Flat screen TVs

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Flat screen TVs

Looking for opinions on:

What manufacturers is best, Phillipps Sony etc.

Which technology is best LCD or Plasma etc..

How does size work against image quality - if at all?

[Aaron Koehl]

Well, I am extremely pleased with my "thousands of mirrors", for the price point I paid. Bought it last year for the big game (62" Toshiba DLP, 19" depth, 97 lbs.).

I looked at lots of TVs for weeks before the big game last year, and for my lighting conditions, price point, viewing angle, and HD needs, this one serves them all.

If you want a wall-hanger, you might look at an LCD (or, Sony's triple-LCD), or, if you have the dough, you might look into a plasma. For me, (and there will be plenty of variation from person to person), the DLP was the best choice and had the nicest picture quality for my conditions.

[Travis Hirst]

Go to crutchfield.com and check out thier site. They have all the info you could ever want including how to choose between all of them and wich one would suite your room and viewing preferences best.

Travis

[Joe Pelonio]

My son and his roomates just returned a plasma and got an LCD. They said that even the first couple of days they could see the images burning into the screen from the video games, when the background stays the same for a long time.

[Jim Becker]

For LCD, I'm most impressed with Sharp Aquos options...the 30" I've had for a couple years has been super. At the time, it also had the very best "super stretch" that kept non-16:9 material in proportion while filling the screen. You really need to check on that capablity as there is still so much material both over the wire and on DVD that is 4:3 aspect ratio.

[Rob Russell]

I was out looking at flat screens and the biggest difference I saw between a Pioneer Elite Plasma and a Sony 'forget-the-name' top end LCD was that the plasma had a lot more glare. The high polish screen reflects light more easily so, in our situation, the LCD will be easier to see. From a clarity and color perspective, they were both stunning.

[Nancy Laird]

When you are comparing, stand or sit at a very obtuse angle from the screen and see how good the picture stays. Seeing the thing from straight-on is one thing; standing off to the side and trying to see the picture is another. Of all the ones I've ever seen at the big-box electronics stores (CC, BB, Ultimate), the Panasonics have the best picture of you have to sit "at the corner of the stage", so to speak, to watch the game.

Just my .02 -

Nancy

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Thanks for the input.

I hadn't even considered the oblique/accute viewing angle or glare.

[nic obie]

Hi Cliff,

This Christmas I bought two Olivea LCDs. One was a 27" and one was a 37" and payed less than $1200 for BOTH. That was delivered to my door too. The picture and sound of both of them are great. They also got good reviews. Most people (including myself) were suprised that they look as good as the 'big names'.

Check them out before parting with your hard earned money.:D

[Bruce Page]

After much research, I bought the Sony 46” XBR II 1080P LCD last year. The XBR II had excellent reviews everywhere I looked. I’ve been very happy with it. The HD picture is breath taking.

[Al Wasser]

You might want to peruse the current edition of Consumers Report. Mine came Wed. I think. It has ratings on flat screen TVs

[Aaron Koehl]

When you are comparing, stand or sit at a very obtuse angle from the screen and see how good the picture stays. Seeing the thing from straight-on is one thing; standing off to the side and trying to see the picture is another. Of all the ones I've ever seen at the big-box electronics stores (CC, BB, Ultimate), the Panasonics have the best picture of you have to sit "at the corner of the stage", so to speak, to watch the game.

Just my .02 -

Nancy
Glare was a consideration for me-- all your plasmas will have a glass front. Direct light on a plasma will cause glare, while direct light on an LCD or DLP will appear to fade the image.

The viewing angle will be better on the Plasma and LCD, though with the DLP I have not been able to get far enough away from the 62" screen to for the viewing angle to matter.

[Ken Salisbury]

I have had a 42 "Sony Vega (LCD) for 1 ½ years now and LOVE IT. I had to buy a new lamp which was quite expensive in my opinion (≈ $200.00).

[Steven Wilson]

Well take a look at Runco and Fujitsu Plasmavision for the best, higher end Pioneer would be next. In the under $5K range there are a number of good TV's. I picked up a Toshiba plasma (50") which had the features I was looking for (integrates well with my NAD theater). I looked at the Sony's but the peripheral sharpness wasn't there for my environment. The plasma has been fantastic so far (I bought it for the winter olympics last year).

[Ed Gibbons]

I have a high end Sony LCD and a Samsung LCD. The Sony is outstanding and has a significantly better picture than the Samsung. My advice is to get the best set that you can afford. You will have it a long time.

Good luck.

[Jeffrey Makiel]

The cost of plasma TVs are beginning to drop out. You now get a lot of bang for the buck. I bought a 46" LG plasma last summer and am quite pleased.

One important thing to note: Whatever brand or format you buy, make sure it has two HDMI input connections. HDMI (high definition multi interphase...I think) provides the best means of digital signal when using high definition and/or surround sound. One HDMI jack would be for the cable TV's HD set-top box, and the other for a DVD/DVR player. If not, you will have to use component cable input, which is slightly inferior, or worse yet, RCA or S-video inputs.

-Jeff :)

[Christopher Stahl]

I currently have a 60" Sony LCD XBR and a 42" Samsung LCD. They are both very good and have excellent pictures. This is my 4th 60" LCD and this is the best so far. We're going to be moving the 60" LCD to the game room and putting a plasma in the living room so we can hang it. I think we'll be going with the 60" Pioneer Elite Plasma.

I certainly think the higher end Sony LCDs look very good, and the Samsungs also have a fantastic picture. When it comes to the Plasmas, I really like the Pioneers.

Make sure to buy the extended warranty for whatever you buy. I've had mine replaced a number of times.

[Aaron Koehl]

I have had a 42 "Sony Vega (LCD) for 1 ½ years now and LOVE IT. I had to buy a new lamp which was quite expensive in my opinion (≈ $200.00).
That is another consideration to make.

LCD lamps and DLP bulbs will need to be replaced periodically. The DLP bulbs are rated at 10 years, with a replacement bulb cost currently under $100.

[Chris Padilla]

Go pick up the latest Consumer Reports magazine (or just leaf through it at the library...I mean bookstore). They talk about HD TVs in depth about once a quarter it seems.

[Dave Fifield]

I have had a flat screen 40" Panasonic HDTV for over 7 years now.

I don't see anything in the stores that comes even close to the quality that I get on it. The new LCD's all look dim and grainy, the plasmas all look low contrast, the larger DLP etc. projector TV's all have dim corners still, and ALL of them suffer from poor viewing angles.

You see, my Panasonic HDTV is a CRT model (Cathode Ray Tube). The colors is outstanding, it has tons of brightness, the contrast is amazing, and you can view it almost sideways. Granted, it's not thin and sexy like the new LCD's/plasmas, but the picture on it is WAAAAAY better than anything I've seen in any store of late.

I think I'll keep it for a few more years yet.

[Jeffrey Makiel]

Dave,
There's a lot to be said about the old CRTs. I have two that are/were pretty high end for their day, and they are still decent today.

However, my new plasma TV can be viewed at any angle. Even parallel to the screen! No drop off at all. It also sports a 10,000 to 1 contrast ratio. That means that the black is truly black, not dark gray, and the white is like a clean bed sheet. The colors are also very vibrant even in a well lit room.

Also, plasmas and LCDs now fully utilize a pure digital input via HDMI cable. No degredation from signal transmission or digital-to-analog conversion.

Lastly, if you enjoy looking at movies and music CDs, and have HD channels from your cable/dish provider, they are all formated in a 16:9 ratio versus the standard 4:3 picture box of a CRT TV. You will end up with either a smaller screen from the black bars at the top and bottom of your screen, or the sides of the screen is chopped off.

But again, I still have my CRTs and don't mind sitting in front of them either. :)

-Jeff

[Dave Fifield]

Hi Jeff,

My TV is an HDTV CRT. It has a 16:9 ratio 40" diagonal CRT. It has composite video inputs. No black bars on it...it's native HD, even though it's not 1080p (it's 1080i), it is still an excellent picture. It was waaay ahead of its time when I purchased it in 2000. I don't think they make them any more. I have been looking at HDTV satellite and local transmissions since mid-2000. I'm an early adopter :) Even back then, when the choice of HD monitors was far more limited, the CRT was an obvious winner. BTW, it wasn't cheap!!

Seriously, the picture on my HD CRT is MUCH better than any plasma/DLP/LCD/whatever box that I have seen to date. I regularly make the trip to the high-end home theatre store to see what they have and if it's time to update. As of right now, it's not.

Infront of me, as I type, I'm using a 32" Sony Bravia LCD HDTV as a computer monitor. It's a great desk-space saver. I replaced an old 21" CRT computer monitor with this thing and can now put my graphics tablet directly infront of the screen - it's great for that. I have Dish Network HD Platinum from a ViP622 box on it as well. I sometimes watch shows on this in my office, but I still prefer to go to the lounge and watch it on my "old" Panasonic HD CRT.....

My next buy will be a 32" 1080p HDTV/LCD monitor, when they actually get around to making one! Right now, the manufacturer's don't seem to have cottoned onto the fact that early adopters like me WANT a 1080p (1900x1210 pixels or whatever the numbers are) HD computer monitor. They'll wake up soon, I'm sure.

Cheers for now,

[Brad Schmid]

Here's some more info that might help:
http://www.flattvpeople.com/tutorials/lcd-vs-plasma.asp

[Dan Mages]

Where do you live? We might be able to refer you to a local shop.

[Jason Roehl]

Samsung LN-S4051 (40" LCD) here, bought in mid-Nov of last year. Look online for the features you want, then go to the store and look at the TVs. Keep in mind that many of them have a "torch mode" to make them look bright and vibrant in the store--and significantly reduce their lifespan. Turn the brightness and contrast down in the store (they are probably both at 100%) to make a judgment.

Here's a site: "avs forum" (do a google search) where you can find out just about anything related to A/V:

Note: removed direct link to another forum -TOS violation. Edited the text to name the forum and suggest a google search.

Your Friendly Moderator

[Chris Padilla]

I guess "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder!" ;)

I, too, have a CRT HDTV purchased back in 2001 I believe. It is a Panasonic Tau 36" 4:3. It weights a massive 212 lbs. This one reason I hate it but it works just fine. I would replace it with a new plasma or LCD in a heartbeat but the wife has asked me to wait until we do some other things in the house.

I have satellite Dish Network and one annoying thing is that I can't get a picture to view full-width on the screen--i.e I have a border all around every picture regardless of the type of picture; it is like my 36" screen is a 32" screen. After an hour with a guy at Dish Network trying all sorts of stuff, he came to the conclusion that there is some setting within my TV and that I should contact Panasonic.

He actually might be right because within the settings on my TV, there are some menus that are mysteriously greyed out and I cannot get access to them for some odd reason that I know I've had access in the past. Very strange.

Anyway, CRTs are fine and priced well but they weigh so much as you go bigger and bigger. That alone makes them painful for my situation but so far, we are ok.

[Ken Garlock]

Hey Chris, good to see you posting again. I need someone to keep me on the straight and narrow.:cool: :rolleyes:

When I bought my now ancient Sony XBR 50" I found that I could buy a service manual directly from Sony. Once you know how to get into service mode, you are dangerous.:eek: There are more adjustments than you can say grace over.

So, do some searching around the Panisonic site for manuals. You might just stumble on to what you need. Also check over on the 'rec.' news group discussions.

I understand that Samsung now has a DLP TV that uses 3 sets of mirrors and 3 LED light sources, one for each color. Also, Toshiba is coming out with the same setup this fall.

[Jason Roehl]

I'm with Ken on the service manual. I don't have one yet for my tv (waiting until biz gets out of the winter doldrums), but I do know how to access the service menu on mine--I haven't played with much, only the "obvious" stuff, but I know there are parameters on there that can render my tv totally unusable.

Many would say that you're leaving half your TV on the table (particularly any type of projection: CRT, DLP, HD-ILA, RPTV) if you don't get it professionally calibrated once it's in place. They have light meters that cost thousands and can adjust colors and alignment to a much greater degree than the untrained. It's kind of like buying a Ferrari with a governor on it--the pros take the governor off.

[Chris Padilla]

Okay, time to dig in and find me a service manual and get back that lost screen size I paid so dearly for 6 years ago! :)

[Jim Becker]

For anyone considering the Samsung DLP who is also in a Verizon area with FiOS (fiber to the home) service including or anticipating their video, the Samsung seems to have some problems with rendering SD via the high performance signal hookups from the box. Many users have reported this in the FiOS TV forum at Broadband Reports.

[Joe Mioux]

I will throw my 2 cents into this discussion as well

I have a 32 inch Sony XBR CRT.....

a 42" Sony Grand Vega, LCD reprojection tv

and a 52" Toshiba DLP.....

Overall, the old CRT is a hard one to beat for picture.

I still like the DLP because of the size.

Joe