New TV

arun1963

It's time to upgrade from the 21" Sony Trinitron in the bedroom. The TV is used about 50% for gaming, 30% for normal TV and 20% for movie watching. The TV will be part of a 5.1 set up with an Onkyo TSR 708 receiver. Went looking for TV's yesterday and ran into multiple technologies and jargon. Hoping to make some sense of this. As it stands there seem to be 3 major technologies. Plasma, LCD and LED. Each comes with a 3-d option which I am not interested in.

1. Plasma or LCD or LED?

2. Why?

The brands in contention are Panny, Sony, Samsung and LG.

nguyendot

First,
3D or not, you're probably going to have one that's 3D since it's here to stay. The better tvs are going to have it. It's not a determining factor though.

You have to ask yourself what is most important to you. The purist pictures usually come from a plasma. Black levels, overall color quality, and motion are best on plasma.

Given plasma puts off the most heat, and uses the most power.

LCD and LED are the same technology, they're both LCD. The difference is the backlight, LED or CCFL. LED will generally give you brighter colors that pop. Motion won't be as good on either compared to plasma, but whites will be whiter and everything will be brighter. Go to a store and watch the plasmas next to the LCD based units when a really bright (or even white) scene comes on. The plasmas will dim out considerably while the LCDs will be way brighter.

I love plasma, but hate the heat it puts off since its basically just a CRT technology. It's closer to the picture you'll get in the theater. Also with smoother motion games won't lag as much.

I have LCDs in this house though, since we have a lot of windows, and I like a bright picture. The Samsung 6000 LED definitely is awesome.

arun1963

The showroom I went to last night had the LCD and LED one above the other. It was easy to pick that the LED was way clearer than the LCD. Had better depth for one. The plasma though was way at the other end of the room. A 44" vs the 40" LED next to me. I couldn't pick a winner.

I know this topics been beat to death but seeing stuff is like hearing stuff. I'm different enough to merit a separate thread....which I'm probably not.:redface:

nguyendot

Just because a tv is LED vs LCD won't make it clearer. The actual image is still made on a LCD... the LED is just the backlight. A good LCD is going to be very close to LED in terms of picture quality.

DMara

LED is definitely brighter than LCD, sometimes too bright. For 3D, I'm leaning toward plasma, though, especially the Panasonic VT25 and upcoming VT30 series.

exalted512

If you're considering a plasma, you also have to consider the light coming into the room. If you have curtains over all the windows, you'll be fine, but if you don't, they still have a glass screen and will reflect light.

My personal preference is plasma. I cant detect any heat from my samsung 58" 8000 series plasma...and trust me, in Texas heat, I'd notice. But maybe some other brands or the lower end series generate more heat...I dunno.

In my eyes, if you dont have an issue with glare from uncovered windows, plasma wins every time. Plus, most of the time they're cheaper.

-Cody

Tony M

There's enough info on the Net to research till you fall asleep from exhaustion. With the above tips from other members, you should have a base to start building on.

After I researched, I went Plasma all the way....Panasonic had a great review record and was affordable too. Sony plasmas were expensive then but are now compatable.

Good luck.

jbooker82

If you want a GOOD led tv you need to get one that is fully back lit not edge lit. That way the tv can turn led's off behind dark colors.

For 3d, the plasma is going to deffinatly be the best bang for the buck. 3d works by having images displayed on the tv one at a time for each eye. It osilates back and fourth. The glasses you wear are lcd glasses that blacken to block the vision for one eye. They are in sync with the tv. So when you have a 120 hz lcd or led tv you really only have a 60 hz tv when it is in 3d mode. I wouldn't get blow a 240 hz 3d tv. 480 would be prefered.

LG's 3d infina led tv's are 480 hz and fully back lit. They are around $3500-4000 bucks. The LG 3d infina plasma tv's are around 2000-2300 for a 60in tv.

I got my 3d LG Infina 50" 50PX950 tv and 2 pair of glasses for 1399 from the local tv store in Lincoln Nebraska.

jbooker82

Here is a good web page showing the features of LG's Infina series tv's. It shows what advantage fully back lit led's with local dimming has.

http://www.lg.com/us/infinia/

spock 2054

arun1963 wrote: »

1. Plasma or LCD or LED?

2. Why?

The brands in contention are Panny, Sony, Samsung and LG.

Plasma will give you a more accurate picture, with the fastest response time. Great for gaming (after a proper break in period) Most current gen plasma panels are much more energy efficient than previous units. They are also the least expensive flat panel technology. Anti glare coatings are also much improved.

LCD works well in brightly lit rooms, but has problems with off axis viewing, and reproducing black levels correctly.

LED - see LED above. Better at generating more accurate black levels, thin, sexy and more energy efficient.

I guess it really comes down to asking yourself - how much do I really want to spend to watch tv and play games on it? How large of a screen are you looking for? 42 inches and up, you could go either plasma or lcd/led. Under that size, lcd/led is your only option.

Most Samsung and Sony LED sets have a reflective coating on the surface, and that could be an issue if ambient light is a problem in your environment. LG LED (with the exception of the infinia series) sets have a flat matte coating that does not reflect light.

Since you are upgrading from CRT technology, I would suggest taking a look at a reasonably priced 1080P plasma display. Just my 2.5 cents...Good luck!

[Deleted User]

arun1963 wrote: »

It's time to upgrade from the 21" Sony Trinitron in the bedroom. The TV is used about 50% for gaming, 30% for normal TV and 20% for movie watching. The TV will be part of a 5.1 set up with an Onkyo TSR 708 receiver. Went looking for TV's yesterday and ran into multiple technologies and jargon. Hoping to make some sense of this. As it stands there seem to be 3 major technologies. Plasma, LCD and LED. Each comes with a 3-d option which I am not interested in.

1. Plasma or LCD or LED?

2. Why?

The brands in contention are Panny, Sony, Samsung and LG.

The TV being part of a certain audio setup or certain type of receiver/amp/whatever has no role to the video side itself.

You could read about 60/120/240/600 all day long, and to be honest, its marketing. You have 2K resolution and you have distant future 4k resolution. You did mention that 3D is not important. Plasma's are nice, Pioneer comes to mind but it no longer produces that technology. Panasonic, if I am not wrong, inherited the true black tech. LCD, LED, it is truly jargon, the display is the exact same only the light source is different. If you want more technical, the edge lit LED are less expensive than the other LED. To be honest, brighter (LED) does not mean better nor does darker (Plasma). Your primary concern should be size and quality of TV.

Without considering the Pioneers of the past, of which I have owned, I like Samsung for color and clarity but hate it for quality. I own many different models ranging from lower to top of the line.

The end result, forget about branding and hype. Go with what looks good (video)and has good manufacture support.

dee1949

..Plasma like Beta is better quality but a dead technology. Consider that....in your thought process. Beware, the next NEW thing.

spock 2054

dee1949 wrote: »

..Plasma like Beta is better quality but a dead technology. Consider that....in your thought process. Beware, the next NEW thing.

Don't think it's dead yet:
link:

http://www.digitalhome.ca/2011/02/record-sales-for-plasma-tv-in-2010/

Record Sales for Plasma TV in 2010
Posted by Hugh Thompson on February 8, 2011
Worldwide sales of Plasma televisions hit 19.1 million units in 2010, up from 14.8 million units in 2009 according to recent report from DisplaySearch.

The research firm says every quarter of 2010 saw sales increases over the same quarter of 2009. The results surprised researchers who believed the loss of several plasma manufacturers in 2009 and the renewed threat from LCD TVs with LED backlighting would put a dent in sales.

Plasma TVs were in demand thanks to being the most affordable large flat panel TVs for many consumers and thanks to the strong industry push for 3D TV which led many reviewers and consumers to conclude that plasma TV had superior overall performance compared to LCD TV.

“While 3D has not played a big role in the growth of plasma shipments, it has helped to support plasma TV in the competition with LCD TV,” noted Ken Park, DisplaySearch Senior Analyst for Korea TV Market Research.

In the final quarter of 2010, sales were up 9% from the same quarter a year earlier, to 5.2 million units. Displaysearch said sales could have been even higher had the major plasma makers not already been operating at maximum capacity.

The top plasma TV panel suppliers in 2010 on a unit basis were Panasonic with a 40.7% market share, followed by Samsung (33.7% market share), LGE (23.3%) and Chinese newcomer COC (2.2%).

jbooker82

I guess you could always get a 15" OLED tv for $2700. It will blow plasma and lcd away in picture quality.

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/gadgetreviews/lg-15el9500-oled-tv-will-start-shipping-in-europe-this-spring/12716

arun1963

Thanks everyone, I'm more informed now.

exalted512 wrote: »

If you're considering a plasma, you also have to consider the light coming into the room. If you have curtains over all the windows, you'll be fine, but if you don't, they still have a glass screen and will reflect light.

My personal preference is plasma. I cant detect any heat from my samsung 58" 8000 series plasma...and trust me, in Texas heat, I'd notice. But maybe some other brands or the lower end series generate more heat...I dunno.

In my eyes, if you dont have an issue with glare from uncovered windows, plasma wins every time. Plus, most of the time they're cheaper.

-Cody

Cody, there is a window behind the TV but the curtains are always drawn. There's just something about the PQ on a plasma, can't put my finger on it but.....

tony millard wrote: »

There's enough info on the Net to research till you fall asleep from exhaustion. With the above tips from other members, you should have a base to start building on.

After I researched, I went Plasma all the way....Panasonic had a great review record and was affordable too. Sony plasmas were expensive then but are now compatable.

Good luck.

I searched but since I'm a total tech idiot, I got confused with all the jargon. :redface:

jbooker82 wrote: »

Here is a good web page showing the features of LG's Infina series tv's. It shows what advantage fully back lit led's with local dimming has.

http://www.lg.com/us/infinia/

I'm going to check this out on the next series of auditions.

spock 2054 wrote: »

Plasma will give you a more accurate picture, with the fastest response time. Great for gaming (after a proper break in period) Most current gen plasma panels are much more energy efficient than previous units. They are also the least expensive flat panel technology. Anti glare coatings are also much improved.



LED - see LED above. Better at generating more accurate black levels, thin, sexy and more energy efficient.


Since you are upgrading from CRT technology, I would suggest taking a look at a reasonably priced 1080P plasma display. Just my 2.5 cents...Good luck!

I'm quite sure the final choice will come down to plasma vs LED.

halenhoang wrote: »

The TV being part of a certain audio setup or certain type of receiver/amp/whatever has no role to the video side itself.

True. I was going write a longer post and ask about the 5.1 equipment as well, but wanted to focus on one issue. Just forgot to edit out what I had already typed....

halenhoang wrote: »

You could read about 60/120/240/600 all day long, and to be honest, its marketing. You have 2K resolution and you have distant future 4k resolution. You did mention that 3D is not important. Plasma's are nice, Pioneer comes to mind but it no longer produces that technology. Panasonic, if I am not wrong, inherited the true black tech. LCD, LED, it is truly jargon, the display is the exact same only the light source is different. If you want more technical, the edge lit LED are less expensive than the other LED. To be honest, brighter (LED) does not mean better nor does darker (Plasma). Your primary concern should be size and quality of TV.

Without considering the Pioneers of the past, of which I have owned, I like Samsung for color and clarity but hate it for quality. I own many different models ranging from lower to top of the line.

The end result, forget about branding and hype. Go with what looks good (video)and has good manufacture support.

Sound advise thanks.

jbooker82 wrote: »

I guess you could always get a 15" OLED tv for $2700. It will blow plasma and lcd away in picture quality.

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/gadgetreviews/lg-15el9500-oled-tv-will-start-shipping-in-europe-this-spring/12716

I'm looking for a 42" for about $1,200-1,500

arun1963

double post

spock 2054

arun1963 wrote: »

I'm looking for a 42" for about $1,200-1,500

As I said in an earlier post - you get the most accurate picture with a plasma. As long as you can control the light in your room, you'll be fine.

LED/LCD looks artificial to me - plasma looks more lifelike, natural.

We have Sony LCD panels in several of the control rooms at my pt job - but the guy who does the color matching in the video room uses 3 professional widescreen studio monitors - Sony Trinitrons (CRT) , because of the color accuracy that is needed in a television production environment. (construction shot - production control room from 2007)
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5019/5447433790_ab3959f7a7_b.jpg

You could buy a few televisions for what you have budgeted - link to an assortment of 1080P 42 inch televisions...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&keywords=42%20inch%20tv&tag=2061-20&index=electronics&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325#/ref=sr_kk_3?rh=i%3Aelectronics%2Ck%3A42+inch+tv+1080p&keywords=42+inch+tv+1080p&ie=UTF8&qid=1297746314

spock 2054

Follow up
Found the CRT my video guy uses to color match - new, they were $14,000 each. For a 24 inch display, it has the best picture I've ever seen.

http://www.broadcaststore.com/store/prod_detail.cfm?eq_id=508821

jbooker82

That is a lot of money for a TV that isnt even 1080P

kawizx9r

Everyone's covered what needed to be said so I'll just state that I love my plasma.

If you don't have much light coming in during the daytime and such, I'd vote plasma all the way. Having owned 4-5 different LCD TV's over the years my Insignia is the first plasma I've ever owned and I love it. Even my cousin is a bit envious considering he just spent $1600+ on an LG Infinia Series LED TV just a few months ago.

spock 2054

jbooker82 wrote: »

That is a lot of money for a TV that isnt even 1080P

Our station broadcasts the signal to your television at 1080i. Your television upconverts that signal to 1080P. The Sony CRT monitors at the station are used to see the differences when shading color between different cameras and to keep the colors balanced, when shading between shots.

tommyboy

spock 2054 wrote: »

Don't think it's dead yet:
link:

http://www.digitalhome.ca/2011/02/record-sales-for-plasma-tv-in-2010/

I hope this is true and plasma sticks around. At least to me, watching a dark scene on an lcd is near impossible.

We decided on getting a new tv and my uncle was SHOCKED that we would even consider a plasma. He was going off about how plasmas are an ancient technology, burn in problems, and making off like lcds are it. Pretty much every argument that came up were a moot point anymore or not a big deal to begin with (he even said that we shouldn't buy plasmas cause they weigh more:eek:). Anyway, we decided on a samsung plasma, and other than having to buy curtains, the set looks great.

Too bad pioneer decided to get out of the plasma market, they had the best tvs going since the sony crt xbrs...