Any advice when jumping to a 55" to 60" screen on a budget? (1 Viewer)

Hello display gurus! It’s time for a big upgrade in the Frezon home.

I am about to take a leap from my three year old 32” Vizio 1080p HDTV to a much larger set.

Here’s what I’m dealing with. (And I can’t believe my wife is willing to go along with this!) I have a budget of $1000…and am looking at something in the 55” to 60” range. And I have no interest in 3-D technology. None. And call me old school, but I don’t see the need to connect the TV to the internet.

Placement will be in my living room (leading to further disbelief that my wife is willing to go along with it!). So there are the usual lighting issues that accompany a living room environment. And the set will be in a corner with seating arranged across the two walls which create the opposite corner. The seating distances will range from 9 to 12 feet.

I will be feeding images from a Panasonic BD-55 player and a Time-Warner HD cable box (Cisco). No gaming. Just films and TV.

Question #1 is that I am unsure of which type of set to get: Plasma, LED or LCD. I am not the kind of guy who scrutinizes an image for imperfections…but want to know that I am getting the best bang for my buck in terms of picture quality and construction quality. I recently helped get my dad a 42” LED display and my son a 46” LCD display. Both look pretty darn nice to me…but I am left with an impression that I like the brightness//sharpness more on the 42” LED display. But I’m sure that could be for a wide range of factors.

I am amazed at the wide assortment of sets that fall within the budget/size parameters. And I get the sense that I would be happy with most.

But, since I spend a lot more time studying home video software rather than hardware, I am here to ask for help. And I especially realize that the answer as to which type of display to get could be dependent upon the limitations of the parameters I set above. In other words, the size of my budget probably has an impact on which technology is best at this level rather than for those with bigger budgets.

Here are some sets which could be in the running:

Panasonic 60” Plasma: http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-VIERA-TC-P50U50-50-Inch-Plasma/dp/B00752VLRC/ref=sr_1_11?s=tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1348942371&sr=1-11


Panasonic 55” LED: http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-VIERA-TC-L55E50-55-Inch-LED-LCD/dp/B00752R9SW/ref=sr_du_4_map?s=tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1348942371&sr=1-4

LG 60” Plasma: http://www.amazon.com/LG-60PA6500-60-Inch-1080p-Plasma/dp/B006VFS4J2/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

LG 55” LED: http://www.amazon.com/LG-55LS4600-55-Inch-1080p-120Hz/dp/B006ZH0MVY/ref=sr_1_21?s=tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1349058277&sr=1-21

Samsung 60” Plasma: http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-PN60E530-60-Inch-1080p-Plasma/dp/B0075814YQ/ref=sr_1_21?s=tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1349064235&sr=1-21

Most of what I’ve been reading (in the dozens of HTF posts comparing the technologies) make me think that Plasma is the best way to go. Right? Wrong?

Thanks in advance for any input.

Mike as far as size, I would get as big as you can. Size does matter.
My next tv will be an LED since I think they have a great image.
Plasma tends to be shiny in a well lit area and LCD tends to lose black level in my opinion.
There's no way to put the tv at a wall in stead of a corner?
Most people feel the sitting distance sould be aprox 1.5 to 1.75 times the width ofthe TV.
So if its 100" then you would want to be about 150-175 inches away from the screen.
Ether way whatever you choose it will probably be fine since tv's are improved greatly just in the last four 3-4 years.

TonyD said:

Most people feel the sitting distance should be aprox 1.5 to 1.75 times the width of the TV.
So if its 100" then you would want to be about 150-175 inches away from the screen.

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And like I said in the OP, the viewing distances are 9' to 12' (the important ones are 9 & 10 feet)...so 1.5 times the 60" screen is 8.75'. That'll have to do.

I really can't go bigger, the space won't allow.

The viewing angle will be just fine. I don't go by it the way some do its more of a guide as far as I'm concerned anyway.
I sit about ten feet in front of my 73" TV and it seems about right to me.

Mike, I think your gonna beat me to the punch in getting that next big display! Can't wait to hear your reaction when you bump up from that 32 incher!

I cannot lie.

I am sooooooooooooo excited by this. I've been an HTF member for 11 years (this month!).

I have always been more focused on the audio aspect of the hobby than the visual...but when I started I had just a standard 4:3 CRT. I then upgraded that to a 16:9 HD CRT (26"!). And then, in '09, I upgraded that (out of necessity) to a 32" 1080p 32" Vizio.

After all those "small steps", this is going to be "one giant leap" for me.

======================

I am now intrigued by THIS Panasonic set.

Spend(if you can) the money on a ST50, even if it means dropping to a 55"...
There are no, none, NADA LCD that can compete with the ST50 or higher Panny. Samsung PDP are close and the only other real competition for Panny is LG PDP.
And, not that I want to blast anything...
But it irks me when the "Best Buy idiot clerk" mentality hits shoppers when they say...
"I'm considering a LCD or a LED..."
And it doesn't help when you have Samsung adding to the confusing forcing "all the others" to add to the confusion.

Originally Posted by schan1269 /t/324155/any-advice-when-jumping-to-a-55-to-60-screen-on-a-budget#post_3982843
Spend(if you can) the money on a ST50, even if it means dropping to a 55"...
There are no, none, NADA LCD that can compete with the ST50 or higher Panny.

Click to expand...

Sam: Thanks for the input!

I can get the 55" ST50 for close to the same price as a 60" UT50.

One of the things I have read is that the "louvers" on the ST 50s screens really help with the blacks in a lit room environment.

What are the reasons that cause you to say the ST50 is that much better than the UT50s?

I'm lucky enough that I used to sell this stuff wholesale. I can still buy stuff wholesale for myself(and no, don't ask where/how).
We sold(to Meijer, Ovation, Amazon, NewEgg and MANY others) Panny, LG, Tosh, Mits.
I didn't, thankfully, have to deal with Samsung or Vizio.
I was at the office a few weeks ago checking out the "new stuff" for 2013(brochures are hitting wholesalers now...I didn't go to CES the last time around, but I might go next time).
There is a huge difference with the ST50. Problem is, unless you know where a wholesaler is, you likely won't see one on display in a good environment.
If you want to see one...find a Directv 'independent" installer(not 1-800-Directv). There are only two places they can get their stuff. One of the places is the wholesaler I used to work for. And if they use them for product, then they can sell you darn near anything you want...without having to shop Worst Buy or HH Dredd(the experience).

Last time I asked as well...
The company I worked for still had some NIB Pioneer/Elite pdp, including some of the monitors(which we all drooled over those). The problem is, Pioneer still thinks they are worth gold. So, they sit in a warehouse in Ohio...collecting dust.

Originally Posted by schan1269 /t/324155/any-advice-when-jumping-to-a-55-to-60-screen-on-a-budget#post_3982870
There is a huge difference with the ST50. Problem is, unless you know where a wholesaler is, you likely won't see one on display in a good environment.

Click to expand...

Thanks again.

So you're saying the difference is simply in the image itself...not the bells/whistles features?

There are a couple more "bells"...
Notably it has built in WiFi so you don't need a dongle...(it escapes me what the other two are...beyond "infinite black")

The reason I'm asking about your recommendation is that the features the ST series brings over the UT series aren't all that interesting to me (except for the louvers). I won't be asking this TV to do much more than play back Blu-ray discs and HD cable TV.

So that's why I'm wondering if the 55" ST50 is going to be that much better for me than the 60" UT50.

I am more than ready to be sold with the idea that it is, mind you. I just want the best set for my needs given my meager budget. And I wouldn't feel too bad about dropping from 60" to 55" because the set might actually fit my space that much better.

The "Pro" settings, along with the louvers, make it worth the extra expense/size drop.
I have 2 "web enabled" sets myself, and don't use the apps held there-in.
In my opinion...the ST50 is worth the extra expense. If you "could" see them together...it would be a bonus for the decision process.
Just "be prepared" for not the greatest image for the first 200hrs. The break-in period is a must for long term use of the TV. That is the ONLY downfall to a plasma set.
I let my 4 plasma sets(currently have 3, sold one 2 summers ago) run 24hrs a day for 7 days on a "constant loop" DVD.
There are DVD/BD out there for this specific purpose. (but if you have a DVD/BD player with a "constant loop" ability, then just use a movie set to NOT show black bars. Such as Master & Commander or Curious Case of Benjamin Button)
And you will find recommendations of "as much as 500 hours". But the phosphors are advanced enough since 2007 to not need that much break-in.

Yes, I've read that the pro settings are a good thing to have, too. Without them, I've read users complain that they've got only clumsy ways to adjust such things as color/brightness, etc.

Another excellent point. Thanks!

Mike do you use NETFLIX or Amazon streaming?

Originally Posted by TonyD /t/324155/any-advice-when-jumping-to-a-55-to-60-screen-on-a-budget#post_3982982
Mike do you use NETFLIX or Amazon streaming?

Click to expand...

Nope. 99% of my display is used for Blu discs and HD TV/Cable.

I think he was trying to warn you the "App audio" is stuck in the TV...
That, for me, makes the Apps inside of TVs essentially useless. (although if you buy, try it out and respond with a yay/nay on the audio making it out. I have a 42" Panny bedroom set and Pandora is stuck inside the TV...but I didn't buy it for the DLNA or Pandora)

Not sure what app audio is but I guess it means that the apps cannot be removed which is true.
My next tv will need to have access to NF and Amazon as lately I watch as much in there as I do cable and even on bluray.

Originally Posted by TonyD /t/324155/any-advice-when-jumping-to-a-55-to-60-screen-on-a-budget#post_3982999
Not sure what app audio is but I guess it means that the apps cannot be removed which is true.
My next tv will need to have access to NF and Amazon as lately I watch as much in there as I do cable and even on bluray.

Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure he means that with some "smart" TVs the audio from the built-in apps is NOT output via the set's digital optical output or via ARC enabled HDMI - essentially "trapping" the audio within the TV.

Thanks for the thread, Mike. While I'm not currently in the market for a new display, it's only a matter of time before we'll have to give up the ghost on our 32" 4:3 CRT set that's in our family room. I am definitely leaning towards a plasma, and the ST is a very compelling choice...

Good luck with whatever you end up with!