Hdtv - led, lcd, 3d?

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

Hey all -

we're looking at getting a new TV for a "home theater" (not a crazy full-out home theater, but a nice TV room in the basement). I think a 55" is just about right-sized for the viewing distances.

Anyone have any thoughts, experiences, or advice on new televisions? Has anyone experienced one of the '3D' HDTVs out there (I know Sony and Samsung have 3D models).

Any 'gotchas' to look for?

[greg lindsey]

John, I can help you out here, my son runs the TV dept for Best Buy and his store is number one in TV sales in the country. He will tell you what not to buy as well as what is worth the money. Without all the sales hype. He's at work right now, but as soon as I can get ahold of him , I will get him the info you reqested.

[Charles Wiggins]

We bought a refurbished Vizio VF551XVT 55" TruLED HDTV about six weeks ago through TigerDirect. I just checked and they currently have it listed as unavailable.

I am no HD devotee, so I cannot recommend it based on anything particular, but it has gotten good reviews on different tech websites and very good customer reviews and we thought that it was the biggest "bang" for the amount of bucks we were willing to spend. We had done some research and had a couple of conversations with folks at HH Gregg and had decided that LED was the way to go for our wants. One thing that we liked about it is that it comes with a built in sound bar that mimics Surround Sound so we didn't have to buy a separate sound system right off the bat. In truth, I haven't had the volume up very high so I've really don't know how good the sound really is.

We've only watched one Blu Ray on it so far, The Dark Knight, and I was impressed with the color depth in the shadows and blacks which was one area where most of the reviewers said it was weak.

Hope this helps,
Charles

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

John, I can help you out here, my son runs the TV dept for Best Buy and his store is number one in TV sales in the country. He will tell you what not to buy as well as what is worth the money. Without all the sales cr*p hype. He's at work right now, but as soon as I can get ahold of him , I will get him the info you reqested.

That's be great - thanks! I know BestBuy had a Sony #D TV "bundle" not too long ago (included the glasses, transmitter, BluRay player) but it looks like it's not on their website any more. I'm not averse to spending a little more if it "future proofs" me from having to upgrade down the road...but I don't want to throw my money out the window.

[Eric DeSilva]

I'd wait a month or two--holiday season TVs traditionally drop in price, and predictions are that this year will see some pretty spectacular deals.

I've owned plasmas and LCDs, and traditional wisdom used to be to that plasmas were more cost effective above a certain size. Not sure whether that holds true or not today. Last time I shopped, I was still convinced that plasma had better black levels, but I haven't looked at a lot of the LED backlit LCDs, which promise better dynamic range--that is probably where I'd be looking today.

Frankly, I hate 3D. In a theater, 3D doesn't enhance the visual experience for me. I can get lost in a good film if it a well done 2D version; given the state of 3D, all it does is occasionally remind me that I'm watching a movie and shatter the illusion. And yes, I've seen "good" 3D--we've got a 3D IMAX set up nearby. All that said, 3D is the marketing hype, and I think you would be hard pressed to avoid it. While it isn't something I'd pay more for, I don't think I'd be dissuaded from buying a set advertised as 3D if the rest of it was what I wanted.

[Brian Tymchak]

John,

Thanks for asking the question. Looking forward to seeing the responses. I'm in the same boat. Would like about 65" HD wall mounted but beyond that I haven't a clue what to look for.

Brian

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

I'd wait a month or two--holiday season TVs traditionally drop in price, and predictions are that this year will see some pretty spectacular deals.

I've owned plasmas and LCDs, and traditional wisdom used to be to that plasmas were more cost effective above a certain size. Not sure whether that holds true or not today. Last time I shopped, I was still convinced that plasma had better black levels, but I haven't looked at a lot of the LED backlit LCDs, which promise better dynamic range--that is probably where I'd be looking today.

Frankly, I hate 3D. In a theater, 3D doesn't enhance the visual experience for me. I can get lost in a good film if it a well done 2D version; given the state of 3D, all it does is occasionally remind me that I'm watching a movie and shatter the illusion. And yes, I've seen "good" 3D--we've got a 3D IMAX set up nearby. All that said, 3D is the marketing hype, and I think you would be hard pressed to avoid it. While it isn't something I'd pay more for, I don't think I'd be dissuaded from buying a set advertised as 3D if the rest of it was what I wanted.

Good advice. I think I'll probably get a tv for the new room soon, just because we need to get it "up and running". but we need to replace a few other tvs and I plan on waiting for the holiday deals that will be coming, before I get those.

I'm very torn on the 3D. I know the kids would love it, but I'm concerned about the 'supply' of 3D movies. Supposedly the really 'big' market is for sports - watching NFL or NBA in 3D. Not sure how or when that'll be a reality. IMO one of the exciting uses for 3D technology is in the area of games - in theory, two people could be playing head to head, but each would only see his own image - and not be able to see what the other can see.

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

Brian - Eric has some good points above.

LED and LCD are actually the same fundamental type of TV, but the difference is in how they are lit. Normal "LED" televisions have some sort of CFL (compact fluorescent lighting) behind the LED panel, which provides the light. LED televisions use LED's for the light source, which is more energy efficient, but another bonus is that many LED televisions can dim or control individual regions of LEDs to provide better 'blacks' - an area where plasmas have an advantage over conventional LCD screens. Also, "Edge lit" LEDs are where the light sources are distributed around the edge (as opposed to behind the panel) - this is where some manufacturers are able to get really really thin televisions.

For me - I'm interested in a 55" LED tv. ultra-thin is not important to me, so backlit or edgelit would be fine. I'm leaning towards either an internet-enabled TV (so we can get Netflix right to it) or couple it with a BluRay player that has the same capability. I don't care so much about Hulu or Youtube on it, but those could be things we might use if it was there.

I'm torn on the whole 3D thing; I'm not 100% sure on an internet tv (useless if we end up getting something else that provides it); and I'd like info on the 'connectivity' (# of HDMI ports, types of ports, etc).

[Jeremy Greiner]

With 3D remember you will need to wear special glasses, and anyone not wearing the glasses will have an undesirable viewing experience.

With that said, most 3D TV's can turn off 3D mode and opperate as a normal HDTV if the price is in your budget and you may consider forking over the extra money for the glasses down the road it's certianly something to consider.



-jeremy

[Chris Padilla]

Frankly, I hate 3D. In a theater, 3D doesn't enhance the visual experience for me. I can get lost in a good film if it a well done 2D version; given the state of 3D, all it does is occasionally remind me that I'm watching a movie and shatter the illusion. And yes, I've seen "good" 3D--we've got a 3D IMAX set up nearby. All that said, 3D is the marketing hype, and I think you would be hard pressed to avoid it. While it isn't something I'd pay more for, I don't think I'd be dissuaded from buying a set advertised as 3D if the rest of it was what I wanted.

I'm mostly in agreement. I don't hate it but am just not impressed by it. I saw Avatar IMAX 3-D and I saw it in regular 2D. After the initial impact wore off, you tend not to even notice or remember it is in 3D. Perhaps the right movie might look good, I dunno. Blu-Ray is quite nice...see no reason to worry about 3D right now.

[Chris Padilla]

Hey all -

we're looking at getting a new TV for a "home theater" (not a crazy full-out home theater, but a nice TV room in the basement). I think a 55" is just about right-sized for the viewing distances.

Anyone have any thoughts, experiences, or advice on new televisions? Has anyone experienced one of the '3D' HDTVs out there (I know Sony and Samsung have 3D models).

Any 'gotchas' to look for?

Costco is a good place to pick up an HDTV: they automatically double the original warranty (typically 1 year goes to 2 years). We have two Panasonic 42" plasmas and they always seem to get good reviews. Consumer Reports.org might be worth a monthly one-time fee to check out their finds. I recently picked up a Sony 32" LCD TV from Costco for our guest room. That one is quite nice as well.

[Dan Hintz]

Others have covered the basics fairly well, so I'll add my two cents in for 3D... wait.

There are still multiple technologies out there, including glassless 3D versions. Of the glasses-required versions, there is no unified standard, but there are glasses out there (from 3rd-part companies) that support multiple standards... but they aren't cheap, at $150(ish)/pair.

Even if you end up with one, how much 3D content is really out there yet? Gaming systems like the PS3 have one or two somewhat boring games, and it's not like there are a ton of movies on the shelves or channels available to everyone from your local broadcast network, so why spend money now when things are changing rapidly (gotta keep up with the Jones'?). Better yet, buy now so when I decide to buy in a year, you early adopters will have lowered the price for me :)

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Based on my 40+ professional and personal years in electronics......WAIT on 3D.....

Don't think so? Ask me about the Sony Beta VCR I bought for the TV addict I'm married to........Paid nearly $1000.....a couple of years later?..

WAIT on 3D

The salemen will tell you the decisions have been made..............


WAIT on 3D

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

Based on my 40+ professional and personal years in electronics......WAIT on 3D.....

Don't think so? Ask me about the Sony Beta VCR I bought for the TV addict I'm married to........Paid nearly $1000.....a couple of years later?..

WAIT on 3D

The salemen will tell you the decisions have been made..............


WAIT on 3D


Ken, I'm not sure I get your point. are you saying wait? :D

I think if it was part of the otherwise 'right' tv for us, then I'd use it. I am starting to lean towards not paying for it though.

[C Scott McDonald]

Sounds like good advice so far.

I think it would be hard to go wrong with a LED 120hz. I have a Samsung and really like it and would buy it again. 55" is pretty big make sure you can sit far enough back from it so it is clear.

As far as 3D I would wait. Not enough content to many variables still. It will settle down like HD DVD vs Blue-ray did. If you enjoy movies then get a Blue Ray for sure. I will never buy another DVD again.

I am not sold on 3D movies yet. I have seen several and while ok it just doesnt do much for me. They tend to make stuff in the movie to conform to 3D for the wow factor and it doe'nt fit.

Anyway enjoy whatever new TV you get!

Scott

[Eric DeSilva]

I saw Avatar IMAX 3-D and I saw it in regular 2D. After the initial impact wore off, you tend not to even notice or remember it is in 3D.

That's sort of my problem. If it is done right, you don't notice--you become immersed in the movie. But that happens for me in 2D as well. My problem is that if it is done *wrong* (the cheesy 3D effects in horror movies), then it actually just accentuates the fact that you are watching a movie and breaks the illusion.

If the best case is that I don't notice it... Why live with any downside?

[Curt Harms]

That's sort of my problem. If it is done right, you don't notice--you become immersed in the movie. But that happens for me in 2D as well. My problem is that if it is done *wrong* (the cheesy 3D effects in horror movies), then it actually just accentuates the fact that you are watching a movie and breaks the illusion.

If the best case is that I don't notice it... Why live with any downside?

Because sales need a boost, Duh!! :D:D

[Dave Lehnert]

I just purchased a plasma TV. I hooked up the cable box with an HDMI cable to receive HD. I ended up unhooking it. when watching regular channels like the local news that were not in HD I had a 4 to 6" black border around the picture. Why have 50" if it does not fill the screen. The TV will not let me switch over to the Coax cable when the HD cable is hooked up.
Just may be me but seen no difference between the HD channels and regular channels.

[Bryan Morgan]

Hey all -

we're looking at getting a new TV for a "home theater" (not a crazy full-out home theater, but a nice TV room in the basement). I think a 55" is just about right-sized for the viewing distances.

Anyone have any thoughts, experiences, or advice on new televisions? Has anyone experienced one of the '3D' HDTVs out there (I know Sony and Samsung have 3D models).

Any 'gotchas' to look for?


It really boils down to what you are looking for and how much you want to pay for it. What type of equipment do you already have? How many inputs do you need? Are you going to switch your equipment with the TV or a receiver? Is there a lot of windows where sunlight comes in? Where is your seating located in relation to your TV? You want the best picture quality, viewing angle, etc, plasma is the way to go. It has issues like everything else. In all honesty, I don't think they make bad TVs anymore. Even the "cheap" stuff is a million times better than stuff from a few years ago. LCD and LED is the same thing, just that LED backlights the screen with LEDs instead of cold cathode or whatever they are using these days. 3D? Give me a break. Everytime the movie industry can't come up with anything new they always push 3D. They've been doing that since what, the 1940's? It has a "hmm neat" factor for about 5 minutes then you want those glasses off your face.

Whatever you do, don't buy any cables from the big box stores no matter what line of BS the sales people give you. Go to monoprice.com or someplace similar and get cables for what they should actually cost.

I recently went with a Panasonic plasma and a THX Onxyo receiver with as many inputs as I could find. It upconverts (or passthrough if you want the signal unmolested) and shoves all video signals though a single HDMI port to the TV. HDMI makes switching your devices so much easier and its less messy cabling.

[Bryan Morgan]

I just purchased a plasma TV. I hooked up the cable box with an HDMI cable to receive HD. I ended up unhooking it. when watching regular channels like the local news that were not in HD I had a 4 to 6" black border around the picture. Why have 50" if it does not fill the screen. The TV will not let me switch over to the Coax cable when the HD cable is hooked up.
Just may be me but seen no difference between the HD channels and regular channels.


Thats odd. Most TVs I've seen will stretch the video to fit the screen, in several different ways even.

[Myk Rian]

Thats odd. Most TVs I've seen will stretch the video to fit the screen, in several different ways even.

It's called the "Picture size setting". Works wonders if you use it.

[Dave Lehnert]

It's called the "Picture size setting". Works wonders if you use it.

Picture sizing helps some but not 100%. Can get it to fill the screen if I use zoom but then I can't see everything like the scroll at the screen bottom that CNN or FOX news use.

[Jim Becker]

Dave, different brands do stretching of SD content better than others. Sharp Aquos has one of the best "intelligent" stretch modes in the business, for example...minimal distortion effect and limited loss of content. BTW, in certain markets, many local stations news broadcasts will letterbox even on the HD feeds because they have not yet updated their equipment to be able to provide a 16:9. But the picture quality will still generally be noticeably better feeding from your box via HDMI than it will from a coax cable if your set is set up right, as it were.

OP, IMHO, LED-LCD is the way to go for most folks. Lower power consumption; less heat, much better contrast, especially in the blacks.

[Chris Padilla]

Have LCDs caught up with Plasmas in blacker blacks? Is the motion blurring gone now, as well?

[Greg Peterson]

I'm going to be in the market for a tv soon. The ol' Sony crt is starting to fade. That and it seems like most sports broadcasts have configured their onscreen stats for HD tv.

I think a 42"-46" screen will suffice for the space I have. At best I'll be 8' away from the screen.

Outside of picture quality, my biggest concerns are the display of SD content and heat.

[Dave Lehnert]

Dave, different brands do stretching of SD content better than others. Sharp Aquos has one of the best "intelligent" stretch modes in the business, for example...minimal distortion effect and limited loss of content. BTW, in certain markets, many local stations news broadcasts will letterbox even on the HD feeds because they have not yet updated their equipment to be able to provide a 16:9. But the picture quality will still generally be noticeably better feeding from your box via HDMI than it will from a coax cable if your set is set up right, as it were.

OP, IMHO, LED-LCD is the way to go for most folks. Lower power consumption; less heat, much better contrast, especially in the blacks.

I have the LG brand.
I read a lot about the heat with plasma but have to say this unit puts out very little heat. I would say about what you would expect with any tv. Wonder if this is from older plasma tv's?
I am 100% happy with the picture quality. But not a move or sports fan. Just regular TV type shows.

[Van Huskey]

#1 is what is your real budget.

#2 as mentioned Black Friday is coming and I would not buy a TV before then or the Monday following on-line. The holiday season is the break point for CE, I am guessing this may be a good year for larger displays.

#3 also as mentioned no point in jumping into 3D quite yet unless you are an early adopter, then again if you were you would already have 3D and be giving advise

#4 what type of light environment will it be used in, not as big a deal as days past but still part of the equation

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

Have LCDs caught up with Plasmas in blacker blacks? Is the motion blurring gone now, as well?

Chris - I believe they have. Faster refresh rates have supposedly all but eliminated the ghosting or 'artifacts'. And the blacks have gotten much better with LEDs because it can dim regions of the back lighting to achieve better contrast and blacker blacks. I think I read that one of the Samsungs has about 120 different lighting regions.

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

what type of light environment will it be used in, not as big a deal as days past but still part of the equation

Van - good point. LCDs were usually accepted to be better in rooms with bright light, plasmas the better choice otherwise. I think that might still apply. I'm looking at a basement family room, with just a small basement window that gets no direct sun - so light will not be a problem.

A neighbor gave me some good advice too - check out the texture of the panel itself (is it glossy? satin? matte?). He returned a set because the reflections were so bad he couldn't see the tv show through the image of his family room that was reflecting off.

[Greg Peterson]

I'm liking Samsungs offerings. The 46" set (UN46C5000QF) has some interesting features, including putting it on the LAN and auto brightness. The TV room won't be awash in bright light so throttling back the juice makes sense.

No mention in the list of features how it handles SD content.

[Bryan Morgan]

I'm liking Samsungs offerings. The 46" set (UN46C5000QF) has some interesting features, including putting it on the LAN and auto brightness. The TV room won't be awash in bright light so throttling back the juice makes sense.

No mention in the list of features how it handles SD content.


Thats a good point you touched on. Many new TVs are internet capable. My Panasonic connects to youtube, twitter, has a built in DVR, video Skype, and a bunch of other stuff I never use. It is really convenient if you like these types of things and want them on your big screen. :)

[Brian Tymchak]

Brian - Eric has some good points above.

LED and LCD are actually the same fundamental type of TV, but the difference is in how they are lit. Normal "LED" televisions have some sort of CFL (compact fluorescent lighting) behind the LED panel, which provides the light. LED televisions use LED's for the light source, which is more energy efficient, but another bonus is that many LED televisions can dim or control individual regions of LEDs to provide better 'blacks' - an area where plasmas have an advantage over conventional LCD screens. Also, "Edge lit" LEDs are where the light sources are distributed around the edge (as opposed to behind the panel) - this is where some manufacturers are able to get really really thin televisions.

For me - I'm interested in a 55" LED tv. ultra-thin is not important to me, so backlit or edgelit would be fine. I'm leaning towards either an internet-enabled TV (so we can get Netflix right to it) or couple it with a BluRay player that has the same capability. I don't care so much about Hulu or Youtube on it, but those could be things we might use if it was there.

I'm torn on the whole 3D thing; I'm not 100% sure on an internet tv (useless if we end up getting something else that provides it); and I'd like info on the 'connectivity' (# of HDMI ports, types of ports, etc).

Thanks John. Good stuff here. had not considered an internet-enabled TV. man do I have a lot to catch up on. Was wondering about the new Sharp Quattron. Wonder how much of a difference the Yellow-as-a-primary color makes.

3D isn't a big deal for me, although I am curious how the pro/college football games look in it.. but not enough to make the investment.

[Dan Hintz]

The Quattron's are a complete sham... they don't increase the color gamut of the screen, so there's no point in having it. The yellow LEDs are within the current color gamut already produced by the RGB LEDs, so they add nothing but brightness.

[John Fabre]

Before you know it, 4D will be here and it's coming. 1640P is in the works too, don't wait on the future. If you wait too long, HD will look fuzzy.

LED 120hz is now, 3D is already outdated just like the computers being produced in six months.

Buy now and be happy.