justify the Panasonic just because its plasma and just because its Panasonic.

Lastly to throw a wrench in, I might be able to get as much as 20% off at Wal-Mart which carries a 50" Philips Plasma. This means I would be able to get this cheapest of all. The only downfall from that is that its a Philips, its 720p and I don't believe Wal-Mart has a service plan available. But 50 inches of plasma would be nice.

It seems hard to weight the pros, cons, sizes, technologies and prices, please weigh in with your thoughts and any ideas you may have. Thanks

 

[Parker Clack]

My brother just picked up a Panasonic 50PX75U 720p 50 inch plasma that has a great picture and was under $2,000. You can also pick this up from Amazon for under $1,800.

1080p is great but you are going to pay a premium for it at this time. The 720p sets will give you a great picture even with inputing 1080p and SD looks better to me on a 720p set than it does on a 1080p set.

If you are going to being watch a lot of SD TV and DVD and not a lot of HiDef from HD DVD or Blu-Ray and OTA HD then you really aren't going to notice that much difference overall.

 

[Griggs]

I see circuit city now has the Panny 75U for under $1800 WOOT.

I just look at those rear projections that are both big (56") and 1080p and for similar price if not less.

 

[SethH]

The rear projection sets -- both LCoS and DLP -- are a very good value compared to any flat panel. The biggest disadvantage they have is that they are not flat panel -- if you do not care about that then I would push you in that direction. Look at DLP from Samsung and Mitsubishi and look at LCoS from Sony (SXRD) and JVC (HD-ILA).

 

[Griggs]

Do you think LCD and Plasma pictures are sharper? I took a look at a Mitsu DLP, I thought the 720p Plasma looked sharper then the 1080p DLP. Was I seeing things?

 

[Jerome Grate]

It is tough, I purchased a 37 inch LCD and with DVD it's pretty good with 480P but broadcast (satellite in my case) is not the best. Action movies tend to suffer from motion artifacting and I can't seem to get the blacks at the levels that my 52 inch Sony CRT RPTV can get to. I happen think that the DLP models can come close to what CRT could do but they are a little bulky and a little pricey. For 2000 smackers the choice is pretty wide and LCD and Plasma I think looks sharper from a distance but when you get with in a few feet of them..., well lets just say not as sharp as you think. It all depends on the source, will you be using it for basic t.v. watching, or just for DVDs. Once you know that answer, then choose which would give you the benefit of the best picture. LCD and Plasma do a pretty good job with DVD.

 

[Ed Moxley]

I've not been a fan of plasmas, because of the shiny glass screen. It reflects everything in the room, especially light(s). I, personally, can't stand that. I've had to live with it for years, with the crt tv we have. My next one won't reflect. (I've heard that LG has a new plasma that doesn't reflect)

I like the JVC, but Gregg Loewen (admin here, and ISF calibrator) doesn't seem to care for them much. Friday, Best Buy had the 61" JVC 1080p D-ILA for $1899. If I had the money, one would be in my living room now.........
Good luck with whatever you get.