HDTVs

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Saladus

Bronze Knight of the Realm
271
11
So my mom told me my father finally wants an HDTV. Normally I research these things inside and out, but right now with a new home I just have NO time to research this in-depth. I haven't kept up with prices for over two years. So let's say we're aiming for $800-1000 (preferably toward 800) and a viewing distance of 12-15 feet (I assume that's 46 inches or more)... what is recommended with that in mind? What brands should I stick with, what should I steer clear of?
 
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Chanur

Shit Posting Professional
<Gold Donor>
26,331
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Personally I find my plasma to have a much better picture than any of my friends LCD/LEDs. You can get a 50 inch 3D Panasonic plasma in that price range off Amazon.
 

Erie_sl

shitlord
236
0
Kinda depends on what they'll use it for. If they're just gonna hook up a cable box and nothing more, you really don't need 3D. Personally I've had nothing but good experience with Samsungs. If they don't use it for Blu-ray, or full 1080p video much. I'd just get the cheapest 120hz lcd/led or plasma TV of a particular size you can get with a brand you actually can depend on.

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-UN46EH...5369357&sr=1-2

Would be my recommendation, just bought the 40" for myself as I have no particular interest in wearing glasses to watch tv/movies.
 

Joeboo

Molten Core Raider
8,157
140
Get a plasma if the TV is in a basement or somewhere with very little natural light or not a lot of windows. Plasma have glass screen covers and they glare like a sonofabitch if there's a lot of ambient light in the room, but I prefer the picture quality to LCD/LED. The picture on a $600 50" Plasma is going to look as good as the highest-end LEDs that are 2-3x the price.

That being said, if it's going in a normal living room with a lot of windows around, go LCD/LED. They have plastic screen covers and glare very little in highly lit areas.
 

Soriak_sl

shitlord
783
0
I should note that my apartment has huge windows, so light would be an issue with a plasma. Also, I do watch 1080p content (Vudu), including 3D, and HD (720p?) Netflix and Amazon streams.

I don't watch network/cable TV, so not sure how it would compare. Also, as others have mentioned, if the room is fairly dark, plasma is most likely more bang for the buck.
 

Joeboo

Molten Core Raider
8,157
140
I've had the 50" version of that LG plasma for a year now, and i love it. Looks phenomenal.
 

cosmic_cs_sl

shitlord
109
0
Yes, ambient light will kill your plasma picture quality. Not only do they have glass panels, but the panels are usually greyish in color, so with a lot of light in the room, you'd have greyish blacks. That being said, I have a Pioneer Kuro plasma and will only trade it for a 70"+ OLED TV or 80"+ LCD
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Void

Experiencer
<Gold Donor>
9,374
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What do you guys think of this TV?

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...ibUnpTqbCIX7Xg

It's a 60" LG Plasma and the "secret" price is $799.99. Reviews seem good as does the price. I am thinking about it. I don't care about any apps or smart TV features because I have a HTPC.
For that price you're going to be hard pressed to find any 60" TV that is any better than that, so it sounds like a good deal. Might be a last years model they are trying to blow out, but nothing wrong with that, get some of the best deals that way. The closest I can find in Panasonic plasma are several hundred dollars more, so if this is as good as people say, I see no reason not to grab it for that cost.
 

Sean_sl

shitlord
4,735
11
I've been looking into saving up to buy a bigger TV for my new place since my old 42 inch LCD is way too small for my 13 feet viewing distance. I've been looking at the 2012 Panasonic Plasmas since people have been raving about their image quality, but I'm little bit concerned about lighting and Plasmas.

Just how much does lighting affect them? Currently I have some pretty nice sunblocking curtains over all of my windows due to my hatred of sun-glare and they do an excellent job of blocking out light, so I think I'm okay there. Would I always have to have the over-head lights and stuff off while using the TV though? Supposedly the new model Panasonics have improved stuff for lighting too and I'm not a fan of turning of all my lights since it kinda messes with my eyes if my TV is the only light source.
 

Chancellor Alkorin

Part-Time Sith
<Granularity Engineer>
6,029
5,915
We have a 50" Panasonic Viera and a reasonable amount of ambient lighting (don't know about overheads/tracks as we don't have that) doesn't seem to wash out the colour. I'd say that with the curtains, you'll likely be good to go. I imagine it would help if you had overhead lights on a dimmer if required.

Having owned one for years, I can tell you that I'd buy another Panasonic in an instant.
 

Utne

Molten Core Raider
57
8
I've got a 40" Sony, and down at the 40-46" range they're pretty good this year. The 5-series from Samsung isn't bad either, from the reviews I've seen, so I'd take a look at those.

I considered getting a plasma, but I have gigantic windows, and in the summer I get the evening sun streaming in, and it washes out stuff pretty badly on a LCD screen.
 

Joeboo

Molten Core Raider
8,157
140
I've been looking into saving up to buy a bigger TV for my new place since my old 42 inch LCD is way too small for my 13 feet viewing distance. I've been looking at the 2012 Panasonic Plasmas since people have been raving about their image quality, but I'm little bit concerned about lighting and Plasmas.

Just how much does lighting affect them? Currently I have some pretty nice sunblocking curtains over all of my windows due to my hatred of sun-glare and they do an excellent job of blocking out light, so I think I'm okay there. Would I always have to have the over-head lights and stuff off while using the TV though? Supposedly the new model Panasonics have improved stuff for lighting too and I'm not a fan of turning of all my lights since it kinda messes with my eyes if my TV is the only light source.
Turn your lights on like you normally would, and sit down and look at your LCD while it's turned off. Can you actually see the reflection of any of the lights directly on the screen? Can you directly see the reflection of a lamp or anything? As long as the angles aren't set up to where your viewing angle gives you direct reflection to a light, you should be fine. An illuminated room is ok with a Plasma, you just don't want any lights shining directly at it(which is usually sunlight in most rooms) I have overhead pot lights in my finished basement that point straight down from the ceiling and it's perfectly fine to leave them on, I just make sure not to leave any lamps on since their light shines out horizontally towards the TV. If I'm on my couch and I have a table lamp on right next to me, there's an obvious, bright reflection in the screen, but lighting that isn't in the field of view of the TV and shining towards it is fine.

If you have overhead lights (pot lights or track lighting) just make sure they are pointed straight down, or away from the TV, not right towards it and a Plasma is fine. Treat the plasma like you would treat a mirror, any light that shines at it, and at an angle that would be reflected back towards where you are sitting is going to be really annoying.
 

Pemulis

Not Woke
<Bronze Donator>
3,257
9,039
We have a 50" Panasonic Viera and a reasonable amount of ambient lighting (don't know about overheads/tracks as we don't have that) doesn't seem to wash out the colour. I'd say that with the curtains, you'll likely be good to go. I imagine it would help if you had overhead lights on a dimmer if required.

Having owned one for years, I can tell you that I'd buy another Panasonic in an instant.
I bought a 60" Panasonic plasma from amazon about three months ago after seeing it recommended on the FOH boards, checking cnet and avs forums, and finally going to see them in person at the local bestbuy. Best picture quality and awesome for watching sports and movies. You can find professional calibration settings out there that dial it in.
 

Sean_sl

shitlord
4,735
11
Btw, what do you guys think of the big Mitsubishi DLP TVs? Currently the viewing distance from where I sit in my recliner to my TV screen is about 13 feet.

According to this:http://myhometheater.homestead.com/v...alculator.htmlI would need a 95.6 inch screen to achieve SMPTE minimum viewing angle or a 116.3 inch screen to achieve THX recommended viewing angle.

I really can't setup a projector here (plus I don't want to deal with bulb costs from what I've read about them vs the amount of my TV usage) which leaves me either with going with a much smaller Plasma/LED set or with the 82 or 92 inch DLPs. Also a 92 inch is right on 12 feet for the maximum viewing distance for full visual acuity. The maximum for an 82 is 10.7 feet.


Thoughts?
 

Gaige

Legal Ephebophile
1,912
116
My parents have the 92. It's heavy, you're gonna have to buy bulbs. You need a humungous stand for it. Also DLP picture quality is pretty meh unless you get it professionally calibrated. Even calibrated it won't hold a candle to plasma.

However for sheer screen size they can't be beat. I'd get one now if you're thinking of it, they stopped making them (or are getting ready to) so they're going to go up in price, not down.
 

Sean_sl

shitlord
4,735
11
Yeah, the bulb thing is a big concern too. I'm probably not going to be able to afford to buy any TV in the size/qualities that I want until about June, maybe even July, and I'd prefer to buy something that will last me a long time. The supposed 100,000 hours on the newer Panasonic Plasmas is a big selling point to me, but I'd definitely want at least a 65 inch Viera ST50 if I went for one which is quite spendy.

Unfortunately I can't really change my living room setup to accommodate viewing distances better. Of course my options are all going to probably completely change after January and CES too, but I'd like to get an idea of whether it's worth it to go for smaller and top quality or bigger to line up with my viewing distance but not as high quality.

My other option would be going through Aaron's here, but god those leases just end up being waaay more than the TVs are actually worth and they don't have a great selection.